[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-164":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294582,4489,"Chapter 164: Speechless Suffering","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-164",164,"\u003Cp>Sister Fang brought up the topic of “easy” and “not easy,” and it quickly sparked a discussion among all the temporary workers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, there’s some free time; you can’t expect dozens of old women to sit quietly after eating and drinking, practicing silent meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Fang’s right—look at every promotion we’ve ever had; didn’t we shout ourselves hoarse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With all these people crammed in here, packed tight, if you miss one person, they’ll start yelling, won’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manager Ma himself said that every promotion owes its success to us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! Everyone talks about ‘screws and nails,’ but I’ve spent most of my life in the shoe factory, and my team leader never once praised me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the credit’s hers, all the bonuses are hers—I just realized she’s a heartless bitch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True, true! Manager Ma’s got real ability—she arranged the customer waiting areas and fitting rooms so precisely, even the railings were perfectly straight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With so many people crammed into this tiny building yelling all day, she never once raised her voice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the old ladies getting louder and louder, Sister Fang hurriedly said: “Shh, lower your voices—didn’t you forget what Manager Ma said? Chatting’s fine, but no shouting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the group of old women still eager to talk, Sister Fang lowered her voice further: “What you’ve been saying is all your subjective effort, but you haven’t considered the objective difficulties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of retired female workers, all buzzing with confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Fang felt a surge of satisfaction inside—she’d secretly overheard Ma Qianshan talking about “economics” with Jin Peng, picked up a few new terms, and now she was using them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Subjective effort means all the requirements Manager Ma keeps insisting on, and the corresponding rewards; objective difficulties mean all the obstacles to achieving the goal, such as...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Fang, what’s ‘revenge’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t interrupt,” Sister Fang put on a little air of authority and explained: “Revenge means money. When they set requirements and we meet them, don’t they pay us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, exactly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several female workers immediately resonated—Ma Qianshan had issued many employee requirements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you genuinely met them, you got a “Diligent Work Bonus”—real cash, several yuan every month, even us temporary workers got it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for objective difficulties... they’re all the obstacles to achieving the goal, like...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sister Fang nodded toward other sales areas in the mall and said: “Like their long-standing bad habits.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to look and saw several salesclerks with sour faces, ignoring the few scattered customers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you know? When Pengcheng Factory Seven first came here, the mall wanted to dump over a dozen of their own workers, saying Pengcheng Seven was going to hire new people anyway, so why not use their experienced staff?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But Pengcheng Seven flatly refused—they’d rather hire young people who knew nothing, or us respectable retired workers, and wouldn’t take a single mall employee. It caused a huge fight!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, Manager Ma really has vision—look at us, old as we are, isn’t every one of us honest? Has any of us ever messed up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly! We shouldn’t have used those sour-faced people—every one of them has their eyes on their foreheads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I bet those salesclerks over in Dongcheng got into an argument with customers and then started fighting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A group of enthusiastic women out to earn extra cash were proud and boastful, chattering away excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey hey, I feel like there are more customers coming in now! Hurry up, sisters, get busy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After six, foot traffic at the Second People’s Mall slowly rose again; by eight, just before closing, it was crowded once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One late-to-realize temporary worker suddenly exclaimed: “Now I get it—what that guy meant by ‘good news’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>West City Department Store, packed with crowds, brightly lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan stood at the stairwell on the third floor, staring down at the sea of heads below, feeling both excited and anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been busy lately—publicly negotiating cooperation with Jin Peng, secretly visiting the Second People’s Mall to humbly learn from their methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at his unit, Tian Hongshan still had to convince the people in charge to back his business plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Pengcheng Factory Seven’s discount promotions succeeded week after week, boosting the Second People’s Mall’s turnover significantly, Tian Hongshan finally got support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, people only had so much money; if the Second People’s Mall’s sales went up, others’ went down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the unit didn’t care about minor profit losses, it couldn’t let another mall steal all the spotlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in exchange for that support, Tian Hongshan was forced to sign a military pledge—to make West City Department Store the undisputed retail leader in the XC district with weekly discount events.