Chapter 148

It was uncomfortable to sit on the steps with a big belly in early summer.

Tang Haikuan didn't sit any longer. Instead, he coaxed Chuxia a few words to make her stop crying. He pulled her up from the stairs and told her to wash up and go to bed.

After the commotion, it was already very late.

Tang Haikuan handed Chuxia to Lin Xiaohan, and asked Lin Xiaohan to take her to wash and sleep, and then coax her. After all, she was pregnant and a bad mood would affect her health.

After leaving Chuxia to Lin Xiaohan, Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei naturally washed up and went to bed.

Wu Xuemei turned off the lights and lay on the bed and said, "The child is grown up now, and her experience is different from ours, so let's not worry too much. She has never relied on us to get to where she is today, but on herself. What we think is good may not be good for her. Let's do our own things and take good care of the family. No matter what happens to her in the future, at least her parents are here."

Tang Haikuan hummed, "Never mind. I haven't lived a good life, nor have I accomplished anything. I really shouldn't care so much. She insisted on going to the countryside to work in the fields before, and I let her do it now. Why can't I let her do it now? She's my own daughter, so I should spoil her myself."

Wu Xuemei laughed easily, "It's OK once you figure it out."

***

Pickle factory.

Outside the factory director's office.

Groups of workers gathered together waiting for the factory director.

It's the end of the month again, and another month's salary has not been paid, so naturally I have to go to the factory manager to ask for an explanation.

Not long after, the factory director came over and everyone rushed over to surround him.

The factory manager listened to the noise for a while in the crowd, then raised his hand to try to suppress the noise around him, and said in a loud voice: "Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me. I have received instructions from my superiors. Our factory will not be closed down for the time being, but I will no longer be the factory manager here. I came back today to get some things, and a new factory manager will come tomorrow."

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other and asked, "What's going on?"

The factory manager continued to explain, "As you all know, our factory is not profitable enough to continue. We were planning to close it down after the Chinese New Year, but now the higher-ups have changed their minds and decided to let someone take over our factory. That's all I know. As for the details, you will know tomorrow when the new factory manager comes."

As soon as these words were spoken, discussions began to be heard from the crowd again.

"If we don't declare bankruptcy, then do we not have to be laid off?"

"What does it mean to let someone take over this?"

"Does that mean the factory was given to an individual?"

…

The factory manager didn't listen to their discussion.

He then said, "I am no longer your factory director. I have really tried my best for this factory. If you have any questions, please wait for the new factory director to arrive tomorrow and go directly to him. Now, please make way for me to pass."

Since he is no longer the factory director, there is no point in stopping him.

After everyone discussed it, they let the factory director go.

Now that the factory manager is gone, everyone is like a lost cause.

With no one to lead me, I didn't know what to do next, so I could only stay in the factory.

Uncle Sun squatted down and thought for the time it took to smoke a cigarette.

Then he got up, rode his bicycle and headed towards Tianxian'an Hutong.

He rode his bike to the outside of Courtyard No. 8, stopped, and hurried into the restaurant.

It was afternoon and there were no customers eating in the restaurant. Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei were not guarding the restaurant either. Only the workers were inside.

Seeing that Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei were not in the restaurant, he hurried to the back.

After entering the second gate of the yard, he saw Tang Haikuan, Wu Xuemei and Chu Xia sitting in the yard talking, so he greeted them, "Brother Haikuan!"

Tang Haikuan, Wu Xuemei and Chu Xia looked over when they heard what was said, and stood up and greeted him with a smile.

Uncle Sun came over, took a breath, and immediately looked at Chu Xia and said, "I came here just to ask, is it you, Chu Xia, who took over the pickle factory in your own name?"

Chuxia hasn't spoken yet.

Tang Haikuan said, "Isn't it? We bought the pickle factory because we were afraid you would be laid off."

Uncle Sun was stunned for a moment and then smiled, "I told you, it must be you."

Nowadays, although there are many people who earn some money by doing individual business, there are not many who can easily pay so much money to take over a factory and all the workers.

Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei asked Uncle Sun to sit down and talk.

Uncle Sun asked curiously, "What's the situation now? Is it you, Old Tang, who will be the factory manager, or is it Chu Xia who will be the factory manager?"

Tang Haikuan said: "I can't go, I still have to do my old job."

Uncle Sun understood and asked, "What about your work in the office, Chu Xia?"

Chu Xia said: "I applied for a leave of absence without pay."

Uncle Sun nodded twice slowly, thought for a moment and said, "When you learned about our factory from all aspects before, I thought you might mean this. But... you spent so much money to buy a factory that is almost bankrupt, and even sacrificed your own job. Isn't it a bit..."

He didn't say the following words, but the meaning was obvious.

Tang Hai continued, "That's right. We had a big fight over this."

