Chapter 232

Tian Chunshan looked at the leaf-covered branches and it took him a long time to utter a word.

"Director Ye, you're exaggerating! How can a factory with only a few hundred employees be considered a large-scale state-owned food factory?"

If you don’t know, you might think that Lihua Food Factory is a large factory with thousands of employees.

"Haha, the Lihua factory has about 300 people," Ye Manzhi revealed, "but after the reconstruction, they'll definitely expand. Director Yu of their factory wants to produce malted milk and chocolate to fill the gaps in Binjiang in these areas. Even if Tonglan County were to have a large factory with several thousand employees, you wouldn't be able to handle it!"

Tian Chunshan shook his head and sighed, "Now the whole county is hoping to build a second Shuguang Factory like Anyang County did!"

Ye Manzhi was surprised and asked, "Your county wants to develop the electronics industry?"

"Of course I would. I see Shuguang Factory is making money."

Ye Manzhi: “…”

This is really like wanting to run before even learning to walk.

The Shuguang Factory had a twenty-year foundation and had accumulated a large amount of capital through export trade, so it started to produce televisions little by little.

Tonglan County has no technology, no talent, and no funds. Isn’t this too ambitious?

She could only ask, "Have you secured project funding from the province or city?"

"If there really was funding, surely the Light Industry Bureau wouldn't be unaware of it!" Tian Chunshan pointed to his head. "Only when I got to the county did I realize their minds were different from ours."

Tian Chunshan fought for this position himself, so he doesn't regret it.

But there is still a psychological gap.

When we were at Shuguang Factory, everyone worked together and focused on production.

Lei Wanyuan and Ye Manzhi, the two top leaders, are able to keep the situation stable, and there are no troublesome intrigues in the factory.

However, things got worse when we arrived in Tonglan County.

My goodness, it's like falling into a fox den, there's no peace and quiet every day.

He has been in Tonglan County for several months, but he has not even spent half of his time actually working on industrial projects.

In front of Ye Manzhi, Tian Chunshan said bluntly, "Director Qian is a new official and has put all his efforts into industrial development, but..."

"Isn't this good?"

"Director Qian is very ambitious and wants to completely change the backwardness of Tonglan County's industry. That's why he wants to launch a large project." Tian Chunshan said with a wry smile, "If you say that the Lihua Factory is a large factory with 3,000 employees, then we must get this project even if it means starving ourselves. But, a small factory with only 300 employees, haha..."

The situation at the Lihua factory is that there is nothing there except people.

After these people come to Tonglan County, Tonglan County will fund the construction of factories and dormitories.

However, Lihua Factory is a municipal enterprise and its profits must be turned over to the city.

The effort and reward are not proportional, so the county will not pay for it.

Ye Manzhi nodded in understanding. "Your county will indeed suffer a loss in rebuilding the Lihua factory. But let's take a long-term view. The Lihua factory plans to produce steamed buns, cakes, snacks, and later malted milk and chocolate."

"Just like the county motor factory can supply the Shuguang factory, Tonglan County can also set up flour mills, oil mills, sugar mills, milk powder factories, packaging plants, canning plants, and so on, based on the raw materials needed by the Lihua factory."

"We've all worked in the corporate world, and we know you can't get rich overnight. You have to do it bit by bit!"

Tian Chunshan followed her words and imagined this grand blueprint.

From his heart, of course he wanted to take over the Leverh Factory.

As Ye Manzhi said, the food factory is indeed highly compatible with Tonglan County. If these supporting factories are truly developed, the industry of Tonglan County will be revitalized.

But why does Qian Qingsong want to launch such a big project?

Because big projects produce results quickly!

As long as the project is approved, it will be a visible achievement.

Developing the food industry is a long process and may take three to five years or even seven to eight years to achieve scale.

By then, Director Qian might have already left Tonglan County.

Tian Chunshan said tactfully, "Director Qian is from Tonglan County. He worked his way up from the commune and is very prestigious in the county."

