Chapter 1278: To Get Rich, First Build Roads

The textile factory's residential buildings have already broken ground; land leveling and foundation excavation are currently underway.

Wang Yan designed the buildings: each structure has six floors with two units, each unit containing three households per floor, with areas of fifty-five, seventy, and eighty-five square meters respectively; all feature balconies, and the first floor includes a courtyard.

These area measurements are actual usable space, with zero shared public area deducted, and the balconies are not even included in the calculated area.

Each building contains thirty-six households; the first phase will construct twenty buildings, totaling seven hundred and twenty households. This scope covers the original textile factory employees, their children who later joined the factory, and retired veteran workers. The reason for such a large number is consideration of marriage and childbirth; a new batch of employees married in the last two years and will have children within a year, all of whom must be accommodated.

Regarding allocation, leadership cadres naturally receive the large eighty-five-square-meter apartments, but cadres are ultimately a minority. The remainder are allocated based on family size: larger families get bigger apartments, smaller families get smaller ones. The elderly reside on lower floors, while the young live on higher floors.

Nowadays, every family has many children; even with eighty-five square meters, living conditions will not be particularly spacious...

Although there are housing regulations, since leaders and ordinary workers are treated equally, no one can complain. To make things reasonably comfortable for himself and benefit more people, Wang Yan is willing to do this.

The location is not particularly ideal; it is not in the county center but on the periphery of a cluster of single-story houses, not far from the factory. However, this does not matter, as the county town's scale is bound to expand, and factories must eventually be moved away from residential areas.

Just like the textile factory, the newly built weaving workshops are located even farther away, primarily because production noise, wastewater treatment, and similar factors require greater distance and more land to be handled better...

The construction site is currently bustling; commune farmers are working on-site, while various construction materials transported from elsewhere lie nearby. Relevant county departments have already increased their production scale. Meanwhile, many materials were purchased from the city.

Purchasing materials from the city is quite difficult, given the ongoing planned economy and the arrogance it fosters. It was only because Wang Yan, following the county's example, paid extra money that the problem was resolved...

"Old Factory Director, how does it look?"

"I am old, not stupid." Factory Director Old Qi glanced sideways. "There is nothing here yet; what is there to see?"

"Your perspective is lacking, Old Factory Director. Watching our peasant brothers work hard, realizing these are our apartment buildings being erected—doesn't that vibrant vitality, that realm where all things compete to flourish, appear before your eyes?"

Old Qi cursed with a laugh, then asked, "Building twenty apartment blocks in one go; can we really handle the burden?"

"Only a few million; for us, that is trivial. The loom production lines are still being added; the money currently on our books, after deducting costs, is already sufficient. Later, we will also sell clothing and engage in foreign trade; there will be absolutely no problem."

"Does County Head Xu truly have no objections?"

"How could he not?" Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "With so much money remaining in the county, how many things could be accomplished? Yet we are using it to build apartments. He is a man of action and would never willingly agree to this. However, we cannot yield, and the county dares not arbitrarily appropriate our funds. County Head Xu was pressured into submission by our factory's over thousand employees and by our factory's future prospects; otherwise, how could it be so easy?

Regarding this jeans project, County Head Xu's stance is also very clear: if trouble arises, he takes responsibility; if all goes well, the county gets a share of the profits. On one hand, we must fund certain construction projects; on the other, we must pay wages to the county. However, more specific details must wait until the jeans sell well before being discussed.

Enough, Old Factory Director, stop worrying about these matters. Do you see that location over there? That is Building Number Nine, the best spot. I have already allocated it for us; we will be neighbors. I will be in Unit One, you in Unit Two, both on the first floor with a courtyard. If you get bored, you can grow vegetables, raise flowers, and so on."

"I do not want to be next to you; looking at you is annoying."

"Just make do for now." Wang Yan laughed heartily. "After these houses are completed, you will live in them for at most five years."

"Can't I just live a bit longer?"

"Where did your mind go? It is like this; let me whisper it to you."

Wang Yan leaned in close and spoke softly, "My preliminary idea is to build a retirement community for veteran cadres eventually; all the old cadres in our county will move there, making it livelier at that time."

Old Factory Director pondered for a moment, then understood the underlying logic: "You kid have quite deep schemes..."

