1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 74 Okay, As You Wish

The results of the first day of trial operation were not bad, but not ideal either.

In a place like Dezhou Railway Station with an average daily passenger flow of more than 2 people, it is undoubtedly a shame for Yang Mo to sell only more than servings of Mo Mo Bai Zha in one afternoon at a very affordable price of one yuan per serving.

According to the news, the situation at Jinan Bus Station was similar, with about 380 copies; the worst was at Dezhou Bus Station, with just over 200 copies.

But for the rest of the people, this sales volume is enough to make their faces blush with excitement.

The three stores made nearly a thousand yuan in sales in just one afternoon, so the total sales for the whole day would be at least 2500 yuan, right?

That’s 7.5 a month, and nearly 90 a year, right?
Also, you have to understand, it's a rainy day today, and business is never good on rainy days. If it were a sunny day, wouldn't sales jump by 50%?

Looking at the reactions of everyone in the car, Yang Mo knew what they were thinking, but as a VC who used to work in consulting, he really wanted to tell them that their algorithm was undoubtedly YY!

But compared to this, he actually cares more about another thing now.

Turning his head to look somewhere, Yang Mo frowned. After a slight hesitation, he stood up and walked straight to the last row of the bus in the slightly surprised eyes of everyone...

………………

"What's wrong, Comrade Lu Yingying? Are you still upset about what happened this afternoon?"

Yang Mo sat down in the empty back row, then tapped Tugou's shoulder with a smile.

Since today is the first day of trial operation, facing a large crowd of people, it is inevitable to be busy and flustered - although the sales volume of more than 400 copies may not sound impressive, for a small shop with a total area of ​​only ten square meters and three unprofessional staff, it is already a workload that exceeds the carrying limit.

Thus, a scene full of the characteristics of the times appeared...

Some shop assistants worked for two or three hours straight, and were so tired that they gave up halfway.

Some people were so anxious that they cursed at customers over the phone;
Some people violated the rules by pulling frozen products into the store through the main entrance, and because they were walking in a hurry, they directly knocked down customers.

It can be said that the performance of the First Chain Store in just four hours in the afternoon was a mess...

That is to say, it is still the beginning of 89, and ordinary consumers are used to being treated like grandchildren and don’t care about these things. If it were in the future, you would be forced to close your business in minutes.

But these are nothing. Yang Mo is well aware that people nowadays have no sense of service. He has repeatedly emphasized to Tugou that for grassroots store clerks, unless the other party crosses the red line, they must always remain calm.

Obviously, classmate Tugou did it. Although there were frequent incidents this afternoon, she never acted like a market inspector and imposed severe penalties. Instead, she helped maintain order in the store. Students who have worked on this type of project should know that once the number of customers waiting for meals exceeds the limit, calming and stabilizing the emotions of the customers is much more tiring than working in the kitchen.

But what really made Tugou mad was the store manager... that is, Lao Ding, who transferred the store to Qingfeng Food and then invested 1 yuan to acquire 30% of the shares of the store.

In fact, Lao Ding was also busy at the beginning, but as time went by, as the store manager, Lao Ding suddenly stopped. He neither went to the kitchen to help with the work, nor did he help maintain order in the front hall, and he didn't even help to replenish the goods. He just wandered around the door of the store, and scolded the clerk from time to time.

Otherwise, why do people say that Tugou is a tiger girl?

Everyone saw Lao Ding's behavior, but they didn't dare to say anything because he was a store manager who owned shares, or because today was the first day of the trial operation and it was not convenient to say anything on such a good day - even Yang Mo felt that it was not appropriate to say anything to spoil the mood on the first day of the trial operation, and they had to wait until the end of the trial operation to make a separate decision.

But classmate Lu Yingying didn't have so many concerns. Taking advantage of the slightly free time, she started to criticize Lao Ding - for such a small shop, the store manager is more of a core business position than a management position. As the market inspector of the project, classmate Tugou had ten thousand reasons to criticize him and deduct ten points from his salary.

