134: Chapter 134 I Want to Give Him a Big Gift

Zhao Yang looked up and smiled, "Thank you, Section Chief Zhou."

To be honest, he really did need to thank him.

For others, this research trip was a thankless job.

But for Zhao Yang, it wasn't necessarily so.

Gao Wenbo's gaze fell on Zhao Yang, and when he noticed Zhao Yang glancing over, he gave a slight shrug.

It meant, "They are conspiring against you, and I really can't help."

Zhou Fei returned to his seat and lowered his head to write something, his shoulders shaking slightly as if he were laughing.

Going to a place where people had just been arrested to research restructuring experiences—what kind of fancy report could one possibly write?

If the questions were too shallow, the report would be worthless and couldn't be submitted; if they were too deep, it would touch on sore spots and easily trigger conflicts.

Either way, it was a loss.

But what he didn't know was...

Zhao Yang had handled the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory case very thoroughly, and he knew almost half of the employees.

He was more familiar with the accounts of the Die-Casting Machine Factory than the people who had handled them.

It was he who had personally lifted the lid on the illegal restructuring of the Die-Casting Machine Factory.

That place wasn't a minefield; it was his home turf.

Zhao Yang opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The sunlight was just right.

He suddenly smiled. Go, then.

It was just as well; some favors should be done thoroughly if one was going to help at all.

He couldn't wait until the next morning to depart, so he greeted Liu Jianguo that afternoon and headed to Tongan.

At 5:30, Zhao Yang arrived at the Tongan Criminal Investigation Detachment on time and, as usual, shouted up to the upper floor:

"Jiang Nan, I'm here to pick you up from work!"

A cup of tea water was splashed down from the second floor, and Xu Yiming poked half his head out:

"You brat, you seem afraid that others don't know Jiang Nan is your girlfriend, showing off all day long!"

Zhao Yang laughed loudly at Xu Yiming: "A man who isn't romantic is not a true youth. Captain Xu, do you still have the chance to show off now?"

Before he finished speaking, a tall figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Zhao Yang, can't you show a little restraint with your mouth?"

Zhao Yang smiled and handed over the flowers in his hand, "Nan Nan, I'm just telling the truth!"

Immediately after, he looked up at the floor above, "Captain Xu, was I wrong?"

"Get lost, don't be an eyesore to the young men on the police force here!" Xu Yiming pulled his head back in.

Jiang Nan shook her head helplessly, squinting her eyes as she took the flowers.

"Zhao Yang, where are we going to eat?"

"To your place. Tonight, I'll show Old Man Jiang what I can do."

For Zhao Yang, this research trip was almost like a vacation.

Therefore, he was in an excellent mood.

Jiang Yunheng often bought groceries himself, so there were ingredients ready at home.

Zhao Yang was familiar with the routine and quickly whipped up four dishes and a soup.

"Uncle Jiang, there probably aren't many bureau-level cadres in the whole country like you who go to the vegetable market every day."

Jiang Yunheng shook his head with a smile, "Sitting in this position, there's no other way. Meals that shouldn't be eaten must absolutely not be eaten."

"Every day you say I only eat home-cooked meals; I've become your shield," Jiang Nan added with a smile.

After dinner, Jiang Nan went to wash the dishes, and Zhao Yang stayed in the living room to talk with Jiang Yunheng.

Zhao Yang asked: "Uncle Jiang, are the investigation materials regarding the Die-Casting Machine Factory from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection still there?"

"They are. These must be permanently preserved." Jiang Yunheng picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Uncle, is it okay if I go and review them?"

At this moment, Jiang Nan came over and sat down beside Zhao Yang, laughing:

"I was wondering why you were so diligent today; it turns out you were here to pull strings."

Jiang Yunheng nodded, "They are confidential, but since you were a core member in handling the case, there is naturally no need for secrecy."

Early the next morning, Zhao Yang arrived at the Tongan Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to review the materials.

