Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 825 A Salary Increase is a Must

After Zhou Yali changed her clothes, the two went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner.

The restaurants and their operating methods here are very similar to those of later generations; in today's popular parlance, they are "in line with international standards."

Go into the restaurant, find a seat, and once you're seated, a waiter will bring you a menu.

Chen Fan took the menu, flipped through it, and without asking Zhou Yali's opinion, ordered several dishes and a few Cantonese desserts, then waited for the food to be served.

(Menu of the Dongfang Hotel in the early 80s)
However, the menu was not taken back; instead, Zhou Yali took it and looked through the recipes.

After a while, she couldn't help but stick out her tongue, "Things here are so much more expensive than outside!"

Outside, a large meat bun only costs 5 cents, but here three small steamed buns cost 1.5 yuan. How many times more expensive is that?
Take, for example, the poached Qingyuan chicken. A serving here costs 5.5 yuan, and the portion is only about a quarter of a chicken. Outside, the same portion of stir-fried chicken would cost around 0.8 to 1 yuan. Compared to that, it's ridiculously expensive.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "That's how it is in high-end hotels."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "This is considered ordinary. If you book a high-end banquet here, that's really expensive. If you order a table of wild game, it will easily cost three or four hundred yuan, which is equivalent to an ordinary worker's annual salary."

Zhou Yali closed the menu with her hand, looked around, and whispered to him, "You just said this place is mainly for foreign guests, so is this place a rip-off for foreigners?"

Chen Fan glanced at her and chuckled, "Don't high-end hotels in America rip off their guests?"

Zhou Yali rolled her eyes slightly and shook her head. "That makes sense!"

He then tossed the menu aside, sighed, and said, "After this meal, I suddenly want to invest in the tourism industry even more."

As he spoke, he stretched out his right hand, made a knife-hand gesture, slashed twice horizontally and three times vertically, and said viciously, "When the time comes, I will slaughter them to death, especially the rich."

Chen Fan picked up the menu on the table and waved it, saying, "At this price, you can't rip off poor people!"

Even if the Oriental Hotel had access restrictions, which worker would eat such expensive food?

Seeing a menu like this, it would be strange not to run away immediately.

However, don't say that the Oriental Hotel is expensive. Compared with the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, this price can be considered "affordable". When he was in Shanghai, he also went to the Peace Hotel once out of curiosity.

Even though a banquet at a high-end restaurant in Guangzhou costs three or four hundred yuan, those are all truly substantial dishes, seven or eight out of ten of which are wild game, and the rest are classic dishes that require a lot of effort to prepare.

But what about there?

For ordinary dishes like stir-fried chicken, which sells for 1 yuan elsewhere, they sell for 12; a plate of stir-fried vegetables that sells for 1 mao elsewhere, they charge 2 yuan...

When Chen Fan was holding the menu, he almost had a heart attack. He didn't care about being embarrassed, quickly paid for a cup of hot water for 5 cents, and then decisively ran away.

It's not that I can't afford it, it's that I don't want to be ripped off.

It is because he thinks about that experience that he can now sit calmly and order food.

It's only a meal costing a dozen yuan, let's treat it as a high-end service, it's worth it!
High-end hotels are indeed high-end hotels; the dishes were served very quickly, and the waiters even brought them to the table.

The chef's skills were also quite good; even Chen Fan, a culinary master who was about to evolve into a superhuman, nodded slightly in approval.

The portions were a bit small; such a big plate held only a tiny amount of food. The two of them devoured all six dishes and four desserts.

After finishing his meal and returning to his room, Chen Fan first called the front desk to reserve a private car to take them to Shenzhen early the next morning. After that, he lay in his room like a corpse.

The next morning, after having a paid breakfast at the hotel, we set off by car.

Unfortunately, these days there are no hotels that offer breakfast included with their accommodations. If you want a free breakfast, you'll have to wait until the White Swan Hotel opens.

By the way, the White Swan Hotel opened in 83, a year later than my country's first joint venture hotel, the Jianguo Hotel.

Based on the current work efficiency, Chen Fan had good reason to suspect that the two hotels were either in the process of negotiation or had already received approval.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown. If negotiations were still ongoing, that would be fine, but if it had already been approved, would his plan also need to be adjusted accordingly?
After a night's rest, Zhou Yali regained her energy and radiance, looking at the scenery outside and constantly asking the driver questions.

