Chapter 191
When Yu Zhijiang rushed to Shuguang Factory, the first person he saw was not the factory leader, but the security guard.
As a second-level confidential unit, the security guard of Shuguang Factory is not comparable to the retired old man from the food factory.
Yu Zhijiang was stopped outside. Not only did he have to report his name and work unit, he also had to clearly state who he was visiting. Someone from the factory had to come out to meet him, and he had to register before he was allowed in.
He didn't know the names of the other factory leaders at Shuguang Factory, so he reported Ye Manzhi's name.
The security guard called Ye Manzhi's office, but no one answered.
Yu Zhijiang was waiting outside for a full hour before he saw his secretary Zhou Ruyi.
"Director Yu, why are you here?"
After Zhou Ruyi received the call from the security guard, he ran all the way from the office building to the factory gate. He was holding his waist and gasping for breath while being questioned, appearing to be extremely anxious.
"I'm here to see Director Ye." Yu Zhijiang was angry, but his mouth was numb from the cold, so he couldn't say anything harsh for the time being.
"Our factory director Ye has gone to the city on business and is not at the factory right now."
"Are the other factory managers here?"
Zhou Ruyi continued to shake her head. "The factory is splitting up recently, and the factory leaders are busy everywhere. It's hard to say which workshop they'll be heading to."
Just when Yu Zhijiang thought she was making excuses, Zhou Ruyi said enthusiastically, "Director Yu, it's very cold outside. Why don't you come in and wait?"
Yu Zhijiang braved the heavy snow and ran from the city to the county town, just to meet with the leaders of Shuguang Factory.
He followed Zhou Ruyi into the factory office building. The entire second floor was quiet, and it seemed that the factory leaders were really not at home.
Zhou Ruyi's family all worked in the food factory, so she was very polite when she received Director Yu.
The tea was refilled again and again, and he was given new tea twice.
Yu Zhijiang sat in the reception room, drank a bellyful of water, and his mind gradually calmed down.
Before leaving for Shuguang Factory, he called the Provincial Foreign Trade Bureau.
It is said that after Director Luo of the Provincial Department of Industry personally talked with the Director of the Foreign Trade Bureau, the bureau has agreed to hand over the two old production lines to Shuguang Factory.
He felt both angry and regretful.
If we had known this earlier, we should have sent someone to receive the equipment as soon as possible, otherwise someone else would have gotten there first!
The two old jam production lines are actually not that important to the food factory. It doesn’t have much impact whether there is a jam business or not.
However, for Zhijiang himself, the impact was too great.
The production line that was set in stone was lost in his hands. The three major initiatives that the new official had taken failed, and instead he ended up with nothing.
If he fails to get off to a good start, what will he be able to say among his employees in the future?
Therefore, his main purpose of coming to Shuguang Factory this time was not to demand accusations, but to continue discussing the possibility of cooperation.
Try to repair the previous holes.
However, the leaders of Shuguang Factory seemed to have discussed it in advance. He waited in the factory for an entire afternoon but did not see a single leader who could take charge.
"When will Director Ye be back?"
Zhou Ruyi scratched his face awkwardly: "I don't know either. My boss told me to stay home and look after the house, but he didn't tell me anything else."
Yu Zhijiang had no choice but to go back and come back the next day.
He knew that he had no close relationship with Ye Manzhi, let alone with other people in Shuguang Factory.
Therefore, after three consecutive days of hitting a wall at Shuguang Factory, he sent Chen Qian, who had a good relationship with Ye Manzhi, to go to Shuguang Factory to sound out the situation on his behalf.
Chen Qian understood much more than him, and called Ye Manzhi to make an appointment before leaving.
When he arrived at Shuguang Factory, Ye Manzhi personally took him in.
"Director Ye, this big move of yours really caught us off guard!"
Ye Manzhi poured him some tea and said helplessly, "I have no choice. I was sent to Shuguang Factory in an emergency. The situation at the factory is giving the provincial government a headache. If we can cooperate to run a factory, it will be good for both the food factory and Shuguang Factory, but Director Yu disagrees!"