He was actually very familiar with these things; he was just checking some forgotten figures.

In just over an hour, he had finished organizing what he needed.

Afterward, he took the letter of introduction from the Provincial Government Policy Research Office and headed to the Tongan Economic and Trade Commission.

After asking around, he learned that after the new factory director of the Die-Casting Machine Factory, Yang Decai, had taken over, he hadn't been able to secure any orders.

During this period, production couldn't be organized, and the workers could only receive basic living expenses.

The workers had already gone to the Municipal Committee and Municipal Government many times to report the situation.

Zhao Yang asked the person in charge of the Economic and Trade Commission: "Can you contact Yang Decai? I would like to meet with him."

At this time, Zhao Yang's fame in Tongan was even greater than that of the current Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Shen Nianqiu.

How could the person in charge of the Economic and Trade Commission dare to say no? He immediately contacted Yang Decai.

"General Manager Yang, Comrade Zhao Yang from the Provincial Government Policy Research Office wants to go to your place to understand the situation. Do you have time now?"

When Yang Decai heard it was Zhao Yang, he immediately agreed:

"Yes! I'll go over right now."

Zhao Yang's influence among the workers at the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory was much greater than his own as factory director.

Although the workers had resumed work, most had no work to do, and their resentment was very high.

If Zhao Yang came over at this time, who knew how big of a mess might break out.

Twenty minutes later, Yang Decai arrived at the Municipal Economic and Trade Commission.

In the small conference room, he met Zhao Yang, whom he had long heard of.

Zhao Yang stood up to shake hands with Yang Decai and got straight to the point:

"General Manager Yang, after the restructuring of the Die-Casting Machine Factory was terminated, operations haven't been going very well. The Provincial Government is very concerned about this, and my research trip this time is to find a solution.

"I want to know where exactly the problem with the Die-Casting Machine Factory lies."

Yang Decai was in his forties and looked very steady.

He sighed, "Once the market is abandoned, it's not easy to win it back."

Zhao Yang understood instantly that the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory had been shut down for several months, and the market had long been seized by others.

Without orders, the factory couldn't produce blindly.

In this era, small factories were everywhere in the south; their technology and production capacity couldn't match the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory, but they had good service.

Zhao Yang smiled, "General Manager Yang, to open up sales channels, you must break away from old concepts.

"In the past, we produced whatever we produced, and customers bought whatever we had. If we change our mindset to providing whatever the customers need, what do you think would happen?"

Yang Decai was originally the director of the Heavy Industry Bureau, a government official by background; although he was upright, he was not proficient in business operations.

He immediately asked: "Comrade Zhao Yang, you mean..."

Zhao Yang said: "The Die-Casting Machine Factory has a single product model, and customers have little room for choice. You can have salespeople take engineers to visit potential customers, provide different models of products according to their needs, and make quality commitments.

"Within a month, you won't be able to finish all your orders."

Yang Decai's eyes suddenly lit up. He stood up and grasped Zhao Yang's hand:

"Comrade Zhao Yang, this suggestion is excellent! I'll arrange it as soon as I get back!"

"Has the restructuring work restarted now?" Zhao Yang signaled for Yang Decai to sit down, "Is anyone willing to take it over?"

Yang Decai put away his smile, his expression becoming heavy.

"The Commission for Discipline Inspection only recently re-evaluated the factory's assets. Excluding the land, the remaining assets are over 70 million. In Tongan, no private enterprise can afford to take it over."

This scale was indeed a bit large. Following Tongan City's state-owned enterprise reform approach of "everyone stands up, comprehensive exit," it was simply not feasible.

Since a comprehensive exit was impossible, why not carry out mixed-ownership reform?

In 2001, there was no precedent for mixed-ownership reform in Jianghan Province.

Thinking of this, Zhao Yang picked up the phone and dialed his future father-in-law.

"Uncle Jiang, help me set up an appointment with the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Shen Nianqiu. I want to give him a big gift."