This means that Qian Qingsong holds the final say in the county revolutionary committee, and taking over the Lihua factory depends on his attitude.

Ye Manzhi understood and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll talk to Director Qian later."

The Tonglan County Revolutionary Committee has nine members. Tian Chunshan is a newcomer and ranks low, so he really has no decision-making power on such a major issue.

Ye Manzhi didn't mention it again. She called the three people she brought with her and went to inspect several factories in Tonglan County.

In addition to the agricultural machinery factory, there are machinery repair factories or hardware parts factories. The largest enterprise is the county cotton mill, which has more than 700 employees.

Of course there are food processing factories, but the number of employees is less than a hundred, and most of them are collective enterprises run by communes.

Since there was really nothing to see, the group completed the inspection in just one morning.

There is more than enough time to go back to the county party committee canteen for lunch.

Qian Qingsong specially prepared lunch, as he was full of expectations for Ye Manyi's investigation this time.

However, after listening to her talk about the situation at the Leverh Factory at the dinner table, Qian Qingsong could not hide his disappointment.

Just as Tian Chunshan expected, he felt that the scale of the Lihua factory was too small and would not be able to boost Tonglan County's industry in the next two or three years.

Tonglan County also has to invest in building a factory for this municipal enterprise.

This is not the way to be a sucker!

If they want to build a food factory, their county can completely build one on its own, and then the profits and taxes can pass through the county.

There is no need to make wedding clothes for others.

He was not happy about it, but Ye Manzhi was the leader of the Municipal Light Industry Bureau. In the future, when the county needed projects or funds, it would inevitably have to deal with Ye Manzhi, so he said cheerfully: "Director Ye, your proposal is very good. If conditions permit, our county is also willing to take over the Lihua Factory. After all, they have the technology and the formula, and they can start production right away. But..."

Ye Manzhi knew that he would not agree easily, so she waited patiently for the other party to finish his words.

Qian Qingsong said, "Lihua currently has only 300 employees, and some will undoubtedly be unwilling to move from the city to the county seat. Ultimately, only 200 people may be able to come to Tonglan County. This is too small. If the county really built a flour mill, oil press, and packaging plant, and relied solely on supplying Lihua, it might not last long."

"As long as you build the factory, your superiors will naturally assign production tasks to the factory. You don't need to worry about that."

This is the advantage of a planned economy. Factories don’t have to worry about sales and can just produce according to plan.

Qian Qingsong showed a look of hesitation and said hesitantly: "The county's finances have been tight in the past two years. Building a factory for Lihua is no small matter. I need to discuss it with my comrades."

Ye Manzhi sighed silently. It seemed that it would not be feasible to place the Lihua factory in Tonglan County.

Qian Qingsong's attitude is almost equivalent to lack of support.

Sure enough, three days after the investigation in Tonglan County ended, Tian Chunshan called her.

The food factory project was not passed at the Standing Committee meeting. Among the nine Standing Committee members, five were against, three were in favor, and one abstained.

*

Even Tonglan County, which is in the most urgent need of industrial development, is unwilling to take over the Lihua factory, so other counties will be in trouble.

While contacting Xinyi County, the second-to-last industrial county, Ye Manzhi was thinking about other ways to solve the problem of the Lihua Factory.

That morning, near lunch time, Ye Manzhi received a call from the security guard.

It was said that there was a comrade named Ye Shouxin at the door looking for her.

“…”

Ye Manzhi quickly put down the receiver and trotted to the gate.

"Dad, why are you here?"

Ye Shouxin held the net bag in one hand and put the other hand behind his back, raised his chin and said, "My daughter is now the director of the Light Industry Bureau, so I must come and see her!"

The last time Chang Yue'e came, she went home and boasted to him about it.

She said her daughter was sitting in a large sunny office with a row of flowers on the windowsill.

There are sofas and coffee tables in the office, and there is a secretary's office outside.

As impressive as the leaders of Factory 656!

Chang Yue'e talked about it during the day and at night, and her constant nagging made Ye Shouxin feel itchy.

