Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

The air in the office seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zheng Guowei's heart skipped a beat. The excitement he had felt just moments before from receiving this affirmation instantly turned cold. Was he being wasted? What did that mean? Did Mr. Li think that the Five Star Ceramics Factory was too small a pool to contain Li Feng's talent, and wanted to transfer him to another, more important position?
Or does Mr. Li want Li Feng to leave the Ministry of Light Industry?
The moment this thought crossed Zheng Guowei's mind, a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

no! Absolutely not!
This grand blueprint of "full-chain automation" was drawn up by Li Feng. From the theoretical framework to the technical details, who else in the entire light industry system could handle it besides him? If he were transferred away, wouldn't this report become a dead letter? The future of Wuxing Ceramics Factory, and the future of the entire national ceramics industry, all rest on this man's shoulders!

Zheng Guowei was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan; his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word. In front of Mr. Li, he, a mere deputy director, really carried no weight.

Compared to his panic, Minister Jiang was much calmer. Although he was also deeply shaken, his face remained expressionless, though his slightly furrowed brows betrayed his inner turmoil. He knew that every word Mr. Li spoke contained profound meaning and was not just casual talk.

He leaned forward slightly and asked cautiously, in an extremely respectful yet somewhat tentative tone, "Mr. Li, in your opinion... what position would be most suitable for Comrade Li Feng?"

Upon asking this question, Minister Jiang's heart also tightened.

He had prepared for the worst. If Mr. Li really wanted to transfer Li Feng, he would risk his reputation and fight for it.

Mr. Li did not answer immediately.

He stretched out his fingers and tapped lightly on the smooth coffee table, making a soft "tap, tap, tap" sound. Each tap seemed to strike the hearts of Zheng Guowei and Minister Jiang.

The office was eerily quiet, save for the rhythmic tapping and the ticking of the wall clock.

Zheng Guowei could even hear his own heart pounding.

After a full half minute, Mr. Li stopped knocking. He picked up his teacup, took another sip, seemingly to soothe his throat, or perhaps to give the two of them enough time to catch their breath.

Then, he raised his eyes, his gaze sharp, and swept over the two tense men, saying slowly and deliberately, "Such a large undertaking, such a bold and ambitious plan, needs someone who can make the final decision, take responsibility, and get it done from start to finish to lead it, right?"

Minister Jiang and Zheng Guowei exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

What does that mean?
Before they could even figure it out, Mr. Li gave a resounding answer.

"In my opinion, we should let him do what he's doing as the head of the Five Star Ceramics Factory!"

"boom!"

These words were like a thunderclap in their ears!

Zheng Guowei was completely stunned. His mouth was agape, his eyes were wide open, and his mind was blank, making it almost impossible for him to think.

Let Li Feng... become the head of the Five Star Ceramics Factory?

Factory manager?!
This...this is impossible! Li Feng is only twenty-one years old! A twenty-one-year-old factory director? And a key enterprise like Five Star Ceramics Factory at that? This is simply unheard of and unseen!

Although he had planned to make Li Feng the head of the ceramics factory, that would be several years from now, but the current situation was that Li Feng was only twenty-one years old.

This was completely contrary to my expectations.

Minister Jiang was stunned by this groundbreaking proposal. His teacup trembled slightly, and a few drops of tea spilled out.

He has lived for over sixty years and worked in the ministry for so long. He has seen people promoted without regard to the rules, but he has never seen anything like this!

Although Zheng Guowei and I had planned to promote Li Feng to be the head of the Five Star Ceramics Factory, that was not the time.

So he composed himself, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and quickly explained, "Mr. Li, you are unaware of this. Although Comrade Li Feng is exceptionally capable and has made outstanding contributions, our department has also promoted him exceptionally."

"He is now the deputy director of the Five Star Ceramics Factory, enjoying the benefits of a full-fledged department head."

His meaning was quite clear.

First, we have recognized Li Feng's value and have given him important responsibilities and extremely high treatment, appointing him to the position of a full-fledged department head, which is unprecedented for a 21-year-old.

Secondly, the director of the Five Star Ceramics Factory is a full-fledged division-level cadre, and after a period of time, he will basically be promoted to deputy director-general level.

Promoting someone directly from a division chief to a deputy director-general level leader is completely illogical in terms of organizational procedures, and would face enormous resistance.

The reason why I and Deputy Director Zheng wanted to promote Li Feng was because of this. That's why we let Li Feng accumulate experience in the position of deputy factory director.

He thought that after his explanation, Mr. Li would understand the difficulty involved and perhaps reconsider his idea.

