Chapter 1562: Ideas

Ye Yaodong went out and grabbed a quick fast-food meal; since he was alone, there was no need for fuss, so he did whatever was easiest, as long as it filled his stomach.

After eating his fill, he returned to the factory and asked Manager Qi to call out the thirty discharged soldiers who had not yet been assigned work.

He waited in the open space in front of the dormitory building, a list still in his hand.

Before taking them away, he had to call out their names first, identify them, and match the people with their files.

He also chatted casually about what they had done in the army; after understanding their backgrounds, he noted down those with special skills so they could be assigned appropriate positions on the ship, as there were specific roles on board.

At the start, everyone's wages were the same, but once they became proficient, the assignments would be adjusted accordingly, and their wages would naturally differ.

True to their military background, the discharged soldiers actually ran over in formation; when they stood before him, they even adjusted themselves, lining up neatly from tallest to shortest.

The series of movements left him speechless.

Only a few scattered individuals came out more slowly, but even they ran over, found their spots according to their height, stood up straight, and waited for him to speak.

The thirty people stood in three rows of ten, perfectly neat; the key was that they adjusted their formation and stood ready without him saying a word.

Ye Yaodong suddenly didn't know how to start speaking; he hesitated for a moment and cleared his throat.

"Count off!"

The discharged soldiers looked at him in surprise, then actually began counting from left to right.

"One, two, three..."

"Ahem... everyone is here, so I'll call out the roll; those whose names are called, step forward so I can get to know you, and we'll chat for a bit."

Ye Yaodong felt a bit awkward; to cover his embarrassment, he quickly started calling out names.

With each name called, he asked the person a few questions.

Only after all thirty names had been called did he explain to them that they needed to go to sea, so they would not be staying here.

This was the dormitory for the processing factory workers; the dormitory for the seafaring workers was in another location. He told them to return to their rooms to pack their luggage and follow him immediately, as he would arrange new accommodations for them. Furthermore, the boatmen were different from the factory workers here; the boatmen were provided with meals.

These discharged soldiers knew they would be split into two groups: some would work in the factory, while others would go to sea; originally, they did not know each other.

However, after spending a night and a morning together, they had gotten to know each other slightly; furthermore, those with physical disabilities were immediately obvious to them, and they knew that those remaining here were mostly those with disabilities or health issues.

For those of them who were physically fit, going to sea was a natural progression, and they raised no objections, as obedience to orders was the very duty of a soldier.

Ye Yaodong had waited less than ten minutes before everyone had packed their luggage and boarded the tractors; they were incredibly fast.

Since one vehicle couldn't fit everyone, he told them to figure it out and use two vehicles, selecting someone who could drive a tractor to drive the first one and follow him.

At the main base, there were only thirty-some people left today: twenty-some were his workers, and the remaining few were from the cafeteria, Fatso's relatives, or relatives of relatives.

The workers on his two fresh-fish collection ships totaled sixteen, plus seven or eight left behind for logistics and rotation substitutes.

People eating the five grains will inevitably get headaches, fevers, or feel unwell; now that the fresh-fish collection ships go out to sea daily to collect goods, if someone feels unwell at sea, the boatmen can immediately arrange a substitute to take their place and bring the person back in time.

This was a form of guarantee; other families' boats did not have such treatment.

After arriving at the main base, Ye Yaodong asked Old You to take the roster, check names one by one, and locate those remaining behind; those not present were simply noted as having gone out.

The list in his hand recorded which ship each worker was assigned to.

While he was calling out names, Ye Yaodong first settled the discharged soldiers, setting a time to assemble again in ten minutes.

During the wait for assembly, he sat and thought.

The two ships also needed new captains; he had candidates in mind, but weren't they all out at sea now? And he couldn't leave.

He figured it was already afternoon, so there was no need to go out right now; he told these people to rest first, and today they would familiarize themselves with the surroundings and the personnel they would soon be working with.

Early tomorrow morning, the two new ships would set sail together with the fresh-fish collection ships.

His father had also gone out to sea yesterday; after all, it was the first trip after the New Year, and he thought he should go along to take a look.

Once the fresh-fish collection ship set sail tomorrow, he could pick up his father and transfer him to the two new ships, Ocean No. 4 and Ocean No. 5.

Then, he would arrange another Captain Chen; for the second-in-command, he would pick two from among these discharged soldiers, as some of them knew how to sail.

The new team would need a few months to gel; anyway, his father was already earning extra money on shore, so he would let his father lead the two new ships for a while first.

After a few months of getting the team to gel, once he resolved some matters at the processing factory and could hand everything over and let go, he would take the ocean-going ships to the deep sea.

The operation was too large; it wasn't something he could just walk away from; everything had to be arranged and put on the right track before he could step back.

