Chapter 129
Inside the state-owned Xiangqian Hotel.
Hu Jiannan and Ye Manzhi sat opposite each other and did not pick up their chopsticks for the time being. Only young comrade Wu Yuzhuo sat next to his mother, concentrating on eating meat one bite after another.
"Brother-in-law, we have always had a good relationship over the years, right?"
"Of course I am. When I married your sister, you were still in elementary school. I have watched you grow up. You are no different from my own sister."
Ye Manzhi nodded. "When I changed my name to brother-in-law, you gave me a red envelope of 50,000 yuan (old currency, equivalent to 5 yuan in new currency) to celebrate the change of name. That red envelope made me happy for several months. Later, when I got married, you and my eldest sister gave me a sewing machine, which made me happy for a long time. In the past few years, you have helped us a lot when we have been in need in the Ye family. I will always remember it."
"Haha, we're family, so we shouldn't talk behind each other's backs. That's the way it should be."
Hu Jiannan has a good relationship with his wife, especially in the first two or three years after they started dating and got married, he was completely controlled by Ye Manjin.
Giving a big red envelope to your sister-in-law and helping your wife's family are all ways to show your love for her.
Ye Manzhi put some vegetables into her daughter's bowl and continued, "I used to be just a small cadre in the neighborhood, with limited abilities. It's always been you and Big Sister who have given the most to me. Brother-in-law, I'm actually very happy that you were willing to talk to me about this provincial excellence evaluation..."
Hu Jiannan is a very smart person, otherwise he would not have become the youngest deputy section chief of the Glass Enamel Company.
The sister-in-law suddenly invited him out for dinner alone and said such emotional words, which must have a hidden meaning.
He picked at the peanuts on the plate, pondered for a moment, and asked tentatively: "Laiya, have you heard anything?"
Ye Manzhi nodded: "I heard that you have been getting close to He Ping from our unit recently?"
"Well, we're not close, we just met. He Ping is one of the judges for the glass and enamelware category. If our company's products want to be recognized as provincially-recognized, we need to maintain good relationships with all the judges." Hu Jiannan sighed with a smile, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself about the review. I can find some connections elsewhere."
His wife always said that this younger sister had great potential and would definitely be able to help him get things done.
Hu Jiannan also admitted that his sister-in-law had a promising future.
He went from being a small street cadre to being the deputy street director, and then from being the deputy street director to being a college student at a key university. Now after graduation, he has been assigned to work in a big government office in the province. He is considered the most promising among all his in-laws.
But Ye Manzhi is young after all. She has been assigned to the unit for less than a year. In the entire department, she is the youngest and has the least experience.
In big projects like provincial excellence evaluation, they may not have a say.
Hu Jiannan contacted other judges. On the one hand, he didn't want to put too much pressure on his sister-in-law. On the other hand, the provincial excellence evaluation was a big event for their company, and he couldn't put all his hopes on one person.
Ye Manzhi herself knew that it would be difficult for a small follower like her who had no say to gain the other party's trust.
She also didn't think there was anything wrong with her brother-in-law looking for other ways to do things after asking her to do something.
"However, the provincial award-winning committee has issued a clear ban on bribery. He Ping has been frequenting the government bathhouse recently, and he's been targeted. If your gift-giving to him gets out, he'll be disqualified from the selection, just like the Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory was."
Hu Jiannan was slightly startled when he heard this, and said vaguely: "We just wanted to keep in touch with him, we didn't give him any gifts."
Ye Manzhi said with a smile: "If you don't give gifts or treat us, how can you keep in touch?"
"Oh, there really wasn't any gift, it was just normal social interaction." Hu Jiannan sighed, "Laiya, you can't be too stubborn when doing your work. It's inevitable to have some personal connections occasionally."
Ye Manzhi knew that this was a common problem in supply and marketing, and she had no intention of changing people's minds.
This is something that the leader and her elder sister should worry about.
"Brother-in-law, have you ever considered that giving gifts to the judges right now is completely useless and extremely risky? Take our food industry competition, for example. We've invited 59 judges from companies across the province. Everyone will score and average the results, so the influence of any one judge is minimal. Even if a company gives a gift, it's all for nothing."
Hu Jiannan asked in surprise: "Why did you invite so many judges?"
