Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 707 Have you thought it through? No, you haven't.

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

While Bai Xiuwen was away for half a day, station chief Wang Cheng suddenly announced that Bai Xiuwen would be transferred from "acquiring officer" to "purchasing officer".

This immediately caused quite a stir in the station, especially among the senior employees.

Several buyers, including Master Xiao, who had been working as buyers for over a decade, now had faces so dark they looked like they were about to burst into tears.

When it comes to the purchasing agent, even though Master Xiao was Bai Xiuwen's former mentor, he couldn't sit still and was determined to fight for it.

"Station Chief Wang, why? Bai Xiuwen is just a kid who's only been here for a year. In terms of seniority, how can I be inferior to him? Why should he be the purchasing agent? I'm not convinced!"

“Me too. I’ve been working at the scrap yard for over ten years. How can I be inferior to a kid like him?”

"That's right, even if you didn't achieve anything, you still put in a lot of effort. I'm not convinced!"

The veteran masters felt a sour and astringent feeling stuck in their chests, and they finally let it out.

Having worked at this station for over a decade, I'm now being asked to pick peaches for a kid who's only been here for a year—who can stand for that?!

In front of Wang Chengcai, Ding Qiang bluntly guessed, "I didn't expect this kid to be so good at flattery. He's always calling the station chief this and that, making the station chief happy and pleased!"

"With his meager repair skills, he thinks he's someone important? Procurement? He knows nothing about procurement! Don't let him squander the station's savings!"

Others also echoed:

"Station Chief Wang, your decision is too hasty! This industry is treacherous! If you make a mess of things, the whole station will be in trouble."

"Send some greenhorn out to deal with big companies? Don't let them take advantage of us and then pay us! In the end, won't it be our entire site that suffers?"

In an instant, the small scrap yard turned into a frying pan of boiling oil.

At the eye of the storm, Station Chief Wang Chengcai remained surprisingly calm, listening to everyone's slander against Bai Xiuwen without a ripple appearing on his face.

His thoughts had already flown out of the scrap yard and drifted towards the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

'Xiao Bai should have just arrived at the Red Star Factory, right?'

Bai Xiuwen went to the Red Star Factory. He wasn't too worried about making any deals on the first visit. His goal today was to become a familiar face and get acquainted with the process.

The most important thing is to let Jin Kaixuan get to know Bai Xiuwen, so that things will be easier for him in the future.

Based on his understanding of Jin Kaixuan, Bai Xiuwen, while not the best choice, was the safest option, ensuring a peaceful and stable situation for both sides.

Thinking of this, Wang Chengcai's lips curled up slightly, and he felt even more confident about Bai Xiuwen's trip.

My thoughts finally flew from the steel rolling mill back to the scrap yard, where I watched as those old employees continued their relentless slander.

'If you old fogies were truly capable, why would I, Wang Cheng, have waited until now to promote just one person?'

Wang Chengcai's gaze swept over the familiar faces of Xiao Yonggui, Li Tiezhu, and Ding Qiang, like a searchlight.

Ding Qiang was still stubbornly sticking his neck out, looking aggrieved as if he had worked hard even if he hadn't done anything great. The others weren't much better off.

Finally, after Ding Qiang and the others had finished talking and were panting heavily, Wang Cheng slowly opened his mouth:
Have you said enough?

His tone was calm, but it gave everyone the feeling that a storm was brewing.

"If you haven't said enough, then keep talking. I'll wait for you to finish."

Ding Qiang and the others remained silent.

"Since no one's saying anything, then I'll say it." Wang Cheng took a breath, then roared with imposing force, "You don't accept Bai Xiuwen's authority? Fine! Today I'll make you accept it clearly!"

"Who do you think you are? You've been doing the same thing day after day for over a decade, and all you've learned is to follow the old ways, clinging to that so-called 'experience,' with your eyes only on the weight and the scale, as if you can gain a huge advantage by taking an extra pound of waste paper. You're so petty."

"One or two of them can't even read a few characters, they can't even recognize all the words on the procurement contract, and they want to be procurement officers! Do you think you can handle it all?!"

The group fell silent, terrified, but Wang Cheng had no intention of letting them off so easily.

Take this opportunity to wake them up, so they won't argue with Bai Xiuwen later; let's just end it all at once.

"What do purchasing agents do? They do accounting, they negotiate, they find the 'treasures' that can be squeezed out of scrap metal! Who among you understands this? Who among you has this ability?"

"Skill isn't about how many kilograms of scrap metal you can move! It's about using your brain, identifying and solving problems! It's about leading the station forward!"

"Besides complaining and pulling strings, what else can you guys do? Rank yourselves by seniority?"

"What right do you have to put yourselves in this seniority hierarchy?! Do you even deserve it?"