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan gritted his teeth and agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chair above him was about to retire; several people were vying to take it. If he didn’t deliver outstanding results, why should it be him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Tian Hongshan wasn’t a fool—he’d carefully analyzed and calculated: West City Department Store had the capacity to replicate Pengcheng Factory Seven’s detailed measures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Customer flow separation, bundled discounts—all professional aspects were handled by dedicated staff, more experienced than Pengcheng Seven’s new hires.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for crowd control personnel, West City had its own Security Department—uniformed, armed, far more intimidating than those red-jacketed kids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, Tian Hongshan wasn’t limited to clothing and footwear like Pengcheng Seven—he put up many daily necessities on discount counters, fully leveraging his store’s wide product range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only compromises in the plan were manpower and funding—his requests were cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to follow Jin Peng’s example and hire temporary promotional staff, but the unit refused—there were so many idle people here, why spend money hiring outsiders? Are we some small, rootless outfit like Pengcheng Seven?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he had to work until eight, Tian Hongshan applied for overtime pay; the unit’s accountant was meticulous, calculating down to the “li” level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each promotional day’s pay ranged from 3.76 li to 4.13 li, accumulated and paid out exactly—no rounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This amount was less than half of Pengcheng Seven’s overtime pay, and Pengcheng Seven paid its regular staff double on Sundays.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan didn’t even dare mention double pay—retail has always adjusted holidays; seven-day cycles don’t reduce your rest days, so why extra pay?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who’d dare vouch for such a big change?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Tian Hongshan launched his first discount promotion with the idea: first deliver results, then apply for better wages for his staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have to say, today’s promotion was even hotter than Tian Hongshan had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eleven a.m., West City Department Store became a boiling pot, never cooling down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, Tian Hongshan’s mood was just as scalding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Salesclerks and customers shouted constantly; security officers barked angrily; children cried from being crushed; every sound grated on Tian Hongshan’s nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan had lost count of how many times he’d checked his watch, but today’s hours dragged on—he’d smoked three packs of cigarettes before reaching seven p.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Meng, Xiao Meng, go check how many customers are still outside—tell Big Zhang to stop letting anyone in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Section Chief, I just checked—there are still tons outside! Many came from outside the city; the security team’s too small to hold them back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can it be just a few?” Tian Hongshan turned sharply: “Aren’t there fifteen security guards maintaining order?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Meng licked his dry lips: “During the shift change for meals, some people dragged their feet and didn’t come back; the rest were too hungry to wait any longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And many salesclerks are the same—everyone’s exhausted today, skipped lunch, and if they don’t rest while eating dinner, they can’t recover.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is nonsense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan stamped his feet in frustration—so many people inside already made chaos likely; now with over half the salesclerks and security gone, how could he control the situation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Tian Hongshan observed Pengcheng Seven, he admired those tireless student volunteers and the sharp, seasoned retired aunts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how crowded or chaotic the Second People’s Mall got, order always stayed stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And those newly hired salesclerks, though inexperienced, clumsy, even awkward, were patient and obedient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when faced with difficult customers, though reluctant, they’d still meet their demands—even with sour faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan understood the reason perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New recruits—you teach them, they learn. Of course they obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bunch of seasoned veterans? Getting them to respond like well-trained soldiers? Ten times harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Jin Peng refuse experienced workers from the People’s Mall? Precisely because he feared they’d corrupt the young ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which salesclerk started out with their nose in the air?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t they learn it from senior staff?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it the veterans’ fault for setting a bad example?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—it’s the industry environment. It’s normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why Tian Hongshan wanted to hire temporary workers or pick young salesclerks for promotions—but he could only manage sales; he had no authority over anything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Meng, stay here—I’m going to call for help. This is going to blow up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan rushed upstairs to call for backup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as soon as he connected, he heard a terrifying piece of news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Lootings? Who dares cause such trouble?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A grim voice came over the line: “Hundreds are acting together—we can’t stop them. Several departments have already sent people to our side—how’s your situation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words Tian Hongshan was about to say stuck in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Think of the scene outside—it was a spark away from ignition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice on the other end immediately sensed something was wrong, snapping: “Tian Hongshan, I’m telling you—you must hold the line. If something like this happens here, you know exactly what your fate will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—but I need some flexibility in authority.