"...What is this?"
Dongri's skies were overcast, and waves of cold wind swept through.
Ji Jue stood before the sparse, dilapidated factory grounds, still clinging to the faintest shred of hope as he gathered his courage and asked.
"The factory grounds," the middle-aged man immediately replied.
"What grounds?"
"Factory."
The middle-aged man gave an honest smile, just like an assembly line foreman facing a batch of new wage slaves, telling them: welcome to the factory. This was what factories were like.
People had to accept reality. Done accepting it?
Once you were done, let's happily start tightening screws!
Ji Jue's expression immediately became just as indescribable as that of every other wage slave.
Disillusioned with life.
"Come, come, please come in."
Amid a piercing screech of metal scraping, he yanked open the iron gate with all his strength and enthusiastically welcomed Ji Jue into the factory. "Old Liu! Old Liu!! Where the hell did you die off to? Hurry up, we've got someone here! Get some water boiling..."
"Minister Yan... there's no need for this."
Ji Jue cleared his throat. "I'm just here to take a look."
"Of course! It's rare for you to come by. Come, have some tea, have some tea. This way, please."
The middle-aged Yan Jian smiled as though an old chrysanthemum had bloomed across his face, every wrinkle brimming with delight and anticipation. "With Mister Ji here, there's a future! With Mister Ji here, there's a way out!"
Ten minutes later, the elite core staff of the present-day Coast Automobile Factory had gathered in the drafty office and completed their assembly.
Beside the coal stove, everyone, grimy and dust-covered, blew on the fire until the coal caught and the water boiled. Then, holding tea in enamel mugs or disposable paper cups, they convened their first