Noticing Chen Fan frowning, she immediately furrowed her brows as well and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Fan snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and shook his head. "It's nothing. I just thought of a small problem. We'll talk about it later."

Seeing that he said that, Zhou Yali stopped asking questions, but she was no longer as lively as before, and quietly stayed with him.

The driver in front breathed a sigh of relief. He was just a driver, not a tour guide. How could he know so much? If this young lady asked any more questions, he would have had to pick up the car radio and ask for help!
The car swayed and bumped along the provincial highway, and by noon, we finally arrived at the Shekou Development Zone.

The two got out of the car with their luggage on their backs, and the car behind them immediately drove away, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Turning to glance at the car speeding away, Zhou Yali pouted, "Why did it run so fast?"

Chen Fan casually replied, "I'm afraid you'll want him to take us back."

He then pointed to the gate of the development zone and said with a smile, "It seems that President Yuan really remembered our suggestion. This facade project is quite well done."

"It was your suggestion, I didn't say anything."

Zhou Yali replied first, then stepped inside, "Let's go. I deliberately didn't call Ye Yufeng and the others because I wanted to see what this place is like with my own eyes. I don't want to see the things that were prepared in advance."

Chen Fan walked side by side with her as they went inside.

The industrial park gate was just a gate; there was no gatehouse, and naturally, no guards.

However, it doesn't seem necessary here. As far as the eye can see, it's basically a huge construction site, with only a lone building standing on the distant beach.

The uneven terrain I saw last time I came has now been leveled, and as far as the eye can see, there is a smooth road. There are also some plots of land divided into square shapes, which must have a special purpose.

There is also a boardwalk that extends into the sea, and at the end of the boardwalk, there is a small boat.

If I'm not mistaken, that should be the small pier that Chen Fan suggested building, and that building is the reception area specifically for welcoming distinguished guests from Hong Kong.

Just as Chen Fan was examining the building that resembled a reception area, Zhou Yali suddenly grabbed his arm, pointed in another direction, and said, "Look over there, isn't that our industrial park?"

Chen Fan looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a complete complex of buildings at the very edge of the industrial zone, near Luohu. If the Wanmuchun Industrial Park had already been completed, as Ye Yufeng and Zhou Yali had said, that must be the place; there was no other possibility.

However, there is only a dirt road full of construction waste leading from here, and in its current state, transportation to other areas is indeed a major problem.

Upon seeing the buildings, Zhou Yali's interest was clearly piqued. She grabbed Chen Fan's arm and pulled him forward, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, I can't wait any longer."

Just as Chen Fan was about to follow, he suddenly grabbed her and led her to the side of the road. "Wait, there's a car."

Zhou Yali turned around and saw a large-nosed Jiefang truck wobbling in from outside.

This vehicle is probably not an engineering vehicle transporting building materials; engineering vehicles wouldn't be this clean.

Just as the two were examining the car, it suddenly stopped in front of them.

The next second, the driver pushed open the car door and jumped out, running to Chen Fan in a flash. He pulled off his mask, gave a serious salute, and said, "Hello, Dr. Chen."

When Chen Fan saw it was Wang Jianguo, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "What a coincidence! How are you doing these days?"

Wang Jianguo grinned and chuckled, "It's great. As you instructed, we first looked after the construction site and learned how to repair and drive cars. Later, when the cars arrived, all the brothers were there too. We trained together for a month and then officially formed the transportation team. Later, Manager Ye even helped us set up a transportation company."

Just then, another car pulled up behind them, and he quickly said, "Dr. Chen, why don't we get in the car first and talk about it at the company?"

Without saying much, Chen Fan immediately gestured, "Let's go."

Wang Jianguo quickly ran back to the car, and Chen Fan also opened the car door, got in first, and then reached out to pull Zhou Yali up.

The front passenger seat is quite spacious, easily accommodating two people.

Wang Jianguo restarted the car and drove inside.

The journey wasn't short, about a kilometer. Chen Fan asked a few simple questions and learned about their current situation.

Overall, it's not bad. According to the original agreement with General Manager Yuan and the provincial government, Shenzhen will allocate 1,000 acres of land separately to the planned logistics company as its exclusive warehouse and station.

