Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 826 Professional Consultant

Wang Jianguo was about to lead Chen Fan inside when Chen Fan waved his hand and said, "No rush, let us take a look around the park first."

Zhou Yali wanted to see the most authentic situation, so naturally she wouldn't object.

Wang Jianguo had no objections. As far as he was concerned, he was originally a spy planted here by Dr. Chen to keep an eye on the people and things here for Zhou Yali. Now that the boss was coming to inspect the place in person, it was only right for him to take them to see it.

Without hesitation, he led the two forward, explaining the situation as he went.

"Wanmuchun Park has a total of 12 buildings. The one at the front is the government office building, which is the 9-story building in front of us."

Further back are three large slab buildings, which are buildings consisting of several units connected together, and their length is significantly greater than their width.

The first floor of each dormitory building is a canteen, but only one canteen is open now, and there aren't many people eating there. It's mainly for the more than 400 people from our transportation company and a few dozen people from the office building.

However, I heard that Manager Ye is negotiating recruitment with General Manager Yuan, and if all goes well, at the latest, after the Chinese New Year, over a thousand workers will come to work.

Chen Fan and his companion listened to his introduction and strolled along, taking in the sights.

These three dormitory buildings are quite large. Although they are not as tall as the office buildings (9 floors), they are still 7 floors. Each building consists of 5 units. Looking around, every floor is filled with windows and balconies, and it is impossible to count how many rooms there are.

Moreover, the dormitory building is clearly a tenement building with a corridor in the middle. The rooms are on the north and south sides, and the corridor is in the middle. The rooms are not small. If we calculate that there are 8 people in each room, these three buildings can probably accommodate at least 5000 people.

This is much more than I originally planned.

After a rough calculation, Chen Fan couldn't help but ask, "Were these three dormitory buildings planned by Manager Ye?"

Wang Jianguo immediately nodded, "Yes."

After a pause, he continued, "Manager Ye said that based on the production workshop area you set, the entire industrial park's factories are divided into several categories: clothing, shoes and bags, electronics, and electrical appliances, and it is estimated that it can accommodate 3000 to 4000 workers."

She said that if the efficiency is good, the production volume can be further reduced to accommodate more production equipment in a limited space.

In this case, we need to prepare enough dormitory space to prevent logistical delays caused by insufficient preparation. So she added several units to the original dormitory building.

The current three dormitory buildings were designed and built to accommodate eight people per room, for a total of 6200 beds.

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, looked at Zhou Yali, then at Wang Jianguo, and smiled, "So it seems that this Manager Ye has a lot of confidence in the industrial park."

Before Wang Jianguo could speak, Zhou Yali laughed and said, "I know that. Guess what the first thing Sister Ye and the others did after they arrived here?"

Chen Fan's eyes darted around, and he said thoughtfully, "An investigation?"

Zhou Yali pouted, "It was easy to guess, no fun."

He then laughed and said, "After they arrived in Shenzhen, there was only a construction site here, nothing else. So they contacted Mr. Yuan and asked the municipal government to send someone to take them to the Luohu handbag factory and the Taiping handbag factory in Dongguan."

After seeing the situation there, she called me and said that there was definitely great potential here.

Because in the United States, she had never seen such hardworking and dedicated workers who only asked for a small wage. The workers here were all model workers; they could work from 7 a.m. to noon, then eat lunch, take a nap, and then work from 1:12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Except for a short trip to the bathroom, they were working the entire time.

Zhou Yali spread her hands as she spoke, “Even according to the official exchange rate, their daily income is less than $15. In the United States, the lowest-paid temporary screwman at GE can earn $225 to $250 a week, and after taxes, he can earn $160, which is an average of $22.85 a day, more than 1.5 times that here.”

At this point, she couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "Hardworking and technically skilled, yet the wages are so low. Sister Ye said it was the first time she had ever heard of such a place. This place is simply a paradise for manufacturing!"

Chen Fan pursed his lips as he listened and said, "If she knew that this daily wage of $1.5 was the piece-rate wage after the boss of the Luohu handbag factory reformed the system, she would probably be even more surprised."

At this moment, Wang Jianguo coughed twice and said apologetically, "I've already surprised Manager Ye."

Chen Fan and the other person turned to look at him. What did that mean?
Stared at by the two, Wang Jianguo looked a little awkward, smiled sheepishly, and said, "I told her that in our village, people work from dawn till dusk every day and still can't earn enough to cover their food expenses in a year. In the county, a job that pays 20 yuan a month is highly sought after, and people would be willing to work 16 hours a day. She was surprised."