"Let's forget about Director Yu. For the sake of our old colleague, can we still have a talk between our two factories?"
After the food factory team meeting ended, Chen Qian called Ye Manyi and introduced the situation at the meeting.
Jiang Wenming, Chen Qian and Wang Shihu all voted in favor at the meeting.
However, Yu Zhijiang, Zhu Kehai, the newly appointed deputy director Liu, and the secretary of the Youth League Committee who had just joined the Party Committee all disapproved of cooperating with outside factories.
In their opinion, Shuguang Factory has no other advantages except the factory building.
The cost of occupying other people's factory buildings is to provide 300 jobs.
Regular employment positions are so valuable nowadays. Instead of exchanging them for factory buildings, it would be better to temporarily rent a factory building from another factory.
With the strength of the food factory, it is fully capable of building its own branch factories, and there is no need to give a share to outsiders.
The final vote was three to four, the minority obeyed the majority, and the cooperation between the two factories was not feasible.
Ye Manzhi received a call from Chen Qian and got a general understanding of the situation.
So, in order to return the favor and get a positive response from the provincial department, she asked Zhou Ruyi to call Chen Qian's secretary.
Not only was Chen Qian informed in advance, but Jiang Wenming and Wang Shihu were also informed.
Although I took over the production line, I still have to maintain the old relationships with my original unit.
Ye Manzhi said, "Director Chen, I was deputy director of the food factory for two years. I know the level of our factory very well. If we can cooperate, I would certainly like to do so. The food factory has a very complete upstream and downstream supply chain, and domestic and export channels are readily available. We can even use the Binjiang brand. Shuguang Factory's main business is not light industry, and I don't want to put too much energy into the jam factory."
Chen Qian put down his teacup and said, "Yes, I said at the meeting that our cooperation can complement each other's strengths. The Shuguang Factory's main focus is not on this..."
"Out of selfish motives, I really wanted to cooperate with the food factory," Ye Manzhi sighed. "I figured I'd worked at our factory for two years and had some respect, so before I went to see Yu Zhijiang, I promised Director Lei that we would be almost certain to cooperate. But not only did Yu Zhijiang refuse to cooperate, he even wanted to rent our factory!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qian quickly waved his hand and said, "During the discussion at the meeting, they only mentioned renting a site from an external unit. No one mentioned renting the site from Shuguang Factory."
Units like Factory 833 have always been "superior". Renting their factory buildings at the time when they are undergoing military-to-civilian conversion is somewhat like taking advantage of the situation.
"If we hadn't rented the factory, there might still be a chance for us to cooperate. But Director Lei has worked at Factory 833 for ten years and has a special affection for it. He's also quite straightforward. Now that Shuguang Factory is going through a transformation, many people want to see us make a fool of ourselves. Some even say we're a phoenix with its feathers plucked, worse than a chicken. Yu Zhijiang's request may have been unintentional, but in Director Lei's eyes, it's just kicking someone when they're down!"
Ye Manzhi said listlessly, "Because of this incident, I'm in a difficult position. Director Lei is now in charge of the jam production line."
"Then can I talk to Director Lei?" Chen Qian asked.
"Okay, I'll help you contact Director Lei."
Lei Wanyuan was quite polite when facing Chen Qian, but he was a straightforward person and said whatever he wanted to say in front of him.
"With Director Ye's support, I really want to cooperate with the food factory. The food factory has management talent and technology. If we work together, it will save us a lot of trouble. But your Director Yu is a terrible person. It's clearly a win-win situation for both parties, but he sees it as if Shuguang Factory is taking advantage. He even uses the factory rental issue to judge us through the crack in the door! As long as he's the director of the food factory, I won't cooperate with it!"
Chen Qian: “…”
Director Lei is too vindictive. If these words get back to the food factory, Yu Zhijiang will lose face!
He has mixed feelings about the two lines.
