Chapter 237
Ye Manzhi has come into contact with at least eighty business leaders over the years, if not a hundred.
There are many people who look up to the sky.
Not to mention those far away, let’s just take the Binjiang Steel Plant, which has the most dealings with the Shuguang Factory, as an example. The director of the Revolutionary Committee there is a man of tough tactics and an arrogant attitude.
Ye Manzhi had been dealing with people like this for six or seven years and had actually gotten used to it.
Large state-owned factories have good efficiency, a large number of employees, and complete supporting facilities. Once they are closed, they are like a small society.
The key is that the product is in short supply and demand is high, with buyers queuing up at the factory gate every day.
Ye Manzhi also experienced this feeling after Shuguang brand TV became the number one in the industry.
Therefore, she could understand and tolerate these arrogant local tyrants.
The Binjiang Sewing Machine Factory had been prosperous for more than a decade, during which time it had merged with more than fifty small state-private joint-venture factories and cooperatives. Now, there were more than ten parts factories that depended on it for survival. Tang Zhanshan had been flattered for a long time, and her arrogant attitude was within her expectations.
But, there must be a limit to arrogance, right?
Bicycle Factory No. 3 is also a municipal enterprise. Can you merge it just because you want to?
Tang Zhanshan was not a stupid person. He knew that Ye Manzhi was unhappy as soon as he saw her expression.
He promptly explained, "Director Ye, don't misunderstand me. A factory merger of this magnitude requires the city's approval. I'm simply worried about the factory's business, and I wanted to discuss this with Old Yang. If both parties agree, it could reduce some resistance once we get to the city."
"Oh," Ye Manzhi asked with a half-smile, "What does Director Yang mean?"
The Bicycle Factory and the Sewing Machine Factory are both deputy-division-level units.
The Third Bicycle Factory is a branch factory, just like the branch factory of the First Binjiang Food Factory, and its head is only a section-level cadre.
However, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. He is the head of the third factory and is doing well. Maybe in a few years he will have the opportunity to be transferred to the main factory to be the head.
Why would someone come to a sewing machine factory to be a deputy director?
Tang Zhanshan subconsciously touched his nose and said, "This is not a matter of urgency. Lao Yang needs time to think about it."
The sour feeling in his nose has not completely disappeared yet.
Lao Yang neither agreed nor refused, but he drank more than a pound of white wine during lunch and even staggered when he walked.
He reached out to help, but the other person shook his arm off.
He originally thought that Old Yang did it unintentionally, but the man surnamed Yang, under the influence of alcohol, grabbed his collar and muttered "He Jianjun, you bastard" in a drunken voice, while hitting his nose hard with his forehead.
Tang Zhanshan was hit so hard that his vision went dark and he started bleeding from his nose.
The others were also confused by Yang Baoye's behavior and just stood there watching in confusion.
Then Yang Baoye hit his nose three or four times with his big forehead.
When everyone pulled them apart, Tang Zhanshan and Yang Baoye both had blood on their faces.
Those who didn't know the situation would think that the two men were fighting each other.
But the truth is, Tang Zhanshan's blood is his own, and Yang Baoye's blood is Tang Zhanshan's.
The guy named Yang has nothing wrong except a little redness on his forehead!
Yang Baoye's secretary anxiously explained that He Jianjun was Director Yang's brother-in-law and had been a frequent source of trouble. Director Yang often cursed He Jianjun when he was drunk, and had mistaken him for someone else several times. He wasn't targeting Tang Zhanshan. Anyone familiar with the matter knew about this, so feel free to ask.
There must be something fishy about Tang Zhanshan trusting him!
He touched his still aching nose and said to Ye Manzhi, "Director Ye, whether it's merging Bicycle Factory No. 3 or building a new assembly building, it's all possible for us. The development of Binjiang's sewing machine industry has been delayed due to insufficient production capacity."
What he said was absolutely true.
The sewing machine factory seems to be doing well, but its output is far less than that of Shanghai.
