Chapter 195

When Li Ye and Jin Peng met Hao Jian in Pengcheng, that guy had taken the train south from Xiaocheng by himself.

He didn't feel tired when he was holding his breath on the way home, but after letting go of that breath, Hao Jian was full of resistance to driving back to Pengcheng again.

With the road conditions in the eighties, driving alone for over 1,000 kilometers was really not an easy thing.

So he threw his wife, children, and the Lada Niva in Xiaocheng, sent a telegram for the driver of the Pengcheng Seventh Factory to go north to pick them up, and took the train by himself.

When Hao Jian arrived at the Pengcheng Seventh Factory, Jin Peng saw his flushed face and immediately understood that he had been guessed right by Li Ye again.

So he teased slightly mockingly: "I say, Old Hao, how could you leave the money-losing girl in Xiaocheng? Don't let anyone bully her, okay?"

"What money-losing item?"

Hao Jian shook his head and said: "You don't know how likable my daughter is; everyone loves her, Third Aunt!"

"Oh yo yo~"

Jin Peng said strangely: "I thought that after you, Old Hao, went home, you would at least have a contest with your dad! I heard you say no less than ten times that you must make your dad realize his mistake."

Hao Jian shook his neck and said proudly: "How could a man have mistakes? But I drank him under the table three times, and he didn't dare scold me; you figure it out yourself!"

"Pfft~"

"Hahahahaha~"

"Right, right, right, go home and have a couple of drinks with your dad when you have nothing to do; you must make him deeply understand his mistake."

Jin Peng and Li Ye both laughed out loud, expressing disdain for Hao Jian's stubborn attitude, but also congratulating them on their father-son harmony.

Father and son, how can there be overnight hatred?

After Hao Jian met Li Ye, he met the ten retired soldiers brought by Jiang Hong.

According to Li Zhongfa's arrangement, half of these ten people would stay with Hao Jian to prevent the danger that might appear on Sanshui's side.

Hao Jian was flattered and said with a smile: "Brother Xiao Ye, driver, bodyguard, female secretary—you've provided two of these three things. Am I striving in the direction of a capitalist?"

Li Ye smiled faintly and said: "Capitalists and capitalists are different. As long as you don't forget your conscience in the future, what does it matter if you are a capitalist?"

"You say that, but I, Hao Jian, won't lose my conscience no matter what I lose."

Hao Jian heard Li Ye's warning and immediately expressed his dissatisfaction, because he felt that Li Ye was despising his character and morality.

Li Ye smiled and didn't argue with him. Which black-hearted capitalist wasn't a kind youth in his youth?

Li Ye called Jiang Hong over and said: "Uncle Hong, go tell those comrades that the Pengcheng Seventh Factory needs workers now. If they are willing, everyone can introduce a relative to come to work. Let Hao Jian explain the specific situation."

Jiang Hong nodded and went to tell the ten retired soldiers.

It's just that their reaction was a bit beyond Li Ye's expectations.

"Uncle Jiang, the weather here is stuffy and hot; I'm afraid my sister can't stand it. I suffered enough from the heat on the southern battlefield a few years ago, and women can't stand it even more..."

"Old Brother Jiang, I trust you, but I only have two girls of suitable age. Letting a girl run 4,000 miles to come here to be a worker is not reassuring..."

"We'll just send money home every month; why let a woman come out to do anything?"

These retired soldiers actually still had a strong "male chauvinism" consciousness, believing that it was enough for men to fight outside, and it was inappropriate to let a woman cross more than half the country to work here.

However, Hao Jian was extremely experienced and came over to say two sentences.

"The wages for frontline workers at our Pengcheng Seventh Factory are based on a base salary + piece-rate model, with a minimum of no less than 80 yuan per month, and generally fluctuating between 120 and 200. Some with special skills will exceed 200."

"."

"Factory Director Hao, can only one relative be introduced to work? I have two daughters; look, we are all fellow villagers from Qingshui, can you accommodate us?"

"Factory Director Hao, I only have one younger sister; when can she come to work?"

"Factory Director Hao, can it only be a relative? I have a female classmate who is quite suitable..."

"."

Watching Hao Jian, who was suddenly surrounded, Jiang Hong couldn't help but whisper to Li Ye: "Xiao Ye, this wage is too high; will it violate discipline?"

Li Ye shook his head slowly and said: "In this place of Pengcheng, higher wages will soon appear. If there is payment, there must be a return.

