Chapter 196

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but Ye Manzhi always felt that Director Wang looked at her strangely.

She recalled the conversation just now and there seemed to be nothing wrong!

"Director Wang, I'm not boasting, but of all the big-ticket items on the market, besides motors with three motors and one buzzer, electric fans are the best-selling. Shuguang Factory switched to producing electric fans because we saw the market potential. As long as fans sell well, motors will sell well too. Isn't this a natural partnership?"

Director Wang responded with a few "hmm"s, but in his heart he disagreed with her words.

Bicycles, sewing machines, watches, and radios—these three things are expensive, but they are always popular because they have irreplaceable functions.

Are electric fans irreplaceable?

Of course not!

Summer is only hot for three or four months. You can still cool down by being diligent and fanning yourself with a fan.

He had seen electric fans produced in other provinces in department stores before, and the price of capacitive table fans was more than two hundred yuan.

If ordinary people have a budget of 200 yuan, the first choice will definitely be the three-turn one-ring.

Director Wang felt that the electric fan might have some sales, but it was definitely not as exaggerated as Director Ye described.

He doesn't want to discuss any cooperation with Shuguang Factory.

The relationship between the two factories is just a buying and selling one, and that's it.

"Director Ye, if the electric fans sell well, we'd be happy to see that happen." Director Wang chuckled. "I came here today to ask about Shuguang Factory's next plans. Besides the 300 motors we ordered earlier, would you like to place an additional order? We're neighbors, and the motors can be customized according to Shuguang Factory's requirements. Once I receive the final payment, I'll go back and have the workshop rush the work."

“…”

I'm here to collect the money.

Ye Manzhi looked embarrassed and said, "Director Wang, I don't know much about technical matters. I still have to listen to Director Lei about which motor manufacturer to use for the official production. If I follow my original intention, choosing Anyang County Motor Factory as a partner is a better choice than the municipal motor factory or other motor factories in the province. After all, our two companies are close, which makes communication and transportation convenient."

"But the Shuguang Factory had just transitioned from military to civilian use, and its electric fans weren't officially on the market yet. When choosing a partner, we definitely had to consider the payment method. Large manufacturers like the Municipal Electric Motor Factory might offer us some concessions on payment."

Director Wang rubbed his chin and asked, "How does Shuguang Factory want to pay?"

He just came to collect the money, not to do dirty business.

If we can keep Shuguang Factory as a customer, we should try our best to keep it.

The lion with leaves on the branch said loudly: "It would be best if it could bear fruit every six months."

Director Wang: “…”

How could a small factory like theirs allow people to delay payment for half a year?

Ye Manzhi also knew that this request was a bit embarrassing.

"Director Wang, we're not taking advantage of the Motor Factory for nothing. I heard that the employees of the Motor Factory all rent houses in the county town, and some even commute back and forth between the commune and the county town every day. After Factory 833 moved out, a number of tube-shaped buildings became vacant in the Shuguang Factory family compound. They've recently been registered with the Housing Management Office for rent. If the Motor Factory needs them, we can rent them to them at the factory employee welfare housing price."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang's heart immediately became alarmed.

Look, look, he said it!

Director Ye definitely has ambitions for the motor factory!

Motors are a supporting business for electric fans. Shuguang Factory does not want to spend money to buy motors. The most effective way is to acquire a small factory and turn it into their motor workshop.

They are all state-owned units. If the leaders think that merging the two factories will be more conducive to business development, then merging the county motor factory into the Shuguang factory will be a matter of minutes!

Let the employees of the motor factory live in the family compound of the Shuguang factory. If the two factories are really merged in the future, the employees will not only not have to move, but they won’t even have any resistance!

Director Ye has a very clever plan!

Ye Manzhi couldn't guess the turbulent inner thoughts of Director Wang. She just wanted to take the opportunity to help find tenants for the family compound.

Factory 833 occupied half of Anyang County. After thousands of families left, half of the county was left empty.

So many vacant rooms cannot be rented out just like that.

Although the rent of welfare housing is much lower than that of public housing, the house will be empty anyway. If renting it to employees of the county motor factory can help the business, it will not be a loss.

She felt that this was a mutually beneficial situation for both parties, but Director Wang suspected that she was trying to be a weasel and had no good intentions.

The two people's brain waves are completely out of sync.

But business still needs to be done.

