Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The first installment of the project payment arrived in the account three days later.

When Finance Manager Wang came to inform him, Fan Debiao was in his office discussing the winter shutdown with Engineer Wang. "Mr. Fan, 308,000—the change is for material compensation."

"The money has arrived!" Fan Debiao exclaimed with delight.

Engineer Wang grinned, "That's perfect, the brothers can have a prosperous New Year."

That afternoon, the conference room on the second floor of the maintenance center was full of people.

Several manila envelopes were laid out in front of Fan Debiao, who called out each person's name and handed out money: "Gangzi, take this ten thousand. You've worked hard this past month, running around the construction site during the day and supervising the site at night."

Gangzi took the envelope and said politely, "Brother Biao, this is too much..."

"What's a lot? It's what you deserve." Fan Debiao picked up another one. "Awei, eight thousand. You manage the accounts well and handle things efficiently."

Awei blushed as she accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you, Brother Biao."

"Engineer Wang, twelve thousand. He and his men worked day and night, laying a solid foundation."

Engineer Wang took the envelope with both hands, his voice choked with emotion: "Boss Fan, I've worked for many bosses, but you're the most honest one."

"Liu Tiezhu, 6,000. Excellent skills, meticulous work."

Liu Tiezhu accepted it with a simple smile: "Working with Boss Fan makes me feel at ease."

The remaining workers each received between one thousand and three thousand yuan. The meeting room was as lively as during the New Year. Everyone was holding envelopes, their faces beaming with joy. This was 2002, and this was quite a lot of money, enough for the brothers to have a prosperous New Year.

After distributing the money, Fan Debiao tapped the table: "Brothers, it's getting cold, so the base station construction has to stop for a while. But we can't be idle—those with technical skills, go help out at the TCL repair center, eighty yuan a day. Those without skills, help mobile phone shops deliver goods and run errands, fifty yuan a day. In short, we'll make money even in winter to celebrate the New Year!"

"Good!" came the unanimous response from below.

Gangzi asked, "Brother Biao, what about the three of us?"

"The three of us?" Fan Debiao laughed. "The mobile phone store has a big pre-New Year sale, and Victoria's year-end banquet—you'll be busy. Oh, and Wei—"

Avi raised her head.

"You also need to hire a professional budgeter; we can't keep hiring temporary workers every time we need to do a job," Fan Debiao said. "Next spring, we need to install at least three more base stations. We need to plan ahead for personnel, equipment, and funding."

"clear."

After the meeting, Motorola engineer Li came to visit.

"Boss Fan, I have some good news." Engineer Li rubbed his hands together. "Our company wants to set up a maintenance training center in Kaiyuan, covering the entire Liaobei region. The leadership's intention... is to give priority to cooperation with Dexing Communications."

Fan Debiao's eyes lit up: "How will we cooperate?"

"You provide the venue and personnel, and we provide the equipment and instructors," said Engineer Li. "The training revenue will be split 30/70, with you receiving 70% and us 30%. Graduates will be given priority for recommendation to our base station maintenance positions."

Fan Debiao's mind was racing with calculations—it was like someone had just handed him a pillow when he was about to doze off.

"Engineer Li, this is a good idea," Fan Debiao said, offering a cigarette. "But I'm thinking... we can't just rely on Motorola. Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens—these manufacturers all have equipment on the network and need maintenance personnel. If we're going to do this, let's do something big—a training base for the entire Kaiyuan telecommunications industry!"

Engineer Li was stunned: "Then...how many resources would that require?"

"I'll handle the resource integration," Fan Debiao said. "You go back and report to the company that Dexing Communications is willing to cooperate fully. I'll provide the venue, I'll provide the first batch of students, and I'll pay their tuition. For technical experts like yourself who give lectures, the hourly rate will be 20% higher than the market rate."

He took an envelope from the drawer and pushed it in front of Engineer Li: "This is five thousand, Engineer Li, please take it first. First, to thank you for your hard work this past month, and second, to ask for your help in making this happen—not just with Motorola, but also to help connect us with other manufacturers."

Engineer Li touched the thickness of the envelope and nodded: "Boss Fan, I admire your decisiveness. Okay, I'll report back as soon as I get back."

After seeing Li Gong off, Fan Debiao turned to Awei and said, "Let's go to the Labor Bureau."

The Labor Bureau is located next to the Municipal Government, in an old five-story building. I had dealt with Section Chief Sun of the Employment Training Section last month when Fan Debiao opened his repair center.

Section Chief Sun was reading documents when he saw Fan Debiao enter. He adjusted his glasses and said, "Boss Fan? What a rare guest."

"Section Chief Sun, I'm sorry to bother you again." Fan Debiao sat down with a smile, took out two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag and placed them on the table. "It's almost Chinese New Year, this is just a small token of my appreciation."

Section Chief Sun glanced at the cigarette and smiled: "Boss Fan, is something wrong?"

"Yes, there is something I need," Fan Debiao said bluntly. "I'd like to set up a telecommunications technology training center in Kaiyuan, specifically to train personnel in base station maintenance and mobile phone repair. But I need the necessary qualifications to run a school. Could the Labor Bureau perhaps offer some support?"

