Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 2922 The Coveter and the Doomsayer

Department Nine, Office.

Yang Xiaotao sat in the chair with a relaxed expression, looking at the snowflakes falling outside the window. He was nowhere near as nervous as before.
With less than a month until the Lunar New Year, Beijing is once again experiencing freezing temperatures.

Especially around the Lunar New Year, even with the stove lit at home, my legs felt cold.

Factory workers cannot start work without a heating system.

Not to mention ordinary people, they simply don't dare to go out and about.

As the snowflakes fell and the world before him was gradually covered in white, Yang Xiaotao's thoughts began to drift away!
Liu Lixue and Lou Xiao'e, who were standing nearby, also smiled. Since they were in the same room as Yang Xiaotao, their moods were easily influenced by him.

Just like now, Yang Xiaotao is looking out the window and grinning foolishly. Their mood is contagious, and they've even made plans for the evening to watch a movie!
Yang Xiaotao was indeed quite happy at that moment.

A loan of two billion US dollars, with a five-year term, could ultimately require a repayment of three billion.

So, the interest is quite substantial!

If this were in someone else's hands, it would probably be a real headache.

But with Yang Xiaotao's massive nine-part operation, even if he loses 2 billion, he can still come up with that money five years later.

This is also why Dawson dared to lend money to Yang Xiaotao.

Similarly, this is also why Yang Xiaotao was able to get a loan.

As for whether he can repay the debt in five years, Yang Xiaotao is quite confident.

Moreover, Yang Xiaotao was thinking about making even more money.

Soon, a series of plans came to mind.

While pondering how to allocate the two billion US dollars, he heard a knock on the door.

bang bang
The door opened, and Yang Xiaotao looked up to see Chen Gong walking in with a smile, followed by Yang Youning.

The two walked one after the other, but Yang Xiaotao focused his attention on Yang Youning.

There's no other explanation; this guy must be the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

"Old Chen, Old Yang, come sit down!"

"Xiaoxue, serve tea!"

Yang Xiaotao greeted them warmly, and the two sat down.

Liu Lixue smiled as she brewed tea, then placed the teacups in front of the two of them, adding with a smile, "Director Chen, this tea was brought by Minister Yang himself, so there's no need to record it."

Chen Gong laughed and said, "Xiao Xue, you just know how to tease me!"

He picked up his teacup and sighed, "I had no choice. As the saying goes, 'A family with surplus grain has nothing to fear!'"

"With the warehouse almost empty, how can I not be anxious!"

Chen Gong feigned an anxious expression, but Liu Lixue didn't believe him at all.

Director Chen wouldn't even notice if the warehouse was empty, or if it wasn't full and there were some missing items!

"The warehouse is full now, isn't it?"

Liu Lixue got up and walked back to her desk. Chen Gong smiled and then winked at Yang Youning.

Yang Xiaotao spoke up at this moment, "By the way, Old Zhao should be back soon!"

Yang Youning nodded, "We've already arrived in Shicheng, and I estimate we'll be back in a couple of days."

"That's good. It's freezing cold outside, so it's best not to go out."

Chen Gong said with a smile, "Old Zhao's trip this time is longer than usual!"

"That's right, but this time it was even more careful than before."

"The document system, rectification measures, production status, and even personnel training—every aspect has been taken care of!"

"I estimate that once we get back and organize the documents, we'll have a much better understanding of the downstream factories!"

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "When Lao Zhao comes back, we have to treat him to a good meal."

After saying that, Yang Youning laughed and said, "Okay then, you provide the cooking skills and we'll provide the wine and dishes!"

"Sure, no problem! We'll invite a few more people!"

Yang Xiaotao also enjoys lively gatherings, so he thought this was a good opportunity for everyone to sit down and get together.

After chatting for a while, Yang Youning brought up his purpose.

"Minister Yang!"

"Old Chen and I came here this time to figure out what to do with this year's New Year's goods!"

After Yang Youning finished speaking, Chen Gong continued, "The New Year is less than a month away. In normal years, preparations would have already begun by this time, but this year is special, so we haven't made up our minds yet!"

In fact, Yang Xiaotao knew their purpose as soon as the two came in, and at the same time, he was thinking about how to respond.

After listening to the two of them, Yang Xiaotao tapped his fingers on the table, and the office fell silent.