"I am uniting the veteran comrades. Think about how many people I have offended since becoming Deputy Factory Director; must I not ease these relations? Furthermore, we are a county enterprise, so providing security for our county's cadres is only right. As the saying goes, 'For a train to run fast, it all depends on the locomotive leading the way'; retired veteran cadres certainly deserve care and attention."

"I do not care, and I cannot manage it anyway; I will just see how far you kid can stir things up."

"Just say whether it is good or not right now."

Old Factory Director snorted without saying anything. Good—he acknowledged it internally, but he would not say it aloud, lest Wang Yan become too cocky...

At this moment, two people approached from nearby. One wore a shirt and loose Western-style trousers; he was a minor leader from the construction company. The other had naturally curly hair, a stubbly beard, and wore a faded, starch-washed military uniform; his face and body were covered in dust.

"Factory Director, this is Lei Dongbao, the village head of Xiaoleijia Brigade. The people of Xiaoleijia Brigade have always been the first choice for various projects in our county; their work quality is excellent, and their experience is rich."

"Factory Director Wang, hello, hello! I have long heard of your prowess, leading the textile factory employees to live good lives, and that you are a university graduate; today I finally meet the real person."

Lei Dongbao enthusiastically used his booming voice to flatter Wang Yan shamelessly.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile and shook his hand: "Hello, Village Head Lei."

Lei Dongbao gripped Wang Yan's hand with both hands, shaking it vigorously: "Factory Director Wang, you are truly amazing! Soon the textile factory employees will be moving into apartment buildings. Factory Director Wang, if you have spare capacity, please also guide us peasant comrades; we all want to live good lives too."

"For this apartment construction, I specifically raised the prices and improved the standards for food and drink, precisely to ensure that all brothers participating in the construction receive tangible benefits. Has this not been implemented?"

"It has all been implemented, all implemented; I am especially grateful to Factory Director Wang for looking after us. But as you say, who would fear life becoming better? We also want to live in apartment buildings. You are a capable person; please point out a path for us. Whatever you say, we will do."

Lei Dongbao was very sincere, and his speech was truly without courtesy or reserve.

Wang Yan smiled: "I do not know what kind of 'path' you are referring to. However, currently, our construction company will remain continuously operational for the next five years. Whether it is our textile factory's buildings or other projects in the county, there is no shortage of work. Come during the agricultural off-season, work for a few months, and your lives will definitely improve year by year.

As for your desire to live in apartment buildings, I cannot help with that at present. What we must currently address are the problems within the county town; there are many unemployed people here, which is precisely why the county's public security is so bad. On the other hand, the peasant population is the largest, and we currently lack the strength to assist them. We can only begin gradually implementing rural transformation after resolving the county town's issues.

If you can wait, then endure a little more hardship for now. If you cannot wait, then you must explore the path yourselves. Currently, the state encourages economic development, but exactly how to proceed is still being explored. I am a university graduate, not an immortal; how could I point out the path for you? I am still exploring it myself.

I will not say more; just do this job well, and the money will certainly not be lacking; it will definitely be better than before."

Lei Dongbao, the protagonist of that drama, has little relation to Wang Yan.

As he just stated, development must proceed step by step: first resolve the county town's problems, then radiate outward to the rural population. Once the gears of industry begin turning, they will inevitably be drawn in.

It is always the peasants who contribute the most and bear the most, yet during distribution, they always receive the least.

Even though the county's textile factory now appears to have little relation to the peasants, in reality, it is equally supported by them. The grain they eat, the cotton, hemp, bamboo, animal hides, and various other raw materials purchased and acquired all come from peasant labor; it is absolutely impossible to sever this connection.

Yet the people of Jin Ling County have not gained much, while the textile factory employees are even about to start moving into apartment buildings.

This is unavoidable; material resources are not abundant, and the rural population is too large to care for everyone all at once. Although Wang Yan is developing very quickly now, he has not even managed to care for the entire urban population of the county; it can only be done step by step.

Wang Yan did not offer Lei Dongbao any suggestions; at this time, whatever they do will bring trouble. If he truly helped devise a plan, without a doubt, all of Xiaoleijia's troubles would fall onto his shoulders. With that time, he might as well focus more on research to accelerate the textile factory's development.

