"Let whoever wants to make fun of you do so. Let me tell you, if you're really bored, go take apart the refrigerator and washing machine. Just don't bother me," Xing Baohua said, waving his hand.
That afternoon, Xu Shuaifeng rushed in to tell Xing Baohua some news: the No. 138 Cave Factory next door had been converted into the No. 4 Municipal Wireless Factory.
Xing Baohua knew a little about the No. 138 Factory, since it was right next to the Municipal Machinery Factory, and their factory's dormitory building was also next to their living area. However, the two sides didn't have close contact.
Originally, there were high walls and a sentry standing guard at the gate. As for what was produced inside, few people knew. It was kept very mysterious, after all, it was a military factory.
Some say they manufacture hand grenades, others say light machine guns. Still others have heard they produce military supplies. There are all sorts of rumors. Despite being neighbors and living together, they are very secretive.
In Xing Baohua's view, that was all nonsense. A grenade manufacturer on the outskirts of the city? There's a large enterprise right next door.
He'd heard the booming noises long ago, but as for the machine guns, he'd never heard them being fired in his life. It was all just a rumor.
I had heard rumors that the No. 138 Cave Factory had been shut down by the military region, with key technicians being transferred away, leaving behind ordinary workers and retirees.
The military was converted to civilian use, and it was renamed Radio Factory No. 4. Suddenly, Xing Baohua understood what the No. 138 Cave had been producing before—military radio equipment!
As for factories with strict secrecy and militarized management, there must be things they need to guard against. If enemy agents were to learn about radio frequencies, it would have a huge impact on the military.
There are two possibilities for why it was abandoned by the military region: First, the production line equipment is outdated, and the products it produces are obsolete and the troops can't use them. Second, the military region has stopped investing in updating the production line and other equipment.
Second, the military region was only shut down because the products they produced were hacked and caused significant losses.
No matter what the problem is, it's a devastating blow to the factory. The remaining workers and retirees can only be left to the local government to resolve.
"Should I try to find someone to help me get transferred to the Fourth Radio Factory?" Xing Baohua thought to himself. This radio factory was a perfect match for his major.
"What are you thinking about, Hua Zi? Did you hear what I just told you?" Xu Shuai asked Xing Baohua, who was deep in thought.
"I haven't thought about anything yet. Go and find out if they're still hiring after the No. 138 Cave was relocated," Xing Baohua said.
"He's not running a fever, is he? And he's still hiring. They don't even know where their current workers are going," Xu Shuai said.
"How could you not know?" Xing Baohua asked.
"I heard that some of their factory workers came to our area asking if we needed any workers," Xu Shuai said, then added, "It seems this factory is going to go out of business."
"Whether it's successful or not is none of our business, but you still need to find out the details about this factory for me. I... I have ten yuan in my pocket, I'll give you five yuan to buy cigarettes." Xing Baohua took out two five-yuan bills from his pocket and handed one to Xu Shuai.
"Why are you asking about that! You don't actually want to go, do you? Let me tell you, your dad could break your legs," Xu Shuai said loudly.
"Don't worry about whether you go or not. First, help me find out what's going on, the more detailed the better. Buy some good cigarettes, don't skimp on them. Aren't you a mobile phone expert? You're good at finding things out. Go now." Xing Baohua said, his eyes still darting around as if he was thinking.
Inside Director Li's office, Director Xue was smoking a cigarette with the director and discussing the matter.
"The Municipal Bureau has taken over the case, and the documents have been issued to the relevant departments. The No. 138 Cave Factory is also undergoing rectification," Director Xue reported to Factory Director Li.
“I thought we could stall for a few more months? Now time is running out. I can still find a way to delay things with the Municipal Bureau,” Director Li said.
"Should we directly switch to a contract system?" Director Xue asked.
"No, let's start with a temporary measure. After all, we can't find a reliable person to be the factory director in a short time," said Director Li.
"Will the municipal bureau or the provincial department directly send a factory director there?" Director Xue asked with some concern.
"Perhaps, I will try my best to delay for a while. If the position of factory director is delayed even a little, the people under him will panic without a leader."
"I understand what the factory manager means. If people panic, they'll cause trouble. The more they cause trouble, the better it is for us," Director Xue said.
"Not necessarily. After all, it's a military enterprise, and the workers who stayed behind are very disciplined. Our little tricks won't work on them," Director Li said directly, as if he could read Director Xue's mind.
"How about we spread a word and test the waters? Our factory is pretty quick at relaying messages." Director Xue smiled slightly, not showing much embarrassment.
"Alright, let out some information to test the waters first. I'll make more trips to the Municipal Bureau these next couple of days, and report back to me immediately if there's any news," Director Li instructed.
"By the way, should we invite a few workers over? We can just assign them any positions," Director Xue suggested.
"You handle it. You coordinate the job transfer. I'm just worried that the personnel bureau might get in the way at this crucial moment," Director Li said with some concern.
"Don't worry, factory manager, I have a solution."
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