Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

The subtle tension in the office was slowly dispelled by his gentle yet firm gaze.

He picked up the cup of tea on the table, which had already cooled down, and took a small sip to moisten his dry throat.

After chatting for a while, Li Feng placed the enamel mug steadily on the table, making a soft "clang" sound.

He looked up at Wu Na, his face regaining that just-right smile, a smile that was both distant and polite.

"Section Chief Wu, are you free tonight?"

Wu Na was leaning against the edge of the desk, her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him with great interest.

Upon hearing Li Feng's question, she raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly and a sly smile appeared on her lips.

"What? Is our newly appointed Factory Director Li inviting me to dinner to celebrate his promotion?" Her voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of teasing.

Li Feng nodded frankly, without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes, it's a celebration." He paused, then added, "And also to thank Section Chief Wu for his support of me on the second phase of the project over this period of time."

"Without your help, many things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

These words were perfectly worded, giving Wu Na face while defining the invitation as a work thank-you gift, thus diluting the subtle ambiguity between the two.

Wu Na snorted inwardly, thinking to herself that this guy was a slippery eel, drawing clear lines with just a few words.

However, at this moment, her smile became even brighter.

"Since Director Li has already said so, wouldn't it be too disrespectful of me to refuse?" She waved her hand dismissively, "So, where do you want to eat? I must make it clear first, I won't go to the canteen for private meals."

Li Feng was amused by her appearance, and the tense atmosphere in the office just now instantly disappeared.

"Don't worry, it's definitely not the cafeteria." He pondered for a moment, then suggested a name, "How about Qinghe Restaurant?"

Qinghelou is a long-established state-owned restaurant in Beijing. Although it is not as famous as some other long-established restaurants, it has the advantage of a quiet and elegant environment, and the dishes are quite good. More importantly, not many people know about it, making it a good place for conversation.

Most importantly, Li Feng had eaten there a few times before, and Qinghelou gave him a pretty good impression.

Sha Zhu also hosted his wife and parents at Qinghelou.

Moreover, Li Feng felt that taking Wu Na, given her status, to an old-fashioned restaurant with a strong local atmosphere would be disrespectful.

Going to more upscale places would seem too deliberate and ostentatious.

Qinghelou Restaurant offers just the right balance in terms of both class and privacy.

This choice once again demonstrates Li Feng's thoughtfulness and composure far beyond his years.

A hint of approval flashed in Wu Na's eyes.

She knew that dealing with this man would never be boring.

He always manages to arrange everything perfectly, making people feel like they're basking in a gentle breeze.

“Qinghelou?” She repeated the name, her smile becoming more genuine. “Alright, if Director Li has arranged it, it must be a good place. I’ll accept the invitation and look forward to enjoying Director Li’s celebratory banquet.”

Li Feng smiled and nodded, then reached for the heavy, black rotary telephone on his desk.

"Wait a moment, I'll call a car."

As he spoke, his slender fingers skillfully turned the dial, and the telephone emitted a series of crisp "click-click" sounds.

The call was answered quickly.

"Hello, is this the factory office? This is Li Feng." His voice was calm and steady, carrying an unquestionable sense of authority.

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to pause for a moment, then a very respectful voice came through: "Director Li... Director Li! Hello, hello! This is Jin Youfa from the factory office! What are your instructions?"

The owner of that voice was none other than Director Jin, the director of the factory office of Wuxing Ceramics Factory.

He was originally promoted by Wu Qing. He was a very shrewd and perceptive person, and he was best at figuring out what his superiors wanted. After Wu Qing was transferred to be the director of the branch factory, he naturally took over the position of director of the factory office.

Director Jin felt both awe and curiosity towards Li Feng, the newly appointed, excessively young factory director. He was just worried about not finding an opportunity to make a good impression when the phone call came directly to him.

"Director Jin," Li Feng said calmly, "could you please arrange for the driver, Sun Qiang, to drive the factory's car to the entrance of the branch factory's office building? I need to go out for a bit later."

"Okay, okay! No problem! I'll arrange it right away!" Director Jin patted his chest loudly on the other end of the phone. "Don't worry, Director Li, within five minutes! No, within three minutes, I guarantee Sun Qiang will be waiting for you downstairs!"

After hanging up the phone, Director Jin felt a layer of fine sweat break out on his back.