Without letting Uncle Sun continue talking about this, it was not a happy thing. Wu Xuemei said again: "Don't worry about the rest. Just tell me, do you believe that Xia Xia can revive your bankrupt factory?"

Uncle Sun was stunned for a moment and then laughed, "I believe in the ability of state officials!"

Chu Xia then said, "Uncle Sun, you have to support me. I don't know the factory as well as you do. I will have to ask you for help in many things in the future."

Uncle Sun said, "Actually, I know Old Tang. Don't be unhappy when I say this. I don't think it's you who made your restaurant a success. Am I right?"

Tang Haikuan admitted: "You are right."

Uncle Sun smiled and continued, "Based on how well your restaurant has done, I'm determined to work with you in early summer. No matter what you do next, I will fully cooperate with you."

Chu Xia smiled and picked up the cup of water in front of her: "Thank you, Uncle Sun!"

Uncle Sun raised his cup and clinked it with hers. "I am here to thank you, otherwise I would have been laid off and starving at home."

Since there was nothing to do in the factory, Uncle Sun didn't leave.

He sat down and talked with Chuxia about things in the factory and what to do next.

Chuxia told him about production, "The soul of pickles is the sauce. The sauce made in the factory before must not be used anymore. I have been very researching on sauces. You should know it if you have eaten my noodles with soybean paste. As long as the sauce is well made, the vegetables are well selected and pickled, there is no problem with not being able to sell them."

The main reason is that the market is big and the pie is big.

No matter what you do, there is very little competition from peers.

As long as you can do a good job, you will definitely make money given such a large market and demand.

Speaking of the fried noodles with soybean paste in the restaurant, Uncle Sun suddenly felt more at ease when he recalled the taste.

The reason why Tang's Restaurant has always had such good business is not only because of the delicious dishes, but also because of the bowl of noodles with soybean sauce. Many people come to have a bowl of it from time to time to satisfy their cravings.

Uncle Sun and Chu Xia continued their conversation.

The more specific the conversation became, the more reassured Uncle Sun felt.

Tang Haikuan and Wu Xuemei did not sit in the inner courtyard all the time.

As customers started to arrive in the restaurant, they went to the front to get busy.

In the evening, Lin Xiaohan came back from get off work.

Uncle Sun greeted Lin Xiaohan, and realizing that it was getting late, he didn't want to waste any more time with Chuxia, and went home with great enthusiasm.

It's just March now, and the yard is a bit cold without the sun.

Lin Xiaohan helped Chuxia up and went into the house, then asked, "Uncle Sun came to talk to you about things at the factory?"

Chu Xia smiled and replied: "Well, now his fighting spirit is higher than mine."

Lin Xiaohan also smiled: "I just saw it."

Chu Xia: "Do you think I can do it?"

Lin Xiaohan: "It must be 100% possible."

***

Early the next morning, Chuxia and Lin Xiaohan went out together.

The pickle factory was relatively close, so Lin Xiaohan first sent Chuxia to the pickle factory and then went to work himself.

The pickle factory was originally a pickle garden, also located in the old house.

In early summer, I walked through the gate of the courtyard and saw a row of large soy sauce jars neatly arranged in the spacious courtyard, all of which were covered with sauce curtains.

The yard used as a factory is naturally larger.

In early summer, I walked past the inner courtyard where the soy sauce jars were placed, and then passed through the moon-shaped gate and continued to the backyard.

The factory director's office is in the backyard.

At this moment, a group of factory workers were squatting in the backyard.

Seeing Chuxia enter the backyard, they all looked at Chuxia, but no one said anything.

Chu Xia didn't say anything. Under their gaze, she walked past them and went straight into the factory director's office.

When the workers saw her enter the factory director's office, they didn't react much.

He withdrew his gaze and continued to squat and chat.

Not long after, Uncle Sun came again.

He saw Chuxia was already in the office, so he knocked on the door and went in.

I spoke a few words to Chuxia in the office.

He said to the workers outside: "Don't squat here, go do what you need to do. After half an hour, bring your stools back here. The new factory manager will hold a meeting for everyone."

New factory manager?

Everyone was confused.

Someone asked directly: "Where is the new factory manager? Is he here?"

Uncle Sun was also confused.

Looking at all the workers, he asked back, "Isn't this the one in the office?"

This is the one in the office?

Hearing this, all the workers present were stunned.

Another worker responded and asked, "You mean, the guy who looked to be in his twenties at most and had a big belly, is our new factory manager?"

Other workers responded: "You are kidding, right?"

Just now, she passed by them and they didn't take it seriously at all.

And now you tell them that this person is the new director of their factory? ?

Uncle Sun held his breath when he heard this, and then said, "You can't judge people by appearance. Our new factory director is a graduate of Peking University and has worked in government for two years. He is not an ordinary person."