"This is a measure the leadership came up with to prevent people from defying the law and committing crimes," said Ye Manzhi. "The food industry is somewhat unique, and everyone has their own preferences, so we invited dozens of judges to judge the results. Competitions in other industries might not have as many judges, but the number would still be quite high. As far as I know, the textile industry also had nearly 30 judges."
“…”
"As a supply and marketing company, it's normal for you to maintain good relationships with upstream and downstream suppliers. However, our province was the first to conduct a quality product evaluation. Provincial leaders want to create a model and attach great importance to the selection process. Instead of taking the huge risk of giving gifts to the judges, why not find other solutions?"
“…”
Ye Manzhi picked up the teacup to moisten her throat and continued, "After you came to see me last time, I paid special attention to the evaluation criteria for glass enamel products. I don't know if you noticed that there are several special conditions that can give priority to being rated as a provincial quality product."
"One is a product that has won a good ranking in the national quality evaluation of similar products. The other is a product whose main technical indicators are higher than the industry standard or local standard and can reflect the technological progress and development direction of the industry."
Hu Jiannan sighed, "We've seen these evaluation criteria a long time ago, but the key is that we can't apply them."
"It wasn't possible before, but it might be possible now. Do your company's enamel production technical indicators meet industry standards?"
"Yes, all indicators have met the standards, but meeting the standards and exceeding the industry standards are different."
"But the latest industry standard for enamel was updated in July this year, while the local standard in Binjiang is still the one published during the Great Leap Forward in 1959."
Hu Jiannan really didn't think of this level. It was as if he was suddenly enlightened. He slapped his forehead and said "Ouch".
The enamel industry standards were definitely higher than the local Binjiang standards. Rather than risking huge losses by trying to curry favor with the provincial evaluation committee, they should have figured out a way to get a certificate proving that the technical indicators exceeded the local standards.
Although there is suspicion of taking advantage of loopholes, this is an open and aboveboard conspiracy!
Moreover, the products of the glass enamel company have always been very good in terms of quality and reputation, and there is a 60% to 70% probability of being rated as provincial excellent products.
They use connections everywhere just to ensure that everything is safe.
Hu Jiannan raised his glass and clinked it with his sister-in-law: "It has to be a college student! We really didn't think of this idea before!"
Ye Manzhi didn't say anything polite. In order to help her brother-in-law find a solution, she did spend a lot of time this month researching relevant information.
She was unable to help her brother-in-law through the back door, so she had to find another way and start from other directions.
Little Wu Yuzhuo ate half a plate of braised pork slices by herself, and the sticky sauce smeared around her lips. Seeing her mother and uncle clinking glasses, she also raised her water glass and clinked them with theirs.
Hu Jiannan was in a good mood, and his generosity resurfaced. After clinking glasses with the girl, he cheerfully asked, "What else would Youyan like to eat? Do you want candied sweet potatoes? Uncle will order another one for you."
Wu Yuzhuo glanced in his mother's direction and saw that she didn't object, so he accepted it and said, "I want to eat!"
In her long three years of life, she has never eaten candied sweet potato, but today she can try it!
Ye Manzhi didn't care about adding more dishes. She was still thinking about the gift her brother-in-law gave to He Ping.
"Brother-in-law, what did you give He Ping in the bathhouse? Did he really accept it after you gave it to him?"
Hu Jiannan hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "The first time I went there, I gave him a few enamel basin samples, but he confiscated them. Later, my colleague bought him some cigarettes and alcohol, but he also didn't take them. I thought he might be too conspicuous to accept my things outside. So, I used my connections to get him two bicycle tickets and gave them to him at the bathhouse."
Ye Manzhi asked, "Did you accept it this time?"
"Yes, I took it. But don't worry about it." Hu Jiannan took a sip of his wine and shook his head. "This He Ping is quite cautious. He took my bicycle ticket and gave me twenty yuan."
"Did he pay you back?"
"Well, he gave it to me right then and there, acting quite helpless. He said, 'Forget it this time, don't give it to me next time, it's against the judging rules.'"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
This is really difficult to comment on.
Bicycle tickets are not commodities, but they have a certain value.
Especially now that bicycles are priced high, the price of a bicycle in a store can be as high as 520-550 yuan.
The resale price of bicycle tickets naturally also rose.
