Chapter 189
Ye Manzhi can actually drink quite well, but since she started working, she has always acted according to "Old Ye's Ten Pieces of Advice for Little Ye".
When attending dinner parties, he drinks freely, but his alcohol tolerance is average.
Therefore, the food factory's dinner parties were usually attended by the most drinkable people, Lao Niu, Jiang Wenming and Wang Shihu, and she and Chen Qian, who got drunk after just one glass, had no chance of getting a seat.
After today's welcome banquet, Ye Manzhi returned to the office again, looking drunk and staggering.
After closing the door, she made herself a cup of strong tea. While observing the environment of the new office, she was thinking about how to ask Bai Rongwu for something.
After the meal, she felt that although Captain Bai seemed generous, he was actually quite shrewd. He could decide to keep the bugle, but he might not be willing to leave the equipment behind.
Ye Manzhi stayed in the office to "sober up" for an hour. Seeing that the time was almost up, she took a cup of tea and went to visit Lei Wanyuan's office next door.
"Director, how much equipment should be left in the workshop to ensure that the workers at our Shuguang Factory can continue working normally?"
She had to know what was going on before she could talk to Bai Rongwu.
Lei Wanyuan asked, "You want to seize the equipment from Factory 833?"
"It's not really interception, it's just a matter of discussing with Captain Bai and asking them to leave as much as possible for us."
Lei Wanyuan waved his hand and said, "This matter is difficult to discuss, and there's nothing to discuss. After the separation of our two factories, many old employees remained at Shuguang Factory. Factory 833 certainly couldn't just abandon these thousands of people to the local government. When the two sides separated, Factory 833 left us something."
"The factory area, office buildings, dormitories, staff hospital, school for children, and affiliated factories—everything that couldn't be moved was left to us. After Factory 833 arrived in the rear, production came first, and living came second. Work began as soon as the factory building was built, so the equipment had to be taken with us."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The house belongs to the country, and they cannot sell it for cash.
Especially for the staff hospital, half of the doctors have left. What’s the point of leaving so many houses?
She frowned and asked, "When Factory 833 had 5,000 people, they used all that equipment. Now there are only 3,000 people. How can they still use so much equipment?"
Lei Wanyuan said, "All the equipment has long been inventoried and compiled into a list and reported. Captain Bai is the military representative. He must deliver the equipment safely to the rear according to the list. This is his mission. Without orders from above, no one's pleas will be of any use."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
What’s the point of the provincial department sending her here?
The equipment can't be kept at all!
Lei Wanyuan comforted her, "Director Ye, things have come to this point, so let's look forward. The comrades in our team are all trying to find ways to contact business. There are quite a few empty tube-shaped buildings in the family compound. I plan to make a careful plan and register a few buildings with the Housing Management Office to rent out as public rental housing."
"That's fine too."
There are thousands of employees, and the monthly salary alone costs tens of thousands.
The rent in the county town is not high, but at least it can guarantee some income every month.
Ye Manzhi was glad that he was not the boss, otherwise he would have lost all his hair due to worry.
*
On the first day at work, there was not much progress, but it did not affect Director Xiaoye's mood.
Anyway, if the sky falls, there is someone taller to hold it up.
After the bugle sounded for the end of get off work, she followed the workers out of the factory gate.
When they were less than fifty meters away from Shuguang Park, a group of young people stopped at the door of a cold drink store and took out their lunch boxes.
She asked curiously, "Comrade, what are you buying here?"
"You're not from Anyang County, are you?" the young man asked.
"Yes, I was just transferred here to work today."
The young man pointed to the front and said, "This store belongs to our 833 factory. Everyone is lining up to get ice cream."
Ye Manzhi was surprised and said, "Eating ice cream in such a cold weather?"
"It's only for young people. The ice cream in our factory is different from those sold outside. There's no ice chips. After we go home, we eat the ice cream by the fire. It's so delicious, hehe..."
Ye Manzhi also wanted to try what the ice cream from Factory 833 tasted like. She joined the queue and continued to chat: "I've never seen cold drinks from Factory 833 in the city."
"Of course you won't see them. The popsicles and ice cream produced by our factory are only sold to employees. We only have this one store. If people from other units in Anyang County want to eat ice cream, they have to borrow our factory employee badges."
Ye Manzhi sighed: "The benefits of large companies are good."
Shuguang Popsicle Factory is a subsidiary factory of Factory 833, specializing in producing popsicles and ice cream for employees.
It is of the same nature as the brewery under Binjiang Machinery Factory and the cannery under Heavy Machinery Factory.