Director Wang was afraid that they would become desperate and resort to merging the two factories.

So, after struggling for a moment, he decisively said, "Director Ye, a six-month payment cycle is too long. It's definitely not feasible in our factory. How about this? The final payment for the 300 motors can be deferred for half a month. As for the future cooperation method, I have to go back to the factory to discuss it with my colleagues."

Ye Manzhi did not expect the other party to suddenly ask for an extension of payment.

Is this pie in the sky?

She asked blankly, "Director Wang, do you need the tube-shaped building in the family compound?"

"No, no," Director Wang refused firmly. "Most of the employees have their own accommodations, so the factory won't give them blind orders."

As he said this, he stood up and said goodbye.

He had to go back and discuss it with his family behind closed doors.

Ye Manzhi accompanied Director Wang all the way to the factory gate. Watching his back gradually disappearing into the distance, she turned around and went to the workshop to find Lei Wanyuan.

They really misunderstood Deputy Director Wang before.

I preconceived that they were here to collect the money, but unexpectedly they were here to inform me that the payment would be deferred!

I didn’t even get the benefit of welfare housing.

Director Wang is a very nice person!

…

Lei Wanyuan was a man of great character. After listening to Director Ye's retelling, he sighed, "A friend in need is a friend indeed! Since the motor factory is so righteous, we can't be rude. Let's try to find a way to pay the balance of the 300 motors next month."

Ye Manzhi asked with a smile, "So, should we buy the truck first, or pay the balance to the motor factory first?"

"..." Lei Wanyuan was choked by her question. Thinking about the fleet with only one vehicle, he said vaguely, "I have to buy the truck and pay the balance."

While the two were chatting about cars outside the workshop, the union chairman, Qu Zhiyin, came over with a stack of documents. He stopped beside them and asked, "Director Lei, Director Ye, while the factory is focusing on production, shouldn't we also pay attention to the workers' leisure time?"

Lei Wanyuan was most afraid of seeing people from the union, as the factory had to allocate funds for every activity the union organized.

He'll have great use for the money if he keeps it.

Ye Manzhi took the initiative to join in: "Of course, Chairman Qu, what activities does the union want to organize? I will definitely participate actively!"

"It's not really a special event," Chairman Qu said. "There are more men than women in our factory, and there are many unmarried young people. Everyone's family life is something the Party Committee and the Trade Union should be concerned about, right?"

“Does the union want to organize a networking event?”

"Yes, many parents of unmarried workers have contacted the union, hoping the organization can introduce these young people to potential partners. There are quite a lot of unmarried men and women in the factory, and after so many years, they haven't found love. I guess there's no hope. Why not organize a social gathering with unmarried young people from other factories so that everyone can get to know each other?"

Lei Wanyuan actually didn't want to organize this.

Organizing social gatherings is like a blind date, and units with more male employees are responsible for spending money to organize activities.

Lei Wanyuan is not stingy with the money.

Well, he just feels bad about the money.

But he felt that the effect of this kind of social activity was very limited. It would be considered good if he could bring one or two couples together after all the effort of organizing an event.

Most people just go there to join in the fun.

The male leader's reaction was cold, so Qu Zhiyin turned his attention to Ye Manyi.

It is up to the lesbians to organize such activities.

Ye Manzhi lived up to her expectations and expressed her support, saying, "This is a great idea! I think the union should organize more activities like this! Our factory has a cultural center, and the venue is ready. Apart from spending some money on electricity and manpower, there's actually no cost. It would be great to bring everyone together and enrich their spare time. Chairman Qu, I support you!"

Of course she would support it!

Her secretary, Comrade Xiao Zhou, is still an unmarried young woman.

When she went to the family compound for research, she met Zhou Ruyi's mother, who asked her to introduce a suitable partner to Ruyi.

Ye Manzhi herself is not very old and has no experience in matchmaking. It would be great if Ruyi could fall in love with someone at the social gathering and have a free love relationship with him or her!

Lei Wanyuan said, "Director Ye, you're overthinking it. Can't men and women at a social gathering just sit there and do nothing? Can't they eat some candy, peanuts, melon seeds, and drink some soda?"

"Haha, let everyone buy whatever they want to eat and drink. I think the young people in our factory are actually very competitive in the marriage market. Think about it, all the employees in our factory, both men and women, have housing. They didn't have it before, but now they have it. With a stable job in a large state-owned factory, housing, and good benefits, what great conditions are there!"

