Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 706 A Single Word Difference, Worlds Apart
Scrap yard.

"Xiaobai, come here for a second."

Station manager Wang Cheng suddenly called out to Bai Xiuwen, who was about to go out to collect recyclables.

"We're here." Bai Xiuwen got out of the car and went straight to Wang Chengcai's office.

"Station manager, you wanted to see me."

"Come, sit down." Wang Cheng gestured for Bai Xiuwen to sit down.

"Xiaobai, how have you been lately? Have you encountered any difficulties? Have you and your sister-in-law had any conflicts?"

Wang Chengcai immediately greeted them with pleasantries and inquired about their recent situation.

Bai Xiuwen scratched his head sheepishly: "Everything's fine. We haven't been together for very long, so there's no reason for any conflict."

"Things are great now. The house is renovated, my wife has moved in, and we're together. Life is much better than before."

As he spoke, Bai Xiuwen's lips curled up uncontrollably, his face beaming with happiness.

Finally, he naturally added, "I wouldn't have dared to imagine such a life last year. Really, stationmaster, it's all thanks to your continued support and care."

"Without you, I wouldn't know where I am. I wouldn't be where I am today, and I wouldn't be able to start a family."

These words came from the bottom of my heart.

Hearing this, Wang Cheng's smile broadened even more: "Hey! You're being too polite!"

Knowing that Bai Xiuwen was doing well gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

"You did it yourself, what does it have to do with me?"

"You can not only collect things, but also repair them. Which of these radios and bicycles in the station wasn't fixed by you?"

"You got to where you are today entirely on your own merits; it has nothing to do with me."

Wang Cheng waved his hand with a smile.

Bai Xiuwen naturally wouldn't listen to this: "How can it be unrelated? If it weren't for your help and support, I wouldn't be where I am today."

These words struck a chord with Wang Chengcai. Bai Xiuwen was a grateful boy, and he realized that his efforts in raising him had not been in vain.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's nothing." Wang Cheng waved his hand modestly, and Bai Xiuwen thanked him again.

Both of them were well aware that they were mutually supportive and complementary.

Wang Chengcai used the furniture repaired by Bai Xiuwen to cultivate a good relationship with his superiors in order to get promoted.

Bai Xiuwen relied on Wang Chengcai to earn money to support his family and establish himself in Beijing.

Neither of them could have achieved what they have today without the other.

"Before you came, the station's meager assets were like a treasure trove, useless to us."

"With your skills, you can easily get into other places even after leaving the station."

"Stationmaster, you flatter me too much."

After some pleasantries, we finally got down to business and got to the point.

Wang Chengcai's smile faded slightly, and he said seriously, "I have something important to tell you."

Bai Xiuwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly sat up straight: "Stationmaster, please speak."

Wang Cheng took a sip of tea, his eyes turning serious. "I told you about your promotion before, remember?"

Bai Xiuwen nodded.

"Okay! I plan to adjust your position from 'scrap collector' to 'scrap purchaser'. From now on, you'll be in charge of liaising with factories."

"Scrap metal collector?"

A scrap collector, to put it bluntly, is someone who collects junk, and the money they earn is all piecemeal.

While both are scrap collectors, scrap buyers are a different story; they're highly sought after and earn more money than scrap buyers.

Seeing Bai Xiuwen's shocked and bewildered expression, Wang Cheng patiently explained:
"Yes! Purchasing agent! Don't underestimate this one word difference, it's a big difference. A buyer, on the other hand, goes door-to-door to buy things, whatever they buy, how much they buy or how little depends entirely on luck."

“This job,” he pointed to Mr. Xiao, who was riding his tricycle outside, “Old Xiao has been doing this for over ten years. He’s reliable, but that’s about it.”

“Buying staff are different; they take the initiative! How much can we earn from our station’s monthly bonuses just by reselling? We can’t rely on small, piecemeal purchases of scrap materials.”

"I want to promote you to station manager, but first you have to pass the purchasing agent test."

With a loud bang, Bai Xiuwen felt his blood rush to his head!
Scrap yard manager!
Although he was just a small station manager, he managed a dozen or so people.

But for Bai Xiuwen, who fled famine a year ago, this was like a meteoric rise to the top!
"This this."

