Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The weather in November is unpredictable; the north wind blows like razor blades.

Engineer Wang squatted beside the newly poured foundation, reaching out to touch the concrete surface: "Boss Fan, this weather is really damn bad. The highest temperature during the day is only five degrees, and it's bound to freeze in the middle of the night. Concrete is affected when it sets below five degrees, just like osteoporosis when people get old."

Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of white breath: "Add antifreeze."

"We added more, but it's only a temporary solution." Engineer Wang stood up and rubbed his hands. "According to regulations, we should set up an insulated shed and light a stove inside in this weather. But our construction schedule is as tight as a belt..."

"Let's build it," Fan Debiao interrupted him. "We'll build it today. You go find the stove; I'll pay for it."

"That's another expense," sighed Engineer Wang. "The cost of materials for the insulation shed, labor, and coal will be at least three thousand. We're really struggling like an old lady on a heated brick bed."

"We have to make the effort, even if it's tough." Fan Debiao stared at the fundamentals. "If this thing freezes, it'll cost at least 20,000 to rebuild it. You know better than me which is more important."

Just then, the phone rang. Motorola engineer Chen was sweating profusely on the other end: "Boss Fan, the protocol converter hasn't arrived yet! They said the delivery truck in Beijing is broken down and we need to replace it, which will delay things for another two days!"

Fan Debiao frowned: "Are you three engineers still at the hotel?"

"Yes, it's here. The daily room and board fee is four hundred and eighty." Engineer Chen paused, then continued, "Boss Fan, this fee…"

"Engineer Chen, it's like this." Fan Debiao's eyes lit up. "You guys can leave that little hotel and move to Victoria. I'll cover your food and lodging, and you can have plenty of good wine and food. You can just stay in Kaiyuan comfortably, and we'll start work as soon as the parts arrive."

The person on the other end hesitated for a moment, then said, "This...this isn't appropriate, is it?"

"What's inappropriate?" Fan Debiao laughed. "You've come all the way from Beijing, we can't let you suffer. Besides, we'll be working together for a long time, so it's all about building a relationship."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Engineer Chen said, "Then... I'll discuss it with my colleagues."

"What's there to discuss? It's settled then." Fan Debiao made the decision. "I'll have Awei pick you up right now."

Just after I hung up the phone, Awei arrived in her Xiali car.

"Brother Biao, the Xiamen provincial office called!" Her eyes were full of excitement. "They said that our batch of Xiamen A8s is out of stock in several surrounding counties, and they're asking if we can get a batch over there. The price is 15% higher than the purchase price, cash settlement, and it won't be considered parallel importing!"

Fan Debiao laughed: "See? What did I tell you? Heaven won't let a blind man starve. How much should we adjust?"

"The first batch should be fifty units. But I heard they meant they wanted a hundred."

"Give him eighty units," Fan Debiao said, "but on one condition—the payment must be received within three days."

"Understood!" Awei wrote it down in her notebook. "Brother Biao, this way, we can recover more than 50,000 in profits."

"This is nothing." Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Call the TCL office too and tell them that we also have TCL 3188 in stock, and they can have as many as they want. But the price will have to be increased by five percent."

Awei was taken aback: "Would they agree?"

"Look at you, you're an amateur again." Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke. "Right now, the whole province is short of goods. We who have the goods are the boss. Five points isn't much, they can resell it for ten points and it'll still be in high demand. It's like Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai, one is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit."

Awei suddenly realized, a satisfied smile spreading across her face; her eyes clearly conveyed, "Brother Biao, you're awesome!"

Gangzi came over from the other end of the construction site, his face grim: "Brother Biao, two men wearing hard hats just came by. They said they were from the Safety Supervision Bureau. They said our construction site's fire safety facilities are incomplete and we have to stop work for rectification."

Fan Debiao narrowed his eyes: "The Safety Supervision Bureau? I've never been here before."

"I'm wondering the same thing," Gangzi cursed. "Damn it, it's like a toad on your foot—it doesn't bite, but it's still annoying."

"What do they want?" Fan Debiao asked.

"They said we needed four fire extinguishers and a fire sandbox," Gangzi said. "I said I'd buy them right now, but they wouldn't. They insisted on issuing a rectification notice and making us stop for three days."

Fan Debiao thought for a moment: "Did you give them money?"

"I'll give you five hundred each, but I don't want it." Gangzi spat. "You're acting like it's the real deal."

"Then it's not about money." Fan Debiao took out his phone. "You keep an eye on things, I'll make a call."

I called Section Chief Zhou from China Netcom, and it rang several times before he answered.

"Section Chief Zhou, this is Fan Debiao. Two people from the Safety Supervision Bureau came to the construction site and insisted on stopping work for rectification. Could you please ask them who they are?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end: "Boss Fan, this matter... I can't say much. But think about it, who have you offended recently?"

Fan Debiao understood perfectly: "I understand, thank you, Section Chief Zhou."

After hanging up the phone, he told Gangzi, "Go buy fire extinguishers, buy the best ones. Also get fire sandboxes. Make them issue the rectification notice, but the construction site can't stop."

"What if they try to stop us?"

"Let them stop us, we'll do our own thing," Fan Debiao sneered. "If things really get out of hand, I'll have Manager Zhao get a certificate from Ericsson saying this is an emergency communications project, and there will be consequences for any delays. Let's see who can handle that."