It would be good to be able to engage in the jam business, but the jam business can only add icing on the cake for the food factory. Without the jam production line, it will not have much impact on the factory. If it can make the new factory director look bad, he will be happy to watch the joke.
Chen Qian tried to fight for it, but to no avail. After confirming the other party's attitude, he returned to the factory to report.
The hole in the raised funds for building the house has not been plugged yet, the three fires have not been lit, and this time the jam production line has been lost. Director Yu is going to have a headache!
…
After bidding farewell to Director Chen, Lei Wanyuan convened a small meeting with the team members.
He pursued efficiency in his work and did not need to notify his secretary when he wanted to hold a meeting. He just shouted in the corridor, "Come to the meeting," and several deputy factory managers who were at home gathered in his office.
No need to even go to the meeting room.
The five people started chatting while sitting or standing.
"The jam production line has been put into our own factory. What should we do next? Let's discuss it together."
Tian Chunshan, deputy production manager, said: "Jam is different from popsicles. People in our country don't have the habit of eating jam. The domestic market is limited, so we will probably have to go the export route."
"Yes, the jam may not seem complicated, but there are actually dozens of production steps. It would be best to find an experienced person to be the director of the jam factory and take charge of all the work." Kang Jian sighed again, "If we can cooperate with a food factory, we can save ourselves all this trouble. They have the people and technology ready-made. How about we try to cooperate with another food factory?"
They built the new factory mainly to accommodate the 300 employees. No one knew anything about the production work of the jam factory.
Huang He, the deputy director of equipment, looked at Ye Manzhi and asked, "Director Ye comes from the food industry. Do you have any good ideas?"
Ye Manzhi said with a smile, "Don't underestimate the jam business. Jam is similar to canned food in that it's primarily used for export to earn foreign exchange, and the profits are very high. After we earn foreign exchange, the Foreign Trade Bureau will grant us a certain amount of usage. If we need to purchase imported equipment in the future, it will help alleviate the foreign exchange pressure on Shuguang Factory. So, since we're going to set up a jam factory, we should do a good job. In addition to arranging family workers, we must also expand and strengthen the company and try to use it to provide financial support for our core business."
"Does Director Ye have any recommendations for a new director?" Tian Chunshan asked. "Or we could transfer two people from the food factory."
Ye Manzhi glanced at him in surprise, shook her head, and said, "The technical backbone of the food factory may not be willing to work in a subsidiary factory like ours. But I have another recommendation, but I don't know if the other party is willing. I need to find someone to contact them."
"The Heavy Machinery Factory once operated a cannery. A few years ago, when the Provincial Department of Industry was cracking down on small factories, the cannery was ordered to cease production. They only had two sets of production equipment and fewer than 100 employees, but their annual output was very high. The factory director, Qi Caiyun, was actually quite capable."
She initially considered poaching a workshop director and a technician from the food factory's canning workshop.
But this idea is similar to Yu Zhijiang's idea of renting a factory. Not only is he not cooperating, but he is also trying to poach other people's employees, which is a bit humiliating.
That would completely break up the relationship.
Therefore, the kind-hearted factory manager Xiao Ye decided not to transfer people from the old employer, but instead paid attention to the cannery of the heavy machinery factory.
The economic situation has improved in the past two years. If the canning equipment had not been taken over by the food factory, the cannery might have been able to resume production.
"The production process for jam and canned fruit is similar, and the quality requirements for export products are also more stringent. Therefore, I still recommend finding a comrade with relevant experience to be the director of the jam factory. Then, let the director go ahead and do the work, and we won't have to worry about it."
No one present realized how profitable this jam factory could be.
For these large enterprises, affiliated factories are equivalent to employee welfare factories. In fact, they don’t make much profit. Just look at the situation of the popsicle factory.
So, after hearing that Ye Manzhi had a candidate, Lei Wanyuan seemed relieved and said, "Then Director Ye should contact Comrade Qi. If she is willing to work at the jam factory, please come and talk. If she is suitable, we can keep her."