The Yinyan brand sewing machines produced in Binjiang can only meet the domestic market and rarely get export orders.
Due to insufficient production capacity, the sewing machine factory missed many development opportunities.
This year, the factory finally made up its mind to expand the scale of household sewing machines. As long as the production capacity is increased, they will also be able to obtain export orders from it.
After the production scale is expanded, the output value will increase significantly, which is exactly what the city wants to see.
Therefore, Tang Zhanshan had the capital to be proud. He was confident that even if he refused to invest in industrial sewing machines, the city leaders would still stand on his side.
The market for household sewing machines is much larger than that for industrial sewing machines. This is a real achievement!
*
Ye Manzhi only conducted research and did not express his opinion.
But after returning from the sewing machine factory, she couldn't help but complain to Wu Zhengrong, "That Tang Zhanshan is so cunning! So cunning!"
"The sewing machine factory is quite large, isn't it?" Wu Zhengrong walked beside her, nodded and greeted the acquaintances passing by, and then continued, "It's impossible for a mediocre person to control the sewing machine factory for so many years."
"That's right. The main factory and its branches have over 3,000 employees combined. The Yinyan brand sewing machine is one of the few light industrial products in Binjiang that sells well nationwide. It's considered a famous brand."
Tang Zhanshan used to be the workshop director, then the deputy factory director, and has now been in the top position for five years.
Such a leader is not only trusted by the city leaders, but also has control over the situation in the factory.
People like Wang Zaofu who are only slightly clever won't last long.
"He must have heard about the bureau's '100-day campaign' and, knowing I'm anxious to finish the project, he wants to take this opportunity to negotiate terms with me!"
When Ye Manzhi was in the company, she often played such tricks on her leaders, but after changing her position, she was not so happy anymore!
The sewing machine factory plans to add three more production lines to increase production, which is certainly a good thing for her.
In this regard, the interests of both parties are consistent.
She is willing to fully support the company's expansion through self-reliance without the bureau providing funds for technical transformation.
It was just that the conditions proposed were difficult for her to accept.
Bicycle Factory No. 3's performance had been mediocre for more than a year or two. She had looked up the factory's information and found that it hadn't made much money since its establishment.
This factory produces special vehicles, such as wheelchairs, unicycles, and acrobatic vehicles. It also supplies a type of military bicycle to the troops. It can carry a load of more than 400 kilograms, has a rack and a shoulder-pushing power lever, and is specially designed for combat in mountainous areas.
If such a factory were really merged into the sewing machine factory, Ye Manzhi would be reluctant to do so.
For no other reason than that it has the qualifications and experience to produce military supplies.
If the military has orders in this area again in the future, Bicycle Factory No. 3 can try its best to get them.
Wu Zhengrong didn't know much about sewing machines, but he had a good eye for the market. "The three-turn, one-ring model has been popular for twenty years. Almost everyone should have bought it, right? The sewing machine factory has added three new production lines, producing so many sewing machines. Is there really a market for them?"
"Yes." Ye Manzhi said firmly, "In addition to the export market, the rural market is also quite large."
Fashion trends in rural areas lag behind those in cities by a few years.
When she got married, seventy-two legs were popular in the city, while thirty-six legs were common in the countryside.
When the three turns and one ring were being pursued in the city, the seventy-two legs became popular in the countryside.
Nowadays, many young people in cities buy televisions and electric fans when they get married, and people in rural areas also start to buy "three turns and one ring".
She recently chatted with old comrade Jin Tiantian and talked about the situation in the village.
Her hometown is a rural area with relatively good conditions, but the entire brigade has only five bicycles and four sewing machines. There are relatively more radios, but no more than ten.
After the production scale of sewing machines is expanded and the cost is reduced, they still have a large market in rural areas.
The two of them walked side by side in the courtyard, chatting, and unknowingly walked to the gate of the courtyard.