For a moment, Bai Xiuwen was incredulous. Marrying Xu Sinan was already the most amazing thing he could imagine, and now he was actually able to take over the stationmaster's job.

"Can I... do that? There are so many senior staff members here; I'm not as senior as them in terms of seniority."

There are quite a few veterans at the station; he's only been here for a year, how could that be?

Wang Chengcai naturally understood what these people were thinking, and shook his head: "Seniority? They need to have the ability to be a purchasing agent before they can be considered senior."

"They can't read many characters, at best they only graduated from primary school, they can't compare to you in terms of education."

"As for ability, who among them can compare to your repair skills? If they really had that ability, I would have appointed them long ago, why wait until now?"

Wang Cheng couldn't help but reveal a bit of the truth: there really were capable people in the station, and he couldn't wait to hand over his duties and leave as soon as possible.

Why waste years at the scrap yard? He had originally planned to retire there.

Unexpectedly, Bai Xiuwen appeared, which rekindled their hope.

"Then they won't have to worry about it. I'll talk to them about it later. They're not young anymore, and they don't have that much energy to do this."

"Besides, it will take me time to train you. You're dreaming of becoming a stationmaster all at once!"

"Hehe~" Bai Xiuwen laughed awkwardly.

Seeing Bai Xiuwen's silly grin, Wang Cheng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, it's decided then. Just relax and do it. Don't feel burdened! I'll back you up!"

"Stationmaster! I will definitely do my job well! I will never let you down!" Bai Xiuwen nodded vigorously, his chest filled with determination.

"Good!" Wang Cheng smiled with satisfaction. "There's no time like the present. Your first target will be the company with the most scrap resources around here—Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill!"

"Go to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill now and contact their scrap manager to familiarize yourself with the procedures. I've already made the call."

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill?
Isn't this the factory where Brother Li and everyone in the courtyard work?

"Their factory is large, with heavy production tasks, and a lot of waste: newspapers, damaged wooden products, worn-out work protective equipment, and so on. Their factory produces quite a lot of waste!"

"As for that scrap metal, don't worry about it for now. They have blast furnaces; it's all been melted down and won't leak out."

"The key is 'things other than scrap steel,' these are the real 'main dishes' that we can handle!"

Wang Chengcai explained all the precautions in detail to prevent Bai Xiuwen from making mistakes.

After all, he's a new purchasing agent. If the other party causes trouble and problems arise, he'll have to take responsibility.

The path to succession for the future station manager would be fraught with uncertainty, and Wang Chengcai would not allow such a situation to occur.

Although purchasing scrap metal isn't a big deal, it's better to be safe than sorry.

"Understood, stationmaster!" Xiuwen solemnly took the document, the paper feeling heavy in his hand.

"Considering that you're just starting out learning about factory waste procurement, you'll be in charge of this one factory for now."

"That way you'll also have time to take care of the repairs."

Wang Chengcai's main concern was not to delay Bai Xiuwen's repair work.

Thanks to the machine that Bai Xiuwen repaired, we've maintained quite a few relationships, and we can't afford to lose them now.

As for the purchasing job, as long as Bai Xiuwen doesn't make any mistakes, he'll say that Bai Xiuwen's work is outstanding.

As for whether his work is outstanding, that's up to him to decide.

After getting ready, Bai Xiuwen headed straight for the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

From afar, we could see the magnificent gate of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill!

There was also a huge banner that read: "Time is steel! Steel is power!"

There were two guards standing ramrod straight at the gate, their steel guns gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"How magnificent!"

This was Bai Xiuwen's first time here. He usually didn't work in this area and wouldn't come here unless there was a specific reason.

Taking a deep breath and calming himself, he pushed his bicycle forward. "Comrade, what can I do for you?" a security guard asked.

Looking at the clothes Bai Xiuwen was wearing, which belonged to a scrap metal recycling station, one could guess what he did.

Bai Xiuwen quickly pulled out his letter of introduction and purchase certificate. "Hello, comrade! I'm the new purchasing agent for the scrap metal recycling station. My name is Bai Xiuwen."

"Our station chief, Wang Cheng, has contacted the factory and is here today to meet with your team."

