The visit concluded. Lu Yao deposited five hundred yuan for her brother, the maximum allowed by prison regulations. Biao Biao and the others also wished to give Lu Feng some money, but their intentions could not be realized.
As they exited the prison, Song Jianmin and the other two were about to get into their car when Yang Jian called them over.
"Uncle, Auntie, Feng Ge just told me something that I don't quite understand. He said he wants to be the team leader for the construction team. If he can achieve this, his entire sentence will be much easier, and he can earn merits for a reduced sentence. Besides using force to establish authority, a guard named Pang also appreciates him."
Yang Jian described Lu Feng's exact words and his expression at the time.
Lu Qian didn't find it strange. "Striving for merits and a reduced sentence is a good thing. However, fighting inside is not allowed. Little Yang, did you advise him against it?"
"Uncle, I think Feng Ge told me these things to hint at something. Yao Yao, Biao Biao, you both help me think, what is Feng Ge trying to express?"
Lu Yao was very puzzled. "He wants to be the team leader, but we can't help much from the outside, can we?"
Biao Biao slapped his forehead. "Brother Jian, Sister Lu, I think Feng Ge just wants us to help him from the outside."
"How can we help from the outside?"
"Didn't he mention a guard named Pang? Feng Ge probably wants us to communicate with Guard Pang privately. This way, Feng Ge won't have such a difficult time inside and can smoothly become the team leader."
Liang Liang also chimed in at this moment. "Biao Biao's analysis makes sense. I have a buddy who served time in prison. He said that as long as you have a good relationship with the guards inside, earning merits for a reduced sentence is very easy. Feng Ge should be asking us to find Guard Pang from the outside."
Yang Jian nodded. "I also think that's what Feng Ge meant. But we don't know Guard Pang at all, how can we find him?"
"Exactly. Hongzhou is a prefecture-level city, not part of the same system as the officialdom in Hancheng. We have no connections here at all. How can we contact Guard Pang?"
Lu Qian clearly agreed with Biao Biao's analysis.
Everyone fell silent, racking their brains to see if any of their relatives or friends had connections in Hongzhou.
Chen Lan spoke up at this moment. "Let's go back first. After I get back, I'll contact some of my colleagues and students. We should be able to find some connections in Hongzhou."
As an old teacher who had been educating for decades, Chen Lan could be considered to have students everywhere. Before serving as the vice-principal of the Experimental Middle School, she had taught at the District No. 1 Middle School. Most of the students who graduated from No. 1 Middle School were elites in society.
There's a saying that with just seven people, you can find the president of a country. Although this is a theory of six degrees of separation, it's not without its merits. If Chen Lan mobilized her network, it shouldn't be difficult to find a leader in the judicial department in Hongzhou.
Lu Yao also said, "Yes, I'll ask our school colleagues when I get back. We're sure to find someone we know here."
"Then let's go back. This matter can't be resolved quickly."
Yang Jian felt he didn't have such connections. His family had been farmers for generations, and very few people from Xinhe had ever ventured out.
The group then returned. By the time they reached the town center, it was lunchtime, and Yang Jian treated everyone to a meal at a restaurant.
As they were about to part ways, Song Jianmin hoped to meet Yang Jian's brother. Yang Jian declined, using the excuse of urgent matters at his family's template factory. After sending the Lu family trio back, he returned to Yang Li Village with Biao Biao.
Yang Jian arranged for Biao Biao to stay with A Feng and the others. They already knew each other and could form a mahjong group.
After recuperating for some time, A Feng's health had basically recovered. Only Jun Jun, due to excessive blood loss, was still weak and needed another one or two months of recuperation, but he could already walk.
The three of them had adapted to life here. When they had nothing to do, they would go fishing in the small river behind the village. Sometimes, Liu Chao would join them for mahjong if he wasn't busy. They lived quite leisurely lives. Yang Fan had given them living expenses once, one hundred thousand yuan, which was enough for them to stay here for half a year or so. They were all residents from Hongqi Street. The death of Wang Zi would cause trouble for a while, so they had to stay here for a long time.
After settling Biao Biao, Yang Jian walked into the workshop and saw Liu Yong organizing the workers. He was working diligently, and it seemed he had truly changed.
"Brother Yong, busy?"
Yang Jian greeted him proactively.
Liu Yong was squatting down to inspect the boiler. Hearing Yang Jian's voice, he quickly stood up. "Second Jian, you're back. How are the templates sent to your brother-in-law? Are there any quality issues?"
"We're just doing the foundation now. The concrete was poured yesterday, and the templates are being removed today. We can't tell the quality yet. We need to complete three to four layers before we know if the template quality truly passes."
"That's true. I was too impatient."
"What are you impatient about?"
"Why shouldn't I be impatient? My workers here used to produce fifty templates a day, and they complained it was too few. They are paid by piecework, and the money they earn in a day is less than that of a helper. They said if production isn't increased, they won't work anymore. So I had to increase the output to one hundred and fifty sheets. But this way, there's a serious backlog. If we don't find new sales channels, even the semi-finished product factory at Yongli can't sustain it, as they need to buy raw materials with cash."
This situation caught Yang Jian a bit off guard. It wasn't easy to train these workers, and it would be quite troublesome if they all quit.
"Second Jian, call Boss Zheng and see if his site has started construction. You can send him some templates in advance. We need to get some cash back, otherwise, neither factory can last long. Also, contact Yu Feng. She has many construction sites. Send her a few hundred sheets for testing. She'll give you money too, knowing you're short on cash."
"Okay, I'll call Yu Feng first. She has many construction sites and can use hundreds of templates at any time."
To retain the workers and keep the template factory running, Yang Jian called Yu Feng and explained the current situation.
Yu Feng didn't reply immediately, saying she would respond in half an hour. She needed to check with her project departments to see which construction sites needed templates.
Yang Jian then called Zheng Guangyao.
"Little Yang, I was just planning to call you these past two days. How's it going? How many templates have you produced?"
As soon as the call connected, Zheng Guangyao's voice came through.
"Boss Zheng, I've produced over a thousand sheets here. Have you started construction?"
"We've started. The basement is having its cushion layer done, so templates can be brought in early. Send three hundred sheets over tomorrow."
"Three hundred sheets? Okay, where is the construction site?"
Hearing that only three hundred sheets were needed, Yang Jian was a bit disappointed. Zheng Guangyao had previously mentioned that his construction site had a total building area of fifty thousand square meters, requiring a very large number of templates. Why only three hundred sheets? Even three thousand wouldn't be enough.
"The construction site is at Xunsi River. You must deliver it personally. When you get to Xunsi River, call me, and I'll send someone to pick you up."
"Xunsi River?"
"Yes, truck drivers should all know this place. You must come in person. Come early, I'll be waiting for you. I might be out if it's too late."
"Okay, I know Xunsi River. I'll set off early tomorrow morning and try to arrive before nine o'clock."
Yang Jian found it a bit strange why Zheng Guangyao kept emphasizing that he had to come in person. Could it be to sign a contract?