National Tide 1980.

Around the same time, in the workshop of the Beijing Badge Factory, the smell of the New Year mixed with the smell of solder wafted in the air, and the slogan on the wall, "Grasp production and promote efficiency," had faded but was still eye-catching.

Standing on the high platform, factory director Zhou Jianlin was as excited as Aunt Bian, who was reporting good news to Director Li. The cuffs of his dark blue work clothes were frayed, but it did not affect his straight back at all.

"Comrades! As 1991 is about to begin, we have received good news! Manager Ning from Pierre Carton Company has brought us an order from Japan! If we can secure this job, not only will our bonuses double before the New Year, but everyone will be able to have a good New Year with peace of mind! Even next year will be secure."

When he announced the news, he held up a crumpled but tightly clenched fax paper, his voice so loud it made the dust on the roof fall down.

The workshop erupted in chaos, and even the clanging of metal tools ceased.

Young technician Xiao Wang rubbed his rough palms, with copper shavings still stuck between his fingers, and stood up excitedly.

"Really? Factory manager, we can now take on export orders! What are we supposed to make for this Japanese order? Are they badges or commemorative coins? How much can we expect to make?"

Factory manager Zhou Jianlin replied, "A small portion of this order is for badges, about 8,000 pieces. But the main focus is on high-end urns. Manager Ning said that as long as the samples pass inspection, the first order will be for 20,000 pieces. If the customer is satisfied, he will continue to cooperate with us long-term. As for the profit, we can't determine the specific amount right now; we need to calculate it carefully. However, Manager Ning has made a basic guarantee, saying that he will leave us at least 400,000 to 500,000 yuan in profit margin. He will definitely not let us suffer losses."

This was even more remarkable, because the employees of the badge factory had never taken on such a lucrative job before.

However, at the same time, the special nature of urns makes people feel quite awkward and conflicted.

Xiao Wang, who had just spoken, now felt the same way, and he spoke up again.

"Sir, this is a lot of money. But isn't it a bit unlucky to use an urn for ashes? It's fine on ordinary days, but on a major holiday, it's really awkward to do this."

These words undoubtedly represented the sentiments of many people, and many nodded or discussed them, expressing their approval.

However, the factory director didn't tolerate their bad habits. Zhou Jianlin frowned and immediately scolded them.

"Do you guys even know what's good for you? Of course I know it's a holiday season. If it weren't for holidays, I wouldn't be worrying about money. But this isn't like a few years ago. Back then, orders for badges, commemorative medals, and portraits of leaders—those political orders—were enough to feed us all. Now it's all about the market economy. The higher-ups don't really care about us anymore. The Asian Games are over, and there won't be any more Asian Games orders next year. Tell me, do you think we still have the right to be picky? I'm not afraid you won't like what I'm saying, but this order is so profitable; others would be begging for it. They're the ones choosing us. If you don't want to do it, are you stupid? Right now, you only have two choices: one is to eat, and the other is to save face. There's no such thing as having both. Of course, I won't force you. If any of you don't want to do it, just sign up with the workshop foreman, and you can quit. But I have to say this first: no work, no food. Only those who do this work get bonuses. Don't try to argue with me then!"

This really worked; nothing is more tangible than money.

When people are starving, they have to put aside all pride.

So those who had objections earlier all came to their senses, and no one dared to be pretentious anymore.

Only then did the veteran technician, Master Zhang, step forward and raise an unavoidable technical question.

"Factory manager, I'm not against it. These days, who cares about work if there's something to do? I also want to earn more bonuses. An urn is fine, there's no taboo about it. It's just that our factory is a badge factory; we've never made these before. This is our first time, and it's an order from Japan. We can't afford to botch it. Do we even have the technical skills to handle these urns? We don't even have the blueprints. We don't even know how to start with the basics. Who knows what the high-end urns look like, or what their dimensions are?"

And sure enough, this problem did become a real issue, and the workshop erupted into chaos again.

Amidst the heated discussions, many people are quite worried about this and feel uncertain about the future.

Fortunately, this problem wasn't really difficult for Director Zhou; there were just some things he hadn't had time to explain yet.

"Everyone, calm down. The thing Mr. Zhang asked about is my fault; I didn't explain it clearly to everyone."