However, after hearing this, Mr. Li not only did not frown, but laughed instead.

That smile carried a kind of all-knowing magnanimity and unconventional boldness. "A division-level official?" He waved his hand with a smile, "Dashan, I don't think you understand what I mean."

He pointed to the thick report on the coffee table.

"Did you understand this report? This is not just a technological upgrading plan for a factory; it's a brand new path for our country's industrial upgrading! It's a clarion call for us to prove the superiority of our system to the world!"

Mr. Li's tone became impassioned again, "To win this battle, we need a 'commander' who understands technology, production, and has a long-term strategic vision! Tell me, besides Li Feng in this report, can you find a second person like him in the entire Five Star Ceramics Factory, no, in the entire Ministry of Light Industry?"

Minister Jiang opened his mouth, but was speechless.

Indeed, it cannot be found.

Let alone a second one, you can't even find someone with half of Li Feng's abilities.

Mr. Li looked at him, his smile widening: "Since he is the most suitable person, even the only candidate, is rank an issue? Is procedure an issue? I think none of those are issues!"

He said firmly, "Becoming a deputy factory director at the level of a division chief is just following the established procedure."

"But what we need now is not to follow the established procedures, but to expand our territory! Letting a division-level cadre like him preside over the work of a deputy bureau-level unit precisely demonstrates our determination and courage to recruit talent without being bound by convention!"

"It's settled then!" Mr. Li declared decisively, giving no one a chance to object. "Dashan, go back and study this immediately."

"First, appoint Comrade Li Feng as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Acting Director of the Wuxing Ceramics Factory, to take full charge of the factory's production, technology, and expansion."

"As for the current factory director, we could consider moving him to a different position, such as promoting him half a grade to the ministry as an advisor, or sending him to another unit, either would be fine."

"As for his official title, we'll give him the official one once he's set up this 'full-chain automation' business and achieved some results. Then, who will dare to object?"

His words were swift and decisive, yet reasonable, paving the way for everything.

First, delegate authority to the "acting factory director" position, allowing him to work efficiently and effectively. Once he achieves results, everything will fall into place naturally. This solves the immediate problem while avoiding significant procedural controversies.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

Zheng Guowei listened with great emotion, his eyes filled with unparalleled respect as he looked at Mr. Li. This was the courage and wisdom of a high-level leader—creating possibility from the impossible and forging a path to success from a predicament!
His face flushed with excitement, as if he could already see Li Feng displaying his talents and leading the Five Star Ceramics Factory—no, leading the entire Chinese ceramics industry—to the pinnacle of the world!
Minister Jiang took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

"Yes, Mr. Li! I understand! I will convene a Party Committee meeting immediately upon my return to implement your instructions!"

At this point, he had no more doubts, only the same excitement and anticipation as Zheng Guowei.

With Mr. Li's personal selection and protection, Li Feng's giant ship is finally about to set sail!

……

Emerging from that simple yet imposing office and walking down the sun-drenched corridor, Zheng Guowei felt a little unsteady on his feet, as if he were walking on clouds.

It wasn't until the afternoon wind blew that he shivered and fully woke up.

He turned to look at Minister Jiang beside him and saw that his old leader also had an overwhelming sense of excitement and emotion on his face.

"Minister, I... I still feel like I'm dreaming," Zheng Guowei said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

Minister Jiang glanced at him and said with a smile, "You, Xiao Zheng, when you promoted Li Feng to a cadre position, could you have imagined this day would come?"

"I never would have guessed! I could never have imagined this!" Zheng Guowei exclaimed with deep emotion. "At the time, I thought this young man was a talent, a piece of fine steel, someone who needed to be tempered in the most crucial place. But how could I have imagined that he wasn't just fine steel, he... he was pure gold! No, even more precious than gold!"

Yeah, who would have thought?

In a short period of time, a 21-year-old not only completely transformed the technological landscape of a factory, but now he is also taking charge of this massive enterprise to realize a grand blueprint that could change the nation's industrial structure.

This is no longer a legend, but a myth.

“Let’s go,” Minister Jiang patted his shoulder, his tone firm and resolute. “We still have a lot of work to do when we get back. We must implement Mr. Li’s instructions as soon as possible, clear all obstacles for Comrade Li Feng, and allow him to focus wholeheartedly on his work!”

"Yes, Minister!" Zheng Guowei nodded vigorously, his eyes burning with a fierce flame.

A storm that will determine the future of China's ceramics industry has begun.

At the eye of the storm, the young man named Li Feng was completely unaware of what was happening. (End of Chapter)