How could Old Ding, who was so humiliated and embarrassed, endure being accused by a little girl in front of so many people?

So he said something sarcastic like "those who work are exhausted, and those who watch the show are bored to death." The gist of it was that there were so many people at the scene, but they just stood there with their hands up and watched the fun, not doing anything serious. If they were all willing to come and help, why would there be such a mess?
Classmate Tugou told him righteously that people in different business lines had different job responsibilities. Among the people who came to the scene, some were responsible for publicity, some were responsible for distribution, and some were responsible for product line adjustments. Even she, a market inspector, had no obligation to help. The top priority of the First Franchise Store was to improve the business capabilities of the store staff and to improve the cooperation between small teams. If outsiders came forward to help, they would actually be harming them. If she hadn't been afraid of causing public outrage on the first day of opening the store, she shouldn't have come forward to help.

Obviously, Lao Ding simply could not accept the idea that Lu Yingying inherited from someone, so the two of them quarreled more and more fiercely, and finally even started to escalate the situation. If Yang Mo had not stopped them in time, the two might have even fought.

…………

When Yang Mo asked this, Tugou shook his head and said, "No, I'm not upset about what happened this afternoon... I actually understand why Manager Ding worked well at first, but suddenly gave up later... I also understand why he was angry... People like my dad who came from the commune era hate the most that they are working while another group of people are watching with their hands folded... In fact, if I hadn't learned so many things from you, I wouldn't have been able to stand this."

Isn't it because of this?

Yang Mo frowned, looking at the bleak girl in front of him, and asked in confusion: "Why do you look so listless today?"

The local dog is well-known for being heartless. In most cases, he also possesses some wonderful characteristics of a goldfish. Even if he encounters something unhappy, he will often forget about it in a few seconds and continue to laugh with you.

In Yang Mo's impression, this was the first time he saw this girl so depressed.

That was why he ignored other people's looks and sat next to the girl at the first opportunity.

Hearing this, Lu Yingying sighed a little aggrievedly, and then suddenly asked a very strange question: "Yang Mo, you said, when we were young, our teachers taught us... our country should still be a socialist country, and the people should still be the masters, right?"

Hearing this strange question, Yang Mo's eyes twitched twice, and he was silent for a while, and finally nodded imperceptibly: "...Yes."

Lu Yingying was not satisfied with his reaction, and continued to ask: "If the newspapers didn't lie to me, our state-owned enterprises should exist to serve the people... right?"

Faced with this question, Yang Mo was a little more confident: "Yeah!"

Seeing this, Lu Yingying looked a little uncomfortable: "Logically speaking, I am now a member of a state-owned enterprise, but... seeing everyone suffering, I can't help at all, why do I feel a little empty in my heart?"

At this point, Lv Yingying looked at Yang Mo with a strange look in her eyes: "I am just a small clerk, and a contract worker without identity. It's okay that I can't do anything, but... among this group of people, you regular workers, you capable small leaders, you see everyone suffering, but you turn a blind eye... I don't understand, are our state-owned enterprises really meant to serve the people?"

Thinking of what he saw at the train station today, Yang Mo frowned and vaguely understood something: "Girl, the country has its own difficulties, and I don't want to see so many migrant workers being repatriated... But I really can't help with this matter!"

Lu Yingying shook her head. "Although I'm dumb, I'm not that stupid. I know that so many people have livelihood problems. Our drilling company can't help much, but... I don't know why, sitting in the car and listening to everyone talking and laughing happily, celebrating how much money they made today and how much money they can make in the future... but watching so many fellow villagers outside who don't have money to buy tickets shivering in the freezing rain and have to walk dozens or hundreds of kilometers to get home, I feel uncomfortable."

kindness?
Hiking in the rain?

Yang Mo was puzzled and looked out the window full of raindrops.
then……

hiss~!

