Chapter 187: Pacifying Everyone

Su Ruo gave that man a cold glance, then continued to say: "Here I solemnly promise everyone that after Xia Hua acquires the Cotton Spinning Factory, I will not force anyone to work overtime; in case of special circumstances, any employee who voluntarily works overtime will receive double wages."

As soon as Su Ruo said that, the whole factory erupted in an uproar; after Li Furén took over the Cotton Spinning Factory, he forced workers to work overtime day and night every day—let alone double wages, not deducting wages was already good.

Under these circumstances, the employees all complained bitterly, suffering torment beyond words, yet they dared not resist; now Su Ruo's words were like letting them, in the boundless darkness, finally see a savior.

The man who had just spoken, seeing the workers' emotions running high, still wanted to speak again to stir things up.

But Su Ruo didn't give him another chance to speak: "Of course, after all, this is everyone's first time seeing me today; it's perfectly normal for you not to trust me."

If anyone wants to quit, you can bring it up now; after the finance department settles the accounts, your wages can be paid out immediately.

As soon as Su Ruo said that, the scene fell silent for a moment; although Li Furén had exploited them so severely, they never dared to quit, but now they finally saw a glimmer of hope and were even less likely to leave.

Of course, some people still doubted Su Ruo's words, but they thought, regardless of which boss they followed, they were just workers; at worst they could work a month first and see, and if wages weren't paid, they could cause trouble later.

Holding such an attitude, the scene finally quieted down.

Su Ruo said: "Those willing to continue following me and working in the factory can go to work now; those unwilling can go to the finance office to register and collect their wages."

Upon hearing that, everyone dispersed in all directions, each going to do what they needed to do.

At this moment, a middle-aged man approached Su Ruo and said: "Boss, the machines in the production workshop were smashed by someone unknown the night before last; even if the workers reach the workshop, they cannot work."

Su Ruo did not answer his question but instead asked: "What is your name, and what position do you hold?"

The middle-aged man truthfully replied: "My name is Wang Lei, and I am the workshop director of the production workshop."

"Director Wang, right? I've already repaired the workshop's machinery and equipment; now go gather the heads of each department to the meeting room for a meeting."

Upon hearing Su Ruo's words, Wang Lei was greatly astonished; after all, he had personally seen how severely those pieces of equipment were damaged, especially since some of them had been purchased from abroad.

Each repair required calling in foreign engineers, and it was absolutely impossible to fix them in less than a month.

Wang Lei couldn't believe that Su Ruo had actually repaired those mechanical devices in such a short time.

Yet, seeing Su Ruo's composed and calm demeanor, Wang Lei inexplicably felt convinced.

After a long while, he snapped out of his shock and said: "Alright, I'll gather the people now for a meeting."

Wang Lei dared not delay in the slightest; after speaking, he hurried away, and even he himself didn't know why, but he inexplicably felt a sense of pressure from Su Ruo's presence.

After everyone had left, Su Ruo also turned and went to the meeting room.

Wang Lei acted quickly; aside from a few who didn't come, he soon had everyone gathered.

Moreover, he took a moment to swing by the workshop; upon seeing that the machinery and equipment had truly been repaired by Su Ruo, he was shocked again.

Su Ruo sat at her desk, saw that everyone had arrived, and immediately got down to business.

"I know that this sudden major change in the factory has made everyone uneasy."

"But I solemnly promise that, starting today, every employee in Xia Hua's management will have their wages doubled."

As soon as she said that, the whole hall erupted in an uproar.

Su Ruo was pressed for time; she knew that management was harder to handle than ordinary staff, and she must pacify them immediately, otherwise if they harbored disloyal intentions, it would cause irreparable loss to the factory.

Every day of delay would cause the extra money to go down the drain; Su Ruo simply had no time or energy to start from scratch, so the best solution now is to pacify these people and let the company smoothly get through this transitional period.

In front of these people, spouting grand principles and stirring enthusiasm is useless, so Su Ruo directly decided to use incentives.

And facts prove this tactic is very useful, after all, everyone is here to make money, not to serve any particular boss.

As soon as Su Ruo's words fell, many people stood up to say they would gladly assist her in managing the factory well.

Su Ruo was very pleased with this effect; she knew that some of these people certainly harbored ulterior motives, but she was not in a rush—someday she would ferret them out one by one and remove them all from the factory.

"Regarding the previous matters of the Cotton Spinning Factory, I've also heard a bit about them; I have only one request of you: while ensuring output, you must also guarantee the workers' personal safety."

Su Ruo is confident that she will earn a lot of money in the future, but that will absolutely not come from exploiting the workers.

Striving to make one's products well is the key to a company's survival.

After Su Ruo finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent for a moment, because previously Li Furén, in order to rush progress, often forced workers to work overtime; their rest was not guaranteed, and under prolonged fatigue, accidents were common.

But after an accident occurred, Li Furén would often just pay a little money to settle it; Li Furén himself came from a petty thug background, with a very strong backing, so even if the victims' families felt resentful, they dared not speak out.

Now, when Su Ruo publicly said this, everyone instantly understood that her earlier statement—not forcing workers to work overtime and offering double pay for overtime—was not just empty talk.

Everyone chorused: "We guarantee we will complete the task."

Su Ruo waved her hand, letting them disperse; she sat in the office and began to think about her next plan.

Su Ruo knew that Li Furén, under these circumstances, had been forced to hand over the Cotton Spinning Factory to her, and he would certainly not let it rest.

Su Ruo now must not only strive to run both factories well, but also guard against Li Furén's retaliation.

Especially regarding the Cotton Spinning Factory side, she has no idea how many of Li Furén's people are still there.

Other matters are easier to handle, but the purchasing and sales departments must be firmly kept under Su Ruo's own control.

Su Ruo deeply knows that if this matter is not handled well, it will cause the people's hearts, which she had barely stabilized, to instantly scatter again.

After Su Ruo went back and consulted with Bai Xinya, she decided to let Bai Xinya temporarily serve as the finance director of the Cotton Spinning Factory.

With Bai Xinya watching over things, at least no major trouble will occur.

As for the purchasing department, for now Su Ruo had better not move them—first, she fears they might cause trouble; second, everyone knows the purchasing department is a lucrative post.

Su Ruo decided to observe them for a period of time before making a decision.