Chapter 350 Everyone Needs Recognition: Where Does Emotional Value Come From?
The meeting room turned into an ocean, and the secretary's words stirred up a storm.
All the attendees were looking around and whispering to each other.
Amidst the commotion, someone suddenly raised their hand: "Let me say something, Secretary. The provincial leadership's idea is good, but isn't it too idealistic? This kind of assistance isn't something that can be achieved just by offering help. Take Albania for example. How much aid did we give back then, and how much did the Soviet Union give? What was the result? A bunch of bunkers were built, but there was no construction at all."
The room erupted in laughter.
Albania is quite a peculiar country, constantly switching between China and the Soviet Union, a real ingrate.
But if you can get real benefits from being an ingrate, then so be it; after all, everyone looks out for themselves.
Every day, it tries to offend everyone, and then it can't even get the country started.
If another country received so much substantial international aid, its economy should have taken off.
But the world's biodiversity is something that can make a complete mess of everything.
"It's not that I'm saying this," the social worker team leader sighed as he raised his hand to speak. "The people we're helping are the ones who have no idea about self-reliance or how to get rich through labor. No matter how we try to help them, we just can't help them."
He also called out Wang Xiao's name, "Mr. Wang, you do business abroad, you've seen a lot. Do you think Albanians are like this?"
Wang Xiao, caught off guard by the mention of her name, chuckled and said, "I have actually met Albanians before, in Bucharest and Moscow. If you're interested, you can check out the trade city; there are Albanian traders there too. As for being lazy or unproductive, those labels really don't apply to them. They're incredibly hardworking."
Just kidding, people who can't endure hardship can't do this kind of money-making business. It's really about earning money with sweat, tears, and blood all mixed together.
The social worker team leader couldn't refute it; he couldn't very well say that Albanian traders weren't Albanian.
But he still emphasized, "People are shaped by their environment, and these people only changed after they left. The people we are currently helping are still in their hometowns. It's really... I don't even know what to say. It's so worrying for those who see it."
He then called out Wang Xiao's name, "President Wang, you've never dealt with them before, so you can't imagine how there could be such people!"
Wang Xiao laughed: "What kind of person is this? Did they dig the 168-kilometer-long Northern Irrigation Canal, tame the Huai River, and irrigate tens of thousands of acres of fertile land for the people of the North?"
She looked up at the other person, her eyes filled with a smile. "I remember the Northland in the history books was a barren salt flat, a vast expanse of white, lumpy soil. But now, it's just like the water towns of Jiangnan, with a dense network of rivers everywhere. All of this was dug out by the hands and carried out by the shoulders of the people of the Northland over decades."
"This is a miracle, a miracle that is extremely rare even on a global scale. To complete a project with such a long construction period and such a large scale requires strong organizational, execution, and coordination capabilities. Let me put it this way."
She gave an example: "Our country's level of industrialization is far behind that of the Soviet Union at the same time. But when it comes to water conservancy construction, the Soviet Union is no match for us. To this day, droughts and floods still make irrigation a major headache for farms."
She smiled and said, "I am not qualified to comment on the people of the North who created this historical miracle. If I had to comment, I could only say that they are hardworking, brave, have great love, have a broad vision, and are full of wisdom."
The social work team leader felt that this private business owner seemed more suitable to be a state cadre than he, a leader of a state-owned enterprise.
Putting everything else aside, just listen to how eloquent they are, how beautifully they speak the North.
But he still had to pour cold water on it: "Mr. Wang, what you're talking about is the old days of the people in the north. Things are different now, times have changed. Let me tell you something. The place I'm stationed in finally managed to organize a group of laborers to go out and work. What did these guys do after they worked hard for a year and earned some money? Gamble!"
He gets furious whenever he talks about it, exclaiming, "How can things possibly get better like this?!"
He spends at least 360 out of 365 days a year at the poverty alleviation site, and all he got is this bunch of scoundrels. He really feels like whipping them.
