Old Li then asked five or six more people, and they all answered honestly.
During their answers, Old Li could also see that the group's admiration for Chen Qing was palpable.
At the same time, one can personally feel that Chen Qing has really worried a lot about the garment factory, which is why everyone admires her so much!
At a time when slacking off was rampant in state-owned factories, Shengxia Garment Factory repeatedly achieved outstanding results, and Chen Qing's management ability was truly amazing!
"The morale of our garment factory employees is quite good."
Chen Qing: "Thank you for the compliment, leader."
Old Li shook his head and said nothing.
At 9:30, Mr. Li held a discussion with representatives of model workers.
Chen Qing selected twelve model workers to sit on one side of the conference room. Among them were veteran foremen, young technicians, and designers.
Old Li asked the staff to remove the table, and everyone sat in a circle: "Don't be nervous, just chat casually. What do you think is the biggest change in the factory?"
Foreman Sister Liu was the first to speak: "I've been a long-time employee since the factory was built. The biggest change is that I have a sense of purpose now. Before, it was about completing tasks; now it's about creating value. The clothes we make are sold in the United States, and all the neighbors say that Shengxia Factory is amazing."
Young technician Xiao Zhang continued, "I attended the factory's night school to learn mechanical drawing and basic English. Now I can not only operate imported equipment, but also understand simple English manuals. The factory manager said that in the future we will modify the production line ourselves."
Old Li nodded.
The "model worker" aspect is essential, but it's generally difficult to verify its authenticity.
Because these people must have memorized their answers to his questions, he still listened patiently to their responses throughout.
After the Q&A session, Mr. Li suddenly suggested to Chen Qing that he wanted to visit the school.
Chen Qing took him there, and whatever the leader said went.
The elementary school class had just ended, and as Mr. Li watched a group of children running out to play, his hands behind his back, his eyes softened with kindness.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on a little girl who was pushing her wheelchair to play.
"This wheelchair is quite lightweight. Is it a new model?"
“That…it was made by my husband for my daughter’s classmate.” Chen Qing suddenly felt a little embarrassed. “My husband met my daughter’s best friend and learned that she had difficulty walking and needed to be carried to and from school. So, during the recent holiday, he made a wheelchair for the child.”
Old Li asked, "Did Comrade He Yuan make this?"
Chen Qing: "Yes."
Old Li was no longer surprised.
He had also heard a little about He Yuan's deeds; he was a top-notch worker who missed his wife so much that he became ill and needed to be sent newspapers featuring his wife to be able to work normally...
At the time, everyone found it both infuriating and hilarious, but now he sees that Comrade He Yuan is actually kind-hearted.
Old Li asked, "Who is your daughter?"
Chen Qing glanced at her, feeling quite embarrassed: "She's probably holed up in the classroom. My son went to sneak a bite to eat after class, so he's not here either..."
Old Li was delighted and headed towards the technical school. "Comrade He Yuan's blueprints can be used to make wheelchairs in bulk."
"Sure, I'll have him hand over the drawings to the organization later."
"The organization will give him the reward he deserves," said Old Li.
Chen Qing didn't know if he was just saying it casually or if he had a deeper meaning, but regardless, she said, "Thank you, leader."
Old Li shook his head. When he visited the technical school, which was more systematic and well-established than domestic universities, he felt a sense of admiration for Chen Qing. It was because she had invested heavily in establishing the technical school that the Shengxia Garment Factory was able to continuously inject vitality into it!
To accomplish all this, you need boldness, courage, and strategy—all three are indispensable!
When they were at the technical school, Mr. Li would eat with the students. Before eating, he would have his entourage go to the other side and pretend to be Chen Qing's relatives who were there to freeload.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows of the technical school cafeteria, casting bright spots of light on the concrete floor.
It was lunchtime, and the students, dressed in matching blue overalls and carrying aluminum lunchboxes, lined up to get their food, chatting and laughing.
When Chen Qing and Mr. Li entered the cafeteria, the students looked at them curiously. Chen Qing introduced them, saying, "These are my relatives. They came from our hometown to visit."
Old Li waved his hand with a smile.
Chen Qing told everyone to relax and eat: "I'm off work today, just bringing relatives to visit."
The students nodded with some skepticism.
Chen Qing and Old Li ordered a simple meal: a dish of braised cabbage and tofu, a dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes, and two ounces of rice.
Mr. Li sat down among the students, tasted a piece of cabbage, and casually asked, "How does the food in the cafeteria compare to home-cooked meals?"
A round-faced girl replied, "That's great! One meat dish and one vegetable dish, unlimited rice, and we only pay eight yuan a month, plus a four-yuan subsidy from the factory!"
Old Li asked with a smile, "It seems your Factory Director Chen is quite generous."
Other students chimed in, "Last week, everyone got an extra big chicken leg!"
Chen Qing stood to the side, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
The extra chicken leg was a treat to celebrate the factory upgrade.
After eating for a while, Old Li asked the round-faced girl, "Are you learning to operate a sewing machine all day? Do you have any other classes?"
The round-faced girl replied, "We had academic classes in the morning. The teacher said, 'You need to be skilled with your hands and knowledgeable in your mind, otherwise you won't be able to understand the blueprints and you won't become a good tailor.'"
An approving glint flashed in Old Li's eyes: "Is it harder to learn from textbooks or to learn a trade?"
A boy wearing glasses pushed up his glasses and said, "They're all difficult, but they're all useful."
At this moment, three boys sat down at the table, one of whom had a piece of tape on his finger.
Old Li asked, "You're still practicing with your hand injured?"
The boy said shyly, "A small cut is nothing. Today's test is on 'hidden sutures,' and I'm two stitches short of passing. I need to practice more."
"Two stitches less and it's not going to work? As long as the clothes are wearable, it's fine, right?"
“That won’t do!” the boy said seriously. “When our factory exports clothes, foreigners only care about the stitching. If the stitching is neat and solid, they will think that we Chinese are serious and reliable. We can’t be careless.”
Old Li put down his chopsticks, looked at him for several seconds, and nodded, saying, "You are very serious about your work, that's good."
After lunch, some students went back to their dormitories, while others went straight to the workshop, hoping to practice a few more needles during their lunch break.
The cafeteria gradually quieted down, leaving only the soft sounds of dishes being cleared away.
As Mr. Li and Chen Qing walked to the door, the warm afternoon sun of spring shone down.
As Old Li gazed at those straight young backs, his eyes grew deep, as if looking into the distance.
"Let's take a walk around the school."
"good."
The spring sun was warm and pleasant. The two strolled around for a long time without getting tired. After the students finished their lunch break, Mr. Li randomly asked them some questions.
Around 4 p.m., Chen Qing took Mr. Li to visit the Wall of Honor.
When Mr. Li saw the figure of "cumulative foreign exchange earnings of one billion US dollars," he asked, "Has this figure been verified?"
“Every transaction has a receipt from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.”
Chen Qing gestured, and Secretary Zhang immediately brought out the heavy voucher book.
Mr. Li opened it to take a look.
Everyone waited quietly.
This billion encompasses the hard work of the past eight years and the revenue from many branch factories.
Looking at the clear and concise accounts, Old Li praised, "Excellent!" (End of Chapter)
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