Chapter 260: Reform Begins with the Cafeteria?
As dusk approached, the slanting rays of the setting sun painted the walls of the Shanghai 316 Textile Factory with a rich caramel color. The scent of soap wafted from the public sinks. Inside the women's bathroom, the air was thick with steam. Zhou Aodong had just finished showering and was drying his face with a towel.
Several middle-aged female workers looked at her and raised their voices:
"Zhou Aodong, I heard your girl really went to take over that mess at Shangpu Factory?" The speaker was the foreman of the cotton inspection room, his tone carrying an exaggerated sense of concern.
"Oh dear, that place, Shangpu Factory, is overflowing with debt. The machines are outdated, and the workers are so lazy they're practically maggots! How could our comrade Xiangxiang, who was awarded the title of 'Model Worker,' possibly handle going to a place like that?" Another short-haired female worker chimed in, wiping her face, a smile she couldn't hide on her lips.
The squad leader who had spoken earlier covered his mouth with his hand, lowering his voice so that everyone around could hear him: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but those old men at the Light Industry Bureau are incompetent themselves, so they just pass the hot potato to the young people. That's just ripping them off!"
“Zhou Aodong, why didn’t you stop him back then? Now that he can’t handle it, he comes crying and begging you. Where will you put your face then?”
Zhou Aodong dried his hair with a towel, trying to hide his frustration, and said firmly, "Our family will figure something out. I don't need to worry about it!"
Despite saying this, her slightly trembling lips betrayed her doubt and unease.
I always felt that this daughter had other ideas, perhaps she had already thought of a way, having grown cunning over the years away from her biological mother; but could my silly daughter really have a solution? Upon closer inspection, she is still the silly baby I gave birth to.
Even she, as the mother, couldn't see through her daughter, Qin Xiangxiang.
Meanwhile, Xu's mother and her daughter Xu Ruwei, who had just finished get off work, were picking vegetables and chatting privately, occupying the common kitchen area on the second floor.
Mrs. Xu slammed the cleaver down on the cutting board, her voice booming as if she wanted everyone to hear: "Ruwei, Xiangxiang from next door grew up with you and now he's the factory director! The day he came back, he was picked up by two cars! What a grand entrance!"
"However, humph! I just found out that this so-called general manager title is intimidating, but in reality, the Shangpu Textile Factory is a mess. They can barely pay wages, there are no benefits at all, and the warehouse is full of 'zombie cloth' from the Great Chao Dynasty! Even the scrap collectors don't want it! Do you think Qin Xiangxiang can be so arrogant for long?"
Xu Ruwei pursed her lips, but couldn't help but sneer. She thought Qin Xiangxiang was so capable, but she turned out to be an unlucky person who was chosen.
She knew it! How could Qin Xiangxiang, her childhood neighbor, become such a powerful factory director, and why were the leaders of the Light Industry Bureau so courteous to her? It turns out they were all setting her up!
"Mom, let's just wait and see. For the past seven or eight years, she's been living in a small town, no different from a country bumpkin. She has no idea about the intricate relationships within our big factories in Shanghai. She can only manage small factories in the countryside, not big ones. If she goes to this big factory in the city, the seasoned veterans there will teach her a lesson! They'll tear her apart! In that case, even the factory director will come back crying to her mother!"
Mrs. Xu's eyes gleamed with a malicious glint in her eyes: "It's a pity we live next door. If she starts crying, it'll be impossible for us not to hear! If she really comes back looking so pathetic, how will she ever be able to walk with her head held high in our building again? She promised to find jobs for a few people; she might end up becoming a laughingstock..."
At this point, Xu's mother stopped talking. The mother and daughter exchanged a knowing look, as if they could already see Qin Xiangxiang's disheveled return in each other's eyes.
The freshly scooped-out pickled vegetables smelled even better because of the mother and daughter's anticipation.
The two people quieted down, but throughout the ten rooms of the building, discussions, laughter, and worries rose and fell in waves.
Many people believed that Qin Xiangxiang's appointment as the factory director was destined to be a failure. This once pretty but lazy woman, who had shone brightly in the small rural factory, would be swallowed up by the quagmire of Shanghai and unable to struggle any longer once she returned to the city.
Is that really how it ended?
Even Qin Xiangxiang herself didn't know.
At this moment, she yawned and decided to go to bed early, eat and drink her fill, sleep soundly, and then go to the new factory for the meeting.
The people at Shangpu Textile Factory had been waiting anxiously for the new factory director, and the past few days had felt like an eternity.
This time, the new factory director, Qin Xiangxiang, did not break his promise.
