Chapter 227 Seeking Help from the Leader (Bug Fixing): The Merit of Sending It Out

In the living room, Ivanov had already enthusiastically served her a fruit salad made with yogurt, oranges, and kiwis.

Wang Xiao took the bowl and spoon, snorted, and scooped out the oranges to eat.

Honestly, this is the first time Wang Tiejun has ever found Ivanov so agreeable.

Unlike Chen Yanqiu's mother-in-law, as a father, he looked down on any young man around his daughter.

But now, look at this old Russian, he seems to be doing alright.

At the very least, they have good judgment and know when to calm Xiaoxiao down.

Ivanov carefully observed her expression, racking his brains for words of comfort: "Your Majesty, this shows that your parents are upright people who never thought of using connections."

He admitted that he also found it unbelievable when he heard Mr. Wang say that there was a backlog of steel in the factory.

For someone like him, spanning three generations, the instinct to maximize the use of family relationships is ingrained in his bones from childhood.

All I can say is that seeing such down-to-earth family members of a leader, he really likes Miss Wang's parents even more.

What a lovely person.

Of course, he also deeply sympathized with the king.

With parents like these, don't expect the family to support you; you're lucky if they don't hold you back.

"Heh." Wang Xiao rolled his eyes and muttered in Russian, "All he cares about is the factory, and he's just messing with my brain."

Over there, Wang Tiejun changed his shoes, but then worry arose again: "Xiaoxiao, will those construction companies and factories listen to our orders?"

"If they don't listen, replace them all," Wang Xiao said impatiently. "Find out who's the boss and who's the subordinate, whoever gets the order is the King! Building houses in the countryside is something any village bricklayer can do. Cement factories and brick factories are everywhere. We'll kick out whoever's being difficult, and not tolerate any of them! They're all spoiled brats, full of bad habits!"

She doesn't like these factories anymore.

If they were under her command, they would all have to step aside.

If you're having a hard time and lack resources, don't you know to go find someone who has resources?

Does not having connections mean you can't survive?

Of course, the biggest problem definitely lies with the steel mill.

Perhaps other companies, such as cement plants, had already thought of launching rural housing construction projects, but they felt it was best not to touch other people's resources to avoid upsetting them; they were just waiting for the steel plant to make the offer.

Wang Tiejun reacted as if his pants were on fire and immediately ran away.

Chen Yanqiu was also frightened and immediately called to her daughter, "Xiaoxiao, why don't you take a nap and go out for a walk tonight? You'll be able to recover your energy by tomorrow."

Wang Xiao was sleepy from her talking, so he waved his hand and said, "Do as you please, I'm going to sleep."

As she got into bed, she thought, "Oh, I forgot about something. The housing problem for employees of collective enterprises could also be solved at the same time."

Forget it, let's go to sleep first, she's exhausted.

Wang Xiao slept until the sun was setting.

Cough cough, she was woken up by the urge to pee.

She was wrapped in a thick cotton bathrobe, her hair a mess, and she slipped on her slippers as she opened the door to go to the bathroom.

Ivanov, with his messy hair, sticking out a tuft of hair, and looking completely bewildered, came out of the guest room.

Wang Xiao made a quick decision: "I'll go to the master bedroom, you can use the bathroom outside."

After using the restroom, she also washed her face, and then staggered out to ask, "Where are my parents?"

Ivanov rubbed his face vigorously, he couldn't sleep anymore, or he wouldn't be able to adjust to the time difference: "Going to work, hmm, Wang, is Uncle Wang going to get promoted again this time?"

Hearing this made Wang Xiao even angrier.

She's already helped her parents get leadership positions, so she doesn't expect them to be more ambitious. They don't even know to take credit for what's offered to them.

Ivanov laughed heartily and flattered her: "It proves that you are the backbone of your family. Look, you have upheld the glory of your family."

However, Wang Xiao was not interested in this approach.

She understood from elementary school before she transmigrated that she had to rely on herself in everything, and that no one in her family could support her. She really didn't think there was anything to be proud of in the so-called glory of her family.

To put it bluntly, given her cold-hearted personality, once she finds something troublesome, there's nothing she can't give up.

Ivanov was still sighing, "God, I really hope my daughter can be like you someday, so I can live a life of luxury thanks to her."