In the future, the wages of those people you bring, Uncle Hong, will not be lower than this number. You can tell them to eat by their ability, take money steadily, and don't worry."

The first person to eat crab always bears huge risks.

But in '83, Pengcheng created the epochal "Pengcheng Speed." Those frontline workers who built one floor in three days could even get 600 yuan a month, which was more than three times that of the engineers on site.

So the compensation model that Li Ye asked Hao Jian to implement was not an original creation, nor would it be pinched by a crab or bitten by its mouth.

Jiang Hong looked at the retired soldiers he had brought out and nodded silently.

After retiring, they were all living a life of facing the loess and backing the sky at home. Even if they didn't use their skills, they would slowly waste away. Now that they had a place to use them, they should realize their value.

The next day, when Jiang Hong sent Li Ye and the three to the Luohu Port, the security strength made people around look sideways, thinking that some level of person had come to inspect.

In the early eighties, seasonal congestion often occurred at the Luohu Port.

Especially around the Spring Festival, many people making a living in Hong Kong would bring a large batch of "hot goods" back to their hometowns to visit relatives, and then rush back to Hong Kong to work after the Spring Festival.

Li Ye and Jin Peng and the others passed through customs at this time, which happened to be the time for these people to return to Hong Kong. The long queue couldn't see the end, and they could only move forward slowly with their feet touching each other.

Hao Jian's Cantonese was already quite good, and he was also relatively good at communicating with others. While moving, he chatted with people around him and learned about some situations.

In that special era, each person was allowed to carry "ten meters of cloth, three catties of oil, and thirty-six commodities" through customs.

These things might not look like much in the eyes of later generations, but they were very important "relief goods" at this time. Some people even wore four or five layers of clothes in 20 or 30-degree temperatures just to bring a few more pieces of clothing, wrapped up like pandas.

From the attitude of the people next to him chatting with Hao Jian, it could be seen that they were also very proud of being able to make a living in Hong Kong, and there was a clear sense of superiority over mainlanders in their speech.

That is, Li Ye and the three were dressed well; otherwise, with Hao Jian's slightly "flawed" Cantonese, people might not even bother with Hao Jian.

In the end, it took Li Ye and the others a full four hours to queue up and pass through customs before they arrived at the Hong Kong side.

Hao Jian and Jin Peng were obviously very excited and said to Li Ye with a smile: "Can we count this as truly stepping out of the country?"

"Don't make this kind of common-sense mistake," Li Ye said sternly: "Hong Kong is an inseparable part of us; we are just moving from one province to another."

"Fine, fine, fine, I was wrong, I was wrong. You college students all love to be pedantic," Jin Peng said with a smile: "But if you keep dawdling like this, we won't be able to catch the train."

After passing through customs at Luohu, if you want to reach the prosperous area of Hong Kong, you have to take the Luohu line train. The crowd of people who passed through the customs gate squeezed onto the train, which was no less crowded than the Spring Festival travel rush in the mainland.

Li Ye waved his hand and said: "We don't need to squeeze onto the train; Pei Wencong will come to pick us up."

As he was speaking, the three saw Pei Wencong and Ah Min rushing over from afar.

Hao Jian and Jin Peng immediately straightened their waists, strictly following the requirements of Li Zhongfa's repeated instructions, reflecting the bearing that a citizen of a great country should have.

Eyes straight, neither humble nor arrogant, majestic but not strict, absolutely not letting people feel that they hadn't seen the world.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, really sorry, Mr. Li. I've been waiting here since morning, and I couldn't wait for you no matter what; I just went to have lunch..."

Pei Wencong stretched out his hand from afar and apologized to Li Ye repeatedly. Looking at the sweat running down his forehead, he really had a bit of sincerity.

Li Ye shook hands with him warmly and said: "How can this be blamed on you? The exchange between the two places is still too troublesome; if you want to blame someone, blame the British Hong Kong government."

"."

Pei Wencong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "Yes, yes, yes, we should all strengthen exchanges. I have also been paying attention to the situation, but with the Prime Minister's tough style, it may still take many years of effort..."

Li Ye heard Pei Wencong's tone and felt that he still had a little fantasy about the power of Great Britain.

The Sino-British negotiations started in '82, and by the beginning of '83, the first round had not yet been finished.

Although the Iron Lady fell on the steps of the capital in September last year, Great Britain had just won the Falklands War in '82, covering up its declining spirit.

So ordinary people like Pei Wencong couldn't see the wheels of history, which had already started to roll forward unstoppably.

(End of chapter)