Chapter 57

The refractory materials factory was essentially a brick and tile factory, specializing in the production of various types of refractory bricks.

At the time, there were over a dozen boiler factories of various sizes in Xin'an County, which required various types of insulating bricks, irregular-shaped bricks, sulfur steel bricks, and hand-fired furnace bricks. Since there were no producers nearby, they had to purchase from Jiangnan. A township official seized this business opportunity, inviting the former township party secretary to conduct a survey. With the support of the township, they launched a refractory brick project.

The customers were all within a fifteen-kilometer radius, speaking the same dialect and often related by blood or marriage. The product quality was comparable, but the prices were cheaper than those in Jiangnan. After production began, the refractory brick market in Xin'an was swept clean.

After Lao Lu took office, the number of boiler factories in Xin'an grew from over a dozen to more than thirty. Just in the nearby Liuxia Town, there were four, forming a boiler industry cluster. The refractory materials factory's various types of bricks were in high demand, and its performance was better than the current building materials machinery factory.

With good performance and ample funds, the factory manager and deputy manager began to consider the company's image.

It was not fitting to be located next to a brick and tile factory, and the transportation was inconvenient.

The township also believed it was not good for large and small factories to be crowded near the market, so they planned to develop along the Wesi Road.

There were too many residential buildings on the east side of the T-junction, making the land acquisition cost too high. On the west side, there was a large area of land where no one had built houses, so the Liangzhuang Village's Sixth Group on both sides of the road was designated as the "industrial zone" of Liangzhuang Township.

The refractory materials factory, the construction station, the building materials machinery factory, and the Liangzhuang oil factory were the first to relocate.

However, just as the office building was completed and the factory area had not yet been constructed, a boiler produced in Xin'an County exploded in another place. People died, and it was initially thought to be a safety accident. After the investigation, it was found to be a quality issue with the boiler.

Cutting corners, using inferior materials, and forging inspection reports were exposed by CCTV. Xin'an suddenly became famous, and investigation teams and working groups followed one after another. Boiler factories and companies closed one after another.

Dozens of customers disappeared overnight, and the refractory materials factory had no one to sell its bricks to. The project failed, leaving behind a luxurious and high-end office building.

The entrance hall was like a hotel, leading to a large hall with offices on both sides. The central corridor had a blue glass curtain wall on the outer wall!

The ceiling was suspended, the floor was marble, the walls were painted, and there were baseboards at the corners. The doors had door frames, and the windows had window frames. The office furniture was all purchased from the Xin'an furniture market, with a set of oval conference tables and chairs costing several thousand yuan.

The courtyard was large, with a big flower bed containing artificial mountains. It had been landscaped, but due to neglect, it was now overgrown with weeds.

On the left was a row of bungalows for the kitchen and canteen, and on the right was a row of bungalows for the staff dormitories. In front of the dormitories was a basketball court with a cement floor. After the factory closed, the surrounding residents all came here to dry their grain.

The guard room was not small and had been rented out for a store last year.

The residents were accustomed to going to the market, and although the location was convenient, it was not in the market area, so there was little business. After a few days, the store closed.

The people of Liangzhuang were superstitious and believed the feng shui of the place was bad, making it unsuitable for running a business. The owners of several private enterprises nearby preferred to spend a lot of money to buy land and build their own factories rather than purchase this property at a low price from the township.

Although the factory had closed, the office building was never left unoccupied.

When the surrounding private enterprises were conducting infrastructure construction, they rented the building for temporary office use. The township used it as a command center for temporary tasks. During the rural power grid renovation, many people from the power supply bureau came, and since the power supply station could not accommodate them, they were also brought here...

The offices only needed a little tidying up to be usable, and no new desks or chairs were needed. The meeting room was not too grand, and the third floor was a complete suite, like a hotel.

The silkworm guidance station was already quite good, but the conditions here were even better!

"Wow, it's so big."

"How many offices are there? If we tidy them up, they will be more impressive than the bureau's offices."

After touring this "grand" building, Wang Yan, Xiao Dan, and Xiao Ren felt as if they were in a dream, unable to believe that the township would use this place as a police station.

