Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

At this point, Director Zheng originally thought he knew Li Feng well enough, believing him to be a genius with outstanding technical skills and a broad perspective.

But only now did he realize that what he had seen was perhaps just the tip of the iceberg.

This young man's heart seemed purer and more resolute than he had imagined, possessing an almost idealistic childlike innocence.

In this day and age, such qualities are incredibly precious!

Zheng Guowei gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and simply nodded heavily.

Some things don't need to be said outright.

Some appreciation is best kept in your heart.

The two remained silent the entire way and soon returned to the Planning Department's office.

As I pushed open the door, a faint aroma of tea wafted in.

To Li Feng and Zheng Guowei's surprise, Wu Na was sitting quietly on the sofa, holding a document in her hands, reading it very attentively.

The office window was open, and the afternoon sun slanted in, falling on her profile and outlining a soft contour. Her long eyelashes cast a light shadow under her eyelids, and her expression was focused and serene.

Hearing the door open, Wu Na looked up and saw the two of them return, then quickly stood up.

Li Feng was indeed somewhat surprised.

In his memory, Wu Na was a diligent worker, but also somewhat lively. She had worked in the department before, knew many people, and had a wide network of connections. Logically, after such a long time, she should have been visiting and chatting with other departments long ago. Why was she here quietly reading documents by herself?
Not only Li Feng, but even Zheng Guowei found it a bit strange.

In my office, people come in droves to report on their work, but I've never seen Wu Na sit still for half an hour.

Is the sun coming out in the west today?

As the two were pondering their questions, Wu Na came to greet them.

She first nodded politely to Zheng Guowei and called out, "Director Zheng."

Then, her gaze immediately turned to Li Feng, her bright eyes filled with undisguised concern and curiosity.

"How did it go? Did the meeting with the big boss go smoothly?" she asked in a low voice.

This question was clearly asked on her behalf, and also on behalf of everyone who cares about this project.

After all, Jiang Dashan's attitude directly determines the future of this project and the fate of all the participants.

Li Feng knew what Wu Na was worried about, and he also understood that some things involved confidentiality and couldn't be said more.

He smiled and replied in a relaxed tone, "It went quite smoothly. The senior leader mainly listened to our report and then gave us some guidance on our next steps."

This answer was perfectly balanced and flawless.

But Wu Na was an extremely intelligent person, and she immediately knew that this was just official rhetoric that Li Feng used to deal with the situation.

The head of the department personally called over the person in charge of the project and talked for nearly two hours. Could it have been just a simple matter of "providing guidance"?

Even a fool could tell that they were discussing deeper, more fundamental issues. Wu Na blinked her expressive eyes, seemingly trying to glean some clue from Li Feng's expression.

She didn't believe Li Feng's words, but she also knew that it wasn't appropriate for her to press him in front of Director Zheng. She handled the situation very well.

So she could only pout slightly, reluctantly say "Oh," then nod, pretending to believe her, and say, "Okay."

Her appearance, with a touch of girlish naiveté, made Li Feng chuckle.

This girl's thoughts are written all over her face.

Zheng Guowei watched from the side, his mind perfectly clear. He coughed lightly, breaking the somewhat subtle atmosphere between the two.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the rather old "Shanghai" brand watch; the hour hand was pointing to 12:30.

"Alright, stop standing there." Zheng Guowei's voice was decisive and left no room for argument. "It's getting late, aren't you hungry? Come on, let's go to the cafeteria for a meal. We have a ton of things to do this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Wu Na subconsciously glanced at the corridor outside Zheng Guowei's office.

Although there was a door separating them, she knew that there were probably several department heads waiting to report to Director Zheng in the reception room outside, and there might even be heads of subordinate units.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Zheng Si, you... have time to eat? There are so many people outside waiting to see you."

That's a very skillful question; it expresses concern while also pointing out the actual situation.

Within the ministry, powerful directors like Zheng Guowei are so busy they're practically running around. They don't even have time to eat on time, and sometimes they can't even manage a bite of instant noodles.

Li Feng also turned his gaze to Zheng Guowei. Although he didn't come to the ministry often, he was well aware of the rhythm here.

It was already a huge honor that Director Zheng could take the time to accompany him to meet the high-ranking leader, and now he had to have dinner with him, which made him feel a little guilty.

Zheng Guowei waved his hand dismissively, a rare relaxed smile appearing on his face.

He walked behind his desk, picked up an enamel mug, unscrewed the lid, took a large gulp of strong tea, and then said unhurriedly, "Man is made of iron, food is steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal."

"Work is important, but health is the foundation of everything."

He paused, then added, "Besides, Xiao Zhang is there to entertain us in the reception room, and there's plenty of tea. Letting them sit a little longer will allow them to sort out their thoughts and avoid them coming in rambling reports that waste my time."

This statement was half true and half false, showing both consideration for subordinates and a touch of the leader's authority and control.

Upon hearing this, Wu Na and Li Feng naturally had no further doubts.

Indeed, at Zheng Guowei's level, he is no longer someone anyone can meet immediately if they want to.

This is a completely different concept from working in a factory.

Li Feng couldn't help but recall the time when he dealt with Director Ling at the Ministry of Industry. The reason he was able to see him so often was entirely due to his work and the needs of the project.

Normally, if a small cadre from a ceramics factory wanted to meet a director, he would probably have to wait in line like everyone else in the meeting room, and might not even have the chance to wait in line.

Thinking of this, Li Feng couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude. How fortunate he was to have met a mentor like Director Zheng and to have gained the appreciation of Minister Jiang. This path, though arduous, had been fraught with hardship, but every step had been firm, and he had encountered many helpful people along the way. (End of Chapter)