Anyway, he is a retired man and has nothing to do during the day, so he came to his daughter's workplace for an on-site inspection!

Ye Shouxin did not come empty-handed. As soon as he entered the office, he put an enamel basin on the table.

"Hey, your mother made some chicken soup. Let me bring it to you to nourish your body."

Ye Manzhi peeled off seven or eight layers of towels and clothes and took out the still hot enamel basin.

As soon as the lid is opened, the room is filled with fragrance.

"You only sent it to me? You didn't send it to my eldest sister, second sister, fourth brother, and fifth brother? Then you two are a bit snobbish, only making chicken soup for the director's daughter."

Ye Shouxin taunted, "We used to always deliver food to your elder and second sisters, but they all worked in the city. You're so far away in Anyang County, so we wouldn't go so far to deliver food. Now that you're working in the city, we'll let you take advantage of us."

The old couple both have pensions and have nothing to do at home, so they spend all day thinking about food.

When you make something delicious, give some to your children.

Ye Manzhi glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost lunchtime. Why don't you eat in our office cafeteria today?"

"No, my family has cooked my meal, I have to go back and eat."

Ye Shouxin stood with his hands behind his back, looking around his daughter's office, taking note of all the details, and nodded seriously.

This time I really broadened my horizons and saw what the director's office looks like.

He looked at Ye Lai Ya who was drinking chicken soup with a pout. This director had no style and was like a child.

Ye Manzhi enthusiastically asked her father to eat in the company cafeteria, but Old Ye was very principled, "Your mother didn't eat in the cafeteria last time. If I eat, she will definitely be unhappy."

"Haha, then you two can come together next time." Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "There are fish and meat every Wednesday, so come on Wednesday."

She grabbed a few shrimp candies and put them into Lao Ye's shirt pocket, and sent the man out the door as he was in a hurry to go home for dinner.

When he returned to the office again, Xi Yingchun followed him in.

After reciting his speech several times, Xi Yingchun whispered, "Director, Director Zhang and Director He have received directors from several factories in the past few days."

Ye Manzhi took a sip of water and asked, "Which factories are they from?"

Xi Yingchun told all the information she had written down.

She was a little nervous about being the secretary of the new director.

She used to be a worker at the county paper mill. She was recommended by her unit to go to university for two years and became a member of the first batch of workers, peasants and soldiers college students.

After graduating from university, he returned to his original unit and worked there for half a year. He was then seconded to the production command center of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, where he worked in the enterprise management group for more than two years.

When the Municipal Light Industry Bureau was established, she was assigned to the Enterprise Management Section of the Bureau.

Unexpectedly, after just three days on the job, I was transferred to the office and became the secretary of the new director.

There are few female leaders, and there are even fewer opportunities to serve as secretaries to female leaders!

Xi Yingchun was stunned by this opportunity and couldn't understand why the leader chose her.

It was Section Chief Chen Teye who reminded her that Director Ye did not choose the college students in the office, but chose someone from the Enterprise Management Section, which must have a deeper meaning.

Only then did Xi Yingchun realize that her two years in the Municipal Revolutionary Committee were not in vain. Although she could not say that she was 100% knowledgeable, she did know the conditions and leaders of 70% of the enterprises in the city.

At this moment, she was reporting to her leader based on her own guesses.

After listening to her introduction, Ye Manzhi paused for a moment and said, "Yingchun, have the office send out a notice. All bureau leaders and department heads will hold a meeting tomorrow morning. Both section chiefs and deputy section chiefs must attend."

The Light Industry Bureau has a total of four deputy directors, among whom Zhang Baineng and He Bineng were transferred from the Municipal Revolutionary Committee.

These two "great talents" are candidates for director who have been examined by the organization.

Especially He Bineng, who has been working in the production command center and has a very high voice in becoming the director.

So, when she snatched the position of director, it surprised many people.

These two capable people both worked in the Revolutionary Committee. Logically, the handover procedures should have been quick, but Zhang Baineng was the first to report to the bureau, and He Bineng was the last one.