On both sides of the national highway, in the twilight, there flashed countless people carrying luggage and walking in the drizzle. These people were scattered but continuous, forming two long snakes that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The rain in early April was very cold. Although it was light, it felt bone-chilling when it got on the body. However, these people seemed not to notice it. They just walked on both sides of the national highway with a heavy and mechanical pace. Through the car window, Yang Mo could only see numb and lifeless faces.

"These people...are planning to just walk home like this?" Yang Mo asked in disbelief.

As a native of Qilu, he knew too well what it was like for people to rush to Dezhou Railway Station to squeeze into trains these days. These people were migrant workers from various regions of Qilu, and their hometowns were as close as dozens of kilometers away from Dezhou, or as far as two or three hundred kilometers away.
In that era when the road had not yet entered the village, it was normal to walk for three to five days relying only on one's legs - but you know, it is raining heavily now!

Lu Yingying gave him a strange look: "What else?"

The corner of Yang Mo's eye twitched: "But it's raining coldly now. Even if everyone didn't make any money and is reluctant to spend money now, the body is the capital of the revolution... If we get sick from the cold, wouldn't all the extra money be wasted!"

Lu Yingying looked at Yang Mo with a strange expression: "Yang Mo, are you playing dumb... These people are not reluctant to spend money, they obviously have no money to buy tickets... Do you think they don't know that they will get sick if they walk for two days and three nights like this?... Do you think they don't know how painful it is to hide under a tree on a rainy day?... Do you think they don't know that seeing a doctor is actually more expensive?"

It seemed that it took a lot of effort for Lu Yingying to calm her violently heaving chest. She said with a hint of bitterness, "Well, maybe these people still have some money left... but they need to save this money and bring it back home to make a living... They can't go out to work now. If they don't save this money and bring it back home, their whole family will starve to death!"

As if she remembered something from the past, Lu Yingying was stunned for a while, then she sighed: "Yang Mo, maybe you have studied in the big city for a few years and have forgotten what our rural situation is like... It is really not easy for men in the countryside to take care of a family... If you can save 10 or 20 yuan, maybe you can let the whole family make do with sweet potato porridge for a month. Although you can't eat enough, you won't starve to death... For these men, as long as they can keep their families from starving to death, what does it matter if they walk 100 or 200 miles and get sick?"

When Lu Yingying mentioned this, Yang Mo remembered that this was not the future era yet. Whether it was paying public grain or the three increases and five unifications, it was an enormous burden for the farmers... and this did not include the tasks assigned by the higher-ups.

It can be said that these days, for many people in rural areas, just trying their best to survive.

As for the medical conditions these days, what if you get seriously ill after being caught in the rain and cannot receive timely treatment, or if you don’t have the money to receive treatment?
Haha, don’t look at the present with the mindset of later generations.

For many people, typing GG in the large online game of life may not be a relief.

Just as Yang Mo sighed heavily and wanted to enlighten this girl.

Lu Yingying suddenly stared at the back of the car, then suddenly shouted loudly: "Stop! Stop!"

Squeak~!

The bus stopped suddenly, and the driver and everyone turned their heads, wondering what the girl was doing and why she was shouting "brake" so anxiously. Ignoring everyone's surprised looks, Lu Yingying hurriedly got out of the bus without even a word of explanation, and then ran towards the back of the bus at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.

………………

Huh~huh~!

Afraid that something might happen to the girl, Yang Mo trotted after her in the rain.

"What's going on?" Pushing through the crowd, Yang Mo stood on his knees, glanced at the woman with a panicked and desperate face, and then his eyes fell on the baby in Lu Yingying's arms.

It’s not quite right to call him a baby. This child looks to be around three years old, so he can be considered a child.

When Lu Yingying heard Yang Mo's question, she did not answer him. Instead, she carefully flipped the eyelids of the flushed baby in her arms, then held the little hands, and finally put her ear to the other's chest to listen.

"High fever, constant cough, rapid breathing, flaring nostrils, lung murmurs, and mild vomiting symptoms... I suspect it's pneumonia!" Lu Yingying, whose face was stained with some baby vomit, had a serious expression.