It used to cost around 10-20 yuan to get a bicycle ticket, but now it may cost at least 30 yuan.
According to the current market conditions, the two bicycle tickets He Ping collected are worth at least 60 yuan.
He only spent 20 yuan to get it, and he could make a profit of 40 yuan by reselling it.
To say that he accepted bribes is actually a bit far-fetched, because there is no unified price for bicycle tickets themselves, and the specific selling price depends on the buyer and seller.
Ye Manzhi could even imagine He Ping's reaction after being reported.
He would certainly say helplessly that his colleagues in the company have repeatedly stopped him from giving him gifts, and if he does not accept them, he might continue to be harassed.
Therefore, in order not to affect the other party's eligibility for selection and to keep his ears clear, he could only spend money to buy the gift given by the other party.
Maybe they will even package themselves as a good-natured victim who can't stand the harassment and pays for it out of their own pockets.
While marveling at the other party's prudence and survival wisdom, Ye Manzhi sighed that if He Ping had put these thoughts into his work, he would at least be a director now!
*
After figuring out what He Ping was up to, Ye Manzhi did two things.
One is to complain to my eldest sister and ask her to control my eldest brother-in-law. I had previously gone to dinner with my brother-in-law alone because I was worried that the couple would quarrel and have conflicts. If I waited until the matter was resolved before complaining, I was worried that my eldest brother-in-law would act recklessly and implicate my eldest sister.
The second is to let Fourth Brother come back so that we don’t have to keep an eye on Director He anymore.
Anyone who could chase after He Ping to the bathhouse to give him gifts should be like my brother-in-law, who has been rejected by He Ping several times outside.
Given He Ping's cautiousness, the gifts he received in the bathhouse were most likely "bought" by him with real money.
"Laiya, I've done such a big thing for you this time. How are you going to thank me?" Fourth Brother said, swinging his legs. "Is it okay to find a job for your brother?"
"Well, it's not too much," Ye Manzhi reminded him, "Don't go home and tell anyone about the gift from your brother-in-law!"
"It's too late. I've already told your fourth sister-in-law."
The eldest sister has always looked down on the couple. This time, when she saw her brother-in-law giving gifts, she must go home and share it with her wife.
He didn't recognize his brother-in-law in the bathhouse, which was already giving his brother-in-law enough face!
"Come on, I'm the one who made the most contribution this time, so you have to think about my work!"
Ye Manzhi agreed verbally, but was actually very worried in her heart.
When she got home, she asked Wu Zhengrong, "What kind of job can you find for my fourth brother? Do you have any connections there?"
She really didn't have any good options now.
In the past two years, there has been a food shortage in the city, the pace of industrial and agricultural development has slowed down, and the city's industrial and commercial systems have been streamlining their staff.
More than 20,000 people were laid off within the industrial system alone, most of whom went to rural areas to participate in agricultural production.
Apart from the assigned recent graduates, the city’s units have no employment targets at all.
Wu Zhengrong stared at the page and said nonchalantly, "How is his cooking? The institute cafeteria is looking for a chef. If his cooking skills are decent, I'll recommend him for the job."
Ye Manzhi hesitated for a long time and chose to tell the truth: "Not even as good as you. He hasn't cooked since he got married."
"Forget it, let's think of a solution elsewhere. The supply and marketing cooperative and the non-staple food store in our family compound all recruit military dependents. Let's see if they have any vacancies there."
"I think it's a bit risky. There are so many unemployed family members in the family compound. Even if there is a vacancy, it won't be my fourth brother's turn. He's not a real military family member."
Ye Manzhi thought about it for a long time but could not find a good solution. She originally planned to deal with her fourth brother's work problem coldly and wait until she heard the recruitment news.
But when she asked for leave to go to the city to attend the "Patriotic Health Campaign Award Ceremony", she learned a key message from the leader's speech - the city would strengthen management of the hygiene of market trade and food vendors.
One of the rules is that food vendors must register with the industrial and commercial department and obtain a health permit and a business license before they can set up stalls in the city.
Although there are many restrictions on setting up stalls, this regulation indirectly acknowledges the existence of street vendors.
As long as you have a business license, you can legally set up a stall outside!
After hearing what his sister had planned for him, the fourth brother was almost mad at her!
