Chapter 408: All Set Off by Peers

The cheers first erupted at Li Dongling High-Tech headquarters, then spread to the entire Changqing Road, then erupted in many places in Pingyang city center—these places have Li Dongling High-Tech office personnel—and then erupted in an even louder cheer in the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park.

In this era when the internet has not yet been popularized, the speed of Li Dongling High-Tech issuing year-end bonuses spread at an astonishing speed. By this time, more than half of Pingyang basically knew that Li Dongling High-Tech was going to issue year-end bonuses, and it was starting with four months of salary, which exceeded the expectations of countless people.

When hearing this news, people in Pingyang, whether they were staff in state-owned factories or people in private companies, couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

For Li Dongling High-Tech issuing year-end bonuses, they could have anticipated it. Last year, Li Dongling High-Tech issued year-end bonuses, but taking out four months of salary as a year-end bonus this year, equivalent to receiving 16 months of salary for the whole year, still exceeded the expectations of countless people.

Not to mention comparing with the office personnel at Li Dongling High-Tech headquarters, just take the first-line operation personnel in the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park. Because of the surge in sales of several Little Smart products this year, the basic salary, overtime pay, over-production awards, and subsidies

And now, for many domestic families—urban families—the annual income is roughly around four to five thousand yuan. As for rural areas, the income is a large gap behind. Li Dongling High-Tech's year-end bonus is equivalent to nearly half a year's income for families in some places.

But Li Dongling High-Tech is very special; the reason it can bring out such high bonuses is because the product profit margins are high. If it were playing in traditional industries, Li Dongling High-Tech certainly wouldn't be able to produce so many bonuses to distribute to ordinary staff.

It is not just the Li Dongling High-Tech headquarters; Dongxin Semiconductor and Oriental Optoelectronics in the provincial capital, as well as the Tianya Company in Yanjing, the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park in Yangcheng, and the Li Dongling High-Tech production base in Shanghai, have also successively posted year-end bonus announcements.

Li Dongling High-Tech's grand gesture regarding year-end bonuses quickly spread throughout the domestic tech industry. Regarding Li Dongling High-Tech's behavior of distributing bonuses to ordinary staff, different companies in the tech industry have mixed reviews.

There are those who envy Li Dongling High-Tech, but there are also those who have quite a few complaints, because following Li Dongling High-Tech's move, a voice emerged within the tech and electronics industry: only companies that distribute year-end bonuses are good companies, which made many other companies even more dissatisfied.

Especially some assembly companies; they are actually just buying parts from abroad, bringing them back to assemble, sticking a brand name on them, and selling them off to earn the price difference. They themselves feel they earn too little and wish they could pay even lower wages, let alone pay staff more.

There even emerged voices claiming that Li Dongling High-Tech is disrupting market conditions and is just putting on a show. As assembly line workers in a factory, Li Dongling High-Tech already pays higher salaries than other companies, and they issue various gifts during holidays. Now, they are playing this year-end bonus game—doesn't this just highlight how black-hearted they are?!

Within the industry, the attitude toward Li Dongling High-Tech is unclear, but after this wave of year-end bonuses, the status of Li Dongling High-Tech versus other companies in the minds of job seekers has begun to differ drastically.

Before this, Li Dongling High-Tech had fame, but in the hearts of many countrymen, there was still a gap compared to foreign enterprises. However, it couldn't withstand the contrast of peers; after this time, Li Dongling High-Tech and foreign enterprises—especially regarding ordinary staff—have treatment that is on par, or even a few points better.

By the time the recruitment season starts next year, the number of people wanting to join Li Dongling High-Tech will likely be several times higher than before!

In the long run, within the domestic tech industry, a siphon phenomenon will form. People looking for work will prioritize Li Dongling High-Tech and some large foreign companies before considering other firms, and more and more talent will enter Li Dongling High-Tech.

Tonight, throughout the entire Pingyang urban area, restaurants of all sizes, bathhouses, karaoke bars, video parlors, and the recently emerged arcade halls and discotheques are almost all packed to capacity. These venues have almost been completely booked out by Li Dongling High-Tech staff.

"Song Gong is back!"

"Supervisor Song!"

When Song Song Yajun rode back to the Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan residential complex on a motorcycle that Li Dongling High-Tech had issued to him as a prize last year, many familiar faces greeted him one after another.

As a former "old workhorse" of the Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, Song Song Yajun has now become a technical supervisor at the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park and is also one of the supervisors there. The workshop technical personnel of the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park all fall under his management.

The fact that Li Dongling High-Tech's products can be successfully put into production, with production lines running normally, capacity increasing, and yield rates improving, is all inseparable from Song Song Yajun. Since Li Li Dongling recruited him into Li Dongling High-Tech, Song Song Yajun can be considered to have made great contributions.

As the residential community for Li Dongling High-Tech employees, Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan naturally included a share for Song Song Yajun in the first batch of housing.

Now, Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan has already delivered two phases and is continuing to expand. Inside, besides Li Dongling High-Tech staff, there are also personnel from the Pingyang municipal government. In reality, Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan is currently the best residential community in Pingyang.

To tell the truth, in the few years since joining Li Dongling High-Tech, Song Song Yajun's life has changed far more than it did during the ten-plus years he spent as an old workhorse at the Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1.

