Chapter 63 Exclusive Opportunity on Jinjiang
As soon as Su Ruyi left, Zeng Guoqin quickly announced the news, telling those who were going to take the test to prepare.
Su Ruyi allocated thirty spots, and the textile factory selected fifty people to participate. The elimination rate was relatively high, so even if someone was eliminated, having so many people with them wouldn't be too awkward.
This decision was made after some discussion. Initially, the plan was to send thirty people over. Some textile factory leaders still held a rather arrogant attitude, feeling that sending their factory's employees over would be considered a demotion, and that a small private enterprise should be grateful to have such employees, and had no right to be picky.
Zeng Guoqin and some others who had visited factories in the south strongly opposed the move, saying that private enterprises had much higher requirements than state-owned enterprises like theirs. If they didn't perform well, they would lose money from their own pockets. They would not give workers any chance to slack off, and those who were not capable would be eliminated.
Whoever has more money can afford to employ a worker who cannot bring economic benefits. Private enterprises select the best candidates and can dismiss unqualified workers at any time.
The factory workers are used to the "iron rice bowl" system. Although they strive to be outstanding, only a minority are truly proactive. Most just coast along, knowing they won't be fired anyway.
If they send out thirty people and the recruitment doesn't reach the target, Su Ruyi won't give them a second chance to be assessed.
This was also a requirement that Su Ruyi had previously made: she would only conduct one assessment, and then she would independently recruit workers who would actually belong to her factory.
Moreover, quite a few people applied to the factory, all saying that they had difficulties at home and hoped the factory could help them solve them.
This is an opportunity for these people. If you don't live up to expectations and aren't selected, then it's not the factory's responsibility.
Therefore, the textile factory decided to send fifty people to participate in the assessment, so that those who were eliminated would not feel too embarrassed to see so many people accompanying them.
This matter had already spread throughout the textile factory. Initially, the factory allowed workers to sign up voluntarily, giving priority to those employees who had previously approached the factory saying they were experiencing financial difficulties and who had basic sewing skills.
As a result, very few people signed up.
Li Mingde was so angry he laughed: "They all say they can't even afford to eat at home, but now that we've given them a chance, they're unwilling to come! Are they all just waiting for the government to support them for nothing!"
“You can’t say that. We’re all long-time employees at the factory. It would be too embarrassing to suddenly be assigned to a private company,” said Li Mingde’s wife.
"Doesn't that just mean we're not poor enough? Back when there was a famine, whoever gave us food would eat it, even tree bark! We've been reforming and opening up for so many years, and we're still stuck in this old mindset."
Li Mingde was furious. Although his proposal had been questioned in the beginning, he was prepared for the worst. But when he saw that the number of people who signed up was less than double digits after a day, he was still angry.
When they came to the factory to cause trouble before, each of them made a terrible story, which saddened the listeners and brought tears to their eyes. But when they had the chance, they all backed away.
The notice made it clear that they were only temporarily transferred there, and would be transferred back once the factory resumed production. Their employment relationship would remain with the textile factory, and they would still be employees of the textile factory.
This plan was only temporary, a measure to help struggling workers get outside jobs during difficult times at the textile factory.
The textile factory will continue to pay their wages, but it's just temporarily owed. They will definitely make up for it when they have the money later.
Su Ruyi Garment Factory, on the other hand, pays wages monthly based on worker performance, with more work resulting in more pay.
This means that as long as you go there to work, you can get double the salary.
To be honest, Li Mingde was somewhat tempted.
It's not like the factory's employees haven't taken on side jobs before; many of them have done things like pasting cardboard boxes and stringing beads.
"Everyone is worried they won't be able to come back."
Li Mingde: "The notice made it all clear! We don't have that much power to sell workers to private bosses. What are you all thinking?!"
The next day, Li Mingde held a mobilization meeting specifically on this matter, but the number of people who signed up was still very small.
Upon inquiring, Li Mingde nearly coughed up blood.
"The factory is being so proactive; there must be something fishy going on behind the scenes."
These are some of the comments that are circulating among the workers.
This situation arises because the entire Liulin County holds a disdainful attitude towards individual business owners and private enterprises.
They especially looked down on factory workers like them.
The textile factory had always been the leading enterprise in the county, always at the top of the social hierarchy, and it was even more difficult for them to accept that they had fallen so low as to work for a private boss; it was just too humiliating.