Employees of this factory who show their work badges or work permits will be charged 2 cents per scoop, while outsiders will be charged 4 cents.
With her new work ID, Ye Manzhi spent ten cents to get five scoops of ice cream, which filled up half of her lunch box.
She has never eaten such cheap ice cream in her life!
The weather was cold, so she didn't have to worry about the ice cream melting. She took her lunch box and went to Institute 1062 to find Wu Zhengrong.
Wu had just returned from the lab and saw her coming to the office looking for someone. He couldn't help but ask, "How was your visit to the new office today? Can you solve the equipment problem?"
"Well, not so good," Ye Manzhi explained the general situation while taking out the lunch box from her bag. "We have art class at the kindergarten today. Since Youyan is not here, let's eat some ice cream."
"Then you have to clean the lunch box before going home. Her nose is more sensitive than sunflower's."
Glancing at Dr. Wu in his sweater, Ye Manzhi said disapprovingly, "Your office is like an ice cave. You have to roast your popsicles over a fire to eat them."
Wu Zhengrong brought the coal stove from the corner to the side of the small bed. After lighting the fire, he raised his chin towards the bed and said, "The stove is ready, and there is a quilt on the bed. You can warm yourself by the fire and cover yourself with the quilt while eating ice cream."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Covering yourself with a blanket, sitting by the fire and eating ice cream doesn't sound very smart.
But she still took off her shoes and sat cross-legged on the bed.
He first scooped a spoonful and fed it to Dr. Wu who was working hard, and then put a spoonful into his own mouth.
The ice cream from Shuguang Factory is indeed better than the ones in the city. It has no ice chips and is full of milk flavor.
Out of professional habit, she subconsciously calculated the cost and felt that ice cream at 2 cents a scoop could only barely break even and might not make much profit.
She passed another spoonful to Wu Zhengrong's lips. "You're saying that once the equipment list is submitted, there's no room for change at all? Captain Bai is really incapable of making any compromises?"
"Not absolutely. But," Wu Zhengrong ate his ice cream and added a piece of honeycomb coal to the stove, "moving the military factories to the Small Third Front is a political task. National interests are above all else. If the list has been finalized, then playing the emotional card will definitely not work."
Ye Manzhi filtered out the rest of the conversation and said to herself, "I don't think it's absolute. How could the provincial department leaders not know about the situation at Shuguang Factory? Knowing that the equipment list had already been submitted, they still arranged for me to go to Shuguang Factory and told me to try to get as much equipment as possible. This means that this matter actually has room for maneuver, but we haven't found the right method yet."
Wu Zhengrong didn't mention anything about saying hello for her. Military orders are like mountains, and this matter can no longer be solved by personal relationships.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore." Ye Manzhi patted the seat beside him, "Let's finish the ice cream quickly and go to the kindergarten to pick up Youyan together."
Wu Zhengrong was pulled by her arm to sit beside her. As soon as he put the spoon into his mouth, he heard a "crackling" sound of wood breaking.
Without giving anyone time to react, the couple on the bed suddenly became shorter.
Ye Manzhi, sitting cross-legged with her lunch box in hand, looked confused. "What's wrong? Was there an earthquake?"
Wu Zhengrong held the spoon in his mouth and mumbled, "The bed collapsed."
“!!!”
"Why did the bed collapse? I've slept on it for seven or eight years and it hasn't collapsed yet. How come the little broken bed in your office collapsed after I sat on it?"
"You said it was just a broken bed. How good could the folding wooden bed used for duty be?"
Ye Manzhi muttered quietly, "Did your logistics department purchase this kind of bed to prevent two people from lying on it together?"
Wu Zhengrong actually thought about it seriously for two seconds. "It's possible. I haven't heard of anyone's bed collapsing in such a long time. This means everyone is pretty honest when working overtime."
"Stop talking nonsense and pull me up quickly."
Wu Zhengrong pulled the man up and went to check the collapsed small bed.
"The bed board is completely broken. I'll ask the logistics department to replace it tomorrow."
Ye Manzhi quickly stopped him: "Don't contact the logistics department tomorrow, wait a few days! When I came in just now, I ran into several colleagues from your unit. Your duty bed collapsed because of my visit. How will they think of me then?"
It would be fine if they really did something, but the key is that they did nothing.
How unfair it is for her!
Wu Zhengrong was amused by her. "Okay, for the sake of the family's reputation, let's keep it in the house for two more days."
*
Due to an unexpected situation, Ye Manzhi was unable to finish her five scoops of luxurious ice cream.
