Chapter 146 Character "It must be Du Jianguo, and there's someone behind the car..."
"Director Wang, I have only been in the factory for a short time. This year-end welfare task is related to the welfare of all the employees of Quanbei Chong and the reputation of our factory. I want to find an old employee to assist me." Shao Pengyu stood beside Wang Ying's desk, like a student called by the teacher for questioning.
"Okay, several production team leaders have been responsible for related matters. You can contact them," Wang Ying said. "Or can I assign one to you?"
Shao Pengyu smiled and said, "I think Team Leader Zhou is down-to-earth and warm-hearted. I would like to ask him to share responsibility with me."
"Okay, go find it yourself. I'll talk to him later and ask him to cooperate with you," said Wang Ying.
"Thank you, Director." Shao Pengyu returned to his office and glanced at Wang Ying as he sat down.
Wang Ying's expression remained unchanged as he continued to flip through yesterday's production report.
Shao Pengyu was also looking at the documents related to the procedures for year-end welfare tasks in previous years. This was what he had asked Wang Ying for today, and Wang Ying had given it to him without hesitation, without giving him any trouble at all.
This was different from the information he saw when he first joined the factory. When Shao Pengyu first joined the factory, Wang Ying showed him a stack of documents, which included both old and new information. The information on year-end benefits was old information.
Shao Pengyu suspected for a second that Wang Ying did it on purpose, but he immediately denied it. It was just a piece of information, not necessary. Moreover, when he asked her for the information today, she gave it to him without hesitation.
Shao Pengyu looked at the information from previous years and compared it with the welfare products he had received in recent years. The welfare products prepared by the non-staple food factory every year were all products that the factory wanted to promote. These were said to be welfare benefits for employees in the city, but in fact they were "welfare" for the non-staple food factory themselves, their "living" advertisement.
This is what Wang Ying started doing after joining the factory. Shao Pengyu glanced at Wang Ying again. Although he was only in his twenties, he looked remarkably calm and composed, as if he had been a leader for twenty years. Being a leader also requires talent.
After reading the materials, Shao Pengyu said to Wang Ying, "Director, I think your previous plan and process are excellent. I will follow yours."
"Okay." Wang Ying didn't even look up from his report. With the cooler weather, sales of Taosu and Shaqima have increased. These two long-standing products have always sold well. Although they are also produced elsewhere, theirs simply tastes better and has a good reputation in nearby provinces and cities.
Before the enterprise reform, Wang Ying did not plan to develop new products to avoid making things difficult for others. She decided to do something new with traditional dim sum and add some new flavors.
"Director, I'll go find Team Leader Zhou." Shao Pengyu said.
"Okay, you go." Wang Ying glanced at Shao Pengyu. Shao Pengyu seemed not to expect Wang Ying to look at him. A smile appeared on his face within a second. Wang Ying pretended not to notice and lowered his head to read the report again.
It was obviously unnecessary for Shao Pengyu to be so respectful, but he insisted on acting like this. Wang Ying didn't care about him. After all, it wasn't her who was pretending to be a grandson all day long.
Shao Pengyu found Zhou Qianjin, and Zhou Qianjin's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Deputy Director Shao was going to take revenge on him? He hadn't done anything bad!
"Team Leader Zhou, I have received the task of year-end benefits and would like to ask for your help." Shao Pengyu smiled and spoke in a very polite tone. He did not sound like a leader at all, but rather like a subordinate.
"Is this a requirement from the factory?" Zhou Qianjin asked.
"The factory only gave the task to me. I told Director Wang that I wanted to ask you for help, and Director Wang agreed." Shao Pengyu said.
Zhou Qianjin didn't want to help Shao Pengyu; it was a thankless task. If he did well, he was a veteran and had previously been in charge, so it was all his fault. If he didn't do well, it would be entirely his fault. The new deputy director didn't know, so how could you, a veteran, not know? Furthermore, Shao Pengyu had come to him out of the blue; who knew if he was seeking revenge?
Seeing Zhou Qianjin's hesitation, Shao Pengyu smiled and said, "This is a matter of great importance to the reputation of the factory. I hope that Team Leader Zhou can put aside past grudges and help me."
Zhou Qianjin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately looked confused. "What are you talking about, Deputy Director? Where did we have any grudges? Everyone in the factory praises you, and I admire you immensely. Of course, I'm willing to help you complete this mission!"
"That's good." Shao Pengyu's smile faded slightly. "Then I'll wait for Team Leader Zhou to arrange the work at hand. When we have time, we'll have a meeting to make a plan for this mission."
"Okay." Zhou Qianjin agreed readily.
When Shao Pengyu left the R&D team office, Zhou Qianjin's face immediately turned gloomy.
Lu Zhongming looked at him and said, "This is a task from above, and it also concerns the factory. You don't have to worry about him using the loop."
