On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Ruyang Company's beverage factory closed for a holiday.
This is because the factories are all built locally and the workers are recruited locally, with few migrant workers.
In Tianjin, Ruyang Company has a total of two large factories and five small factories.
These small factories are basically helping the city government solve some problems, and their production efficiency is very low.
Erpi decided to replace all the production equipment after the New Year to increase production capacity.
For example, Yangkele Guyang Branch Factory.
This factory was originally a small soda factory, with a daily output of less than 10,000 bottles, but it was enough to support more than 50 workers in the factory.
That's right, this small factory actually has more than 50 workers, and that's only after the city government arranged for so-called management personnel in advance.
As it gradually lost its competitiveness, it became a burden on the city government.
After Su Wu took over, although production did not increase, the profits were good. They could sell as much as they produced, which was enough to support the workers.
Erpi drove Su Wu over to see the employees on holiday and was quite moved.
"Sigh, we're just wasting money to make a name for ourselves. If we adopt the latest automated production equipment next year, we won't need so many people at all. We'll have to lay off at least half of them. It's a pity we can't do that."
"We're all people who have suffered a lot, so we'll give everyone a job if we can. But in our company, we give out jobs because we have good intentions, but we're not going to be pushovers."
Su Wu looked at the factory gate, which was now adorned with bright red couplets, and felt a similar sense of emotion.
He doesn't lack the money; he can support these people, but it's not in the company's best interest.
A company is like a tightly functioning machine; it needs to operate seamlessly and efficiently, not be a piece of junk that rattles no matter where you knock on it.
Erpi watched the workers leave in a cheerful and orderly manner, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.
"Sigh, these people are all hardworking and reliable. Maybe we should lower their wages when the equipment is replaced, so they'll at least have something to eat."
"That won't do. Our salaries and benefits are a symbol of our quality; they can only go up, not down."
"What can we do then? Isn't this just supporting idlers? If this goes on for too long, the factory will be ruined."
"So, we need to change our thinking. I think the factory area here is big enough to build a beverage bottle manufacturing plant. This way, we can distribute our employees, become self-sufficient, and further reduce costs."
"That's a good idea. If we can handle other similar factories in the same way, we won't have to lay off any workers."
Erpi thought Su Wu's suggestion was very constructive.
In this way, they achieved their goal of not supporting idle people.
They have quite a few of these small factories in various places, all products of rapid expansion.
After the New Year, these small factories will need to upgrade their equipment one after another, and this method can solve their biggest problem.
After the inspection, Su Wu and Er Pi returned to the villa and began preparing for the Spring Festival for the two bachelors.
Both of them were very grateful to have a companion this year; otherwise, this time of year would have been their loneliest and most helpless time.
But what they didn't know was that someone was not in a good mood for the New Year and was planning to give them a big New Year's gift.
In the cold winter, it gets dark early. By around 7 p.m., it was already pitch black outside the Guyang branch factory.
These small factories don't have anything valuable, and it was the Lunar New Year, so they simply didn't leave any security guards.
Suddenly, a light flashed in the darkness, and then a dark figure darted out and quickly cut the lock with large iron pliers.
As soon as the factory gate was opened, the dark figure darted inside, using the flashlight beam as a guide.
Shortly afterward, after confirming that no one was inside, he made a phone call.
"You can come over now, make sure no one's here."
Not long after the phone call ended, a dozen men carrying oil drums sneaked into the factory.
"Hurry up, all of you, pour the gasoline and we'll start the fire."
Half an hour later, flames rose from the Guyang branch factory, growing larger and larger until they gradually illuminated the night sky.
Meanwhile, the same thing was happening in several other small factories in Tianjin, none of them spared.
As if foreshadowing a major fire at Ruyang Company the following year, all five branch factories, located in five different areas, caught fire around the same time, and the fires quickly became uncontrollable.
As dusk settled, Su Wu and Erpi were drinking heartily, lamenting the impermanence of life and the saying "the big intestine wraps the small intestine."
Suddenly, their phones started ringing incessantly, as if to cheer them on.
When they answered the phone, their heads still slightly swollen from drunkenness, they instantly sobered up.
"Holy crap, one of the branch factories is on fire!"
"The branch factory is on fire! Quickly send people over to check it out!"
The two spoke at the same time, saying the same thing.
They exchanged a glance, then hurriedly put on their clothes and prepared to go check.
But after the two got into the car, they were dumbfounded again.
"Hurry up and get to the Guyang branch factory!"
"Guyang? Isn't it Qinghe?"
"What? This is not the time for jokes."
"I didn't, could it be...?"
Just as the two were starting to feel uneasy, their phones began ringing incessantly again.
As a result, the two almost broke down.
Five small factories caught fire overnight!
Erpi gripped the steering wheel nervously. "Which way should we go first?"
"No need to go. Let Wang Hu and the others handle it. There's no one at the factory anyway."
Su Wu calmed down at this moment and casually lit a cigarette.
Erpi stared at him in astonishment, “Our factory is on fire, five of them!”
"Yes, it's probably almost completely burned by now, but thankfully no one was burned."
"So we're just going to ignore it? Aren't we going to go check it out?"
"You've never seen a bonfire before? There's definitely something fishy about this, otherwise it wouldn't be such a coincidence. You should go find someone now."
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