Chapter 91: This factory, we've taken it on!

"Two teachers, our Red Flag Boiler Factory…… actually it's pretty good, our factory since its establishment has always been adding bricks and tiles to the socialist construction cause, our factory……" Ruan Wenming's voice grew softer and softer, he had no confidence left.

Ha Gong Da is wealthy and powerful; coming to inspect the Red Flag Boiler Factory, they surely would arrive in a 212, marching straight through the main gate! After they arrive, they'll hold an introductory meeting in the conference room, and meanwhile have others quickly clean up to leave a good impression on the Ha Gong Da visitors……

Unexpectedly, they sneaked in through the back door, and the people here didn't know they were about to be taken over by Ha Gong Da, so they spoke freely, even mentioning debts and such.

Nobody would willingly take on a burden, and Ha Gong Da certainly wouldn't either!

It's over, completely over!

"Everyone, we already know the factory's situation." Zhou Ding spoke: "After we go back, we'll report to the school leadership, and finally the school leadership will decide whether to take over the Red Flag Boiler Factory."

After Zhou Ding finished speaking, he looked at Qin Miao: "San Shui, let's just leave for now."

Qin Miao, after all, is just a freshman; bringing him along to have a look is fine, but to call the shots he doesn't have that authority……

Qin Miao nodded: "Okay!"

After saying that, he turned to the crowd present: "Rest assured, Ha Gong Da will definitely help with the boiler renovation. Later, you summarize the boiler's technical parameters and such into a document and send it to Ha Gong Da; the design fee and so on won't be needed, since we met here today, it's fate."

"You two came all this way; have a meal at our factory before you leave." Ruan Wenming said.

"No need, we won't disturb you; the school side is surely waiting for our reply……"

At this moment, Zhou Ding's mood also seemed somewhat heavy; when speaking, rather than being low-spirited, he still firmly turned his head and walked toward the workshop door.

One step, two steps, three steps……

By the time he reached the door, outside in the sky, somehow snowflakes had begun to drift down.

Large flakes of snow fluttered down, covering the ground in a vast white expanse; amidst the heavy snow, people kept gathering—old folks, women, children.

Children wore obviously oversized cotton jackets, frozen to the point of runny noses and tears; women held baskets in their hands, inside were…… vegetable leaves, possibly picked from the market; and there was the white-haired elderly person…… lifting their heads, they looked at Zhou Ding and Qin Miao with hopeful eyes.

These people are the factory workers' families!

If this were a hopeless factory, Qin Miao would feel no sympathy, but this factory has always been striving to save itself, raising funds to develop new boilers for its future, to the point that now it's at the brink of having exhausted all resources.

Although factory workers scrap a bit of waste iron to take home, that's only because the factory basically can't pay wages; looking at the freezing cold, they don't even have coal balls for winter heating……

At this moment, Qin Miao suddenly thought of the later layoff wave in Northeast China.

How many workers lost their jobs overnight, going from an iron rice bowl to no rice bowl; while working in the factory they were used to spending lavishly, with no savings, who knows how many families are in dire straits; the resettlement funds allocated from above ended up in some people's pockets, ordinary workers relied on selling blood, even selling meat…… the worst, a family ate a plate of dumplings, and inside those dumplings was rat poison……

Although the massive layoff wave is still nearly twenty years away, looking at these people before him now, Qin Miao feels that simply walking away would be hard on his conscience.

"Hey, Xiao Bai, go find the driver and bring our factory's 212 over; in this snowstorm we can't let the two Ha Gong Da teachers walk back like that—it's several kilometers!"

Female secretary Bai Zhonghua frowned: "Factory Director, our factory's 212…… is already……"

Ruan Wenming rummaged hard in his pocket for a while and finally found two 100-yuan bills: "Take this to give the driver fuel."

This factory director is either extremely shrewd or just a good old person; however, judging from his past actions, the latter is more likely.

"No need, no need, Factory Director Ruan, we……" Zhou Ding wanted to refuse, but at that moment Qin Miao spoke up.

"Factory Director Ruan, I'd like to put forward a few requests."

The female secretary frowned, "What do you mean? Our factory's 212 has long been out of fuel; everyone walks or bikes, and to send you off the factory director has scraped together his last savings, yet you still want to make demands?"

"Is it because you think the 212 isn't good enough, so you need to ride in a Red Flag car?"

"Go ahead."

"First, effective today, the factory will no longer allow anyone to take factory scrap iron out to sell for money; I won't hold past actions against anyone, but from now on this behavior is absolutely forbidden—if caught, immediate dismissal!"

"You……"

"Everyone else's faces changed dramatically, 'What do you mean? Do you know how hard it is for the factory workers?'"

"Wait…… Bai Zhonghua was the first to catch on: 'You from Ha Gong Da, are you going to take over our factory?'"

"Well, I can't promise that, since I'm not the president, but I will strongly support it, and the Ha Gong Da school leadership will have to give me some face."

"Who are you?"

"A Ha Gong Da freshman."

"What?"

"Everyone had just heard Bai Zhonghua's words and were excited; now…… the person making promises is actually just a Ha Gong Da freshman?"

"Classmate Qin Miao is not only a freshman, but also a teacher in the Computer Department and the person in charge of many projects; this time the higher-level coordination allocating the Red Flag Boiler Factory to Ha Gong Da is precisely because we have several foreign trade projects that need a production factory, and these projects were all initiated by Classmate Qin Miao." Zhou Ding introduced from the side.

"You little brat, you're just showing off, aren't you? And you want me to back you up!"

The crowd grew more and more astonished as they listened.

"Looks like those rumors are true after all."

"Yeah, I heard Ha Gong Da produced a genius student, the Literary Star descended to earth; I didn't expect to actually see him today!"

"Classmate Qin Miao, we agree to this request; go on and say the next!"

"Second, strict attendance; I didn't care before, but starting tomorrow, punching in and out on time—anyone with late arrivals or early leaves accumulating three times in a month will be fired!"

"In an old enterprise, there will always be some old slackers; seeing that guy pushing a bicycle selling scrap iron, isn't he just doing side work during work hours!"

"Such things must be eradicated!"

"Okay, we agree!"

"Third, the factory's foreign debt will be repaid by Ha Gong Da, but afterward all the factory's accounts will be managed by Ha Gong Da! Personnel appointments at the factory will also be decided by Ha Gong Da."

"The factory director's position should still be left for Ruan Wenming; directly replacing him wouldn't be good, but the factory's accounts must be handled by Ha Gong Da—once you control the money you control half, and once you also control personnel, then the factory essentially belongs to Ha Gong Da."

"Okay, no problem!"

"Even if the factory eventually collapses under a mountain of debt, each worker would likely still have to shoulder a share of the debt; nowadays people are still simple-hearted, nobody wants to owe money—smashing pots and selling scrap iron also must fill the hole!"

"Now Ha Gong Da is willing to take on their debt; they couldn't ask for more!"