Before heading to the cement plant to pick up cement and lime, Wang An ran to the village headquarters to give Wu Dong a heads-up via phone. His main goal was to have Wu Dong put in a word with the cement plant, as doing so would significantly lower the price of the cement and lime.
One had to remember that when Wang An built his own house, he had been taken for a ride when buying cement, paying a full 30 yuan more per ton.
Therefore, now that he was helping Huang Baoguo build a house, Wang An naturally didn't want such a thing to happen again.
However, Wang An told Huang Baoguo all about these arrangements, ensuring that Huang Baoguo knew exactly everything Wang An was doing for his family.
There was no helping it; Wang An wasn't the type of person who did a good deed and then wanted to keep it a secret.
In Wang An's view, if I help you, save you money, and treat you well, then you must be made aware of it.
And in return, you must show gratitude where gratitude is due, and acknowledge the favor where a favor is owed.
Even if you are a nobody right now and have no capacity to do anything for me, at the very least, you must keep these kindnesses in your heart.
Otherwise, wouldn't my efforts be thrown down the drain?
All of this fell under "social investment." Sooner or later, it had to yield a return.
As for doing it willingly? Expecting nothing in return? Go fuck yourself!
As far as Wang An was concerned, aside from his parents, his wife, his children, and his younger siblings, there existed no one for whom he would willingly give without expecting something back.
This was a fact!
While Wang An was driving his big Jiefang truck to haul cement, lime, and rebar for Huang Baoguo's family, he took Huang Baoguo along for a trip to the brick factory.
The business at the brick factory now was completely different from two years ago, when visitors were few and far between and bricks and tiles were piled up like mountains.
Just as Wang An had told the factory director, Hao Dayou, back then, various infrastructure projects in the county had begun launching since last year. Consequently, sales of bricks and tiles at the factory had skyrocketed.
This led to all the brick kilns in the factory being reopened and all the workers returning to production, firing the kilns at full throttle to produce bricks and tiles.
Even with such frantic production, the backlog of bricks and tiles from before had basically been sold out, leaving the entire factory courtyard looking very empty.
Clearly, the current production speed of the factory could not keep up with the speed of shipments.
Naturally, the various vehicles coming to pick up bricks were endless.
The brick factory, an enterprise that had once been on the verge of bankruptcy, had once again become the "golden goose" of the county, leaving countless local people wanting to get a job there.
When Wang An led Huang Baoguo into Hao Dayou's office, Hao Dayou was on the phone. From the content of the conversation, it was clear that some organization was contacting Hao Dayou to order bricks and tiles.
Of course, it wasn't just Hao Dayou who was busy; the leaders in the other offices were busy as well, as the sounds of various conversations drifted out from every office.
Wang An remembered that when he came to buy bricks two years ago, Hao Dayou was the only "lone commander" left in the entire plant.
At that time, Hao Dayou himself looked wretched and shabby, wearing a torn cotton jacket leaking stuffing, looking like a little ghost.
But today, two years later, Hao Dayou truly looked like a factory director.
He wore leather shoes and a well-fitting dark Zhongshan suit, and his hair was meticulously groomed. He looked full of energy and possessed a genuine leadership aura.
Seeing Wang An enter the room while on the phone, Hao Dayou's expression couldn't help but brighten. He pointed to the sofa behind the coffee table, signaling for Wang An to sit first.
Wang An smiled without speaking and led Huang Baoguo to sit down.
In the past, where were there luxury items like coffee tables and sofas in Hao Dayou's office? There had been one broken desk, a few old chairs, and even the enamel water mug was peeling.
But now, not only did Hao Dayou's office have a coffee table and a sofa, but the red clay tea set on the table looked expensive.
It had to be said that the changes in the brick factory were truly immense!
After a short while, Hao Dayou hung up the phone and stood up enthusiastically to walk toward Wang An, saying happily as he approached
"A rare guest, a rare guest indeed! I wondered why two magpies were chirping at my door when I woke up this morning, hahahaha!"
It was evident that Hao Dayou was very happy about Wang An's arrival.
Back when the factory had no business and couldn't even pay the workers' wages, Hao Dayou, as the director, had originally intended to use connections to transfer out of the factory. However, Wang An had told him that the government building and the County Second Middle School projects were about to launch, urging Hao Dayou to hold on a bit longer.
Then, Hao Dayou's career completely climbed out of the trough and entered a direct springtime.
One had to realize that if Hao Dayou had transferred out back then, the current excellent performance of the brick factory would have had nothing to do with him. He would have only been able to watch the factory thrive from another unit, feeling nothing but regret and envy.
If that had happened, the blow to his life would have been significant.
Therefore, Wang An could be considered the benefactor of his career.
Wang An quickly stood up, shook hands with Hao Dayou, and said
"Long time no see! Big Brother, your spirit is truly great! You look at least 20 years younger, hahahaha..."
Hao Dayou laughed heartily and said
"That's for sure! Although I'm busier now than before, with a mountain of orders pushing me every day, I still feel it's better to be busy. Watching truck after truck of bricks being hauled away makes me feel so fulfilled in my heart, hahahaha..."
Wang An said with a smile
"That's definitely better than watching a courtyard full of bricks that won't sell, hehehe..."
After the two exchanged a few more pieces of useless pleasantries, Wang An directly stated his purpose
"Alright Big Brother, I won't waste your time. My uncle wants to buy 80,000 bricks to build a house—40,000 blue bricks and 40,000 red bricks. Do you think you can arrange that as soon as possible?"
Hao Dayou frowned, but his expression quickly relaxed as he said
"To be honest with you, little brother, bricks and tiles are indeed in short supply right now. Orders are backed up until July. If anyone else came, they'd definitely have to wait their turn in sequence. But since you've come, your big brother here must arrange it immediately, hahahaha!"
As he said the last sentence, Hao Dayou patted his chest to show how much he valued Wang An.
However, it was clear that Hao Dayou wasn't intentionally playing the "favor" card or trying to prove something; the current sales of bricks and tiles were simply too good, and Hao Dayou had no need to do so.
Hearing this, Wang An gave Hao Dayou a thumbs-up and laughed
"Big Brother, that's exactly what I was waiting to hear, hahahaha!"