"Didn't we already make cotton-padded clothes?"

A moment later, Yang Xiaotao suddenly spoke.

As Yang Xiaotao's tone changed, Chen Gong and Yang Youning understood what Yang Xiaotao was planning.

The two had originally thought that when the warehouse was full again, they would give out a generous bonus as usual.

In particular, they currently have 2 billion yuan in working capital, and it's all in foreign exchange, specifically US dollars.

Although it is still in Old Chen's hands, Old Chen said that it belongs to the Ninth Department, and he will not ask how to spend it, nor can anyone else get it.

Similarly, he didn't care how to pay the annual interest; he told Jiubu to figure it out himself.

The two had a simple idea: with money, they could have a good New Year.

This is also the consensus among the nine people, or rather, other Chinese people.

After hearing Yang Xiaotao's words, the two remained silent for a moment. Finally, Chen Gong said, "Yes, it basically ensures that everyone has a set of cotton-padded clothes!"

"However, compared to previous years, we're a little behind this time!"

Yang Xiaotao nodded, "It's alright if it was close. We don't have a good New Year every year!"

Chen Gong and the other man understood what Yang Xiaotao meant, and then Yang Xiaotao continued, "The next few years will be like this, so you and the workers need to be mentally prepared!"

"We should use our best resources where they matter most. Our primary goal right now is to complete the mission!"

"Workers, you must understand, and we leaders must understand first and set an example."

"Old Li also told me that our Ninth Department really needs to carry forward the spirit of hard work and plain living."

Yang Xiaotao explained the situation clearly, and Chen Gong and Yang Youning had no other choice.

In the nine departments, to put it bluntly, it was Director Yang and Secretary Li who had the final say at the top.

There's no need to even think about Li Hongfeng. He's always been very careful when giving out benefits, and he always mentions how hard-working and frugal he is.

In the past, when it came to sending out messages, it was always Yang Xiaotao who was at the forefront, and Li Hongfeng didn't dare to offend Yang Xiaotao.

In addition, the nine departments are not really lacking in that small amount, and we should also be considerate of the workers' difficulties.

But now...

Since Yang Xiaotao wasn't going to step forward, they didn't think Li Hongfeng would agree.

Having received a definite answer, the two stopped talking about that and instead began discussing publicity work.

Yang Youning inquired about the key areas of cooperation and publicity with the United States.

Yang Xiaotao was silent for a moment before saying, "Focus on promoting the fact that the other party has a vast territory with plenty of land to cultivate, and just mention the rest briefly!" Yang Youning looked at Yang Xiaotao, his face full of doubt.

The propaganda materials from other departments all focused on the United States' technology, particularly its economic or political aspects.

Why is it that when they get here, they start promoting land?
"Should we also mention their culture? Or their military or something?"

Yang Youning voiced his thoughts, but Yang Xiaotao just shook his head and sighed, "Culture? Do they even have any culture?"

The question startled everyone in the room, but then they realized that there was really nothing to say about the culture of the United States!

"As for their military, there's not much to say."

"Airplanes? Tanks or aircraft carriers?"

"It's no use talking about it. They won't give us the good stuff, and we won't even look at the bad stuff."

"Just publicize their land!"

Yang Youning opened his mouth, but in the end he decided it was better to listen to Yang Xiaotao, at least promoting the land was a "unique" direction.

The two chatted in the office for a while longer before getting up to leave.

After seeing the two off, Liu Lixue closed the door and then went to Yang Xiaotao. "Director Yang, Director Chen and the others are after your two billion!"

Yang Xiaotao shook his head, "They're not the only ones with designs on this!"

"Forget it, I'd better spend the money quickly to avoid trouble and prevent others from eyeing it!"

After saying that, Yang Xiaotao took out a plan from the drawer, carefully read through it, and after confirming that there were no problems, he said to Lou Xiao'e, "Xiao'e, go and see if Li Shengli has returned. If he has, call him over!"

"it is good!"

Lou Xiao'e didn't dare to delay and quickly got up and left.

