Chapter 16: The Bonus Stirs the Heart

"Now that the factory has secured a bank loan, the next step is to increase production capacity—I’ve already sent people to procure raw materials and equipment!"

Zhang Xiao held a meeting, but the attendees were mainly outsiders like Li Dongling, Zhou Wenyang, and Zhang Ao; from the Yuanqi Factory, only a finance department staff member attended besides Zhang Xiao.

The only people Zhang Xiao could rely on now were Li Dongling and the others—the satellite dish project and technology were both provided by Li Dongling, Zhou Wenyang was in charge of production, and Zhang Ao handled sales.

"The production capacity for satellite dishes must be ramped up as soon as possible to a daily output of one thousand units or more—next month, daily output must reach five thousand, even ten thousand!"

Li Dongling spoke, and Zhang Ao, who had just been appointed to handle sales, lit up—more production meant more sales, and his commission would naturally rise.

The satellite dish technology wasn’t complex; with parts available, production could scale quickly. Li Dongling looked at the men present. "This technology won’t last long—within six months at most, copycat and Shanzhai manufacturers will emerge."

"When that happens, sales volume and pricing for Guanxing will suffer—we must boost capacity in the shortest possible time, so even if a price war breaks out later, we’ll still have an advantage!"

Li Dongling laid it out plainly: this quick money wouldn’t last long; for Zhang Ao and the others on high commissions, it would be at most a few months.

By then, not even commissions would matter—when the price war hit, they might barely profit per satellite dish sold, and it’d even be questionable whether the Yuanqi Factory should keep producing them at all.

Still, even so, Zhang Ao felt that in six months, just from commissions, he might become a half-million-yuan household—or even a full one!

"The parts have been procured; the main issue now is manpower. Most of the Yuanqi Factory workers have returned, but we’re still far short!"

Zhou Wenyang, acting as production manager and overseeing the workshop, frowned. The burden of boosting capacity rested entirely on him.

Though satellite dish assembly didn’t require advanced technical skills, some positions still needed basic competence—you couldn’t just pull anyone off the street. The resulting units might have too many defects. The brand didn’t matter yet, but if reputation was ruined, sales would collapse—especially since satellite dishes were mainly sold in towns and villages, where product reputation mattered deeply.

But given the Yuanqi Factory’s current state, it dared not hire en masse—otherwise, it couldn’t afford to pay them, and that would cause major problems.

"What if…?"

After thinking for a long while, Zhang Ao spoke up: "Let’s recruit workers from Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1. They’ve already shut down production—rumor has it they’re not even paying wages anymore. Pulling people over shouldn’t be a problem!"

Zhang Ao felt zero guilt about poaching from Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1—there, he barely earned anything, but here, his commission in a single day exceeded his monthly wage there. Where your ass sits determines where your head thinks.

"Fine!"

Li Dongling also spoke. He hadn’t paid much attention to Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, but he’d heard its situation was dire—the color TV production line hadn’t even started, other products weren’t selling at all, it was drowning in debt, and its three thousand workers were mostly idle, with wages increasingly uncertain.

Li Dongling, Zhang Ao, Fan Xugang, and others returned to Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 to recruit acquaintances to join the Yuanqi Factory. This couldn’t be announced publicly—it had to be done through personal connections. Many workers there, even temporary ones, were still reluctant to quit outright.

When Li Dongling returned to the factory, he clearly felt its visible decay compared to the vibrant, bustling Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory—it felt lifeless.

As he prepared to return to the dormitory building to pack a few clothes, just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Li Dongling heard a familiar voice arguing with someone.

Li Dongling looked toward the two and saw Qin Fang—the same woman he’d met on his first day. Compared to earlier, she looked noticeably worn down, yet her figure still couldn’t be hidden by her clothes.

"Sister Yu, I’m really strapped for cash right now—you know the factory’s situation. This month’s wages are delayed, but as soon as they’re paid, I’ll pay you back immediately!"

Qin Fang lowered her head, speaking softly to a middle-aged woman, her tone pleading.

The woman called Sister Yu didn’t care what Qin Fang said—she kept shouting loudly, as if afraid no one else in the dormitory building knew Qin Fang owed her money.

"Little sister, I’m not refusing to help you—I know you’re struggling, a widow raising two stepchildren left by your late husband. But my family needs to eat too—my household hasn’t tasted meat in over a month. When will this factory ever pay wages? Who knows when that’ll happen!"

"If I were you, I’d just find a man to marry already. With your figure, any man who sees you will take a second look!"

As she spoke, Sister Yu clucked her tongue. Qin Fang’s face flushed crimson, but Sister Yu kept going: "A few days ago, I introduced you to that man—he’s a bit fat and dark, but he’s got money! He even drives a Santana sedan. If you went with him, this little debt wouldn’t matter—you might even end up helping me out!"