The other social work team leaders and key members nodded in agreement; indeed, this was a major problem.
Those who have no way to make money stay at home. And those who are finally given a way to earn money, barely have the money in their pockets before they start gambling.
She's so frail, she's just not destined for wealth!
Secretary Fang also frowned. Gambling, prostitution, and drugs—wherever one gets involved, that place is ruined.
That's just how society progresses; every era encounters its own problems as it develops.
The discussions in the meeting room first grew louder and louder, then gradually subsided.
The social work team leader who had spoken earlier began to sigh: "I think that poverty alleviation should start with boosting people's morale. Only after we raise people's morale can we talk about the rest."
Therefore, it is the government agencies that should play a role now, and let them do ideological education work.
Instead of forcing these companies to struggle financially to provide financial assistance to the North when they themselves are already struggling to make ends meet.
That's really putting on a brave face.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became subtle.
When it comes to providing assistance, who should bear the primary responsibility?
During the planned economy era, the distinctions were not so clear.
However, in the era of market economy, some accounts can no longer be ignored.
Secretary Fang cleared his throat slightly, and seeing Wang Xiao with her head slightly lowered as if she was thinking about something, he gestured to her: "President Wang, is there anything you want to say?"
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to Wang Xiao's face.
To be honest, many people present were quite curious about what this young private business owner would say.
Wang Xiao hummed in agreement and nodded to Secretary Fang: "I have a very immature speculation, and I hope to hear the opinions of the leaders."
"Go ahead and speak," Secretary Fang urged her. "Today is a seminar, so everyone is welcome to share any ideas they have."
“Then I’ll speak,” Wang Xiao emphasized. “This is just a little personal speculation, and I’m not very familiar with the situation in the North. I’d like to ask the leaders, regarding the gambling issue you’ve mentioned, are the gamblers mainly men or women?”
The social worker team leader was the first to answer her question: "Most of the men who go out to work and earn money are men."
Wang Xiao pressed further, "Do any of the women go out to work? Do many of them gamble when they go home for the Spring Festival?"
“Some of them come to the city to work as nannies or caregivers,” another social worker replied. “But from what I’ve seen, none of them gamble.”
Wang Xiao nodded: "Then let me share my thoughts. Since everyone goes out to work, why are there relatively fewer cases of women gambling away large sums of money after returning to their hometowns?"
Someone from the social work team spoke up: "Women take care of their families, that's a fact, we have to admit that."
Someone immediately retorted, "You're talking about women in the past. That's not necessarily true now. Women these days are much more willing to spend money on themselves. Especially young girls, they'd love to spend two hundred of the hundred dollars they earn on themselves."
Secretary Fang smiled and replied, "That's fine too, it's better than gambling."
In today's market economy, we no longer emphasize thrift as we did before, nor do we encourage consumption. After all, if no one consumes, there will be no market.
Laughter erupted again in the hall.
That's absolutely true. Even if you don't give the money you earn to your family, it's better to use it to buy yourself food, drink, clothes, and other necessities than to throw it away at the gambling table.
Wang Xiao laughed along.
After the laughter subsided, Secretary Fang reminded her again, "Go on, continue."
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "Men and women are a bit different; women are more likely to receive affirmation from their peers. For example, today—"
She pointed to the scarf around her neck, "When I first met the secretary this morning, he praised me, saying, 'Hey, your scarf is beautiful, the color matches your clothes perfectly.'"
Then she gestured to the men present, “Did you receive compliments on your scarves, ties, and clothes? Compliments from you men.”
The room was filled with laughter.
Director Li, who had previously dined with Wang Xiao and his group, waved his hand dismissively, saying, "No, no, we men don't care about such things."
This kind of praise will only make a woman's heart flutter; if a man cares about his appearance, he'll just look slick and greasy.
Wang Xiao spread his hands: "I wasn't wrong. You men really don't like to compliment each other or give each other emotional value. Don't be fooled by what you see on TV and in movies, where women always seem to get together and gossip about other women. That's not the case at all. Women love to compliment other women. It's not just about clothes and appearance, but about everything else too."
