Seeing the crowd getting excited, Zhai Xingguo slammed the table and shouted, "What are you arguing about?"
I originally thought that those who participated in the bid would accept the reality honestly, but I didn't expect that these people would not be sheep and began to question it openly.
"Why aren't you allowing us to argue? And you're trying to force a sale? This is coercion!"
Seeing that these people seemed to be intimidated by Zhai Xingguo's shout, Wan Feng quickly shouted again from below. Anyway, he was sitting in the last row, and if he didn't stand up for a short time, the people on the rostrum would not know who shouted.
"We oppose backdoors and we oppose power."
"We want democracy, not power."
Damn, even democracy has been brought up.
The word "democracy" was used exclusively in socialist countries back then, such as the then Dezhi Democratic Republic and Chaoxian Democratic Republic.
Who would have thought that after the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the word democracy would be used by the West to promote universal values? This is really ironic.
Director Zhang gestured for silence. "Everyone, please don't argue. This is a decision made by the Industrial Bureau. The diesel engine factory is a key industrial unit in our county. We have formulated these rules out of a sense of responsibility to prevent the diesel engine factory from falling into the hands of those with ulterior motives. Everyone should understand..."
"Bullshit! There's no need to make it sound so high-sounding. This is just a backdoor. Look at who's left after all these rules and regulations you mentioned. Zhai Xingguo himself is his relative and confidant. You're taking us workers for fools."
Director Zhang's face also turned ugly and he frowned.
"What are you arguing about? Huh? What are you arguing about? This is a decision made by the Party Committee of the Bureau, not just me. What do you have to argue about?"
Wan Feng was also puzzled at this time. Didn't Zhang Hai go to Liang Guoyong? Then how could the Industrial Bureau come up with such a plan?
The people below were not deterred by the shouting: "What's wrong with the decision of the Party Committee of the Bureau? If not, let's go to the government office today to discuss it."
Director Zhang finally got angry: "You want to rebel? You are disturbing public order and taking this opportunity to cause trouble. Believe it or not, I will have the Public Security Bureau arrest you all."
The sentence about arresting everyone seemed to shock the people in the room, and no one made any more noise.
The Public Security Bureau back then was very intimidating. People in later generations would not dare to hit the police in person.
These useless people can never achieve anything great and can be intimidated by just one sentence.
Regardless of whether Zhang Hai went to see Director Liang or not, Wan Feng stood up suddenly.
He would not be intimidated. Even if Jiang Hongguo failed to get the contract, he would stand up and disgust Director Zhang and Zhai Xingguo.
The Public Security Bureau can scare others, but to scare him, you have to wait!
"Director Zhang, I have a problem with what you just said. You're making random accusations. The era of random accusations and wielding sticks is over. Those sitting here are all workers. Who are workers? Workers are the masters of this country. Who are you targeting by bringing in the Public Security Bureau? Who are you targeting? I think your stance is deeply flawed."
Damn it, it's just putting labels on people. Don't think I can't do that.
Director Zhang's expression grew increasingly grim.
He originally planned to use the Public Security Bureau to scare these ordinary people. If they didn't make any move, there would be no problem. He didn't expect that someone would take advantage of the situation and make a big deal out of it.
1985 was not particularly far away from the era of class struggle, and many people here still remember it vividly.
If this gets out of hand and gets exposed, it will be difficult to deal with.
We have to find a way to calm these people down, coax them, and scare them, but what method should we use?
Just when Director Zhang was in trouble, Zhai Xingguo poked him and leaned over to whisper something in his ear.
Director Zhang immediately became alert.
"Young comrade, Director Zhai said you are not from the diesel engine factory and you are not qualified to speak here. Please leave now."
Go out? If you say go out, I will go out. That would be so embarrassing for me.
"Yes, I'm not from the diesel engine factory, but I'm a friend of Jiang Hongguo, a former diesel engine factory worker. Didn't you allow a relative or friend to accompany me based on the principle of transparency? Why are you going back on your word now?"
Director Zhang began to scratch his head: "You can accompany me, but you are not allowed to speak nonsense."
"Haha, isn't this a joke? The only reason someone is here is to give advice. If you're not allowed to talk, why bring a painting? Why bring someone else?"
Wan Feng's words actually elicited some laughter.
"Then what else do you want to say? Say it quickly."
"I have a strong objection to the rules you've set. I won't go into anything else, just the first one: Why can't people who don't work at the factory bid? My friend Jiang Hongguo hasn't worked at the diesel engine factory for many years, but how did he stop working on diesel engines? Anyone who's worked on diesel engines should know this, right? He was injured on duty and is now disabled. If he had been injured outside the factory, we wouldn't have said anything. But he was injured on the job and is now disabled. He made a great sacrifice for the factory, and yet he's now excluded from bidding. Who made this inhumane rule for a worker who made a great sacrifice for the factory, even paralyzing his legs?"
Wan Feng's voice was sonorous and echoed in the room, attracting sympathetic glances from many workers.
The room fell into silence.
Director Zhang whispered with an accompanying person for a long time. He did not answer Wan Feng's question, but announced a decision.
"Judging from the public's feedback, our research plan is very incomplete. We just exchanged opinions and decided to postpone this bidding conference. We will notify everyone once we have a feasible plan."
This is ridiculous. I have to go back and study countermeasures again.
Wan Feng felt that he couldn't let them back down so easily, and he had to stir up trouble. Just as he was about to stand up, the door of the conference room opened and several more people walked in.
Wan Feng keenly noticed that both Zhai Xingguo and Director Zhang had expressions of astonishment on their faces. It was obvious that they didn't know that this person had returned.
"Director Liang, why are you here?" Director Zhang forced a very ugly smile on his face.
"Director Zhang, I heard the diesel engine factory's bidding was in trouble, so I came to take a look. The diesel engine factory is an important industry in our county. Contracting such a major project must be fair and just, and the workers must not feel alienated."
Director Zhang's expression was unnatural: "Director, you are right! We must be fair and just."
"Come on, everyone, sit down! Let's continue with the bidding. Please share any opinions you have. We'll learn from everyone's strengths and strive to make today's bidding a success, so that no one has any objections."
Wan Feng and Jiang Hongguo looked at each other again, and things took a turn for the better.
As long as there is a fair bidding atmosphere, Wan Feng doesn't think Jiang Hongguo has no chance.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