Zhou Qianjin sighed, "I'm really hoping he'll do something stupid. If he does, I'll have a way to find fault with him. I'm afraid he'll do nothing and then make me do everything. I'll be working myself to death, and he'll reap the benefits."
"That's possible." Lu Zhongming said after thinking about it.
Zhou Qianjin would be willing to work himself to death for Wang Ying! After all, they all knew Director Wang's character. He would never seek credit for himself. Not only would he not seek credit for himself, he would also help them, teach them, and support them. But working for Shao Pengyu was different. It would all be for nothing!
"Look, he's even trying to point something at me! Did you hear that?" Zhou Qianjin said.
"Yeah." Lu Zhongming nodded.
"Forget it, forget it, just consider it as a contribution to the factory." Zhou Qianjin said helplessly.
Just as Zhou Qianjin had expected, Shao Pengyu was very good at giving him orders. Of course, he was still polite, even respectful, asking for advice. He went to the workshop every time he was supposed to, but he just worked without putting in any effort. He didn't do much serious work, but he earned a reputation as a hard-working person on the front line.
Zhou Qianjin was very angry, but he didn't dare to complain to Wang Ying. He always felt embarrassed. If he acted like a spoiled child, he would appear incompetent.
Zhou Qianjin didn't tell Wang Ying, but Lu Zhongming mentioned it to Wang Ying once.
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Go tell him two things. First, the public has sharp eyes. Second, if you have to do it anyway, just take the initiative. Why wait for him to 'ask'?"
Lu Zhongming immediately understood and said with a smile, "Once I say it, he will definitely understand."
"Tell him to pay attention." Wang Ying said.
Lu Zhongming brought up Wang Ying's words, and Zhou Qianjin suddenly realized, "Right! Why didn't I think of that? The director is really smart."
"She asked you to be more careful." Lu Zhongming said.
Zhou Qianjin nodded: "I know, I know."
With Wang Ying's guidance, Zhou Qianjin quickly turned the situation around. Deputy Director Shao really became a rookie who knew nothing and had to rely on Team Leader Zhou for guidance.
Some employees said privately: "No wonder he was so polite to Team Leader Zhou before, it turns out he really doesn't know anything and doesn't understand anything!"
"Everything is different. He's just a furniture seller, what does he know about supplementary food?"
"It still has to be Team Leader Zhou."
"I think it's Director Wang. Director Wang is the one with the real skills. Team Leader Zhou was trained by Director Wang, so she must be good. Director Wang took over this task right after she joined the factory. At that time, no one taught her. She figured it all out on her own."
"How many people are as capable as Director Wang?"
"That's right. Otherwise, how could he be a provincial model worker? There are so many in every province."
After the situation turned around, Shao Pengyu knew he couldn't be too deferential to Zhou Qianjin, so he acted like a normal leader, and it was Zhou Qianjin's turn to be deferential. The employees saw this and naturally had a different opinion: Team Leader Zhou had done so much, and Deputy Director Shao was still acting like a leader to him.
Shao Pengyu reacted and realized that he had taken a wrong step before, or rather, he had taken a wrong step as soon as he entered the factory. He wanted to follow the mass line, but he had no mass base, and he also ignored the fact that he really knew nothing about non-staple foods, so it was natural for him to go to the workshop.
Wang Ying pretended to know nothing, as long as it didn't affect the normal progress of the mission. What factory didn't have some intrigue? Besides, this was just a minor friction at the most basic level, not even a conspiracy.
Shao Pengyu certainly didn't want to mess up on his first assignment. Regardless of whether it was his fault or not, his superiors would ultimately think he lacked leadership skills. Therefore, the welfare mission proceeded smoothly according to plan. He quickly adjusted his approach and worked well with Zhou Qianjin.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of December 1978, and a far-reaching conference was held.
The phrase "internal reform, external opening" has become the hottest buzzword of the moment. Anyone with even a modicum of political acumen is wondering if a new era is upon us.
Zhao Yunsheng, reading the newspaper coverage of the conference at work, was overcome with emotion. He recalled Yingzi's repeated words to him: "The future will definitely get better, society will definitely become more open..." Yingzi's words of encouragement had now become a reality. Zhao Yunsheng increasingly felt that Yingzi had an extraordinary foresight.
In the evening, the news was broadcast on TV at Wang Ying's house, still talking about the conference. The whole family was listening to the news report carefully.
Director Zhao asked, "How exactly will this internal reform work? Will factories like ours be able to make the changes?"
Wang Ying said: "It will definitely change. 'Contract responsibility system' is a signal."
"That's different, isn't it?" Director Zhao said. "That's the countryside, farming. How can it be the same as our factory? Farming in the countryside is done by one family, but we have so many employees in our factory."