The security guard took the paper expressionlessly and carefully checked the official seal on it.
After some explanation, the security guard made a phone call to verify.

Not long after, a man in his early thirties, wearing a gray-blue cadre uniform and slightly overweight, walked quickly out of the factory area.

"Which one of you is Comrade Bai Xiuwen from the scrap yard?" The man's gaze swept across the doorway, his voice booming.

Bai Xiuwen quickly stepped forward: "Hello, Administrator Jin! It's me, Bai Xiuwen! You can just call me Xiao Bai, thank you!"

Jin Kaixuan looked Bai Xiuwen up and down, somewhat surprised by his youthful face, but didn't think much of it.

"Oh my, Comrade Xiaobai is so young and promising! Station Chief Wang said on the phone that you are very capable. Okay, the paperwork is verified, come in with me."

Bai Xiuwen quickly thanked him, pushed his bicycle, and followed behind Jin Kaixuan.

I was very curious about everything in the steel rolling mill, after all, it was a big factory that many people would like to enter but couldn't.

Jin Kaixuan suddenly said, "By the way, Comrade Xiaobai, your station chief should have explained everything to you, right?"

“Everything has been explained clearly, Administrator Jin,” Bai Xiuwen replied immediately.

"The station manager repeatedly emphasized that we should only purchase items other than scrap steel, such as waste paper, wood products, and labor protection supplies."

"Yes, Lao Wang is reliable." Jin Kaixuan seemed to approve of Wang Chengcai, and his expression softened slightly.

“I understand that you scrap yard workers mainly rely on these ‘scraps’ to make a living.”

"Look, the waste is mainly concentrated in these areas."

He led Bai Xiuwen into an area consisting of several large warehouses and temporary storage sites.

The scene before him secretly alarmed Bai Xiuwen:
The pile of waste paper formed a small mountain, mostly outdated reports, notices, and study materials.

There wasn't a single one of the most important design drawings, not even an outdated or obsolete one.

Piles of broken wooden items and crates that had fallen apart.

Although these timbers are damaged, many of them are quite good quality and would be worth repairing or dismantling for other uses.

There were also all sorts of miscellaneous items, including broken enamel basins and teacups, discarded office desks and chairs, and so on.

The protective equipment that Bai Xiuwen was most concerned about was not available.

There were no work clothes, ripped gloves, deformed shoes, or any other protective equipment.

"See that?" Jin Kaixuan pointed to the pile of items. "These are all things the factory doesn't want. See which ones your station can accept."

"Station Chief Wang really raved about you, saying you have a good eye and are quick and efficient, but..."

He changed the subject, a knowing smile appearing on his chubby face, "This job isn't easy either."

“Look, these scrap materials are scattered everywhere, and some of them are exposed to the rain, making them even more difficult to handle. Our factory is also short-staffed in logistics, and loading them onto the truck is a real challenge.”

Bai Xiuwen immediately understood the implication. He remembered Wang Cheng's reminder: "Manager Jin, you're right! We'll do our best to collect it and minimize any trouble."

"I'm new here and still have a lot to learn. Please give me some pointers on what I should pay attention to and how I can better assist you in your work!"

He didn't accept the "benefits," but he adopted a humble attitude, expressing his willingness to cooperate.

Seeing that he wasn't as impatient as young people often are, and that he spoke quite sensibly, Jin Kaixuan's expression improved: "Good, it's good that the young man has good judgment."

"Take this time to familiarize yourself with the process today. When the next waste disposal agreement that Lao Wang negotiated comes over, just load it according to the quantity."

"If you need help with loading and unloading, we can discuss it, but as for the cost..."

"Understood, understood. We will follow the rules when the time comes," Bai Xiuwen replied immediately. This wasn't something he should be worrying about the first time.

Jin Kaixuan nodded in satisfaction, then led Bai Xiuwen on a detailed tour of several storage sites, giving a general introduction.

Bai Xiuwen absorbed this information like a sponge, quickly calculating in his mind.

Before we knew it, it was almost noon.

"Comrade Xiaobai, is that enough for today?"

Bai Xiuwen quickly said, "Oh, thank you so much, Administrator Jin! I'm so sorry to have kept you so long."

