Chapter 23: Bold Thoughts

The phone had already been hung up, but the director of the Finance Bureau was still holding the receiver, seemingly lost in thought.

"Two hundred thousand dollars in foreign exchange? From the Industrial Bureau? What kind of unit's export earnings?"

He muttered to himself blankly for a few moments. It wasn't surprising that the director of the Finance Bureau was astonished. Over the past two years, the effect of export earnings in Yuntai City had been extremely poor, to the extent that he couldn't hold his head up high when attending meetings at the provincial level. He was the one being criticized!

In the entire previous year, the total export earnings of Yuntai City hadn't exceeded one million dollars, and the vast majority of it was scraped together bit by bit from agricultural, animal husbandry, and fishery products, such as apples, salted fish, and vegetables. But, frankly speaking, these things were all worthless.

Now, suddenly receiving two hundred thousand dollars, who would dare to believe it?

The next moment, the director of the Finance Bureau finally came to his senses. A smile appeared on his face uncontrollably. He hung up the phone and picked it up again, deciding to share the good news with the Industrial Bureau and find out which factory was so impressive!

Meanwhile, at the Industrial Bureau in Yuntai City.

Also just starting work in the afternoon, Director Li sat in his office, frowning as he looked at a document in front of him. He stared at it for a long time but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Occasionally, he sighed.

"On Several Issues Concerning the Reform of Collective Ownership Enterprises."

The document was printed with a bright red title. The so-called collective ownership enterprises originated from the past few years when the country proposed solutions to the problems of returning educated youth to their hometowns and addressing the employment issues of young people.

The actual content, however, was simple.

It involved establishing a large collective enterprise under state-owned units. This large collective enterprise belonged to every employee of the state-owned unit, and it could provide jobs for the children of formal employees and returning educated youth. At the very least, it could solve the problem of food. But that was about it.

The reason for this was simply that these employees' children and returning educated youth didn't have various professional skills, and there was no capital investment. So, the operation of large collective enterprises was very perfunctory. For example, setting up stalls in the factory area to sell tea.

In any case, they were supported by state-owned units without considering the issue of balance between revenue and expenditure. Even in recent years, the vast majority of large collective enterprises had become "empty units," with no substantial production activities and widespread instances of employees being paid for doing nothing.

The ultimate result was endless blood-sucking from state-owned units, leading to their inability to make ends meet!

"Sigh... It's true that reform is needed, but how to reform it?"

"If we directly dismantle them, it would definitely be the simplest solution, but with so many unemployed people, there would probably be a big mess!"

"The key is the issue of ownership and the lack of clarity on revenue and expenditure."

While Director Li sighed, the phone on his desk suddenly rang. He answered it and gradually, his expression changed from a frown to one of astonishment, and finally, to one of delight!

"Two hundred thousand dollars? Alright, alright! I got it!"

"It's from one of our subordinate units' export earnings."

"Understood! I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, Director Li looked at the document in front of him, feeling relieved and no longer plagued by the headaches he had just experienced. He felt refreshed and couldn't help bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! It must be Wang Ye! No one else but him!"

"There are only a few units that take on export tasks, and most of them are for ten thousand dollars. There are only two for fifty thousand dollars, and none for a hundred thousand dollars. Besides, the progress is not up to par."

"It must be Wang Ye!"

Thinking of this, Director Li picked up another phone on the desk, deciding to call the Red Star Machinery Factory to confirm.

While Director Li was eagerly making the call, in the Red Star Machinery Factory, in the office of the old factory director on the second floor.

In the not-so-spacious office, there were at least twenty people, all with worried expressions. There were countless people smoking, and the visibility in the entire room was less than three meters.

"Old factory director, do you think Director Xiao Wang can handle it? Can he really sell it? Will the foreigner buy it?"

Finally, amidst the sound of smoking, a strong man hesitantly asked. Sitting at the top was none other than the one-armed old man, Zhao, the old factory director. He knocked the ash off his pipe and said indifferently:

"You're in your forties, and you don't even have this bit of composure? Why panic?"

"Director Xiao Wang is a graduate of Huqing University."

"You've seen his abilities yourselves, and neither of the two directors has anything to say. What are you worried about?"

After hearing the old factory director say this, everyone in the room looked at each other, but they couldn't see any confidence in each other's eyes. Even the old factory director, after speaking, smoked even more fiercely. Obviously, he didn't have much confidence himself.

"Ding ling ling!"

At that moment, the phone rang!

Instantly, the sound of the phone seemed to send an electric current through everyone's hearts. All the people in the room stared at the phone. The old factory director looked around and then reached out to answer the phone. At the same time, everyone crowded around, listening intently. For a moment, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Ha ha ha! It's Li Gang here! Li Gang from the Industrial Bureau!"

"Old factory director! Has Director Xiao Wang succeeded already? I just received a call from the Finance Bureau, and two hundred thousand dollars has been deposited!"

"This kid is really efficient! I have to say, your Red Star Machinery Factory has struck gold!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

At that moment, when the people on the other end of the phone heard this voice, the despair on their faces disappeared in an instant. Deafening laughter and applause erupted, almost breaking through the roof!

And on the other end of the phone, Li Gang, after hearing the uproarious cheers, was also at a loss. He quickly moved the receiver away from his ear and shouted loudly, trying to overpower the noise on the other end, asking angrily:

"What's going on, Old factory director? What's happening over there? Why the uproar?"

In fact, everyone in the Red Star Machinery Factory assumed that Wang Ye had succeeded the moment they heard Li Gang say that. Otherwise, why would Li Gang call them? Moreover, nowadays, foreign exchange earnings are important to any unit. How could it be possible for a transaction to succeed without the approval of the higher-ups and for foreign exchange to be deposited without anyone knowing?

If there were such a thing, it would definitely be Wang Ye, who had left in a hurry!

"Director Li! Director Li!"

"We don't know either! Director Xiao Wang hasn't called us yet!"

The old factory director shouted loudly, and for a moment, Li Gang on the other end of the phone was speechless. He couldn't help laughing and scolding:

"You don't know what's going on either?"

"If you don't know what's going on, why are you celebrating?"

"What if the money belongs to another state-owned factory? What if the Finance Bureau made a mistake in their notification? Let's wait for Wang Ye's call! Notify me as soon as there's news."

"Don't celebrate too early! Ha ha ha!"

The phone hung up, and Li Gang breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair. Although the news wasn't confirmed yet, he felt that it was almost certain!

"This kid, didn't even bother to make a phone call."

"But I have to admit, there's no empty talk beneath his reputation. A graduate of Huqing University, is he really this capable?"

"If..."

Li Gang sighed emotionally a few times, and as he looked down at the document on his desk, he suddenly had a bold idea!