Zeng Guoqin reassured them, "The employees' mindset hasn't changed yet; it's still stuck in the past. This shows that we haven't done a good job in this area. If our factory wants to continue, we also need to change our mindset, otherwise we will fall behind the times."
The phrase "out of touch with the times" has been a constant in textile factories.
The workers may not have thought that much about it, but as a manager, you can clearly feel the weight of those words.
They felt powerless; the outside world was changing too fast.
"What do we do now? We've come this far, and the workers still have this attitude. Su Ruyi can't wait for us."
Zeng Guoqin smiled and said, "No need to rush us. Just announce the registration deadline, and we won't accept applications after that."
"that's all?"
“That’s it,” Zeng Guoqin affirmed.
What if we can't recruit enough people?
"That's not enough. What's the point of all this?"
Li Mingde paused for a moment: "To help impoverished workers."
"That's right. Since no one has signed up, it means there are no workers who need help, so why should we worry about it?"
Li Mingde suddenly realized that this kind of thing actually did no good for their leadership team.
On the contrary, when cooperating with Su Ruyi, they even shared some profits in exchange.
If it gets reported to higher authorities, you might get into trouble.
If those who benefit from this risky solution don't appreciate it, then there's really no need for them to force it.
“You’re right, anyway, it’s not a task that has to be completed. If any workers come to me complaining in the future, I can just pull this stunt.”
“Forced relationships are never sweet. If we send people who harbor resentment over there, they won’t be able to do their jobs well and will only delay Su Ruyi’s work. If Su Ruyi’s factory can really be established, it will be a breakthrough for our factory. We can’t help them, but we also can’t hold them back. Besides, this way, if workers come to us for help in the future, we will have something to say.”
Having worked as a factory worker for so long, Zeng Guoqin knows very well what those workers are thinking.
Their thinking is still stuck in the old days of communal dining, always thinking that they can earn money standing up without much effort.
Actually, quite a few people in the factory were tempted; who would turn down money? They just hadn't let go of their pride yet. Some people made sarcastic remarks, making them worry that if they went, they'd be relegated to the bottom rungs and looked down upon, so they backed down.
The factory is like a small society with its own set of rules for survival. Being ostracized can be very upsetting.
In the future, when the factory evaluates outstanding employees or allocates housing, without a good foundation among the staff, you won't be considered.
Moreover, everyone works in the same factory and usually helps each other out. If you are ostracized, you will be all alone, and there will be no one to help you scrub your back when you go to take a bath.
We're all together all the time, who can stand being looked down upon all the time?
Even if you don't care about yourself, you still have to consider your family and children.
This is something you have to overcome on your own. If the factory forces you to do something, you'll just find all sorts of excuses to complain.
It's one thing to be like this in your own factory, but if you bring this kind of emotion to Su Ruyi's factory, you won't be able to work properly.
After getting to know Su Ruyi, Zeng Guoqin realized that although the girl was young and looked very refined, she actually had her own ideas and wouldn't be spoiled.
Su Ruyi's hula hoop business is also based on work performance, not on personal relationships, but the most important factor is individual ability.
Zeng Guoqin also wanted to take this opportunity to reform the workers' thinking, and not to use the old methods in the present.
The external market has changed, and if they continue as before, they will definitely be eliminated.
The increasing number of textile factories filing for bankruptcy across the country is causing Zeng Guoqin great concern.
After the registration deadline was announced, more than 20 people suddenly signed up on the last afternoon, and in the end, 43 people participated in the registration.
Although it's less than the fifty people they expected, compared to the initial dismal numbers, this figure is still quite respectable.
The news that there will be an assessment tomorrow has stirred up another wave of excitement.
"Why do we need to be assessed? We're already willing to go, why are they still assessing us?"
"Exactly, I said from the beginning that this was a scam. Look, they're just treating us like vegetables on a chopping board."
"Thank goodness I didn't sign up, isn't that insulting! Xiaojuan, you didn't sign up, did you?"
Hu Xiaojuan stammered and didn't say anything. She didn't dare to say that she had signed up on the first day the notice came out.
Her husband is in poor health, the light bulb factory where he works is not doing well, her parents-in-law are also in poor health and need to take medicine, and she has two children in school.