Factory Director Zhou raised his arm again and shouted, "Actually, this urn wasn't made solely for our factory. It's a project we're collaborating on with the wood carving factory and the Beijing Arts and Crafts Factory. Many of you probably know that Manager Ning, who placed the order with us, is a long-time client. He certainly knows what we can and can't do. So this time, he not only gave us the job, but also the other two factories. The wood carving factory and the Beijing Arts and Crafts Factory both make the main bodies of the urns and caskets; we're mainly responsible for the exterior decoration. Manager Ning's idea is for us to use gemstones, jade, or mother-of-pearl to inlay the urns provided by the other factories, to enhance their luxurious and solemn feel."

Sure enough, after these words finally made things clear, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Zhang said, "Oh, so you don't expect us to do all the work, just gem setting? That's not so bad. Factory manager, we're just waiting for your word. If you say so, we'll do it."

Some even joked, "I thought we'd have to hire a carpenter for this order. I was going to ask my second uncle to come, but it looks like that's not going to happen."

This remark elicited a burst of laughter from the crowd, and a sense of confidence returned to everyone's eyes.

However, just as everyone was in high spirits and the factory director was about to issue orders to assign tasks, some people still failed to see the situation clearly and insisted on singing a different tune.

Liu Min, a college graduate who had just joined the factory, seemed afraid that she would not have a chance to show off, so she suddenly popped her head out from the corner and spoke.

"Factory manager, don't rush to make a decision. I'm against it. I think setting gemstones in the urn is far too extravagant and wasteful. I remember the higher-ups repeatedly emphasizing this year that weddings and funerals shouldn't be extravagant, and our factory even organized a training session for the workers. Doing this now is just going against the grain. Besides, this practice is not only too luxurious and wasteful, but if you think about it carefully, doesn't it also have a superstitious connotation? Making the urn so expensive is clearly a product of the outdated custom of burying ashes with the deceased. Will we have to use gold and silver as burial goods in the future?"

Upon hearing such inappropriate remarks, Zhou Jianlin's face immediately darkened.

You see, he had been shouting at the top of his lungs for a long time, and his throat was dry and thirsty. He just wanted to get everyone on the same page as soon as possible and distribute the work tasks.

Just when everyone had finally agreed, another "shit-eater" popped up to ruin things. At this point, he had completely lost his temper, and he pointed at Liu Min, relentlessly berating her.

"What are you meddling in, you newbie who just joined the factory? This is a Japanese order, what business is it of yours how they use it? You're just worrying about things that don't concern you. And you call it feudal superstition? You're just showing off. Why don't you say the Japanese are using this export order to corrupt and win us over? That's settled then. If the higher-ups blame me, I'll take the blame. I'll cover for them!"

He walked down from the platform, stopped in front of Liu Min, and, still seemingly not satisfied, launched into a tirade of insults at close range.

"You, have you only had a few days of decent food? Have you forgotten last year when the factory only paid 70% of our wages and everyone was tightening their belts? It's not easy for us to earn money, and we're all so happy to have such a big order at the beginning of the year. And you, with your 'this and that' attitude. Did you study just to label people? Let me tell you, if you keep acting like this, you deserve to miss out on New Year's Eve dinner!"

Liu Min's face flushed red, and she lowered her head, not daring to utter a sound.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Jianlin finally gave in and clapped his hands before standing back on the platform.

"Listen up, everyone! We have to treat this as a top priority. You have to produce three different samples within five days. If anyone drops the ball, forget about your pre-holiday bonus! It's not that I, Zhou Jianlin, am letting you down, it just means you're all useless."

The workers responded in unison, and the workshop immediately filled with enthusiastic discussions, their faces beaming with energy.

Just as Director Zhou said, everyone else has already driven their pigs to their doorsteps, so naturally no one wants to miss this opportunity to have a good New Year at home.

…………

At dusk, the entrance to the wood carving workshop at a wood carving factory in Beijing was piled high with newly purchased New Year's goods.

It looked rather meager, with only a few baskets of small oranges and pre-portioned glutinous rice strips for each person.

But this still couldn't conceal the overflowing enthusiasm of factory director Zhao Weidong, as well as his bright vision for the future.

He stood in the center of the workshop, looking at the hundreds of workers in front of him, cleared his throat, and announced to everyone in an extremely excited voice.

