“It’s better to be a monk from afar than to chant sutras; I’ll chant them,” Man Aihong said with a smile.
Before she came, she had some concerns. She wondered if parachuting her in would give Factory Director Fei pause, making him think that Qin Xiaoyu doubted her abilities. But now, seeing Factory Director Fei's open and honest attitude, it was truly rare.
In other companies, senior executives tend to step on each other, but under Qin Xiaoyu, they have to help each other. That's the power of Riyue Apparel.
The staff meeting was held the next day, specifically for Man Aihong. Director Fei stayed overnight to explain the situation to her, and they talked until midnight.
The next day, the sister-in-law drove them to the factory. As soon as they entered, they saw Chen Lian running in from outside; she had come by taxi.
"Sister Lian, I only dared to recognize you because I heard you were back. If we were walking on the street, I really wouldn't recognize you. How did you become such a different person?" Factory Director Fei exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Lian followed Bald Qiang on business trips, and seeing more of the world changed her demeanor drastically. She wasn't ugly to begin with, and with light makeup, a tight-fitting navy blue jacket, and wide-legged wool trousers, she was completely different from the female hooligan who used to spend days in jail whenever she had a spare moment.
When she first met Qin Xiaoyu, she had worked at the factory for a few days and knew some people there. On her way to the factory, some people vaguely recognized her but didn't dare to call her out. They could only look at her from a distance and point at her.
She waved to us in a generous and open manner, which made her seem even more poised and confident.
When they sat down on the stage, the audience erupted in a commotion. They thought Director Fei was already quite remarkable, but these two were practically divine beings! Just like the people on TV, they commanded respect.
"This is Comrade Man Aihong, the sales director of Riyue Apparel. She will be chairing today's meeting," Factory Director Fei introduced her. The female workers applauded, the applause sparse and scattered, much like the hearts of the people.
Man Aihong first went through the motions, giving a general overview of the implementation of the shareholding system.
"That's how it is now. Several factories in the south have already completed their restructuring, and the factory in Chuncheng is also in the process of restructuring. The main factory, on the other hand, is lagging behind. That's why we're holding this meeting. Everyone, please feel free to raise any questions you may have."
"I just don't understand, this small group was doing just fine, why change it to a shareholding system?"
Sun Moon Garments has always been democratically managed, and workers dare to speak up. One female worker was the first to stand up.
“Because Riyue Apparel is developing better and better, a shareholding system is more suitable and will bring you greater benefits,” Man Aihong replied calmly.
"No one dares to say how much or how little benefit they've gained until they see it. I've heard our company owes the bank money," someone asked. This hit the nail on the head, and the room became a bit chaotic as everyone started talking at once.
"Silence!" Director Fei slammed his hand on the table.
“You’re talking about bank loans, right? This is a government support policy. It’s not like our factory borrows money only when it’s short of funds. It’s different from what you think of as borrowing money for daily life,” Man Aihong continued to explain.
“How is that different? Anyway, if someone has debts, it means they’re not doing so well.” After a woman finished speaking, the whole room burst into laughter, and Man Aihong laughed too.
“You’re right, but that’s a family’s financial problem, it’s different from a factory’s. A company’s cash flow is different from a family’s income and expenses.” Man Aihong paused and continued, “It’s like when we’re in the fashion industry, we need to buy fabric, but we have to pay for the fabric first, right? If we take out a loan from a bank, it’s like they’re paying for the fabric for us first. We process the products, sell them, and then pay them back. What does that mean? It means the bank is involved in our cash flow.”
Man Aihong's explanation didn't get to the real meaning of the loan; it was just too complicated for the female workers to understand.
After she simplified it like that, the female workers seemed to really understand.
That makes sense. Borrowing money to buy fabric, making clothes, selling them, and paying back the money makes perfect sense.
"Then let's thank the country," this person concluded.
"Of course, the development of our company is due to the favorable national policies and the result of reforms. We should thank the country for enabling us to live a good life."
“There’s another problem. Can’t we just continue with our small group? It’ll sound better to outsiders, won’t it?” someone else chimed in.
"Excuse me, ma'am, is your husband's income higher than yours?" Man Aihong had heard that in this small northeastern city, no company's employees earned more than those at Riyue Garments, hence her question.
"Definitely not. With my bonuses, salary, and all sorts of subsidies, how can he compare to me? Now he's laid off and just sitting at home eating." The older sister's last sentence elicited another round of laughter, but the laughter made people feel a pang of sadness.
"You were laid off. What company did you work for before?"
"From a state-owned machinery factory."
“Look, ‘large state-owned enterprise’ sounds nice, right? But we still got laid off. Your ‘small collective’ may sound nice, but it can’t compare to a large state-owned enterprise, yet your income is much better.” Man Aihong immediately grasped the key point, and Director Fei gave her an approving look.
"That's true, a nice-sounding name doesn't mean much. But can you guarantee that we'll earn more after the shareholding system is implemented?" The older sister was speechless, but still wouldn't give up.
"The shareholding system means that money is distributed according to shares. From top to bottom, whether it's Factory Director Fei, Factory Director Qin, or me, everyone is treated equally and proportionally. If you lose less, we lose less too. We're all tied to the same rope, and no one can jump off. Isn't that good?"
When Man Aihong mentioned that everyone was tied together on a rope, the audience got excited, and a burst of discussion erupted, almost lifting the tent off its roof. Everyone huddled together, discussing amongst themselves.
Just as Director Fei was about to restore order, Man Aihong stopped him, saying, "Let them discuss it now."
After a while, the venue gradually quieted down.
"Does that mean we'll earn more after the shareholding system is implemented?" someone asked a specific question, and everyone listened intently.
"As long as everyone works hard, we will earn more and more. Think about it, this concerns your own interests, so you should do your best, right? Others have the same idea. If everyone thinks this way, won't the factory get better and better?" As soon as Man Aihong finished speaking, applause rang out. This time, it was different from when the meeting started; the applause was thunderous.
After arranging things here, Man Aihong flew back to Guangzhou alone to report, while Chen Lian stayed in her hometown for the Spring Festival and also helped with the follow-up work of the shareholding system.
In terms of share distribution, Qin Xiaoyu, after careful consideration, allocated a high percentage of shares to all the veterans of Riyue Apparel. This included several designers, as well as many others like Man Ai Hongye Qiu Guang Tou Qiang.
Cheng Fuyue was filled with regret; she had insisted on going to the clinic and lost her shares. Now she kept telling Deng Jianyan that she wanted to get the counter back.
Deng Jianyan couldn't make decisions for Qin Xiaoyu; he couldn't afford to offend either side, so he could only keep quiet.
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