Chapter 39
Dust was flying and dump trucks rumbled past her. Chen Lanjun felt as if her head was covered in sand.
The land under our feet is a special zone within a special zone, an industrial zone that was approved to implement a new strategy only last year. Everything is new, including the coastline in the distance.
Large and small construction vehicles and porters are busy transforming this barren wilderness into an industrial zone. The entrance to the industrial zone has been paved with cement, and a giant billboard with a sense of age stands at the entrance. In the picture, a man and a woman are smiling and holding flowers, and the words "Welcome, Welcome" are particularly eye-catching.
Zhao Hong beside him sighed: "Such a large piece of land, if it is all built into a factory, can it really be fully utilized?"
Chen Lanjun smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will definitely be useful, and it's not enough."
Even many years later, some people still complained that the initial steps were too small and only circled a small peninsula.
"Sister Lan, are you still going in? Your hair is dirty."
As Ah Jing spoke, he brushed the dust off Chen Lanjun's body.
"It's okay. Do you want to ask for leave from the person in charge? Can I go with you to take a look?"
"sure."
After registering, Ah Jing led Chen Lanjun and Zhao Hong to where she worked. A little further away from the initial factory buildings that had already taken shape, both sides of the road were barren mountains and wild rice fields.
Ah Jing introduced, "Because I am also a high school graduate? Well, at least I have a high school level, so the person in charge is very nice to me and let me be responsible for some writing and calculation work. This is it..."
She led the two to the door and prepared to greet the person in charge, but she saw that person talking to another person angrily: "You clearly agreed to give out bonuses, why are you suddenly saying there are none?"
"This... this is what the higher-ups mean. No one in the whole country is giving out bonuses, but we are the only one who has one. Isn't that special?"
"So what if we're special? We are a special zone, a special zone! We should be a little special!"
"What's the point of you getting angry with me? Don't I want to get the bonus?"
Chen Lanjun listened attentively and silently pulled Ah Jing back. When they were arguing, it would be better to slow down before going in. Otherwise, you would just run into someone else.
There was a sound inside for a while, then it finally quieted down, followed by a burst of angry footsteps getting closer and closer. The door flashed, and a female cadre walked out with a frown on her face.
"Hello, Mr. Xu." Ajing called out weakly.
Xu Gong nodded slightly, just as a greeting: "Why did you come to see me at this time? What's the matter?"
"I...my classmate is here, and I want to take two days off to accompany her."
Xu Gong glanced at Chen Lanjun and Zhao Hong, and found them pleasing to the eye, so he did not feel any aversion and nodded: "Okay, you can write down the bonus amount in your hand."
She was silent for a few seconds and said, "Did you hear that? They said the bonus system might be temporarily cancelled, so you should take a good rest these two days and don't worry about what's going on here."
Ah Jing's eyes widened. Does this mean that he will lose his job?
"Is that temporary, or will it last forever?" she asked anxiously.
Engineer Xu frowned and said, "I don't know yet, but I think it's necessary! No, I have to report it to Boss Yuan! It's only been a short while and this has happened. Do we need to catch up with the progress? What should we do in the future? I'm leaving now. Remember to calculate the bonus item by item and don't make any mistakes. Put it on my desk later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Gong left in a hurry.
He is indeed a man of swift action. Chen Lanjun thought. She went over the news she had just heard in her mind and reported it to Boss Yuan. Boss Yuan, could it be that "Boss Yuan"?
"Who did Mr. Xu say he wanted to report to?" Chen Lanjun asked Ajing.
Ah Jing was not really sure, and said, "It should be Mr. Yuan, the general manager of the industrial zone, right? But I'm not sure what his name is."
That's it. Chen Lanjun seemed to have realized something. As someone who had worked here for several years, she was well aware of Boss Yuan's story. Without this person, it would be difficult to build this industrial zone under her feet, or it would take several years to build it.
About a hundred years ago, China's first modern national industrial and commercial enterprise, China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, was born in Jiangnan. From then on, the national industry entered a new period of development.
