The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 432 Request for Assistance
“Not that many!” said the Sichuan-Chongqing woman, laughing and crying at the same time. “Top-notch intangible cultural heritage masters are few and far between, and embroiderers who can truly ‘graduate’ from their masters are even rarer.”

Young people can't settle down to learn, and the veteran embroiderers are getting old; the gap in skill transmission hasn't been small for a day or two. In the entire Sichuan and Chongqing region, you could probably only find a hundred or so experienced embroiderers who meet your requirements.

"No, then let's put our efforts into training them!" Zhao Xiaochui said without hesitation. "This industrial upgrade itself will take more than a year, and we have the time! Let's use this year to invest money and resources to train a batch of them!"

"No? Then let's put in the effort to cultivate them!" Zhao Xiaochui said decisively without hesitation. "This industrial upgrade itself requires more than a year, and we have the time! We'll use this year to invest money and resources to cultivate a batch of them!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone, clearly taken aback by the treatment.

After a long while, the female tyrannosaurus spoke again:
“Since we’re going to cultivate it… how about we locate this ‘Jinxiu Workshop’ in a city or county near your hometown? The resources here in the provincial capital are already too concentrated; it’s time to help drive the development of the surrounding areas.”

This suggestion was exactly what Zhao Xiaochui wanted. He had been waiting for the female tyrant to take the initiative to ask that the industrial park be located in Sichuan and Chongqing, but he didn't expect her to be so calm and not say a word.

“Okay!” Zhao Xiaochui readily agreed, then smoothly changed the subject: “Mom, speaking of which, there’s something else I’d like to ask you.”

As he spoke, he opened his tablet and pulled up an equipment procurement application from a high-end essential oil manufacturing plant in his hometown of Sichuan and Chongqing.

“Actually, I also had this idea for the essential oil factory in my hometown, but the gap between some equipment and imported equipment is too big. For example, for the gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system, we plan to purchase the best model on the market for the office area. Our budget is 1680 million RMB.”

"How about this: I increase the budget fivefold, using all domestically produced equipment plus targeted upgrade services. We don't need them to catch up in a short time; we just want to make our fragrances, flavors, and traditional Chinese medicine traceability features number one in the world... Is that possible?"

“Little Hammer,” the female tyrannosaurus on the other end of the phone said slowly after a long silence, “even if it’s possible, there will still be a gap in stability.”

"Mom, we're not afraid of the gap. I just need to focus on targeted upgrades for the essential oil factory."

Zhao Xiaochui explained softly, "The factory's total equipment procurement budget is 250 million yuan, much of which can already be replaced by domestic products. If we can guarantee that the targeted upgrades meet our requirements, I am willing to increase the budget fivefold and hand it all over to the Sichuan and Chongqing provincial governments for unified coordination and use."

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, the female tyrant's serious, inquisitive voice came through: "Little Hammer, tell me honestly, what exactly did you do in South America...?"

Knowing his route was absolutely safe, Zhao Xiaochui answered honestly: "We took down a supply chain that produced 'high-quality products,' raided the headquarters of Commissioner Smith, gave a massage to a big shot, and incidentally... hauled back two containers of 'local specialties.'"

"..."

After a long pause, the Sichuan-Chongqing female tyrant seemed to have finally processed this massive amount of information, and then reminded them in a complex tone:

"Little Hammer, even if the equipment can be upgraded, the quality of the essential oils produced will still lag behind top brands in the short term."

"So I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"You said."

"I need flower seeds, seeds of all the varieties we can use."

"Okay, wait for my news. Send the cotton seeds over as soon as possible. I will ask my top leader to personally oversee this project. He is a truly capable and reliable person, so you can rest assured!"

"I got it, Mom."

The call ended. Without any hesitation, Zhao Xiaochui tapped his earpiece in a specific rhythm.

A moment later, the security guard, who was usually inconspicuous at the gate, pushed open the door and entered. Zhao Xiaochui handed him the sealed tube containing cotton seeds. The security guard took it, nodded slightly without saying a word, and turned to leave.

Zhao Xiaochui looked at the empty corridor and let out a soft sigh of relief. He turned off the studio lights and, as usual, prepared to take the final step: locking the door to the easy-going area.

However, when he arrived at the main hall, he was surprised to find Pan Xiaoli and three other security guards standing guard at the entrance.

Outside the gate, however, was not a quiet night, but a bustling and noisy scene!

He walked forward with a puzzled look in his eyes and looked out through the glass door. The scene in front of him made him freeze in shock.

