Chapter 210
After get off work, Ye Manzhi took a car to the drama troupe's guesthouse.
The eldest sister was waiting at the door. As soon as they met, she took her arm and said, "You've come just in time. Come with me to get a haircut!"
"I haven't had dinner yet," Ye Manzhi said, dragging her to a state-owned restaurant. "Let's eat first. It's my treat!"
The eldest sister didn't object. Once inside, she ordered three meat dishes without hesitation. Then, with a hint of complaint, she asked, "What's making you hesitate? And you can't even tell me over the phone?"
"Sister, have you found out about that for me?"
"I've inquired," Ye Manjin said, lowering his voice. "But as you know, the people in our unit have either gone to the countryside or been assigned to other units, so I can't get too many details. However, I heard from a former colleague that Wang Zhuoya has been wanting to transfer jobs."
"Which unit does she work in now?"
"She's working the counter at a store," the older sister said, shaking her head. "Wang Zhuoya's only in her twenties. She's not in the same class of actors as us. I'm already busy with my own stuff, so how can I have the time to care about young people?"
A few years ago, the city's drama troupe stopped performing and had no ticket revenue.
In order to make a living, most employees have sought other ways to work.
Ye Manjin moved from the front stage to behind the scenes five or six years ago and has not had any performance tasks for a long time.
So, while other actors were still dreaming that their unit would start selling tickets for performances again, she made a quick decision to change her job and became a waitress in the drama troupe's guesthouse.
Ye Manzhi revealed to her elder sister the news that Wang Zhuoya was about to be transferred to the steel plant guesthouse. She hesitated and said, "If Wang Zhuoya is a salesperson, then her job is actually not bad. There is no need to transfer to the guesthouse as a temporary worker. Maybe she met someone with the same name. There were quite a few people who changed their names to Zhuoya more than ten years ago."
At that time, the Soviet novel "The Story of Zoya and Shura" was very popular among students. Girls imagined themselves as the heroine Zoya, and boys put themselves in the shoes of her younger brother Shura.
During the years when the city conducted a population census and concentrated on registering household registration, many people changed their names to X Zoya or X Shura.
But the eldest sister said, "That's not necessarily true! I was one of the first employees of the drama troupe to be transferred. Back then, I was still a regular employee at the guesthouse. But young actors always hold on to the hope of returning to the stage, and by the time they find other opportunities, the various units no longer have regular staff. Wang Zhuoya is now a temporary worker at a store."
If someone from above was taking care of her, Wang Zhuoya would definitely be more comfortable living in the guesthouse than in the store.
When the steel plant guesthouse expands, she will have a chance to get a formal job!
"Wang Zhuoya transferred from the county art troupe to the city. Her family seems quite ordinary. I've never heard she had any connections like this before! If she really did have such connections, what would she have been doing two years ago?" The eldest sister asked, puzzled, holding the soda bottle. "Who helped her get the job?"
Ye Manzhi said, "Wang Zhuoya's job at the steel plant was transferred by Wang Zaofu from our factory. Wang Zaofu is the son-in-law of the deputy director of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee."
Hearing this, the eldest sister quickly swallowed her orange soda and asked, "How old is Wang Zaofu? What does he look like?"
"26 years old, tall, square face, looks quite energetic."
"Is he from Gaohe County?"
"Well, he used to be a worker at the Gaohe County Daily Chemical Factory."
The eldest sister slammed the soda bottle on the dining table and said, "Case solved! This Wang Zhuoya you're talking about is 99% likely from our drama troupe! Our director transferred her from the Gaohe County Art Troupe. She's beautiful and has good lines. When she first became famous, many companies invited her to dance, but she always found excuses to decline..."
"Wang Zhuoya was quite popular for a while."
Ye Manzhi used to go to the drama troupe to watch performances, especially after she got married. After dinner with Wu Zhengrong, their activities were either watching a movie or a drama.
For a period of time, Wang Zhuoya was the heroine of two or three new dramas in a row, otherwise Ye Manzhi would not have remembered that there was such a person in the drama troupe.
The eldest sister said disdainfully, "This girl only has a pretty face, but not much brains. After she became famous, many people pursued her. Even I could find someone like your brother-in-law. She was even more famous than I was at the time, so it was no problem for her to find someone better. In the end, despite so many people pursuing her, she rejected them all. I heard that she is dating a worker from their county."