She started giving examples again, "For instance, knitting sweaters. My mother had a colleague who was very good at knitting sweaters. She was good at thinking about patterns and could even create her own. So, from a young age, I saw many aunties praising this auntie and asking her for advice on how to knit sweaters well."
"And then there's my mom. She makes really delicious pickles and she's always praised for it. A lot of people come to her to ask how to make good pickles."
"In other words, even if a lesbian is not very successful in her career, her strengths in daily life skills can be noticed by her peers, who will then give her full affirmation and praise. In this process, she gains a lot of emotional value."
She laughed and said, "Men always say that women like to go shopping. Girls can go shopping all day long, even if they don't buy anything. We can shop from dawn to dusk."
"Why? Because we were in a very pleasant mood while shopping. Whether we were trying on clothes, shoes, or hair clips, my girlfriends and the sales clerks kept praising us. Of course we were happy."
She then changed the subject, saying, "But the same thing rarely happens to gay men."
She took psychology as an elective when she was in college.
One of their teachers once said something along the lines of that women don’t actually need men to provide them with any emotional value; women can obtain sufficient emotional value from the female community on their own.
But not for men.
Wang Xiao then gestured to the attendees: "The leaders in the seats here may not feel this deeply, because you are all successful in your careers, you are cadres and business backbones, your subordinates and your younger generation admire you very much, regard you as role models, and have given you full affirmation and praise."
She then began to use a turning point, "But you are the lucky few. The vast majority of your peers are ordinary people. They haven't achieved anything outstanding in their careers, nor have they made any big money. They are so ordinary that they are almost ignored. The envy, affirmation, and praise from their peers also disappear."
This is both a blessing and a curse for men.
Fortunately, they are born into a world where they are seen as being tied to their careers, with their joys and sorrows all related to their work. They are naturally expected to strive for success in their careers.
Tragically, at the same time, their lives became intertwined with their careers. The success or failure of their careers directly determined their life's value.
“These migrant workers who go south from rural areas and small towns in the north to big cities to earn money face an even more severe predicament.”
Wang Xiao bluntly stated, "Because when they go to big cities, they not only don't receive affirmation or praise, but they also suffer additional abuse and discrimination. No matter what they do or don't do anything, they are likely to be insulted, called country bumpkins, ignorant, or bumpkins. Some people may even maliciously bully them because they know they have no foothold in big cities and dare not clash with city people."
An uproar broke out in the meeting room; this was indeed a problem.
Long-term urban-rural polarization has led to pervasive regional discrimination.
Moreover, in this era, there is little online exposure and no emphasis on political correctness. It is only natural that residents of economically underdeveloped areas and rural people, who lack a voice, are discriminated against in big cities.
Equality for all is just a nice-sounding slogan.
Wang Xiao sighed: "So these migrant workers are very repressed. They have nowhere to vent their inner pain, and they can't get affirmation. In this situation, they need a way to vent themselves. Gambling just happens to be a strong emotional stimulus."
She completely understood how they felt.
Isn't her going long on 327 Treasury bonds also a huge gamble?
She needs stimulation, intense stimulation, adrenaline-pumping stimulation, to release her accumulated stress, resentment, and dissatisfaction.
Of course, she couldn't possibly bring up the 327 Treasury bond issue at the seminar.
She was still talking about migrant workers returning to their hometowns to gamble: "The thrill of betting big at the card table makes them feel validated. So even if they know rationally that it's wrong, they can't control themselves."
There are two types of gamblers: one type hopes to get rich through gambling, while the other type seeks the thrill of gambling.
True gamblers are often more often the latter.
"Among the middlemen who deal in illegal goods, there are also many gamblers. And they are not divided into men and women, because everyone is very lonely in a foreign country and it is difficult to integrate into the local society, let alone gain recognition from the local society."