Wang Xiao was both amused and exasperated: "How pathetic!"

Ivanov chuckled: "Cheer up, Your Majesty, cheer up."

Wang Xiao rolled her eyes at him and denied it, saying, "I'm not unhappy. On the contrary, I'm very happy right now."

Oh my, doesn't that sound incredibly hypocritical?

Hmm, that's not true at all.

This incident has revealed a person's true colors.

Who is it? Zhang Junfei.

“He didn’t use the fish market project to be a good person and curry favor with my parents, which shows that he has basic principles.”

Don't underestimate the importance of these four words: basic principles. In this era, those who can truly understand them are considered talented.

This era emphasizes collectivism, which is reflected in the concept of extended families within the family.

Especially given that Wang Xiao is an unmarried woman, at least 90% of society would assume, if not 100%, that her property belongs to her family of origin, and that her parents have the right to it, or to put it more directly, that her parents are the owners of her property.

Believe it or not, decades from now, this kind of thinking will still have a vast market.

It's quite remarkable that Zhang Junfei and Tang Yicheng, as men, have managed to break free from this stereotype.

Ivanov was delighted: "It seems Zhang has won your favor."

Wang Xiao remained cautiously observant: "Let's wait and see if he can make the Shanghai project a success."

If the fish market can be managed well, it has great potential for development.

Oh dear, I'm sleepy again.

Wang Xiao got up from the sofa, stretched, and asked him, "Want to go out for a walk?"

Ivanov scrambled to his feet, his voice brimming with anticipation: "Yes!"

He especially enjoys shopping in China, not because the goods are plentiful and cheap, but because he likes to see the smiling faces of Chinese people.

Good heavens, such a cheerful smile is something you simply can't see on people's faces in gloomy Moscow.

Unfortunately, once a person reaches a certain position, it's destined that they will find it difficult to do as they please.

Take Wang Xiao and Ivanov for example. They arrived in Jinning very quietly, without even informing their subordinates. However, this did not stop Secretary Fang of the Provincial Government from calling the steel plant's residential area and directly mentioning Wang Xiao's name: "Oh, President Wang, you absolutely have to come. This honor is one that no one else can have if you don't take it."

Without Wang Xiao even needing to give any hints, Ivanov immediately and quietly moved closer to listen.

What a load of rubbish! His academic ability is nowhere near that of a bodyguard; it would be a miracle if he could even understand Chinese.

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "You flatter me. What award could I possibly be eligible for?"

With investment promotion efforts underway across China, local governments are particularly enthusiastic about organizing various events related to overseas Chinese, often attended by high-ranking officials. Naturally, many overseas Chinese businesspeople are eager to fly back to China to participate in these events and enjoy the glory of returning home in triumph.

Wang Xiao has no interest in this kind of thing, and she doesn't rely on photos with leaders to make a good impression, so she rarely participates in these activities.

Secretary Fang laughed and said, "Putting everything else aside, today, truly no one but you deserves this honor."

She laughed as she spoke, "President Wang, you single-handedly upgraded the textile and garment industry in Liangjiang Province."

What do you mean by that?

In the summer, well, last summer, didn't Wang Xiao have Chen Zhonglin select a batch of garment factories and renovate them all according to the Japanese model?

Since then, these factories that successfully completed the renovations have been extremely busy, with orders coming in non-stop.

Although the scrapping of the ruble at the end of July further impacted the industry in the ruble region, leading to increased demand in the market and a surge in orders for these conversion plants, it did not actually affect the production of other similar factories.

However, the suppliers in the commercial city are all very competitive and have a strong sense of competition.

Or rather, they are all very keen on following trends.

If one factory has many orders and sells well, other factories will immediately follow suit, fearing that they will be eliminated.

When they learned that their orders were coming in because they had been upgraded to Japanese standards, the other factories couldn't sit still any longer. Some of them immediately took action and went to Feng Zhonglin to ask to join the upgrade team.

As Secretary Fang spoke, he couldn't help but laugh again: "You have no idea, I was really shocked when I visited the garment factory last month."

She really didn't expect it.

The government departments and factories have been talking about improving technology and strengthening management since the 1970s, but to this day, very few units have actually taken action.