Her younger brother had been working on a construction site when he accidentally fell and died. His wife, who was pregnant at the time, was so heartbroken upon hearing the news that she went into premature labor. She gave birth to twins but then suffered a postpartum hemorrhage and also died. Her parents had long since passed away, and the siblings had been relying on each other ever since. Feeling sorry for them, she took the two children in and brought them home.
When she brought her two children home, she was extremely anxious and her mind went blank. She didn't know what to say and just kept crying.
The husband simply said, "It's good that you brought him back."
Her in-laws didn't say much. When she was at work, they helped take care of both children.
Therefore, now that her parents-in-law are getting old and their health is not good, they need to go to the hospital for check-ups and take medicine. No matter how much it costs, she will absolutely support them.
Every time she was hospitalized, she would take care of her tirelessly without uttering a single complaint.
This is also to repay their kindness, and I hope they can continue to be well.
However, their family was under a lot of pressure. It was better before, as the couple had salaries, and the parents-in-law, who were still young, would occasionally find odd jobs to supplement their income.
Now that the two elderly people are getting old and can't do much, their salaries are often not paid in full, and all the benefits they used to receive are gone, so the pressure is getting greater and greater.
They already had little savings, and now they are even in debt. Every month, they have to borrow money from all over the place to pay back when they get their next paycheck, otherwise they will not even be able to afford food.
Now that this opportunity has come up, Hu Xiaojuan is very eager to sign up.
As for what everyone was saying, she couldn't care less. Her family was already struggling to make ends meet, and if she continued borrowing money like this, there would be no end in sight, and she would only owe more and more.
But being asked this question to her face still made Hu Xiaojuan feel a little embarrassed.
"You actually signed up?" the man exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
"You're so foolish! How could you sign up? The factory leaders just wanted to get rid of you, but you went ahead and did it anyway. You'll never be coming back!"
Hu Xiaojuan: "Yes, probably not, my relationship hasn't been transferred yet."
"That's what they say, but who knows what really happened? Look at those educated youth before them, didn't they say they were going to the countryside to participate in the transformation of poor and lower-middle peasants, and that they would come back after the transformation was complete? But what happened? They were gone for so long before they came back, and by the time they returned, there were no more places for them in the city!"
"That's right. Everyone in the factory has a specific role. If you leave, there won't be a place for you once the factory is running smoothly again."
Hu Xiaojuan was also scared, but she really had no other choice; her family was truly on the verge of starvation.
She found out that her salary would continue to be paid there, and she could even get money there, so she wanted to give it a try.
Moreover, she had inquired and found out that the owner of the garment factory was also the owner of Hongxing Hula Hoop, and she was in charge of selling Hongxing brand hula hoops throughout Zhaoguang City.
Those who worked with her earned a lot, so they immediately signed up when they heard about it.
"Anyway, I've already registered, so let's just leave it at that." Hu Xiaojuan was in a state of utter confusion.
"You can sign up but not take the exam. Once you do, there's no turning back."
"Yes, although the factory has your name on it, it's not like there's no way back yet."
Hu Xiaojuan gave a vague reply, but returned home with a heavy heart.
Seeing her like this, her mother-in-law asked, "What's wrong? Are you worried about going to the new factory?"
Hu Xiaojuan lost her mother at a young age, and her mother-in-law treated her very well, so she treated her mother-in-law like her own mother, and she liked to talk to her parents-in-law about anything.
"Yeah, I have an assessment tomorrow, but nobody thinks I have a good chance and they're telling me I shouldn't go."
“We don’t understand these things either, but since the factory has made this arrangement, it can’t be done recklessly. Anyway, the relationship isn’t broken, so if it doesn’t work out, we can just come back.” The mother-in-law had absolute trust in the state-run factory.
"That's what I was thinking too. Our factory hasn't had much work all year, and I'm really worried."
"Go and take a look tomorrow. If it's reliable, keep it. If it's not reliable, you'll know how to explain it to the factory leaders later."
Hu Xiaojuan nodded in agreement and said, "If I really go there to work, it's quite far away, and I might have to trouble you to take care of the children in the mornings."
“You don’t need to worry about things at home. The children are all grown up now, and they are all very sensible and obedient. I don’t have to worry about anything. In fact, they take care of me instead,” the mother-in-law said with a smile.
