Chapter 21

A black Mercedes-Benz was driving on a very bumpy, long-neglected rural road, with Yueyang following closely behind in a small freight truck. The cars continued until they reached the end of the road, where they finally stopped. After the cars came to a stop, Yueyang and Zhao Santong got out.

At the end of the road, there was a place of about eight hundred square meters surrounded by red bricks, with several factory-like bungalows built on it. Standing at the factory gate, Yueyang could vaguely hear the sound of machinery inside.

Zhao Santong smiled at Yueyang and said, "Little Brother Yueyang, this is the place. Don't look at the factory's small size; the equipment inside is still quite complete. How about it? Want to go in and take a look?"

"Sure!" Yueyang naturally agreed.

Just as they were about to knock on the door, it opened, and a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a greasy work uniform, walked out with big steps. As he approached Zhao Santong, he laughed loudly, "Brother Zhao, you're such a busy person, how did you find time to visit my small factory today? No wonder I heard the magpies chirping at my door this morning!"

"Cut the crap, Old Ma!" Zhao Santong laughed and scolded, "Every time you come to my place, you just freeload. Today, I, Old Zhao, will treat you, and I won't leave until I've made up for it!"

"Alright, if you don't drink me under the table, I won't let you leave!" The other man laughed heartily. After laughing, he turned his gaze to Yueyang, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Zhao Santong quickly interjected, "Old Ma, I'm here on business today. Last time, you mentioned you were planning to sell this factory. I have a young brother who's interested in it, so I brought him over to see if you're willing to sell."

Hearing this, Old Ma pondered for a moment, then looked at Yueyang deeply and smiled, "I see. May I ask the young brother's name? Are you really interested in this factory?"

Yueyang smiled, "Brother Ma, don't be so formal. My name is Yueyang, just call me by my name. To be honest, I'm very interested in ancient armor and weapons, and I like to make some odd things myself. It's always a hassle to ask others to make them, so I decided to buy a factory to do it myself. This is just my hobby, don't laugh at me."

Hearing Yueyang's words, Old Ma's eyes showed a hint of amusement. He nodded and said, "Alright, please follow me." With that, he led the way into the factory.

Seeing this, Zhao Santong, who was familiar with Old Ma, knew that the deal was half done. He also smiled and pulled Yueyang along, following Old Ma into the factory.

Once inside, Yueyang looked around and found that although the factory was not large, both the environment and the equipment were in good condition and very clean. Even the scrap materials were neatly arranged in the corners, showing that Old Ma had put a lot of effort into managing the factory.

As they walked, Old Ma said, "I built this factory from scratch, buying the land and constructing it brick by brick. Although it's not big, it has been my heart and soul for five or six years. Recently, my wife has been urging me to go to the United States to be with her, so I decided to sell it. Since you're interested, I won't beat around the bush. The price is eight million yuan. What do you think?" Old Ma looked at Yueyang expectantly.

Yueyang smiled, "Brother Ma, you're too polite. Since you've named a price, how can I haggle? Eight million it is. I'll transfer the money to you right away!"

"Great, Little Brother Yueyang, you're a man of your word!" Not only Old Ma, but even Zhao Santong's face showed admiration. When Yueyang first met Zhao Santong, he was just a penniless nobody. But his attitude towards money was so generous, which made Zhao Santong look at him differently.

As they talked, they arrived at the largest workshop. As soon as they entered, Yueyang saw dozens of workers working around several machines. Old Ma called over a man in his fifties wearing a blue work uniform and introduced him to Yueyang, "Little Brother Yueyang, this is our workshop supervisor, Jia Wenmao. Just call him Old Jia. Don't underestimate Old Jia; he's our only senior fitter. If it weren't for his lack of education, he would have become a senior technician long ago. If you want to make something, he's the right person to go to."

Old Ma then said to Jia Wenmao, "Old Jia, from today, Mr. Yueyang is the new owner of our factory. Follow him and work hard. I believe he won't treat you and the others badly."