When I got home, there were still two fish that had escaped the net in the lunch box.
Wu Yuzhuo had never eaten popsicles in winter. When he saw the popsicles in the lunch box, he asked in surprise, "Is this for me?"
Wu Zhengrong: “No.”
Ye Manzhi: "Of course!"
"..." Comrade Xiao Wu was unhappy, "Can I eat it?"
Her saliva is about to flow out!
The couple exchanged glances for a moment, and this time they had a tacit understanding.
Wu Zhengrong: “You can only eat one.
Ye Manzhi: "Let's freeze the other one outside and eat it tomorrow."
After taking a sip of the ice cream left by his parents, Xiao Wu sighed contentedly, "Mom, your new unit is great!"
Ye Manzhi: “…”
A good company is one that allows her to eat delicious food.
It is rare to eat ice cream in winter, so Wu Yuzhuo cherishes these two balls very much.
After savoring each one carefully, I reluctantly closed the lid of the lunch box.
She walked around the yard twice with the lunch box. In order to prevent Lihua and Kuihua from stealing the food, she decided to put the lunch box on the windowsill outside her room so that they could see it at any time.
Before leaving for school the next day, Wu Yuzhuo discussed with his mother, "Can you buy two more ice creams for the weekend? I'll bring them to my great-grandfather and great-grandmother to try."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
The elderly cannot eat anything too cold.
Those two balls will probably go into the kid's stomach.
However, filial piety should still be encouraged.
"Okay, I'll buy two more for your grandparents this weekend."
After saying goodbye to the father and daughter, Ye Manzhi squeezed onto the bus and went to work at her new unit.
When she walked into the office and saw Zhou Ruyi sitting at the door, she asked in surprise, "Ruyi, why are you here so soon? Have you completed the transfer procedures?"
"Director Shi said you don't have any staff available, so he asked me to come to work first and complete the formalities slowly."
"That's okay too."
Ye Manzhi mentioned the matter of her secretary to Director Shi from the factory office yesterday. She thought it would take a few days for the cross-unit transfer, but she didn't expect that the person would be transferred here today.
"Have you settled your work at the food factory and your family?"
"Everything has been arranged. Before I left, the canning workshop had already made some progress in purchasing live pigs, and Director Yu was also informed of the two jam production lines being transferred from the Provincial Foreign Trade Bureau."
As for home, there is no problem at all.
For the sake of her future, her parents supported her in following Director Ye.
Moreover, the welfare benefits of the military factory are also very good. Even if the Shuguang Factory is separated from the 833 Factory, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.
When she came to work in the morning and saw the neatly arranged factory buildings, she was really shocked.
When she heard the bugle call, the shock was even stronger.
This place is indeed different from a food factory.
Ye Manzhi said to her, "Shuguang Factory is quite far from the food factory's staff quarters. If it's inconvenient for you to commute to get off work, you can apply for an apartment from the factory."
"I'm not married yet, and I'm a lesbian. Can the factory give me a room?"
Getting a room in a food factory is harder than going to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, but I was able to get a room on the first day at Shuguang Factory?
In order to prevent individual families from occupying more housing than necessary, most units only allocate housing to married gay men.
Unmarried lesbians like her are not eligible for housing allocation.
Ye Manzhi said, "Go ask Director Shi. After the main force moved to the Third Front, there are many empty houses in the family compound. If you can get one, try to get one. If not, apply for a single dormitory."
Zhou Ruyi nodded excitedly.
My choice was indeed correct, so wise!
Remembering the rental housing that Director Lei mentioned yesterday, Ye Manzhi stood up, put on his clothes and said, "Let's go and take a look at the staff quarters."
The security guards at the Shuguang Factory staff compound were strict, so the two of them did not act alone. Instead, they called a young clerk named Chen Xuan from the office, and the three of them set off together.
On the way, Chen Xuan gave the two of them a heads-up: "Director Ye, the family compound has been quite chaotic these past few days, and many people are moving."
"Are they family members heading to the Third Front?"
"No, we're asking the families left behind to move," Chen Xuan said. "More than half of the workers at Factory 833 have left, some taking their families with them to the Third Front. So, about half of the rooms in each building are vacant. The logistics department feels that's unmanageable, so they've suggested everyone live together in buildings 1 to 40."
Ye Manzhi thought to himself that the main purpose was to rent out the vacant tube-shaped building as a whole.
It is indeed difficult to manage when outsiders live together with employees' families.
The three of them registered and entered the family compound, and sure enough, they saw many family members carrying pots, pans, and bedding to move.