Ye Manzhi whispered to him, "How about going to the shooting club and shooting a few rounds?"
Wu Zhengrong had no objection and just agreed when he ran into Liu Zhenfang from next door.
"Sister Zhenfang just got off work?" As a family diplomacy ambassador, Ye Manzhi was the first to greet the neighbors.
"Yeah, I just got back." Liu Zhenfang pulled her aside and asked, "Xiaoye, have you dealt with those chickens?"
"How to deal with it?" Ye Manzhi asked puzzledly.
"I heard the city has officially issued a notice prohibiting the raising of poultry in the city," Liu Zhenfang said worriedly. "Even though they were talking about cutting off the tails of capitalism before, no one explicitly said raising chickens in the city was prohibited. Now that the official document has been issued, I guess raising chickens will be completely out of the question."
Ye Manzhi smiled and said, "If you're not allowed to raise one, then don't raise one. If we don't have eggs, we can still eat chicken."
Her breeder, Xiao Wu, raised two hens and collected two eggs every day.
In order to support their daughter to grow tall, she and Wu Zhengrong rarely eat eggs at home.
Every day, two eggs were given to the breeder Xiao Wu to eat.
Ye Manyi glanced at Wu Zhengrong out of the corner of her eye and saw that his handsome face was full of joy.
She thought to herself, this time it’s good, Dr. Wu not only doesn’t have to endure the smell of chicken shit, he can also eat chicken!
However, unlike the relaxed couple, Liu Zhenfang was filled with worry.
She had four children. The eldest joined the army. The second child graduated that year and the city was in chaos so he missed the conscription and went to work in a production team.
She didn't have to worry about the soldiers, but the family had to give the second child some money and food and meat coupons every month.
Now only the third and fourth sons are left in the family. The third son, Zhou Mo, is a big boy, but he looks like a starving ghost all day long. His stomach is never full, and no matter how much he eats, he is still as thin as a straw.
The fourth child, Zhou Yi, is the same age as Youyan next door, and is also in the growing period. Youyan eats eggs every day to supplement nutrition. How can she not let her own daughter eat them?
The meat coupons were used to subsidize the second child, and the other two at home depended on the brood of hens she raised for nutrition!
If raising chickens is really prohibited in the city, then her monthly expenses for buying eggs will be huge.
Liu Zhenfang was calculating in his mind, and when he pushed open the door of his house, he found Lao Zhou squatting on the ground assembling some machine.
She kicked him on the butt in anger and said, "Why don't you help me with some chores when you get home? You just tinker with your useless things all day long!"
Zhou was baffled by the scolding: "I've already pulled out the vegetables from the garden and washed them, what else do you want me to do?"
"..." Liu Zhenfang nitpicked, "Can't you learn from Wu Suo? I just ran into the couple next door. Wu Suo was walking with Xiao Ye in the yard! When have you ever walked with me?"
"We're an old married couple, why are we still taking a walk? Don't go on about that nonsense!" Zhou said logically, "Wu Zhengrong's wife is younger than him. If he doesn't coax her, how can we have a harmonious life? We're a couple of the same age, young couples will stay together in old age, this is good enough!"
"You're not willing to go for a walk with me now, so what can I expect from you when I'm old?" Liu Zhenfang flicked a scallion leaf at his back. "Just because I'm your age, I deserve nothing?"
Chief Zhou was so upset by her inexplicable anger that he blamed Wu Zhengrong in his heart for setting a bad example.
If you want to take a walk, just go out for a walk. Why are you wandering around the yard?
Wouldn’t this affect the family relationships of other comrades?
*
Ye Manzhi and Wu Zhengrong had no idea that just taking an ordinary walk could affect the relationship between their neighbors.
After firing two boxes of bullets, both of them felt a lot more relaxed.
Ye Manzhi had only been in the new unit for a few months, and the burden on his shoulders was quite heavy. And Wu Zhengrong had never been happy at work since he became the director.
Like most scientific research institutions, their research funding has been drastically cut in half.