Gangzi laughed: "Brother Biao, that's a brilliant move—using someone else's strength against them."

"What's so great about it? We were forced into it." Fan Debiao waved his hand. "Go and get it done."

In the evening, the Victoria private room was filled with steam.

The three Motorola engineers were restless. Engineer Chen rubbed his hands together and said, "Boss Fan, this is too much of a waste."

"No need for such expense." Fan Debiao poured the wine himself. "You've come all this way, which is a great honor for me, Fan Debiao. This toast is for the three of you. Thank you for your hard work!"

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

A young engineer named Liu, with a forthright personality, became more talkative after a few drinks: "Boss Fan, there's actually a problem with your base station location. The 1800MHz frequency has poor penetration, and the surrounding buildings are dense, so signal coverage is definitely compromised."

Fan Debiao placed a piece of sweet and sour pork on his plate: "Engineer Liu, can you give me some advice?"

"It's not like there's no other way," Xiao Liu said in a low voice. "We can adjust the antenna tilt. Lowering it by five degrees will increase the coverage radius by twenty percent. But this requires precision, and most construction teams can't do it."

"Are you capable?"

"That's what we do," Xiao Liu laughed. "Once the parts arrive, we'll adjust them while we're testing."

Fan Debiao raised his glass: "Then I must toast Engineer Liu separately!"

The drinking session lasted until 10 p.m. After arranging baths and massages for the three engineers, Fan Debiao finally headed to the construction site.

The insulated shed has been erected, like a large cotton quilt covering the foundation. Inside, two stoves are burning, and Engineer Wang is leading the workers on the night shift.

"Boss Fan, working like this for a day costs over a hundred just for coal," said Engineer Wang, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "And the workers' night shift pay..."

"Give him whatever he deserves." Fan Debiao patted him on the shoulder. "Old Wang, you're a smart man. If this project goes well, there will be plenty of work to do in the future. If it goes wrong, we'll all starve."

Engineer Wang nodded emphatically: "Understood!"

The phone rang. It was Awei: "Brother Biao, the office agreed! They'll add five percent to the TCL 3188, but they need 100 units. The payment will arrive within three days. This time we can recoup over 80,000!"

"Okay." Fan Debiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Once the money arrives, pay the workers' wages first. Use the rest to buy coal, materials, and other necessary expenses."

"clear!"

Just as I hung up, another call came in. This time it was Section Chief Zhou from Netcom, his tone serious: "Boss Fan, the inspection team is coming tomorrow morning. Get ready."

"Section Chief Zhou, isn't the inspection scheduled for the end of the month?"

"It's been brought forward," Section Chief Zhou said in a low voice. "Someone has given us instructions to focus our investigation on you. Keep that in mind."

Fan Debiao's heart sank: "I understand, thank you, Section Chief Zhou."

The next morning at eight o'clock, three cars drove into the construction site.

Team Leader Zheng got out of the car, his folder neatly folded. He walked around the construction site, finally stopping at the base station pole: "Boss Fan, the 1800M base station is less than 500 meters away from the 900M base station. This doesn't meet the regulations."

Fan Debiao forced a smile: "Team Leader Zheng, there really isn't a suitable place around here. But we've tested it..."

"Tested?" Team Leader Zheng adjusted his glasses. "Alright, prepare a supplementary test report. Select twenty points within a 300-meter radius to test signal strength and call quality. Submit it by Friday."

"Friday?" Engineer Wang exclaimed anxiously from the side. "It's already Tuesday!"

"Yes, it's Friday." Team Leader Zheng closed the folder. "If we can't submit it, the acceptance will be postponed."

The car drove away, and Engineer Wang cursed, "Isn't this just nitpicking? Twenty points, tested in three days? Unless they grow three heads and six arms!"

Fan Debiao didn't say anything, but lit a cigarette.

At 10 p.m., the construction site was quiet. Inside the insulated shed, the furnace crackled, and the workers on duty were dozing off.

Fan Debiao and Gangzi were checking the accounts in the prefab house when suddenly a shout came from outside: "Who's there?!"

The two rushed out, where the on-duty worker was chasing a dark figure. Gangzi dashed forward and returned ten minutes later, panting heavily: "Brother Biao, the person got away. But look at this—"

He was holding a pair of wire cutters.

Gangzi pointed at the base station pole: "Two of the feeder cables were cut!"

Fan Debiao looked up and saw that two of the four feeder lines were still hanging in mid-air, with clean breaks.

The worker on duty ran over: "I heard a noise and came out, and that person disappeared in a flash, faster than a rabbit."

"Should we call the police?" Gangzi asked.

"Why call the police?" Fan Debiao stared at the disconnected line. "If the police come, the construction site will have to stop. Stopping work now is no different from taking our lives."

"So you're just going to swallow this bitter pill?"

"Make a note of this." Fan Debiao turned and went back to the prefab house. "We'll settle the score later."

Inside the prefab house, the account book lay open on the table. Today's expenses: 3,200 for the insulated shed, 200 for coal, 400 for night shift pay, 600 for Victoria's hospitality expenses...

Fan Debiao sat down and lit a cigarette.

Gangzi squatted by the door and muttered, "It's like pulling a cart sideways—one step at a time, and another bump in the road. We haven't even gotten over this one yet, and here comes another damn one."

Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke: "If you're afraid of obstacles, don't even bother walking. Since you've already started, you have to overcome them."