"Big Cadre Ye! You thought about it for so long, and the job you finally found for your brother is to set up a street stall?"
"There's no suitable job right now, isn't it? Winter is the time when coal is in high demand," Ye Manzhi shouted even louder than he did. "If I don't find you a job quickly, someone will steal your coal again!"
Ye Shouxin said, "I think setting up a stall is not bad. After all, it's a legitimate business that can bring you some income every month."
"What's so good about it! How much money can you make from setting up a stall? Who can stand the freezing cold?"
Ye Manzhi put her hands on her hips and said, "Everyone else can set up a stall and make money, why are you so squeamish! How can I let you set up a stall anywhere on the street? You have to consider the location, right?"
"Laiya, where do you want him to set up the stall?" Shen Liangmei asked quickly.
"My brother sells roasted melon seeds and sweet potatoes in front of the Hongqi Cinema near the District Cultural Bureau." Ye Manzhi snorted, "Do you think anyone can sell things in front of the cinema? I specially asked Qingmei for help to get a stall there."
The cinema is a great place, and even the seats at the entrance are fought over.
If you don't greet people in advance, you'll be squeezed out within two days.
The cinema is under the jurisdiction of the Cultural Bureau. In order to get this stall for her fourth brother, she specifically asked Qingmei to help find someone to introduce it.
Fourth Brother said awkwardly, "I had several formal jobs at state-owned factories before, but I never thought that I would end up setting up a street stall! Even a temporary job would be fine!"
"This is a different time now. If I had a better job, wouldn't I recommend it to you?" Ye Manzhi consoled him. "Brother, difficulties are temporary. You can start setting up a stall and earn money first, so you can have a livelihood. When there's a suitable job, I'll recommend it to you."
She took out the cloth bag she had brought, which contained six huge sunflower disks.
"These are the sunflowers I planted in the yard this year. I'll lend them to you to try roasting some seeds. If business is good, you can get a proper business license. If not, you can just go and become a coal-snatching hero."
Shen Liangmei is very interested in setting up stalls. She still remembers going to the county cinema to watch a movie before she got married. The five-spice melon seeds at the door were a luxury. If she could buy a bag of melon seeds while watching a movie, she could brag about it for several days when she returned to the village!
She tried her best to persuade Mangui to set up a stall in front of the cinema, and she would be responsible for roasting the melon seeds.
Mangui just needs to bring the roasted melon seeds to set up the stall.
The fourth brother thought, since I'm staying at home anyway, it would be nice to take the opportunity to go to the cinema and watch a movie.
On Sunday morning, he carried a bag of roasted melon seeds and went to set up a stall in front of the cinema.
However, he was used to the comfort of his home and was not a hard-working comrade. He could not stand the cold at the gate for half an hour.
He ran into the cinema with his bag in hand, negotiated with the ticket inspector, gave him three cents, and allowed him to set up a stall inside the cinema.
The ticket inspector was an old employee of the cinema. After taking the money, he waved his hand and arranged a seat for him at the entrance of the screening room.
He was also told that if anyone asked, he should say that they were relatives and that he came in temporarily to keep warm.
Ye Mangui agreed repeatedly.
When the movie was over, he would go outside to set up a stall, and when the movie started again, he would go inside to stay.
From nine in the morning to seven in the evening, he watched several movies in the cinema and sold all the sunflower seeds he brought with him.
When he took the coin bag home, the couple squatted on the ground and counted the bills together.
After deducting the 30-cent venue fee and his food and drink for the day, he still had 2.2 yuan in his pocket.
Shen Liangmei snatched the banknotes from her son's hand and said excitedly, "You can earn more than two yuan a day, so that must be fifty or sixty yuan a month, right?"
"Laiya gave me the melon seeds. Next time I sell them, I'll have to buy them myself. Besides, today is the weekend, and there are people watching movies all day. Usually there aren't so many people here." Fourth Brother pondered and said, "After completing the industrial and commercial registration, it seems I still have to pay taxes..."
"Then you can definitely earn 20 yuan a month, right?"
"That should be possible."
"I don't have high expectations. 20 yuan a month is enough for you," Shen Liangmei said considerately. "You don't need to punch in at the office to set up the stall. I'll roast the melon seeds. It's up to you when you want to go out and set up the stall. No one's watching movies in the morning, so you can take a nap after dropping the kids off!"
