Secretary Yang had just prepared to knock when he heard a strange crackling sound, followed by bursts of men's and women's laughter.
Hmm? What were they doing?
Secretary Yang was stunned. Seeing that the office door was unlocked but ajar, he reached out and pushed it open.
The door swung open, revealing the scene inside.
Wang Yu, Wu Lingling, and Liu Lu were actually playing cards?
That's right, cards.
Thin iron sheets, cut into square shapes, with various patterns carved onto them, forming a deck of playing cards.
As Wang Yu and the others played Dou Dizhu with these cards, the iron sheets clanged against the table, producing clear metallic pitter-patter sounds.
"Ah? Secretary Yang, what brings you here?"
Wang Yu, with sharp eyes, saw Secretary Yang standing at the doorway and quickly got up to greet him. He also casually threw the losing hand he held onto the table and mixed it up.
"Just came to see you. You..."
Secretary Yang's expression was peculiar, a mixture of emotions he couldn't quite articulate.
How should he put it?
His gaze fell upon the half-eaten roasted chicken on the desk and the scene of Wang Yu playing cards with two beautiful young women.
Was this how Wang Yu was living now? It was undeniably comfortable!
He had been worried that Wang Yu might be dejected and affected by the blow. But...
What was this scene?
And how did they shuffle these iron-plate playing cards?
Seeing Secretary Yang's odd expression, Wang Yu quickly began to explain.
"Haha, thank you for your concern, Secretary." Wang Yu smiled and then rummaged through his desk for tea, putting away the leftover roasted chicken.
Noticing the Secretary's gaze, Wang Yu quickly said, "Hehe, this roasted chicken was made by our canteen aunties. As for these cards, they're actually byproducts of the workshop workers honing their skills during their breaks. These were all hand-ground and cut by our workers. Even the patterns were machined on the lathe. It's about learning and having fun!"
Wang Yu explained with a smile. Secretary Yang could only shake his head helplessly. He had worried that Wang Yu might have some lingering issues.
But now, it seemed there were no problems at all!
Of course, this was only because Secretary Yang was a leader. If it were a master craftsman, they would have been utterly astonished and speechless.
Playing cards machined on a lathe?
A lathe is a tool used for rotating and grinding. It's feasible to make beads or cylindrical objects like bolts and nuts, or to carve threads. But to machine poker card patterns onto such flat iron sheets with a lathe?
This difficulty was akin to trying to engrave intricate patterns on a flat surface with an electric drill! It was simply unbelievable!
Secretary Yang was not a worker, so he wasn't particularly astonished by this. After a brief moment of surprise, he directly addressed Wang Yu.
"Little Wang, aren't you feeling any sadness at all?"
"Sadness? No! I should be thanking you for your support, Secretary. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to recruit so many people overnight to complete these orders for Qinglu Group."
Wang Yu paused for a moment, then said to Secretary Yang.
He had made a big fuss, but externally, he had only announced that he had accepted outsourcing orders from Qinglu Group.
Given that this was support for international friends and Wang Yu had offered a sky-high reward beneficial to the people's livelihoods, Secretary Yang had naturally not hesitated.
As for the trap of the ten-billion Sam coins contract, Wang Yu had no intention of stirring up trouble by revealing it.
"Hello, Secretary Yang."
Wu Lingling also stepped forward to greet Secretary Yang, while discreetly rolling her eyes at Wang Yu. This guy had used the excuse of greeting Secretary Yang to cheat and discard cards he was about to lose!
However... considering that this guy had helped her family and solved a life-or-death problem for her scumbag brother, allowing her to avoid being forced to marry that effeminate Mu Qingying, Wu Lingling decided to forgive Wang Yu for the moment.
"Oh, Little Wu."
Secretary Yang nodded at Wu Lingling. Her trading company was registered in Jiangyang County. Doing business with Wang Yu had contributed significant tax revenue and foreign exchange, and it had also solved employment issues for many unemployed female workers.
Moreover, she was reportedly Wang Yu's girlfriend, so Secretary Yang naturally treated her with kindness.
"I'm not talking about the Qinglu Group matter, but about you being sanctioned," Secretary Yang said to Wang Yu. "Those eight provinces are jointly pressuring us from above, demanding that you hand over your technology. Don't you feel sad or indignant?"
Sadness? Indignation?
Wang Yu smiled. "Secretary, what are you talking about? Our province is very backward in economic and livelihood aspects, so it's normal to be restricted by other provinces. I have no complaints."
"You don't resent it at all?"
Secretary Yang scrutinized Wang Yu, hoping to see something in his expression, but he remained as calm as still water.
"There's nothing to resent. It was technology that was about to be phased out anyway," Wang Yu shrugged. "Whether it was the fuel-assisted vehicle or the mini fuel engine, I was already planning to phase them out and upgrade.
Since this issue has come up, having a few suckers to take over and pay for it... Speaking of which, I should thank you, Secretary, for securing the 8 million compensation and sales access permits for those eight provinces."
Wang Yu said with a smile, his words immediately astonishing Secretary Yang.
"You say it's technology you're phasing out? These were only developed by you a few months ago? They're already obsolete?"
Secretary Yang felt like he was going crazy. New product technology developed by you just a few months ago, and now you're saying it needs to be phased out and upgraded so quickly?
This capacity for innovation and improvement, how could it make those state-owned factories that relied on old blueprints for decades feel?
Hmm, no wonder those guys do nothing all day except ask for subsidies and only hold back progress. Unlike Wang Yu, who is making tangible contributions to the county's development!
"Hehe, a few months is already a very long time for me."
Wang Yu's smile brought more disheartening words to Secretary Yang.
"They think they are wolves eating my flesh, but in reality, they are just a pack of dogs fighting over the leftover bones!
The mini fuel engine was previously constrained by casting technology. Now that I've acquired a steel mill and improved the smelting technology, I'll soon be upgrading and modifying new engines.
As for the fuel-assisted vehicle... hehe, Secretary, are you interested in making our county the home of electric vehicles?"
"Ah? What did you say?"