"Then we can have the shop at the factory gate set up a counter inside the Cultural Palace and sell some ice cream and popsicles. We can also buy some soda, peanuts, melon seeds, and other things. Whoever wants to eat can buy it themselves. If this event is organized well, maybe not only will we not have to spend any money, we can even make some money!"

After she finished speaking, Lei Wanyuan's attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees. He agreed, "Then we can organize a grander social event, contact more units in the city, and give young comrades more choices."

Ye Manzhi is the deputy secretary of the Party Committee. He can represent the Party Committee and organize friendly activities with the trade union, and contact several units with good conditions.

*

She likes to join in the fun and is particularly passionate about organizing such activities.

On the way to the Workers' Cultural Palace to meet Wu Zhengrong, I was still thinking about which units' trade unions I could contact to participate in the event.

She arrived at the Cultural Palace at the appointed time and saw two familiar figures, one big and one small, standing at the door from afar.

Ye Manzhi ran over quickly and touched her daughter's smiling face.

Then, he looked at Dr. Wu and asked why he brought Youyan with him.

Didn’t you say to let the children go to the old house to watch the TV broadcast?

Wu Zhengrong glanced at the little brat and snorted, "You insisted on following me."

Ye Manzhi took the ticket from him and took her daughter to the gate to check the ticket. "Baby, why don't you go to Grandpa's house today?"

"Humph," Wu Yuzhuo gave her a look that said, "Don't even think about leaving me behind," and said smugly, "The TV is too small. I'll come to watch the show live."

"How did you know Dad was coming to the show?"

With Wu Zhengrong's temper, he would never bring up this matter with his child.

Wu Yuzhuo chuckled: "I can see that!"

Ye Manzhi elbowed Wu Zhengrong, who was walking beside her, and asked in surprise, "What did you do? Did she find out?"

Dr. Wu seemed to have lost the ability to speak and remained silent for a long time. Seeing that she was staring at him for an answer, he could only say briefly, "I went home and changed my shirt."

Youyan was afraid that he would stew Dahua, so every time he went to the old house to watch TV, he would bring the chicken coop with him.

After school today, he took Yan home first, picked up the big chicken coop, and then took a car to his great-grandfather's house.

Thinking that he had an appointment with Ye Lai Ya in the evening and might have to take off his coat indoors, he took the opportunity to change his sweaty shirt while You Yan was catching chickens.

It was just an action of changing a shirt, but I didn't expect this kid to see through it.

Wu Yuzhuo enthusiastically shared her experience of solving the case with her mother.

"My dad only takes off his outer clothes when he comes home from get off work, and never changes his inner clothes. He doesn't change his clothes even when he goes out for drinks with Uncle Zhou and Uncle Jiang. He only changes his inner shirt when he goes with us to see 'Li Shuangshuang' and 'Honghu Red Guards'. So, Dad must come to the movies today! I'm coming with him!"

Ye Manzhi: “…”

Her daughter's ability to solve cases is amazing.

Although it’s not watching a movie, it’s almost like watching Henan Opera.

The reason Youyan was able to be brought here by Wu Zhengrong to watch the performance was all because of his strong abilities!

The couple only had two tickets, but Wu Yuzhuo was less than 1.3 meters tall, so he could enter for free.

So, the family of three checked in and entered the venue smoothly.

Ye Manzhi bought two bottles of soda for herself and her daughter. While waiting for the show to start, she also met Director Jiang and his wife who arrived late.

She stood up and greeted her husband's immediate superior. After resuming her seat, she tilted her head and asked, "Director Wu, are there many single men and women in your institute?"

"I didn't notice."

"How come you don't even know this?"

"Why should I know?"

Ye Manzhi: “…”

Well, that's certainly not his style.

"You should know whether there are many young people there, right?"

"It's OK. There are more than 30 young men and women between the ages of 20 and 30."

"Our factory is organizing a social gathering soon," Ye Manzhi said. "Shuguang Factory used to be a military factory, and they have a technical research group. I think we can have some common ground with the researchers at the military research institute. Go back to your workplace and ask if there are any unmarried comrades who don't have a partner. You can come to our social gathering. It doesn't matter if you're looking for a partner or not. We just want to join in the fun."

