Chapter 15 015 Welfare
More than a hundred new faces suddenly flooded into the Zhuoyue Garment Factory. Not only the production workshop, but other departments and even the gatekeeper were all kept busy.
There are no idle people in the factory office anymore.
Guan Yuehe became a brick in the wall, with every department head serving as a stepping stone. Every day, Sister Zhu would paint a rosy picture: "Once this month is over, things will be on track."
Guan Yuehe glanced at the Chinese calendar on the office wall and realized there were only three days left in the month, and things were getting back on track!
I put the organized documents on Sister Zhu's desk and stretched my arms and legs in preparation for rushing to the cafeteria.
The head chef's apprentice is Xie Dongxue's cousin's brother-in-law's cousin. Whenever the cafeteria prepares a special dish, Xie Dongxue from upstairs will come down to inform her.
She was lamenting that the factory was expanding its office building, and the labor union would be moving to the back building, making it less convenient for Xie Dongxue to find her...
A series of hurried footsteps sounded on the stairs outside the door. Sister Zhu's eyelids twitched, and she quickly ran out, grabbing someone and asking, "What happened?"
"The workers transferred from the shoe factory are causing trouble at the housing management department! They say the housing allocation is unreasonable and they are unhappy."
The worker who answered looked indignant. Those people got apartments as soon as they arrived, so why were they unhappy? They hadn't even been allocated apartments yet!
"How is it unreasonable?"
"They said they have many children and the house they were allocated is too small to live in, so they requested a larger one."
Guan Yuehe and her colleagues came out to see what was going on. While the others were holding documents, she was holding an aluminum lunchbox.
Upon hearing this reason, everyone exclaimed "Eek!", clearly feeling that this matter was even more unreasonable than Dong Dachui's.
The workers who were transferred from the shoe factory now live in the factory's dormitories. Many of these workers have families with them. Once the clothing factory's dormitory buildings are completed, these workers will be given priority in the second batch of apartments, and then they can bring their families over to settle in.
With the addition of two construction teams, four buildings sprang up rapidly. The doors and windows of Building No. 1 have already been installed, and moving in in May should not be a problem.
Before the merger, the two factories had reached an agreement in advance, and the workers who were transferred here had signed consent forms before coming. The consent forms clearly stated that the garment factory would provide housing of a corresponding size based on the workers' length of service, position, and marital and childbearing status. The workers received housing from the garment factory, while the housing allocated by the shoe factory would be taken back and redistributed by the shoe factory.
Everything was agreed upon before we came, but some people don't want to acknowledge it anymore!
"Some people say that the buildings in our factory are too small and not enough to live in. We need to keep the houses in the shoe factory so that there aren't enough. Otherwise, we should give them a larger one." The person who replied said, "I'm not going to say anything more. I have to go up and find Director Chang of the union."
The remaining people began to discuss among themselves.
"That's outrageous! If they had said they didn't like the small apartment we were allocated, they shouldn't have come! Nobody forced them to come!"
"I've wanted to say this for a long time. Merging with other factories is not as good as hiring our own workers. They don't care about our Excellence, there are plenty of other people who do!"
"That's right! My cousin was waiting for the factory to hire more workers, but it turned out to be a merger..."
"No way! I have to go and see. If they make a scene, I'll be the first to object! I've been working for two and a half years and haven't been allocated a house yet, and they've been getting one but are still complaining. They might as well just get out of here and go back to their shoe factory!"
"I want to go too!"
Just as Guan Yuehe was about to lift her leg, Sister Zhu stopped her and whispered, "They're upset because they weren't assigned a room, so you shouldn't go."
Guan Yuehe was grateful for Sister Zhu's kind reminder, but she felt quite embarrassed.
He held up the lunchbox and shook it, "It's time to eat."
Sister Zhu: "......"
While it's true that someone who isn't enthusiastic about eating has something wrong with their brain, Comrade Xiao Guan is way too enthusiastic!