This was the new factory manager's first phone call and his first instruction!
He dared not delay in the slightest, practically leaping from his chair, grabbing another internal phone on the table, and dialing as fast as he could.

"Hello! Is this the convoy? This is Lao Jin from the factory office!" His voice carried an undeniable urgency. "Hurry up and notify Sun Qiang! Tell him to stop dawdling and drive that factory director's car to the entrance of the branch factory's office building immediately! Director Li needs the car! Did you hear me? It's Director Li! Tell him to clean the car inside and out. If there's even the slightest mistake, I won't let him off the hook!"

After hanging up the phone, Director Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead. He walked to the window, looked down at the scene below, and pondered something.

This Deputy Factory Director Li... no, he's Factory Director Li now.

On his very first day in office, Director Li made his first phone call to me and assigned me his first task.

What does this mean?
This shows that Director Li still approves of himself!
Director Jin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally half relieved.

He secretly resolved that he would handle the tasks assigned by Director Li perfectly from now on, without any ambiguity.

……

Just as Director Jin had assured, in less than three minutes, a black sedan came to a steady stop in front of the branch factory's office building.

The car body was polished to a shine, reflecting a dazzling light in the autumn sun. All four tires were shiny black, clearly indicating that it had just been carefully cleaned.

As Li Feng and Wu Na walked out of the building side by side, driver Sun Qiang immediately jumped out of the driver's seat.

He quickly ran to the back seat, opened the car door, held the top of the door with one hand, and made a "please" gesture with the other, his face full of a fawning smile.

"Factory Director Li! Section Chief Wu!"

Sun Qiang's waist was slightly bent, and his posture was extremely humble.

He respected Li Feng, and even admired him.

He watched Li Feng rise to power.

Back when Li Feng first became the deputy director of the factory office, he was just a greenhorn in his early twenties.

Back then, Sun Qiang was one of the few full-time drivers in the factory, and he often took Li Feng around.

At that time, Li Feng was young, but he was neither arrogant nor humble in his dealings with people. He was never bossy like other leaders. Sometimes, people would chat with him about everyday things.

Sun Qiang immediately realized that this young man was no ordinary person.

Sure enough, how long has it been? A year? Or a little over a year?
He has already risen from a deputy section chief to the current factory director, a position equivalent to a division chief!
Factory manager!
This is the absolute boss of the entire Five Star Ceramics Factory!

Whenever Sun Qiang thought of Li Feng's legendary speed of promotion, he couldn't help but feel excited and fortunate.

What excites me is that I actually witnessed the rise of such an important figure, and what makes me feel fortunate is that I had a fairly good relationship with this important figure back then and did not offend him.

"Director Li! Congratulations! Congratulations on your promotion!" Sun Qiang looked at Li Feng, his voice filled with genuine excitement. "Oh my, I've been waiting for this day! Ever since you were still in the factory office, I've been telling the people in our vehicle team that you were destined for greatness and would soar to the top sooner or later! See, I was right!"

While there was an element of flattery in these words, there was also some sincerity in them.

Li Feng was perfectly aware of Sun Qiang's obsequiousness. He showed no impatience, simply smiled faintly, and patted Sun Qiang on the shoulder.

"Old Sun, you're being too polite. We're all just working for the factory, and we'll have to rely on you even more in the future."

The simple phrase "Old Sun" instantly bridged the gap between them. The words "I'll have to trouble you again in the future" further reassured Sun Qiang.

Moreover, Li Feng used to call Sun Qiang "Brother Qiang," but now he calls Sun Qiang "Old Sun," which can be seen as acknowledging Sun Qiang's talent.

After all, it's not appropriate for Li Feng, who is now the head of the factory, to call Sun Qiang "Brother Qiang," so calling him "Old Sun" is just right.

Because of Li Feng's change in addressing Sun Qiang, Sun Qiang's face turned slightly red with excitement, and he waved his hands repeatedly: "It's no trouble at all! It's my honor to serve Director Li! It's what I should do!"

Li Feng smiled and didn't say anything more.

He knew that for someone like Sun Qiang, sometimes a simple word of affirmation was more effective than any material reward.

He turned to the side and gestured for Wu Na to enter.

Wu Na smiled and gracefully bent down to sit in the back seat of the car.

A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into the carriage as she moved.

Li Feng then got in and closed the heavy car door.

