Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 44 The Golden Finger Explodes

In 2000, the mainland was undergoing both state-owned enterprise reform and industrial relocation.

Many factories are idle, and countless employees are forced to retire.

In the vicinity of universities alone, a large number of semiconductor and electronic instrument factories have been forced to close due to problems such as technological gaps and outdated equipment.

In this environment, finding an abandoned factory suitable for filming a sitcom is not a difficult task.

HD District, north of the Fifth Ring Road, Longgang Road.

An abandoned semiconductor factory sits on the north side of the road.

The factory building is a typical old-fashioned industrial building with red brick exterior walls, a sloping roof, and high eaves.

The main gate consists of two double iron doors. The factory area is over 400 square meters. The cement floor is covered with dust, and small areas of the anti-rust paint on the steel frame and truss above have peeled off, revealing the blackened metal underneath.

The factory manager was a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a faded work jacket and a pair of canvas shoes.

With a hoarse voice, he introduced, "This is Workshop 3, which used to produce transistors."

"Besides this one, the canteen in front, and two other workshops can also be rented to you."

"The rent for this room is 4000, with a minimum lease term of six months, payable in full upfront."

Just as Lin An was about to speak, Ji Tao, dressed in a suit and tie, spoke first:

"Mr. Li, you've misunderstood. We're not here to rent the factory."

The middle-aged man glared and said, "What did you call me here for?"

Ji Tao said humbly, "There are several hundred people in the crew, and someone always needs to run errands. I'm only responsible for delivering messages; the real decision-makers are my boss."

Several hundred people... Lin An's lips twitched.

The middle-aged man was silent for a few seconds, then his tone softened slightly:

"In that case, you should talk to your boss. Hmm, the rent is actually fine at 3000 a month, paid quarterly."

Lin An's eyes widened, thinking, "Is this even possible?"

Ji Tao's lips curled up slightly as he took out a red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into the middle-aged man's hand.

He said earnestly, "Brother, how about this, I'll take over this factory for 2000 a month and rent it for a year."

Before the man could refute, Ji Tao added:

"We're a film crew; we can't just run away. I'll talk to the boss and try to pay you a deposit first. Thank you."

The middle-aged man squeezed the red envelope, felt its thickness, paused for a few seconds, and nodded:

"Okay, I'll contact you then."

Ji Tao then pleaded, "Could we borrow the warehouse for a bit? Don't worry, we just need to store some odds and ends."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, as if it were a trivial matter.

……

"Wow, it was settled so easily."

Lin An watched the middle-aged man leave, then looked at Ji Tao with curiosity:

"Isn't he afraid of being held accountable by his employer for unilaterally lowering the price?"

Ji Tao pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth. The flame of the lighter licked the cigarette butt, flickering for a moment.

"What responsibility are you going to pursue? This factory has no water or electricity, and it's covered in dust. It's not easy to rent out. Of course, we'll try to make as much money as we can."

He flicked off his cigarette ash and said in a flat tone:

"Judging from his age, he should be among the first batch of people to be laid off. He can't possibly have any feelings for the company. He can be easily dismissed with a sum of money."

Lin An suddenly realized: "No wonder you were so humble just now."

Ji Tao nodded and said, "Employees who are marginalized have a strong sense of self-esteem and hate being looked down upon."

Lin An thought of Old Zhao from the convenience store and nodded in deep agreement.

He looked at Ji Tao with some emotion: "I didn't expect you to be so useful. You really can't judge a book by its cover."

"Does this brat even know how to talk...?" Ji Tao's face stiffened, and he snorted coldly.

"You should figure out how to handle the water and electricity and the landscaping."

He cautioned, "Since you lack prestige in the industry, you'd better make the set look nice. Otherwise, if the crew sees you as a makeshift operation, they might not put in their full effort."

Lin An waved his hand: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Ji Tao glanced at him, said nothing more, but couldn't help but say:

"Is it worth going against the Ying family and the Beijing literary circle just for a signature?"

Lin An countered, "Is it worth falling out with your boss over control of a project?"

Ji Tao remained silent.

After a while, the two looked at each other and smiled.

……

……

With a 1,000 yuan red envelope, two months' deposit, and a lavish barbecue, Ji Tao easily negotiated the lease for the factory.

Lin An and Lin Cong have also prepared the scene breakdown, and the next step is to build the set on set.

Late at night, two dark figures, one large and one small, sneaked into the factory.

"Are you sure there aren't any rats here?"

Doraemon's voice echoed in the empty factory, tinged with obvious hesitation.

Of course I'm not sure, but if I didn't say that, how could I have fooled you into coming here...? Lin An coughed and said:

"It wasn't there a few days ago, but if we don't hurry, the mice might be attracted by the sound."

Doraemon immediately fell silent and quickly threw out yellow, block-shaped objects from his four-dimensional pocket.

These lumps emitted a dazzling light and radiated astonishing heat.

In the blink of an eye, the warehouse, which was originally damp and cold, became as warm as summer.

Lin An exclaimed, "That's truly amazing!"

Doraemon smiled and said, "This is 'Dry Light,' an energy source used by humans in the 22nd century. Its essence is the solid form of sunlight."

Lin An squinted and said, "I bought this, and I know its origin better than you do."

Doraemon was taken aback and said awkwardly, "Sorry, sorry, I mistook you for Nobita again."

As he spoke, he pulled a pink pictographic robot out of his pocket.

The pink elephant is only the size of a trash can, with a trumpet-shaped trunk and two buttons embedded at the top, one large and one small, one red and one yellow.

As Doraemon pressed the yellow button, the little elephant's trunk trembled slightly and then emitted a low hum.

The next second, a powerful suction force burst forth from the front of the elephant's trunk.

The dust on the ground was as if it were being grabbed by an invisible giant hand and sucked into the elephant's trunk in a swirling motion.

Doraemon, caught off guard by his professional habits, continued his introduction:

"This is the [Super Suction Pink Elephant], with a built-in high-temperature incinerator. Anything sucked in will be quickly decomposed."

Lin An waved his hand dismissively, "I know, I know."

Doraemon pouted in dissatisfaction, feeling that someone was not cooperating at all.

In this situation, shouldn't we look at each other with starry eyes and say things like "What an amazing gadget!", "Doraemon, you're so amazing!", "You're simply my best friend"?

To avoid disturbing others, the pink elephant was kept at a very low power level, but even so, the entire factory was cleaned spotless in just five minutes.

Lin An squatted down and rubbed his fingers on the ground.

It's so clean it feels rough.

Just as Doraemon was about to boast, Lin An impatiently reached into his dimensional pocket and pulled out a thick book.

"I know this is called a 'real object encyclopedia'. As long as you open the book, the things depicted in the illustrations can directly become real objects."

Lin An took the lead in introducing the book, then opened it and patted it repeatedly.

The next second, one exquisite piece of furniture after another fell out of the book.

High-end sofas, wool carpets, art illustrations, coffee tables... In the blink of an eye, the empty warehouse was filled with nearly a thousand pieces of modern furniture.

"call......"

After taking a picture of the last page, Lin An closed the "Illustrated Guide to Furniture Series," casually tossed it back into his four-dimensional pocket, and collapsed onto the sofa, sinking into the soft cushions.

"I'm exhausted."

Doraemon sat beside him, tilting his head to look at the crammed-together factory, his expression somewhat subtle:

"Lin An, will we win?"

Lin An thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"We will win."