Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

As soon as Jiang Fan arrived at the conference room door, he heard a heated discussion coming from inside.

He pushed open the door and went in, only to see He Xiying surrounded by a large group of senior cadres from the factory, all of whom were staring at the small rattan box full of gold bars on the table with gleaming eyes.

Upon hearing the door open, the high-ranking officials immediately turned around.

Upon seeing that it was Jiang Fan, and without anyone knowing who started it, a thunderous applause suddenly erupted in the conference room!

The applause was deafening, startling the unsuspecting Jiang Fan.

"Comrade Jiang is here! You're a prodigy sent from heaven by Ansteel!"

"5000 grams of gold! My goodness, I've never seen so much gold piled up together in my entire life."

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, you have made a tremendous contribution this time."

Although I was a little flattered by the praise, I have to say it felt really good!

To receive such heartfelt praise from these senior figures must have been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Of course, Jiang Fan quickly waved his hands repeatedly, saying modestly:

"Distinguished leaders, please, please don't say that!"

"This is all work that everyone did day and night in the workshop."

"Without the workers' help, I couldn't possibly do the job even if I worked myself to death!"

"Hey! Don't be so modest, Comrade Xiao Jiang!" the logistics officer said with a laugh.

"We old folks have racked our brains for so long, but we still haven't figured out how to deal with foreign exchange."

"You've only been here a short while, and you've already slammed real gold and silver on the table. Isn't that a huge achievement?"

"That's right!" the production department staff echoed.

"Engineer Jiang, if it weren't for the foreign ideas you brought back from abroad, Ansteel's goal of self-sufficiency in construction would have been delayed for who knows how long."

Keep going, don't stop, and if you can praise someone, praise them a little more!

Jiang Fan was secretly pleased and just wanted to hear a few more compliments when He Xiying cleared her throat at the opportune moment, putting down the enthusiastic atmosphere:

"Alright, alright, stop it!"

"Stop praising him so much, or he'll get all cocky. Get back to work, get to the meetings!"

The cadres, still smiling with lingering enjoyment, returned to their seats one after another.

He Xiying turned her head to look at Jiang Fan, but her face held an uncontrollable smile:

"Comrade Jiang, you did a really great job. But I have two more pieces of fantastic news to tell you."

Good news? What good news?

Jiang Fan's eyes lit up: "Factory Director, please speak."

He Xiying said with a radiant smile:

"The first thing I did was call the Northeast Bureau and report the whole story about the gold."

"The leaders were very pleased to hear this. They not only praised our factory, but also encouraged us to continue our efforts and deliver the goods to the buyers as soon as possible, ensuring both quality and quantity. They also told us that if Ansteel had any difficulties or needs, we should just let them know."

Jiang Fan nodded. This was indeed a great thing. With the strong support from above, he felt more confident in his work.

Judging from the old factory director's excited demeanor, it seems that there is more to it than that.

He Xiying continued:

"Then I struck while the iron was hot and reported your idea of ​​converting a tank into a tractor directly to the commander."

"Guess what? The leaders immediately approved it, giving you full authorization to do this project and officially granting it approval!"

Jiang Fan paused, his surprise evident on his face.

But He Xiying hadn't finished speaking when he added:

"The leaders said this: 'It is a unique and ingenious idea to modify scrapped Japanese iron turtles into our own agricultural machinery. If this can be accomplished, it will greatly benefit the country's agriculture. Let that little Chiang Kai-shek do it. Provide him with manpower and materials as needed.'"

"How about that? Isn't that fantastic news?"

it is good!

What's wrong with it?

That's fantastic!

Jiang Fan originally thought that this matter would take some time to resolve, but he didn't expect that Director He would actually take his words seriously and be so efficient.

Of course, he also knew that this was probably related to the great achievement he had just made.

With that real money as a foundation, one's value and persuasiveness immediately increased.

Then, Jiang Fan stood at attention and answered loudly and confidently:

"No problem, factory manager, rest assured, we guarantee the task will be completed!"

Seeing Jiang Fan so full of fighting spirit, He Xiying was very pleased and felt that this young man was indeed a promising talent.

He coughed twice, walked back to the head of the conference table, gestured for Jiang Fan to sit down, then changed the subject, his expression becoming serious:

"However, the second matter, which is also the main purpose of our meeting today, is that we must discuss in detail how this funding should be used."