Led by an official from the Light Industry Bureau and a car from the Light Industry Bureau, Qin Xiangxiang and her recruited "first cabinet" arrived at Shangpu Textile Factory. In front of the factory's office building, a group of people held their breath, waiting for Director Qin to get out of the car.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the beautiful young woman got off the car first, and everyone was attracted by her face. Putting everything else aside, the new factory director really did have the face of a rich and noble young lady.
In any factory, such a good-looking factory would be featured on the bulletin board.
Behind this beautiful female factory director were four oddly dressed and haphazardly organized teams.
First was Aunt Pan, looking around and pointing at the entire factory area; then came Shi Kaibei, carrying an old tool bag and staring at the ground without saying a word; next was Ning Chengcai, who had slicked back his hair; and finally, Feng Xiaoxiao, standing there with her notebook in her arms, looked at the huge crowd in front of her and was about to cry.
...
Liu Manfu and Sun Youdao peeked out the window. Liu Manfu almost burst out laughing: "What kind of makeshift team is this? Did this General Manager Qin find those people in the garbage dump?"
Sun Youdao: "It seems that this factory director is nothing special. He is new to Shanghai and has no one else to rely on, so he has to bring in his neighbor to make up the numbers."
Liu Manfu: "Toying with and bullying these people is as easy as crushing an ant."
Sun Youdao and Liu Manfu, one with "bureaucrat" written all over his face and the other with "corruption" written all over his face, were definitely parasites of the Shangpu Textile Factory.
After carefully observing the new factory director and the people he brought, the two breathed a sigh of relief, but also lowered their guard.
Liu Manfu: "I was really...worried for nothing."
Qin Xiangxiang led everyone into the conference room for a meeting. She hadn't yet thoroughly explored every corner of the Shangpu Textile Factory, but she was quite satisfied with the place. Although it appeared dilapidated, its location and layout were quite good, and the scenery was beautiful. If it were cleaned up, it would be a treasure trove of good fortune.
Li, the clerk from the Light Industry Bureau, was sweating bullets, thinking that Director Qin was a scheming and calculating woman.
As a result, she brought four assistants, claiming they were her carefully selected talents. This Aunt Pan was incredibly talkative, and she stripped Officer Li naked along the way.
She's just an ordinary, gossipy woman from a neighborhood; what kind of skills could she possibly have?
The leaders of the Light Industry Bureau probably overestimated this General Manager Qin.
Qin Xiangxiang and his group didn't look particularly threatening, so the atmosphere in the meeting room wasn't so serious. Seeing this, Wang Youyou, the leader of the educated youth group, couldn't help but sigh.
I was originally planning to complain to the new factory manager and demand better benefits, but it turns out that this beautiful female factory manager is just a pretty face. What can she accomplish?
Complaining to her or causing trouble is a waste of breath; she definitely can't beat Liu Manfu and Sun Youdao.
They couldn't even get past Master Ge.
Wang Youyou covered her face, thinking: Let's move on to the next one.
Qin Xiangxiang sat in the main seat. She came to the conference room as relaxed as if she were at home, and yawned as she sat down: "Director Sun, please tell me about the most difficult things that are currently happening in the factory."
Sun Youdao was overjoyed, thinking that the new factory director was just a simpleton, which was exactly what he wanted. So he took out all the documents he had prepared and began to read them aloud.
"The factory has aging equipment... a shortage of funds..."
In his words, Shangpu Factory was difficult in every way, like a dead centipede.
Qin Xiangxiang listened to him recite, but didn't listen carefully to a single word, treating it as a mere distraction.
Because she only intended to go through the motions and slack off.
The fact that the Shangpu Textile Factory could suffer such losses speaks volumes about the underlying problems.
Poor Sun Youdao's mouth was dry from reading so much, but he noticed that the new factory director's face showed no seriousness whatsoever, nor even the slightest bit of worry... Wait, what's going on?
If a responsible new factory manager, dedicated to reform, were to come and hear these questions, he would already be frowning, heartbroken, or even angrily berating all the managers as useless...
However, the new factory manager was different; she even yawned with a relaxed expression, looking carefree and at ease.
Sun Youdao, however, got goosebumps all over.
This new factory manager is strange, extremely strange.
"Are you finished? I'd like to say a few words after you're done." Qin Xiangxiang sat up straight. "The factory will first change its name to Feiyan No. 2 Factory. From now on, I will be the general manager and take charge of the entire factory's reform."
"Reform is definitely not something that can be accomplished overnight, so I plan to start by reforming the factory canteen. I'll personally verify this later, starting with the canteen staff, and catch them out who's taking advantage of the situation."
"The chefs who cook well will stay, and those who can't cook will be sent to clean toilets and do odd jobs."
When Director Qin said this, everyone was stunned.
What should be reformed?
Should the reforms begin with the cafeteria?
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