*
There is no rush to build the jam factory.
Two production lines have been moved into the factory, and it is only a matter of time before the factory is set up and people are hired.
Military representative Bai Rongwu also knew this.
As long as Shuguang Factory has the ability to accommodate family workers, he can give an explanation to his superiors.
Because some equipment had to be left at the Shuguang Factory, the final move work at Factory 833 was much easier, and the final evacuation time was one day earlier than originally planned.
On January 14, the day before Chinese New Year, trucks from Factory 833 started to set out one after another at daybreak.
Many employees rushed to the factory gate early in the morning, wiping away tears as they bid farewell to their former comrades and co-workers.
On both sides of the road leading to the county town, the line of family members bidding farewell to their loved ones stretched for a full kilometer.
Military representative Bai Rongwu stayed behind to cover the retreat. Before leaving, he handed a military bugle that showed some signs of age to Lei Wanyuan.
"Old Lei, take care!"
"I'm doing fine in Binjiang, it's you who should take care of yourself!"
Lei Wanyuan did not take the bugle. He waved his hand and asked the militia battalion commander to come forward, and the two sides formally conducted the handover.
Factory 833 left completely, and more than half of the bustling factory area was empty.
Although some equipment was left behind, the workers were a little confused.
The original military supplies are no longer allowed to be produced. What will everyone produce in the future?
"Will we only produce these hardware accessories in the future?" asked a worker in the machining workshop.
"Who knows? It all depends on what the factory leaders decide. Forget about producing guns or anything like that," another person lamented. "Without Factory 833 and military funding, we'll be no different from any other factory. They say a phoenix without its feathers is no better than a chicken."
Lei Wanyuan shouted loudly, "What are you all mumbling about? All the workshops should go back and reorganize. Now we're the only ones left here from Shuguang Factory. Let's hold a factory-wide staff meeting this afternoon."
"Director, what are we going to talk about in the meeting?"
"What can I say? Did you work for nothing last year? You don't even want the awards for Advanced Individual or Model Worker?" Lei Wanyuan shouted. "We'll give out the awards this afternoon. Let me introduce you to the new Director Ye!"
When the new factory director takes office, he should show up in front of all the employees and get to know everyone.
But when Ye Manzhi arrived, the factory was in the process of splitting up and it was not suitable for holding a meeting.
This matter dragged on until Factory 833 completely left.
Lei Wanyuan said, "Director Ye, please prepare and give a speech to the employees this afternoon."
"Okay, then I'll take this opportunity to get to know everyone."
The departure of Factory 833 had a great impact on the workers' mood. At the meeting in the afternoon, although many prizes were awarded to model workers and advanced workers, the atmosphere of the meeting was rather dull and the employees' mood was not aroused.
When Ye Manzhi took the stage to speak, she smiled and asked, "Why are you all so sad? Were the dumplings we had at noon not tasty?"
"It's not tasty!" someone shouted, "There's not enough meat!"
"I also think there's not enough meat. I'll raise this issue with the canteen later. Forget about the Little New Year's meal, but the dumplings on New Year's Eve need more meat!"
Her words received a little sparse applause, but most people remained silent.
Ye Manzhi speculated with a smile: "Some people outside say that after our Shuguang Factory separated from Factory 833, it is like a phoenix with its feathers plucked out, worse than a chicken. Don't you think so too?"
“…”
This time no one responded.
"I'm usually a civilized person and never swear, but when faced with this kind of talk, I can only say two words - bullshit!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
This time the applause was finally louder.
"I don't know what other people think, but for me personally, and even for our whole family, being able to work at Shuguang Factory is definitely a happy event worth celebrating!"
"Like many of you here, I'm also a child of a military factory worker. My father worked in the machine repair shop of Factory 656, was a Grade 8 welder, a model worker, and an advanced worker!" Ye Manzhi introduced herself as if chatting with her family. "I have six siblings in my family, and I'm the sixth child, the youngest, and the only college graduate in my family."