Section Chief Sun pondered: "A training center... that requires approval. It needs a venue, teachers, a teaching plan, and it also needs to be evaluated by an expert panel."

"I have the space; the second floor of the repair center is 300 square meters, that's enough. I can also arrange the instructors; I can bring in technical experts from Motorola and Ericsson." Fan Debiao leaned forward. "Section Chief Sun, here's what I'm thinking—let's cooperate. The training center will be affiliated with the Labor Bureau, serving as a 're-employment training base.' Laid-off workers can come for training, tuition will be completely free, I'll cover the costs. After graduation, I'll be responsible for recommending jobs."

Section Chief Sun's eyes lit up: "Free training for laid-off workers? This...this is a great thing!"

"Of course it's a good thing," Fan Debiao said. "Think about it, there are many laid-off workers now, and the employment pressure is great. By organizing this training program, we can not only solve the re-employment problem for laid-off workers, but also cultivate talent for the telecommunications industry. In the end, the Labor Bureau will have achievements, I will have qualifications, and laid-off workers will have jobs—a win-win-win situation!"

Section Chief Sun rubbed his hands together: "This matter... I need to report to the bureau chief. But Boss Fan, your idea is indeed good. If it's really possible to train laid-off workers free of charge, the bureau will definitely support it."

"Regarding the qualifications..."

"As long as the conditions are met, I'll handle the approval process for you," said Section Chief Sun. "However, the Education Bureau also needs to file a record, and I'll help you coordinate that."

After leaving the labor bureau, Awei asked softly, "Brother Biao, free training... how much money does that cost?"

"It won't cost much," Fan Debiao said, lighting a cigarette. "There are subsidies for training laid-off workers; you can apply at the Labor Bureau or the Civil Affairs Bureau. Besides, we'll keep the good ones ourselves, since we're short-staffed for base station maintenance. The rest we'll recommend to manufacturers; they'll thank us—it's called talent brokerage, and it'll be a lucrative business in the future."

Awei suddenly realized: "Brother Biao, you're... playing the long game!"

"It's not fishing," Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke, "it's fish farming. Once the fish grow big, the pond is ours."

On Friday evening, Netcom's year-end appreciation party was held in the banquet hall of Kaiyuan Hotel.

Fan Debiao was wearing a newly bought suit, his hair neatly combed. Wu Derong drove to pick him up and immediately chuckled, "Biaozi, you look...like a groom."

"This is my first time attending an event like this, I can't let Mr. Zhang down." Fan Debiao straightened the corner of his clothes.

The banquet hall was brightly lit and set up with more than twenty tables. General Manager Zhang sat at the head table and waved to Fan Debiao as he entered, "Boss Fan, over here!"

Fan Debiao walked over, and General Manager Zhang introduced him: "This is Section Chief Liu from the Planning Bureau, this is Director Ma from the Urban Construction Bureau, and this is Manager Sun from the Power Supply Company."

Fan Debiao toasted everyone and handed out business cards: "Hello, Section Chief Liu, we'll need your support for future base station site selection." "Director Ma, we'll definitely follow the construction procedures and not cause you any trouble." "Manager Sun, we'll need your help with the electricity supply."

After toasting everyone, Fan Debiao had seven or eight business cards in his pocket, which made him feel much more at ease.

Director Zhao leaned closer and whispered, "Boss Fan, General Manager Zhang is very satisfied with you. Next spring, the remaining base stations will be built according to this standard. There are still fifty base stations to be built next."

"Thank you for your trust, Mr. Zhang." Fan Debiao raised his glass. "I will definitely do my job well."

After a few rounds of drinks, General Manager Zhang pulled Fan Debiao aside: "Xiao Fan, about that training center thing... I heard you're involved?"

Fan Debiao was startled—the news spread really fast.

"Yes, Mr. Zhang. I'd like to set up a formal training base to cultivate talent for the industry."

"Great idea." General Manager Zhang patted him on the shoulder. "If you need any support, just talk to Director Zhao. Netcom has annual training funds, so we can cooperate."

Fan Debiao felt reassured: "Thank you, Mr. Zhang!"

The thank-you party ended at 10 p.m. Fan Debiao had drunk half a jin of baijiu, but his mind was perfectly clear.

Wu Derong drove him home, saying on the way, "Biaozi, you handled today's situation quite well. You need to keep in touch with those key figures in the future."

"Understood." Fan Debiao looked out the window at the brightly lit street. "President Wu, I'm thinking... we need to expand this business further."

"What's the big method?"

"Base station construction, mobile phone sales, and repair training are three complementary aspects," said Fan Debiao. "The trained personnel can build base stations and repair mobile phones. The more base stations built, the better the mobile phones will sell. It's a closed loop."

Wu Derong laughed: "Not bad, Biaozi, you're starting to show signs of being an entrepreneur."

The car stopped downstairs at Fan Debiao's house, and Wu Derong rolled down the window: "By the way, the 300,000 yuan loan from the bank should be approved next week. I'll handle the mortgage paperwork for you, so you can focus on the training center."

"Thank you, Mr. Wu."

Watching Wu Derong's taillights disappear around the street corner, Fan Debiao turned and went upstairs.