The fishing boats also had new ships and new people who needed to gel; everything required waiting.

After finalizing tomorrow's arrangements, he flipped through the list, used a pen to mark down who was going to which ship, and evenly distributed the old hands to lead the new ones.

Between the two ocean-going fishing boats and the three fresh-fish collection ships, there were over sixty people in total on hand; for now, they would be mixed up and rearranged.

When the time came, everyone was already standing neatly before him; except for some of his crew who had gone out and were not yet back, everyone who was present had arrived.

Just by looking at their posture, one could see the difference between people.

The workers looked curiously at the three neat rows of people standing nearby, pointing and whispering among themselves.

"Where did Ah Dong find these people? They look like soldiers..."

"These are all soldiers; didn't you know? Last year we heard that the army assigned a batch of discharged soldiers for Dongzi to take over. Dongzi planned to assign them to the new ships, so during the New Year many people came asking for work, but Dongzi refused them all, saying everything was already arranged."

"They are all soldiers, no wonder..."

"These are all retired navy personnel; I heard from others that the army leaders even specially visited the processing factory to arrange this. Our boss has major connections."

"That impressive?"

"Of course he's impressive; whatever Dongzi does, he does it properly. The processing factory had just opened when army leaders visited; it's hard not to succeed."

"Boss, everyone who could be called has been called; the others are not here."

Ye Yaodong nodded and stood up; since some people were not present, Old You could relay the message to them later; anyway, he knew everyone.

He asked Old You to show him the personnel list so he could re-select and re-assign.

Before the assignment, he planned to say a few words first to let everyone get to know each other.

"Good afternoon; let me introduce everyone: the people standing in three rows in front are discharged soldiers just assigned from the army. Some will stay at the processing factory, while these ones are going to sea."

"Originally, they were all retired navy personnel, so their experience at sea is no less than yours, but their fishing experience is certainly not as rich as yours; in the coming days, you veteran boatmen will have to guide them."

"Just like in the past when bringing on new people, get along well with everyone; the days ahead are long."

"Also, because their fishing experience is scarce, the personnel on the two original fresh-fish collection boats must be scrambled; anyway, it's the same as previous years, just reorganize."

"The list is in my hands; I'll just assign them randomly. After I finish assigning, I'll have Old You rewrite the list and post it so you can check it yourselves; some people aren't here yet, but when they return, they can take a look."

"If you have objections to the assigned personnel list, you can privately discuss and swap; once agreed, go to Old You to adjust the list; anyway, it's the same as previous years."

Everyone murmured quietly, whispering among themselves.

The third platoon of veterans kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, not uttering a single word.

Ye Yaodong looked and truly liked it; the army knows how to train people.

Absolute obedience, and discipline.

He really wanted to send those workers under his hand to train for a bit.

"Alright, I'll read out the list of arrangements for you; listen carefully."

By the way, he also told Old You beside him: for those assigned to different boats, mark a number after the name to serve as a new team; the rest without numbers will continue to serve as logistics and substitutes.

Generally, he assigns the younger ones to these; the older, experienced ones must go on the boats to lead the new people.

If the young people stay on land, any instructions given can be handled more flexibly.

Later he will definitely make further personnel adjustments, but now that the arrangement is just finished, it won't be adjusted so quickly.

At the very least, he must wait a few months; if he goes to the deep sea, then making personnel adjustments will be perfectly natural.

After announcing all the names, he handed the list to Old You and asked him to copy it and post it.

"That's it; for anything else, find Old You. If there's nothing else, everyone disperse and go about your own activities."

"Oh, wait, one more thing: remind you that tomorrow at 5 a. m., the fresh-fish collection boat will set sail to collect goods; if you don't assemble on time and delay the departure, money will be deducted."

"Put away your lazy hearts; it's time to start work. Don't play outside and be reluctant to go home to sleep."

Some people laughed out loud.

After arranging the matters, Ye Yaodong saw no one crowd around to talk to him; after waiting a minute, he patted his backside and left.

He still had to take money to the processing plant and hand it over to finance; it had already been delayed quite a while, and soon Chen Baoxing would be pulling a cartload of goods back.

Running back and forth without stop, he had finally managed to get through today's matters temporarily; everything that needed arranging had been arranged, so he could catch his breath, brew a pot of tea, and sit quietly for a while.

He also took out the calendar to write and draw, scribbling and correcting.

It was only then that he remembered; counting from start to finish, it had been the seventh day since going to the hospital for the checkup, and he didn't know if the report had come out yet.

Thinking of this, he called the shipyard on Ye Ye Chenghai's side again, then had it transferred, and waited quite a while before hearing Ye Ye Chenghai's voice.

"Hello, this is Ye Ye Chenghai..."

"I'm your third uncle; have you found a partner yet?"