I always thought that making clothes was just something, that any woman could operate a sewing machine, and that it didn't require any special skills or management.

Even though the export of clothing to Japan declined in the 1980s, it didn't make anyone's heart flutter.

When they arrived at the commercial city, the garment factory took the initiative to seek change.

Wang Xiao laughed and said, "In the past, everyone wanted to make changes and get more orders; but no one told them how to make changes, and no one knew which direction to take."

To put it bluntly, do underachieving students not want to turn their lives around? But what can they do even if they do? Without someone to teach and guide them step by step, even if they want to put in the effort, they need to know where to direct their efforts.

The purpose of the trade city is to set an example, so that ambitious enterprises can follow suit and learn from it.

“Look, if you don’t come to accept the award, who else is qualified to accept it?” Secretary Fang extended the invitation again. “Come on, a new year has begun, we should get together.”

Wang Xiao exclaimed twice, unable to refuse such a kind offer, and finally agreed.

After hanging up the phone, she immediately called to Ivanov, "Let's go to the provincial government and see if we can get any orders."

Ivanov immediately perked up and eagerly pressed, "What order?"

Wang Xiao had already been thinking about what to wear when she went out, and casually replied, "I don't know."

Oh, I see. Today's focus is on adaptability.

Business engagements still need to be attended. If you don't actively seek them out, opportunities won't come crawling to you and begging you to take them.

Ivanov immediately changed into a battle uniform that would make him look presentable.

Well, the only standard for a battle robe is that you can tell at a glance that the person is really rich, and you don't have to worry about him ripping you off when you do business with him.

Well, it's not that he doesn't know how to be low-key, it's just that in this era, doing business really only judges people by their appearance, not their character.

A dazzling outfit and an imported luxury car are like a pass stuck to one's forehead.

Wang Xiao looked at his flamboyant manner and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "There's no need for that."

She shook her head. "Really, Ivanov, we don't need to do that anymore."

As they went out and went downstairs, they bumped into the steel factory manager coming upstairs.

Because of the light, he saw Wang Xiao's face first and immediately greeted her with a smile: "Xiao Xiao, you're back! What's your mom cooking for you tonight? The cafeteria chef has learned some new dishes, why don't you go to the cafeteria and take a look?"

Wang Xiao also called out with a grin, then shook her head: "I can't, I have to go to the provincial government, there's a meeting. They called home, I can't skip it. Oh dear—"

As she spoke, she yawned, looking extremely tired. "I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet."

The factory manager laughed heartily: "Go ahead, go ahead, it's a good opportunity to go out and get some fresh air. The world belongs to you young people, young people should go out and explore more."

Wang Xiao smiled and waved goodbye to the person.

After she came downstairs and got into the car, the factory manager's wife, who was going home with the factory manager, sighed softly, "The daughters raised by Old Wang and Old Chen are truly worth ten of them."

Actually, the children she raised weren't bad at all. Compared to those good-for-nothing second-generation officials, they could even be described as excellent.

But if you were to stand in front of Wang Xiao, it would be impossible to look at you properly.

So even if a father in a leadership position is pushing his son forward with all his might, the son is unlikely to follow in his footsteps. Forcing a son to inherit a business he can't handle will only harm him.

It's obvious to the naked eye that their next generation is going to fall into a downward spiral in social class.

The factory manager continued upstairs, casually replying, "Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes; there's nothing I can do about it."

What he was thinking was that at tomorrow's meeting, they had to finalize Old Wang's status as a provincial model worker. Then they'd figure out a way to push him to become a national model worker.

What else can we do?

Old Wang is a good person, but his abilities are just so-so. Reaching the second-in-command position is already the highest he can achieve. We can't let him reach his limit so quickly.

When Wang Xiao and Ivanov arrived at the provincial government, they actually received a certificate of merit, which seemed quite unusual.

Secretary Fang personally presented her with the award and invited everyone to have dinner in the cafeteria. He jokingly teased Wang Xiao, "Now that you've received an award, shouldn't President Wang do something to show her appreciation?"

Wang Xiao chuckled and said, "Of course, I plan to give all the factory workers an extra 100 yuan for the holiday. Also, wages should be raised this year."