She then demonstrated, "Like this, open your mouth wide open, so wide you can't close it."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly, and he patted him on the shoulder, "That was a good performance. Don't do it again next time."

Wang Jianguo quickly shut his mouth and said, "Oh."

Zhou Yali couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, tilting her head back. "Hahahaha, if I had been there, I would definitely have taken a picture of her."

Chen Fan patted the back of her head. "What's so funny? You should be crying."

He then sighed, "If it weren't for making a living, who would be willing to work so hard?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yali could no longer laugh and quickly shut her mouth.

After a two-second pause, he murmured, "Then, should we pay the workers more wages?"

Chen Fan glanced at her. "You think you can just give more money like that? Do you know how much the workers at the Luohu handbag factory earned a month when they first started? 28 yuan!"
It was only after Boss Zheng Keming strongly suggested implementing piece-rate wages and obtained the consent of the company's manager that the workers' enthusiasm increased, resulting in a monthly wage of around 80 yuan.

Although this is a special zone within a special zone, basic rules still apply. There may be no company manager here, but salary plans still need to be approved by the industrial park management committee and must maintain a balance with other companies; salaries can't be increased arbitrarily.

Zhou Yali widened her eyes. "Can't I even get a raise?"

Chen Fan hummed twice and continued walking forward, saying, "You still have a lot to learn about management, young man."

Zhou Yali glared and chased after him, "What young man? I'm the older sister, I'm older than you, little kid!"

Chen Fan: "Don't try to talk like a southerner, you Northeasterner."

Zhou Yali: "My ancestral home is in the east, and I grew up in Chinatown. There are many Cantonese and Fujianese people in Chinatown, so I can be considered a southerner."

Wang Jianguo followed behind, his face full of dilemma. The two bosses were arguing. Should I still make the introduction?

Just as he was hesitating, he finally heard Chen Fan's voice, "Are those eight buildings up ahead the factory?"

Wang Jianguo quickly ran over, pointed to the buildings in front, nodded and said, "Yes, these eight buildings are all factories. They were all built according to the plan you designed at the time, using the industrial building model that is popular in Hong Kong. However, the floor thickness and floor height are higher than those in Hong Kong."

Manager Ye also had an assessment done; I heard it was done by an American company. As long as heavy machinery isn't brought in, ordinary clothing, shoes, bags, electronics, and electrical appliances can all be brought in without any safety issues.

The eight buildings are symmetrically distributed, with four on the north side and four on the south side. In the middle is a four-lane road, and on both sides of the road are flower beds made of cement bricks and stones, with newly transplanted shrubs and trees planted in the flower beds.

The brand-new building, the clean roads, and the two rows of flowerbeds full of greenery made for a very pleasing sight. Chen Fan listened intently and suddenly said, "I think I hear a machine starting up?"

Wang Jianguo looked ahead and said with a smile, "Oh, they must be debugging the machine."

He paused for a moment, then explained, “Since last month, machines have been coming in almost every day. Sometimes they are industrial sewing machines from garment factories, and sometimes they are machines from shoe and bag factories. These are the two main types now, and they are mostly purchased from China.”

He pointed to a building to the north and laughed, "That building is the production building of the garment factory. The two thousand industrial sewing machines inside come from several different factories in China, one of which is Yunhu Machinery Factory."

Their people are also the most enthusiastic. Every time they come, they talk about my past experiences in Yunhu, and say that as long as it's a product from Yunji Factory, no matter what the problem is, I can contact them; they'll provide a lifetime warranty.

Chen Fan chuckled. The share from Yunhu Machinery Factory was within his expectations, but he didn't expect that Yunhu Machinery Factory would provide a lifetime warranty.

I don't know if this is a promise to all customers, or a special favor given just because of me.

If this is a promise made to all customers, then the current factory manager, Mr. Xue, is indeed someone to be admired.

Based on this alone, Yunji Factory might actually have a chance to catch up with Yunqi Factory and Electrical Factory.

I'm afraid I'm just overthinking it.

Wang Jianguo pointed ahead and asked, "Want to go in and take a look at the machine?"

Chen Fan turned to look at Zhou Yali, "Do you want to continue watching?"

Zhou Yali clapped her hands and laughed, "That's good enough. Besides, I can't understand those machines anyway."

