Making an entire batch of dumplings just because you wanted a dish of vinegar!

After arriving at work, Fang Qingye went straight to look for Xia He.

His office was now very close to Xia He's, both on the same floor. After knocking on the door, Fang Qingye got straight to the point, mentioning how he had run into Chen Meimei delivering lunch to Zhang Qunying during the lunch break today.

"Senior, I think we need to pay serious attention to this matter. There are far too many enterprise loan application materials piled up, and the application cycle is way too long, which is bound to cause major problems for the companies' capital turnover. Section Chief Zhang is simply too busy; we should assign some personnel to help out."

"I have also considered this issue." Xia He nodded. "I even specifically asked Qunying about it, and she said she could handle it... but it seems the situation is still quite severe. Well then, I will call Qunying over, and the three of us can discuss how to resolve this."

Xia He picked up the desk phone and made a call. Within just a few minutes, Zhang Qunying knocked on the door and entered.

"Have a seat... Qunying," Xia He greeted, then said, "I heard you were so busy today that you didn't even have time to go to the cafeteria for lunch, and you had to ask a colleague to bring food back for you?"

"It has indeed been quite busy these past two days. I am rushing to review a batch of materials; the company has called several times to inquire, and we cannot drag this out any longer," Zhang Qunying replied.

"No matter how busy you are, you still need to find time to eat..." Xia He smiled and said, "I just discussed this with Assistant Fang, and we feel we must alleviate your burden by pulling people from other departments to assist. If anyone in your section gets overworked to the point of collapse, that would become a massive problem."

Zhang Qunying was naturally reluctant to have people pulled in to help, partly out of concern that the review standards might not be strictly enforced. However, since Xia He had spoken, it was difficult for her to object, especially since the initiative came from a place of genuine concern for her well-being.

"Thank you, President Xia. I will follow your arrangements," Zhang Qunying said.

"Credit review is highly professional work, so it's not appropriate to pull in too many people. How about this... we'll draw two finance-savvy employees from the Finance and Accounting Section, plus two from your section, and divide them into two groups. You and I will each lead a team to handle the on-site enterprise reviews. This stage is relatively independent and takes up the most time. What do you think, Assistant Fang?" Xia He asked, looking at Fang Qingye.

"I have no objections," Fang Qingye replied, though internally he was thinking: Xia He is certainly not giving Su Ming any opening to interfere with the Credit Section's affairs, refusing to even let him participate in leading inspection teams down to the enterprises.

"Very good then, Qunying. Go and fetch the list of all enterprises currently under review, and Assistant Fang and I will divide the workload."

Zhang Qunying quickly departed. Xia He looked at Fang Qingye and suddenly remarked:

"I didn't expect this."

"Didn't expect what?" Fang Qingye asked.

"I didn't expect you to agree so readily to go running around visiting enterprises in this sweltering heat." Xia He smiled.

"Ah... Senior, if a great beauty like you isn't afraid of the heat or getting sunburned, what does a big guy like me have to fear?!" Fang Qingye joked outwardly, while thinking to himself: What a huge loss... I practically cooked a whole batch of dumplings just for a splash of vinegar! I'll definitely have to ask Dahai for some compensation later.

Soon, Zhang Qunying returned with the list of enterprises under review. Fang Qingye took a look—there were a full twenty-five of them!

What the hell...

So many!

The name Xianfeng Stamping Co., Ltd. was prominently displayed right among them.

"President Xia, you can lead the team to review the large enterprises. Their loan amounts are substantial, so they require your careful oversight. As for me, I'll take care of some of the small and medium-sized enterprises," Fang Qingye offered his suggestion.

"Fine," Xia He agreed.

The two personnel drawn from the Finance and Accounting Section reported for duty shortly after, along with the two from the Credit Section. Chen Meimei was also assigned to join the field trips.

The personnel were swiftly divided into two groups, led respectively by Xia He and Fang Qingye, ready to begin consecutive days of field visits starting tomorrow.

Fang Qingye's group consisted of Chen Meimei and a female accountant from the Finance and Accounting Section named Zhang Chunli.

"Director Fang, which company should we visit first tomorrow?" Chen Meimei asked in Fang Qingye's office.

