Chapter 1819

In fact, a per capita housing area of fifteen square meters wasn't much, but for those of them living in shantytowns, this was already a huge improvement.

Like the eldest son's family of the two old people, the three of them lived in a room of ten-plus square meters, and their granddaughter was also ten-plus years old, still living in a small space surrounded by bed sheets. They cooked in the corridor of the corridor-style apartment building.

To put it bluntly, sometimes when their son and daughter-in-law wanted to be intimate, they had to hold their breath, fearing that their daughter would hear them.

In such an environment, how could one talk about privacy? How could one talk about quality of life? In such an environment, it couldn't be called living; it could only be called surviving.

However, if the per capita housing area reached fifteen square meters or more, their eldest son's family could apply for a house of nearly fifty square meters, and it was a suite. Although the sparrow was small, it had all the internal organs. The couple and their daughter would have their own personal privacy space, and only then could they talk about the dignity of being a person.

The two old people could also apply for a house of thirty square meters, and it was a building. Compared with this low, dark, and damp shed, it was simply the difference between heaven and hell.

Of course, if you were a rich person, you didn't have to apply to live in this public rental housing; you could go buy commercial housing, and then there would be no limit on the per capita housing area. As long as you were happy, no one would care if you lived in a villa alone.

Su Xinghui limited the per capita housing area of public rental housing to about fifteen square meters, also to limit the number of people applying for public rental housing. If the conditions were too good and the per capita area of public rental housing reached thirty square meters, then everyone would be willing to live in public rental housing. Who would be willing to buy their own house?

The rent of public rental housing was so low because it was subsidized by the treasury. If everyone lived in public rental housing, the pressure on the treasury would be too great, which was fundamentally unrealistic. Therefore, the grades had to be pulled apart. Those with better family backgrounds could go buy commercial housing. Anyway, the current commercial housing was not expensive at all, only a few hundred yuan per square meter.

Besides, if the government supplied public rental housing to everyone, wouldn't those real estate development companies all have to drink northwest wind?

Although real estate companies had this or that problem, as long as the government guided them properly, their contribution to the economy and urban construction of a place was still quite large.

With the hope of improving housing, the two old people became happy. They also started to talk to Su Xinghui and An Dachang about some other things, such as the difference between when the printing factory was prosperous and now. As they talked, they became emotional.

Su Xinghui could understand this kind of affection of employees for their "unit." In the context of the nineties, "unit" was a very special word. Generally speaking, only government agencies, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, and collective enterprises could be called "units." No matter how large the scale of private enterprises was, they were called individual businesses. No matter how rich foreign enterprises were, they couldn't be called "units."

"Unit" was like the parents of the employees. Everything the employees had was given by the "unit." The birth, aging, illness, and death of the employees, and even the whole family, were all the responsibility of the "unit." Some large enterprises even had facilities such as kindergartens, children's schools, and hospitals. The employees spent their whole lives in the "unit," so their affection for the "unit" was imaginable.

They spent their whole lives in the "unit" and contributed to the country for their whole lives. Suddenly, they were laid off, and the "unit" didn't want them anymore. Their miserable and panicked mood was hard for people who hadn't experienced a "unit" to understand. This made many people experience confusion, just like children who had lost their parents, at a loss.

Some people could change their mentality quickly and stand up again, but many people might never be able to turn this corner in their whole lives. They were thinking, why didn't the "unit" want us anymore? Why didn't the country take care of us anymore?

The printing factory had also been prosperous. In fact, every state-owned enterprise had been prosperous. When they were prosperous, the employees were happy.

The two old people recalled their experience of eating meat buns in the factory canteen in the morning and eating shredded meat noodles for late-night snacks when working overtime. The old woman recalled the interesting things about her distributing labor protection supplies, bath tickets, and movie tickets to the workers. Everything in those years made them feel very warm, and even a small thing could make them show a knowing smile.

The old man said, "How bright our workshop was in those years. I wiped the machines until they were shiny every day when I went to work, and I could see people's shadows. How good was everyone's spirit? Everyone held their heads high. It was glorious! We were workers! Once we went out, others had to give us this."

He held up his thumb, and a strange luster appeared on his face. However, his face immediately dimmed.

"Now, the factory has gone bankrupt, the machines in the workshop are all rusted, and the outside of the workshop is full of grass. People's hearts are also like being rusted, gray and uncomfortable. I can't get any spirit to do anything. County Magistrate Su, County Magistrate An, can your county government run the factory again? If so, we don't even need to live in new houses!"

The two old people looked at Su Xinghui and An Dachang. Hopeful light flashed in their eyes.

Su Xinghui didn't doubt their determination at all. If the factory could be run again, they might really not live in new houses and would rather continue to live in this low, dark shed and continue to go to work.

Because they were already used to the "unit."

However, Su Xinghui knew that everything in the past had gone forever. It was impossible to return to that era. Now, they still had to follow market laws.

Su Xinghui said, "Grandpa, Grandma, the factory probably can't be run again."

The eyes of the two old people dimmed all of a sudden, dimming to the point of making people's hearts ache.

Su Xinghui said, "Although the factory can't be run again, the government won't let go of you. The government will definitely do its best to help you solve these problems. In the future, your life will only be better than when you had a unit, not worse than before. As long as you work hard, isn't that also contributing to the country and society?"

The old man nodded, "Fine, County Magistrate Su, I'll listen to you. I believe you can solve our problems."

Just as several people were talking, suddenly, a loud roar came from outside: "Get out, get out for me, I don't have a son like you!"