Similar conversations took place in every corner of the factory, with all sorts of attitudes. Some signed up hoping to see the joke, some regretted not signing up, some signed up but didn't plan to go, and some, like Hu Xiaojuan, were determined to go and see. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
Su Ruyi arrived at the garment factory early the next morning. She had been busy since returning from the provincial capital the day before and hadn't had time to come and check on the situation.
When she arrived at the garment factory on her newly bought bicycle, she could feel the dramatic changes from afar.
The factory, which was almost completely submerged by weeds, is now fully visible.
The road leading to the factory gate was paved with gravel, which looked rather nice.
As you walk further in, you see that the entire factory has been cleared out. Although the ground is mostly muddy, the roads leading to the factory buildings and warehouses are paved with gravel.
It still looks quite simple, but it's much better than before.
It's truly remarkable that such a feat could be accomplished in such a short time.
Not long after, Li Guangqian arrived, looking much more energetic and different from before.
"Li Guangqian, you did a very good job," Su Ruyi praised.
Li Guangqian scratched his head and laughed, "I rented an excavator and a road roller, which is why I was able to get it done so quickly."
"It takes your skill to be able to rent them, and you were the one who contacted them for these gravel stones?"
"Yes, I got the goods from the quarry. Because it was a last-minute order, they didn't give me much, just enough for this small area."
Su Ruyi walked into the factory and was even more satisfied.
The factory was very clean, and the machines could be placed there immediately.
Electricity has been connected, and Li Guangqian bought high-wattage light bulbs, making the entire factory very bright when the lights are turned on.
"There wasn't enough time to paint the walls white, otherwise the room would be brighter," Li Guangqian said regretfully.
Su Ruyi went to check the warehouse again, but there was nothing wrong with it.
When the textile factory built this new industrial park, it did not cut corners and used only the best materials. Although it was abandoned for several years, it did not fall into disrepair and was mostly restored with a little repair.
"By the way, are there any restrooms in the park?"
Su Ruyi had forgotten about this until she went to the toilet yesterday.
This new factory wasn't even finished back then. The factory buildings and warehouses together consisted of only four buildings, and there was a large open space that was still in the planning stage.
"There is a makeshift toilet, probably a temporary structure built during the previous construction, but it is still usable."
Su Ruyi went over and took a look. This makeshift toilet was just like the dry toilets in the countryside. It was enclosed by a straw mat, with a large vat underneath and two wooden planks on top.
The straw mats are new; I guess they were put up because they've been working here for the past couple of days and need to use the toilet.
Su Ruyi almost fell over as soon as she got close.
"Oh my god, this toilet is absolutely unacceptable, we must find someone to build a new one right away!"
What kind of design do you want it to be?
"It must be a squat toilet that can be flushed, just like the individual toilets in the office building."
Nowadays, public toilets, especially those in smaller places, don't meet this standard. It's already considered good if they can be tiled and have flushing capabilities.
Typically, there's a long pit, then it's divided by a half-wall. The lower part of the pit is a slope, and water rushes down from the front, carrying all the filth from different locations into the final latrine.
Furniture factories all have these kinds of toilets, and they're considered good ones, at least they have flushing. Some don't have flushing at all, they're just dry toilets.
Su Ruyi never wanted to see a toilet like that again; she had been suffering from constipation while living at the furniture factory for a period of time.
"These toilets are very expensive and waste a lot of water."
"I'll pay this money!" Su Ruyi said through gritted teeth.
She only has a little over 50,000 yuan in working capital right now. The expenses for machinery, rent, fabric, decoration, etc. are really high, and the money just flows out like water. In the blink of an eye, 200,000 yuan is gone.
But she still gritted her teeth and spent a huge sum of money to build a clean toilet. She could tolerate everything else, but this was something she just couldn't stand!
"Okay, I'll go find someone to build the toilet as soon as possible."
Su Ruyi: "We'll build ten stalls in the women's restroom, and two stalls in the men's restroom, and then put a urinal in the men's restroom area."
Li Guangqian was not surprised; garment factories definitely had more female workers.
"The toilets need to be built as soon as possible, as for where they should be built..."
Su Ruyi looked around but couldn't decide for a moment.
"Are the toilets all in the corner?"
"It can't be too remote either. This place is too big. If it's too far from the factory, if something happens, no one will hear us when we call for help."