"Hehehe, it's third uncle. I thought my mother was calling; I was wondering, I've only been gone a few days, how could my mother bear to call me? Normally she calls once every half month."

"So the partner is confirmed? If you can't get it done, you might as well stay a bachelor; you're so useless."

"Who says I can't get it done? I got it done long ago; before you left, I had already done it; we've held hands more times than I can count."

"Good; then my pretending to be impressive for you wasn't in vain."

"Hehehe... Even if you hadn't pretended to be impressive for me, I could still get it done; they've liked me for a long time."

"You're cutting the bridge after crossing the river."

"No, no, thank you, third uncle, very much; when we achieve the result, I'll kowtow a few more times for you."

"Then hurry up and work hard to win your partner's family's approval."

"I'll try my best; indeed, it's not quite enough; I'll think it over."

Ye Yaodong didn't offer him advice, letting him rely on his own thoughts first: "Then think it over carefully, but don't forget to go to the hospital and get the report for me; today is the seventh day, you haven't gotten it yet, have you?"

"No, today is only Thursday; I have a night shift tomorrow. I was thinking of going to get it for you during the day tomorrow, and also watch a movie."

"Fine, just remember it."

"Third uncle, have you arrived in Zhoushan City? Has my father set sail yet?"

"Yes, I arrived the day before yesterday at noon; last night your father also set sail."

"Oh, let me ask: how much money can Ajiang and Chenghe and the others earn in a month?"

"You don't know?"

"Where would I know? Those two are like ghosts; I asked, and they wouldn't say. I swore an oath that I wouldn't tell anyone, but they still wouldn't tell me. That damn Chenghe even said my credit is zero and wouldn't tell me."

"Why do you ask this? If they won't tell you, then I can't tell either."

"I just want it as a reference; if they earn so much, I can't possibly earn only fifty or sixty a month; where would my big brother's dignity be!"

Ye Yaodong chuckled twice. "You still have big brother's dignity? The two of them combined earn in one day more than you earn in a month; are you satisfied?"

"Damn it, by the heavens! If they really earn that much, one day equals my whole month; damn it, let them earn themselves to death; no wonder they're so wealthy and arrogant."

"You should also work hard to earn money; indeed, you can't be outshone by your younger brothers and sisters."

"Sigh, hang up, hang up; going to make money."

"Mm."

While Ye Yaodong was on the phone, his other hand kept flipping through the calendar without stopping.

After hanging up, he fell into thought again, tapped the desk with one hand, then thought of something and immediately went out to find the gatekeeper.

"Bring me all the newspapers delivered recently; the ones before the holiday before the New Year up to today—don't miss a single issue. Find them all for me, whether local evening papers or the People's Daily."

"Okay."

Ye Yaodong gathered the newspapers from the past month, carried them back to the office, and planned to slowly read the news from the surrounding area over this month, as well as the People's Daily.

Since he hadn't been here for about a month, he could only watch the News Broadcast every day; the News Broadcast covers domestic and international political and military news, so he had to flip through the newspapers again.

Now the motherland is changing with each passing day; various new policies are constantly being promulgated, and major news breaks from time to time; to know current events, one must pay attention every day.

He was still thinking about the Pudong development; it's only just come after the New Year, he has been unable to leave, and he hasn't yet arranged for someone to go to Pudong to take a look.

He planned to first flip through the daily newspaper to check the news, and after reading it, call Chen Baoguo over to continue sending him to Shanghai.

Now that work has just resumed, he has a pile of matters on hand; although he wants to go to Shanghai himself, he cannot leave, so he can only wait for some time, at least half a month later, summon his father back to cover for him for a few days, so that he can properly leave for a few days.

Ye Yaodong spent the entire afternoon there reading the daily newspaper; the workshop matters were handled by two managers anyway, and for things they could decide, they naturally made their own decisions.

However, because he was there, they would also come over to ask from time to time.

Chen Baoxing's truckload of goods was also delivered around 3 PM in the afternoon; before this, the workshop had already stopped work again, as too little had been purchased in the morning.

He also ran over to report during the weighing process, showed the goods list to Ye Yaodong for review, and then handed it over to the finance department.

"You go back to the headquarters later and call Chen Baoguo over for me..."

"Now?"

Ye Yaodong checked the time; it seemed work would end soon, "Forget it, I'm going over there after work anyway; I'll go find him myself then."

"You want him to go to Shanghai?"

"Yes, let him station there; the house rentals and such over there also need to be kept under watch."

His rental information had already been posted at Director Zhang's agency; if account checks were needed, a single phone call would reveal everything; no matter who was sent, they couldn't fake it.

After the New Year, it was 1990; the policy for the large-scale development of Pudong should be promulgated around then, and it should be easy to rent out.

