Chapter 276 A few words
The open space between the buildings in the No. 2 Steel Dormitory was crowded with people who had been called down by Zhou Jianguo and Kong Laosan. There were also many people on the upper floors, clinging to the balconies and windows to look down.
There must be at least two or three hundred people, all curious about what was going on.
"Isn't this Zhou Jianguo? What's going on?"
"I don't know. He said he had something to say about being laid off."
"Oh, could it be that the factory has changed its mind?"
"It's not his turn to inform us if he changes his mind. Besides, how can he change his mind just like that?"
"Their Zhou Yi is doing really well now. Didn't he even appear on TV last time? Could he be speaking to the leaders on our behalf?"
"Come on, how can the police really control factory affairs?"
"Don't guess, just listen to what he says."
Zhou Jianguo looked at the densely packed heads, his heart pounding wildly. He had always been a man without much opinion.
I used to listen to my parents, then after I got married I listened to my wife, and at the factory I listened to my boss.
Even when the family was divided, whatever the second son's family said was the final word.
To put it nicely, people like him are called honest people.
To put it bluntly, he is a loser with no ability and no opinions.
He feels that living an ordinary and down-to-earth life is good enough.
He had never encountered, nor had he imagined, that one day he would be surrounded by so many people, all waiting for him to speak.
Although I had said harsh words to my son in the morning, when the situation really happened, I still felt a little panicked and had an urge to escape.
"Zhou Jianguo, is it almost done?" asked Kong Lao San, who was holding a basin and a spoon.
Zhou Jianguo nodded, then gritted his teeth and stood on the flower bed, looking at the dense crowd in front of him.
He made up his mind. His son was so outstanding that he could even appear on TV. How could he, as a father, bring shame to his son?
"Is everyone here? Then I'll... say a few words." Zhou Jianguo cleared his throat and raised his voice.
Everyone looked at him, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"The factory announced layoffs yesterday. Everyone should be on the list, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Then let me tell you, this isn't over yet! We're not the only ones who'll be laid off!"
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked and asked whether it was true or not.
Someone couldn't help but ask: "Zhou Jianguo, where did you hear that?"
"Don't worry about where I heard this. I would never lie to you. But what do I want to tell you? I want to tell you that we all need to face the facts and stop dreaming. Ergang is finished! There's no way he can recover!"
Zhou Jianguo is one of this group of people. If his son had not analyzed the situation for him, he would still be immersed in the illusion that the difficulties were only temporary and the factory would solve them sooner or later.
Anyone who doesn't want to face the cruel truth doesn't want to be woken up by others.
But he had to wake them up now, otherwise they would just sit there and wait for death.
Zhou Jianguo said loudly: "I joined No. 2 Steel when I was 19. It had just been established at that time, and I was one of the first workers to enter the factory. My father persuaded me to go to No. 1 Steel. His original words were that the new factory was very hard and not as comfortable as the old one."
"I said: 'I'm not afraid of hardship. I'm a steelworker. I'm proud and honored to see No. 2 Steel getting better and better. I have contributed to its construction.'"
Some people in the crowd were secretly wiping away tears. In that era, many people had a strong sense of collective honor and belief. They regarded the unit as half of their home and themselves as part of the unit.
"The factory is having difficulties and wants us to be laid off. I understand and am willing to obey the arrangement. But they can't just ignore our lives. I've worked for No. 2 Steel for 30 years, and now that I'm old, I can't even afford to eat. Is this fair to us?"
Suddenly, the crowd was outraged and shouted that it was unfair.
"When the list of layoffs was announced yesterday, the personnel department officials didn't mention anything about resettlement fees or the back pay. They just said the factory would find a solution. They didn't say what solution, how, or when. What the hell is going on? This is a monkey trick! I, Zhou Jianguo, will be the first one to disagree!"
"I, Kong Lao San, will not agree to this either!"
"That's right, we all disagree." The crowd shouted.
"My son is going to take the college entrance exam soon. How can he go to college without money?"
"My mom is still in the hospital. Everything costs money."
"Our family's food will be gone by the end of this month, and I will have to borrow money to eat next month."
Everyone was talking non-stop.
Zhou Jianguo raised his hand to signal silence. "The factory said they have no money in their accounts. There's nothing we can do. So I want to ask everyone, where did our No. 2 Steel get its money from before? Did it grow on trees?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Did you pick it up on the road?"
Everyone shook their heads desperately.
"Money doesn't come for free. It comes from selling the steel we produce."
Everyone nodded frantically.
"So it's not that the factory is out of money, it's just that there's no cash. The money is sitting in the warehouse, and it's been there for a long time. That steel is our wages, our resettlement allowance!"
"I don't want to argue about why the steel coils can't be sold. I've never been a leader, so I can't just speak my mind. But the factory is out of money, so shouldn't we think about how to sell those tons of steel coils in the warehouse? If we sell the steel coils, won't everyone's resettlement fees and wages be covered? Steel coils lying in the warehouse won't turn into money on their own."
