Scholars in the courtyard.

Chapter 3052 Doing What the People Need

Evening, Yang Xiaotao's office was still brightly lit.

Li Hongfeng, Yang Youning, Lao Hong, and Chen Gong gathered together, their cigarette butts flickering and emitting ash, their expressions somewhat solemn.

To be precise, I'm worried!

Originally, Yang Xiaotao had planned to prepare 50,000 pagers, which would have been enough. But now it seems that the orders received today alone have exceeded 50,000.

In particular, a single phone call from President Peng led to the direct demand for 10,000 units.

With the addition of the lists brought by Chen Gong and Yang Youning, the number immediately exceeded 50,000.

And this doesn't even include the internal staff of Department Nine.

Nowadays, the workers in the Ninth Department are definitely high-income earners, and with money, they naturally want to improve their quality of life.

I happen to know what the pagers developed by the nine companies are for.

Satellite phones are too expensive, but pagers are cheap!

Moreover, unlike other products that require purchase restrictions and tickets, this pager is available for purchase with just money; only nine units were offered for sale this time.

One person can even buy several.

As long as you have the money, and as long as you can afford it, that's fine.

This inadvertently opened up the door, giving more people a choice.

Coupled with curiosity about new things and trust in Yang Xiaotao of Jiubu, most people in Jiubu's various factories wanted to buy one.

Of course, vanity also plays a part in this.

Regardless, the message they received so far indicates that 50,000 pagers are simply not enough to stop it.

Even 100,000 wouldn't be enough to stop it.

Such a large discrepancy surprised not only the group of people, but also Yang Xiaotao.

He truly hadn't expected pagers to become so popular!
After a moment of contemplation, Yang Xiaotao realized that he had made a mistake in his decision!

In Yang Xiaotao's memory, the pagers that first entered China did not attract much attention.

Therefore, the plan of the nine departments requires time and word-of-mouth to ferment and increase production.

As mentioned earlier, bases were established in a limited number of cities to revamp and promote the pager business.

What Yang Xiaotao forgot was that when pagers first entered the historical stage, they were mathematical pagers, the kind of pagers that could only transmit numbers.

Those pagers couldn't display text messages directly; instead, they sent short phrases of Arabic numerals.

For example, "000" means "Please call back", "200" means "Come back immediately if needed", and "5201314" means "I love you forever", etc.

Therefore, when using it, users need to rely on the code book to decipher common phrases. What you often see is a note that someone has added you to decipher, stuck on the back of the pager.

This situation naturally hindered the spread of pagers.

But the pagers produced by the nine companies now are Chinese character pagers.

It is a pager that displays text directly.

Imperceptibly, the technology has become more advanced and easier to accept.

Most importantly, the influence of the Nine Departments is too great.

Previously, all nine products required tickets to purchase, making it extremely difficult for many people to obtain them, leaving them only with envy and disappointment.

But these pagers could be bought without a ticket, which amplified people's expectations to an extreme degree.

Then came the sensation caused by the more than one-month testing period.

How much more can the factory produce?

Yang Xiaotao stubbed out his cigarette and asked about the situation. Li Hongfeng lowered his head and said, "I called the factory before I left work. The workshop is already operating at full capacity. In addition, due to quality inspection, we can only produce one thousand more units. No more than that!"

After saying that, Yang Youning flicked his cigarette ash and sighed, "It's just a drop in the ocean!"

"How about we go by the tickets?"

"no!"

As soon as Yang Youning finished speaking, Lao Hong objected.

“We have already sent out the message. If we change our decision at the last minute, it will be detrimental to us and we will also easily lose popular support.”

Chen Gong nodded and said, "The fact that more people came than expected this time precisely shows how much our comrades expect from pagers."

"Now that we've already said it, we can't go back on our word."

Yang Youning stubbed out his cigarette. "Of course I know this won't work."

"But the problem now is, if we don't follow the 'ticket' system, let's not even talk about whether we can provide enough pagers to meet the demand."

"More importantly, no one can guarantee how much it will ultimately amount to—100,000, 200,000, or 1 million? If we do it this way, it will damage the current economic situation."

"This opens a breach; have you considered the subsequent impact?"

After Yang Youning finished speaking, Chen Gong continued to retort, "We need to consider the impact, but shouldn't we also consider the image of our Nine Departments?"

"We need to consider it. It's precisely because we need to consider our image that we need to stop immediately."

"No, I don't agree. We've already agreed to go, and if we go back and say no, it's not just a matter of losing face, it's a matter of our credibility."

"It has to work out, even if it doesn't work out. At this point, who cares about reputation? First and foremost, we must ensure that we don't violate any principles; that's our capital."

"Don't talk nonsense, it's not that serious."