With a loud bang, the noise outside and Sun Qiang's excited face were shut out of the car.

The car interior wasn't spacious, and Li Feng and Wu Na sat side by side, their shoulders almost touching. The air was filled with the pleasant scent emanating from Wu Na, along with the distinctive smell of leather seats that had been baked in the sun.

Sun Qiang quickly returned to the driver's seat, glanced cautiously in the rearview mirror, and asked, "Director Li, where are we going?"

"Go to Qinghe Tower," Li Feng instructed succinctly.

"okay!"

Sun Qiang responded and skillfully started the car.

As a seasoned veteran, Sun Qiang wouldn't ask his superiors why they were going to the celebration building; he knew that all he needed to do now was carry out the factory director's orders.

As for other things, he wouldn't bother to ask them at all.

of course!

He learned all of these from a senior colleague.

This is all experience.

At this moment, the factory manager's car emitted a low engine roar and slowly drove away from the government building, heading towards the factory gate.

The car drove very smoothly; Sun Qiang's driving skills were quite good.

Otherwise, Li Feng wouldn't have specifically asked Sun Qiang to be his driver.

Moreover, Li Feng felt that Sun Qiang was trustworthy.

At this moment, Wu Na turned her head slightly, looking out the window at the rapidly receding factory buildings and chimneys, her eyes filled with a hint of amusement.

Then she turned back, her gaze falling on Li Feng's composed profile, and then she smiled softly at him:

"Our Factory Director Li is really getting more and more arrogant these days. One phone call and the car is waiting downstairs. The driver's attitude is even more respectful than when he's dealing with Factory Director Zhu."

Her words carried a subtle hint of teasing and probing.

Li Feng looked straight ahead, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meaning in her words, and calmly replied, "We're all colleagues from the same factory, it's just a favor to each other. Old Sun is a good person; I used to trouble him a lot when I was running projects."

Looking at his stubborn and unyielding attitude, Wu Na couldn't help but snort softly in her heart again.

Installed.

Keep pretending.

She refused to believe that someone who was favored by Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Light Industry, Deputy Director Zheng of the Planning Department, and her cousin Minister Feng would be content with being the director of a ceramics factory.

At this moment, Wu Na felt that this small Five Star Ceramics Factory was just a stop on his long journey.

However, she wasn't in a hurry.

Just as Li Feng himself thought, there was plenty of time. She had all the time and patience to watch how he would stir up a storm on this small stage.

Outside the car window, the familiar factory scene gradually faded into the distance, replaced by the unique, vibrant streets of Beijing.

The gray brick walls, the bustling alleyway entrance, and the hurried pedestrians riding old-fashioned bicycles create a vivid picture of the times.

Li Feng leaned back in the soft seat, feeling the slight bumps of the car, and a sense of peace settled in his heart.

For him, the position of factory manager was indeed just a new beginning.

What he needs to do is not just manage a factory well and enable everyone to live a good life.

The technologies and knowledge in his mind that were decades ahead of this era were like treasures waiting to be discovered.

The Five Star Ceramics Factory was the first base he chose to turn these treasures into reality.

From here on, he will take one step at a time, quietly changing the world in his own way.

He glanced at Wu Na, who was smiling sweetly beside him, and then thought of Ding Qiunan, who was far away in the hospital and gentle and quiet. A complicated feeling welled up in his heart.

Just as one must walk steadily on the path of career, one must also avoid making mistakes in the path of relationships.

The car moved smoothly through the traffic, carrying several people with different thoughts, speeding towards Qinghe Restaurant.

Because they were traveling by car, the group arrived at Qinghelou about twenty minutes later.

Perhaps because Li Feng and his group arrived by car, a waiter came over to inquire about their whereabouts as soon as they entered.

Li Feng and Wu Na were then taken to a private room.

As for Sun Qiang, he was quite sensible and spoke to Li Feng at this time.

"Factory manager, I've already eaten at the factory canteen. Why don't I wait for you in the car?"

After thinking for a while, Li Feng nodded to Sun Qiang.

"it is good".

"Thank you for your help."

Sun Qiang quickly smiled at Li Feng.

"No trouble at all!"

"No trouble at all!"

"This is what I should do."

Next, Sun Qiang went back to the car to wait for Li Feng and Wu Na.

After all, Sun Qiang knew what he should be doing at this time. (End of Chapter)