Ye Manzhi knew that the four deputy directors had extensive experience and strong connections, and that they might not necessarily believe her.

She originally planned to deal with the Leverhash factory first.

However, after listening to Xi Yingchun's report, she felt that the work had to be arranged as soon as possible and could not be delayed any longer.

*

After the Light Industry Bureau was established, it only organized one general cadre meeting to look forward to the future of light industry, but did not discuss specific work arrangements.

This time the director and department heads held a meeting together, which made many people look forward to the new director's arrangements.

Ye Manzhi is well-known, but most people have never worked with her and don't have any real experience of her.

The meeting started at 10 o'clock, and Ye Manzhi arrived at 9:45.

She entered the conference room at the same time as two other deputy directors - Song Hongjun and Lan Hai.

I sat down and started chatting with several section chiefs nearby, asking them how their housing was arranged, how they commuted to and from get off work, and what performances were going to be held on Labor Day.

Anyway, we had a lively chat.

Only after Deputy Director He Bineng finally arrived and took his seat did she smile and announce the start of the meeting.

"Our Light Industry Bureau has just been established, and the burden on all of you is quite heavy, so I'll keep this short."

"Binjiang is a large industrial city, and heavy and light industries have always developed in parallel. But the city didn't establish a Heavy Industry Bureau, but established a Light Industry Bureau first. Have you ever thought about the reason?"

Everyone: “…”

There is nothing to think about. Just set it up if the leader tells you to.

Ye Manzhi said seriously, "Over the years, we have consistently responded to Comrade Chairman's supreme directive of 'grasping revolution and promoting production,' focusing on revolution on one hand and promoting production on the other, and our industrial output has steadily increased. However, in 1972, the total industrial output value of Binjiang's light industry system was 3.01 billion, while that of Dehua Special District was 2.26 billion. In 1973, Binjiang's was 3.26 billion, while that of Dehua Special District was 2.58 billion. In 1974, Binjiang's was 3.44 billion, while that of Dehua Special District was 3 billion."

"Since last year, Binjiang is no longer the only region in the province to have broken the 3 billion mark. Dehua District has also appeared in the '3 billion' column!"

As soon as she finished speaking, people in the conference room started whispering to each other.

Except for a few fixed departments, other departments actually don’t care about this kind of economic data.

Especially in government agencies, more emphasis is placed on improving ideological and political awareness, and many people do not care who is among the "3 billion".

Anyway, Binjiang has always had the best industrial development in the province.

However, after hearing the data listed by Ye Manzhi, everyone felt a sense of urgency that something was wrong.

Why do I feel like Dehua is about to overtake us?

Ye Manzhi asked, "Both of them are promoting revolution and promoting production. Dehua has grown by 740 million yuan in three years, and Binjiang has grown by 430 million yuan in three years. What's the gap between us and them?"

“…”

No one answered.

Ye Manzhi called on him and asked, "Director Zhang, you've been working in the Municipal Revolutionary Committee and have also been fighting in our industrial system. What do you think is the gap?"

"..." Zhang Baineng thought for a moment and said, "There may be many reasons. We need to conduct a thorough investigation of the company."

Ye Manzhi nodded and looked at another powerful person, He Bineng. "Director He, you are also an expert on the industrial system. What do you think?"

Why don’t you know when you become a “know-it-all”?

But in front of all the cadres, he could only say: "Without investigation, we have no right to speak. If we want to find the gaps, we still have to conduct a thorough investigation of the enterprises."

Ye Manzhi then asked the other two deputy directors, and after receiving a unanimous response, she smiled and said, "Since everyone agrees that we should conduct a comprehensive survey of all light industrial enterprises in the city, then let's do it. However, I believe this survey must be truthful and rigorous. We can't just believe whatever data the enterprises provide."

Some companies pay more attention to "grasping the revolution", so the economic data are not updated for several years.