A voice suddenly emerged from the room: "They've made a lot of money, but they can't live like lords and mistresses?"
Wang Xiao shook his head: "No. Because many traders don't speak the local language and can't conduct normal social interactions. They can't even understand the menus when ordering food at high-end restaurants. And people in these countries won't treat you any better just because you're a foreigner."
Some people in the room started laughing. In China, diplomacy is no small matter.
Secretary Fang pressed further, "So how did you solve this problem?"
Theoretically speaking, whether the scalpers go to the casino or not has nothing to do with Wang Xiao and his group. At most, if these people lose their shops gambling, they'll just find another tenant.
However, Secretary Fang believed he knew Wang Xiao quite well. Since she had brought this up herself, it meant she absolutely couldn't just sit idly by.
“There’s no good solution.” Wang Xiao smiled. “What we’re thinking is that since people go to casinos for excitement because they’re lonely, we should find something for them to do.”
“We run night schools to teach people Russian and basic financial knowledge. Don’t laugh, even though they are big bosses with large businesses, many of them are not highly educated and have little financial knowledge.”
"If you feel tired, don't want to study, and just want to relax, we have karaoke rooms to sing, dance halls to dance disco, basketball courts to play ball, ping-pong tables to play ping-pong, as well as billiard rooms and chess rooms."
Thirty years from now, people may not have much of an appreciation for Go and chess.
However, in the 1990s, Go was very popular in East Asian cultural circles.
NEC's presence in China isn't due to its partnership with Shougang Group to establish a chip factory. Rather, it's because since the 1980s, it has sponsored Go tournaments, from which many famous Go masters emerged.
In short, the container markets in Moscow and Bucharest have gone to great lengths to enrich the leisure time of these traders.
"To encourage participation, these cultural and recreational activities will be held regularly. Winners will receive a number of meal tickets, which can be used to eat for free at the market's canteen, plus a certificate."
Why are the prizes meal tickets? Because many scalpers and dealers who enter a casino for the first time are not there to broaden their horizons or seek thrills, but simply for the free meals provided by the casino.
They thought they were getting a good deal, but as it turns out, there's no such thing as a free lunch. The cost always comes from the consumer.
Don't think these prizes aren't attractive; in fact, everyone is very enthusiastic about participating.
Especially since the container traders come from all over the world, when it comes to things like national honor and ethnic pride, my goodness, that's a real competition.
Receiving a certificate makes them even happier than elementary school students receiving the "Three Good Student" award.
Everyone at the seminar listened with great interest, but by the end, they could only slap their thighs in frustration.
The situation is different; these tactics won't work on migrant workers in the north.
First of all, the destinations where the workers are employed are not concentrated. There's simply no way to gather them together and provide them with any recreational facilities.
Secondly, even in concentrated areas, it's still someone else's territory. Why should you expect the business owners to spend a lot of money on cultural and entertainment facilities for you?
Many of these people work on construction sites. When a construction project ends, the boss has to leave. What happens to the entertainment facilities they've invested in? Are they moved away slowly, like snails, or are they simply left behind and wasted?
Director Li clicked his tongue in surprise and directly urged Wang Xiao, "President Wang, you have experience in this area, can you give us some advice? What should we do in this situation?"
Wang Xiao laughed: "Actually, our Secretary Fang already provided solutions to the two situations mentioned by the leaders at the very beginning of the seminar."
What plan?
Everyone was stunned for a moment before someone suddenly remembered.
Invest in businesses in the North, making them like Eastern Europe. This way, local migrant workers can find employment back home.
The so-called dilemma of being unable to intervene in the outflow of goods to other places is naturally resolved.
But the social work team leader immediately shook his head: "Then this problem comes full circle. If their ideological problems are not resolved, setting up businesses and recruiting workers in the area will only cause endless trouble. When they're blinded by gambling, how can they work? They'll steal things from the factory and sell them. Gamblers have no sense of reason."
Wang Xiao said slowly and deliberately, "Then I'll go back to the question of where men get their emotional value."