After speaking thus, Wang Yan patted his shoulder, paid him no further attention, and instead walked around the construction site with Old Factory Director Qi and others, pointing out several issues and instructing the construction company personnel to pay attention, primarily regarding safety construction...

Lei Dongbao worked alongside his villagers, watching Wang Yan stroll through the site with hands behind his back, a cigarette in his mouth, inspecting conditions and guiding work; he could not help but feel a sense that a true man ought to be just like this...

He had only just returned from military service this year; because he had traveled far and seen more than the villagers, combined with his mischievous nature since childhood which gave him considerable authority in the village, he successfully was elected village head upon his return.

He heard that policies had changed and that economic development was required, but he did not know how to proceed; he had racked his brains worrying about this for a long time. Every day he read various newspapers, hoping to gain some experience from them so he could follow suit; he also wanted to be as imposing as Wang Yan...

Wang Yan was unaware that Lei Dongbao had developed ambitions akin to Liu Bang; even if he knew, he would merely laugh it off and continue attending to his own affairs.

He optimized the production processes at the footwear and garment factory; the work mode efficiency there was still relatively low, so he adjusted the workflow. Simultaneously, he ordered a batch of sewing machines from the county's sewing machine factory to prepare for future production expansion.

He also personally went out to modify and upgrade equipment such as cutting machines, further increasing efficiency. This was also done in preparation for the future.

The first phase of trial production manufactured only two thousand pairs. Most of the time was spent on various stages of weaving denim fabric; the subsequent cutting and garment-making did not take that much time.

In just half a month, the two thousand pairs of jeans were completed. The outer packaging was kraft paper, packed extremely neatly, appearing very attractive.

After production was finished, five hundred pairs were kept in the county town; the remaining one thousand five hundred pairs were loaded onto a truck, and County Head Xu personally accompanied the vehicle to the city to promote sales.

Wang Yan did not know how County Head Xu had knocked on the city's door, but he knew that the jeans stocked in the county sold out in a single day, mostly bought by the young workers of the textile factory themselves.

They had long heard that these jeans were a foreign style, modified by their own factory director into a fit suitable for domestic wear; the director had also said that the denim produced by their own textile factory was better than the foreign kind. No one doubted it; they all believed.

Therefore, in the county, they were stocked on the day, sold out on the day, and that very same day, men and women were already wearing jeans out on the streets.

The legs and waist had been made wider, the four pockets front and back changed into proper pockets without the small coin pocket typical of jeans, and the pocket openings were enlarged to make it easier to slip hands in. However, although the legs had been widened somewhat, they were not truly that wide, and the two front pockets were still not entirely convenient, yet still better than the original design.

This design was actually created by Wang Yan himself working alongside the old tailors of the shoe and garment factory; it was not merely instructed by him, but he personally laid hands on it, after all, he had once been a professional tailor...

However, even though all the pants in the county town had sold out, and young people from the county came the next day asking when restocking would occur, the textile factory did not restock but instead kept its head down and continued production.

It was not until four days later that County Head Xu called back, saying the matter was settled and sales could begin in the city; the first batch of fifteen hundred pairs was nearly sold out, so they needed to hurry production and deliver to the city. He then added that he had taken several samples to promote in the province and open up sales channels across the entire province.

County Head Xu had come from Beijing, and in the original story, he rose to become the second-in-command of the province, and that was only in the 1990s. According to the normal trajectory of development, he would reach the decision-making layer.

This was a legitimate powerful backer; otherwise, why would Wang Yan cooperate with him so thoroughly? Things were easy to handle now, and would be even easier to handle in the future.

Thus, Wang Yan directly kept one thousand pairs for local sale, while sending all the remainder to the city.

The textile factory and the shoe and garment factory increased production to full capacity, and simultaneously began absorbing unemployed personnel from the county, naturally following the old rule: starting with the children of the shoe and garment factory employees, accepting everyone over sixteen years of age.

At the same time, since textile and garment manufacturing were more suitable for female comrades to work in, he also reallocated the existing workforce. He assigned the newly recruited male comrades to produce machinery and agricultural equipment, while arranging for female comrades willing to leave those posts to work in textiles and garment making, striving to allocate labor intensity reasonably while also respecting the personal wishes of the employees.