"Hey, it's work." Jin Kaixuan waved his hand. "It's lunchtime anyway, how about we just grab a bite at the factory canteen? This meal's on me."

"Why is this so embarrassing?"

"Don't be embarrassed, it's just the cost of a meal, it's nothing, let's go!" Jin Kaixuan grabbed Bai Xiuwen's shoulder and headed straight for the cafeteria.

This kid is really stubborn and difficult to deal with. In order to get along better in the future, I'll give him a little favor as a token of my appreciation.

After all, there's no need to turn down money, and besides, it wouldn't be a bad thing if this kid were to be careful.

On the way to the canteen, Jin Kaixuan seemed to be in a good mood and started chatting about interesting things that happened at the factory.

Bai Xiuwen listened attentively and offered a few well-timed responses.

The two went to the first canteen.

Sha Zhu was showing off in the cafeteria when he suddenly saw Bai Xiuwen.

"Are you seeing things?" Sha Zhu rubbed his eyes and was incredibly surprised to find that it really was Bai Xiuwen in front of him.

"Why is Bai Xiuwen here at the factory? What's a scrap collector like him doing here? Did he climb over the wall?"

Seeing Bai Xiuwen gradually approaching and going to the window next to him, Sha Zhu immediately changed his position.

Bai Xiuwen naturally saw Sha Zhu, but he didn't want to have too much interaction with him.

But in the end, he couldn't escape Sha Zhu's clutches.

"Bai Xiuwen, what are you doing in the factory?"

Jin Kaixuan, who was standing in front of Bai Xiuwen, looked at the two of them strangely: "Comrade Bai, do you know Master He?"

Bai Xiuwen smiled and said, "From the same courtyard."

"Oh? I see." Jin Kaixuan nodded.

"Bai Xiuwen, I'm asking you, how did you get into the factory? Did you sneak in by climbing over the wall?" Sha Zhu shouted.

Upon hearing this, Jin Kaixuan couldn't sit still any longer: "Hey, Master He, you can eat shit however you want, but you can't say whatever you want!"

"Comrade Xiaobai is here at our factory on official business, representing the recycling station's purchasing agent. Shazhu, I'm warning you, don't slander people like that!"

"Besides, you live in the same courtyard as him. Is it appropriate to slander someone like this?"

"Official business?" Sha Zhu scoffed, looking Bai Xiuwen up and down with disdain in his eyes: "He's just a ragpicker, and he has official business? Who would believe that?"

In the eyes of the public, collecting scrap is just collecting on the street; they've never seen anyone come to the factory to collect it.

"Hey! You idiot Zhu! You can't understand human language, can you?!" Jin Kaixuan roared.

Sha Zhu's disparaging remarks about Bai Xiuwen are indirectly disparaging him; who can tolerate that!
"Manager Jin, don't take it to heart with Sha Zhu!" Bai Xiuwen advised.

"Xiao Bai, you don't need to worry about this. I'll have a word with Sha Zhu." Jin Kaixuan broke free from Bai Xiuwen's grasp and angrily pointed at Sha Zhu.

"Shazhu, what do you mean? Comrade Xiaobai is someone who can bring benefits to our factory. How dare you slander him?"

"If you dare to slander him today, you'll dare to slander others tomorrow. If everyone slanders people indiscriminately like you, won't we offend all our factory's partners?"

"Don't make a big deal out of this!" Sha Zhu knew he was in the wrong and stopped arguing with Jin Kaixuan.

He told the person serving the food, "Serve it well!" and then slunk away.

"Silly Zhu! Don't go!"

"Forget it, forget it," Bai Xiuwen advised.

After being insulted so much by Sha Zhu, Jin Kaixuan felt embarrassed: "Xiao Bai, I'm really sorry. You know how Sha Zhu is. Don't take it to heart."

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Bai Xiuwen waved his hand.

Without Sha Zhu getting in the way, the two ate quite well, especially Bai Xiuwen, since it was his first time eating food from a steel mill, which was much oilier than what he ate at home.

After leaving the steel mill canteen, Jin Kaixuan's attitude towards Bai Xiuwen had become much warmer.

Meanwhile, things weren't peaceful at the scrap metal recycling station either.

(End of this chapter)