Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

The next day, as soon as it was light, Gao Jianguo went to work at the factory as usual.

As he passed the gate, the two guards saw him, straightened their chests, and snapped to attention.

Gao Jianguo smiled at them and greeted them.

Yes, yesterday's militia training trip wasn't a waste of time.

Once he got to the office and put his things away, the first thing he did was go to Old Chen to cancel his leave.

Old Chen had just hung up the phone when he saw him and waved for him to sit down.

"I was just looking for you, and here you are. I heard you were quite the big shot at the militia training ground yesterday?"

Gao Jianguo was delighted.

"Master, you're quick to report this! Since you've already gone, why not chat with everyone?"

Old Chen nodded.

"Hmm, you haven't forgotten your methods for working with the masses, that's good."

Gao Jianguo continued the conversation that Lao Chen had just finished before hanging up the phone.

"You said you needed to talk to me about something?"

Old Chen frowned slightly.

"So, your research group isn't enough people. Should we add another one? Of course, if you really think you have enough, you don't have to."

Gao Jianguo understood immediately upon hearing this.

Someone has their eye on this and wants to put people in there to enhance their resumes.

"Hehe, yes, yes, we need to add someone. You decide how to rank them."

Old Chen pointed his finger at Gao Jianguo twice in a mock poking motion.

"You little rascal, trying to test me, huh? You're already at the very back of the line, you should be grateful you even get a free ride, and you still want to complain? I already told them over there, this only counts if you agree."

This is clearly an attempt to curry favor with Gao Jianguo.

"Oh, by the way, I'll make you a list later, and you can put those troublemakers from Corey in front of this guy too."

Gao Jianguo immediately followed suit with his flattery.

"Master is wise; you truly cherish your subordinates. Let's make this clear first: I don't want to get involved with Yuan Gang, but if you insist, I'll do whatever you say."

Old Chen waved his hand.

"Never mind him. There have to be some examples, good ones and bad ones. Go on, someone will contact you later about adding more people."

Gao Jianguo understood the situation, said goodbye, and returned to the vacuum induction furnace laboratory.

He was so busy in the lab that he barely had time to breathe when someone came into his office.

It was the same technician from the day before yesterday; he took the initiative to lead the people to the laboratory.

The two had barely stepped out of the office when they started whispering amongst themselves inside.

"Look at them, how proactive they are, seizing every opportunity to get close."

That's the voice of Technician A.

"You know what, Gao Jianguo's really got going."

Technician B picked up the conversation.

"Get to work, get to work! Stop gossiping! You're just spouting nonsense instead of doing anything productive."

That's Yuan Gang.

-

The person who came found Gao Jianguo in the laboratory and first extended both hands.

"Hello, senior technician. I'm Wang, a clerk from the factory office."

Gao Jianguo shook hands with the person who came.

"Hello, Clerk Wang. Is someone from the factory office looking for me?"

Clerk Wang glanced around; everyone was busy and no one was looking in their direction. So he moved closer to Gao Jianguo and lowered his voice.

"Deputy Factory Director Li would like to invite you to his place. He originally wanted to come in person, but firstly, he has a mountain of work to do, and secondly, it would be too much of a commotion, so he specifically asked me to invite you."

Gao Jianguo immediately connected what Old Chen had said with the situation before him.

Deputy Factory Director Li?

I don't know if it's the one from TV.

Gao Jianguo didn't have any psychological barriers to dealing with or even helping the deputy factory director Li on TV.

Everyone has their uses, and people like Deputy Factory Director Li are quite useful.

He's the kind of person who, if he succeeds, might not be happy, but if he does something bad, he's guaranteed to be bitter.

The best approach is to prevent him from having any chance to sabotage your plans. As for getting him to help you succeed, let fate decide. If it works out, great; if it makes things even better, even better. If neither of those things work out, it's not a big deal.

Gao Jianguo's sixteen-character policy of "focusing on work" does not mean that he should make enemies everywhere.

Besides "working hard and diligently," isn't there also a way for organizations to "work smartly"?

Having made up his mind, Gao Jianguo nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll go right away."

He exchanged a few words with the research team and then left with Clerk Wang.

Clerk Wang led Gao Jianguo to the door of Deputy Factory Director Li's office and then left.

Eavesdropping at the leader's door at this time would be incredibly stupid, so Clerk Wang didn't even want Deputy Factory Director Li to catch a glimpse of his shadow outside the door.

Gao Jianguo knocked on the door and went in; it was indeed Deputy Factory Director Li.

He didn't mind and greeted them politely but firmly.

"Hello, Deputy Factory Director Li."

Deputy Factory Director Li stood up from his seat and walked out, warmly leading Gao Jianguo toward the sofa.

"Zhendong is here. Please sit down, please have a seat."

As he spoke, he had already sat down on the sofa next to Gao Jianguo.

The most striking characteristic of Deputy Factory Director Li, as revealed on television, is his "use people when they need them, and discard them when they don't."

But you know what, when he uses people to move forward, he really means it.

This can be seen from the process of his negotiation with Sha Zhu in the room where the police were holding people.

In this situation, he really needs Gao Jianguo's help.

Chief Engineer Chen was at the same level as him. They weren't exactly enemies, but their relationship was just so-so.

If Gao Jianguo is determined to rely on Chief Engineer Chen and refuses to agree, then he really can't get this person in.

The responsibilities he manages don't extend to the technical aspects.

Once the two were seated, Deputy Factory Director Li spoke first, immediately offering praise.

"Zhendong, you haven't been at the factory for very long, but I've heard your name a lot lately. The phrase 'well-rounded' perfectly describes you. Li Jianguo from the Security Department's Training Section came to me praising you to the skies, all because of the militia. And the facts speak for themselves; you've done a really good job in that position."

Besides praising someone and showing goodwill, these words clearly implied that Gao Jianguo, the deputy captain, had given his approval.

Gao Jianguo didn't take the position of deputy captain too seriously, but since someone had offered him a position, he couldn't refuse.

"Thank you for your concern, boss. If you trust me, I'll do my job well."

The meaning behind his words was clear: Okay, I'll remember this favor. Now, let's talk.

Since things had come to this point, Deputy Factory Director Li decided to cut to the chase.

"Zhendong, here's the thing. I have a nephew who works as a lathe operator at the factory. His skills are passable, and since your research group is doing some machining work, I was thinking of having him train with you."

They don't even say "your group" or "your place," they just say "your place."

This means one thing: I'm the one who acknowledges this relationship.

Gao Jianguo nodded and decided to lay everything out in the open.

"Welcome, welcome. But I have to say some things upfront, so the boss won't complain later."

As long as the matter can be resolved, Deputy Factory Director Li doesn't care about anything else.

"Of course, there still need to be rules. Go ahead and tell me."

Gao Jianguo didn't mince words and got straight to the point.

"Let's not go into the technical or work-related rules; we'll just follow the regulations. He'll do whatever we tell him to do. If he can stay, I'll definitely keep him; if he breaks the rules, he has to leave. Besides that, there's only one other condition: if he goes, he'll only benefit from it."

Deputy Factory Director Li is a sensible person.

"This kid is lucky to have gotten this far; you don't need to worry about anything else. If he misbehaves even slightly, just tell me, and I'll handle it."

Deputy Factory Director Li, having followed the administrative path, didn't utter anything like "I'll break his legs."