"As everyone knows, I rose through the ranks and worked in several units. Our grassroots units have always believed in 'cadres and intellectuals must integrate with the masses of workers and peasants.' When I was working at the No. 1 Food Factory and Shuguang Factory, I worked in the workshops almost every day to truly understand the conditions on the production front."

"So, I think our bureau should also learn from this advanced experience. Instead of waiting for companies to come to the office to report on their work, we should take the initiative to go to the production lines, understand the companies' real situations, and clearly understand what they need." Ye Manzhi looked around the conference room and asked, "Does anyone have a different opinion?"

Dear Deputy Directors and Section Chiefs: "..."

You already have the high ground.

Who dares to say that it is wrong to unite with the masses of workers and peasants?

So, the two powerful people took the initiative to express their support.

Song Hongjun and Lan Hai followed suit and said, of course we have to support this kind of thing!

No one in the meeting room objected, so Ye Manzhi clapped his hands and said, "Since everyone agrees, let's go deep into the production lines this time to conduct a thorough investigation. Including me, each director will be responsible for a light industry sector and select at least ten companies within the sector for investigation. The section chief and deputy section chief of each department must send at least one person to be responsible for the investigation of a specific industry."

She didn't leave anyone time to discuss, and quickly cut the Gordian knot by assigning everyone their own responsibilities.

Zhang Baineng is in charge of the papermaking industry.

Why can be responsible for the fermentation industry.

Song Hongjun is in charge of light industrial machinery.

Lan Hai is in charge of daily chemicals.

Each department is responsible for its own industry. Ye Manzhi also has to worry about the Lihua factory, so she is responsible for food and military industry support.

Xi Yingchun, who was sitting at the back of the conference room taking notes, said: "..."

Several deputy directors had their own division of labor, but without exception, they all avoided the corporate leaders who had previously reported to them!

Ye Manzhi was unaware of her secretary's amazement. After completing the division of work, she smiled and said, "In addition to basic data, this survey will also focus on several key points."

The section chiefs who had just received their assignments quickly took up their pens to take notes.

"First, of course, we must focus on revolution, that is, the ideological and political learning situation in each unit."

The Light Industry Bureau must produce results before the end of the year and give the city an explanation.

Time is tight and the task is heavy. If there are any particularly noisy companies, Ye Manzhi will choose to bypass them temporarily and not waste too much energy on them.

“Secondly, we need to understand the actual inventory of each factory and check the backlog of products.”

"Third, we need to find out the proportion of skilled workers in each factory. How many are junior workers, how many are mid-level workers, and how many are senior workers like level seven and level eight."

"Fourth, the service life and depreciation of each factory's main production equipment."

"fifth……"

“…”

"The office will give everyone a form with the same format. Just fill it out..."

Ye Manzhi blah blah blah, mentioned seven or eight points of attention, and then conveniently announced the adjournment of the meeting.

Chen Teye subconsciously glanced at his watch. He had completed the work deployment in 20 minutes. His work efficiency was indeed very high.

If this happened at the production command center, it would take an entire afternoon to talk about this!

*

All directors and section chiefs were assigned tasks. Except for the necessary staff, most people in the agency had to go to the production line to conduct research.

Regardless of whether the deputy directors are happy about it or not, this is the first task in the new unit, and everyone has targets.

If the task is not completed well, you will make a fool of yourself at the summary meeting.

Some company leaders even wanted to go to the Light Industry Bureau to pay their respects, but seeing this situation, they just had to wait for the leaders to come to the factory.

Production cannot stop, the factory has to do a thorough cleaning, there is a lot to do!

After Ye Manzhi assigned the tasks, he took the lead in conducting research at the enterprise.

According to her plan, she would inspect all the city-owned food factories, and if she had time, she would also visit the food factories in various districts and counties.

After being busy for half a month, on the first weekend of May, she received a call from Xia Zhuyun.

Fang Zhiran returned to the city from the production team to visit her relatives, and Director Xia invited her to his home for dinner.

Ye Manyi gladly accepted the invitation and even brought her daughter along to the appointment.