Wang Ying smiled and said, "Dad, you've forgotten the saying 'surround the cities with the countryside.' Reform started in the countryside and will surely spread to all walks of life. The whole society will be different. If we want to develop the economy, how can we not reform the factories?"
The whole family looked at Wang Ying. Director Zhao thought about what Wang Ying said and said, "Contracting the fields to the farmers and the factories to the workers? We can't go back to the capitalist road, can we?"
"It's not about outsourcing to the workers, but about giving the factory greater autonomy," Wang Ying said. "Dad, just wait. It won't take long. This reform will definitely start with this."
Director Zhao thought that giving the factory greater autonomy, without having to submit reports or apply for everything, would be great... But would that guarantee the factory any security? Without security, what would happen if the factory went bankrupt?
When Zhao Yunsheng heard Wang Ying say that the reform would affect all walks of life, he wondered how their cultural center would reform.
After the news on TV finished, Wang Ying carried Yueyue upstairs, and Zhao Yunsheng went to the kitchen to get the thermos.
Wang Ying returned upstairs, turned on the light and saw a letter on the desk.
Wang Ying put Yueyue on the bed and went to read the letter. As soon as she saw the words on the envelope, she knew it was from Gu Mei. This summer vacation, the Gu brothers and sisters did not come back. Gu Mei was catching up on her homework at school, and Gu Xuan and his teacher joined the crew.
Zhao Yunsheng came upstairs and just put down the thermos when he heard his daughter shouting, "Dad, Dad..." He hurried over to pick up his daughter, and then walked to Wang Ying.
"Whose letter is it?" Zhao Yunsheng asked.
"Gu Mei's. She said that the two siblings will be back for the Chinese New Year this year." Wang Ying said with a smile.
"It's been almost a year since I left. Time flies," said Zhao Yunsheng.
"She must be in love." Wang Ying said again.
"Oh? Did it say in the letter?" Zhao Yunsheng said with a smile.
"No, but I can feel it. Take a look." Wang Ying handed the letter to Zhao Yunsheng.
After reading it, Zhao Yunsheng also said, "That's probably true. Campus is a great place for love to happen."
Wang Ying teased him, "Do you want to encounter a beautiful campus romance?"
"I don't want to. I already have the most beautiful love." Zhao Yunsheng hugged Wang Ying and kissed her. Yueyue was not willing to be left behind and kissed Wang Ying on the other side of the cheek.
After the family of three washed up and went to bed, Wang Ying coaxed Yueyue to sleep first.
Zhao Yunsheng asked, "Yingzi, how do you think our cultural center will be reformed?"
Wang Ying didn't know much about this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If the country wants to develop its economy, it must also develop its culture. You should continue to develop culture, but perhaps it will be closer to everyday life than before? And have more diverse activities?"
"Well, you take care of the economy, and I take care of the culture. The country depends on us." Zhao Yunsheng said with a smile.
Wang Ying laughed happily: "That's right, it depends on us."
Zhao Yunsheng laughed and sighed, "Oh, now that it's open to the public, does that mean books from outside can come in?"
"Don't worry about the books outside for now. Your previous works should be able to be published," said Wang Ying.
After the publication of "New Life", Zhao Yunsheng submitted a number of short stories and essays, which were occasionally published in some magazines and newspapers, but his medium and long novels were never published again.
"I'm waiting for Gu Xuan to finish filming my "New Life" and "Homesickness." Zhao Yunsheng joked.
"Gu Xuan is only a freshman, but he followed his teacher to the crew during the summer vacation. He seems to be very talented and has the potential to become a great director in the future. Your book will definitely be filmed." Wang Ying also agreed with him.
Before going to bed, Wang Ying and his wife talked and laughed, imagining the future. At the same time, Wang Hui was also discussing this matter with Du Jianguo.
Wang Hui was thrilled. She didn't actually know what the meeting was about, nor could she recall the exact year or time. Her family didn't have a television yet, and no one read the newspaper. She hadn't heard about the conference until today at the factory, when she heard someone mention the phrase "internal reform, external opening."
"Jianguo, let me tell you, things will be huge in the future!" Wang Hui said excitedly.
"What's so big?" Du Jianguo was a little impatient. He actually had that intention tonight and wanted to try it out with Wang Hui. Who knew that Wang Hui was so stupid as to talk to him about whether it was open or not!
"Tsk, how come you don't understand anything?" Wang Hui said anxiously, "It's the current national policy! Reform and opening up!"
"What does it have to do with us?" Du Jianguo retorted to Wang Hui.
Wang Hui said: "Why doesn't it matter? There will be more opportunities to make money after the opening up!" Wang Hui said.
"What kind of money-making opportunity is this? Don't try to speculate!" Du Jianguo said.
Wang Hui was so angry at Du Jianguo: "You really don't understand anything!"