A good cook cannot cook without rice. No matter how many ambitions he has, he has to bow to reality.
In recent years, new projects have not been able to be launched, and we have been rehashing old projects and conducting in-depth research.
Although the results were acceptable, they were far from Wu Zhengrong's psychological expectations, so it was unlikely that he would be satisfied.
Ye Lai Ya could share with him the problems she encountered at work, but the nature of the work at the research institute was special, so he could only digest the negative emotions alone.
Ye Manzhi put down the air gun and asked with a smile: "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
"Well, I've been in a good mood."
"Stop talking nonsense," Ye Manzhi glanced at him, "Even Youyan can see that you are in a bad mood."
She was busy with her work and didn't actually notice Wu's mood changes.
But Wu Yuzhuo is her father's leaky little cotton-padded jacket. She can detect any slight disturbance, which is more accurate than the weather forecast.
Before going to school today, I specifically told her to coax Director Wu and care about the mental health of the scientific researchers.
The old father was very touched by the care from his little girl.
The most direct way for Wu Zhengrong to be nice to others is to spend money on them.
After returning the air gun, he said casually, "It's inconvenient for the child to be outside without a watch. Let's go to the store and buy her a watch this week."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
Watches are not popular among adults yet, so which schoolchildren wear watches?
A trip to the shooting club benefits three people.
Just two days later, Ye Manzhi bought her daughter a Shanghai brand Kun watch.
Wu Yuzhuo never expected that he would get a watch during the holiday!
This is a watch!
Among the peers in the compound, only those ruffians had watches, and they wore them secretly from adults.
She couldn't hide her surprise in her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, "Mom, is this watch really for me?"
"Well," Ye Manzhi said without taking credit, "It was your father's suggestion, and I chose the style. See if you like it."
Wu Yuzhuo nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "I like it, I like it!"
She hugged her mother and kissed her for a while, then gave one of her boiled eggs to her father.
Raising chickens will soon be banned in the city. Every egg you lay at home will be one less if you eat it. They are so precious!
Wu Zhengrong didn't hesitate and ate the egg worth 125 yuan in two bites.
…
Ye Manzhi bought a watch for her daughter, but her mind was still on the sewing machine.
When she went to work at the bureau again, she was visited by Deputy Director He Bi Neng.
"Director Ye, I heard the sewing machine factory wants to merge with Bicycle Factory No. 3. Is that true?"
"That's just wishful thinking on the part of the Sewing Machine Factory," Ye Manzhi said, waving her hand. "I don't agree with merging the Third Bicycle Factory with them."
"Yeah, isn't that nonsense? Bicycle Factory No. 3 isn't as profitable as the sewing machine factory, but it's not losing money either. There's no need to merge."
Bicycles are in-demand products, but Binjiang’s bicycle production is actually not that high.
Compared with Shanghai's Forever and Phoenix, and Tianjin's Fei Ge, there is a huge difference.
However, if not compared with these famous brands, Binjiang bicycle production is still very impressive in the province.
Ye Manzhi answered very straightforwardly to reassure the other party, and then personally sent this capable person out of the office.
After everyone left, she paced around the room alone, thinking about how to solve the problems at the sewing machine factory.
Since He Bi has been working in the Municipal Revolutionary Committee for many years, it is inevitable that he is familiar with the leaders of the enterprises.
He could hear rumors of a merger, and most likely the leaders of the bicycle factory came to him for help.
Ye Manzhi really didn't want to move the bicycle factory.
In order to increase the production of sewing machines, the bicycle business was divided out. Isn't this just robbing Peter to pay Paul?
Tang Zhanshan just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity of her signing the military order to gain advantages from the city.
The sewing machine factory paid more than one million yuan, not only to obtain an industrial sewing machine production line, but also to merge with a nearby factory.
This person is so good at finding opportunities and taking advantage!
Ye Manzhi made herself a cup of tea and thought over and over again about the countermeasures.
