A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

An Ning naturally wouldn't underestimate someone who was respected by the factory director in a state-owned factory. She simply had Master Luo turn on the machine, and under his guidance, she tried operating it herself and quickly discovered its differences.

"Did you adjust this precision yourself?" Anning asked.

Master Luo said modestly, "I just adjusted it casually. It's just that many of the toys made on this machine can't be produced on an assembly line, otherwise the factory wouldn't have gone out of business."

An Ning can understand.

Just like the helicopter she and Chen Hai built together, even if that helicopter could sell for a thousand yuan, if they couldn't mass-produce it, then even if it were built, it wouldn't have a higher value.

Even if Master Luo can produce toys that are much better than those on the market, he cannot bring profits to the factory if he cannot mass-produce them. This is the limitation of an individual.

But that's not important. What's important is her ability to improve the precision of machine tools. Isn't that exactly the kind of talent that China lacks?

"If we acquire all these machines in the factory, what are your plans next?" Anning asked her.

"Me?" Luo Ling asked, somewhat surprised.

An Ning nodded: "Of course, I'm just chatting casually, please don't be nervous."

“I might retire early! I’m getting old, and I’ve worked at this factory for a long time. Now that the factory is gone, other factories might not be willing to take me in.”

"Don't listen to her nonsense." The factory manager seemed to have noticed something and interrupted her, saying to An Ning, "People from the city toy factory came several times before, trying to poach her to work in the city, but she refused and insisted on staying here."

“I have no chance of going to the city toy factory. Their management philosophy is fundamentally flawed. Whether it’s the factory director or that production manager, they’re all obsessed with making money. What’s more, they also…” Luo Ling stopped there and continued, “Anyway, I’m old and can’t work anymore. My seniority has expired, so early retirement isn’t a bad thing.”

Although Luo Ling didn't continue, An Ning guessed from her words that the city toy factory was probably involved in the toy factory's closure.

After all, there's nothing wrong with the production line here. The quality control of the toys produced is even better than that of toys in the city. There's no reason why toys in the city are so sold out and orders are booked for months, while this place can't even get any orders and is facing bankruptcy.

"I understand the situation here. I'd like to discuss it with my colleagues first. Could you give me some time and space?"

“No problem.” The factory manager immediately agreed, his face already beaming with joy. “Come to my office. It’s spacious, has a good view, and no one will bother you.”

If these two comrades had no ulterior motives, they would never have said such a thing.

Since they want to discuss it, it means there's still room for negotiation.

But as they just mentioned, this visit wasn't just to inspect their factory, but also several others. What if other factories snatched it up? And those other factories don't have this need. Even if they wanted to cooperate, they could only introduce channels for purchasing machines. It's not as convenient as having everything they need.

If they weren't from an island, a place far more backward than theirs, he would have packed up all the skilled workers from the factory and gone there with them.

If all else fails, they'll lower the price further and try to secure the deal in one fell swoop.

With the office door closed, Song Wenyuan asked directly, "You want to buy their machines?"

“This is just one thing. When I came here, the leaders told me that I would be fully responsible for the procurement of the production line, and they had already set a price range for me. As long as it is within this range, I can make a decision directly. But there is another thing that I cannot decide.”

"Another matter...is it related to that Master Luo?"

Song Wenyuan quickly found the answer after a moment's thought. He and his wife had come to the factory together, and apart from the factory manager, she had only spoken with Master Luo.

Of course, it could also be related to those two machines, but the factory manager's meaning was clear: those two machines were also going to be sold, but he was just afraid to sell them to them because there was no guarantee of their quality.

If the wife wants to buy it together, the other party can't possibly disagree.

So, by process of elimination, only Master Luo remains.

However, he didn't quite understand why his wife was interested in that Master Luo.

"She can improve the precision of ordinary machine tools in such an environment. Do you know what that means?"

Song Wenyuan's mind raced: "That factory director said she used to be a talent at the Capital Institute of Technology, could it be that she was there during those years..."

"Whether she was a talent who had been out of work during those years is not important, but the fact that she was able to do this shows that she has a knowledge that far exceeds the theoretical knowledge required for these machine tools on the market. And this is still for toys. What if it were applied to the manufacture of weapons? Of course, I know that the military may have requirements for recruiting people in all aspects, but I plan to mention this to the higher-ups. If needed, they can send someone to investigate themselves. As for whether it will be successful or not, that is not my concern."

Song Wenyuan thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

Emerging from the office, An Ning looked at the factory manager: "We appreciate your sincerity, and we are indeed interested in purchasing a batch of machines. However, the price still needs to be discussed. Also, I might need to make a phone call to a leader in the military. Would it be convenient to borrow your office phone?"

"Convenient, of course it's convenient!" The factory manager was overjoyed. "You two can use the phone freely. I'll go and call the factory accountant over so we can discuss the price."

"Ah."

An Ning went into the office. This time, Song Wenyuan did not follow her in. Instead, he stood guard at the door to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

An Ning dialed the number Li Bowen had given her, and after being transferred, the call was quickly answered.

"Hey?"

"I am Shen Anning..."

An Ning recounted Master Luo's situation to Li Bowen, then repeated what she had told Chen Hai, and continued, "That's roughly the situation. I just feel it's a pity that such a talented person has ended up here. If the military needs her, we can try to contact her, but I don't know the specifics. It will require further investigation by a specialist."

Li Bowen on the other end of the phone also took it seriously: "Okay, I understand the situation. I'll arrange for someone to investigate. She's in the capital; as long as it's not a matter of principle, it's not a problem for us. If we can successfully bring her into our team, it will be a great achievement for you. As for the toy factory production line, I'll say it again: you're in full charge."