"Xianfeng Stamping Co., Ltd.!"

"Understood, Director Fang. Then I will call the company tomorrow to notify them of our on-site review so they can prepare, and I'll also review their submitted documents with Sister Zhang to familiarize ourselves with the situation," Chen Meimei said.

"Alright, once you've gone through the materials, bring them over for me to look at."

After the two women left, the office grew quiet.

Sipping his tea, Fang Qingye opened his computer to browse the news when his desk phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was a call from Song Dahai, he answered immediately.

"Yeying, not bad at all... Being a branch president really makes a difference. Boss Tian just called me to say the bank has already arranged to inspect them tomorrow, and you're leading the team personally!"

"Ah... I've basically brought trouble upon myself. Wouldn't it be nice to sit in an air-conditioned office during this scorching heat? But I just had to run around outside—and it's not just his company either."

Fang Qingye briefly explained the situation.

On the other end of the line, Song Dahai burst into laughter: "Alright, alright, I'll tell Boss Tian to show you proper appreciation!"

"No, Dahai, don't say that to Boss Tian. I'm doing this purely because of our relationship." Fang Qingye hastily interjected.

"Got it, I know. Alright, I've got work to do too... Bye-bye."

"Bye-bye."

The next morning, after having breakfast at the office, Fang Qingye prepared to head out for the field visits. They would be traveling in the branch's Santana 2000.

Although the Nanxin Branch had two vehicles, there was only one driver. Whenever simultaneous trips were required, the staff members had to drive themselves.

Neither Zhang Chunli nor Chen Meimei in Fang Qingye's group knew how to drive, so Fang Qingye had no choice but to act as the chauffeur himself.

Such a wretched fate...

Gazing at the glaring sun outside, Fang Qingye started the car engine.

Xianfeng Stamping Co., Ltd. was located in the Liulin Town Industrial Park. It took Fang Qingye over forty minutes of driving to reach Liulin Town. Upon entering the industrial park and arriving at the company building, he spotted Tian Gugu and several other people waiting at the entrance lobby—evidently their executive management team.

Seeing the Santana pull up to the lobby doors, Tian Gugu hurried over to open the car door, only to discover that the driver was none of other than Fang Qingye himself.

"Director Fang, why are you driving yourself?" Tian Gugu asked, looking somewhat surprised.

"The branch only has one driver and he's tied up, so we had no choice," Fang Qingye said.

"Ah, if I had known, I would have sent a car to the county town to pick you all up."

"There's no need for that."

Fang Qingye stepped out of the car, shook hands with the others, introduced themselves mutually, and the group entered the company building.

"Director Fang, here is how I've arranged things: it's so hot outside, let's head to the conference room to cool off first, have some watermelon and rest a bit, and then you can listen to my report," Tian Gugu said as they walked.

"We won't go to the conference room, and you can skip the report entirely. We've already looked over all your materials," Fang Qingye stated. "Let's keep it simple... one of us will inspect your financial accounts, another will review your credit history and fixed assets, and as for me, I'll walk around the factory to take a look."

"Very well, I will accompany you for a walk, let me arrange things first," Tian Gugu immediately offered.

"Go ahead... just don't forget to have some watermelon ready for the two ladies."

"Of course, no problem at all."

Naturally, Fang Qingye wasn't wandering around aimlessly out of boredom. According to the guidelines, conducting on-site enterprise reviews—personally inspecting the factory workshops, equipment, raw materials, and even the workers' production conditions—was an essential part of the evaluation process.

By noon, the review was essentially finished. The three of them met up in the conference room to cross-check their findings, discovering no serious issues. After filling out the relevant forms and documents, today's inspection work was officially concluded.

Lunchtime arrived, and Tian Gugu invited them to stay for a meal, an invitation Fang Qingye readily accepted.

Since Fang Qingye had to drive and neither of the two female colleagues drank baijiu, no liquor was served at lunch. After a simple meal, Fang Qingye got behind the wheel to drive back to the county town.

"Director Fang, please wait a moment," Tian Gugu called out.

Shortly after, someone approached carrying three exquisitely packaged gift boxes and placed them into the trunk of their car.

"Director Fang, just a small token of our appreciation," Tian Gugu said with a smile.