If we want to complete the industrial sewing machine project and put it into production as soon as possible, there seem to be only two ways.
First, the Light Industry Bureau allocated funds as technical transformation funds to the sewing machine factory to complete the remaining construction.
The second option is to hand over this production line to other factories, which will then fund the subsequent construction.
The company's profits for last quarter have already been turned in, and the Light Industry Bureau actually has funds available for allocation now.
But Ye Manzhi did not want to allocate the technical transformation funds to the sewing machine factory.
The sewing machine factory has sufficient funds and has not yet reached the point where it needs funding from higher authorities. Other factories need funds for technological transformation more than they do.
Furthermore, the mission of this “One Hundred Days War” was jointly completed by five directors and deputy directors.
Most fixed asset investments cannot be delivered on time because of lack of funds.
She is the top leader. If she takes the lead in allocating funds to enterprises, then the other deputy directors don't have to find a way. Everyone will allocate funds and take shortcuts.
Therefore, unless he is at his wit's end, Ye Manzhi will not easily invest money in those unfinished projects.
She had to push herself and the deputy directors a little bit.
As for handing over the industrial sewing machine production line to other factories, Ye Manzhi sighed when he thought about it.
Why.
If you really do that, you will offend people to death.
Fundamentally speaking, this project should have been funded by the city's financial budget. The city went back on its word on the full investment it had promised. More than five million yuan in construction funds have been squeezed out like toothpaste, and it hasn't been used up even after five years. The city is not in the right.
The sewing machine factory worked for five years in vain.
If this project was really handed over to other factories, the leaders of the sewing machine factory would probably be so angry that they would faint.
Ye Manzhi didn't want to take things too far.
…
Ye Manzhi weighed the pros and cons for several days over the difficult problem that Tang Zhanshan had given her.
She really had no idea what to do, so she went to the shooting club to shoot a few shots after get off work every day.
However, while she was worrying about the sewing machine factory, the factory was secretly taking action, catching her off guard.
She went to the Municipal Revolutionary Committee for a meeting on Monday, and was left alone by Peng Jingyun after the meeting.
"The comrades from the sewing machine factory came to the city to report their work to me. Their idea of expanding production with their own capital is very good, and the city should still try its best to support it."
Ye Manzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong.
Tang Zhanshan wouldn’t really want to merge Bicycle Factory No. 3 with it, right?
What you fear will come true. Peng Jingyun said, "I've looked into the situation at the Third Bicycle Factory. They have some overlap in technology and process with sewing machines, but the output value is not very high. If we can get the Third Bicycle Factory to switch to producing household sewing machines, it would actually be a good thing."
Ye Manzhi pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Director Peng, do you want to turn Bicycle Factory No. 3 into another sewing machine factory?"
Peng Jingyun was silent for a moment. It made no difference to her whether she set up a new sewing machine factory independently or merged it into the Binjiang Sewing Machine Factory.
However, the expansion of the household sewing machine production line was funded by the sewing machine factory. If the bicycle factory was not merged into it, would the company still pay?
Peng Jingyun shook his head and said, "It's not certain yet. It's very likely that the third bicycle factory will be merged into the sewing machine factory. The sewing machine factory put out 1 million yuan to complete the household and industrial sewing machine projects. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."
Ye Manzhi was angry in her heart, but she remained calm on the surface. She silently reminded herself that the person opposite her was not Xia Zhuyun, but Deputy Director Peng of the Binjiang City Revolutionary Committee.
Deputy Director Peng attaches great importance to output value and is determined to make a comeback after taking over the industrial work.
Therefore, this choice is reasonable.
Ye Manzhi didn't object. She smiled and said, "Director Peng, this situation is a bit unexpected. The Light Industry Bureau isn't prepared, and the bicycle factory might have objections. The Chairman always teaches us that without investigation, we have no right to speak. I'll go back and organize some people to verify the feasibility."
"Well, the Light Industry Bureau should come up with a plan as soon as possible."
