Chapter 457

Shazhu's guessed thing in his heart.

The thing Factory Director Yang had in mind.

It's completely not like that.

Actually, it's not entirely a wrong guess.

Shazhu also guessed correctly the reason Factory Director Yang summoned him.

It was for eating.

It was also not for eating.

The reason it's described this way.

Because Factory Director Yang truly had something related to eating to entrust to Shazhu, but it wasn't what Shazhu had in mind concerning the food and drink of all the tens of thousands of people at Yagangchang.

Not to serve as the canteen chief, but to start a new stove.

Factory Director Yang, who had suffered misfortune for ten years, always kept in mind Shazhu's kindness of sending charcoal in the snow.

A person who speaks without fear of being laughed at.

If it weren't for Shazhu that day, ignoring everyone's strange looks, standing at Yagangchang and chatting for over ten minutes with the street-sweeping Factory Director Yang, giving Yang infinite safety and sentiment, Yang would very likely have taken the path to self-destruction.

It was Shazhu who saved his dog's life.

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring.

What's more, it's a life-saving kindness.

Since Factory Director Yang again became the head of Yagangchang, he has been thinking about how to repay Shazhu's kindness; at the recent factory committee meeting, Yang proposed a suggestion to promote Shazhu to Deputy Factory Manager in charge of Yagangchang's canteen and logistics work, giving the reason that Shazhu comes from a family of chefs, ten years ago he was the canteen chief of Yagangchang, and his culinary skill could be called a nameplate of Yagangchang.

This Deputy Factory Manager position corresponds to the post Deputy Factory Director Li held before he rose to power.

The difference between the two.

Deputy Factory Director Li also concurrently served as the head of Yegang chang baowei ke's Security Section.

However, because many people were victims during Deputy Factory Director Li's time in power, considering Shazhu's past relationship with Li, they disagreed with Factory Director Yang's proposal to promote Shazhu to Deputy Factory Manager.

They did not openly oppose.

The reason given.

The reason is that Shazhu has no experience as a Deputy Factory Manager, making a big leap from canteen chief to Deputy Factory Manager in charge of logistics; they frankly said this step is too big, and if no trouble arises it's fine, but if trouble does arise, none of those present could escape.

They are all thousand-year-old foxes.

They call it beautifully.

Let him settle a bit, accumulate some grassroots work experience; as long as Shazhu achieves results, this Deputy Factory Manager in charge of logistics can be given to him.

Factory Director Yang also didn't expect the heads of Yagangchang to be so opposed.

There really is no way.

Using the pretext of higher-level leaders' demand to boost the economy, they prepared to push Shazhu out as a pilot.

The work is still Shazhu's old trade.

Cooking.

But he gained an additional title of being in charge of all cooking work.

Put simply.

It's just opening a restaurant, from cooking to cashiering to greeting customers—all fall under Shazhu's responsibility.

The only difference from opening a restaurant is that this restaurant is affiliated under Yagangchang as a subsidiary enterprise; its location is set in that two-story building at the crossroads of Red Star Jiēdào; the building's upper and lower floors together amount to about three or four hundred square meters; more than ten years ago it was a state-run restaurant, but due to many unforeseen events in the past decade, this state-run restaurant gradually declined and has been deserted for a long time.

Factory Director Yang's idea is to hand this restaurant over to Shazhu; if Shazhu can achieve results within two years, he can re-promote Shazhu to Deputy Factory Manager, and even to the director of Yagangchang.

He summoned Shazhu.

He simply wanted to ask Shazhu what he thought, whether he would willingly go open this restaurant to blaze a path for Yagangchang's economic recovery.

Factory Director Yang pointed to the nearby stool, repeatedly urging Shazhu to sit down and talk with him.

One's arm cannot bend over the thigh.

Shazhu, following Factory Director Yang's instructions, sat on the stool.

Factory Director Yang looked at Shazhu and for a moment didn't know what to say.

Suddenly he couldn't speak.

Old-fashioned thoughts were at work.

He always thought that entering the factory meant holding the state's iron rice bowl, guaranteeing food and drink for life.

Going out to open a restaurant, although it's affiliated under Yagangchang as a subsidiary tertiary industry, after all one must bear profits and losses; if money is made, fine, but if money is lost, where will the workers' wages come from and how will they be paid?

Shazhu didn't mind; he is a cook, but this business of serving dishes, carrying rice, washing vegetables, cashiering, etc., cannot possibly be handled entirely by Shazhu alone.

Thinking of these.

Factory Director Yang then felt embarrassed to speak; the higher-ups had told him about this economic recovery matter, but since he had never tried or experienced it, his heart felt empty.

He felt completely without confidence.

He hesitated for a moment.

He felt he should still speak the truth.

Whether Shazhu accepts it or not.

If he doesn't accept it, that's fine too.

Lay out the result openly.

"Shazhu, drink water."

"Factory Director Yang, I won't drink the water; do you have something you want to tell me?"

Shazhu saw that Factory Director Yang had something to discuss with him, and he wondered in his heart what great matter could make Yang Jianjun so embarrassed.

He then shifted the conversation onto the matter.

Factory Director Yang, we've been old acquaintances for over ten years; you know my temperament, so just speak up about anything.

Ah! Yang Jianjun sighed, giving an embarrassed look at Shazhu. "Shazhu, by rights, since you've said it, I ought to tell you, but I'll just be frank with you. Whether it works or not depends on you. Don't think that because I'm the head of the steel mill, you'll worry about not following my wishes and I'll give you small shoes; I guarantee nothing like that will happen. To you, I only have gratitude and thanks."

From Factory Director Yang's tone, this matter isn't trivial. Shazhu sat up straight. "You speak, I'm listening."

That's how it is. At yesterday's factory committee meeting, I intended to promote you to deputy factory manager, but many people disagreed…. Yang Jianjun first recounted how his plan to promote Shazhu to deputy factory manager fell through, then he also expressed his idea of letting Shazhu serve as a pilot. "Whether it can be done depends specifically on you; my opinion isn't important. What matters is your opinion, Shazhu."

Shazhu was numb.

What the hell is all this?

I've lived again.

Many things have undergone huge changes.

Yi Zhonghai died, Long Laotaitai died, Qin Huairu had an affair with Yi Zhonghai; besides that, it also came out that Factory Director Yang wanted me to be the deputy factory manager in charge of logistics.

If Shazhu isn't mistaken, in his previous life he only became the Yagangchang canteen chief after Deputy Factory Director Li stepped down.

However, this canteen chief position wasn't given to Shazhu because of his merits; in that era when individual businesses were everywhere, Yagangchang couldn't do without Shazhu's cooking skills. Worried he'd go out on his own, they gave him the canteen chief post as a way to tie him down with a rope, so that when he wanted to go out and make a big move, he couldn't do anything.