Wu Yuzhuo and Qiqiu go to their rural hometown every year to spend their winter and summer vacations.

So, she knew Fang Zhiran, and as soon as she entered the door, she smiled and called out "Sister Zhiran".

"Come in!" Fang Zhiran put his arm around the little girl's shoulders and enthusiastically invited her in. "We just bought a TV at home, and I don't know how to use it yet. Come over and help me take a look!"

Wu Yuzhuo had disassembled her great-grandfather's TV several times and was no longer unfamiliar with televisions.

So he held hands with Fang Zhiran and went to study the TV together.

Ye Manzhi rolled up his sleeves and took the initiative to go into the kitchen to help.

The sweet and sour spareribs had just come out of the pot, and Xia Zhujun asked her to taste a piece first. "How is it?"

Ye Manzhi took a bite, hissed and gave a thumbs up, "Delicious!"

Director Xia’s cooking skills are really good!

One of them is responsible for cooking and the other is responsible for cutting vegetables.

Xia Zhujun took the time to ask, "How are you doing at the Light Industry Bureau lately? Have you found a place with the Lihua Food Factory?"

"Even the provincial bureau knows about the Lihua factory?" Ye Manzhi asked in surprise.

"Their Revolutionary Committee director has come to the provincial bureau several times."

Ye Manzhi: “…”

This Yu Gongpu is really troublesome.

"The problem with the Lihua factory has not yet been resolved, but I've recently been surveying food processing plants across the city and have discovered quite a few problems."

"Well, tell me about it."

As Ye Manzhi cut cucumbers, she said, "Most of Binjiang's food factories were established in the 1940s and 1950s. Back then, urban planning wasn't a big deal; anyone with a plot of land could build a factory. Therefore, many of the old factories are located in side streets, alleys, and residential areas."

"This has been a chronic problem for years," Xia Zhuyun said. "Ten years ago, many people wrote to us complaining about small factories in residential areas."

Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Yes, my first job at our Industry Department was to answer letters from the people. There were indeed quite a few complaints at the time. But the factories were all doing well at the time, and our provincial department couldn't just shut them down."

"Um."

"I recently conducted research and discovered that small factories in residential areas are significantly impacted by the environment. Two food factories have long needed to expand their production, but they are surrounded by residential areas, so they can't expand. Many promising new projects have been abandoned due to site constraints."

Xia Zhuyun waved a spatula and said, "I also discovered this problem when I went to Zhongjiang District for research last year."

"Yes, I felt it was a pity at the time," Ye Manzhi continued. "There's also a Hui Muslim Food Factory in Binjiang, which is also quite troublesome. It's the only Hui Muslim food company in Binjiang, and due to space constraints, the Hui and Han Muslim canteens are located in the same place, and pork enters and exits through the same gate. This food factory has been designated as an open-to-the-international enterprise, and foreign guests occasionally visit, which is very unseemly and undermines our ethnic policy."

“…”

Ye Manzhi paused, leaned against the stove, and said, "Director Xia, I have an idea that I haven't discussed with the city yet. Could you please give it some thought first? Is it feasible?"

"You speak first."

"The province currently has restrictions on new factory construction in cities. Aside from expansion within existing sites, companies are not allowed to occupy new urban land. It's difficult for these factories to expand within Binjiang City, so I want to relocate them, along with the Lihua factory, to the suburbs and create a food industry park."

Xia Zhujun also stopped, looked at her and asked, "How did you come up with this idea?"

Ye Manzhi thought to himself, he was forced to do this!

For the Lihua factory, she contacted three counties, but was rejected without exception.

Ye Manzhi felt a little frustrated as the director.

When she was in the company, she had to beg everyone for help. Now that she is the director, why does she still have to beg others for help?

So she changed her mind and planned to build a food industrial park.

Such a large project is a shining achievement no matter which county it is located in.

The little money invested in the Leverh factory is actually nothing.

Then she will be able to turn the passive situation into active one and reject those county leaders!

Let her show off her authority as a director, hehe!