"Hey, how come this college student who works in a government office came to our factory?"

"Is this true? Don't be kidding. Is this true?"

Uncle Sun: "Whether it is reliable or not, you will know it in the future. You don't need to worry about it. You just need to do your job well and get the salary you deserve."

This sounds a bit uncomfortable.

Someone else muttered, "He may not look that big, but he's acting so arrogantly..."

The old factory manager was so old before, but he didn't have such an air of arrogance.

Since they had a meeting in half an hour, they didn't continue to ask questions.

They each went about their business for a while, and half an hour later, they followed Uncle Sun's instructions, took the benches and returned to the backyard, and sat down in a row.

A speaking podium was also set up in the backyard.

After everyone in the factory arrived, Chuxia sat behind the podium.

Amid everyone's suspicious gazes, she introduced herself to the microphone and said directly: "First of all, I want to make it clear to you that I am not here to be your factory director. This factory is now taken over by me personally, and it will be mine in the future. No matter what other factories are like, you need to understand and remember that in our factory, the era of eating from the same pot and getting by on a fixed salary is over. From today on, wages will only be linked to work efficiency and work quality, not length of service. If you do a good job, you will earn more, and if you do a bad job, you will earn less, and the more you work, the more you get."

"You may not like to hear me speak frankly, but I still have to make it clear. From now on, there will be no such thing as a permanent job. If anyone slacks off at work and does not do their job properly, affecting product quality and causing losses to the factory, they will need to pay compensation according to the price."

Having said that, people below have already started discussing.

Chu Xia let them discuss for a while, and then continued to speak into the microphone: "What I can guarantee is that as long as everyone works well and the factory makes money, everyone's salary and benefits will not be reduced. The reason why I took such a big risk to take over this factory is that I want to do my best to rebuild this factory and lead everyone to live a better life than before."

"Of course I won't force anyone. If you believe in me and are willing, you can stay. If you don't want to, you can leave at any time. But if you decide to stay, you must accept the new factory system. If you still want to live like before and just want to get a salary without working hard, then I will ask you to leave."

"I hope you all understand that only when the factory is profitable can we all make money together. Otherwise, if the factory closes down, we will all be laid off together."

***

After the meeting, Chuxia was not in a hurry to arrange the next things.

She gave everyone in the factory a day to think about it, and then go home in the evening to discuss with their families and decide whether to stay or leave.

So everyone in the factory was discussing this matter that day.

"Why are we so unlucky? Why are we the only ones to have the factory close down?"

"The factory is not doing well and the superiors have ordered it to be closed. What else can we do?"

"What do you think? Do you think this girl is reliable?"

"Whether it's reliable or not, the factory is hers now, so what we say doesn't matter."

"A state-owned factory has suddenly become owned by one person. What do you think of this?"

"I think she helped us. If she hadn't taken over the factory, we would all be laid off and have gone home. How can we still be discussing this? She gave up her job as a government official to take over our factory. She must not be joking."

"What? Are you staying?"

"If you don't stay, do you have anywhere else to go?"

"If I had, I wouldn't have stayed here a long time ago. I haven't been paid for several months."

"That's it, what else do you want?"

"It just changed so suddenly. We lost our stable job. From now on, we will be working for others. Our status has dropped a lot. Don't you feel uncomfortable?"

"Of course it's hard, but it's even harder not to make money to support my family."

"Oh, I don't understand this world anymore. Is this still called socialism?"

…

The workers discussed this for a day.

The result came out the next day - everyone stayed.

So Chuxia called the leaders of each department to a meeting in the conference room to arrange and deploy the next work, as well as to determine specific work requirements, salary system, and reward and punishment system.

Although their pickle factory is not big, it has its own vegetable garden.

All things are difficult at the beginning, so the workload in the early stages is naturally heavier. In order to ensure the best taste and texture of the sauces and pickles, Chuxia personally starts from selecting the ingredients, and then strictly supervises the sauce making and pickling, so that the workers can follow her requirements completely.

They are all old workers in the pickle factory and have rich experience in making pickles.

Normally, the pickling and production of pickles were based on their experience. Now that they were being ordered by Chu Xia, they had to do it according to her requirements, so they naturally felt a little uncomfortable.

Discussing in private, they said:

"I have worked in this pickle factory for more than ten years, and I still don't know how to make pickles?"

"That is to say, how many jars of pickles can she make at her age?"

"Don't complain. The factory belongs to her, so we just have to listen to her. As long as we do what she asks, we won't be responsible. We just need to get our wages."

"With her meddling like this, can the factory be run?"

"Just do it for now, and if it doesn't work out, then think of other ways out."

…

***

The early summer is a bit busy.

