Since loans were not expected, Yang Jian decided to officially start production as soon as Liu Chao returned, producing a batch of finished templates for sale to gauge market reaction, and then gradually scaling up. Afeng and Junjun were recovering well and could walk around. Production at the factory had stopped, and since the dormitory area and workshop were separate, no one paid them any attention.
Anan was also patient with the solitude. Apart from going to the river for morning exercises, he spent the rest of his time in Yang Jian's office, surfing the internet and playing games.
Yang Jian was also recuperating. In his free time, he chatted with Afeng and the others, sometimes visited his sister in town, dated Lu Yao, and kept an eye on the construction of the house.
Following Lu Qian's planning and design, Gao Daqiang first enclosed his family's land with a three-meter-high brick wall and then began foundation construction according to the drawings provided by Lu Qian.
Lu Qian's design was for a seven-story reinforced concrete building covering eight hundred square meters. The first two floors were designed as a large shopping mall, the middle two floors as office spaces, and the top three floors as a hotel and four residential units of 180 square meters each, with two elevators.
A parking lot was also reserved on the side of the building facing the road, which, along with the existing ditch and farm road, covered over six hundred square meters, meeting the parking requirements for the mall.
The design of this building was forward-thinking, as urban expansion had already reached the opposite side of the road. To avoid repetitive construction, a reinforced concrete structure was chosen for its ease of internal modification, which was quite advanced. Currently, many buildings in the town were of brick-concrete structure, which could not be modified later.
The existing funds could only be used to start the foundation work.
Lu Yao utilized her colleagues' connections and spent over twenty thousand yuan to obtain the building permit, completely eliminating the risk of the land being requisitioned.
"Brother Jian, I found a Hongxing casino in Nanhai and tracked it for ten days. I didn't find any trace of Wu Laizi, but I did see Baoguo."
Biao Biao called from Nanhai about half a month after Yang Jian was discharged from the hospital.
Yang Jian felt a bit anxious, "Could it be that Wu Laizi didn't go to Nanhai?"
"I'm not sure. I even went to the casino specifically, but I didn't find Wu Laizi. It's possible he's in Nanhai, but he's afraid you'll send people to look for him, so he's hiding and hasn't shown himself. He won't appear for a while."
"That makes sense. He's a startled bird now. There are many people in Xinhe, so it's normal for him not to show himself. Aren't you afraid of being recognized by Baoguo at the casino?"
"It's fine. Baoguo has only seen me once, and he doesn't remember my appearance. Also, the temperature here is high, I cut my hair short and wore clothes like those of brick factory workers. I went with a driver from my village, so no one paid attention to me."
Biao Biao's original image was long hair covering half his face with a small ponytail at the back. Suddenly cutting it short made it difficult for him to be recognized, unless by someone very familiar.
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Biao Biao, why don't you come back? As you said, Wu Laizi shouldn't appear for a while. Just ask people from your village to keep an eye on Wu Laizi. Brother Hao has taken on another big casino, and you can come back to help."
"Brother Hao has taken on another big venue? Are you still planning to cooperate with him?"
"Biao Biao, my factory's loan didn't go through, and all the money I have is invested in the factory. Brother Hao owes me 220,000 yuan and won't give it to me. For now, I can only partner with him, and we haven't found any good venues for a while."
"Brother Hao is deliberately holding onto your money to keep you by his side. He's too cunning."
"It's fine. After all, we've made money following him. I'll personally supervise this big venue, and I doubt he'd dare to play tricks in front of me."
"Yes, as long as you're at the venue, he's very honest. Brother Jian, Baoguo is here, should we deal with him?"
"Let's not touch Baoguo for now, otherwise, it will make Wu Laizi even more vigilant and he'll completely refuse to show himself. Come back. People like Wu Laizi are restless and will show up sooner or later."
"Okay, I'll buy a train ticket for tomorrow. Should I wait for you in Hancheng or meet you back in Xinhe?"
"Meet up with Brother Hao. No need to return to Xinhe. Liu Chao just returned from studying out of town, and the factory is preparing to start production. I need to oversee the production of a batch of templates before coming to Hancheng."
Yang Jian was telling the truth. In fact, Song Jianhao had called him two days earlier, saying that Old Cao had helped him secure a spot to be a dealer at Old Pan's casino and was waiting for him.
Liu Chao had just returned from his studies, and the template factory was preparing for formal production after the first batch of glue was successfully brewed.
Yang Jian wanted to see his independently produced products, so he postponed his trip. Song Jianhao, without Yang Jian's presence, dared not be a dealer at such a large venue, fearing a repeat of the kidnapping incident by Fugui.
Since it was the official operation of Lijian Muyue Company, Yang Jian organized an opening ceremony and invited Yu Feng, Zheng Guangyao, Lu Qian, and others to visit. They were all in the construction industry and would be responsible for selling templates in the future.
Since Yu Feng was on a business trip, she sent her nephew Yu Jiangang to attend, accompanied by Wu Wangchun.
Zheng Guangyao and Lu Qian came in person; they already knew each other.
Lu Yao and Wei Xia also came, and they made a plaque that read "Soaring to Great Heights" and hung it in Yang Jian's office.
Representatives from Yang Li Village Committee and Xinqiao Land Management Office also attended and presented flower baskets.
After Yang Jian presided over a brief unveiling ceremony, he led everyone on a tour of the entire factory and then hosted a banquet for the guests in the large canteen. The factory workers also attended the banquet, and Jing Yongli specially invited a chef from Xinqiao Town to prepare the feast.
"Little Yang, congratulations! I heard you're doing well in Hancheng. Your approach is also very good, using money earned from casinos to start a factory. I should learn from you."
At the banquet, Yang Jian offered a toast to Wu Wangchun, but Wu Wangchun stood up first.
"Uncle Wang, I heard your casino is getting bigger and bigger. Congratulations to you too. But when you earn more money, you should indeed invest some in real industries to be more stable."
"Yes, I'm inspired by you today. I'll seriously consider it. At least I'll buy two apartments in the town or even in Hancheng. Thank you."
Yang Jian smiled and then toasted Zheng Guangyao, "Mr. Zheng, my templates have started production. Can you try using some? Due to funding issues, the factory cannot mass-produce for now. You need to give me strong support."
Zheng Guangyao understood his meaning, "No problem. My new construction site is about to start. I'll take your first batch of templates, all paid for in cash, but the price should be discounted."
"Don't worry. You're the first customer, so I'll only charge you the cost price."
Yu Jiangang, standing nearby, voluntarily stood up and toasted Yang Jian, "Brother Jian, my aunt said that as long as your templates meet the quality requirements, she will sign a purchase agreement with you and pay a deposit in advance to help you through this difficult time when she returns."
"Thank you. Please thank Sister Feng for me."
With two major clients secured right from the start, Yang Jian was very excited and full of confidence in the future development of the template factory, feeling that he would become an excellent entrepreneur in the future.