20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 733 The battle of ideas
The strike demonstration at the Fengtian Printing Factory lasted for about half a day. Since the workers only acted on impulse and lacked effective organization and clear demands, their hearts gradually relaxed after noon. Although they did not resume work, the demonstration gradually dispersed and did not lead to a larger-scale riot.

This is not surprising, as all blind calls for a break mostly end in vain.

The workers left temporarily in order to go back and discuss the next struggle strategy.

In the end, Lao Chai at the scene classified the case as a "group fight" and Li Bantou and others were taken back to the yamen for interrogation, which seemed to be just a show.

The storm has subsided temporarily, but everyone knows that the real battle will not begin until tomorrow.

Jiang Lianheng said hello to Jiang Erye, and that afternoon, Li Bantou was released early. He then followed General Manager Zhu and Mo Laowu to "Huifangli" in Xiaoxiguan to meet with Jiang Lianheng for a secret talk and to discuss ways to deal with the workers' request for a break.

Generally speaking, the simplest and most direct way to resolve labor disputes is to increase wages.

But this is easier said than done, and it is extremely difficult and faces many constraints.

Raising wages is definitely not just Mr. Zhu's own business. Not to mention that he is unwilling to raise workers' wages. Even if he is kind-hearted and really wants to do so, other people in the guild will not agree.

Otherwise, if you raise the price today and I raise the price tomorrow, the internal fighting among the capital parties will continue, and in the end the bosses of the printing houses will be the ones who suffer.

As the guild president, Mo Laowu naturally had to integrate opinions from many parties and was unwilling to make concessions easily.

He said: "These days, which factory has not experienced workers asking for a break? Anyone who says he hasn't encountered this can only say that his business is too small. Although the workers have complaints, we can't give in to them in everything. Everyone's idea is to delay it first and wait until their evil fire is exhausted before doing anything else."

After hearing this, General Manager Zhu waved his hands and said, "Fifth Master, it's easy for you to say that. Let's not talk about whether the government will intervene. Let's just say that my printing factory has received so many orders. All the newspapers are now urging us to pay compensation. Every day we delay, the factory will have to pay compensation. How can I afford it?"

"I know you have difficulties, but you also have to think more about our guild!"

"Who is thinking about me? I owe so many orders now. If I don't resume work tomorrow, the penalty alone will be enough to cover my profit for two months."

"How about this? I can ask other printing houses to help you share the orders you owe. I don't charge you any money. Guilds should help each other!"

"what?"

General Manager Zhu immediately became alert and squinted his eyes and said, "Master Wu, please don't take advantage of me! I'm in a difficult situation right now. If you ask me to share the order with them, how can I get it back in the future? I think they are teaming up and are up to something bad to cheat me, right?"

Mo Laowu quickly explained, "Hey, Mr. Zhu, you are too polite. We are all here to help you find a solution. If you don't agree, then we can discuss it again. Do you really want to raise the wages of those workers?"

"Of course I don't want to. The price of Fengpiao has dropped so much and my own income is also shrinking. How can I have the time to care about them?"

"Then you have to follow my method. Otherwise, if those workers make trouble for three or five days, you won't be able to stand it!"

General Manager Zhu pondered for a moment, but finally shook his head and rejected Mo Laowu's proposal.

After all, the printing guild has a loose structure. Although the bosses of each company may sometimes act in unison, they are still in competition in essence. It is natural for General Manager Zhu to have some concerns about entrusting the orders he has received to other printing houses for printing.

Mo Laowu said, "General Manager Zhu, your printing factory has government shares, so you can make money regardless of the weather, and you never lack orders. Are you afraid that your competitors will steal your business?"

Who can guarantee such a thing?
General Manager Zhu still refused to believe it. Although the Fengtian Printing Factory could generate income and profits just by printing textbooks, test papers and official documents, no one would complain about making too much money.

In the beginning, he had run around a lot in order to win orders from various newspapers, so naturally he was unwilling to give up easily now.

In fact, there are indeed many people in the printing guild who have been jealous of this for a long time.

When Mo Laowu saw that he couldn't persuade him, he simply brought up Jiang Lianheng and said, "General Manager Zhu, with Boss Jiang here as a witness, what are you worried about?"

Jiang Lianheng interrupted immediately and said, "Don't worry, I just want to ask about Jiao Xie's situation today. You can handle your guild's affairs by yourselves."

After saying that, he no longer paid attention to the argument between the two people, and instead just stared at Li Bantou beside him.

To be honest, although Li Bantou is a veteran in the printing factory and manages many people, he is just a laborer after all. Now that the management is sitting together to discuss countermeasures, it feels a bit awkward for him, a laborer, to be there with them.

But Jiang Lianheng insisted on seeing him, so General Manager Zhu and Mo Laowu had nothing to say.