Yang Youning listened without saying a word, but the expression on his face already showed his attitude.

Li Hongfeng and Lao Hong smoked cigarettes, their minds in turmoil.

Yang Xiaotao took a deep drag on his cigarette, pondering the potential consequences.

The current economy still requires planned regulation, just like how basic necessities like rice, oil, and salt require ration coupons.
Industrial vouchers were also required to qualify for the purchase of some electrical appliances.

It can be said that China's economic development follows the principle of unified revenue and expenditure and unified responsibility for profits and losses. The advantage of this is that it allows for the efficient concentration of resources for key construction projects.

Even the earliest pressure cookers and rice cookers still require ration coupons to purchase.

However, in recent years, the number of rice cookers and pressure cookers has been increasing, and the number of "rice cooker coupons" and "pressure cooker coupons" on the market has also increased, gradually making them affordable for more people.

Logically speaking, when they launched the pager, they also considered offering "pager tickets".

However, the formulation of such tickets requires consideration of many aspects.

The need to consider a series of links, from the supply of raw materials and factory production to the supply and marketing cooperatives that sell finished products, seriously affects production efficiency.

After some consideration, everyone decided that the market for pagers was probably not that big, and that's when they made their decision.

But who would have thought that such a big commotion would occur before it even started selling?

"If you ask me, since we've already started doing this, let's keep going."

Wang Guodong looked at the crowd arguing, then gritted his teeth and said loudly.

The group of people looked over instantly, and Wang Guodong felt a sudden chill run down his spine, making him even more uneasy.

Normally, in these internal meetings of the nine departments, he only needs to choose one side to support after everyone has expressed their opinions. Usually, he can't go wrong by just following Yang Xiaotao.

But right now, Yang Xiaotao isn't offering his opinion, while the others are arguing incessantly.
Seeing the expectation on Yang Xiaotao's face, he continued, "I know that what we're doing might affect the plan, but..."

"But I think we need to consider the needs of the people more."

"What the people need is what we must do."

"On the contrary, what use are a lot of things if the people don't need them?"

"Anyway, I think that the people need our pagers, and our comrades need them, and that's enough."

"We will do our best to meet their needs, no matter what they require!"

"It's that simple."

After Wang Guodong finished speaking, his expression was serious, but he was very nervous inside.

Then, seeing the silent faces of the people in the office, I felt even more uncertain.

Am I right or wrong?
bang bang
A knock sounded at the door, and everyone immediately looked up. Then they saw Secretary Guo push the door open, and Old Chen walked in from outside.

Everyone immediately stood up, and Old Chen walked to the side and sat down, then waved his hand.

Secretary Guo quickly went to the window and opened it, then opened the door and stood in the doorway to let the smoke out of the room.

Old Chen glanced at everyone and also felt a headache coming on.

"Tell me, what's the situation now?" Old Chen asked. The group looked at each other, and finally focused on Yang Xiaotao.

Upon seeing this, Yang Xiaotao said, "Boss, the number of orders has now exceeded 50,000."

"The 50,000 pagers we prepared some time ago are no longer enough."

"Even if the factory works overtime, it still takes time."

After Yang Xiaotao finished explaining the situation, Old Chen frowned even more, never expecting such a thing to happen.

"Of course!"

Yang Xiaotao continued, "These are all solvable issues; we can simply postpone them!"

"If we can control it, we can even manage 100,000 units!"

At this point, Yang Xiaotao looked at Old Chen and said cautiously, "The main problem right now is whether our situation will affect the current economic policies!"

"Influence?"

"You're starting to think about the consequences now? Why didn't you think of that sooner?"

“If this matter is not handled properly, you can expect to be punished.”

Old Chen said this in an annoyed tone.

It's fine if we don't talk about it, but it makes me angry as soon as we do.

When Yang Xiaotao first brought this up with him, he assured him that there wouldn't be any problems.

He also considered the situation with pagers, which require a telephone to function, but how many telephones are there in China?
So, subconsciously, they set their sights on overseas destinations.

But the current situation has truly presented him with a difficult problem.

Upon hearing Old Chen's words, Li Hongfeng and the others in the room quietly lowered their heads.

"lead."

At this moment, Yang Xiaotao suddenly spoke, and everyone in the room turned their attention to him.

Old Chen crossed his legs, also wanting to hear what Yang Xiaotao had to say.

"Leader, I think that no matter what form it takes, the core purpose is to meet the needs of the people and do what the people need."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Guodong opened his mouth, and Yang Youning, Chen Gong, and the others looked at Yang Xiaotao in surprise.

Normally, it's them who 'quote' Yang Xiaotao.