She feels that the factory's employees, especially the female employees, are quite competitive.

The fact that both men and women have housing alone beats 99.99% of the units in the city.

Moreover, the young people who can work in military factories like 833 have clean political backgrounds.

When looking for a partner these days, academic qualifications are actually not that important. Sometimes there is no difference between high school students and college students. Many parents look at work and family background.

Therefore, the unmarried female comrades in Shuguang Factory still have the confidence to choose carefully.

Teacher Chang's performance of "Mulan" officially began on the stage, and the audience gradually quieted down.

Wu Zhengrong nodded slightly, indicating that he had listened to her words.

Ye Manzhi didn't say anything more.

Dr. Wu is not a warm-hearted person, but he always completes the tasks assigned by the organization excellently.

Therefore, Deputy Secretary Xiao Ye still trusts him very much.

Sure enough, Wu Zhengrong lived up to her expectations and called her the morning after the performance.

There are 14 unmarried homosexuals in the 1062 Institute, 11 men and 3 women, 11 of whom voluntarily signed up to participate in the social activities.

There were three other male comrades who were fully focused on their work and had no plans to date or get married. After being scolded by Director Jiang, they finally realized the importance of family and voluntarily signed up to participate.

Ye Manzhi suppressed a smile and thanked Wu, and asked him to convey his gratitude to Director Jiang.

After hanging up the phone, she sat there and laughed for a while.

I didn’t expect there are so many bachelors in the research institute.

*

When Ye Manzhi went to the cafeteria to have lunch at noon, he saw Qu Zhiyin and told her that unmarried comrades from the military research institute would also participate in the social gathering.

"Chairman Qu, our Shuguang Factory has just transitioned from military to civilian use, and many organizations don't know much about us yet. This time, let's make the social gathering more lively and connect with more organizations. On the one hand, this will help young people find partners, and on the other hand, it will showcase Shuguang Factory's strength to the outside world."

Qu Zhiyin said happily, "That's great! I'll quickly organize some people to clean up the Cultural Palace and set up the venue!"

"Yes, if we want to do it, we should do it well. If you need money, just come to me directly and don't bother Director Lei."

"Haha, okay."

Old Lei now wishes he could split every penny into two. The young secretary of the union nicknamed him "Lei Pixiu" because he can only have income but not expenses.

Lei Wanyuan, who was being privately muttered by the two female comrades, came over with a lunch box and said to Ye Manzhi, "Director Ye, I have to go to the Zhongjiang District in the next few days. Please keep an eye on the factory."

"No problem." Ye Manzhi, who had just been talking behind someone's back, smiled guiltily and took the initiative to ask, "Director, what are you doing in Zhongjiang?"

Lei Wanyuan said: "I asked someone to contact a machinery factory in Zhongjiang District. They have several Jiefang brand 5-ton trucks that may be for sale."

"This Jiefang brand car has only been used for ten years at most. Why are you selling it after only ten years?"

Ye Manzhi sighed in her heart that other people were too well off.

The Jiefang brand was put into production in 1956, and even the oldest batch of cars are only ten years old.

Such a car can still be used in the factory.

Lei Wanyuan guessed, "I guess they want to get a better car. I'll go to Zhongjiang District first to check out the condition of the cars and get our fleet back on track as soon as possible."

Speaking of the Shuguang Factory's fleet, it really makes me shed a tear of bitterness.

At its peak, the factory had more than 20 trucks and the transportation department was responsible for 40 drivers!

That long line of trucks lines up in and out of the factory all day long, it's so impressive!

Unfortunately, when Factory 833 left, it had to use trucks to transport the equipment and took the convoy away as well.

Only a broken car was left for the Shuguang Factory.

Ye Manzhi agreed, "Our factory really needs to buy a car as soon as possible. The jam factory has finished recruiting and training the workers, and we can start work right away. The orchard doesn't have any trucks, so we need to use our own car to transport the fruit."

Lei Wanyuan slapped his forehead and said, "Forget about the jam factory. Our factory's fleet needs at least five vehicles to operate normally, and we have to purchase four more."

The other three deputy factory directors are mainly responsible for technology and workshop production, and each of them is in charge of a specific area of ​​work.

The tasks of external contacts, raising money, and purchasing cars and equipment still fell on the shoulders of Lei Wanyuan and Ye Manzhi.