This is not just a police station; it will be the future "Liangzhuang Township Police Station."

Han Bo found it increasingly amusing and pointed to the glass curtain wall in front, saying, "Hang a large police emblem on it and put the words 'People's Police' on the roof. The factory has been closed for more than two years, and who is the big billboard on the road for? Once the patrol team arrives, have them measure the size and repaint it with police slogans like 'Welcome to Sigan Police' and 'Seek Help from the Police in Times of Difficulty.' Check if the lights on the billboard are broken, and if so, have them fixed. Turn them on at night, and they can be seen from far away."

To the west is Liuxia Town in Xin'an County, and a north-south provincial road runs through Liuxia. This road is the main route for several surrounding counties and cities to Jiangnan, and many drivers who know that the western section of the Siliang Road connects to the provincial road often take this route.

Entering Sigan, seeing the welcome message from the Sigan Police, can help establish the image of the Sigan Police. It's quite interesting to think about.

Wang Yan was both pleased and worried, muttering, "Secretary Lu said the public security patrol fees are for specific purposes, but he has given us three people. The cook is fine, as we need someone to cook, but what about the two officials? We are the police, not a business, and it's not easy to arrange for them."

"Electricity, water, telephone, and cable TV fees all have to be paid by ourselves, and it adds up to a lot of money each year," Xiao Dan couldn't help but add.

Three people, that's manageable.

Han Bo smiled and said, "Chef Qin will cook, Director Wang will be in charge of logistics, and Xiao Gao and the new colleague will be responsible for household registration management. Secretary Lu has considered everything for us, and this arrangement is quite good."

"What status will Director Wang and Xiao Gao have?"

"Old Wang used to be a private teacher without a formal position. Xiao Gao used to be a village official, also without a formal position. They can start as patrol team members and then we can inquire about how to pay for their basic old-age insurance at the social insurance office to help them."

This is definitely a requirement from the township, and Wang Yan nodded without asking any more.

She was considering whether to have her husband come to Liangzhuang every day after work to be with her, when a black Audi 100 slowly drove into the courtyard.

This was the car of the construction station, mainly used by Manager Wang and Lao Lu.

Lao Lu used it for meetings and official business, boldly parking it at the entrance of the county party committee and government, but he never used it to visit villages, preferring to ride an old bicycle and wear a straw hat to appear more approachable.

It was Manager Wang who got out of the car, not Lao Lu.

The two million yuan recently recovered would not all be handed over to the township finance, and the construction station would also benefit, so Manager Wang was equally happy.

After exchanging greetings and handshakes, Manager Wang took out a package from the back seat and said enthusiastically, "Special Envoy Han, this is a small token from our construction station. It's not for you personally but for the police station. You will be visiting villages and handling cases, and it's inconvenient without a mobile phone. It's already registered, and it's different from the ones used by me and Secretary Lu. Ours are 9-digit numbers, and yours is 139, a global roaming number."

It was a Nokia 8110, with a curved design and an automatic sliding cover, the most outstanding high-end phone of the year.

It was brand new, clearly bought specially for this occasion. He had seen it at the post and telecommunications company when he was getting a phone installed for his new home, and it cost 9600 yuan, plus a 3000 yuan registration fee!

Not only was it expensive to buy, but it was also expensive to use, with a monthly rental fee of 150 yuan, local calls costing 60 cents per minute, and long-distance calls likely costing one or two yuan. It was a phone that people could afford to buy but not to use.

Lao Lu's phone expenses were reimbursed, and Secretary Ding and Director Qian from the old unit didn't have to worry about phone bills either, as they all had phones. However, due to the high costs, they all used their phones like pagers.

When someone called, they would look at the number, hang up, and call back on a landline.

If they couldn't find a landline, they would answer briefly and not linger.

Vanity is a universal human trait, and this phone was a symbol of status and position. It was also very convenient to have, but it was too expensive, and he couldn't bring himself to buy it.

Since it was for supporting the police station, he reluctantly accepted it.

Manager Wang's "sugar-coated bullet" was quite powerful, and Han Bo was hit. He held the box and smiled awkwardly, saying, "Manager Wang, you are too kind. I don't know how to thank you."