"We'll distribute the New Year's Day benefits later. I have some good news to share! Manager Ning from Pierre Cardin has found some work for our factory in Japan. We're making memorial tablets, urns, and Buddhist shrines. The first batch of orders is worth about 1.2 million yuan."

As soon as he finished speaking, applause erupted, and all the workers clapped their hands happily.

There's nothing else to it; these days, what factories like theirs need most are profitable orders.

Everyone knows that taking on such a large project means not only is a pre-Chinese New Year bonus guaranteed, but the holiday benefits will certainly not be as meager as they are today.
That's not all; the effect of Zhao Weidong's next message was truly sensational.

"There's one more thing. Manager Ning wants to select a group of skilled workers from our factory and temporarily transfer them to Tokyo to make coffins and large Buddha statues. The specific requirements are: under 50 years old, in good health, able to endure hardship, and with excellent relevant skills. They will be staying in Japan for about three years, with room and board provided, a monthly salary of 3,000 RMB, and extra bonuses for good performance. They will also have two weeks of family leave each year. Anyone with a level 5 or higher carpentry skill who wants to go, come and sign up with me later. But let me make it clear beforehand, we definitely won't be able to spend the Spring Festival at home this year; we'll have to make do in Japan."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Wow! I'm a great cook and I'm strong too!"

Old carpenter Master Wang raised his hand, his voice booming loudly, "Factory manager, I'm only fifty-five, not old at all. My son is getting married next year, and I'm worried about not having enough money to buy home appliances. You can earn a lot in Japan, so you can't let me miss out on this good opportunity!"

Another, much younger, Mr. Zheng squeezed forward, rubbing his hands together. “I want to go too! I’m in the perfect position! I’m not afraid to spend the New Year in Japan. For me, it doesn’t matter where I spend the New Year, as long as I can make a lot of money and come back, that’s better than anything else! The other day, my kid was clamoring to buy a video game console, but I didn’t have the money to buy it for him! Factory manager, we’re both fathers, so please give me a chance to go out and earn some money for my family.”

Workers eagerly signed up, some patting their chests to guarantee it on the spot, while others secretly tugged at Zhao Weidong's sleeve, pleading with him relentlessly.

There's nothing else to it, it's just that everyone is terrified of being poor.

That evening, Zhao Weidong and Deputy Factory Director Zhang Tao were working overtime in their office. A strong cup of tea was brewing in the enamel mug on their desk, the tea stems had sunk to the bottom, and the two were still processing the side effects of the foreign talent selection process.

Zhao Weidong, who announced the news, already felt considerable regret.

"What am I going to do? I thought no one would want to go. I didn't expect so many people to want to go, even those who don't meet the requirements are clamoring to go. How am I supposed to make this list? This is driving me crazy."

He rubbed his temples, his face full of worry. "And if this continues, all the key personnel in our factory will be poached. How will the factory continue to operate?"

Zhang Tao took a sip of tea and sighed, "Factory Director, I understand your difficulties. But the problem is, we also have to understand everyone's difficulties, right? Life is tough for everyone these days; there aren't even opportunities to earn extra money. Those grand master chairs and eight-immortal tables are all outdated. People want modular cabinets, even if they're just cheap plywood. So think about it, it's not easy to get such an opportunity to go abroad, and a month's salary is equivalent to two years' income in China. Only a fool wouldn't go. Who wouldn't be tempted? To be honest, if I weren't the deputy factory director, if I had some skills, I'd want to go too. I'd be happy to quit being the factory director; Manager Ning is offering way too much."

He paused, then laughed, "But on the other hand, we should also be grateful. Small workshops are everywhere outside, and state-owned factories like ours are mostly struggling to survive. Fortunately, we still have such a big customer. Otherwise, without Manager Ning's long-term support, our factory might have gone out of business long ago. It's a bittersweet situation, both happy and worried, a bittersweet feeling."

Zhao Weidong nodded, gazing at the dark night sky outside the window. Warm yellow light shone from the windows of distant residential buildings, and the faint sound of firecrackers could be heard.

He could easily imagine that the factory workers were probably at home right now, planning with their wives and children about the upcoming opportunity to go abroad.
Indeed, at this time, nothing was more important than the basic needs and hopes of the beginning of 1991; that was the true essence of the New Year. (End of Chapter)