Two days after the surgery, Afeng and Junjun had fully regained consciousness and their spirits had improved considerably, allowing for normal conversation.
Concurrently, the template factory machinery ordered by Jing Yongli arrived that same day. Two installation technicians from the manufacturer also moved into the factory, residing next door to Afeng.
To expedite the installation of the equipment, Jing Yongli hired over a dozen strong young laborers from Yangli Village. In just three days, all the machinery was installed.
Following the installation, the technicians provided brief training to the more than ten villagers who would be working at the factory, guiding them through the entire template production process.
Liu Chao had not yet returned from learning glue-making techniques elsewhere. The installation technicians brought some adhesive materials with them and led the workers in producing the first batch of one hundred templates. After ensuring the workers had mastered the basic operating techniques, they returned to their company. The entire process took no more than eight days.
Liu Yong also learned alongside the workers. His learning capacity was strong, and he mastered the techniques the fastest. Coupled with his management experience, Yang Jian appointed him as the production manager, but without oversight of marketing or accounts.
Everything was ready, with only the east wind missing. The factory building and equipment were complete; they just needed the loan to be approved to commence production.
"Second brother, the bank's credit department inspectors are already on their way. Go to the entrance to greet them and have the workers start their tasks. Make it look busy. There are four of them in the group. Prepare four red envelopes. This inspection is crucial; whether the funds are approved depends on this."
The day after the installation technicians left, Village Head Yang Huailin called Yang Jian, instructing him to prepare for their reception.
Lacking experience in such matters, Yang Jian had Liu Yong lead the workers to start their tasks. He asked Jing Yongli to prepare four red envelopes, each containing five thousand yuan, and then wait at the factory entrance.
Twenty minutes later, Village Head Yang Huailin arrived on his motorcycle, leading a Santana car.
Two men and two women alighted from the car. One young man immediately took two photos of the signage for Lijian Wood Industry Co., Ltd.
Yang Jian was about to step forward but stopped after a few paces. He saw a familiar face among the four bank personnel – his ex-girlfriend, Chen Xiaoli. This was incredibly awkward. Their last encounter at the hot pot restaurant had been very unpleasant, and now he had to face her.
"Second brother, don't just stand there. Let me introduce you. This is Director Xiao from the Rural Credit Cooperative. Director Xiao, this is Yang Jian, the actual investor of Lijian Company. And this is Jing Yongli, the legal representative."
Seeing Yang Jian frozen, Yang Huailin walked over and patted him on the shoulder.
"Oh, Director Xiao, welcome, welcome."
Yang Jian quickly shook Director Xiao's hand.
Director Xiao, around forty years old, was fair-skinned and well-maintained. He looked Yang Jian up and down and said, "I've heard a lot about Mr. Yang's reputation. You truly are a distinguished talent, not only handsome but also starting a factory at such a young age. Remarkable."
"Thank you for your praise, Director Xiao. I just want to utilize local resources to do something and, at the same time, help the villagers develop some side businesses right at their doorstep."
"Excellent. We aim to support wealth-leading individuals like you in rural areas. Let me introduce you to our credit officers from the credit department: Xiao Wang, Xiao Chen, and Xiao Zhang."
"Hello, welcome for your guidance."
Yang Jian shook hands with Xiao Wang first, and Jing Yongli followed behind, offering cigarettes.
"Sister Xiaoli, why are you here?"
Jing Yongli, being very astute, knew Yang Jian would be embarrassed. He walked up to Chen Xiaoli beforehand to greet her. He had spent time in Xichuan, and Chen Xiaoli was familiar with the people around Yang Jian.
Chen Xiaoli had seen Yang Jian as soon as she got out of the car and was indeed surprised. The application report had not listed Yang Jian's name, and she had overlooked Jing Yongli's name, as there were many people with the same name.
"Yongli, is this factory yours as the legal representative, and is your cousin the investor?"
"Yes, my brother has already invested over a million in this factory."
"Didn't he owe over a million in external debt? Where did he get so much money to invest?"
"My brother is good at making money. If he wasn't starting this factory, he would have paid off those debts long ago."
As the two were chatting, Director Xiao asked curiously, "Xiao Chen, do you know someone here?"
Chen Xiaoli replied a little sheepishly, "Yes, I know both of them, and we are quite close."
"Is that so? Since you know them, the inspection will be simpler. Let's go inside and look at the hardware facilities."
Director Xiao, not noticing Chen Xiaoli's expression, led the way through the main gate.
Without greeting Chen Xiaoli, Yang Jian quickly followed Director Xiao, providing introductions.
They first toured the workshop. Over twenty workers were busily engaged in their tasks, their movements skilled and orderly.
The factory area was not small, with a rational layout. Coupled with the semi-finished product factory outside also in production, Director Xiao nodded continuously as he walked, appearing quite satisfied.
Next, they visited the dormitory area and the office area. Director Xiao was even more surprised, as the layout was quite unique, with meticulously cultivated greenery in front of and behind the buildings, as well as fitness equipment.
The dormitories were temporarily unoccupied but clean and tidy, and even equipped with air conditioning.
The offices were comparable to urban office buildings, complete with a conference room, computer workstations, a general manager's office, and a finance department.
"Director Xiao, Lijian Wood Industry has reached an agreement in principle with Dongsheng Group. Dongsheng Company will purchase all the construction templates produced by our company. The projected output value next year will exceed twenty million, and my goal is to surpass one hundred million in output value within five years, creating over a thousand jobs."
In the conference room, Yang Jian introduced the company's establishment and development goals, doing his best to convey the company's growth potential to the bank representatives.
Director Xiao nodded and smiled, "Mr. Yang, we all know you have a good relationship with Mr. Yu of Dongsheng Group, so we believe you can achieve this output value target. Your factory building, equipment, and other hardware facilities are well-done. We will carefully review everything after our return and strive to approve the funds."
"Thank you, Director Xiao. Whether this factory can succeed also depends on your support."
Yang Jian knew Director Xiao was teasing him about the rumors between him and Yu Feng, but he couldn't get angry. The director meant no harm; it was just a joke, and his words could determine the factory's fate.
"We'll certainly consider it. We will pay close attention to this matter."
As they were speaking, Director Xiao stood up to leave. Jing Yongli quickly tried to slip the red envelope into his pocket.
Director Xiao became displeased. "What are you doing? Don't try this. We are serving the public and cannot accept bribes or engage in extortion. Once the loan is approved and your factory develops, I will come for a celebratory drink."
Jing Yongli was extremely embarrassed. Fortunately, Yang Huailin smoothed things over.
As the inspection concluded and Director Xiao's group prepared to depart, Chen Xiaoli saw Director Xiao chatting with Yang Huailin. She lagged a few steps behind and stood beside Yang Jian, whispering, "Yang Jian, if you agree to get back together with me, this loan will be approved very quickly. Additionally, I will help you raise two million to expand your company, interest-free, and have my uncle sign a template sales contract with you."
Yang Jian was taken aback. "Chen Xiaoli, you're not trying to get revenge, are you?"
"I have no grudge against you. I just want to reconcile. I still love you."
"What if I don't agree?"
"Don't speak too definitively. Think it over and call me."
Chen Xiaoli said this as she slipped a business card into Yang Jian's pocket, then quickly got into the Santana.