Chapter 83: Truly Remarkable

Hua Guosheng’s words were utterly heartfelt, spoken with genuine concern for Zhao Guoyang. Although Zhao Guoyang cared little about the matter of allocating apartments, he was still grateful for Hua Guosheng’s attention and care.

Naturally, Zhao Guoyang never went to talk to Mu Aijun or Wang Youchang about the apartment. His ambitions were grand, far beyond such trivialities. According to his plan for development, once his little workshop took shape, not only would a hundred-square-meter apartment be nothing, even a villa of three or five hundred square meters would be well within reach.

All morning, the topic of housing allocation buzzed throughout Hongda Machinery Factory. In the technical office, Zhao Guoyang could hear quiet speculation from time to time. He turned a blind eye, making no attempt to suppress it. He understood well that he could not force his own standards onto his subordinates. After all, they lacked the insight he’d gained from his previous life.

When the lunch break came and Zhao Guoyang returned to his dormitory, he saw Monkey pacing nervously at the doorway, scratching his head and ears. Seeing him, Zhao Guoyang strode quickly forward and knocked his fist against Monkey’s shoulder, saying, “Hey, what took you so long? Didn’t we agree? I’d be back after a couple of days on business.”

Monkey scratched his head sheepishly. “Guoyang, I just didn’t want to make a wasted trip. You know, it’s quite a hassle coming from Black Horse Township to the city. If I missed you, that’d be a waste of over a yuan in bus fare…”

Zhao Guoyang was exasperated at Monkey’s petty calculations. He lightly kicked Monkey and said, “You’re about to become a boss, so why are you still so stingy? It’s just a bit of bus fare. Surely the initial capital I gave you is enough?”

“Of course, it’s enough!” Monkey waved his hands hurriedly. “Guoyang, I’m just trying to save every bit I can. We don’t need to buy a die-casting machine up front, but we do need to buy materials… I did a rough estimate—the materials aren’t cheap either…”

Seeing Monkey’s anxious expression, Zhao Guoyang couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t worry about the materials. I’ve already got that sorted. Your only job is to secure a site for our little workshop. Come on, let’s talk inside.”

“No problem at all—the die-casting machine is already in my family’s courtyard,” Monkey replied quickly.

“When I went to Xiangyang Machinery Factory, their Section Chief Ning was so enthusiastic when she heard I was your friend. She even got two workers to help me load the machine onto the tractor.”

Zhao Guoyang nodded at this, recalling that Ning Xiaohong was indeed a true friend. He’d only helped her with a small favor last time, but she remembered it well. Thinking of Ning Xiaohong, Zhao Guoyang remembered the matter of the hair clip. He had promised her a gift, so he decided to present her with the first hair clip produced by his little workshop. It would also serve as a test—her reaction would reveal the quality of his product.

“Oh, right.” Suddenly Zhao Guoyang remembered something else. He turned to Monkey and asked, “I asked you to look into the mold factory. How’s that going?”

Monkey patted his chest confidently. “That’s settled. As it turns out, there’s a small mold factory in Xiao Wang Village, Black Horse Township. I showed them your drawings, and they agreed on the spot, promising to make us a set of molds for free. But—there’s a condition…”

Zhao Guoyang frowned slightly, surprised. “Making a mold for free? Is there really such a thing? What’s their condition—nothing too harsh, I hope?”

“No, not at all!” Monkey waved his hands. “They just want you to visit their factory and give some guidance. The young boss values your drafting skills and has several questions for you.”

With that, Zhao Guoyang understood. The mold factory boss was an expert, recognizing the uniqueness of his drawings, and thus proposed a fair exchange—labor for guidance. It made sense. Since they only wanted his advice and not anything more, he wasn’t bothered. When the time came, he would go with Monkey and help out. The technical challenges at such a small factory were unlikely to stump him.

After discussing with Monkey for a while, Zhao Guoyang took out a deposit slip and handed it to him.

“What’s this, Guoyang?” Monkey had rarely seen such things in his life and was a bit at a loss.

Seeing Monkey’s confusion, Zhao Guoyang pointed to the bold characters on the slip. “Can’t you read? It’s a bank deposit slip!”

Monkey’s expression took on new life. He opened his mouth slightly, holding the slip up to his eyes for a closer look. When he saw the large characters spelling out ‘Fifty Thousand Yuan,’ his eyes widened like copper bells, and his mouth could have fit an ostrich egg.

“This… Fifty thousand? How can there be so much? Is it fake?” Monkey asked, bewildered.

Zhao Guoyang shook his head in silent frustration, casting a sidelong glance. “If you think it’s fake, go check at the bank! Hurry up and put it away—don’t let others see!”

Monkey hurriedly stuffed the deposit slip into his pocket, took a few deep breaths, and finally calmed down enough to ask, “Guoyang, what’s going on? How did you suddenly get so much money? Did you borrow it from the factory?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. The factory wouldn’t lend me money.” Zhao Guoyang snorted. “This money comes from a partner in Sheep City. The fifty thousand is for a thirty percent stake in our workshop.”

Upon hearing this, Monkey looked at Zhao Guoyang with immense admiration, giving a thumbs-up. “Wow, Guoyang, you’re amazing! Our little workshop, barely bigger than a palm, and you managed to attract fifty thousand yuan in investment! Incredible, truly incredible.”

Monkey’s words nearly made Zhao Guoyang choke with frustration. He sat down heavily, took a sip from his ceramic cup to steady himself, then explained the whole story of Bai Rou’s investment.

At the end, Zhao Guoyang said angrily, “Monkey, can’t you show some ambition? Our workshop may look small now, but in the future it could become a billion-yuan enterprise, maybe even go public overseas. Sister Bai’s investment is proof of her vision! Why do you make it sound like I tricked her?”

Monkey grinned, nodding instinctively. “Right, right, Guoyang. Whatever you say. But with this fifty thousand, our little workshop is truly alive. I really hope you make it big, so I can at least get a taste of the success as your hired hand…”