"You understand!" Du Jianguo said angrily, "People who don't even know how to live their own lives are already talking about national policies. Whether it's open or not, we still have to go to work and get our wages."
"I can't explain it to you, but you'll know when the time comes!" Wang Hui turned around and faced Du Jianguo with her back.
The little thoughts that Du Jianguo had originally had were now gone. He became more and more annoyed with Wang Hui and turned over with his back to Wang Hui.
The next morning, before Wang Hui went to work, she received a letter from Zhang Xiumin. When Zhang Xiumin first went to the countryside, they corresponded frequently, but the correspondence gradually became less frequent. The last time Wang Hui received a letter from Zhang Xiumin was more than half a year ago.
When Wang Hui opened the letter, she felt a little uncomfortable. Zhang Xiumin, who had gone to the countryside to work in the fields, had actually been admitted to university!
"How could she get into university? She didn't even get in in her previous life."
Wang Hui was muttering to herself, and then she saw that Zhang Xiumin had expressed many words of gratitude in the letter, thanking her for her previous encouragement and the fifty yuan she had donated, and also said that she would definitely repay Wang Hui after she graduated from university.
Wang Hui curled her lips, still unhappy. She didn't want Zhang Xiumin to be tortured by marrying in the countryside, but she also didn't want her to get into university! Moreover, it was a university in Beijing. Her grades were not that good! She did change Zhang Xiumin's fate, but it was too good. Wang Hui felt unbalanced.
"What are you doing? Whose letter are you reading so intently?" Du Jianguo asked with a frown.
"Zhang Xiumin's." Wang Hui said.
"Another letter. You two have a really good relationship. Aren't many educated youth returning home now? Has she come back?" Du Jianguo asked.
"No, she was admitted to university and went to Beijing to study," said Wang Hui.
"Then she is very outstanding!" Du Jianguo said casually.
Wang Hui snorted, "Yes, yes, everyone is excellent, everyone is better than me!"
"What's wrong with you so early in the morning? Wang Hui, you really have a problem with your character. Your friend got into university, but you're not happy for her and you're still throwing a tantrum! If you have the ability, you should get in too! People are so unlucky to be friends with you!" Du Jianguo is no longer tolerant of Wang Hui and starts quarreling at the slightest disagreement.
"You are the one with a problem with your character. I will be unlucky if I marry you!" Wang Hui retorted, went back to her room, put the letter away, and went to work.
After Wang Hui arrived at the class, she began to ask her colleagues about opening up, but in fact, no one quite understood what the reform method was, and many people felt that it had nothing to do with ordinary people like them.
Wang Hui felt that she couldn't communicate with them, so she thought she had to buy a TV. With a TV, there would definitely be new news on TV, and she could also watch that foreign TV series!
After get off work, Wang Hui waited for her father at the factory gate.
Wang Hui had been attending the class for over three months and was doing OK, without making any major mistakes. Wang Yongren's opinion of her had also slightly changed. However, Li Fengju rarely visited Wang Hui anymore. Instead, she frequently visited Wang Ying, sometimes going shopping with Chen Xiuqin.
"Huihui, is there something wrong?" Wang Yongren asked.
"Dad, can you please ask the Wujiaohua store when the televisions will be available?" Wang Hui said.
Wang Hui had previously told her mother-in-law to check it out when she had time, but she always missed it. Wang Hui now suspected that her mother-in-law didn't want to buy it and deliberately said the store was out of stock.
"Okay, I'll ask your mother to go to your eldest sister's house and ask." Wang Yongren also wanted to buy one himself.
Wang Hui said, "My mom hasn't been to my house lately, and she's still mad at me. There's no way a mother and daughter could hold a grudge overnight, seriously."
Wang Yongren felt that this sounded familiar...
"If she doesn't go, won't you go back? You don't go back even on your days off." Wang Yongren said.
"I'm so tired from work that I just want to sleep on my days off, and she's not working now," said Wang Hui.
"Then can you go now?" Wang Yongren said.
Wang Hui thought about it and said, "Go ahead, Dad. Go to the intersection and buy me half a roast duck."
Wang Yongren sighed and agreed.
The father and daughter originally pushed the bicycle, but now they rode the bicycles one after the other back to Lao Wang's house.
When Wang Hui was passing by a road, she saw a person flash by at the entrance of the alley across the road. It seemed to be Du Jianguo.
"Dad!" Wang Hui called out to Wang Yongren, "Isn't that Jianguo the one across the street?"
"Ah? I didn't notice." Wang Yongren slowed down the car.
Wang Hui got off the car and pushed her bicycle across the road, and Wang Yongren followed her.
"Have you seen Jianguo?" Wang Yongren said.
"It must be Du Jianguo. There's a woman in the back of the car!" Wang Hui said gritting her teeth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