Someone in the room laughed: "We men aren't used to praising people, so why don't you women praise these men more?"
Wang Xiao almost rolled her eyes to the sky; she didn't find it funny at all.
Ha! You men are unwilling to do the things that we women have to do?
I am so grateful for your kindness!
She gave a forced smile: "We women wouldn't dare. If we compliment strangers, what if they think we're interested in them? That would be a huge problem."
Men's narcissism is beyond imagination, especially those with lower cognitive levels.
You just give him a polite smile, and he interprets it as you being interested in him.
Laughter erupted in the room.
That's absolutely true. When a woman praises a man, it always feels like there's something more to it.
Wang Xiao didn't want to dwell on the issue and gave a direct answer: "In the family, most gay men derive their emotional value from their wives and children."
In the words of her psychology professor in college, most men can only obtain emotional value from women, especially men from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
This is one of the reasons why they are more willing to get married.
"Staying in their hometown, working near home, and living with their families allows them to feel the warmth of family and receive support and affirmation from their loved ones. This kind of emotional value is irreplaceable by anyone else."
Well, after going around in circles, she has indeed come full circle again.
Secretary Fang smiled and pointed to the social work team leader who had spoken earlier: "Didn't you say that we should do political and ideological work first? This is political and ideological work. We can only do ideological work if we can get our own minds in order."
The social workers either frowned or lowered their heads in deep thought.
Secretary Fang then gave everyone a pep talk: "Comrades, we must have confidence. The work of reforming people's minds has always been a fine tradition of our Party. I wonder if any of you have seen the photos that foreigners took of us Chinese during the Qing Dynasty? What were your thoughts after seeing them? My feeling is the same as what Mr. Lu Xun wrote: at that time, our people were numb, their eyes were dead, and when they turned, it was only in circles."
She pointed out the window, "But if everyone goes out and looks now, what kind of spirit do the people on the streets have? Aren't they full of vitality, brimming with life, and displaying a deep love and aspiration for life?"
"This is the achievement of our Party and our predecessors. They laid such a solid foundation for us. Now that we have taken over the mission, we are standing on the shoulders of giants. We have no reason not to succeed!"
Wang Xiao was the first to clap, making a loud, rhythmic sound.
Secretary Fang's words truly expressed her feelings.
Before she transmigrated, people online always said that Chinese people are born with political blood and patriotism.
That's obviously impossible.
Otherwise, during the Qing Dynasty, ordinary people would not have been able to provide logistical support or even act as collaborators for the Anglo-French Allied Forces and the Eight-Nation Alliance.
What truly awakened the patriotism of the people, filled them with political enthusiasm, and cultivated their political literacy were the various policies implemented after the Party came to power, as well as the influence of nine-year compulsory education.
There are hardly any things in this world that are born naturally; they are all forged through the continuous efforts of generations.
With someone taking the lead, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.
Secretary Fang pressed his hand down and smiled as he began to assign tasks: "How exactly should the follow-up assistance work be carried out? The province has only set a general direction. The specific measures will require collective wisdom and effort. We, the backbone of poverty alleviation, are expected to offer more opinions and suggestions."
The attendees began whispering among themselves in discussion.
Seeing Wang Xiao drinking water, Director Li took the initiative to greet her: "President Wang, I think you have a particularly thorough understanding of this. Tell us, what are your thoughts? You can also give us some pointers."
Wang Xiao was so frightened that he quickly put down his cup and waved his hands repeatedly: "You are all leaders, elites in poverty alleviation work. I am here to learn. How could I be qualified to give you advice?"
Secretary Fang shook his head: "Alright, alright. Since you consider yourself a newcomer, then be fearless like a newborn calf. Young people have flexible ideas, so think about it from an entrepreneur's perspective. How do you think this work should be carried out to make you interested in investing in the North?"
Times have changed. In the past, the market was dominated by state-owned enterprises. So, it was only natural for state-owned enterprises to contribute to poverty alleviation.
