1994: Starting with unpaid leave

The girl's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

"Li Wan?" Dong Jianguo was somewhat surprised.

The other person was his high school classmate, who came from a wealthy family and had excellent grades during their school years.

After graduation, I heard that she was admitted to a university in the provincial capital, while I went to a technical school, and I have not been in contact with her since.

Unexpectedly, the two met again here and bumped into each other.

"It really is you!" Li Wan's eyes lit up instantly, her surprise turning into delight. "Jianguo, what are you doing here?"

As she spoke, she hugged the documents she had picked up to her chest, her eyes shining brightly.

Before Dong Jianguo could answer, the female staff member who had been making things difficult for him came out. Upon seeing Li Wan, her expression immediately changed to a smile.

"Oh dear, Xiao Li, what happened? Let me help you pick it up!"

Li Wan looked up and saw the female staff member; the smile on her face instantly vanished.

"Sister Wang, what happened?"

The female staff member referred to as Sister Wang was the one who had just confronted Dong Jianguo. She glanced at Dong Jianguo and said sarcastically:

"Xiao Li, this young man is naive. He came here asking for advice on setting up a factory. He doesn't know anything and is just wasting his time. I'm talking to him now, telling him not to be so unrealistic."

Li Wan's face immediately turned cold.

She looked at Sister Wang, then at Dong Jianguo, her eyes full of questions.

Dong Jianguo gave a wry smile and remained silent.

Li Wan understood instantly.

She shoved the documents in her arms into Sister Wang's arms, her tone serious: "Sister Wang, this is my friend. I'll handle his affairs. You go and do your work."

Sister Wang's smile froze on her face. She looked at Li Wan, then at Dong Jianguo, her eyes filled with astonishment and jealousy.

"You...your friend? You...this...I..."

"What? Do I have to report to you just because I'm entertaining a friend?" Li Wan's tone carried an unquestionable authority.

Sister Wang was rebuffed, her face flushed red and then turned pale, and she slunk away with the documents in her arms.

Li Wan turned around, looked at Dong Jianguo, and her eyes instantly softened.

"Jianguo, that's just how they are... don't mind them."

Dong Jianguo smiled and said, "I'm more concerned about why she's so respectful to you..."

"None of your business! What kind of business do you want to inquire about? I know it all, just ask me!"

Dong Jianguo got straight to the point: "I want to open a braised egg factory and I'm here to ask about the necessary permits."

"A braised egg factory?" Li Wan's eyes lit up. "Jianguo, you have a good eye! The country is encouraging the development of the private economy right now, and the food industry has a bright future! Come on, there's a special meeting room upstairs, I'll tell you in detail."

Without saying a word, she grabbed Dong Jianguo's arm and led him upstairs.

As Dong Jianguo was pulled along, he felt a warm touch on his arm, but his mind went blank.

The plot isn't unfolding as he expected...

The reception room is located on the second floor, at the corner of the stairs. The room is not large, with a few potted plants on the windowsill and a landscape painting on the wall. The furnishings are also very simple, with only a desk and two chairs.

But the chairs were much more comfortable than those in the service hall downstairs; they were soft leather sofas.

"Jianguo, please sit down. I'll get you some water." Li Wan pressed Dong Jianguo into a chair and hurriedly went to get a cup.

"No need to go to that trouble... I just came to ask what procedures and documents are required."

"What's the trouble? If you have any problems in the future, just come here and find me. We'll handle it as a special case."

Li Wan came over with two cups of hot tea, handed one to Dong Jianguo, and sat down in the chair opposite him.

She didn't rush to answer Dong Jianguo's question, but instead asked while drinking water and blinking her big eyes:

"Jianguo, I never expected to run into you here. Where did you go after graduation? I haven't been able to find out anything about you."

Dong Jianguo took the teacup and warmed his hands.

"Where can I go? I'll go to a technical school first, and then be assigned to a textile factory to just drift along after graduation."

"Just messing around?" Li Wan laughed. "People who just mess around won't find the Industry and Commerce Bureau."

She paused, her eyes becoming serious: "However, there are indeed some hurdles to setting up a factory, but it's not too troublesome."

As Li Wan spoke, she took a stack of documents from the drawer and pushed them in front of Dong Jianguo.

"Jianguo, listen to me, the national policy is being relaxed. There are three main steps to starting a factory for individual businesses."

"The first step is name approval. You need to decide on the name of your factory first, then come here to check for plagiarism. If there are no problems, we will issue you a 'Name Pre-Approval Notice'."

"The second step is proof of the premises. You need a fixed production site and proof of ownership or a lease agreement. If it's a residential property being converted to commercial use, you also need the stamp of the neighborhood committee."

"The third step, and the most crucial one, is the health permit and the sewage discharge permit. You have to go to the health and epidemic prevention station and the environmental protection bureau to have them come and inspect your premises. Only if you pass the inspection can they issue the permits."

"Of course, if it's a food processing plant as you said, you'd generally need a production and sales permit from the health bureau..."

"Once all of this is done, you can come back here to submit your materials. Once the application is approved, you can receive your business license."

Li Wan spoke clearly and logically, a stark contrast to her gentle demeanor just moments before.

Dong Jianguo nodded repeatedly as he listened.

He knew the general outline of these procedures in his previous life, but he was completely clueless about the specific details of their execution in the early 90s.

Li Wan's words were like a timely help in need.

"Li Wan, thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have slunk back home today."

Dong Jianguo said sincerely.

Li Wan blushed slightly and waved her hand, "No need to thank me, we're classmates. Besides..." She paused, her eyes slightly evasive, "I'm happy to be able to help you."

She looked up at Dong Jianguo: "Jianguo, are you really sure you want to start a braised egg factory? It's going to be hard work."

Dong Jianguo smiled and nodded: "Yes, I've thought it through. There's no way I'd get an easy, lucrative job."

"Okay!" Li Wan slammed her hand on the table, startling Dong Jianguo. "Then I'll help you!"

"Okay, I'll take the day off tomorrow and go with you to handle the paperwork. I know Section Chief Zhang at the Health and Epidemic Prevention Station, and I also know Section Chief Liu at the Environmental Protection Bureau. I'll take you to meet them and introduce you to them; it'll save you a lot of trouble."

Dong Jianguo quickly waved his hand, "I can't accept this, it's too much trouble for you."

"No trouble at all!" Li Wan stood up, walked to Dong Jianguo's side, leaned down, put her hands on the armrests of the sofa, and stared straight at him.

"Jianguo, I don't find it troublesome at all. We're old classmates, why be so formal!"

Her face was very close to Dong Jianguo's; Dong Jianguo could even smell the faint scent of her perfume.

"But... I haven't even rented a factory yet. I just had this idea, so I came to ask..."

Dong Jianguo pushed back, subconsciously keeping his distance from Li Wan.

"Oh, I see..." Li Wan said with some disappointment, "Well then, I'll leave you my phone number. Once you've prepared everything, I'll help you get the factory settled!"

She found a piece of white paper, cut out a strip, and scribbled a string of numbers on it: "This is my home phone number. Feel free to contact me anytime if you have any questions!"

After saying that, she pulled Dong Jianguo's hand and stuffed the note into it.

Dong Jianguo wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like she had pinched him a little...