"If you guys were really capable, how come I haven't noticed it in over ten years? You can't even fix anything that's a little difficult. Look at Xiaobai."

"Bicycles, radios—who among you can fix these big-ticket items? Not a single one of you can, and you still want to be ranked by seniority? You don't even have the right to be ranked!"

These words struck Ding Qiang and the others like a bomb, their faces turning deathly pale and beads of cold sweat instantly appearing on their foreheads.

Only then did they realize that Station Chief Wang was perfectly clear-headed and understood everything!

In Wang's view, those "slanders" about Bai Xiuwen were simply unreasonable and even an act of repaying kindness with enmity!

"Are they all mute?" Wang Cheng leaned forward slightly, his downward posture exuding a powerful sense of oppression.

"Now, each of you, pat your conscience and ask yourselves! You're supposed to be purchasing agents? Do you have the ability to sit down and outmaneuver those cunning and shrewd guys from big companies?"

"You won't even know how you've been played! You'll be sold out and still be gleefully helping them count the money! In the end, you'll bankrupt our entire scrap yard!"

Wang Chengcai bluntly relayed back to them the words they had just used to slander Bai Xiuwen.

Dead silence.

An even more utter silence than before.

Wang Chengcai spoke slowly and deliberately, as if striking the ground with a heavy hammer: "You have no education! The best you can get is a primary school diploma."

"You have no skills whatsoever. Besides collecting scrap by weight, playing cards and drinking, and bullying people based on seniority, what else can you do?"

"As for technical skills, that's even more of a problem. I've been doing this for over ten years and I still can't fix a radio."

"With just these things, what gives you the audacity to cause trouble here? What right do you have to be dissatisfied with Bai Xiuwen?!"

"Disgraceful! Absolutely fucking shameful!"

"..." No one dared to make a sound.

All the resentment and jealousy completely collapsed under Wang Chengcai's merciless inventory.

Ding Qiang wished he could shrink into a crack in the ground, and Master Xiao also lowered his head in shame.
At this moment, everyone could clearly hear their own heart pounding like drums.

Having said all that, Wang Cheng felt that it was about time.

"Now, who still has a problem with Bai Xiuwen being a purchasing agent? Stand up now!"

No one moved.

"Since you have no objections, behave yourselves and don't make things difficult for me or Xiaobai. I hope you can keep this matter to yourselves and not tell Xiaobai." "If anyone has any objections, come directly to me. If I hear of anyone opposing Xiaobai, then they are opposing me."

"Then be prepared to get out of the station! You're all getting on in years, and I don't want to leave you without a place to retire."

After saying this, Wang Chengcai saw that the others were speechless, so he turned and left.

'Pat-pat-pat—'

As Wang Chengcai's footsteps faded into the distance, the group dared to raise their heads and exchange glances, but all remained silent with their lips pursed.

Wang Cheng's words truly woke everyone up.

At this time, Bai Xiuwen was completely unaware of what was happening at the station.

in the afternoon.

"Stationmaster, I'm back." Bai Xiuwen knocked on the door and went straight into the office.

"Oh? Xiao Bai is back?" Wang Cheng put down the newspaper covering his face and looked up at Bai Xiuwen.

"How did it go? Was the trip to the Red Star Factory smooth? Was Old Jin easy to talk to?"

Bai Xiuwen nodded repeatedly: "Manager Jin is a very nice person. He took good care of me and explained the situation of the steel rolling mill to me from beginning to end."

Bai Xiuwen quickly and methodically summarized the morning's events: he took him to see the waste dump and explained the patterns and timing of waste generation.
A glint flashed in Wang Cheng's eyes as he thought to himself, "Old Jin, that old fox, is ostensibly introducing the newcomer to the situation, but in reality, he's testing the waters, seeing if this kid can understand the deeper meaning behind it all, and assessing his capabilities."

After Bai Xiuwen finished speaking, Wang Chengcai then said, "Well, Lao Jin is a pretty reliable person. He didn't fool you. However, he forgot to mention a few things."

Immediately, Wang Cheng explained to Bai Xiuwen in detail some points that Jin Kaixuan had not mentioned.

"Okay, that's all. It was worth the trip for you to go there yourself; you learned a lot. It's all good."

"Now that you're a purchasing agent, you need to broaden your horizons. What do you think we should do next? How do we move this 'mountain of waste' from the steel rolling mill?"

This was Wang Chengcai's first formal examination.

He gave Bai Xiuwen a position and forcibly suppressed dissenting voices.

Now, Bai Xiuwen needs to produce something substantial to initially verify that his judgment was not wrong. Even if he can't shut everyone up immediately, he at least needs to show people the direction.

"Speak freely and boldly. Don't be afraid of feeling burdened. If you don't have any ideas, just stick to what you've been doing before. I'll give you time. We'll take it one step at a time. There's no rush. I have plenty of time."