Indeed, someone must be sent over to collect rent, and also to spy on the development news.

Chen Baoxing's face was full of envy, "He'll make a fortune, he'll be thrilled; going to Shanghai alone, he'll be the boss, the second-in-command, and Ye Lao San."

"This time, send two people; sending just him alone won't work; if a conflict occurs, two people can look out for each other."

It wasn't that he didn't trust them and feared betrayal, but rather he thought that with the upcoming large-scale development, those who had lost money selling land before might cause trouble.

One person would inevitably be isolated and helpless; with two people, they could at least send warnings.

However, this was the bad scenario he had thought of; the development would proceed step by step anyway, starting from areas near the Huangpu River; right now, just sending people over to keep watch and be alert, two people were more than enough.

"That's true; it doesn't look that thrilling then; in a strange place where no one is known, staying alone is boring; two people can keep each other company."

"Since you are so envious, I'll send you to go with him as a companion."

Chen Baoxing shook his head like a rattle drum, "I don't want to; it's so good to be by your side, eating delicacies and drinking fine wine, meeting a bunch of bosses, and being surrounded by familiar people."

"The key is the high salary..."

He nodded and smiled, "Yes, yes."

"Go ahead, go out and rest; we'll go back together after work."

"Okay, I'll go sit at the guardhouse to watch the gate; when I leave, I'll definitely follow you; Uncle Dong, you can't leave me behind."

Ye Yaodong waved his hands twice at him, signaling that he could leave.

Chen Baoxing scampered out happily.

And he continued flipping through the newspaper, also checking the calendar to verify the time.

After getting off work and returning to the headquarters, he went to find Chen Baoguo again to assign him tasks.

This time, two people were assigned to go to Shanghai; the named individuals were very happy, thinking it was a company-funded trip for fun.

The logistics fresh-fish collection boats originally had quite a few people; after distributing them to the boats, only seven or eight remained; now sending two more people to Shanghai, only five or six were left; this number was not large.

However, it was fine; the fresh-fish collection boats went out early and returned late, and people were present at night, so there was no fear of having no one available if something happened.

Ye Yaodong was busy and busy again as another day passed; he had not been idle for a single moment all day.

Tomorrow, when all the fishing boats set sail and the people to be sent out were all dispatched, he would be slightly free, and only then would he have time to check on Ye Ye Huimei and the three nephews' adaptation.

These past two days, he had been so busy he hadn't even met them, and didn't know where Ah Guang had taken them to play.

Early in the morning, after the fishing boats had set sail, he arrived at the processing factory and only then caught up with them.

"Where have you been playing these past two days? Not a shadow in sight."

Ah Guang stretched, "On the first day, we strolled around the city; on the second day, we visited nearby scenic spots; later, I'll take them to play some more."

"You're thrilled; everyone else has gone to sea, and I'm busy to death, yet you're still sightseeing."

"Isn't it because my wife and children just arrived? These three little ones can't stay still; I'll take them to play for a few days first, and send them to kindergarten a bit later."

"Send them to kindergarten?"

"Yes, there's a kindergarten here; sending them to kindergarten is so great; Ye Huimei won't have to watch the children herself, just pick them up and drop them off every day."

"That's not bad; starting kindergarten early helps them get used to the classroom atmosphere sooner."

Ye Ye Huimei smiled and said, "Third Brother, when are you planning to go to Shanghai?"

"Why?"

"I want to go sightseeing with you."

"Let Ah Guang take you sightseeing; I don't have any free time."

"I plan to send all three to kindergarten in a few days, have Ah Guang pick them up and drop them off, and then go to Shanghai with you for a few days."

Ye Yaodong's mind was full of question marks, "Why would you specifically go to Shanghai?"

Ye Ye Huimei glanced at Ah Guang and said, "I plan to go stock up on goods, then ship them back for Dongqing to sell."

"Ah?"

"Before the New Year, Mother helped someone bring a batch of goods from Shanghai; everyone's response was very good; they all liked things from big cities. Then Dongqing thought about promoting it at the factory; I'll go to Shanghai to stock up for her, and we two will try partnering up."

"!!!"

Ye Yaodong was too surprised.

"Whose idea was it?"

"Dongqing thought of it; she felt factory workers have stable incomes, and the female workers love to look pretty; things from Shanghai are popular just by the name alone; she thought I would come up after the New Year, so she decided to try it."

"Alright, I feel you won't be able to do this for long; it will saturate; there are only so many workers, and only so much salary..."

"It's fine; I'll run one or two trips a month at most anyway; just try it first."

"The idea is good; if you want to do it, go ahead, but you must be safe; you definitely can't go alone. Chen Baoguo just went to buy boat tickets this morning and plans to go to Shanghai tomorrow; you probably won't make it; wait for next time..."