Lu Zhiye opened the car door and invited Director Tan to get in!
The car slowly drove along the street. Although this place is relatively close to Beijing, the development here is worlds apart!
The road is still a compacted dirt road!
Only a few main roads have been paved, making them easier to walk on!
The textile factory's residential compound is not far from the textile factory; you can get there by simply crossing two streets!
Looking out, the neatly arranged small buildings sit in the distance. When Director Tan saw his curiosity about the family compound, he smiled and said, "Building these high-rise buildings isn't so easy. When we first started planning, several factories discussed it!"
The idea is to bring all the family compounds together in one small city!
This way, the families can look after each other. You see, this is the family compound of Steel Plant No. 1 and Steel Plant No. 2!
This is the cotton and linen factory, and this is the textile factory.
There are two textile factories in our county. This is Textile Factory No. 1, and the other is Textile Factory No. 2!
Over there are garment factories and fan factories, etc.!
Bringing them all together has one advantage: it creates a distinctive commercial district!
Especially after the reform and opening up, many small vendors emerged, and a special street was even set up there. Anyone could set up a stall and sell things there!
When Director Tan said this, his tone was full of pride!
He was involved in making that decision back then!
In most cities, the residential compounds for family members are not far from state-owned factories; they are either behind the factories or just across the street!
It's rare to see a company like them bring together the family quarters of several major factories all in one place!
Lu Zhiye has traveled to many places all over the years, but this is the first time he has seen such a unique area.
As Director Tan spoke, he became quite animated. Seeing that Lu Zhiye wasn't in a hurry to find his son, he said enthusiastically, "Come on, I'll take you for a stroll around our local specialty streets!"
Hearing him say that, Lu Zhiye did not refuse.
After crossing a long road and turning right, you will see a huge square!
Behind the square is a park, where many elderly people are sitting on stone benches chatting, seemingly oblivious to the cold!
In the square, rows of small carts were neatly arranged, and some merchants had already lit their stoves!
Wisps of smoke rise from the small square, adding a touch of local life to it.
Lu Zhiye found an open space, parked the car, and walked towards the square behind Factory Director Tan!
As Director Tan walked, he smiled and said, "Look, we have set up many small tables in the middle of here. They are mostly discarded by major factories. These merchants exchanged some money to buy these tables and put them in the middle!"
This way, others can also sit down and eat, which can be considered a way to make use of waste!
On the far right, there's a morning market every day, where many uncles, aunts, and grandpas from the countryside sell vegetables they've grown themselves, as well as eggs and other things they can't bear to eat!
Or you can trade with someone else!
Those with a good business sense, and who were also quite good at cooking, thought about starting their own small stall.
Several stalls sell steamed buns, pancakes, and the like!
The stalls here are only open at noon and in the evening!
"Oh, Director Tan is here. Director Tan, would you like some wontons?"
Freshly made, tastes amazing!
Factory Director Tan thought that since there were guests, he would definitely have to go to the state-run restaurant to get a couple of dishes later. Now that he was full, what should he eat later?
If you invite Lu Zhiye to eat wontons, people will think you don't value him!
So Director Tan smiled and waved his hand: "We won't eat today. Niu Niu is doing her homework. Is she being so good?"
"Grandpa Tan, I got perfect scores on my exams today. My mom said she'll make me a bowl of wontons too!"
These words brought a bitter taste to people's mouths, because the wontons they sold almost always contained meat!
We only cook leftovers or pieces that have broken skin for our family!
I simply can't bear to cook a separate bowl for my child!
So when Niu Niu said that, her mother couldn't help but tear up.
Factory Director Tan's smile deepened: "Then Niu Niu, study hard, and Grandpa Tan will treat you to a bowl of rice later!"
"Yay!"
This heartwarming scene permeated almost the entire small square!
It seems that Director Tan is very popular here!
Lu Zhiye looked around carefully and noticed that most of the people running the stalls were women.
He had a plan in mind. It seemed that it wasn't just the textile factory that was having operational problems; the economic benefits of many state-owned factories were declining!
In my previous life, in the 1980s, many factories were not as profitable as before, but they were still able to stay afloat!
It wasn't until the 1990s that large-scale factory closures began, leading to a wave of layoffs.
For some reason, many things seem to have happened much earlier than expected in this life!
However, this also precisely demonstrates that the country is constantly developing!
The two walked out of the distinctive little square. The factory director's eyebrows, which had been raised earlier, now drooped, and he looked somewhat dejected.
Suddenly remembering that there was someone standing next to him, he reverted to his usual invincible self!
"Look at me, I've lost track of time chatting with these people!"
As he spoke, he glanced at his faded wristwatch: "At this time, they should both be off work!"
Let's go home!
Lu Zhiye nodded with a smile!
Just as I reached the gate of the residential compound, a woman carrying a baby on her back rushed towards me, yelling and screaming!
"Director Tan, Director Tan, when will our factory start work?"
It's almost payday, when will we get paid?
Look at the baby in the house, crying loudly, it's because they're hungry!
Even children who attend school at home need to pay to go to school!
"Director Tan, let's get back to work as soon as possible!"
As soon as one person started speaking, many women rushed over and said, "That's right, Director Tan, it's not good for us to just stay at home all day!"
Wages are paid according to the number of days worked, but because of the factory's situation, we can't work. How will we get our wages?
The women's chatter completely tore away the fig leaf that Director Tan had been trying to cover up!
His expression was rather unpleasant, especially with Lu Zhiye standing next to him.
Factory Director Tan cleared his throat: "The factory will give an explanation for this matter later. It's already after get off work, and I should go home."
His authority was still intact, and everyone then noticed that there was a guest accompanying him!
He wisely stepped aside and stopped asking questions!
However, the chattering discussion still reached their ears.
Even the usually composed Factory Director Tan felt a little hot-faced at this moment.
The steps they took were also a bit bigger!
He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he got home!
Forcing a smile, he said to Lu Zhiye beside him, "The machines in the factory broke down a while ago and haven't been fixed yet. I'm sorry to have troubled you!"
Even now, he still wants to maintain some semblance of dignity!
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