Seeing Lou Xiao'e leave, Liu Lixue got up again and walked to Yang Xiaotao's table. She squatted down, resting her elbows on the table and propping her face up with her big eyes, looking innocent and pure!
"Yang Bu~"

Her voice is a bit sweet…

When Yang Xiaotao looked up and saw the other person acting like this, he immediately leaned back. He knew that this guy was usually "spirited and vigorous," and that suddenly acting like a little girl was definitely not a good thing.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"Don't do this! Let's talk things out, don't pull this trick!"

Liu Lixue greeted him with a smile, "Minister Yang, what's with this nonsense? I don't understand what you're saying."

Yang Xiaotao rolled his eyes. "You know perfectly well why!"

"Just speak properly."

Liu Lixue still rested her chin on the back of her hand. Her fair skin made Yang Xiaotao unconsciously glance at the snowflakes outside the window. He then took a deep breath before sitting back down, doing the same thing as Liu Lixue.

The two of them were instantly facing each other within half a meter and stared at each other.

Yang Xiaotao and Ran Qiuye had tried eye contact, and the longest they could maintain it was only a minute and a half.

This time, when they made eye contact, Liu Lixue couldn't stand it for more than ten seconds. She quickly turned her head away and looked away, then suppressed the blush on her face, but said indignantly, "You're so shameless!"

Yang Xiaotao raised an eyebrow. "What's there to be shy about? You're a girl, and you're not shy at all, so why should I be shy!"

Liu Lixue pouted, then stood up and smoothed her hair, becoming even more certain that this guy was definitely not a "decent person"!
"Speak quickly if you need anything, Xiao'e will be back soon!"

Yang Xiaotao spoke up, and Liu Lixue quickly stepped forward to hold the table, "Director Yang, how dare you lend so much money?"

"And what about the oil industry? Is there really going to be a crisis?"

"And are you sure we can make money with this? What if we lose money?"

"Many comrades are now skeptical about this, saying that we are playing with fire!"

"Minister Yang, what are you really thinking?"

Liu Lixue was like a reporter on a mission, bombarding her with questions.

Of course, how much of this she herself wanted to know is unknown.

Because Yang Xiaotao had no intention of explaining or answering at all.

One lie requires more lies to cover it up.

Sometimes, the more you say, the more flaws you reveal.

Just as he knew an oil crisis would occur, he racked his brains to come up with a vague reason to support his argument.

This finally convinced Old Chen, allowing him to give an explanation to his superiors.

Even so, not everyone has full confidence in their nine divisions.

Therefore, Yang Xiaotao completely ignored these issues.

I'm not going to say anything. Think whatever you want. If you guess correctly, it's just your imagination and has nothing to do with me!
Seeing Liu Lixue's inquisitive expression, Yang Xiaotao suddenly laughed, "What are you thinking? Want to know?"

Liu Lixue nodded vigorously.

"Haha, then open your eyes wide and watch carefully!"

Liu Lixue almost bit her tongue, then glared at Yang Xiaotao and said, "You, you told me to say it, but now you're not saying it anymore, you're not playing like this anymore!"

Yang Xiaotao shrugged, "I only told you to ask, I didn't say I would definitely answer!"

"you!"

He snorted and sat back down at the table, his face clearly saying, "I'm very angry."

Yang Xiaotao didn't mind and continued looking at the documents.

A moment later, Lou Xiao'e walked in, followed by Li Shengli.

"Minister Yang!"

Li Shengli stepped forward to greet him.

Liu Lixue's eyes lit up, only to find Yang Xiaotao standing up and asking Li Shengli, "When did you get back?"

"I just came back not long ago."

"Is everything arranged on the foreign trade side?"

"No major problems."

"Okay, let's go to the conference room to talk!"

After saying that, he walked out!

Li Shengli quickly followed.

Seeing this, Liu Lixue became even more curious.

Lou Xiao'e, who was standing nearby, noticed that Liu Lixue looked strange and quickly went over to ask what was wrong.

Liu Lixue bit her lip, then shook her head without saying anything.

Lou Xiao'e glanced at Yang Xiaotao who had gone out, then at the angry Liu Lixue, and asked uncertainly, "Did he bully you?"

After saying that, his eyes were full of gossip.

Liu Lixue retorted irritably, "I actually hope he bullies me."

Then, gritting his teeth, he said, "That way I can teach him a lesson."

After saying that, he stretched out his fist and gestured in the air.

Lou Xiao'e, standing to the side, inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.