Since Wang Cheng dared to send Bai Xiuwen over, he naturally had made plans and prepared a backup plan for him.

They already had a partnership with the steel rolling mill. If Bai Xiuwen couldn't come up with a better solution, they could just keep things as they were, and neither side would lose out.

Bai Xiuwen had already thought about it, and when Station Chief Wang asked, he immediately replied seriously: "Station Chief, I thought about it on my way back, and I think the most important thing we need to solve right now is a few key issues."

"The first step is information gathering. The waste materials from the Hongxing Factory are incredibly diverse; the list alone includes dozens of different types."

"Secondly, there's the processing and sorting capacity. The waste from the Hongxing factory isn't like the household waste we usually collect; a lot of the waste is mixed together."

"Thirdly, there's transportation. The Hongxing factory has a large output, so waste accumulates quickly."

After listening to Bai Xiuwen's analysis, Wang Chengcai's eyes showed obvious approval.

This kid wasn't blinded by the title of "purchasing officer." His analysis of the problem was spot on, and he even saw the difficulties that the station manager hadn't fully grasped.

Based on these qualities alone, they are far superior to those seniority-based people outside.

"Hmm, you've identified the problem quite accurately," Wang Cheng finally gave a positive affirmation.

At this point, Wang Cheng had done his research. As for letting Bai Xiuwen make changes next, that was not something he should do.

More accurately, before he was promoted and took office, he did not intend to make drastic changes, nor did he want minor alterations to avoid causing unforeseen events; maintaining the status quo was the best option.

"You've worked hard, thinking about all this. I guess you must have a plan in mind, right?"

Bai Xiuwen thought Wang Cheng was going to entrust him with an important task, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Station Chief, I have a plan in mind. I plan to first establish a database of waste materials from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill."

"Let's start with this list provided by Administrator Jin and figure out their 'background'. It will take some time."

He looked at Wang Chengcai, his meaning clear: he needed Wang Chengcai's support and authorization to access certain resources.

Wang Chengcai didn't expect Bai Xiuwen to actually have a plan. Although he wasn't sure in his heart, he nodded on the surface.

"Okay, you can go ahead and do this. I'll provide you with whatever information you need, but I hope you can do it discreetly and not make a big fuss about it."

"After all, you've only just taken on the role of purchasing agent, and everyone is watching to see if you make a mistake. I personally have high hopes for you and don't want you to stumble here."

“You’re the only young person in the station who can take on this responsibility. Let’s take it slow and steady. It’s better to take it longer than to make a mistake.”

Hearing Wang Cheng's heartfelt words, Bai Xiuwen felt a surge of warmth in his heart: "Yes, stationmaster! I will do my best."

Wang Cheng was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. Why was Bai Xiuwen getting so agitated?

In Wang Chengcai's mind, Bai Xiuwen's greatest role now is to help him repair things, not to carry out these reforms. He can't put the cart before the horse.

"Sigh, look at what you're saying. You don't need to focus too much on this. Don't forget you still have things to do. Your acquisition work hasn't stopped yet."

"You also need to take on maintenance duties, but you can't focus all your energy on that, understand?"

Bai Xiuwen immediately understood what Wang Chengcai meant: "Don't worry, stationmaster, I guarantee that the maintenance will not be delayed."

Seeing Bai Xiuwen's bright eyes, Wang Chengcai was afraid that he didn't understand, so he immediately said, "Xiao Bai, you've only just become a purchasing agent and have only just started working at your first factory. There's no need to be in such a hurry to make achievements."

"After you've contacted more factories and learned more about them, then you can make a decision, okay?"

The words had been made so clearly that Bai Xiuwen could easily understand that he should focus on repairs.

Bai Xiuwen nodded: "I understand, stationmaster. I can prioritize."

Wang Cheng nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. Okay, go ahead and get busy. Don't overwork yourself."

"Okay." Bai Xiuwen turned and left.

"Phew~ Luckily I didn't take over Xiaobai's work, otherwise it would have been troublesome." Wang Chengcai touched the beads of sweat that had just appeared on his forehead.

Fortunately, when they were scolding Master Xiao and the others, they didn't take away Bai Xiuwen's scrap collection job. Otherwise, Bai Xiuwen would have had nothing to do and would have devoted himself to the steel rolling mill business.

After leaving the office, Bai Xiuwen also figured out Wang Chengcai's purpose.

After all, Wang Chengcai was the station chief, and he had been kind to him, so naturally they would do things according to Wang Chengcai's ideas. As for the steel rolling mill, it couldn't be stopped either, since they had already agreed to it.

In order to prepare for my future appointment, I also need to make plans regarding the steel rolling mill. If necessary, I can just keep quiet about it.

After figuring things out, Bai Xiuwen felt much lighter.

While he was relieved, the others in the courtyard were not.

(End of this chapter)