The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company in Jiangnan has long since declined, and one can only see some of its former glory in the remaining old shipyards. But this does not mean that the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company has disappeared in the wind. There is still a China Merchants Steam Navigation Company in Hong Kong, which remained unknown for decades after the founding of the People's Republic of China until the emergence of Boss Yuan.
Boss Yuan is a legend. Before the country was stable, he was engaged in espionage. After the chaos was rectified, Boss Yuan strangely crossed over and became the leader of the Merchants Group. After taking over, the east wind was just coming, so Boss Yuan seized the opportunity and carried out drastic reforms. The land under the feet of Chen Lanjun and others was a small circle drawn by Boss Yuan on the map.
This feeling is very wonderful. Chen Lanjun's tone became excited: "Can Xu Gong meet Boss Yuan? Logically speaking, her level should not be high enough."
A big shot like Boss Yuan is roughly equivalent to the chairman of a super large state-owned enterprise. Can a grassroots employee meet him?
Ah Jing thought for a moment and said slowly, "It's hard to say in other places. But here, maybe it's really possible. Although I've only been here to help for a few months, I feel like people here really don't care about these things."
Chen Lanjun smiled and recited two lines of poetry: "I advise the God of Heaven to shake himself up and send down talents regardless of their background."
"Don't say, it's true." After hearing this, Ah Jing clapped his hands.
After chatting, Ajing took Chen Lanjun into her temporary office.
Zhao Hong was interested in the machinery outside. After asking Chen Lanjun's opinion, he ran out to watch the excavators and tractors working.
I came late today and didn't have time to fetch water. Ah Jing picked up the empty kettle and ran to the next door to borrow a cup of hot water for Chen Lanjun to drink.
"Sister Lan, please sit down and take a rest. I'll sort out the information and it will be ready soon."
Chen Lanjun held the cup in her hand and asked, "Is this information confidential?"
"No, this is the bonus count for the workers. Everyone has to see it. It was supposed to be posted."
"May I take a look at it?"
"Of course, it just so happens that Sister Lan can help me calculate whether the numbers are correct."
Chen Lanjun came over, put her little head on Ajing's shoulder and looked at the numbers.
"How is this bonus calculated?"
"Well, we mainly haul soil here. The quota is 55 carts per person per day. This is similar to work points. We must reach it. After reaching it, we will be rewarded with 2 cents per cart. And if we exceed the quota, the money per cart will be increased to 4 cents."
According to this calculation, Chen Lanjun quickly calculated in her mind. If the quota is reached, then the bonus will be one dollar per day. If it exceeds, then it may be two dollars.
She helped Ah Jing calculate the data at hand. Some people are really good, they pull the cart very fast, the highest one, can get a bonus of 400 yuan a month?
Is this a mistake? Chen Lanjun took out a pen and paper to calculate again. Yes, it was 400 yuan. This bonus amount was a bit scary. The salary of an ordinary worker in a year was just this much.
The difference in amount was so huge that she could understand why there were objections. According to the previous allocation system, the matter could be settled with 40 yuan, but now it has become 400 yuan. It is natural that people are not happy about paying this amount of money.
As Ah Jing calculated, she became a little depressed: "Actually, it's pretty good to work here. I can read books in my free time. Oh, if it's cancelled, I'll have to find something else to do."
"Don't worry, it won't be cancelled," said Chen Lanjun.
Ah Jing blinked, not knowing where Sister Lan got the confidence from, thinking she was just trying to comfort herself. "Yeah, that should be the case."
Chen Lanjun took a look at her expression and knew what she was thinking. She smiled and did not continue to explain.
Time will give the answer. Although the road ahead is tortuous, it will still move forward.
Let's wait and see.
After Ajing finished calculating the accounts, she placed the list with detailed numbers on Mr. Xu's desk and quietly walked out.
Chen Lanjun is looking for Zhao Hong on the construction site.
This guy can really run. He ran between several large machines. Finally, Chen Lanjun caught him under a crane.
When he was caught, Zhao Hong was still chatting enthusiastically with the crane operator, and they said goodbye reluctantly at the end.
"What are you talking about? You look so happy?" Chen Lanjun asked.