But now private enterprises have emerged and are developing quite well.
The government cannot expect to command private enterprises to invest in the less developed northern regions through direct administrative orders, as it does with state-owned enterprises.
As the top leader of the provincial party committee, all Secretary Fang could do was inquire about the needs of private enterprises and see how to meet them in order to attract them to invest in the north.
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "Secretary, now that you say that, I'll really bring up my ideas. Actually, when we start a business, one thing we look at is the policies offered by the local government, including the price of land and whether it's possible to have basic infrastructure like roads, water, electricity, and land leveling. The other thing we look at is the people, whether we can recruit employees locally who meet our needs."
She emphasized, "I'm referring to professionals in technical and management positions. To be honest, the economic development in the North lags behind the South, and the same goes for infrastructure and other aspects. This leads to the fact that workers from the South are unwilling to work in the North. Our goal is to cultivate local talent in the North as much as possible."
Hearing this, Director Li interjected, "Then why don't you just recruit and train people in the north?"
“No, that won’t work.” Wang Xiao spread his hands, looking completely innocent. “The local higher education system can’t keep up; there aren’t the talents I need.”
Whispers began to rise again in the meeting room.
Among the social work team members attending the seminar were teachers selected from colleges and universities. Sensitive to education, one of them immediately chimed in, "You mean you hope to establish a university in the area?"
This sounds like a good thing.
From the perspective of talent cultivation, China definitely needs to establish more colleges and universities; otherwise, it will be unable to meet the needs of social and economic development.
However, the issues involved are quite complex.
Wang Xiao shook his head: "Not only that, I'm not thinking about local colleges and universities, but about universities like Jinning University setting up branch campuses in the area."
The room erupted in an uproar.
This requirement is, in some ways, more complex than simply establishing a university locally.
Wang Xiao explained, "My requirement is based on the perspective of the company. Let me put it this way: if I were to set up a business in Kanshan County in the north, they would have a college there. But would I be interested in hiring graduates from that college? Probably not."
"Why? Because I know absolutely nothing about this college. I don't know its teaching quality, nor do I know the level of its graduates."
"Where do the graduates I recognize come from? From Jinning University, Jinning Polytechnic University, and other universities that I am familiar with."
"This phenomenon exists in recruitment by companies across the country. Apart from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, everyone prefers the top universities in their own local area."
The company executives present all nodded in agreement. That was indeed the case.
Wuhan University is considered a prestigious university, but if they were recruiting in Jinning, they would definitely prefer graduates from Jinning University.
Secretary Fang nodded, expressing his agreement: "This idea is very practical and worth considering carefully."
She glanced at her watch again. "It's getting late, so I won't keep you all any longer. I hope you'll all go back and think carefully about how to proceed with our work. Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the day to welcome the God of Wealth. I hope you can also welcome the God of Wealth from Jiangdong, keep him here, and not let go."
The room erupted in laughter as everyone got up and left.
As Secretary Fang walked forward, he called out to Wang Xiao, "President Wang, you still need to keep thinking."
Wang Xiaoqi asked, puzzled, "Secretary, didn't I just make one suggestion?"
No homework assigned!
Secretary Fang was even more puzzled than her: "This has already been said. If you don't think of one now, the provincial CPPCC meeting is about to start, what proposal are you going to submit?"
Wang Xiao was taken aback, then suddenly remembered.
Oh dear, she's forgotten that she's a member of the CPPCC in Jiangdong Province.
Yes, I am indeed going to attend the provincial CPPCC meeting.
Good heavens! If she had remembered this earlier, she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to bring up the branch school today.
Now she has to come up with another feasible proposal.
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[Cracking] The holiday is over, so sad. The irrigation canal mentioned in the article refers to the data of the Subei Irrigation Canal in Jiangsu Province. The land of fish and rice can be said to have been built by two generations of canal porters carrying water on their shoulders. This job of canal porters continued until the 1980s, when machines replaced them.
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