Jiang Fan nodded.

This 5 kilograms of gold is definitely the first super-large sum of money that Ansteel has ever received.

How to use it effectively is a profound skill that truly requires collective decision-making from senior management.

He Xiying continued to relay the instructions from the Northeast Bureau:

"To be honest, 5 kilograms of gold is not much for the whole country, but it is definitely a lot for our factory."

"The Northeast Bureau leader's idea is that Ansteel can retain 80% as development funds for the factory, and hand over the remaining 20% ​​to other brother departments that urgently need money."

"The question now is, what should we do with the remaining 80%?"

These words immediately caused a stir in the meeting room, with the cadres offering their own thoughts.

Someone excitedly suggested:

"Factory manager, I think we should invest all the money in expanding the Dongfeng-01 production line. Since it's so profitable, let's build as many as we can!"

Others countered, "That won't do. We're a steel mill, not an arms factory. I think we should use that money to repair the auxiliary buildings of our No. 1 blast furnace and lay a solid foundation for steelmaking."

Some suggested using the money to build a dedicated railway line or improve the factory's water and electricity supply systems.

Jiang Fan sat at the table, not in a hurry to interrupt.

He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then, amidst the clamor of debate, took the lead in speaking formally:

"Factory manager, esteemed leaders, I have a suggestion."

"I think the first expense of this money should be given back to the workers in our workshop."

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent instantly.

Jiang Fan paused for a moment, then continued:

"To meet that big order of 1000 pieces, the workers will have to work in three shifts, which is very hard work."

"In addition, some promised bonuses and overtime pay have not been fully delivered."

"If we can use this money to improve everyone's treatment, the workers will be more motivated and production capacity will naturally increase."

He Xiying listened and nodded in deep agreement:

"I agree with this proposal. The working class is the foundation of Ansteel. We cannot let them sweat and shed tears."

"However, the gold certainly cannot be distributed directly; it would easily cause trouble."

"Here's what we'll do, Lao Li from the logistics department, you take out some funds and exchange them for fine grains, pork, cloth, rubber shoes, and other hard currencies for food, clothing, housing, and transportation, to provide logistical support for the workers who are rushing to complete the project."

"In addition, since we are going to start full-scale production, Lao Zhang from the production department, please transfer another batch of experienced workers from the small steel rolling mill. We absolutely cannot miss the half-month delivery deadline."

After arranging the issues concerning people's livelihood, He Xiying looked at everyone again:

"Does anyone have any other ideas regarding the remaining funds?"

Of course Jiang Fan has his own ideas.

With money, one must naturally buy things, and if one is going to buy something, one must buy a hen that lays golden eggs.

Jiang Fan immediately sat up straight and said in a deep voice:

"Factory manager, I suggest that we use all the remaining money to purchase industrial equipment and precision instruments."

"If we can obtain a batch of advanced precision machining equipment from the Soviet Union or Eastern Europe through the Northeast Bureau's channels, it will not only be of great use to our tractor modification, but also the foundation for Ansteel's future heavy industry research and development."

"Our current equipment is far too outdated; many precision parts simply cannot be ground by hand."

"Gold may be valuable, but no matter what, it's just an inanimate object if it's not spent."

"Only by transforming them into advanced equipment and generating revenue can this money truly come alive!"

With Jiang Fan's insightful advice, the leaders who had just been arguing amongst themselves fell silent and fell into deep thought.

It's not that these senior figures were short-sighted; it's just that everyone's position and perspective on issues were different.

As a time traveler, Jiang Fan had thoroughly grasped the benefits of historical trends and naturally knew how important the industrial base was.

After a moment, many cadres nodded and voiced their support for Jiang Fan's suggestion.

But then, a new, and most crucial, question was raised—

If I'm going to buy equipment, what kind of machine should I buy?

What kind of production line would be most helpful for Ansteel's future plant construction and national research and development?

In an instant, all eyes in the conference room once again fell on Jiang Fan, the genius who had studied abroad.

Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Jiang Fan smiled confidently.

"Factory manager..."

"I suggest we invest the remaining money into purchasing all the production equipment related to seamless steel pipes!"