"I've met her boyfriend twice. He looks even more energetic than the male actors in our troupe. At first, when we heard they both had the surname Wang, we thought they were siblings. Later, we found out he was her boyfriend. He's good-looking, but marriage isn't just about looks. Everyday life requires money."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
She actually understands Wang Zhuoya quite well.
Find one with a pretty face, it will be really pleasing to the eye when placed at home.
She enjoyed her meal more when she ate at the same table with Wu Zhengrong than when she was alone.
And the daughter she gave birth to is also pretty.
From a genetic point of view, it is still necessary to find a good-looking man.
However, she and her elder sister have always had some differences in their views on love, so she did not defend Wang Zhuoya.
The eldest sister paused for a moment, then thought for a moment before offering some words of advice: "Of course, I'm not saying she can't find a worker. There are some young, level five or six workers who earn much more than I do and can easily support a family. But her boyfriend doesn't look like someone who can work steadily in a workshop. Workers' salaries are rated based on their skills. He's too fair-skinned. Well, I can't really say; it's just my intuition."
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "Sister, your intuition is quite accurate. Wang Zaofu is indeed not working in the workshop. He is now the deputy secretary of the Party Committee of our factory. If I leave Shuguang Factory, he is the most likely to take over my position."
"Haha, I told you that Xiao Wang's partner is unreliable!" The older sister perked up immediately. "They've been dating for a year or two, but they never treated their colleagues to wedding candy. There must be something wrong if they haven't gotten married in such a long time. It turns out he's found someone else!"
"Well, he hooked up with the daughter of a city leader and even had a child."
The eldest sister gave a fair comment: "That face of his can still charm women. Wang Zaofu is more daring than Xiao Wang. Xiao Wang is still unmarried, and her previous partner even has a child! I said she's not very smart. She spent so much time with such a man that she even ruined her marriage!"
The eldest sister was angry that they did not fight back, so she scolded the couple surnamed Wang.
Coming to his senses, he asked again, "Since the man is already married, why should he live a good life with his wife? Why did he transfer his ex-girlfriend's job? Isn't he afraid that his wife will find out?"
Ye Manzhi said: "He did it quite covertly. He didn't place anyone near our unit, and it was far from the family compound, so ordinary people probably couldn't contact him. Besides, they both have the surname Wang and are from the same county. Outsiders would think they were siblings."
The eldest sister said, "This man is greedy and has his eye on the pot. Who would believe him if he said he has no evil intentions? Wang Zhuoya is also stupid. She is involved with a married man. If she gets caught, she will suffer the consequences!"
Ye Manzhi opened another bottle of soda for her and said jokingly, "Why are you getting so angry about other people's affairs? How are you doing at work recently? When can you become a director?"
"What director?" the eldest sister said. "Our director wanted to promote me to manage the guesthouse's restaurant once, but I refused. I'll just be a waitress. Anyway, Xiaoguang and Xiaoting are both working, and my parents-in-law are retired, so I don't have any worries."
Ye Manjin used to be very ambitious. He even looked down on the sales clerks in stores, let alone the waiters in the hotel.
However, her background was disadvantageous, as her biological father once ran a large silk shop.
Chang Yue'e's divorce from her ex-husband was a typical example of resistance to feudal arranged marriage, so her ex-husband's family had little influence on Chang Yue'e.
The fifth child was almost drowned by his biological father and grandfather when he was just born. He had never even met them, so naturally there was nothing to worry about.
But Ye Manjin had been eating at that restaurant for several years, and even though she hadn't been in contact with them for nearly 30 years, she was still inevitably affected by it.
Ye Manzhi knew her worries and advised: "You and Fifth Brother have already drawn a clear line with them. You haven't even seen each other in all these years. It's really nothing..."
"Forget it. I'd rather just be a waitress and live a quiet life. Being a small boss won't raise my salary much, and I'll attract more attention. Xiaoguang and Xiaoting both have jobs, and I don't want to affect the kids." The eldest sister laughed. "Life at the guesthouse is actually not bad. I have the best image among the waiters, and the director put me at the front desk in charge of reception. All I have to do every day is sit there, check IDs, and collect money. It's more comfortable than being in the drama troupe."
*
Ye Manzhi and her elder sister ate and chatted in a state-owned restaurant until the restaurant closed, and then the two sisters left.
Youyan was still studying the washing machine in the old house. After Ye Manyi took a shower, she pulled Wu Zhengrong out of the study and pushed him onto the bed.
The couple chatted with towels covering their heads.
Wu Zhengrong: "Just say what you want to say. Aren't you too hot under the quilt?"
