The wage payment crisis acted as a fuse, completely igniting the immense anxiety and divisions that had been building up within the Hongxing Factory. Under pressure, the factory management realized the need to unify thinking and build consensus, and unprecedentedly organized an expanded meeting covering all key personnel at the team leader level and above, even inviting some employee representatives. The meeting's theme was directly addressing the core question: Where is Hongxing Factory headed?
The auditorium was filled with smoke and packed with people, the atmosphere heavier than ever before. The factory director, who was presiding over the meeting, got straight to the point, his voice heavy with sorrow: "Comrades, you all know the situation! Our Hongxing Factory, in its more than thirty years of operation, has never faced such a difficult time! The warehouses are overflowing, our coffers are empty, and we can't pay wages! If we don't find a solution, all of us thousands of people, along with our families, will starve! I've invited you all here today to brainstorm and share our thoughts on what we should do!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in chaos.
The conservative voices were the first to rise, carrying with them a habitual dependence and deep anxiety.
A senior foundry workshop director spoke first, his voice trembling with emotion: "What can we do? I think we still have to rely on our superiors! We are a large state-owned factory, a backbone of national construction! Now that we are facing difficulties, the country cannot abandon us! We should immediately submit a report to our superiors, detailing our difficulties and requesting an increase in planned tasks or financial subsidies! That's the key!"
"That's right! Old Li is right!" someone immediately echoed. "For so many years, we've been producing according to the national plan. Now they're changing it all at once and telling us to fend for ourselves. How are we supposed to do that? Those township enterprises are using crooked methods, driving down prices and disrupting the market! We can't follow their example!"
“Exactly! The advantage of our Red Star Factory is technology and quality! We can’t lower ourselves to compete with those peasant enterprises! That would be a disgrace to our state-owned factory!” An old engineer in charge of quality inspection adjusted his glasses, his tone carrying the arrogance of a technician and a path dependence on the “plan.”
Reformists immediately responded, their voices sharp and confrontational, reflecting a sobering awareness forced upon them by reality.
A young deputy section chief of the sales department suddenly stood up. Having spent years traveling the market, he felt this most acutely: "Wait, rely, and ask? Wake up, fellow veterans and leaders! How many times have I gone to the provincial and ministerial levels? The answers I get are always 'Change your mindset, face the market,' and 'Find your own solutions!' Planned tasks will only decrease, that's the general trend! Those 'high-quality' products in the warehouse, people think they're too expensive, they won't buy them! Can face feed us?"
The head of the production department said in a deep voice, "It's not a question of whether we want to change or not, it's that we have no choice but to change! If the cash flow dries up, forget about saving face, the factory will be gone! We have to find a way to survive!"
"Survive? How can we survive? What else can we do besides make these machine tool parts and gearboxes? Asking us to switch production is easier said than done!" someone pointed out the real difficulties.
The voices of centrists and those who are confused are filled with uncertainty.
"Switching to where? We can't exactly make hoes and shovels too, can we?"
"I heard that some factories in the south have started making electric fans and washing machines. Do we have that technology?"
"What if the conversion fails and the investment goes down the drain? Wouldn't that mean we'd be wiped out even faster?"
"How about... we also lower prices? Clear out the inventory first, and get the funds back?"
The meeting was noisy and chaotic, with various viewpoints clashing fiercely, and no one could convince anyone else. The conservatives held their ground, firmly believing in the prestige of state-owned enterprises and the conviction that the state would not abandon them; the reformists advocated breaking through the current impasse, arguing that remaining unchanged was tantamount to waiting for death; while the centrists wavered, fearing both the risks of change and the unbearable conditions of the status quo.
Liu Li sat in the front row, listening quietly without rushing to speak. She listened to the senior engineer's dedication to "quality," the sales deputy section chief's helplessness regarding the "market," and various speculations about the direction of "production conversion"... Her mind was racing, integrating this fragmented information with her previous observations and thoughts.
She observed that the debate centered on "whether to change" and "what to change to." Conservatives weren't averse to factories, but their vision was limited by the old system; reformers saw the direction but lacked concrete, feasible paths. And most people's confusion stemmed from a lack of understanding of the world outside the factory and of market demands.
Only when the debate subsided and the meeting fell into a weary and tense silence did Liu Li slowly stand up. All eyes immediately turned to this young deputy factory director who had already achieved numerous miracles.
Instead of directly refuting either side, she used a clear and calm voice to raise a seemingly simple yet crucial question:
"Distinguished leaders and comrades, after all this debate, has anyone actually gone out and seen what the people really need in the market? And what can our Hongxing Factory produce besides the things piled up in the warehouse? What does the market need, and what can we do better than others?"
Her words were like a stone thrown into a chaotic whirlpool, instantly silencing the noisy hall. A huge question mark appeared in everyone's mind.
What can we possibly do?
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