Today, the whole cafeteria is filled with discussions about room assignments.
The new workers causing trouble in the housing management department didn't get much attention, or maybe some people did, but no one openly voiced it in the canteen, a public place.
The week before last, the factory held a large meeting. The factory leaders repeatedly emphasized that once you enter the gates of Zhuoyue Garment Factory, you are all one family. You cannot be divided or opposed. You must unite as one to focus on production and strive to sell Zhuoyue brand sportswear and sports shoes to department stores all over the country!
Everyone knows the difference between what's important and what's not. If you whisper it in the office and say it loudly in the cafeteria, what if the workers transferred from the shoe factory hear it and get angry? If the two groups start fighting, then everyone will be criticized, and you can forget about being a model worker or advanced worker this year.
More than those causing trouble, people are concerned about which apartment they will win in the lottery.
That's right, you have to draw a house yourself. In a building, the locations vary in quality, and what you get depends entirely on luck.
The housing management department also stated that, for fairness, a lottery will be held on the first Sunday of May, with all apartments allocated to the same size drawing in one location. For example, those allocated 18-square-meter single rooms like Guan Yuehe will draw from the same box and receive their keys immediately afterward. Those allocated 27-square-meter one-bedroom apartments will draw from a separate box...
Guan Yuehe has already decided on the replacement house, so it doesn't matter which one she gets in the lottery.
But other people are different; they prefer the apartment at the end of the corridor, where there are no neighbors on the other side, the corridor has more corners, and it's quieter. If it's on the first floor, that's fine too, as it can occupy a small piece of open space outside the door.
But nobody wanted the end of the corridor on each floor where the toilet was located.
It's convenient to queue for the toilet, but the smell is unbearable! If you put the stove out in the corridor to cook, even the most fragrant meat will smell like a toilet.
Thanks to the gossipy old men and women who had nothing better to do than wander around Ginkgo Hutong, almost everyone at the Zhuoyue Garment Factory knew that Comrade Xiao Guan from the factory office wanted to exchange his apartment for a bungalow in the hutong.
Although no one came up to her to say it, she knew in her heart that many people were calling her a big fool in private.
Of course, some people think she made the right choice, exchanging fewer resources for more, which is a great thing in the long run. After all, it's normal to have three or four children these days. When the children grow up and there's not enough space, nobody cares whether you live in an apartment building or a single-story house; as long as you have a place to live, that's good enough.
Guan Yuehe didn't think that far ahead; anyway, she felt she hadn't lost out.
But because she made it clear that she wanted to change apartments, many people came to her trying to get close to her.
Xie Dongxue joked, "Another one who wants to swap houses with you."
This "house swap" isn't about swapping houses in Ginkgo Hutong, but rather about swapping the house she drew. Of course, she has to draw a house in a good location for him to agree to the swap. If she draws a house next to the toilet, he won't even bother with her.
—
The workers who caused trouble in the morning were taken to the security department. When the leaders who were away at a meeting returned and heard about it, they didn't tolerate it at all. They declared that anyone who disagreed could go back to where they came from right now. Zhuoyue Garment Factory has its own rules and regulations and does not assign jobs based on disturbances.
The afternoon radio broadcast was reporting on this matter. They weren't punished this time, but they might be next time.
"Has our radio station changed staff? We haven't heard He Shuangshuang reading scripts for days."
"He Shuangshuang? She's pregnant, but she's not feeling well and has taken several days off. I saw her at the infirmary yesterday."
"She's pregnant?! She'll still be able to announce programs on Labor Day?"
"Look at what you're saying, how can she not do the announcements while pregnant? I saw her revising her script in the infirmary, she'll definitely be the one to go up there." The older woman said, "If He Shuangshuang doesn't go, I can't think of anyone else who can take on this responsibility."
"That's true, she was the first beauty queen of our garment factory. Oh dear... how did she end up marrying Mo Zhinan?"