Zhao Hong was still not satisfied: "Hey, let's talk about machinery. This kind of big car is really impressive."
Chen Lanjun looked back at the crane, thought about it, then shook her head and stopped thinking about it.
Ah Jing asked: "So now, should we go find someone to help send a message to Hong Kong?"
"Yes, I have already written the letter and I am carrying it with me. Are we going to the post office?"
"Going through the post office might be slow, so I'll take you to see if there are any people going there in the next two days. There will be some after it opens."
"Now?" Chen Lanjun was surprised and said quickly, "After all, you are asking for help. It doesn't seem good to go empty-handed. How about buying something? I have money with me."
Zhao Hong said, "Did you bring your ticket?"
Chen Lanjun was speechless for a moment. Well, she didn’t have any local tickets.
"It's okay, let's do this," Ah Jing said, "How about we buy some welfare fruits?"
After leaving the industrial area, several people went to the city center, which still did not look like a city center. It was a long street with grocery stores, guesthouses, state-owned restaurants and the like along the way.
Ajing led the two of them into a store deep in an alley.
Although the store was inconspicuous and didn't even have a proper sign, it was very busy and almost as crowded as the grocery store selling barbecued pork that we just passed by.
As soon as you enter the door, you will see boxes of fruits and vegetables outside, and fresh pork inside!
Ah Jing whispered in Chen Lanjun's ear, "These supplies are all supplied to Hong Kong. They come from all over the country. Some of them don't meet the standards and may not be so fresh. They won't be accepted over there, so we sell them cheaply here."
How cheap is it?
Chen Lanjun asked: "Excuse me, how much is this box of grapes?"
The salesman didn't even raise his eyes: "Fifty cents a box."
"What about this cantaloupe?"
"Two dollars! Do you want it? Don't block others."
"I want it!"
Chen Lanjun bought two boxes of grapes and two boxes of Hami melons at once. It was not that she didn't want to buy more, but the seller didn't sell them.
"They are all limited. How much can you eat in one stomach?"
Come back with a full load!
In the alley, Chen Lanjun could not wait to draw a bucket of water from the well and washed a bunch of grapes and a cantaloupe on the spot. Although she did not have a knife, she wanted to eat the melon. So she smashed the cantaloupe on the ground without paying attention to her image. The melon had been transported for a long distance and was already ripe with very fine cracks. After she smashed it, it immediately broke into several petals. It was fragrant and sweet. Chen Lanjun, who had not eaten this kind of fruit for a long time, ate it heartily.
"What are you guys standing there for? Eat."
After her repeated invitation, Zhao Hong and A Jing finally started eating, and both of them had smiles on their faces.
"It's really nice to not have this Hami melon. It's obviously delicious. If you hang it in the well in a bamboo basket and let it cool overnight before eating it, it will definitely be more delicious!" Zhao Hong said after eating two halves of Hami melon.
Chen Lanjun looked at Ah Jing and said, "Is there a well at your aunt's house? Why don't you go back and give it a try?"
"OK!"
After a hearty meal of fruit, Chen Lanjun and the others washed their faces with well water and went to look for someone.
Since the border was open, there were still a lot of people coming in and out. Finally, Chen Lanjun asked two people to take letters to her elder sister, inviting her to come here to meet her.
Zhao Hong was also an old acquaintance of the elder sister, and he said with regret: "At that time, I really thought that I would never see her again."
It turned out that this person helped send the elder sister away.
Chen Lanjun glanced at him calmly and pursed her lips: "Yes, fortunately we caught up with the right time. Did you also go there from Baoan at that time?"
"I don't really know. I just picked her up in Suicheng and sent her away. But I heard that we had to take a car, hide in the mountains, behind trees or rocks, wait for the right opportunity, and then climb over the wire fence."
"Thinking about it now, it was a really difficult journey. I was really worried at the time, afraid that she... You know, many people died on the road. Fortunately, she made it alive."
Chen Lanjun nodded and stopped talking.
Despite such a difficult journey, the elder sister still walked through it and got there, and now she only needs a train ticket to get here.
I just don't know whether she is willing to come or when she will come.
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