In addition to moving, there are also quarrels.
Several women in their forties were arguing around the neighborhood committee director.
As Ye Manzhi walked over, she overheard one of them say, "We've lived in the same building for seven or eight years, and we know the neighbors on both sides. Why are you asking us to move all of a sudden?"
The neighborhood committee director had been harassed by these family members all morning. She was so frustrated she shouted, "Stop arguing, stop arguing. You just want to live together. After we move into the new building, I can arrange for you families to live next to each other, okay?"
"No! Our building 46 has the best sanitary conditions. We've worked hard to maintain it for so many years. Why should we be forced to move and let outsiders take advantage?"
Another person chimed in, "Director Wang, although Factory 833 and Shuguang Factory have separated, our men went to the Third Front to support construction and contribute to the country. How could Shuguang Factory be so heartless? They're kicking us out just as our men are leaving for the Third Front?"
"How did you get kicked out?" Director Wang pointed to the building in front. "That building is assigned to you. It's been cleaned up. You can just move in!"
"I'm not moving anyway!"
Several women failed to reach a conclusion in their argument with the neighborhood committee director, and left angrily, claiming that they would go to the factory to complain to their leaders.
Director Wang stood there muttering, "Sue them, everyone, go ahead and sue them."
Ye Manzhi asked with a smile: "Director, aren't you afraid of being reported by them?"
"What's so scary!"
Many relatives have come to help with the move recently. Director Wang thought she was Chen Xuan's relative and said indifferently, "They're making a fuss and refusing to move. Isn't it just because they want a bigger house? The two factories have been separated. How could the leaders of Shuguang Factory give a bigger house to the families of the 833 Factory? If they keep making a fuss, they can just live with the outsiders."
Ye Manzhi asked, "Were those men who went to the Third Front just now?"
"Well, most young couples have moved away with their entire families, and most of them are still around." Director Wang sighed and said, "Forget it. It's not easy for everyone."
*
Ye Manzhi watched the moving in the staff quarters for three consecutive days.
Chen Xuan goes out with Director Ye every day. He is really speechless about this new female director.
Director Ye not only likes to watch people move, but also likes to watch the fun.
Wherever there is a dispute or fun, she will go there.
Chen Xuan's hands and feet were frozen stiff, and he didn't know what was so interesting about all this excitement.
Ye Manzhi wandered around the family compound for three days, and stopped wandering around on the morning of the fourth day.
She spent the whole morning thinking about it in the office, and as soon as lunchtime came, she went to the cafeteria to wait for a chance encounter with Bai Rongwu.
When he saw Bai Rongwu, Ye Manzhi didn't beat around the bush and said straight to the point, "Captain Bai, can we chat over lunch?"
Bai Rongwu thought that what was coming had finally come, nodded and followed her.
Zhou Ruyi had already helped the two of them occupy a favorable position in the cafeteria in advance.
What are the advantages of this location?
The advantage is that there are a lot of employees around and the group is particularly united.
After Bai Rongwu and Ye Manzhi sat down face to face, they found that they were surrounded by workers and there was not a single empty seat.
He had no idea what the other party was up to, so he simply said, "Director Ye, I roughly understand what you mean, but I can't make the final decision on equipment matters. I must complete the tasks assigned to me by my superiors."
Regarding the equipment issue, it was no use talking about feelings. Ye Manzhi knew the situation and stopped making polite remarks.
"Captain Bai, don't worry. Good people and good horses are on the third front. That's a political mission. I won't make things difficult for you on this matter. But I also want to discuss the subsequent development of Factory 833."
"After Factory 833 goes to the rear, will they stay in the small Third Front for a long time?"
Bai Rongwu: "Of course."
Otherwise, there wouldn't be such a big fuss about moving.
Ye Manzhi whispered, "If we want the workers to feel at ease working in a brand new environment, besides raising their ideological awareness, we also need to provide a stable living environment. And reuniting families is the best way to reassure people, right?"
"Um."
"Captain Bai, I've been conducting research in our factory's staff quarters for three days and discovered a very interesting phenomenon. I wonder if you've noticed it?"
"Director Ye, please speak first."
"Most couples under 35 go to live in the third-tier cities together, while those over 35, especially those over 40, mostly have only one spouse go to the third-tier cities for support, while the other chooses to stay in Binjiang."
"People of their age have elderly parents and young children. Each family has several children, and there is a certain age gap between the children. The older ones are about to join the workforce, while the younger ones may still be in primary school."