The general manager of the provincial garment company passing by couldn't help but blurt out, "General Manager Wang, why are you raising wages again? Is it really necessary? I see that the wages in these township enterprises are higher than those in our garment company."

This is utterly upside down.

Two years ago, the monthly salary in the township enterprises (i.e., village and township enterprises) was only a few dozen yuan, but they were doing just fine.

As a result, after the commercial city came to life, their wages increased day by day. Now it is normal to earn two or three hundred yuan a month, and during peak seasons when they work overtime, they can even earn more than five hundred yuan.

Compared to them, the employees of large state-owned factories are pitiful.

Wang Xiaoqi found this strange. What? When you guys get paid more than others, you think it's perfectly normal. But now that others get paid more, it's considered outrageous? We all work with sewing machines making clothes, so why are you inherently superior to them?

She smiled and said, "That's still not as good as you guys. To put it bluntly, the workers in the commune-run factories still have agricultural household registration. They don't have any guarantees from their employers for things like medical care or their children's schooling, let alone housing. Talking about wages without considering welfare benefits is just being dishonest."

Both migrant workers and government officials earn 5,000 yuan a month. Do you dare say that migrant workers and government officials have the same income?

The clothing company boss sighed, "Oh dear, I just don't understand. Why are you giving them so much money? They live in the countryside, their food and drink come from the land, why would they need so much money? Giving them too much money will only cause trouble and harm them!"

Even Wang Xiao, a capitalist, wanted to roll his eyes when he heard this.

Haha, people who make a lot of money will harm themselves, but you make a lot of money and benefit society?

“That’s true,” Wang Xiao said with a smile. “There are so many things that require money. Children’s education costs money, and family members’ old age and illness also cost money. Even if there’s nothing else, buying a refrigerator, a color TV, and a washing machine isn’t excessive, is it? When the children grow up and there are more people in the family, it’s normal to rebuild the house and build a small house. Don’t worry, I’ve never heard of any factory worker from a commune-run factory who felt that their wages were too high to spend. They’re just afraid of earning too little money so they can’t afford to build a house.”

She turned her head with a smile and pleaded with Secretary Fang, "When I left today, the director of our steel plant told me to be sure to ask the leaders for help."

Before they knew it, they had reached the private room in the cafeteria.

Well, to be honest, the interior decoration is really no worse than that of a big hotel.

Secretary Fang invited everyone to sit down, held out the menu, and asked them to order, smiling as he said, "How can we help the steel plant?"

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "It's about building houses for the employees of the commune-run factory. Many of our factory's employees work in the commercial city. When the commune-run factory found out, they wanted to use their connections at the steel mill to get building materials to build houses. But building materials were always in short supply before, so it didn't work out. Now that the national policy has changed, our steel mill is thinking of organizing other units, like the cement plant and brick factory, and contacting construction companies to go to the countryside to build houses for everyone."

Secretary Fang listened intently and nodded in affirmation: "This is a good thing. You are wholeheartedly serving the people and have set an example. I myself, and the provincial government, certainly support you."

Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "With your words, we are relieved. But we would like to go a step further and ask the provincial government to stand up for us. This way, it will be legitimate and the people can feel the government's concern for them even more."

Secretary Fang understood; this was a way of actively giving her credit to the provincial government.

Listen carefully to the underlying meaning. If a smart person says this in this situation, it means they have already prepared everything and are just letting you take the credit.

Neither Secretary Fang nor the Jiangdong Provincial Government could refuse the opportunity to achieve political success that was presented to them.

This year, or rather, starting in the summer of 1993, the construction industry across the country has been struggling.

When credit tightens, both infrastructure construction and building projects come to a sudden halt.

Don't underestimate this; it has a significant impact on the economy and social stability.

To take a recent example, in 1989, in order to curb the overheated economy caused by the failure of the price control reform in 1988, the country also stopped infrastructure construction.

Then, after the Spring Festival that year, migrant workers who, as was customary, took the train to big cities to find work were ordered to return to their hometowns immediately and were not allowed to leave the train station. The plight of the migrant workers at that time is unforgettable for anyone who witnessed it.

Now that New Year's Day has passed, the Spring Festival will be here soon.

Will the same thing happen again five years later? This is a huge test for every local leader.