Li Guangqian wholeheartedly agreed: "That's true. There have been cases of perverted men sneaking into women's restrooms to peep before."
Su Ruyi was extremely disgusted: "It's disgusting, what's so interesting about pooping?"
"Who knows? We even went to stake out the place, trying to catch that bastard, but not only did we not catch him, we almost got misunderstood."
Su Ruyi couldn't help but chuckle.
"I plan to set up a security team at the textile factory. Can you recommend a few people who are physically fit and reliable? They need to be able to endure hardship, as my security team will require training."
Li Guangqian's eyes lit up: "Do you think I'm suitable?"
"Are you sure you want to be a security guard? If you become a security guard, you won't be able to do anything else for me."
"Then forget it."
Li Guangqian immediately wilted. Back then, many security guard jobs were still done by young men. Even earlier, factory security teams were armed and looked very impressive. It wasn't until later, to save costs, that they started hiring older men.
"Go and contact the Zhu family, father and son, and see if they are interested in joining my security team."
“They are good!” Li Guangqian affirmed. “All three of them have studied martial arts and are skilled in kung fu.”
Zhu's father, Zhu Gui, learned a few moves from others when he was young. Later, when he joined the army, he learned grappling techniques and military boxing. Even after he retired from the army, he continued to practice and also trained his two sons from a young age.
"If you think it's good, that's fine. Today will probably be a bit chaotic. We'll be getting into the machines in the morning and then there will be an assessment in the afternoon. Why don't you take my bicycle and go get some people?"
Li Guangqian agreed and left in a hurry.
The Zhu family father and son never expected such a good thing. Except for Zhu Heng, who was going to join the army, the father Zhu Gui and the elder brother Zhu Qiang both put down their work and went to the factory.
The Zhu family father and son were very satisfied with their boss, Su Ruyi. Not only did she pay them on time every day, but the daily meal allowance was also incredibly generous. They had never seen such a generous boss before.
Everyone gets a bowl of meat and a bowl of vegetables, and can eat as much steamed buns and rice as they want. The meat is served in large chunks, and your mouth will be full of oil after eating it.
The father and his two sons all had big appetites. On the first day, they were a little reserved, worried that they would be criticized for eating too much. Unexpectedly, the woman who delivered the food noticed that they were not full and even forced them to eat steamed buns.
They had also worked as laborers before, eating food that was almost like pig slop, with little oil or fat, and soon became so hungry they couldn't stand up straight.
They kept delaying their wages, and only when they had the chance to force the foreman with their fists did he reluctantly pay them.
So when Su Ruyi mentioned hiring them as security guards, they came over without a second thought.
"This is our employment contract, which specifies the salary and other details. If you have no problems, you can sign it with me."
Zhu Gui and Zhu Qiang were both stunned. They had never thought that they would have to sign a contract to work. They immediately became vigilant, wondering if there was a trap.
"You can read it carefully and sign it only if you think it's okay. If you don't understand anything, you can ask me. There will be three copies."
Su Ruyi was in such a hurry because the machine was arriving today, meaning someone would have to stay here tonight.
Even if these two don't officially join the company, Su Ruyi isn't worried; she still has so many brothers.
However, both of them have served in the military and have more experience, so they are definitely more suitable to take the lead.
Zhu Gui and Zhu Qiang carefully read the contract and found that although there were many clauses restricting their behavior, they were all normal clauses such as not harming the factory's interests, not shirking their duties, and those who failed the assessment three times in a row and did not change their ways would be dismissed by the factory. As long as they worked hard, they would not violate these clauses.
Information such as salary payment time and amount is also written on it, which is beneficial to them.
They had also learned their lesson and knew that with this contract, they would have more evidence to claim their wages in the future.
Li Guangqian also took a look at a contract and couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister, this contract is more favorable to the workers!"
"That's not necessarily true. If you breach the contract, I can fire you. Or if your performance is poor, I can terminate the employment without compensation once the contract expires. I'll also have you sign a labor contract later; we need to get things in order now."
Li Guangqian had never worked for anyone before, so he didn't know much about these things and thought that all private work was like this, so he didn't have much of a feeling about it.
But the Zhu family father and son didn't think so. These days, who cares about all that? It's not like we're working for the government. Private bosses can just tell you to get out and you have to get out. There's no need for a contract.
Without further hesitation, the two readily signed the contract.
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