The anchor, holding a phone and wearing headphones, was excitedly talking on the spot. The fill lights illuminated the entrance brightly, and various voices were mixed together.

A group of well-dressed young people, seemingly from all over the world, were gathered together. They weren't patients, but rather fans of billionaires like Evangeline Foster, excitedly peering into the store. The most noticeable people in the crowd were the family members of patients, supporting their frail family members or clutching medical records, their faces etched with exhaustion and a last glimmer of hope.

After seeing the news on the internet, they drove overnight from all over Beijing and are now crowding in front of the door, their faces showing pleading.

"Please, please make an exception and let my daughter in to see you! She's been sick for a long time..."

"We just want to ask one question: Can we make an appointment? We're willing to try, no matter the cost!"

Pan Xiaoli and the security guards, along with the uniformed staff and volunteers who arrived, were all trying their best to maintain order, their faces filled with helplessness and pressure.

Zhao Xiaochui stood inside the door, gazing at the scene outside—a tapestry of hope, fervor, and despair—and remained silent for a moment.

He took a deep breath and was about to push the door open when his arm was gently pulled. It was Shen Yan who had pulled him.

The system manager, his face showing deep exhaustion and a hint of reluctance, whispered, "Boss, don't be impulsive. We've already published the list of partner hospitals and doctors, along with their contact information, and we've also explained that critically ill patients need to undergo professional medical evaluation first."

He paused, then lowered his voice even further:
"But you must understand, there is only one of you. And right now, there are millions of patients and their families who saw this trending topic and see this place as their last hope, rushing here from all directions overnight. If you step out of this door now, you will be surrounded by them..."

Shen Yan's gaze swept over the pleading faces outside the door, and he shook his head helplessly:

"Boss, we can't afford to give everyone hope only to extinguish it with our own hands."

At this moment, Ou Xiaokui also hurriedly squeezed in from outside the door, her tone urgent:

"Boss! Ms. Zhou asked me to tell you immediately that this situation has exceeded the massage parlor's capacity to handle. She suggested that we immediately start the project we discussed tonight and report the current situation to the higher authorities to request government intervention. This is currently the safest approach."

Zhao Xiaochui stared at the bustling crowd outside the window with a grim face. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded slowly and said in a low voice:
"Tell Aunt Zhou to do it as soon as possible."

"Brother Shen, contact Director Liu and request additional medical personnel to receive patients' medical records on-site for initial triage."

"The handling principle is: local patients are advised to go home and wait for further notice; for patients from other places, if the street office has insufficient reception capacity, it will coordinate temporary accommodation in talent apartments, charging a symbolic fee to maintain basic order."

"At the same time, we contacted our medical cooperation group and government liaisons to clearly inform them that our technology can only provide limited intervention for severely ill patients with abnormal immune systems, neurological dysfunction, and energy metabolism difficulties, and to give them a valuable opportunity for medical treatment. It is not a cure. We asked the relevant hospitals and doctors to make arrangements for receiving them."

"The remaining patients should strictly follow the appointment process and queue up."

"Effective immediately, the Easy Walk store will be temporarily closed. All follow-up services and coordination work will be transferred to the Sports Rehabilitation Department on the second floor of the 'Slow Weaving Life' Community Service Center."

That's all Zhao Xiaochui can do at this moment. He's ultimately just a massage therapist, and even with the help of a dozen top-tier technicians, his individual strength is ultimately a drop in the ocean when facing millions of patients. Being forced to close his shop is truly a last resort.

Ironically, the very bank card he's about to spend that huge sum of money on will actually allow him to do even more.

At 23:43 PM, in the duty room of the Textile Division of the Consumer Goods Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Xiao Zhang, the duty clerk, was dozing off when he was startled awake by the shrill ring of the dedicated phone line. He quickly picked up the receiver: "Hello, this is the Textile Division of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology."

A calm and capable female voice came from the other end of the phone, identifying herself as Zhou Yaqin, president of the Relax Slow Travel Group, and briefly explained the purpose of the call. Xiao Zhang, initially still feeling weary from his shift, routinely took notes.

However, when the other party clearly stated that "the total investment of the project exceeds 10 billion yuan" and emphasized that "the funds are the company's own funds and have all been in place"—

Pfft!
Xiao Zhang felt a "buzz" in his head, his hand trembled, the receiver almost slipped from his grasp, and he uncontrollably slid off the chair and hid under the table.

12 billion! Own funds! And invested in the textile sector! These words exploded in his mind like thunder.

He slumped under the table, mouth agape, unable to utter a sound for a long time. Only the faint inquiries of "Hello?" could be heard from the receiver.

(End of this chapter)