Even if adjustments were desired later, there would be time. Because making clothes and engaging in textiles, when truly undertaken before automation was achieved, required a very large number of workers; this was a legitimate labor-intensive industry.

As long as the jeans market was opened and money was earned, Jin Ling's clothing business would only get better and better in the future. After finishing pants, he could make shirts and complete denim outfits. He could launch series and build a brand. Once famous domestically, he could naturally proceed smoothly to foreign trade and accept contracts to manufacture for the foreign devils.

Afterwards, he would slowly expand into all categories of clothing, shoes, and hats, constructing his own brand; as long as the brand did not collapse and the path did not deviate, Jin Ling County, relying on this single clothing brand, would be sufficient to support many people and allow them to live comfortable lives.

Of course, that required Wang Yan to be the one doing it; after all, wanting to build a brand without some real skill simply would not work. Especially now, when the foreign moon was considered rounder and foreign goods were deemed superior, no matter how well the clothes were made, they could not compare to a brand slapping on a couple of letters.

"Foreign style" was not a good term.

But it was a complimentary term whose interior contained self-deprecation, originating from inferiority. It was only as time passed that the masses adopted it universally, turning it into daily parlance linked with the word "fashion"...

The sale of jeans did not require cloth coupons, but correspondingly, the selling price was raised. One pair of pants equaled a week's wages for an ordinary worker. The state-owned store took a twenty percent profit, and the remainder was settled with the textile factory; after deducting costs, the textile factory's profit could reach fifty percent.

But accounts were naturally not calculated that way, because the public explanation was that producing denim was not easy, the craftsmanship of jeans was even more complex, and costs were high...

This was a matter behind the scenes; on the surface, the sales performance of the jeans was extremely gratifying, as the people indeed needed some new varieties and had higher requirements for food, clothing, and daily necessities.

County Head Xu had cleared the path through the province, which equated to clearing the path through the entire province. But in reality, the machines in the textile factory and garment factory were practically smoking, and the employees were working overtime in three shifts around the clock, yet the pants produced still could not meet the demand supplied to the city and the provincial capital.

Things were just like this now; basically, everything was in short supply relative to demand.

Looking at the workers bustling with fervor inside the garment factory, County Head Xu laughed with satisfaction: "How many people have you recruited?"

"It has only just begun, yet we have already added over two hundred people, all children of the shoe and garment factory. Production capacity cannot keep up," Wang Yan explained. "I have already sent people to buy machines; for those we can manufacture ourselves, we are also working overtime around the clock."

"After this wave of jeans passes, we will launch new denim clothing and also produce new athletic shoes. Currently, it appears that even if another two thousand people came to the shoe and garment factory in the next half year, it would not be enough; the demand for labor is huge."

County Head Xu ran through the county's situation in his mind and smiled: "Then I fear the young people in our county town will not be enough."

"Those employees who retired early to make way for their children, if they are still capable of working, should all come over; their relations will remain with their original factories, and we will pay wages according to the textile factory employee standards. If that is still not enough, then let the surrounding communes send all their young people here. For now, since policies are unclear, we will retain their rural household registrations, but everything else will follow employee standards."

After a moment of silence, County Head Xu said: "My meaning is, let us not worry about those who retired early. Their families can always take care of their own children; let us recruit the rural children first, so that the farmers can also see hope."

"However the leader says to do it, that is how we shall do it. Once we develop, there will be many job opportunities in the future; for the old employees who were laid off early, we can have them sweep the streets if necessary; our county's sanitation situation also needs strengthening."

"Speaking of these matters, should we not discuss money? Hmm? Factory Director Wang?"

"The leader curses so filthily," Wang Yan said with an amused shake of his head. "Isn't this something we agreed upon long ago? You speak of the projects first; those we can handle, we will directly draw manpower from the communes below and start work immediately without affecting farming, so everyone benefits. If it costs too much and cannot be done, I certainly will not agree."

"I have thought about this for the past few days; there are three major parts."

County Head Xu held up three fingers and said, "First, the county's wages."

"This was agreed upon before; the amount is not large, settle it in one lump sum. If the amount were large, then we would give a portion first and discuss the rest after the textile factory has developed further."