However, when choosing a location, they did not select a plot of land directly opposite the north side of Shekou Industrial Zone, but instead chose a place adjacent to Shekou Industrial Zone and close to the sea.

Wang Jianguo, holding the steering wheel, was in a completely different state of mind than he had been six months ago. Now, he was radiant with health and his eyes were shining brightly, just like when they first met on the battlefield.

He said with great interest, "The land to the north is similar to this area, with many small hills and uneven terrain. How can it be used as a warehouse or station?"

However, there are many mudflats near the sea. As long as the higher ground is blasted up and the mudflats are filled with soil and rocks, it is easy to level them. That's what was done in the Shekou Industrial Zone.

So when we were choosing the location, I suggested that we choose a spot by the sea.

Chen Fan nodded repeatedly as he listened and said with a smile, "That's great. You've chosen a good location. You must have saved a lot of money just from that alone, right?"

Wang Jianguo smiled sheepishly and said, "I heard from the people in their engineering department that we could probably save several hundred thousand yuan. When I heard that we could save so much money, I knew I had to choose the cheaper option, so I chose that one."

Chen Fan smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Sure, sure."

He paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "It seems I made the right decision to keep you guys. Look, this alone has saved us hundreds of thousands. That's enough to pay you salaries for many years."

"You deserve a raise. You absolutely must get a raise."

Wang Jianguo was laughing at first, but when he heard the last part, he quickly became serious and said, "No, no, really no need. Our wages are high enough now, a hundred yuan a month. That's about the level of an eighth-grade worker. I wouldn't dare to accept any more raises."

Chen Fan waved his hand, "You are in charge of managing the business, and your salary is under the jurisdiction of the Labor and Wages Department. Oh, no, you are a manager, so you should be considered a cadre. Cadres are under the jurisdiction of the Personnel Department. I will arrange for the head of the Personnel Department to be in charge of implementing this later."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianguo's face flushed red. "No, no, that really won't do. The company hasn't even started making money yet, how can we raise salaries like that..."

At this moment, Zhou Yali said with a smile, "Okay, then we'll give you a raise after we start making money."

After saying that, she winked at Chen Fan.

Once the production lines are in place and the workers are ready, the Wanmuchun Industrial Park can officially begin construction, and all of this is currently underway.

Once construction begins, there will naturally be products that need to be transported by transportation companies, which means that the transportation companies will soon be able to make money.

Naturally, it will be logical to raise Wang Jianguo and the others' salaries then.

Chen Fan is not a philanthropist and will not raise people's salaries for no reason, but he will never hesitate to spend money to win over truly talented people.

Although Wang Jianguo was only a squad leader in the army, he still had management experience. In addition, his performance this time made Chen Fan very satisfied, not to mention that he was able to recruit hundreds of comrades.

If he doesn't recruit such talent, when will he ever get the chance?

Wang Jianguo blushed and wanted to say something more, but then Chen Fan suddenly asked, "Since our transport team is right next to the Shekou Industrial Zone, and the Wanmuchun Industrial Park is on the very edge, why not just open a road on the east side instead of going around in circles at the main gate?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jianguo could only temporarily put the matter aside and explained, "Actually, it's open. The leaders here in the industrial zone have all agreed, and even the road has been repaired."

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he spoke, "It's just that we've only been driving for a short time, and the roads are too short to be satisfying. Also, Manager Ye wants us to practice more, so now we take longer routes when we drive."

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan was both amused and exasperated.

However, thinking back to when I rented a car specifically to drive after I learned to drive, I can understand it.

Zhou Yali laughed and said, "Wang Jianguo, you guys like to take detours now, but when you've been driving all day long, you'll definitely want to take the shortest route and won't even want to touch the steering wheel."

Wang Jianguo chuckled and said, "That's for the future. Right now, we just want to practice more. I can't say anything else, but at least we need to be able to drive steadily. Otherwise, what if we shake the goods in the warehouse apart and cause losses?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but give a thumbs up, saying that they should try to have more employees like this.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at Wanmu Spring Park.

After passing a stone tablet embedded in the roadside grass with the words "Wanmuchun Park" engraved on it, the car quickly stopped in front of a nine-story building.

Wang Jianguo pointed to the building and said, "This is the government building. Manager Ye and the others work inside. I'll take you in."

(End of this chapter)