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan quickly laid out his demands; the other side agreed without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Tian Hongshan rushed to the entrance, found several security staff, and ordered them to shut the doors immediately—no one else allowed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Section Chief Tian, there are still so many people outside, and it’s not even eight yet. You just say no entry? Why don’t you try stopping one yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan leaned close to the insolent colleague and whispered: “Dongcheng had a looting incident. You want to try that too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attitude was one thing; experience was another. The colleague instantly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cut the power. Lock the doors. No more entry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sold out. No stock left. Come back next week!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With everyone’s cooperation, they barely managed to seal the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now only the customers inside remained—much easier to handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as Tian Hongshan sighed in relief, a sudden uproar erupted in the sales area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan was frantic, frantically pushing through the crowd, getting called a pervert by several female customers along the way, with no time to explain or argue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the arguing counter, he saw several female customers yelling at two salesclerks—their fury was so intense it looked like they were about to start hitting each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan stepped straight onto the counter and shouted from atop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop shouting! Stop shouting! I’m the sales department head here. Tell me your problems—I’ll give you a satisfactory resolution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few customers who had already rolled up their sleeves fell momentarily silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before they could speak, the two salesclerks turned on Tian Hongshan first: “Don’t deal with them yet—deal with us first! Why are only two of us working at a counter meant for six?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ones who were supposed to relieve us haven’t come back in two hours. Do you think we’re easy to take advantage of? Giving us three or five jiao, you’re trying to work us to death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan’s head was spinning; he soothed the two clerks for a long while before turning back to the customers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two customers were furious and began yelling at Tian Hongshan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your fitting rooms are completely insufficient! We bought clothes that were too big, waited in line for three hours, and finally got here to try them on—only to be told you won’t let us exchange them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of logic is that? Would you be happy spending ten yuan on a shirt you can’t wear? What kind of heart do you have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Tian Hongshan was about to calm them down, the salesclerks behind him were even angrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When did we ever allow free exchanges? We already told you—we don’t have your size anymore. You still want a refund?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even a three-year-old knows ‘no returns once you leave the counter.’ Are you dumber than a child?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female customer snapped back, slapping the counter: “Then what kind of promotion are you running? The Second People’s Mall lets you exchange freely and always has fitting rooms available. If you can’t learn, don’t bother—but don’t lure us here only to treat us like this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who lured you? Who lured you? Are you Lin Qiang or Tang Guoqiang that I’d bother luring you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You say standing in line for three hours is tiring? I’ve been standing for eight hours without eating—am I not tired? You think I’d even bother looking at you if I could peel you off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll tear your mouth off today—I won’t even keep my surname if I don’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female customer reached out to grab the clerk’s hair; the clerk started grabbing anything to fight back, and hundreds—nearly a thousand—customers around them began cheering and egging them on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one paid any attention to Tian Hongshan standing on the counter; some troublemakers even deliberately shoved against it—if the counter collapsed, a riot was imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang! Bang! Bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan stomped hard on the counter—after two or three stomps, his feet went numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll refund you! I’ll refund you right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan pulled out his wallet, took out two bills, and handed them to the female customer who had rolled up her sleeves and was waving her arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The customer froze, then slowly reached out, pinched the bills, and cautiously took them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she immediately dropped the shirt and turned toward the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Department Head Tian, that shirt was twelve yuan and sixty fen—you gave her fifteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine,” Tian Hongshan wiped his sweat and said. “I’ll buy the shirt myself. Don’t make things harder for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Department Head Tian,” the clerk gestured toward the crowd outside the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the counter, many people were already stirring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because everyone had been buying in bundles—three items at 20% off, five at 30% off—and in every five-item bundle, there was always at least one item they didn’t really need. Now that single-item returns were allowed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Hongshan groaned inwardly but couldn’t voice his suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2420,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1cd4792b66258473ef5028a7d4957f5a91608280fd2c95891a566bc05eff26a0","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-165","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-163",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]