"Don't let Section Chief Mo hear you say that. Mo is a good guy, I think he's more reliable than Xu Qianjin. By the way, Guan, you'd better keep your eyes open when you look for a partner in the future."
Xiao Guan, who had been quietly eavesdropping on the gossip, asked, "...Sister Zhu, do you still have any quotas left to buy shoes?"
"Oh! I've used up my quota for this year, so I bought new shoes for my two little rascals. You wait, Aunt Zhu will ask around for you. Are they for the family?"
"These are for my younger brother. He has a quota of two pairs of shoes a year. I get one pair for myself and my mom gets one pair for Chinese New Year. We've used them all up. And it's hard to get defective shoes."
Guan Yuehe then shifted the conversation to the difficulty of buying shoes, and the older women also mentioned that they were short of tickets and it was not easy to buy even a large item.
What do you think we'll get for Labor Day this year?
"Last year we received work gloves and socks, and this year business is good, so it should be better than last year, right?"
"I'll go to the purchasing department to ask around after get off work."
Guan Yuehe didn't bother to find out; she found out when she got off work.
Xie Dongxue excitedly pulled her aside, "The factory gives everyone a pound of pork, a packet of sugar, and a bottle of soy sauce. When you move to your new house, I'll give you a wooden tub for bathing, okay?"
"Of course!" Guan Yuehe exclaimed with delight, "I was just thinking of finding someone to do it! Now it's all good, I don't need to look for anyone. Thank you, Comrade Xie Dongxue!"
These days, when people give gifts for big celebrations, they usually give things they can actually use in daily life. Ordinary friends might give a few eggs, and closer friends might give brown sugar. Only people with very good relationships like Lin Sitian, Xu Chengcai, and Xie Dongxue would think of giving her a wooden bucket, a washbasin, or a thermos.
Xie Dongxue's father is a carpenter at a winery, so making a wooden barrel is not difficult for him.
"As long as you like it." Xie Dongxue was happy that the gift touched the recipient's heart, and all her efforts were worthwhile.
The last afternoon of April.
Five large, fat pigs were purchased from Corrae. The butcher hired from the meat station sharpened his knife, and a series of shrill pig squeals echoed throughout the factory.
After a merger and a closed-door recruitment drive for military dependents, Zhuoyue Garment Factory now has 337 workers.
As soon as the factory broadcast the notice to workers to collect their welfare benefits with coupons and to get food from the canteen, a long queue formed at the canteen entrance within three minutes.
Don't be fooled by how fast Guan Yuehe usually runs to eat; at times like this, no matter how fast she runs, it's useless because the workshop is closer to the canteen!
When she arrived, there were at least a hundred people in front of her.
Although the quantity is fixed, whoever is at the front of the line gets to choose first, and everyone wants the fatty part.
Sure enough, when it was her turn, the pork belly she wanted most was gone. The butcher, with a fierce look on his face, sharpened his knife with a clinking sound and gave her an impatient glance.
The people behind her were urging her on, so Guan Yuehe stamped the ticket with the person next to her and pointed to the piece of fat on her hand, saying, "This one will do. Thank you, sir."
Presumably because she spoke politely and looked pleasing with a smile, the butcher casually handed her a piece of lean meat about the size of a thumb on the cutting board.
After picking up the pork, I went to the side to get my ticket stamped and collect sugar and soy sauce. Finally, I went to the canteen to queue up, handed my ticket and lunchbox to the lady serving the food, and received a serving of pork stew.
As I walked out with a full load of goodies, I heard many people happily saying that they would have dinner early and come over to watch the show that evening.
Oh right! The factory's program starts at 6:30, she has to hurry home for dinner!
"Hey! That little Guan, I was just about to call her when she disappeared in the blink of an eye!"
"Haha, if the factory were to hold a sports meet, Comrade Xiao Guan would at least get a top-three finish."
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