"Hey! Wait, wait, Comrade Ye Yaodong! Come here, come here..."
Ye Yaodong was secretly delighted. He had already planned to make more time to come back and keep bargaining.
Thirteen thousand really was no small sum. He had to knock more off the price and keep working on it, or spending that much would really hurt.
Besides, he could pick up some shipbuilding skills on the sly. In this freezing weather, there were only so many days he could go out to sea anyway, and he had nothing to do when he stayed ashore. Having another skill would be good.
He just had not expected them to let him walk out without a word, only to run out and stop him when he was about to climb aboard.
Pretending he had no idea what was happening, he drew his foot back in puzzlement and turned to look at Factory Director Wu, who had run over panting.
"What is it? Are you inviting me to stay for dinner?"
"No." Factory Director Wu's chest kept heaving as he beckoned him over. "Let's talk inside. I was just going over the figures again, and you disappeared."
Ye Yaodong raised his eyebrows in delighted surprise. "So you've agreed to 12,800?"
"Let's talk inside." Director Wu tugged at his clothes, urging him back in to talk.
Ye Yaodong followed him inside with a show of reluctance.
By the time he came out again, an hour had passed, and the sky had begun to darken.
Looking thoroughly satisfied, he said to Uncle Zhou, who had been waiting outside the whole time, "Thanks for your trouble, Uncle Zhou, waiting here all this time."
He also pulled out two cigarettes. This was probably his most courteous gesture.
"It's all right. I didn't have to haul sand or stone