Someone upstairs said, "Old Zhou, there's nothing wrong with what you said, but if those people in the sales department were capable of selling it, they would have sold it a long time ago. Why would we be so anxious here?"
"That's right. If they could sell it, they would have sold it long ago."
"Besides, we can't use the steel coils as payment. We can't even lift them, and there's no use in taking them back."
Everyone started talking at once.
Zhou Jianguo took a deep breath and shouted: "They can't sell it, but I can!"
"Is this true?" Everyone looked at him in disbelief.
"Zhou Jianguo, we all know each other well. You are just a forklift driver. How do you get the chance to sell steel coils?" a middle-aged man couldn't help but shout.
"Yes, that's right. I, Zhou Jianguo, don't have much talent, but my brother, Zhou Jianye, does. He opened his own company in the south and is a big boss. He knows a lot of people, even foreigners do business with him."
Zhou Yi asked him to say this, because Zhou Yi was well versed in human nature and knew that no matter how much he talked, in the end it all came down to strength and status. Without the latter, the former was just a mirage.
So we have to use a tiger skin and raise a big banner.
Thanks to my mother's "publicity" over the years, Ergang's neighbors more or less knew that Uncle San was doing business in the south, but no one knew the specific situation.
Zhou Yi knew that relying on his father alone was not enough. After all, his father had no background and no reputation, so being the younger brother of the "big boss" was the key.
The crowd immediately began to whisper.
"I think I heard Zhang Qiuxia mention it. She said she was doing well in the South."
"I heard their old man say the same thing last time."
"I think I saw him last time. He was with Zhou Yi from their family. He was dressed very elegantly."
Zhou Jianguo said, "My brother Jianye has already found a factory in the south that needs our steel. As long as the leaders of No. 2 Steel are willing to agree, and as long as our steel coils are of good quality, we can sell them a batch. I can't say how much money it will be, but I can guarantee that at least we laid-off people will have food to eat and we can get our resettlement fees back!"
"Really...really?" Everyone was skeptical when they heard that they could get resettlement money.
"Will the factory leaders agree to this? They have so many excuses to make." Someone asked worriedly.
Zhou Jianguo knew that they were moved. Just as his son said, in this situation, giving them a little hope would become their life-saving straw.
"Of course they won't agree easily! Just like you said, they'll find all sorts of excuses, saying they need to report to the higher-ups or hold a meeting to discuss things." Zhou Jianguo raised his voice again, "So, we can't let them fool us anymore. We have to make them state their stance right here and now, or no one will be able to leave!"
"But, I can't do this alone. I need you to join me. The more people, the better!"
Zhou Jianguo raised his arms and shouted, "My fellow workers, Ergang was built by us brick by brick. It may fall under the wheels of time, but it cannot fall in the memories of every one of us at Ergang! We have not let Ergang down, and Ergang cannot let us down!"
"That's right! Lao Zhou is right!" someone shouted, "We can't just let this go."
"Yes, why should the steel coils be left in the warehouse gathering dust while we starve at home?"
"That's right, sell the steel coils for money and pay everyone's wages!"
More and more people responded, venting their dissatisfaction and emotions.
"Old Zhou, tell me what we should do next. We'll all listen to you!"
"Yes, you decide what to do. We'll listen to you!"
Zhou Jianguo knew that the first step had been accomplished as his son said.
"Go find the laid-off workers in your respective workshops and tell them to gather at Gate 3 tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. We'll go to the factory leadership and demand an explanation. Either we sell the steel coils, or we get the money we owe you! The more people, the better!"
Everyone was immediately excited and shouted loudly.
Kong Laosan held up his model worker certificate and shouted, "If they don't agree tomorrow, I... I... I will hang myself at the door of the factory director's office!"
Zhou Jianguo pulled Kong Laosan's hand down and said, "Don't be so desperate. We are here to solve the problem, not to fight to the death."
Then he said to everyone, "Tomorrow, no one is allowed to bring weapons, let alone cause trouble. If you bring weapons or start fighting, then even if we're right, we won't be in the right anymore, understand? Everyone knows what our Zhou Yi does, so don't make things difficult for our Zhou Yi. We are all his elders."
Everyone nodded, agreed, and said they would never do anything rash.
Some people were curious: "Didn't Old Zhou support someone in the past? Why is he so bold today and actually jumped out on his own initiative?"
"You don't understand this, don't you? This is the confidence given to him by his son. If you had such a promising son, you would definitely be more confident than him."
"You said that we watched Zhou Yi grow up together, but why didn't we realize how promising he was when he was little?"
Zhou Jianguo remembered that in the morning when Zhou Yi was telling him what to do step by step at the noodle stall, he talked about encouraging everyone to ask for an explanation.
Zhou Yi said, "Dad, even though you want to encourage everyone to go and ask for justice, you can't really go in the end."
Zhou Jianguo was confused by his words: "What do you mean? Why don't I understand what you are saying?"
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