“It’s not hot.”
Ye Manzhi had a lot of gossip in her mind and wanted to tell him.
She carefully told Dr. Wu about her findings today, and then asked uncertainly, "What do you think I should do next?"
"You can't do anything, right?" Wu Zhengrong asked. "Wang Zaofu just reassigned his ex-girlfriend a temporary job. This doesn't mean anything. Even if you tell his lover about this, it may not get you the result you want."
Ye Manzhi couldn't help but nodded slightly.
She had seen too many things like this during the two years she worked in the street office.
Even if a man catches his wife cheating on him, as long as they are not caught in bed, he will always find a way to get her forgiveness.
If she revealed this matter to Zhao Weihong personally, it would be fine if the Zhao father and daughter kicked Wang Zaofu out, but if the other party chose to forgive her, she would be in a difficult position and it might even affect subsequent work.
If someone else were to tip off Zhao Weihong, the same risks would exist. Wang Zaofu might not be removed from office, and the evidence against him might be wasted.
"I've met Zhao Weihong twice, and I feel she's a smart, clear-headed person."
Wu Zhengrong scoffed, "If she really had her head in the clouds, would she choose to marry Wang Zaofu? This man couldn't have been introduced by her father; she must have found him herself. There's no direct evidence of Wang Zaofu's behavior, and they might just make up after a fight. You'd better not put your hopes on someone blinded by lust."
"Haha, then I am also a person who is blinded by lust, not much better than Zhao Weihong." Ye Manyi flattered him a little.
Wu Zhengrong, who had no such thing as modesty, praised her seriously, saying, "But you chose me. You're more discerning than she is."
"Ha ha ha ha."
Ye Manzhi immediately acted like she was blinded by lust, threw herself into his arms, held his face and kissed him hard a few times.
She hugged the man and was quiet for a while, then suddenly said, "I don't really want Wang Zaofu to leave."
Wu Zhengrong nodded and waited for the next words.
"Wang Zaofu just made a huge mistake at the factory, and the leadership has reached its lowest point. When he was causing trouble, not many people responded, and now I have a small handle on him." Ye Manzhi sighed, "After Wang Zaofu leaves, the city will definitely arrange for someone else to come. What if someone comes who is more difficult to deal with than Wang Zaofu? Wouldn't that be even more troublesome? It would be better to let him occupy this position in the factory!"
Wang Zaofu's identity actually has certain benefits for Shuguang Factory.
He is the son-in-law of Deputy Director Zhao and can help Shuguang Factory obtain some resources.
And he was only Deputy Director Zhao's son-in-law, not a son or daughter, so he could avoid Shuguang Factory receiving too much attention from the leadership.
…
Ye Manzhi chatted with her man until almost midnight. The next day, she washed up and went to work in a daze. When she sat in the workshop office, she still looked a little dazed.
Before lunch, she received a call from her eldest sister.
The eldest sister asked someone to inquire about the situation. It was said that Wang Zhuoya's situation in the store was not good and she had been wanting to transfer jobs. She recently found a job and had not gone to work in the store for the past two days.
Moreover, Wang Zhuoya has a new boyfriend and they are about to get married.
After hanging up the receiver, Ye Manzhi put the matter of these two people behind her.
No matter whether it was a rekindled love or just a casual help, she had to grasp the main contradiction first and fight for the TV production line in front of her.
The discussion meeting organized by the Municipal Revolutionary Committee was scheduled for Friday morning.
Ye Manzhi did not go alone. In order to be able to hold team meetings at any time and pass some temporary plans, she brought the other six directors of the factory revolutionary committee to the city.
The Binjiang Radio Factory No. 2 was no less impressive, with a large group of nine people coming.
Together with the leaders of relevant departments of the city, the small meeting room of the Revolutionary Committee was full of people.
Miao Sufen, a former workshop worker, had never attended a meeting of this magnitude before. After taking her seat, she whispered, "Both sides are making quite a fuss to secure a production line!"
Wang Zaofu, with a leaf-filled branch between them, said bluntly, "Who wouldn't want a production line worth two or three million?"
"Didn't you not want to do it in the beginning?" Before he could object, Miao Sufen asked, "How are you preparing? Don't let Shuguang Factory down when you go on stage. If you can't do it, let Director Ye do it! Director Ye has more experience than you!"
Wang Zaofu acted as if he didn't hear her, didn't respond to her, and took out the speech manuscript to read it again.
He didn't support the production of televisions in his heart, but his father-in-law had already helped the Shuguang Factory for his sake.
