Chapter 1810: The Issue of Laid-off Workers

In the days that followed, Su Xinghui had the staff below him rush to register a company, to be named the Tianyue Mountain Range Economic Cooperation Zone Development Fund Management Company. After the company was registered, they were to open an account at the Changshan County Agricultural Bank and deposit the capital contributions recognized by each county into this account.

As for those county magistrates, after returning, they successively passed county resolutions and came to Changshan County to sign formal agreements. They were just waiting for the company to be registered and the account to be opened to wire over their recognized capital contributions.

The preparations for road construction in their respective counties were also in full swing. Regardless of how they planned to develop their economies, they had to build roads first; this was a must. Without roads, nothing could be done well.

If it were before, building these inter-county highways would certainly have led to bickering and foot-dragging between the two counties involved. Even if funds were raised, it would have been difficult for both sides to reach a consensus without half a year of squabbling. But after this forum, everyone had become a member of the economic cooperation zone, and there was now a broad framework for how these things should be done, so they would no longer bicker.

These matters were myriad and complex, so I will set them aside for now. This year, Changshan County itself had several investors looking to invest. For example, the logistics and warehousing company that Xie Junqiang wanted to invest in had been finalized, with the investment to be made in Xiapu Township. Although investment matters were not directly under Su Xinghui's purview, at Xie Junqiang's request, he had accompanied him to Xiapu Township twice to help him select a suitable location.

Xie Junqiang now trusted Su Xinghui's judgment implicitly, so in such matters, he naturally wanted to seek Su Xinghui's opinion.

After a busy few days, the weekend arrived again. Li Shuqin had taken two days off. During these two days, Su Xinghui declined all invitations and stayed at home to take care of Lu Xiaoya.

Although it was the weekend, many people invited him out to have fun—investors, for instance, or some subordinates. Some invited him to go fishing, others to go hiking. If Su Xinghui had nothing to do, he would sometimes accompany investors out; this could also be considered a form of work. But today, he certainly could not go out.

Waking up early, Su Xinghui exercised, then went home to take a shower, prepared breakfast, and called Lu Xiaoya to get up and eat. After that, he went out to buy groceries.

At the market, Su Xinghui picked out the vegetables Lu Xiaoya liked to eat. He had arrived early, so the vegetables in the market were very fresh, with dew still clinging to the leaves.

As he walked and picked, he suddenly saw Li Shuqin. She was also buying groceries. Her basket was already filled with plenty of good food: fish, meat, shrimp, eggs, and even an old hen.

Su Xinghui called out, "Auntie Li, you're buying groceries too? Why are you buying so many good things today? Are you having guests at home?"

Li Shuqin turned her head, saw Su Xinghui, and said happily, "Oh, it's County Magistrate Su. My youngest son is studying in the city and has found a girlfriend. He said he's bringing her back today for us to see, so we naturally have to prepare early. We can't let the girl feel slighted."

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "So, your future daughter-in-law is coming back. Then you really should buy more good food. Do you have enough money on you? If not, I'll give you some first."

Li Shuqin hurriedly shook her head and said, "No need, County Magistrate Su, I have enough money."

Su Xinghui then said, "Alright then, Auntie Li, you go ahead and pick your things. I'll buy two more items and head back."

Li Shuqin said with some embarrassment, "I'm really sorry, County Magistrate Su. My taking time off has caused you trouble."

Su Xinghui laughed and said, "It's nothing. I'm resting on the weekend anyway. This is a big event for you; you must treat the girl well."

Li Shuqin nodded and smiled, but there was a trace of worry between her brows.

Su Xinghui naturally understood why there was worry on Li Shuqin's face. Her youngest son was studying in Yulin City, likely at a junior college, which was quite expensive. Now that he had found a girlfriend, the expenses would surely be even higher. With the girlfriend coming to visit, and given her family's situation, she was surely worried that the son's girlfriend would be dissatisfied.

Fearing that Li Shuqin would feel awkward, Su Xinghui changed direction and went to the other end of the market to pick vegetables. However, he was still sighing in his heart: the hearts of parents everywhere are to be pitied!

Back home, Lu Xiaoya had finished breakfast and was washing the dishes. Su Xinghui hurriedly stepped forward to take the bowl from Lu Xiaoya's hands and said, "Little Auntie, the floor in this kitchen is slippery; don't you go falling down."

