Chapter 157: Procurement Section Three

"Lao Jia, who do you intend to give this quota to?"

"Hmm~ Huairu, your younger brother, he..."

"Dad, Wei Hua's grades are quite good; my dad wants him to try for a specialized secondary school."

"That works. Dongxu, go back to Jia Village with me on your day off and give the quota to the village chief's family. It will be more convenient for you when you go out to procure supplies later."

"Dad..."

"Alright, that's settled. It's not just for you; I am also a person from Jia Village."

"Okay."

Zhang Ping'an went back to Zhang Family Village again to ask about Zhang Laiyuan's willingness. If it had been in the past, Zhang Laiyuan would have refused without hesitation, but now that he had a son, he had to consider things more carefully.

"Fine, I'll go. Ping'an, wait a moment." Zhang Laiyuan ran into the house, took out two hundred yuan, and handed it to Zhang Ping'an.

"Uncle, you didn't charge me for teaching me your skills; how could I have the nerve to take your money?" Zhang Ping'an pushed the money back.

"Then do it this way: you take one hundred, otherwise I won't take this job."

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll take it." Zhang Ping'an had no choice with this stubborn uncle.

"By the way, Uncle, my maternal grandfather left behind a Siheyuan. There are still two Daozuofang rooms and two gatehouse rooms available. Dabao from Qin Family Village and a few of my cousins are also living there. If you want to go, I'll save them for you."

"Done, saving two rooms for me is enough."

Zhang Ping'an then rushed to Fang Family Village and asked about Fang Dahu's willingness.

"Hmm~ I can get paid without going to the city to work?"

"That won't do. Aside from handing over the supplies, you still have to show your face from time to time."

For an off-plan Purchasing Agent, time was naturally quite flexible; as long as there were supplies, everything else was a non-issue.

"Done, I'll just treat it as going to the city for a few trips every month to have fun."

"That's good. Brother Dahu, bring your identification information to the factory tomorrow to report for duty."

"Okay."

Fang Dahu likewise handed Zhang Ping'an two hundred yuan. This was, after all, a formal job, and from now on, it would be an Iron Rice Bowl.

"I don't know how much a job costs, I'll make up the difference if it's not enough."

"Done, it's enough. Brother Dahu, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Five days later, all personnel for Procurement Section Three were fully assembled, and Li Huaide gave an important speech.

"I don't care who recommended you; everyone must complete their assigned quotas every month. Those who fail to do so will be transferred or dismissed. Of course, the first three months are a trial period, and the tasks won't be very heavy."

"Your Section Chief, Section Chief Zhang Ping'an, will organize two days of training and study for you. Two days later, you will each go to the countryside to procure supplies."

"Section Chief Zhang, why don't you say a few words?"

"Very well, Director."

"I have only one requirement for everyone: procure supplies under the premise of ensuring your own safety. Furthermore, Procurement Section Two and Section Three have an unwritten rule: every Purchasing Agent has their own 'territory' that others must not easily step into, otherwise it will disrupt the balance..."

"As of now, the villages surrounding Sijiucheng have almost all been contracted out, so if you want to procure supplies in the future, you will have to travel further."

"Our Purchasing Agents have relatively flexible time; as long as you can procure supplies, your weekly reporting time can be reduced."

"For example, you, Qian Wen, if you go to a remote village to procure supplies, it is normal if you can't make it back in two or three days."

"Of course, don't think about being lazy or cutting corners. For those who don't complete their task quotas, what awaits you is a transfer or dismissal."

Over the next two days, Zhang Ping'an began training the thirty Purchasing Agents, summarizing his methods into procurement scripts.

Taking advantage of the fact that these people were all novices, Zhang Ping'an also set the rules in stone.

"We are Workers, we have an Iron Rice Bowl, and we receive a salary, so when procuring, we must never compete with the people for profit."

"Good, what a great 'never compete with the people for profit'."

Damn, that scared the hell out of me. Zhang Ping'an was concentrating on his lecture when a sudden shout from outside the door interrupted his train of thought.

