"It's from Fanghua Company, Brother Shisheng. You can familiarize yourself with the process at the No. 2 Garment Factory first. I'll talk to Factory Director Yang and have you go with the trucks first. The No. 2 Garment Factory has two small trucks. You can help move things. Fanghua Company doesn't have any trucks right now. Later, when the store opens, you can go with them to arrange freight. I'll explain everything clearly."
Chen Xihua explained that, seeing that Brother Shisheng had no more questions, she then asked Zhang Anmin, "Uncle Zhang, are you sure you want to go back to Gaoyang County with me?"
"Yes, my family is all in Zhangjia Village, and Xiao Wu, didn't you say that you would also open a garment factory in Gaoyang County later?"
Uncle Zhang answered with certainty that he was already over forty years old. Now his elderly parents were getting old and his children were in school. His wife would have a hard time staying at home alone. If they were in Gaoyang County, he could go home to visit every day. But once he moved to the provincial capital, he might not be able to go home for half a year or even a month.
“Okay, Uncle Zhang, it’s alright. The workshop needs you too. So it’s settled then. Sister Wang, you’ll be in charge of the provincial capital store. I’ll have my older sister transfer the rent and renovation costs to you when I get back. Just leave me your account number.”
"I'm going back tomorrow morning, and I'll try to open one store by early September!" Chen Xihua only considered it for a moment before deciding to use her own money to open the store.
The No. 2 garment factory also needs to purchase raw materials such as fabric, which will likely present difficulties. Don't put all the pressure on them. Keep 20,000 of the 80,000 in the workshop, and transfer the remaining 60,000 here. The store needs to pay six months' rent upfront, plus renovation costs; that should just be enough.
"Okay, Little Fifth Sister, are you going back tomorrow? So soon! I wanted to take you shopping! Don't worry, I'll definitely handle the things you entrusted to me perfectly!" Wang Ying was a little reluctant at first, but she quickly put that aside and confidently reassured Chen Xihua that Little Fifth Sister was going back to school and she would do her job well.
"Sister Wang, I believe in you! Thank you for your hard work!" Chen Xihua was in a good mood. Wang Ying grew up in the provincial capital and had more experience. She had also set up a street stall and opened a store. She was confident and did not show any timidity when she heard Chen Xihua say that she was in charge of the store. On the contrary, she was excited and eager to make a big splash. This was much better than Sister Xiaolan's mentality.
However, Chen Xihua believes that Xiao Lan will gradually improve, as she is eager to learn and has great perseverance.
Chen Xihua and the other three found a small restaurant near Zhongxing Commercial Street for a meal. Wang Ying had originally invited Chen Xihua to her home, but Chen Xihua declined.
Today's meeting with Grandpa Wang wasn't very pleasant. He probably doesn't want to see me again so soon, and Chen Xihua doesn't have much money right now to buy souvenirs, so it's even more inappropriate to come empty-handed.
The next morning, Chen Xihua and the other two checked out of their hotel room and took a taxi to the No. 2 Garment Factory.
"Good morning, Director Yang!" Director Yang was heading to the workshop from his office. Chen Xihua and the other two greeted him and followed him to the workshop. She also wanted to see how the workers were doing that day.
"Little Fifth Sister, you've arrived!" Yesterday afternoon, Factory Director Yang had someone buy a small portion of the raw fabric, and this morning we officially started making Fanghua's clothing.
Chen Xihua requested that small red and black '5+1' oval patterns be sewn onto the collar, sleeves, and waistbands of every garment. He was worried that the workers might make mistakes at first, so he went to the workshop to keep an eye on them.
Upon entering the workshop, it was already bustling with activity, the workers' faces filled with excitement. At that moment, a woman around forty years old, presumably the team leader, stood up from the leftmost row of workstations near the workshop entrance and spoke loudly and passionately:
"Director Yang said that the factory can now produce a large quantity of clothing again. In addition to the twelve pieces of clothing per day, we will earn 50 cents for each extra piece we make. Everyone, keep up the good work! Xiao Liu, if you work even faster, you might be able to make eight more pieces a day, which would be four yuan. That means you can earn an extra hundred yuan a month!"
"Is it true, Sister Wu?" At this moment, a female employee with a somewhat thin figure asked, her voice trembling with excitement.
She is Xiaoliu, in her thirties. Her husband passed away unexpectedly before the Lunar New Year, leaving behind two young children and elderly parents-in-law. She is the only one who can support the family.
A while ago, there was a lot of panic in the factory, with rumors that the garment factory was going to go out of business. She was very worried about being laid off; without a job, there would be no money. Even though the factory was doing poorly before, she still received a salary of three or four hundred yuan a month. But if the garment factory went out of business or changed owners, she didn't know if she could continue to do this job.
"Wow, really? You're so lucky, Xiao Liu! I can only make a maximum of sixteen pieces a day, maybe four more." A slightly chubby female worker next to Xiao Liu said with a smile. She knew about Xiao Liu's family's difficulties, but they could only comfort her verbally and couldn't really help her. Now, things are better. The No. 2 Garment Factory has returned to normal, and the monthly salary is even higher. Her round face beamed with a bright smile.
"Xiao Cui is the same; she gets an extra hundred or so yuan a month, so at least her family will be better off!"
"besides...."
Chen Xihua paused at the door for a few minutes, watching Director Yang continue walking inside. Suddenly, she felt there was no need to go in any further; this was fine as it was.
She vaguely heard several female workers nearby whispering about Xiao Liu, Xiao Cui, and a few others who were also facing difficulties, discussing their family situations, etc. She was happy that she could help them in a little way.
During the transition period of system reform, there may be some reasons that cause a small number of people to slack off, but this is not a static situation. As long as the incentive plan is well done, everyone's desire to make money remains unchanged, and their simple and hardworking spirit remains unchanged as well.
However, Chen Xihua also discovered a problem: the workshop wasn't exactly a pure assembly line production line. Each garment, from scratch to finished product, was handled by one person. Of course, they didn't finish one garment before moving on to the next; instead, they would sew a dozen or twenty garments at a time for the same step before moving on to the next.
Since it's not a fully automated assembly line, the current method of separating the sewing process into individual steps has already improved efficiency. In the future, with fully automated equipment, each person would only be responsible for one step, and each person could produce three to five hundred pieces per day.
Chen Xihua waited for Director Yang at the workshop entrance for less than half an hour at the No. 2 Garment Factory. "Director Yang, your efficiency is amazing! Thank you so much. I'm going back to Gaoyang County soon. I'll have to trouble you with Brother Shisheng. Please make arrangements for him!"
"Hello, Director Yang, I can do anything!" Li Shisheng immediately stepped forward and looked at Director Yang sincerely.
"Okay, Miss Wu, don't worry! He's probably busy with the store renovations first, so I won't assign him any tasks. Li Shisheng, right? You can stay with He Quan, the truck driver from our No. 2 Garment Factory. He drives the truck parked at the factory gate. His dormitory is a double room, but there's only one person there right now, so you can stay with him!" Factory Director Yang responsibly arranged Li Shisheng's accommodation.
"Thank you for your help, Director Yang!" After thanking the man, Chen Xihua and Uncle Zhang took a taxi to the bus station to catch a long-distance bus back to Gaoyang County. The bus tickets were for 12:30 pm, and they would arrive in Gaoyang County around 8 pm.
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