Li Bantou was a man in his forties. His hands were thick but very nimble. There were two bruises on his left eye socket and a few bloodstains near his throat. It seemed that he had been beaten a lot in the morning.

He didn't expect that Jiang Lianheng would ask to see him, and he didn't expect that Jiang Lianheng would specially send someone to greet the government and release him early in order to see him.

Now he was drinking with others at the same table, all of whom were big bosses. He didn't know what to say and just drank in silence.

Maybe it was because he was hurt by the beatings from the laborers, or for some other reason, but after drinking a few glasses of wine, Li Bantou suddenly began to sigh and lament, as if he had suffered some kind of great injustice, and his whole demeanor was slightly moved.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but laugh and said, "Captain Li, why are you still aggrieved? Is this food not to your liking?"

Li Bantou wiped his face and apologized hurriedly, "No, no, Boss Jiang treats me like a human being. I don't even have time to thank him, so how can I dare to pick on him!"

"Oh, so you were beaten today and you're not happy about it?"

"Boss Jiang, I'm not unhappy, I'm just heartbroken!"

When Li Bantou saw Jiang Lianheng asking, he sighed in a drunken voice: "These days are too chaotic. If an apprentice beats up his master, where can he seek justice?"

When this was mentioned, General Manager Zhu was a little resentful and immediately scolded: "The workers asked for a break today. In the final analysis, it was you who caused the trouble. Otherwise, it wouldn't have turned out like this, and you are still making a fuss! I think you should be the one to pay the penalty for breach of contract for those newspapers--"

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Lianheng raised his hand to interrupt, "General Manager Zhu, calm down first. I want to hear what Li Bantou has to say to me."

Upon hearing this, General Manager Zhu had no choice but to give up, but he couldn't understand why Jiang Lianheng insisted on calling Li Bantou for a meeting.

Li Bantou was already full of grievances, and when he saw that Jiang Lianheng wanted to listen, he immediately began to talk nonstop.

"Boss Jiang, they said I beat and scolded the laborers. I was so wronged. Slapping them twice in the face and slapping them on the head, can that be called beating? Even if I did beat them, I was doing it for their own good. If I don't beat them, how can they become good materials? If I don't beat them, how can they do their job well?"

Jiang Lianheng did not express his opinion and motioned Li Bantou to continue speaking.

In the old days, apart from studying, joining the army and farming, all other businesses and people who made a living by their skills, no matter how big their business was, were considered wanderers. Once in the world, there were bound to be many rules and regulations. The printing industry was no exception, and there was a master-apprentice tradition in the industry.

Now that times have changed, working in a factory has suddenly become a very respectable job and is no longer something to be ashamed of.

Those young workers did not consider themselves to be part of the underworld. As machines and equipment became more and more convenient, the status of the old masters became more and more embarrassing. Many of them did not strive for progress and soon fell behind in the industrial wave, gradually losing the so-called dignity of teachers.

Li Bantou was quite smart, kept up with the trends, and worked hard, so he was always a big shot in the industry. In terms of plate making, no one in Fengtian City could compare to him, but he also adhered to the old rules of the past, and deep down, he still recognized the master-apprentice inheritance relationship. However, that was just his wishful thinking.

"Nowadays, these young people are too proud. They can't be beaten or scolded. They only think about the wages all day long. They are ashamed of their ancestors. How can they do their job well? If they don't respect the work they do, they will never become talented!"

Li Bantou was quite indignant and said bitterly: "Boss Jiang, when I was an apprentice, I had to go to work at four in the morning and had to go out at three to buy breakfast for my master. I learned the craft for three years, massaging his shoulders and legs, lighting cigarettes and pouring tea for him, and I never complained. Who made me work for others? I am nothing like these young people nowadays. Alas!"

His meaning was very clear - it was natural for a master to beat his apprentice, and no one could find fault with it!
But he just couldn't understand why those young people didn't regard him as a master, a real master.

Jiang Lianheng still did not express his opinion, but instead asked: "So how are they doing their job?"

"It's pure nonsense!" Li Bantou curled his lips, "If we follow my standards, those little bastards are all unqualified!"

After this was said, even General Manager Zhu couldn't help but nod and agree, "That's true. Compared with Old Li, they are really not as good as him."

The plate maker in a printing factory is very important. If the plate is not good, no matter how good the ink is, the printed product will be a mess.

Jiang Lianheng didn't know much about this business, so he just asked a few more questions.

Li Bantou also spoke freely and honestly for quite some time, and his words really made sense. After listening to him, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but admire him even more.

General Manager Zhu and Mo Laowu were insiders in the industry, so they naturally didn't bother to listen in detail. They just didn't understand what was the point of asking about these trivial matters now.