*

After the beginning of spring, the weather gradually warmed up. After lunch, Ye Manzhi strolled around the factory.

Wondering where I could get some money from.

If Director Lei really reaches an agreement with the machinery factory, they must pay the purchase price as soon as possible.

Many factories are rushing to buy this kind of second-hand truck that is still usable!

Seeing that she was going further and further away, Zhou Ruyi reminded her, "Director, that's an empty factory building over there. There's no equipment and no workers. Let's not go there."

This factory is too big. It’s okay when there are people around, but the empty factory buildings and corridors make her feel uneasy.

Ye Manzhi looked at the silent factory and muttered, "I don't know when these empty factories will be filled. They are useless and can't be sold. People have to be sent to guard and maintain them. Assets are being lost every minute."

Zhou Ruyi consoled him, "Factories develop slowly. The food factory was quite spacious back then, but after a series of mergers with other factories in recent years, the empty space is now completely filled."

The two men turned around and walked towards the factory headquarters.

Ye Manzhi mentioned the social gathering to her and said with a smile, "The female employees in our factory don't have trouble finding a husband. There might be more than one social gathering this time, and there will be many unmarried comrades from the unit. You can go to a few of them and see if there's anyone you like."

Zhou Ruyi is not young anymore, and she is not shy about talking about marriage like an unmarried girl. She speaks frankly, "I was anxious to find a partner before because my family was short of space, and I wanted to make room for my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. But our factory allocated me a house, and now I have a place to live. In fact, I am not in a hurry to get married anymore. I can take my time to find a good one."

Ye Manzhi asked, "Many female employees in our factory share the same idea as you, right?"

"Almost the same," Zhou Ruyi said. "My two neighbors next door are also unmarried lesbians. They used to assemble semi-automatic rifles in a workshop. They had a good salary. Although they weren't married, they bought bicycles, watches, and radios. They lived a happy life."

"Hahaha, that's not bad! I was saying that the young people in our factory are very competitive."

Ye Manzhi strolled around the factory for an hour.

After returning to the office, she said to Zhou Ruyi, "Ruyi, please help me find out how many unmarried men in our factory buy the Three Turns and One Ring. You don't have to ask them one by one, just get a rough idea."

Zhou Ruyi didn't know what she meant, but nodded and said, "I'll go back to my family compound and ask the neighborhood committee director and group leaders what the young people in each family are like. Who has a bicycle? Who has a sewing machine? They know better than the union!"

Secretary Xiao Zhou acted quickly and went back to the family compound to inquire about the situation with professionals.

It only took one night to make a rough statistical table.

After Ye Manzhi carefully read it, he took the statistical table and went to Lei Wanyuan's office.

Lei Wanyuan was preparing to leave for Zhongjiang District and had already put on his coat.

"Director Lei, how much does it cost to buy a car at Zhongjiang Machinery Factory?" Ye Manzhi asked.

"You should be able to get a bigger discount on this used car. Try to get it for under 30,000."

Ye Manzhi handed him the statistical table. "I've thought about it carefully. The factory doesn't have anything to monetize. Apart from renting out the family compound, we can only rely on selling products. But we only have toy guns officially on the market right now, and the factory price is less than two yuan. It's unrealistic to expect to buy a car with them."

Lei Wanyuan asked, "What does Director Ye think?"

"The air gun is still in the trial production stage, but the electric fan has been successfully trial-produced. As long as it passes the review, it can be put on the market for trial sales." Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "But even if the electric fan is put in the store, it may not usher in explosive sales like the three-turn and one-ring."

"Well, electric fans are priced higher. For the same price, consumers may prefer the one with three turns and one ring."

"Yes, so I think it's better to seize the opportunities that are right here than to rely on trial sales or export markets," Ye Manzhi said. "Unmarried employees at our factory own their own homes, receive high salaries, and enjoy good benefits. They have virtually no worries, so their living conditions are actually better than those of employees at other factories."

"Many people buy bicycles and radios before getting married, showing their considerable spending power. The factory is organizing a social gathering soon, and to show support for these young people, I think we should offer some discounts. For example, during the trial sales period for electric fans, unmarried employees can purchase one at the factory price. The difference between the factory price and the retail price in stores is 60 or 70 yuan, so some employees might consider purchasing betrothal gifts or dowries in advance."