"My father was born in the countryside. Before moving to the city to work as a farmhand, he farmed in the countryside and even herded cattle for the landlord when he was little. For a family like ours to be able to benefit from the country and raise a university student, it must be considered a great honor, right?"
The workers nodded unconsciously.
If a rural area can produce a college student, it is the pride of the surrounding area.
"My admission to university and my chance to secure a job with the government made my father very happy for a long time, but he was a rather interesting person. He was afraid that others would think he was immodest and too frivolous, so he would often secretly rejoice at home and rarely show off in front of others."
"I was admitted to the Industrial Economics Department of the Provincial University. After graduation, I was assigned to the Provincial Industry Department, where I worked as a secretary for the department leader. Later, I was transferred to the Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory as deputy director." Ye Manzhi smiled. "He was very happy for every progress I made, but he kept it to himself and didn't show off to others. I thought Comrade Ye was just like that. However, after being transferred to our Shuguang Factory this time, I realized I was wrong."
"When my old comrade Ye heard that I had been appointed deputy director of Shuguang Factory, he acted uncharacteristically and spread the good news of my transfer throughout the 656 Factory's staff quarters. He was eager to announce to the world that his daughter had been appointed deputy director of Shuguang Factory!"
"If anyone doesn't believe me, they can go to the 656 Factory staff quarters and ask where Ye Shouxin's daughter works. You may not know that I was the deputy director of a food factory, but eight out of ten people will tell you that I was the deputy director of the Binjiang Shuguang Machinery Factory!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Everyone thought Director Ye’s father was quite interesting and applauded.
"So, don't pay attention to statements like 'a phoenix without feathers is worse than a chicken.' People who say that are either sour grapes or don't know their stuff. A truly knowledgeable person, upon hearing that their daughter works at Shuguang Factory, would spread the word to everyone! Next time you encounter someone saying that, just give them two words—"
The workers in the audience shouted in unison: "Bullshit!"
Ye Manzhi held up the loudspeaker and said with a smile: "Let's try to be civilized and polite and let the other party have fun."
"Ha ha ha ha--"
"Recently, our two factories separated, and the leadership of Shuguang Factory hasn't yet decided on the future product positioning. This has caused confusion and hesitation among many of our colleagues, unsure of the future direction. However, compared to us, people like my father and other colleagues at the military factory are very confident in our future. Have you ever thought about why this is?"
An old worker said: "Our technology is awesome."
"Yes, our technology is top-notch!" Ye Manzhi gave a thumbs-up. "The factory's name has changed, and the products are changing, but our people haven't changed! The workers at the military factory are the most skilled in the country. That's what Director Lei told me on my first day at our factory."
"Other factories would be delighted to have one or two workers like this, but how many do we have? A full 1,300! With the people we have, no matter what we do, we're bound to succeed!"
Ye Manzhi asked with a smile: "Do some comrades think I am just shouting slogans and saying polite words?"
There was a group of relatively calm and rational employees in the audience who actually nodded slightly.
"In fact, through this personnel appointment, everyone should have seen some clues. The provincial leaders are actually very concerned about the development of Shuguang Factory. The transfer of such a group of high-quality workers to the local government is a major event for everyone."
"The province values and cares about the development of Shuguang Factory, so they sent me to our factory as the first deputy director."
Ye Manzhi patted his forehead and said, "In the past, when new leaders took office, comrades from the organization department would introduce their resumes. But now that I'm the only one standing on the stage, I can only introduce myself to everyone without being modest."
"As you all know, I graduated from the Industrial Economics Department of a provincial university. I've served as director of the Guangming Coal Furnace Factory, deputy director of the Hua'an Machinery Factory, and deputy director of the Binjiang First Food Factory. I'm also a reserve cadre trained by the Provincial Department of Industry..."
At this point, she paused for a long time, sighed, and said, "Forget it, that's all I have to say. I'm really embarrassed to stand on the stage and brag about myself. Anyone interested can ask my former colleagues about Ye Manzhi."