"Not much, five hundred thousand is enough." Seeing Wang Yan's suspicious gaze, County Head Xu widened his eyes: "Otherwise, shall I have the Finance Bureau come over and report their work to you, Factory Director Wang?"

"Leader, you are definitely deceiving me; this is only for a period of time, not forever without issuance. How many people does our county have? Why would it need so much?"

"I will call Finance right now..."

"Enough, Leader, stop acting, stop acting; I will pay this money. Transfer it directly from the funds for the weaving looms and settle in cash."

County Head Xu nodded with satisfaction, then held up two fingers: "This second part is our county's medical and education issues; we..."

Wang Yan interrupted County Head Xu, saying: "The medical issue cannot be resolved; there is too great a shortage of talent. On one hand, we must invest funds to vigorously construct facilities, which is a long-term task requiring huge expenditures later to find doctors and buy equipment. I will definitely want a hospital in the future, but I cannot take one now.

Once I take it, I dare say that not a single unit will pay for medical care; when farmers come, even if they wish to pay, they cannot pay enough. With over two hundred thousand people in the entire county, the textile factory cannot afford to lose money on this.

Regarding education, I am also pondering this. Our county lacks talent terribly; we lack every specialty. In such a vast textile factory, now with over two thousand people, I am the only one truly conducting research; everyone else is assisting, and I still have to spare time to teach them classes.

This is a plan for a hundred years and cannot be delayed. There are even children not allowed to attend school; how can this be acceptable? Currently, the textile factory cannot support the education of the entire county; the investment required for this sector is too great.

I propose completely exempting tuition and miscellaneous fees; all children of appropriate age, whether male or female, must attend school, and the county must enforce this vigorously.

Regarding costs, the county will resolve primary school expenses, while the textile factory will resolve junior and senior high school expenses, providing subsidies for students from impoverished families and scholarships for those who study well; for those admitted to university, the county will provide subsidies so they can study with peace of mind. Regardless of whether they can return or not, they are still children of our Jin Ling County; if we have the means, we must help them, lest we ruin a child's future; this is a major event that changes destinies.

Regarding school supplies... Leader, why not merge the relevant small paper-making and pen-making factories directly into the textile factory? We will suppress costs and provide them to the children for free. I will also find ways to broaden this so that these school supplies can earn some money as well.

In this case, two or three hundred thousand a year would be sufficient for our county children's school supply expenses; additionally, we can add subsidies for teachers according to the treatment of our textile factory employees; we can afford this money."

What Wang Yan said moved County Head Xu deeply.

He fell silent for a long time, then patted Wang Yan on the shoulder: "We will give you the relevant factories, but for now, do not make them free yet; conditions are not mature, so do not force it. We cannot ruin the development of the textile factory. Your ideological awareness is still sufficient."

"Then let it be settled; later, Leader, please advance this, and subsequently we will research further, perhaps building a library or something similar. Let us speak of the third part, Leader."

"This third part is road construction. If we wish to develop, transportation is paramount. I will find a way to strive for support from the city; with our output value so high, surely the road to the city must be repaired, right? The roads within our county are our own affair. Existing old and broken roads need maintenance.

From our county town to the townships, from townships to communes, and from communes to the major brigades, all must have roads built to achieve connectivity to every village. For important routes, we will build asphalt roads, making them wider to accommodate large trucks. For less important ones, we will first build concrete roads to make do, and when conditions improve in the future, we will replace them all with asphalt roads."

County Head Xu still possessed great vision, accurately grasping the relationship between transportation and development.

Wang Yan nodded with a smile: "The leader indeed has vision. The county will produce the plan, the credit cooperative will provide loans to the textile factory, we will repair the roads slowly, and we will repay the money slowly."

"You kid are truly cunning."

"Be flexible and leave yourself a way out," Wang Yan laughed heartily, then continued, "I thought of a phrase, Leader; put it in your report later, and I think your name could directly enter the Zhongnanhai; our Jin Ling's rapid development, this vibrant vitality and the realm of all things competing to flourish, can also be known by the leaders."

County Head Xu was torn between laughter and tears: "Say it and let me hear it."

"If you want to get rich, build a road first!"

"Hiss... Profound! Concise yet comprehensive, penetrating to the core!"

County Magistrate Xu pondered for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "You know, don't dismiss it—these words might actually reach the top..."