Once the workers had all done what she asked, she was no longer so busy.

When she had nothing to do, she would wander around the factory and watch the workers work.

The person Chuxia trusts most in the factory is naturally Uncle Sun.

Uncle Sun is not conservative in his thinking. He dares to think and act. Chu Xia can communicate with him in all aspects, so Chu Xia directly promoted Uncle Sun to be the deputy factory director, and put him in charge of all affairs in the factory.

He is very familiar with the factory and handles things very skillfully.

Making sauce takes time.

Making pickles takes more time.

Before the first batch of pickles was made, no one knew what would happen to the factory next.

Of course you can tell in early summer.

Some workers, because of their long service and rich experience, did not obey her and even felt that the factory could not be run.

It's just that since she had the final say, she never showed it in front of her.

In early summer, just pretend that you don’t understand anything and just do what you have to do.

Anyway, she was the one who bought the factory, so she has the final say in everything. Even if she is not satisfied, she has to keep it to herself.

Since I just took over the factory, I am very busy every day, so time goes by very quickly.

March passed quietly as the willow branches sprouted, and by April, all the workers in the factory had adapted to the new work rhythm and system.

After all, this is where I have worked for many years, and I am still doing the same job. A slight change in the working method does not have much impact, and I quickly got the hang of the job.

This is also one of the main reasons why Chuxia wanted to take over this factory - to save trouble.

In this way, with Uncle Sun in charge, Chuxia could relax and prepare to do another thing.

Of course, this is something she has to do whether she is ready or not - giving birth to a child.

When the due date was almost approaching, Chuxia stopped going to the factory.

She had agreed with Uncle Sun that if anything happened, he would come to her house to find her, as it wasn't far away anyway.

Of course, judging from the current situation, nothing will happen.

After all, the pickles have not yet been taken out of the jar. The workers have mastered all the skills and processes for making sauce and pickles that Chuxia gave them, and they are strictly following them for the sake of their wages.

Chuxia didn't know when her stomach would start to feel hungry, so she just stayed at home and waited. She didn't go far away. When she felt bored at home, she would go out and walk around in the alley.

In the evening, the light of the sunset dyed the entire alley a light red.

The deep and long alleys, the locust trees with slender branches, the restaurants with the aroma of food and fireworks, and the two red lanterns hanging under the plaques form a beautiful picture full of life.

Strolling in the alleys in the sunset in early summer.

There was a constant stream of people coming into the alley, including neighbors returning home from get off work, customers eating in the restaurant, and children of all ages returning from school with their backpacks on their backs.

Chuxia walked slowly towards the entrance of the alley, thinking of meeting Lin Xiaohan.

However, before I reached the entrance of the alley, I suddenly saw a familiar face entering the alley.

Facing the setting sun, the person opposite was against the light, and Chuxia thought she was seeing things.

When she got closer, the person opposite smiled and greeted her, and then she was sure that she was not seeing things.

But she still asked with some surprise: "Pot lid?"

Pot Cover was wearing a suit.

As soon as Chuxia called him, other neighbors saw him.

Everyone knew that he had gone to work in the south, so they were naturally surprised and curious to see him.

So they all came over to talk to him: "Hey, isn't this a pot lid? The clothes he's wearing look like he just came back from abroad. Has he made a fortune?"

Guo Gai smiled and said, "How can I make any fortune? I just went out for a walk to broaden my horizons."

People naturally don't believe it, "What's there to hide? We won't steal from your house."

Everyone is interested in the South, so naturally they asked what the South is like now.

Guo Gai then talked to everyone at length about what kind of construction the South was doing now, how open it was, and how fast it was developing.

Everyone found it unimaginable.

Someone else asked him, "Then why did you come back? Where are Chaozi and Han Ting? Didn't they come back?"

Pot Cover said, "I can't. I can't adapt to the climate there. I just can't stay there any longer. I still think home is better, so I came back. They don't want to come back, so they're still there."

The neighbor smiled and said, "You have earned back the money you put into buying a wife. You can get married now."

Guo Gai smiled and replied, "Yes, I came back this time with the intention of getting married, having children and living a good life. Aunties, if you have any good partners, please introduce them to me."

After Chuxia said hello to Guogai, she didn’t say anything else to him.

Hearing this nearby, she saw Lin Xiaohan coming back, so she went straight to Lin Xiaohan.

When Lin Xiaohan saw Chu Xia, he immediately asked with concern: "How do you feel today?"

Chu Xia told him: "Nothing has happened, there is no movement yet."

The two of them walked into the alley while talking.

Seeing a man in a suit surrounded by people, Lin Xiaohan asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Chuxia replied, "Pot cover, just came back from the south."

Lin Xiaohan smiled, didn’t look at her any further, and went straight home with Chuxia.