His father used to be a barefoot doctor in the village, so he knew some basic diagnosis.

When she heard that it was pneumonia, the mother, whose hair was still dripping with rainwater, turned pale.

"Big sister, it's really pneumonia... The kid is still young and can't stand being joked about." The mother's voice was trembling, and she stared at Lu Yingying with a look of fear and expectation, as if she hoped that this neat and tidy little girl was lying to her.

Lu Yingying first reached out to wipe the rain off the baby's head, unbuttoned her coat, held the baby in her arms, and shook her head firmly at the mother: "It can basically be confirmed that it is pneumonia... It needs to be sent to the hospital immediately for treatment, otherwise it will develop into a serious condition and it will be troublesome!"

The mother seemed to have all her strength drained away when she heard this, and despair flashed in her eyes: "What should I do? I only have eleven dollars in my pocket, and I can't even afford a ticket... I originally thought of walking back home, I would hold back and save the money to buy food for the child... But, but damn it, God... Now my child has pneumonia, how can I afford to stay in the hospital? How can I raise the money to stay in the hospital!"

After saying this, the mother seemed to have some kind of emotional breakdown. She collapsed on the muddy ground, her eyes seemed to have lost focus, and she murmured, "Oh God... why did you do this to me and my mother... why did it have to rain at this time... why didn't you let us go into the city... why didn't you let us get on the bus because we were three dollars short..."

The voice was low, hollow, and mechanical, without a trace of resentment. Mixed with the baby's rapid and weak coughs, it moved everyone who heard it.

………………

Just when Yang Mo couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to say something...

A hoarse voice came: "Big sister, don't cry, the child can still be saved... I have 23 yuan left, take it first, human life is at stake, stop a car and send the child to the hospital first."

When I turned around, I saw a wet man with a snakeskin bag on his back. He rummaged in his crotch in an uncivilized manner and took out a tightly wrapped plastic bag. He left a fifty-cent purple note and handed over the rest of the money... There was a hint of reluctance on his dark face, but more of it was a determination to do it.

"Yes! Don't worry, sister. When everyone joins, the flames rise high... I still have 17 yuan left. I'll give it all to you. We can't let this thief God take this child's life... Look at how lively the child is. How dare this thief God!?"

Following the direction of the voice, I saw an old man with a hunched body. He tore the corner of his clothes and handed over a few thin curls hidden inside without counting them.

"I'm really sorry, I can only give you six dollars and fifty cents. Please keep it first, sister. I'll help you stop a car!" This was a young man of eighteen or nineteen years old. The youthfulness on his face was still there, and the fuzz on his lips looked a little funny under the rain.

"I can still squeeze out five dollars..."

"I don't have much money on me, only three dollars and sixty cents..."

In less than three minutes, the mother's hands were filled with a small pile of whole and small bills.

The money came from strangers, from a group of strangers who were equally destitute.

Some people give everything they have;
Some people gave away half a month’s ration;
Some people, after leaving enough for the minimum living standard of their family, hand over their few dollars and then turn away in shame.

But no one stood idly by.

Scholars are the most heartless, while those who are brave and righteous are mostly butchers... In this era when social values ​​are beginning to collapse, and when one needs to carry weapons for self-defense when going out, the scene before our eyes seems so strange, yet so natural.

Looking at the pile of broken bills in her hand, the mother's eyes welled up with tears. She kowtowed and said, "Thank you, thank you, big brother! Thank you, uncle! Thank you, big brother... Even if I have to work like a cow or a horse in my next life, I will never forget your kindness."

Seeing everyone frantically helping the mother up, Lu Yingying sighed, "Okay, big sister, return the money to the brothers... I paid for the child's medical treatment... We are not rich, so it's good to save some and take it home."

When everyone heard this, they felt extremely insulted and started cursing. If the other party was not a little girl, she might have punched them.

Seeing this, Lu Yingying smiled bitterly and said, "To be honest, I am an employee of the drilling company. As a central enterprise, we have the obligation to do what is right... The government is paying for it anyway, so why should you lose money?"