Seeing Li Dongling’s gaze, Qin Fang’s face burned even redder. "Sister Yu, please give me a few more days—I’ll get the money and bring it to you!"

Hearing this, Sister Yu reluctantly left. "Little sister, think over what I said!"

Li Dongling and Qin Fang exchanged glances—he nodded to her, and she gave a slight nod in return before hurrying back inside.

Upstairs, Li Dongling packed a few items. In the wireless factory, he knew almost no one. After thinking it over, the only person he could ask for help was Wei Hongying—the woman he’d met that day.

Wei Hongying’s supply department was also shut down. When she heard Li Dongling was looking for her, she immediately ran down.

"Brother Li, what do you need?" Wei Hongying asked. She was a few years younger than Li Dongling, having been forced into the factory right after high school.

Li Dongling nodded. "Let’s have a meal together."

Near Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, there were many small eateries, all tied to the factory. When the factory thrived and workers earned good wages, these places were packed. Now that wages weren’t being paid, they were deserted.

After ordering a few dishes, Wei Hongying immediately vented for Li Dongling: "I went to your department a few times—they told me you’d been sent to Shangguan Town. Liu Jiande is a real bastard—you’re a graduate from Jiaotong University, and he still kicked you out. He never even fulfilled his promise to make Qin Jie a regular employee."

"Brother Li," Wei Hongying leaned in, as if sharing a secret, "I heard Liu Jiande kicked you all out just to make room for his son!"

Li Dongling’s heart stirred at this, but he showed no reaction—only laughed lightly. Wei Hongying went on complaining about the factory—this month’s wages were canceled, yet Liu Jiande and the other managers had still handed out bonuses.

Wei Hongying was naturally outgoing and chatty—she’d already spilled plenty of factory gossip. Halfway through the meal, she suddenly remembered: "Brother Li, why did you ask me to meet today?"

Li Dongling put down his chopsticks. "Here’s the thing—the Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory has received many orders lately and is short on manpower. I’m wondering if you know anyone here who’d be willing to help with production over there."

"No problem—I’ll handle it!" Wei Hongying replied confidently, then hesitated slightly. "Brother Li, what about wages?"

But she quickly added, fearing he’d misunderstand: "If you need people, I’ll work for free—but others need wages to support their families."

"Those who come over will be paid their Xicheng Wireless Factory wages. The first payment will be made in ten days; subsequent wages will be monthly. If they decide to leave, all wages will be settled in full."

Li Dongling calculated. Once satellite dish production ramped up, cash flow would return quickly—within a week, easily. Paying wages wouldn’t be an issue—not even bonuses.

"As long as wages are paid, I’ll find people right away—I won’t let you down, Brother Li!"

Hearing this, Wei Hongying relaxed. She didn’t finish her meal—she grabbed her two braids and hurried off.

The Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory had never been this bustling. Trucks loaded with raw materials kept arriving, while others waited at the warehouse gates to haul away finished satellite dishes.

The bicycle shed at the main gate was overflowing—bikes even lined the ground outside. Li Dongling, Zhang Ao, Fan Xugang, and others had brought nearly four hundred workers from Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1. Combined with the original Yuanqi Factory staff, the total workforce now exceeded a thousand!

Once materials arrived and manpower was assembled, several satellite dish assembly lines began operating. Each unit was assembled, inspected, packed, and loaded onto trucks for delivery.

That day, the Yuanqi Factory’s satellite dish output surged to 430 units. Some were defective, and many workers were still inexperienced on their first day—otherwise, output might have been even higher.

At noon the next day, Wei Hongying followed Zhou Wenyang to resolve issues on the production line. Since she had nothing to do at Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, she’d come over to help.

At that moment, Zhang Xiao suddenly entered the workshop, holding a loudspeaker. Behind him, a finance officer carried a bag of cash. With four to five hundred workers inside the production hall, shouting without a loudspeaker meant no one could hear.

"The team with the highest assembly output yesterday was Line One and Line Two," Zhang Xiao announced. These two lines were staffed by veteran Yuanqi Factory workers, who were far more skilled and faster. "Today, everyone on these two lines will receive a ten-yuan bonus!"

"From now on, every day, the top three production lines by output and pass rate will each receive bonuses—paid out the same day at closing!"

"Boom!"

As everyone saw Zhang Xiao place the cash on a table at the front of the workshop—clearly visible to all—a roar erupted. Workers from Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 had never seen anything like this—if they could earn bonuses daily, the bonuses alone would exceed their old wages!

Meanwhile, at the warehouse, even more trucks had arrived than yesterday—including vehicles from outside the city waiting to pick up goods. All 400+ satellite dishes produced yesterday had sold out by early morning, and payments had already been received.

Supply and marketing cooperatives, TV station sales offices, and Zhang Ao’s sales department all rushed to Zhang Xiao, demanding more satellite dishes!