Chapter 100: Money Is Never Fully Earned

For Zhao Guoyang, being officially appointed as the head of the Technical Division was a natural progression of events, and he was certainly not one to make a fuss or show excessive excitement. To the others at the Hongda Machinery Factory, however, the news was earth-shattering.

Throughout the afternoon, a steady stream of well-wishers visited his office. Wang Cheng, the head of the Procurement Division, along with Workshop Director Zhang Fusheng, Old Zhu, and many others, all came to offer their congratulations. Watching these people chat and smile with Zhao Guoyang, Huang Xiaohua, standing to the side, turned ashen, nearly grinding his teeth to dust.

Near the end of the workday, Zhao Guoyang was summoned to the Party Secretary’s office by a phone call. When he entered, Party Secretary Zhang Zhizhong and Union Chairman Lian Hongjun were discussing something. Seeing Zhao Guoyang arrive, both men’s faces lit up with smiles. Zhang Zhizhong announced the factory's decision to appoint him as the head of the Technical Division and offered him a few words of encouragement. As for Lian Hongjun, he explained the improvements to Zhao Guoyang’s compensation package, which included significant raises in salary, travel allowances, housing, and other benefits. Although Zhao Guoyang was not particularly concerned with these minor perks, he was pleased to see his value recognized so quickly.

After work, Zhao Guoyang did not rush back to the dormitory. He had previously paged "Monkey," asking him to come to Ninghai City for a meal to discuss some business. Monkey had already purchased pagers, one for himself and one for Zhao Guoyang. He had bought the cheapest model for himself, costing just over a thousand yuan, while picking out a high-end device worth over three thousand for Zhao Guoyang.

They met at a restaurant near the Workers' Cultural Palace. When Zhao Guoyang arrived, Monkey had already secured a table and was sipping tea. Zhao Guoyang first asked about the production progress of the hairpins. Upon hearing that Monkey had already finished over three hundred, Zhao Guoyang gasped in surprise.

"It’s only been one day, and you’ve already turned out this many? Are you trying to kill yourself?" Zhao Guoyang asked, wide-eyed.

"Well... Guoyang, it wasn't just me; Er Gaze helped out quite a bit too," Monkey waved his hand to explain.

"Then you two must have stayed up all night." Zhao Guoyang looked at Monkey’s bloodshot eyes, shook his head, and sighed, "You really need to balance work and rest. You can never finish earning all the money in the world."

Feeling the genuine concern in Zhao Guoyang’s tone, Monkey’s face showed gratitude, and he promised to heed the advice.

As they talked, the food arrived. Zhao Guoyang ordered a bottle of Tequ liquor, and the two chatted while they ate. Zhao Guoyang explained that he would be away for a few days and handed him a note with Bai Rou’s address on it. "Monkey, I intended to go to the post office to send this batch of goods myself, but due to special circumstances, I won't be able to make it in time. I have to leave it entirely to you."

"How is it? Will you be able to manage both production and shipping?"

"No problem at all!" Monkey nodded vigorously. "Don't you worry, Guoyang. Er Gaze’s family has a tractor, and his older brother drives it. When it’s time to ship, I’ll have him drive the tractor; it won't be a problem."

"That’s great! I’ll leave this to you two then! Remember, it must be shipped before Friday. If it drags into the weekend, we’ll lose another week."

"Got it! Consider it done!" Monkey promised, thumping his chest.

Afterward, Zhao Guoyang mentioned his promotion, though Monkey seemed rather unimpressed. In his eyes, given Guoyang’s talent, being the head of the Technical Division at Hongda Machinery Factory was actually beneath him. As for the raise, it was negligible—not even worth the price of ten or twenty hairpins.

Zhao Guoyang found Monkey’s attitude both amusing and frustrating. The guy was smart, good at arithmetic, and had a very progressive mindset, lacking the desire for job stability that most of his peers possessed. Compared to their chance meeting not long ago, Monkey’s potential was beginning to blossom. Zhao Guoyang believed that in the future, the young man would bring him even more surprises.

By the time he saw Monkey off, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. After returning to the dormitory, a slightly tipsy Zhao Guoyang fell asleep without even washing up, sleeping until dawn.

Just as Zhao Guoyang opened his eyes, Xu Dongfeng shouted from the washbasin outside: "Guoyang, it’s time to get up! Didn't you say someone from the Municipal Machinery Industry Committee is coming to pick you up today? Shouldn't you get to the factory early? I'm telling you, keeping those officials waiting isn't a good idea; they'll say you don't know the proper etiquette."

Hearing Xu Dongfeng’s rambling, Zhao Guoyang snapped awake. Checking the time, he saw it was nearly 7:30 AM. He quickly jumped out of bed and began to pack. He would be away on loan for at least three to five days, and he hadn't even packed a change of clothes yesterday.

When Zhao Guoyang hurried to the factory, the black Santana that had arrived the day before was already parked there. Ignoring the puzzled looks from his colleagues, Zhao Guoyang grabbed his bag and jogged toward the building.

Upon entering the factory manager’s office, he saw Director Zhou chatting with Mu Aijun and Zhang Zhizhong. As soon as Zhao Guoyang appeared, Director Zhou stopped talking, stood up with a smile, and said, "Comrade Zhao is here. Well, Manager Mu, Secretary Zhang, I won't disturb you any longer. We should be on our way."

Mu Aijun and Zhang Zhizhong walked Director Zhou all the way to the car. Before Zhao Guoyang got in, Zhang Zhizhong gave him a few final instructions—mostly about working hard, speaking little, and striving to bring honor to the factory. Zhao Guoyang didn't want to embarrass the leader, so he dutifully agreed to everything.

...

This was the second time Zhao Guoyang had visited Guangling City since his rebirth. Compared to his previous trip, his state of mind was noticeably different—more at ease and relaxed. Zhou Taishan, who sat beside him, was quite talkative and frequently initiated small talk, nearly digging out the entire history of his family background. Zhao Guoyang occasionally asked a question or two, which Zhou Taishan answered happily, but whenever Zhao asked why he had been borrowed for this task, Zhou Taishan drew a blank.

Zhao Guoyang observed Zhou Taishan’s expression closely and concluded that he was not intentionally hiding anything. Having reached this conclusion, Zhao Guoyang became even more curious about the purpose of the trip.

The car sped along and finally reached its destination around ten in the morning: the offices of the Guangling Municipal Machinery Industry Committee. Getting out of the car, Zhao Guoyang followed behind Zhou Taishan into the small building. Perhaps because they were in the same system and familiar with one another, no one stopped Zhou Taishan. On the contrary, many people greeted him cheerfully. However, many were curious about Zhao Guoyang, casting glances his way as they spoke with Zhou Taishan.

"We're here!" Zhou Taishan stopped in front of an office door.

Zhao Guoyang stopped in his tracks accordingly.