Why did things turn out differently today?
The group then looked at Wang Guodong.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Guodong's face became even more serious; after all, he was the one who said those words.

If that's the case.
Looking at Yang Xiaotao, who was talking nonstop, she felt even more uneasy.

"Whether it is material or spiritual needs, only when these needs are met can people be happy and better able to devote themselves to development."

"So I think what we are doing now is to make people feel happy."

"Therefore, I think the current situation has developed into a contradiction between supply and demand. If this contradiction is not resolved as soon as possible, it will only make people more disappointed."

"So I think we should let things take their natural course and continue."

After Yang Xiaotao finished speaking, Old Chen put down his crossed legs and looked incredulous.

Did Yang Xiaotao say these words?

Did Yang Xiaotao really say something so unorthodox?

But upon closer examination, it actually makes some sense.

After a moment, Old Chen stared at Yang Xiaotao for a while, and finally frowned and asked, "Is this your idea?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Guodong almost stood up from his seat, but his expression became firm the next second.

No matter what, we must protect Yang Xiaotao. If he really has to take the blame, let him do it.

Before Wang Guodong could speak, Yang Xiaotao said directly, "Yes, that's my idea."

"And I believe you've also noticed that with the rapid economic development in recent years, it's become increasingly difficult to intervene!"

Old Chen snorted coldly upon hearing this, and then stood up.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaotao quickly stood up, and Li Hongfeng and the others were also very nervous.

None of them expected Yang Xiaotao to say those words. They were anxious and even wanted to explain for Yang Xiaotao.

But Old Chen glanced at Yang Xiaotao and turned to leave, saying, "I'm not going to get involved in this matter anymore. You can handle it yourselves."

After saying that, he walked out of the office and left the Ninth Department with Secretary Guo.

"What does Mr. Chen mean?"

Watching Old Chen get into his car and leave from downstairs, Li Hongfeng broke the silence and asked.

Yang Xiaotao looked up at the moon in the sky, then turned around and laughed, "It's nothing!"

Chen Gong and the others looked puzzled, but Yang Xiaotao continued, "Pagers will be sold normally starting tomorrow."

"However, all promised tasks and orders will be reduced by half to prioritize the needs of the people."

"Everything else remains the same."

The group looked at each other, then nodded and went into the office building.

The next moment, the order was given, and armored vehicles, under the protection of the security personnel, began to drive out of the Ninth Division and head towards various supply and marketing cooperatives throughout Beijing.

The supply and marketing cooperative staff, who had been notified in advance, were waiting at the main gate.

As the armored vehicle arrived, everyone rushed forward to hand over the items.

One by one, the metal boxes were opened, revealing rows of pagers inside.

The salespersons of the supply and marketing cooperative began to check the quantities against the order slips. The security personnel who accompanied them did not leave but stood at the door as guards.

This was also arranged by the Nine Ministries.

Meanwhile, Old Chen, who had left the Ninth Division, sat in the back seat, rubbing his temples incessantly. Yang Xiaotao's voice echoed in his mind, and then he gradually closed his eyes and actually fell asleep in the back seat.

Secretary Guo, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced back at Old Chen, then leaned back in his seat.

He was also recalling what Yang Xiaotao had said.

That statement is correct.

But if we don't do it this way, what should we do?
"Hopefully, Director Yang will deliver a satisfactory result this time, otherwise..."

"The boss will be disappointed."

"Do what the people need!"

In the West Garden, Old Qing looked at the message on his pager with a calm expression.

The older woman who was urging Qing to rest heard the other person's voice, turned around and said, "What's wrong with doing what the people need?"

Old Qing put down the pager and then laughed, "Nothing much, I just think these words sound nice."

The older sister glanced at Qing Lao, then at the pager, and said irritably, "Ever since we got this thing, I've kept it by my bedside. Aren't you afraid of being startled by the noise?"

After lying down, Qing Lao laughed and said, "Don't be scared, I turned the volume down."

"And now we all use it. We don't need to call for unimportant things. We can just send it over, and we can even record it. It's much more convenient."

"Yes, yes, that's convenient for you."

"Go to sleep quickly, I need to buy a pager tomorrow."

The older sister turned off the light as she spoke, and Old Qing asked curiously, "Don't you have one?"

The older sister's voice came from the darkness, "You can't just buy it as a gift."

"I'm spending my own money, why do I need to tell you?"

"No, no need~~"

Old Qing quickly spoke up, explaining that his current salary wasn't even enough to treat people to a meal, and he still needed his older sister to help with household expenses.

Therefore, he had absolutely no control over the family's finances.

"Okay!"

Old Qing hurriedly replied twice, then lay down to sleep.

Even after lying down, Old Chen's words still echoed in my mind: "Do what the people need."
(End of this chapter)