Jiang Lianheng said, "Everything must have a standard. With a standard, we can divide the workers into different levels. Everyone can earn a living based on their ability. It's fair and reasonable. There won't be any complaints, right?"

Mo Laowu thought for a moment, frowned and asked, "Boss Jiang means to set high standards and increase the wages of workers according to their abilities, so as to spend the least money and accomplish the greatest results?"

"No, Master Wu, you've got the point wrong."

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette and said calmly: "The point is not 'laborers earn a living based on their ability', but 'laborers are divided into different levels'."

General Manager Zhu didn't think this method would work, and muttered to himself, "But the workers in my printing factory are already divided into different levels according to their years of service, skills, and types of work—"

"Then divide it further," Jiang Lianheng interrupted. "The more you divide the laborers, the easier it will be for them to get into trouble. Isn't it the lack of labor that is worrying, the inequality of labor?"

At this time, the sky outside the window had already darkened.

Outside the private room, Huifangli's business gradually began to pick up. The girls crowded towards the door, posing and flirting, trying their best to attract passers-by customers.

Before long, the lobby became bustling with activity.

Some people go alone, hugging the girls and going straight to the second floor to sleep on the kang; some people go in groups of three or five, just drinking and listening to music in the lobby.

There were girls sitting at every guest table, except for the small table closest to the door which was particularly deserted.

Zhao Guoyan was wearing a long gown and sitting sideways on the drum stool, with his left hand on the table and his right hand on his knee. In front of him was a plate of Mao Ke and a pot of tea. He took a sip of tea from time to time, but his eyes frequently looked towards the street, ignoring the laughter of the girls in the venue.

The originally cold and stern atmosphere formed a world of its own, until the passionate Dong Erniang came walking up from behind and ruined it all.

"Hey, Brother Yan——"

Dong Erniang quietly walked to the table, twisted her waist, nudged Zhao Guoyan's arm with her hip, and asked with a smile: "Can I have a drink with you?"

Zhao Guoyan's whole body tensed up, and he quickly declined, "No, I have something to do tonight and can't drink."

"Then let me peel the melon seeds for you?"

"No, I can knock on it myself."

"Look at you, you are always so polite to me." Dong Erniang sat down slowly, followed Zhao Guoyan's gaze and looked out the door, and asked in a slightly intimate tone, "Hey, who are you waiting for here? You came here before the boss came. You have been sitting here since this afternoon, and no one has come to see you."

"You don't know him even if I tell you, so just go about your business!" Zhao Guoyan waved his hands impatiently.

"I saw you sitting at the door and I was worried that you might be cold!" Dong Erniang suggested with a smile, "How about you go to my room and lie down for a while, and I'll call you when someone comes?"

"No, no, no, Second Mother, let's not do this, I really have something important to do tonight!"

"Oh, don't be polite, I'm not stopping you from leaving. What's wrong with going inside and lying down for a while? Come on, come on!"

As she was talking, Dong Erniang started to fight. Zhao Guoyan didn't know how to hit her or scold her, so he could only push her away to stop her.

In the interval of the quarrel, a young man suddenly ran in hurriedly from outside the door. He was wearing a coarse cloth shorts and a melon-shaped hat on his head. He looked sloppy and did not look like a rich man.

Seeing this, Dong Erniang immediately lost her temper and pointed at the person who came and cursed: "Where did you come from, you bastard? Get out of here right now. Why don't you go outside and take a piss and look at yourself? Is this a place you can come to?"

Zhao Guoyan said, "Second Mother, stop talking nonsense. This is the person I'm waiting for."

"Oh, isn't that one of our own family?" Dong Erniang was flexible and stepped forward to apologize. "Sir, please forgive my ignorance. I misunderstood you just now. Please come in and have a seat. What would you like to drink? Tea or wine. If you have any instructions, please tell me at any time. Please sit down first. I'll serve you two some snacks!"

The man turned from a grandson into a grandfather in the blink of an eye, and before he could react, Dong Er Niang politely invited him to take a seat.

Seeing someone coming, Dong Erniang didn't dare to bother him any more. She got up and left immediately, leaving only one sentence to Zhao Guoyan: "Just wait and see how I deal with you when I get back!"

The man took off his melon-shaped hat, looked around, and suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Brother Yan, is this your best friend?"

"Stop talking bullshit!" Zhao Guoyan cursed, "Tell me what's going on with the workers!"

The man in the melon-shaped hat turned around and glanced at the dark street, then responded, "I went back with them to hold a meeting. They plan to continue calling for a break tomorrow, and they also set ten demands -"

“That’s called drafting.”

"Oh, anyway, there are ten demands. If the printing factory does not agree, they will never resume work. In addition, the news of today's call for a break has spread, and I heard that the workers at the Fengtian Machinery Factory are also planning to respond."

(End of this chapter)