Laughter broke out again from the audience.
The workers exchanged information privately: "Director Ye must have been right. She's the one who spearheaded the jam factory we're planning to set up, and she got the equipment from the provincial government."
"She's quite capable, she's only been in office for a few days and she's already built a jam factory!"
"Well, without this jam factory, the equipment in the workshop might not have survived."
The workers buzzed about it for a while, and Ye Manzhi waved his hand and said, "I've shamelessly boasted so much just to tell you that the province is very concerned about the development of Shuguang Factory and is very optimistic about its future!"
"So, we have skilled workers and a research team. Both our superiors and our colleagues are full of confidence in the future of Shuguang Factory. We at Shuguang should also be more confident."
"Of course, the development of an enterprise can't be smooth sailing. There will naturally be lows as well as highs," Ye Manzhi explained to everyone the reconstruction of the food factory's canning workshop. "Our Shuguang Factory is facing unprecedented challenges. Director Lei calls on all of us to hold our heads high and bend our backs. We can manufacture powerful national defense weapons as well as the most common hardware parts. We can rise and fall!"
"Whether it's producing hardware parts or auto parts, this is all primitive accumulation for launching large projects. As long as there is sufficient capital, we can immediately realize the conversion!"
"The products we are switching to will impact the future of all 1,300 people at Shuguang Factory. It's not something that can be decided on a whim by leadership. It requires a process of market research and trial and error. Therefore, please don't rush. Give the factory leadership some time and strive to ensure a successful one-time switch for Shuguang Factory!"
"good!"
The employees clapped their hands.
"Now, I have been entrusted by the factory party committee to introduce to you the issue that comrades are most concerned about, that is, everyone's welfare and benefits after leaving Factory 833."
The venue suddenly became quiet.
This is indeed what the workers are most concerned about.
The entire audience held their breath and looked at the female factory manager on the stage.
Ye Manzhi held up three fingers and said, "The factory party committee can guarantee you three things: nothing will change!"
"First, wage levels will remain unchanged! Your previous wage levels at Factory 833 will remain the same. Comrades, rest assured about your wages."
"Second, the benefits remain the same! Medical reimbursement and holiday benefits will remain the same as before, with no changes. The only change is that we will be under the jurisdiction of the local government. There will be more selections for model workers and advanced individuals, as well as more recommendations for further studies at universities. So, the benefits will get better and better!"
"Third, the workshop work system remains unchanged. Shuguang Factory originated as a military factory, and we have inherited many of the finer practices of the military: strict enforcement of orders, high ideological awareness, and strong organization and discipline. These are our distinct advantages over ordinary state-owned units. Therefore, even if we decide to develop independently, we must continue these fine traditions."
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Today is January 14, 1966, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year. This day is a special day for the state-owned Binjiang Shuguang Machinery Factory. From today on, we must put aside Factory 833, put aside our past glory and honor, and set off anew!"
"Perhaps some comrades will think I'm boasting, but I still want to share with you a look into the future! Let's not compare ourselves with others, let's compare ourselves with Factory 833. Three years from now, we won't be left far behind by Factory 833, right?"
Many old workers shouted: "No!"
"Can we catch up with them in five years?" Ye Manyi asked again.
"able!"
"Ten or fifteen years from now, can we surpass Factory 833?"
"Sure! Hahahaha——"
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Alright then. Let's set a goal of catching up with, or even surpassing, Factory 833 in ten years. Let's fill our factory with workers and machines again as soon as possible!"
She waved to the militia battalion commander in the audience.
"Non-military units are not allowed to blow the bugle at will, but before the military representative left, the factory secured the bugle, and from now on, the militia battalion will be responsible for blowing the bugle."
The militia battalion commander stood on the podium, raised the bugle in front of thousands of people, and blew the familiar work call.
After the horn sounded, Lei Wanyuan waved his hand and shouted, "Comrades, let's get to work!"
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