The shutdown of the construction industry means that related practitioners and those in the supporting systems are also at a standstill.

How can an industry be sustained and developed under such a standstill? This truly tests the wisdom of local leaders.

Jiangdong doesn't seem to have caused major chaos at the moment, partly because of national policy support; the government is still using funds from its national treasury to purchase and stockpile steel. This ensures that the steel industry, especially large steel mills, won't go bankrupt.

On the other hand, it is because the economy of Jiangdong is relatively developed compared to the rest of the country, and there are many profitable industries.

Furthermore, the government no longer relies on land sales to make money; real estate is not a pillar industry.

Even so, if you can turn a losing situation into a winning one, that would be a great achievement.

Ironically, this achievement is something that only a handful of provinces across the country can match.

Why? Because the number of provinces and cities with developed township and village enterprises is currently limited.

Only when township enterprises are thriving and workers' incomes are genuinely increasing will they have the courage and desire to build houses.

If you change it to those economically underdeveloped areas, farmers who want to build new houses also can't afford it.

Of course, in such a large province as Jiangdong, not all township enterprises are developing well, and not every household has the money to build houses.

But areas that can't afford to build have surplus labor, so they can go to other towns and villages to work on construction sites.

It doesn't matter if you don't have technical skills, you can always do manual labor.

This is the simplest way to earn money beyond agricultural income.

This move effectively mobilized the entire Jiangdong Province, with those who had money contributing money, those who had strength contributing strength, and those who had technology contributing technology, directly creating a small internal economic cycle within the province.

The more Secretary Fang thought about it, the more interesting it seemed.

To think that a young person can build such a large business overseas is truly remarkable. Their mindset and vision are something that those who are narrow-minded and narrow-minded cannot compare to.

Secretary Fang didn't believe a word of the steel mill's idea.

If it really was the steel mill's idea, why did they only seem to have a solution for the 15 measures the government issued in the summer, when it was already winter?

It was obvious that Wang Xiao gave them this advice after returning to China.

Secretary Fang nodded again, indicating his approval: "This is a great idea, and the province will definitely support it. Serving the people means going deep into every village and household."

The clothing company boss sighed, "Look at this, even General Manager Wang said that the workers in the commune-run factories are not as good as those in our state-owned factories. Every household is moving into small villas. What are they called again? Upstairs and downstairs, with electric lights and telephones. It seems that the Four Modernizations will have to start in the countryside first."

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Then our state-owned factory can do it too. While building materials are not so scarce now, let's be generous and build welfare housing for the factory employees to improve everyone's housing conditions."

At the dinner table, the heads of state-owned enterprises waved their hands or shook their heads.

Building a house isn't as simple as just saying it.

Putting everything else aside, building a house isn't child's play; where does the money come from? Where does the company get so much money?

Some managers expressed concern: "Mr. Wang, your idea is good, but I'm worried that the workers in the village-run factory don't have that much money. Building a decent house would cost around 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. It's not easy for an average family to come up with that much money."

Someone countered, "Borrowing money is the way to go. How can you build a house in the countryside without borrowing money? Everyone borrows money first and then pays it back slowly."

However, the boss disagreed: "If everyone is building houses, who will they borrow money from? And if they borrow money, it will take at least three to five years to pay it back. Are the people who lent him money supposed to wait three to five years before building houses? That's unrealistic. I come from the countryside, I know. The competitive spirit in the countryside is strong, everyone is trying to outdo each other."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

The boss also reminded Wang Xiao: "You really need to consider this issue. Don't let what you intended as a good deed turn into a conflict."

Wang Xiao nodded with a smile: "We have indeed considered that."

Ivanov nearly widened his eyes in disbelief upon hearing the translation.

Have they considered it? When did they consider this issue? How come he has no recollection of it?

Could it be that he's jet-lagged and his mind is all muddled?

Ivanov wasn't mistaken.

Wang Xiao hadn't thought about this at all, but that didn't stop her from giving an answer on the spot: "Now that the country is tightening loans, how can banks make money if they don't lend? We thought, could rural credit cooperatives launch loans specifically to support farmers in building houses? The loan term could be up to 10 years, which would alleviate the economic pressure on farmers due to building new houses."