Jia Wenmao, who had probably known about the sale for a while, wasn't surprised. He turned to Yueyang, smiled kindly, and said, "Hello, Mr. Yueyang," and then fell silent.

Seeing Jia Wenmao's demeanor, Old Ma sighed. If Jia Wenmao weren't so straightforward and honest, his future would have been much brighter. He hoped Yueyang would treat him and the other workers well.

The transfer procedures were completed quickly. A few hours later, Yueyang had the transfer documents and certificates in his hands, proving that the factory was now his.

Old Ma and Zhao Santong left after receiving the money. As the new owner, Yueyang couldn't leave so soon. He called a meeting with the factory workers, telling them that he was now the boss and that their salaries and benefits would remain the same, urging them to work with peace of mind. After dismissing the workers, he kept Jia Wenmao behind.

Yueyang took out a cigarette and offered one to Jia Wenmao, then smiled, "Old Jia, I've heard you're the master craftsman here. If I want to make something, you're the right person to go to. I was wondering, can you make ancient armor?"

"Armor?"

Jia Wenmao took a deep puff of the cigarette, blew out a smoke ring, and asked curiously, "Boss, do you collect armor?"

"No!" Yueyang smiled and explained, "Old Jia, I don't have many hobbies, but I like to tinker with ancient machinery, like weapons, armor, and firearms. I also have some connections to sell these things, so I can make a little money and not starve. Do you understand?"

"Oh, I see." Jia Wenmao nodded and smiled. Having been in this line of work for a long time, he understood that there were many people with peculiar hobbies, but life was practical. To survive, many people found ways to make money from their hobbies. This new boss was probably one of them. After all, even though the steel factory was small, it had to support dozens of people and cover the factory's expenses, which amounted to at least 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a month. Without making money, even a mountain of gold would run out.

Thinking about this, Jia Wenmao smiled at Yueyang, "Boss, whatever you want to make, just tell me, and I'll do it for you."

"Hmm..." Yueyang thought for a moment and asked, "Old Jia, are you familiar with Ming Dynasty armor?"

"Ming Dynasty armor? Does anyone collect it?" Jia Wenmao thought for a moment and said, "Boss, Ming Dynasty armor is quite complex to make, and its protective performance isn't very good. The best protective armor is Western plate armor. These days, some rich people like to collect Western armor, such as Gothic plate armor, which is widely recognized as one of the best protective armors."

"What about our ancient Chinese armor? Is it really that bad?" Yueyang, with a bit of a nationalist spirit, retorted, "Our ancient Chinese armor, like the Ming Dynasty's Mingguang armor, the Song Dynasty's Buren armor, and the Ming Dynasty's Yuanyang battle jacket, all have good protective performance!"

Seeing Yueyang's不服气 (dissatisfaction), Jia Wenmao smiled, "Boss, to be fair, our Chinese armor does have good protective performance, but it's made of many small metal rings or plates, which makes it very expensive to produce and not as protective as the one-piece cast plate armor.

Take the Song Dynasty's Buren armor, for example. It's made of 1,825 metal plates and weighs 60 pounds. The heaviest version weighs 100 pounds. While it offers good protection, can you move in it? So, in terms of overall performance, plate armor is still the best. It weighs only 25 to 30 kilograms but provides excellent full-body protection."

"Alright, plate armor it is!" Yueyang felt a bit uncomfortable but knew he couldn't be stubborn. He had to listen to the expert. He said reluctantly, "Old Jia, since you say Gothic plate armor is so good, can you make a thousand sets of Gothic armor and the corresponding swords and long knives?"

"Cough, cough..."

As soon as Yueyang finished speaking, Jia Wenmao started coughing violently, as if he had pneumonia...

PS: Ah, A Ding is out of the hospital, but it cost a few thousand yuan, and it didn't help much. Writing is tough. There's no internet in the hospital, so I can only post new chapters at home. Sorry, everyone!