Chen Fan smiled, nodded, and said, "Okay, then let's do it this way."

Then he gestured, "Let's go back."

In the lobby on the first floor of the office building, there was actually a reception desk. Behind the modern counter, two pretty young women in their early twenties sat, and they immediately stood up to greet people when they came in.

With Wang Jianguo leading the way, there was no need for registration. He casually waved and introduced the two receptionists, "This is Ms. Zhou, the company's big boss, and this is Mr. Chen, Ms. Zhou's cousin and an important consultant for the company. Please remember him."

The two quickly bowed and greeted her, "Hello, Miss Zhou, hello, Consultant Chen."

Chen Fan and his companion nodded with smiles, and then, guided by Wang Jianguo, headed towards the elevator.

He then lowered his voice and asked, "When did you give me the title of consultant?"

Before Wang Jianguo could speak, Zhou Yali laughed and said, "I arranged it. Aren't you a professional consultant? Why don't you be a consultant here too?"

Chen Fan's face fell. "How did I become a professional consultant?"

Zhou Yali counted on her fingers, "Let's not even talk about the veterinarians in Lujiawan, they're full-time. What about the health consultants and production consultants? And what about the health consultants, technical consultants, and management consultants from Yunhu Machinery Factory, Yunhu Electrical Appliance Factory, Yunhu Automobile Factory, and Yunhu Cotton Mill? You can count how many consultants there are."
Furthermore, I've heard that many organizations wanted to hire you as a consultant, but you turned them all down. How could you refuse? Isn't being a consultant great? You don't have to work, and you still get paid well.

Chen Fan rolled his eyes. "What nonsense! I didn't take any consulting fees last year, okay? What you're talking about is all from the past."

Wang Jianguo had already pressed the elevator button. He followed the two inside and then pressed the button for the 8th floor. After they finished talking, he whispered, "You don't want consulting fees from domestic companies because you're worried about the impact, but you can take the consulting fees here. Anyway, you're relatives, so you don't care about this little bit."

Zhou Yali nodded gently as she listened, then nudged Chen Fan with her elbow. "Brother, how much is a reasonable consulting fee for you? Just name your price, and I won't haggle."

Chen Fan shook his head helplessly and glanced at her. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who's short of consulting fees?"

Zhou Yali curled her lip, "It seems it's actually not bad."

Wang Jianguo stood in the corner, blinking in confusion. Could it be that Dr. Chen was so rich that he didn't even care about the capitalist's sister's money?
The elevator quickly reached the eighth floor, the doors opened, and the three people filed out.

Directly opposite the elevator lobby was another receptionist.

Only one person was assigned here.

It must have been someone downstairs who called here. As soon as the three of them came out, the young woman quickly stood up, bowed, and greeted them, "Hello, Ms. Zhou, hello, Consultant Chen, hello, Manager Wang."

Wang Jianguo immediately stepped forward, about to speak, when the door leading to the inner office area was pushed open, and four people came out one after another.

Walking at the very front was a curly-haired, bespectacled office lady in a business suit.

Behind her was another successful career woman.

The next two are middle-aged men in their thirties or forties.

Upon seeing them, Zhou Yali immediately opened her arms wide, "Sister Yufeng, Sister Xiaoying, I missed you so much!"

He first hugged the two women, then waved and greeted the two men behind him, "Brother Yadong, Brother Liyuan."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Ye Yufeng grabbed her hand and said irritably, "Miss, are you so desperate that you just left us here and refused to come over?"

Then, ignoring her, he turned to look at Chen Fan not far away, scrutinized him carefully for a moment, a glint of something in his eyes, and walked straight over. He generously extended his right hand and said with a smile, "Hello, Young Master Chen, I am Ye Yufeng. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

According to the old custom, starting from Chen Fan's mother, all the members of the Ye, Fang, Liu, and Ma families must call him "Young Master".

Chen Fan shook hands and smiled, "There's no young master here, just call me by my name."

Ye Yufeng smiled and said, "Your position in the company is consultant, so how about I call you Consultant Chen?"

Chen Fan shrugged. "Okay."

He then shook hands with the other three people, and that was how they got to know each other.

Ye Yufeng pointed upstairs and said, "Your offices are on the top floor. I'll take you there."

After saying that, he pressed the elevator button.

Chen Fan and Zhou Yali had no objections, especially Zhou Yali, who was very excited as she had never seen her own office before.

The group then went up from the eighth floor to the ninth floor.

(End of this chapter)