Ye Manzhi said goodbye and left, and as soon as she walked out of the door, she scolded Tang Zhanshan.
She was worried that handing over the industrial sewing machine production line to other factories would hurt the feelings of the comrades in the sewing machine factory.
She tried her best to help them find a solution, but they ended up reporting to the city leaders without her knowledge!
She rode her bike back to the bureau and originally wanted to call Bicycle Factory No. 3 to discuss the situation.
However, she put down the microphone as soon as she picked it up.
She went straight to He Bineng's office and informed him of the situation.
He Bineng's reaction was more intense than she expected, and he slammed the table with a bang.
"What is Tang Zhanshan trying to do? Does he still take the Light Industry Bureau seriously?"
He had just promised Bicycle Factory No. 3 that he would not merge the two factories, but he was slapped in the face just a few days later?
Why bother dealing with enterprises all year round? You should know at least 70% of the thoughts of the leaders of these enterprises, even if you don't know them completely.
Many business leaders feel that units like theirs are just mouthpieces. Even if they come to the Light Industry Bureau for consultation, the Light Industry Bureau still has to report to the city leaders.
Therefore, some companies, claiming that they have a say with the city leaders, often bypass them and go to the city leaders.
He was familiar with Tang Zhanshan's situation and was very close to Deputy Director Zhou of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee.
This time, the report was most likely to Deputy Director Zhou.
Once the leader assigns the work, the people in the bureau can only follow orders.
Ye Manzhi shared the same hatred with him and denounced Tang Zhanshan together.
But cursing was not enough to vent her anger, so she asked Da Nengnai to contact the bicycle factory and give them some time to go to the city.
She herself was thinking about how to solve the current trouble.
She couldn't be led by Tang Zhanshan.
The sewing machine factory can expand if it wants to, she doesn't bother to care.
But she could not forget her original purpose. The reason she paid attention to the sewing machine factory was to complete the industrial sewing machine production line project.
Therefore, solving the problem of that production line is the top priority.
While organizing manpower and demonstrating the feasibility of merging the two factories, Ye Manzhi was also thinking about the whereabouts of industrial sewing machines.
A few days later, while having lunch in the office cafeteria, she sat opposite Lei Wanyuan with her lunch box.
"Director Lei, when are you going to the agricultural machinery factory? I'd like to give you a ride."
"I'll go there after lunch. You can come with me this afternoon."
Ye Manzhi smiled and thanked him, then asked with concern, "How's the situation at the agricultural machinery factory? Is it difficult to solve?"
"Ah, more than a decade ago, the agricultural machinery factory was a large, highly profitable enterprise. With grain production as the primary focus, all operations revolved around agriculture, and agricultural equipment was in very short supply. But now, every region has dozens of agricultural machinery factories. Some equipment can be purchased locally, eliminating the need to come to Binjiang. And the production teams surrounding Binjiang can't handle so much production, leading to a product backlog and losses."
Ye Manzhi asked, "Have you ever thought about switching the agricultural machinery factory to another production line?"
"Why haven't I thought about it? But the agricultural machinery factory decentralized by the central government is not just one factory, but seven factories. The Agricultural Machinery General Factory has seven branch factories under it. Even if they want to switch production, they have to do it one by one."
Ye Manzhi paused and asked seriously, "Director Lei, how about I give you an idea?"
"That's great! If you have a good idea, just tell me."
Lei Wanyuan and Ye Manzhi are old partners and are well aware of her abilities.
"A few years ago, the city planned to invest 5.1 million yuan in the sewing machine factory to build a new industrial sewing machine production line. However, after five years, the project has not been completed. The main reason is that the follow-up funds are insufficient, and neither the municipal finance department nor the enterprise is willing to contribute. The agricultural machinery factory is definitely technically sound. If there is any factory willing to switch to industrial sewing machine production, I can discuss with the city leaders and have the sewing machine factory give up this production line."
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