"Ahem, Section Chief Zhang, this is Minister Lv Aimin of our Ministry of Heavy Industry."

"Oh, oh, hello, Minister Lv."

"Hahaha, good, good. The young comrade speaks well. You don't mind if this old man comes in to listen, do you?"

"Uh, I don't mind, I don't mind." Seeing Factory Director Nie signaling him from behind, Zhang Ping'an hurriedly agreed.

Zhang Ping'an was a bit flustered. These eight people were all big shots. He only had so much ink in his belly, and he had already said most of it. Whatever, he would just go all out.

"I was just talking about not competing with the people for profit."

"Oh right, actually this isn't just my personal view. Our factory radio often broadcasts the key points from the factory leaders' meetings, and there are similar statements in them. I am just standing on the shoulders of giants to summarize it."

The eyes of Nie Haiquan and the other factory leaders lit up slightly, and their impression of Zhang Ping'an rose to another level.

"At the same time, our Logistics Director Li often mentions in meetings that the workers are the bridge of the nation, and the vast number of farmers are the foundation of the nation. The more stable the foundation, the stronger the bridge."

"At the same time, the factory leaders..."

Li Huaide wore a smile, feeling even more satisfied with Zhang Ping'an in his heart. The other factory leaders were a bit jealous; why didn't they have such a satisfactory subordinate?

Zhang Ping'an rambled on and on. He only remembered one key point: don't hog all the benefits, share the wealth, and then highlight the main priorities.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

"Little Zhang, you are very good." Minister Lv patted Zhang Ping'an on the shoulder kindly.

"It is all thanks to the leaders' good guidance."

After the group left, Zhang Ping'an let out a long sigh of relief. That half-hour speech had exhausted all the political literacy he had picked up from watching short videos in his past life.

The members of the Procurement Section all looked at Zhang Ping'an with admiration. Putting themselves in his shoes, they were afraid they wouldn't even be able to speak clearly.

Especially Deputy Section Chief Xu Kun; he hadn't been willing when his aunt arranged for him to come over, but now, seeing Zhang Ping'an, he was completely convinced by his gift of gab alone.

"Alright, that's it for today's class. Everyone, go back."

Half a month later, with Zhang Ping'an's procurement scripts and the hands-on help from the veteran comrades of Procurement Section Two, Procurement Section Three was completely on the right track, and most people had achieved ideal results.

Zhang Ping'an also brought in his usual ten wild rabbits every day, occasionally getting some Wild Boar Meat and eggs.

Over the past half month, Xu Kun also managed to get half a pig, and Fang Dahu and Zhang Laiyuan also brought in quite a bit of game.

Stimulated by the four of them, everyone in Procurement Section Three dared not slack off; one could not see anyone lying flat or slacking in the office every day, as everyone was unwilling to give up such a job with such flexible hours.

At the Monday summary meeting, Zhang Ping'an decided to select six team leaders and deputy team leaders.

"Starting from today until next month, six team leaders and deputy team leaders will be selected based on the frequency and total weight of supplies turned in each week, and there will be a position allowance from the factory."

"Everyone is currently standing at the same starting line, so there is no such thing as unfairness; everyone, keep up the good work and keep going."

Everyone was pumped up; after all, a team leader not only gets money but is also a minor official, which is something to be proud of when talking about it.

Compared to Procurement Section Three, the Purchasing Agents in the Second Section had all been on the job for over half a year, and they did not want to be surpassed by the newcomers, so they also started to compete fiercely; only the First Section was working in a routine manner.

At the same time, Jia Dongxu's position as Deputy Section Chief was also finalized under the recommendation of Wu Qiang and the full support of Li Huaide, though it was still acting for now, with the "acting" title to be removed after three months.

Upon learning that her son would be a Cadre in three months, Zhang Xiaohua set off a string of firecrackers on the spot.

"Ahem, Mother, it's still acting for now; it won't be too late to celebrate in three months. If someone tries to cause trouble in the meantime, it will be over."

"Right, right, right, it's Mother who was too impatient; I won't say anything, I won't say anything."