Lu Xiaoya pursed her lips and smiled, "Am I really that delicate?"

But she still handed the bowl to Su Xinghui, washed her hands, and went to the living room.

After washing the dishes, Su Xinghui took Lu Xiaoya's hand and went downstairs for a walk. The doctor had said that she should walk for a while every day during her pregnancy, so whenever Su Xinghui had time, he would accompany Lu Xiaoya for a walk.

Lu Xiaoya was now nearly six months pregnant, and her belly was quite large, making walking a bit difficult. Therefore, Su Xinghui had to hold her hand to feel at ease. Fortunately, they lived on the third floor, which wasn't very high; otherwise, going up and down would be nerve-wracking.

After going downstairs, Su Xinghui strolled with Lu Xiaoya in the woods. He told her about meeting Li Shuqin at the market earlier. Lu Xiaoya said, "Auntie Li's youngest son has a girlfriend too? That's great. She told me before that this youngest son is the one she worries about the most."

Su Xinghui hadn't heard Li Shuqin say that; he was rarely home, and besides, such family matters weren't appropriate for Li Shuqin to discuss with him. He asked, "Why is she so worried about this youngest son?"

Lu Xiaoya said, "He is the youngest child in the family, so even though their situation isn't good, the couple still spoils him a lot. His grades were never very good, and he didn't get into a good school after the college entrance exam, so he just went to a city forestry school. He's also particularly good at spending money. The money she and her husband earn is basically all spent on the youngest son now."

Su Xinghui understood as soon as he heard this. This youngest son was likely not very promising. This wasn't surprising; parents generally tend to spoil the youngest child, and with older brothers and sisters also doting on him, it was easy to imagine how he turned out.

Su Xinghui said, "Sigh, a doting mother ruins her son. When we have children in the future, we must learn from this lesson."

Lu Xiaoya rolled her eyes at him and said, "I know. Aren't you just afraid I'll spoil the child? I can see the lesson from Auntie Li's family. But Auntie Li's family is really pitiful. Both she and her husband were laid off and have no fixed income. Should we help her more?"

Su Xinghui knew Lu Xiaoya was kind-hearted, and he liked that about her. He smiled and said, "Alright, let's add fifty to Auntie Li's pay every month from now on."

Lu Xiaoya nodded, then sighed, "Auntie Li said that the laid-off workers at their printing factory are all living very difficult lives, even harder than her family. At least she's working as a nanny at our house now, so her income is decent, but those workers have even lower incomes."

Su Xinghui knew that Li Shuqin wanted to influence him through Lu Xiaoya, hoping he would solve the problem of the laid-off workers. He didn't feel unhappy about it, though. Laid-off workers had contributed to the country for so many years; now they just wanted some basic living security. Were they wrong?

Su Xinghui couldn't help but recall how he often saw Li Shuqin looking like she had something to say to him but stopping herself. That must be because she had something to say but didn't dare. After all, he was a deputy county magistrate, which in the eyes of the common people was a big official.

Su Xinghui couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Officials nowadays were becoming more and more distant from the common people. Making the people afraid was not the standard for a qualified Communist Party cadre.

In fact, Su Xinghui had always wanted to solve the problem of laid-off workers, and he was trying his best to do so. Although Changshan County's economy hadn't been developed before, there were always the "five small industries." Changshan County originally had dozens of factories in total, but the vast majority were poorly managed and had gone bankrupt, and those that hadn't were on their last legs.

The number of laid-off workers caused by this in Changshan County reached several thousand to ten thousand. This number wasn't huge, but for Changshan County, it was a significant social issue.

However, the workers' compliance had always been very good, so they were able to endure silently. If the day really came when they couldn't afford to eat and were no longer willing to endure, it would erupt.

Su Xinghui had been thinking about how to solve this problem. In his view, there was no need for the old factories to continue operating. A county's industry didn't need to be all-encompassing; it needed to develop industries suitable for the county. For example, Changshan County had suitable industries like meat processing, food and beverage, and pharmaceuticals. Factories in these industries already existed in Changshan County.

It was just that most of these factories were opened in Matou Town, and the vast majority of workers recruited were locals, not these laid-off workers. This was because the local farmers in Matou Town also had very low incomes and needed these jobs.