If I continue to save face and give up this opportunity, it will only benefit others.
Miao Sufen glanced at him and said nothing.
She looked down on Wang Zaofu and couldn't understand why Director Ye gave him such an important speaking opportunity.
Wang Zaofu knew nothing about the production work in the factory. If he messed things up, Shuguang Factory would be the one that suffered the loss.
Ye Manzhi didn't explain too much to everyone before.
She recommended Wang Zaofu to speak on stage because she heard that the person in charge of the speech at Radio Factory No. 2 also had a background in the city.
She gave Wang Zaofu such an important opportunity, as if she was saying to Deputy Director Zhao, "Look, the factory is now using your son-in-law, so you have to speak up for Shuguang Factory on the TV production line!"
Just helping us organize a discussion meeting wouldn't really be considered a help.
In addition, Wang Zaofu has good looks and has experience in publicity, so he is actually quite eloquent.
If he could memorize his speech well, he would be quite good at intimidating people.
The meeting began on time. Director Fang of the Production Command was in charge. After briefly introducing the purpose of the meeting, he smiled and asked, "Comrades from the Shuguang Machinery Factory and the Second Radio Factory, are you all ready? Who will go first?"
Wang Zaofu was worried that Radio Factory No. 2 would refer to his speech, so he didn't want to be the first to go on stage.
But Ye Manzhi nudged him with her elbow, motioning him to raise his hand.
"The two sides are in similar situations. If I speak later, I'll inevitably seem like I'm just repeating what others have said." Ye Manzhi whispered, "You go up and speak first."
Wang Zaofu has given many mobilization speeches, but this is the first time he has seriously introduced the business.
He had no experience in this area, so he could only listen to Ye Manyi and was the first to stand up.
There were two black and white televisions at the front of the conference room. Ye Manzhi had already sat up straight, waiting to listen to Director Wang introduce the two televisions.
However, Wang Zaofu has his own rhythm.
After standing in front, they first faced the direction of Beijing, paid high respects to Chairman Mao, and then recited a few sentences of the highest instructions.
Ye Manzhi: “…”
It seems a bit embarrassing.
It's no exaggeration to say that she got goosebumps.
She warned herself sternly in her heart before she raised her hands to cover her face.
After completing a series of fancy moves, Wang Zaofu stood at the front with his head held high and chest puffed out, introducing the two televisions at hand.
"These two televisions were successfully copied by the Shuguang Factory in 1967. Over the past few years, they have continuously improved their craftsmanship and updated their designs. After they go into production, their performance will fully reach the domestic advanced level..."
He looks energetic, comes from a propaganda background, and his speeches are very inspiring.
Actually, the speech was quite effective.
Ye Manzhi paid attention to the reactions of several city leaders in the front row.
Someone seemed to know the relationship between Wang Zaofu and Deputy Director Zhao, and was nodding and smiling at Deputy Director Zhao.
Wang Zaofu's speech was carefully prepared by the factory leadership team, and mainly introduced several advantages of Shuguang Factory.
First, there are ready-made design plans and a solid foundation of scientific research talent, so production can begin immediately once the production line is in place.
Secondly, before the Shuguang Factory was converted from military to civilian use, it had a radar business. After it switched to producing televisions, the workers who manufactured radars could be transferred to produce televisions, and they were considered skilled workers who did not require much training.
In this way, we can be on par with Radio Factory No. 2 in terms of technical workers.
The third is that Shuguang Factory has ready-made idle factory buildings and does not require additional investment from the city for construction.
For the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, as long as they handed over the production line to Shuguang Factory, they could sit back and wait for the taxes and profits to be paid without spending a penny extra.
Another thing is that Ye Manzhi once boasted to the provincial leaders that if the color TV was successfully developed, Shuguang Factory would be willing to raise funds on its own and purchase a color TV production line.
Wang Zaofu memorized the entire speech and felt that he had performed well. After bowing, he returned to his seat in high spirits.
Ye Manzhi silently prayed to himself that we should unite all the forces that can be united, and took the lead in applauding him, then quickly turned his attention to the speech of Radio Factory No. 2.
In general, except for the first point, Radio Factory No. 2 can meet all the conditions proposed by Shuguang Factory.
Although they have not yet trial-produced a black and white television, they have obtained permission from the Shanghai Guang Factory and will use their design.
If you compare them carefully, you will find that both sides have the same advantages. Moreover, Radio Factory No. 2 has been producing radios in recent years, while the radar of Shuguang Factory has been discontinued for five years.