"After Factory 833 moved to the rear, production came first, life second. The construction of primary and secondary schools was put on the back burner. So, for the sake of their children's future and to be able to care for the elderly at home, many family members chose to stay in Binjiang."
Bai Rongwu said helplessly: "There's nothing we can do about it."
Ye Manzhi said, "The issue of couples living apart isn't something that can be resolved immediately. However, a stable home base allows workers to focus on production on the front lines. Workers over 40, with their prime years and exceptional skills, are the backbone of production and construction. Their emotions and feelings are the most in need of consideration, right?"
Bai Rong pondered her words, looked across and said, "Director Ye, just say whatever you want to say."
Ye Manzhi had been speaking in a low voice just now, but now she opened her voice and said, "Captain Bai, I have a suggestion. I hope you can consider it."
"The Third Front only has over 3,000 employees, and the existing production equipment is actually redundant. Many redundant pieces of equipment are likely to be left unused after arriving at the Third Front. Machines are only as good as used. Now that the two factories have separated, Shuguang Factory has lost its equipment and can do almost nothing. How about this? Shuguang Factory can borrow some equipment from Factory 833 for three years, and it must be returned after that. During this period, if Factory 833 needs this equipment urgently for national defense production, we can return it unconditionally."
"In return, to express our gratitude for the support of Factory 833, Shuguang Factory can offer 100 regular positions to the spouses or children of some workers, alleviating the worries of frontline workers. In addition to these 100 regular positions, whenever the factory needs to recruit workers in the future, the families of Factory 833 employees, like the families of Shuguang Factory employees, will have priority admission."
In the cafeteria, there were many employees from Factory 833 who hadn't yet gone to the Third Front. When they heard that she was the new deputy director, they asked loudly, "Is this true? Can the factory really let their children work there?"
The city has strict control over the staffing system. If children want to work in a factory, they mostly take over their parents' jobs.
Ye Manzhi said, "Of course, Director Lei has already agreed. Every employee who goes to the Third Front alone will be eligible to be admitted as a family member. If there are many applicants, an exam will be organized, and the first 100 will be given priority."
Her tone was so certain, as if it were true, that many workers from Factory 833 present were moved.
They all turned their eyes to the military representative Bai Rongwu.
Only if Factory 833 lends its equipment to Shuguang Factory can it get these 100 places.
Bai Rongwu: "..."
This seat is indeed not simple.
So many employees around heard their conversation and were waiting for him to express his opinion.
"Even if I leave you some equipment, it won't be enough to support all the workers working at once," Bai Rongwu asked doubtfully. "The factory currently has no production tasks. Wouldn't hiring another hundred workers just increase the pressure? Besides, the Labor Bureau can't possibly give you 100 regular employees."
He knew how strictly the city controlled the staffing of urban workers.
Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "Captain Bai, I'm the first deputy director of Shuguang Factory. I wouldn't lie to you in front of so many employees, would I?"
“…”
That's true.
Bai Rongwu hesitated, "100 regular workers is too few. We need at least 300. Furthermore, the production equipment at Factory 833 is quite specialized, so I can't give it to you as you requested. I can only allocate a portion. Regarding the equipment, I can't make the final decision. If you agree to these conditions, I will report to my superiors."
"I can't make the decision on the 300 permanent staff positions, and I have to report to my superiors."
Bai Rongwu thought she was going to ask the provincial leaders for instructions, so he nodded and said, "Then let's report it as soon as possible. We must all evacuate before January 15th."
Ye Manzhi finished his lunch calmly and left Shuguang Factory in the afternoon.
When Bai Rongwu heard the report from the soldier on duty, he thought she had gone to the provincial department to beg for alms.
In fact, Ye Manzhi did not go to the provincial department, but took a bus back to his original unit, Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory.
When Yu Zhijiang saw her, he was surprised and asked, "Director Ye, how come you're back just one week after joining the new company? I thought the secretary was wrong!"
Ye Manzhi joked, "I came back to collect a debt."
"Haha, what debt do you want to collect?"
"Director Yu, did you receive a call from the Provincial Foreign Trade Bureau? They have two jam production lines coming to our food factory."
"Yes, I got it."
"I negotiated these two production lines at the Canton Fair!"
Yu Zhijiang teased, "Director Ye, you've already moved to a new company, and you still want to take over these two production lines?"
"I'm not going to steal it, but how about our two factories cooperate?" Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "The food factory's factory area is already full, and there are no workshops available for jam production. Our Shuguang Factory can provide the land, factory buildings, and workers, and the food factory can provide the production line. How about we open a jam factory together?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
