Chapter 355: A Debt of Gratitude - Pretending to Cultivate in Kindergarten

Chapter 355: A Debt of Gratitude Without heading to the office, he sat down in the nearby security booth. Uncle Jiang explained the situation in detail. It turns out that the previous factory director had been Uncle Jiang's leader for many years, someone very responsible. Uncle Jiang had spent many years climbing to his position. However, the factory had faced a downturn recently, with no major orders in sight. The former director had been away seeking investments for a while and temporarily appointed Uncle Jiang as acting factory director. Fortunately, they recently secured a major order. However, the raw materials for the new product needed to be purchased again, and they were short of money. So, the former director approached Uncle Jiang. He promised that if Uncle Jiang could help him through this crisis, he would officially become the deputy director, even offering Uncle Jiang some shares in advance. The factory positions could be appointed immediately. Uncle Jiang hesitated for a long time, but given their longstanding relationship and the director's sincerity, he ended up using all his family's savings and even borrowed some. Uncle Jiang was deeply remorseful as he recounted, "Who would have thought that the day after I gave him the money, he disappeared. He sold his house, turned off his phone, and left me with such a mess." Jiang Xueli anxiously asked, "Dad, how much did you give him?" "More than a million, including what you gave us before. We gave away almost everything." "More than a million..." Jiang Xueli didn't want to elaborate. Although it was a significant sum and their entire savings, she had some money saved from her years as a singer, which could barely cover the deficit. But Uncle Jiang continued, "Actually, losing my savings isn't the worst part. The problem is now... We can't produce the new product, which means we face a penalty, and as the factory director, I signed the contract. "If we don't deliver the batch, we'll lose a lot of money. Besides, the workers haven't been paid for six months. Now that he's run off, all 200 workers are demanding their wages from me." Everyone looked anxious, except Lin Zhengran, who calmly inquired, "Excluding the penalty, how much is owed in wages?" "On average, each worker's salary is 6,000, so for six months, it's at least seven or eight million." Jiang Xueli's eyes trembled, "How much?" Lin Zhengran replied, "I understand. Pan Lin, allocate the funds to pay the workers according to the wage list. Deduct it from my account." Pan Lin stood up, "Yes, Lin." Uncle Jiang and Aunt Jiang were at a loss for words. This was over seven million yuan, a sum most people couldn't readily produce. Uncle Jiang frowned and then, to everyone's surprise, he knelt abruptly, "Ranran... Thank you for saving our family." Lin Zhengran and Xueli quickly helped him up. Lin Zhengran frowned, "Uncle, what are you doing?! Please, don't." Jiang Xueli was also flustered, "Dad." Uncle Jiang looked at Lin Zhengran, "But I can't repay you that money..." Lin Zhengran explained, "Don't worry, I wasn't finished. Didn't you already have an order with a company? I'll cover the cost of purchasing raw materials. You just continue with production. Once you deliver the order and receive the final payment, the factory will survive." "But there's hardly enough time—the order was urgent." "Then hire more people, bring in more equipment. Besides, the deadline might be negotiable. Is the client a local company?" "Yes, it's Jiang's Group..." "Jiang's Group?" Half an hour later, Pan Lin organized the workers downstairs to line up for their wages. Aunt Jiang was there to reassure them since they needed those old workers to stay on. Meanwhile, in the office within the factory grounds. Uncle Jiang contacted Jiang's Group, but negotiations were fruitless as they outright refused an extension. However, once Lin Zhengran got involved and identified himself as the CEO of Zheng's Company, the attitude changed immediately: "You're Mr. Lin? Alright, I'll discuss it with our General Manager Jiang. She oversees this batch of products. Please hold on." The so-called General Manager Jiang was none other than Jiang Qian. Surprised by this turn of events, even Lin Zhengran said, "General Manager Jiang..." Jiang Qian was puzzled on the other end, "Lin Zhengran, is that you? Aren't you working in entertainment with your sister? How did you get involved in manufacturing?" Lin Zhengran chuckled, "It's a long story. There are some issues at this factory. Could you possibly extend us a bit more time? Just an extra week, and we'll definitely deliver the goods smoothly." "A week... sure. It's actually not that urgent. Though it’s tagged as an urgent order, it could be late by a month. I’ll give you an extra week, maybe two weeks for a late delivery." Uncle Jiang couldn't hear the phone conversation, but Lin Zhengran was relieved, "Thanks, I owe you a personal favor." Jiang Qian, slightly blushing, responded, "It's nothing, especially after you taught me piano, helped me with Xiao Meng, and even saved my sister’s life. This small favor is no trouble. Anything else?" "No, that's it. Thanks again." Jiang Qian said it was no problem, but just as she was about to hang up, she shyly asked, "Do you have time next week? Maybe we could have a meal together. We haven’t really met since high school except during classes." Lin Zhengran agreed, "Sure, I'll set something up next week." "It's a date then." The call ended. Uncle Jiang anxiously asked, "So, how did it go?" Lin Zhengran smiled, "They've extended us two more weeks. Uncle Jiang, just focus on production and ensure quality." Uncle Jiang was ecstatic, "Thank you, Ranran! Once we receive the final payment, I'll repay part of the debt immediately. Once operations stabilize, I'll repay the rest as well!" "The money isn't urgent, no rush." Lin Zhengran picked up a sample electronic component from the desk, "It seems these are components we can use too. I have a livestream company. I'll have Pan Lin bring the procurement team to check if these products are compatible. Uncle, if they are, how about supplying Zheng's Company exclusively?" Uncle Jiang nodded eagerly, "Really? Your company needs these products too? Great! I'll go greet the procurement team leaders later. Mr. Lin, rest assured about our factory's quality!" Lin Zhengran chuckled, "Uncle, why call me Mr. Lin all of a sudden? Just call me Ranran." Uncle Jiang struggled to find words, his voice trembling, "This debt of gratitude is so immense. I don't even know how to thank you." Watching Uncle Jiang with eyes reddened again. Though over ten million is a huge amount, for the current scale of Zheng's Company, it's just a drop in the ocean. What could topple this small factory would be at most a minor inconvenience for Zheng's Company. (End of Chapter)