In terms of the workers' technical proficiency, Radio Factory No. 2 has even more advantages.
Director Fang asked, "Does either party have anything else to add?"
Several factory managers of Radio Factory No. 2 said nothing and looked back in the direction of Shuguang Factory.
Ye Manzhi raised her hand and asked, "Director Fang, can you give us five minutes to discuss this?"
"Then let's take a five-minute break so everyone can relax."
Ye Manzhi thanked him with a smile and gathered all his people together.
Kang Jian felt that the situation was not optimistic. In fact, few of the city leaders in the front row understood technology.
A television is a high-tech product. It's okay to let them watch TV programs, but they may not understand the investment and construction of a factory.
He frowned and said, "At this point, the conditions of the two factories are actually similar. Ultimately, it depends on which company the city leaders prefer."
The strength is equal, and the competition is about who is more favored by the leader.
He looked at Wang Zaofu.
This son-in-law doesn't seem to be very good at winning.
Wang Zaofu felt uneasy when he looked at him and looked away.
Ye Manzhi raised his hand to stop him and said, "Time is limited. Don't say discouraging words for now. Let's think of other ways!"
She couldn't possibly pin all her hopes on Wang Zaofu and Deputy Director Zhao.
After all, the other party is just the deputy director. If the matter fails, it will not have much impact on the father-in-law and son-in-law, but the loss to Shuguang Factory will be huge!
She whispered the second plan she had come up with, then looked around and said, "Time is tight, so let's hold a temporary vote within the team. Those who agree with this plan, please raise your hands!"
After she finished speaking, she was the first to raise her hand to express her opinion, followed by Tian Chunshan, Miao Sufen and others.
Ye Manzhi looked at Wang Zaofu, who was still lost in thought, and asked sharply, "What is Director Wang's opinion?"
Wang Zaofu was silent for a moment and then raised his hand.
There were seven people in the Revolutionary Committee, and six of them raised their hands in favor. It was useless for him to insist on opposing it.
Besides, there is no need to object to such things.
"Alright," Ye Manzhi solemnly announced in a low voice, "A total of seven members of the factory revolutionary committee participated in the on-site temporary vote, and all seven votes passed! Let's switch to the second plan immediately!"
The five-minute break was over quickly.
Director Fang reorganized the discussion. He first looked in the direction of Shuguang Factory and asked, "Does anyone from Shuguang Factory have anything to add?"
Ye Manzhi raised her hand to indicate that she had something to say.
After getting permission, she stood up from her seat.
"Leaders and comrades, as we all know, the development of the television industry depends not only on the production of television sets by enterprises, but also on the quality of the programs broadcast by television stations and the coverage of the television signals. The more exciting the programs and the wider the coverage of the television signals, the more units and individuals will be willing to purchase television sets."
"Binjiang is one of the first cities in China to establish a television station. After the televisions are removed from the production line, they can be sold locally in Binjiang, which consumes a large part of the products."
"However, Binjiang TV has a shortcoming that cannot be ignored: the coverage of the TV signal is too small. Currently, only a few major administrative districts in the city center can receive TV signals. Suburban districts and counties are currently unable to watch TV programs."
Several city leaders in the front row nodded in approval.
The slow development of television stations has also hindered the development of the television manufacturing industry.
However, building a TV station is not the city’s main task, and the city’s finances are temporarily unable to allocate funds to the TV station to expand its scale.
Ye Manzhi lamented, "Units and individuals in these areas cannot receive television signals, so there's no need to purchase television sets. As a result, they can't watch the TV stations' wonderful programs, and they can't see the speeches of Beijing leaders with their own eyes."
After she finished speaking, she secretly complained that the current program was not very exciting and she actually didn't want to watch people giving speeches in a meeting.
But she said sincerely, "If Shuguang Factory is lucky enough to get this TV production line, then in order to allow comrades in more areas to watch TV programs and to promote the overall development of the TV industry, we at Shuguang Factory are willing to raise one million yuan to help Binjiang TV expand the coverage of its TV signal!"
You can't catch a wolf without risking your child.
Shuguang Factory was originally planning to launch a black-and-white TV business. If they relied on raising funds on their own, they would have to prepare at least two to three million.
Nowadays, spending one million to build a TV station is equivalent to spending one million to buy a production line.
The signal range in the city can also be expanded a little, at least to cover Anyang County where the Shuguang factory is located.
Spending little money to accomplish great things is like killing two birds with one stone.
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