"Congratulations, Song Gong, for winning the Department Outstanding Employee Award again this year. Perhaps this year, you'll be able to win the Outstanding Employee Award for our entire industrial park!"

After entering Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan, someone familiar with Song Song Yajun greeted him.

The fact that Song Song Yajun could win the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park Technical Department's Outstanding Employee Award this year was not based on his status as a supervisor, but was truly fought for with real skill.

He knows the production lines of the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park like the back of his hand. Even for equipment imported from abroad, he is the fastest to master the technology. Compared to younger technicians, he is much more hardworking.

He even proposed quite a few technical improvement plans, especially this year, when he came up with two patents for mobile phone production lines. No one could find fault with giving him this award.

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Song Song Yajun's face, and then he waved his hand. "That's hard to say. Our factory is full of hidden talent. Old Tao from the production department is the one who truly worked hard this year. If it weren't for him leading the team to rush out so many Xiaolingtong handsets, we wouldn't even be able to collect this year-end bonus!"

"Song Gong, at the end of last year, they issued a motorcycle to you as a prize. What are they issuing to you this year?"

"Could it be a small car?!"

The people gathered around asked Song Song Yajun, their words filled with curiosity. Although they all knew that even if they were issuing cars, it likely wouldn't be their turn, they still couldn't help but be curious.

"I don't know about that. What prizes are issued and to whom—that's not something we can decide!"

"I have to head back first; the wife and kids at home are waiting!"

Upon hearing the mention of a small car, Song Song Yajun's eyes flickered. He then lifted the roasted lamb leg, marinated meat, and drinks he was carrying and hurried toward home.

On the way, Song Song Yajun recalled the rumors he heard today from Duan Duan Youli, the general manager of the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park. The logistics department had indeed purchased a batch of small cars to be issued as grand prizes this year, and three of those car slots were allocated to the industrial park. Song Song Yajun didn't know who these three slots would go to, but faced with this prize, who could help but have some thoughts?

Also in Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan, just moments after Song Song Yajun, Tao Tao Zhiliang—the "Old Tao" Song Song Yajun mentioned—also returned to his home in Oriental Dongfang Jiayuan carrying bags of items.

Tao Tao Zhiliang's wife, Zhu Jing, had long since prepared a table full of food. Seeing the pile of things he was carrying, she couldn't help but say, "Why did you buy so many things today?"

The situation in the Tao family is already completely different from before. As a supervisor in the production department of the Li Dongling High-Tech Industrial Park, his salary has already entered the ranks of Li Dongling High-Tech's senior management. Now, not counting bonuses and the like, his annual salary is over forty thousand yuan, which was something Tao Tao Zhiliang never dared to imagine before.

"Isn't it because the girl is taking the college entrance exam next year? She can use all these things!"

Mentioning his "little cotton-padded jacket" (beloved daughter), a look of happiness appeared on Tao Tao Zhiliang's face involuntarily. But turning back to see the brat staring at him with wide eyes, Tao Tao Zhiliang's expression soured again. Looking at his own little rascal, Tao Tao Zhiliang asked with a stern face, "What are you looking at!"

"No, Dad, what about mine? I'm going to high school next year too!" Tao Tao Zhiliang's son reached out toward him with wide eyes.

Tao Tao Zhiliang gave the little rascal at home a sideways glance, but still took out a few gifts and gave them to him. "Put some effort into it in the future. If your exam results can catch up to your sister's, that motorcycle at home will be yours in the future.

As long as you can get into college, whatever you want, your old man will smash pots and sell iron to get it for you!"

"Then I won't count on it; you'd better keep it and ride it yourself!"

Tao Tao Zhiliang's son flipped through the items and said casually to Tao Tao Zhiliang. As soon as he finished, he felt a chill on his neck. Looking up, he saw Tao Tao Zhiliang looking at him with murderous intent, his hand reaching directly toward the belt at his waist.

Seeing this, Tao Tao Zhiliang's son let out a strange cry and ran toward the room, making Tao Tao Zhiliang stomp his feet in anger. "You little rascal..."

Zhu Jing hurriedly held Tao Tao Zhiliang back, avoiding a chaotic scene. It wasn't until dinner time, when he saw his "little cotton-padded jacket" return from evening self-study, that Tao Tao Zhiliang finally calmed down, busily picking food for her.

"Dad, I really can't eat anymore!"

Seeing his daughter speak up, Tao Tao Zhiliang finally stopped, then placed a large chicken leg into her bowl.

"After the New Year, you'll be taking the college entrance exam next year. Have you thought about which university you want to go to?"

Tao Tao Zhiliang took a gulp of wine and asked his daughter. Tao Tao Zhiliang's daughter's studies at the local school are considered quite good. Plus, with Pingyang's finances improving over the past few years, they have started to increase investment in education, and the level of education has begun to rise.

According to the several municipal-level mock exams Tao Tao Zhiliang's daughter has taken, she wouldn't dare claim a top-tier university, but she has a very high chance of getting into a university within Hanxi Province, which is why Tao Tao Zhiliang asked.

"With my current grades, if I can get in, I want to go to Pingyang University!" Tao Tao Zhiliang's daughter said clearly, obviously having given it deep thought.

"What?"

But upon hearing this, Tao Tao Zhiliang was left dumbfounded.

(End of chapter)