The fourth brother touched his chin and said, "Then I'll try it out for a few more days. If I can sell more than one dollar a day, I'll go get a business license."
*
When Ye Manzhi heard that her fourth brother had obtained a business license, she was very happy. No matter how long the stall could last, at least she had a business to make a living. Moreover, the stall hours were flexible and would not delay her fourth brother from picking up the children from kindergarten.
She felt relieved, but didn't dare show it at work.
In recent days, almost everyone in the Chemical and Light Industry Department has been feeling insecure. They have been buried in their work in the office, wishing they could put their heads in their pockets.
The cause of the incident was the provincial excellent product evaluation.
The review committee must complete the evaluation of the food and textile industries before the end of the year.
The evaluation of the textile industry is progressing very quickly. The preliminary and final review meetings have ended, and the official list of provincial excellent products was released last week.
The textile group's work efficiency was high, and it was not only praised by the department leaders, but the Provincial People's Committee also praised the high efficiency of the review committee at the meeting.
The entire textile group completed their work happily as if it were New Year's Day, and then dispersed and returned to their respective units.
However, joy turned to sorrow. The day after the textile group was disbanded, it was reported to the provincial leaders.
Someone reported in real name that the textile group illegally divided up the evaluation samples submitted by various units!
After the provincial excellent product evaluation was completed, a large number of sampling samples and exhibits were left behind.
These samples have been displayed, touched, and even tried on by many people, and are no longer suitable for return to the original factory.
On-site destruction is also impossible.
Therefore, when the review team was disbanded, these samples were disposed of at market prices.
In addition to the judges, some well-informed cadres from various units also bought this batch of samples.
In everyone's opinion, this is just like a store dealing with defective cloth, which can offer certain discounts.
However, two old comrades who reported the incident in real name said that among the products participating in the provincial quality evaluation, there were no defective products, all of them were high-quality products!
Textiles are a type of commodity that is purchased and sold uniformly by the state. Whether it is cloth or ready-made clothes, they must be purchased with cloth coupons.
The textile group's evaluation did not use cloth coupons and purchased large quantities of high-quality textiles at low prices. Isn't this a serious violation?
Ordinary people can only afford one new set of clothes for their whole family in a year. Why do you people in the review group have such close proximity to the water and can get so many high-quality textiles by just spending a little money?
All members of the textile review group were called in for talks by the leaders. The Comprehensive Section 2 of the Chemical and Light Industry Department is responsible for the management of textiles and was also interviewed this time.
Director Xia Zhuyun and two deputy directors were not spared and were all criticized by their leaders.
In recent days, the working atmosphere in the Chemical and Light Industry Department has been particularly depressing. Whenever Ye Manzhi passes by the director's office, he always has to tread lightly, for fear of attracting the attention of his superiors.
However, the review of the food industry is about to begin, and Ye Manzhi cannot escape it even if he wants to.
Something just happened in the textile group, the food group must take it as a lesson!
Therefore, at the latest group meeting, comrades from the supply and marketing cooperative proposed that the number of samples sent by each factory should be reduced.
If too many samples are sent, the remaining samples will become hot potatoes.
The unpacked products cannot be returned to the manufacturer, and the members of the review team cannot divide them privately. It is even more undesirable to destroy them on the spot and waste food.
Someone objected, "Our food group is different from other review groups. We have many judges and multiple evaluation stages. Food tasting and testing consume a lot of resources. If we don't send enough samples, it will easily cause trouble during the evaluation period."
"That's better than getting reported," someone muttered. "What are we going to do with all these samples left?"
The review team members came from several units, and the personnel composition was quite complex. Ye Manzhi did not express his opinion at the time. It was not until lunch break that he privately told Xia Zhuyun: "Director, in my opinion, not only should the number of product samples not be reduced, but companies should be asked to send more."
"Oh, what do you have in mind?"
"Our original intention for holding the Provincial Excellent Product Competition was to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the light industry system. However, now that several units in the province have participated, everyone's attention is focused on the Provincial Excellent Product Competition, and no one cares about the tenth anniversary of the light industry. Why don't we ask companies to send more samples and hold a food industry exhibition in the name of celebrating the tenth anniversary to show everyone the achievements of the food industry over the past ten years."
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