After that, Lu Yingying stood up while protecting the child: "Let's go, our company has a car that can take the child directly to the hospital... Brothers, please get in the car too, I'll take you there."

Seeing Lu Yingying's look at him, Yang Mo knew what was going on. He then quietly left the crowd and walked towards the bus.

This girl lied. Although state-owned enterprises encourage people to do what is right, they generally do not reimburse the expenses... This girl obviously planned to pay for it herself and then communicate with the people in the car and the driver first.

However, Yang Mo did not take this seriously. Today's medical expenses are not as exaggerated as in later generations. Even for children with acute pneumonia, it would only cost a few dozen or a hundred yuan at most - this amount of money is nothing for the high-paid employees of a drilling company.

………………

Those enthusiastic passers-by finally refused to get on the bus and chose to continue walking in the rain.

The land and water nurture the people. Nowadays, the men of Qi and Lu, no matter how difficult their lives are, still have a kind of persistence and pride that outsiders don't quite understand.

It seemed that her thoughts became clearer. After getting in the car, Lu Yingying carefully wiped the rain off the child's body with her relatively dry shirt, and suddenly turned her head to look at Yang Mo beside her.

"Yang Mo, you said that if we apply to the company immediately after we go back, will the company send a car to take these people home?... I was watching all the way just now, and there are quite a few people with children... If they all get sick, that would not be good." Classmate Tugou's eyes were shining and his face was a little flushed.

Without even thinking, Yang Mo shook his head: "Impossible, the company doesn't have that many buses... Besides, even if the intention is good, this kind of thing falls under the jurisdiction of the administrative department. The company is breaking the taboo by taking action before receiving a request... The company leaders are not fools, they will never agree to it."

A trace of disappointment welled up on Tugou's face. After thinking for a while, he asked unwillingly, "Then let's talk to Manager Qin and Deputy Manager Jiao and ask Xintai Company to send some umbrellas or something... As long as they don't get caught in the rain, they won't get sick so easily... It would be even better if we could find a place for them to hide from the rain... Eh? I remember that Xintai Company has a plastic packaging factory in the suburbs of Dezhou. We can let everyone go there to take shelter until the rain stops."

Yang Mo looked at her speechlessly: "Sister, isn't this the same as sending a car to pick you up? How could the company agree to this... Besides, don't you see how many people there are? With so many people gathered together, what do you want to do... Do you know what this behavior means in the eyes of the competent department?"

Tugou was stunned for a while before he understood what Yang Mo meant.

I glanced at the coughing child in my arms, then turned my head to look out the window at the seemingly endless crowd, and finally looked at my colleagues in the car who were still in high spirits and the mother who was trembling with fear and only dared to lean half of her buttocks on the seat...

Student Tugou lowered his head, not knowing what he understood, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.

Looking at the pair of eyes that seemed to have lost their luster, Yang Mo suddenly felt very distressed.

As someone who has been through it, he knows very well what it feels like to have faith collapse, and he also understands what people like Lu Yingying care about more.

Thinking of the cynical expression hidden under the pretty face in the later generations,

Thinking of those eyes that were still lively but somehow less clear;
Yang Mo felt an inexplicable fire burning in his heart.

CNMD!

Just strike!
Wouldn't it just disrupt your original plan and put you in a passive position?

You have to live for something, right? You owed them so much in your last life, and now that you meet them again in this life, you have the nerve to only care about yourself! ?
Are you still a man?
………………

After a moment of silence, Yang Mo looked at Lu Yingying steadily: "Little country girl, do you really want to help them? ... If you don't do something, you won't be able to get over the hurdle in your heart?"

Hearing Yang Mo calling her by her nickname in this situation, Lu Yingying was stunned, then nodded seriously: "Yes!"

The woman who hugged my shoulders and said to me seriously: As long as I am here, you will never starve...

Yang Mo took a deep breath, and a smile of relief and indulgence appeared on his face: "Okay, as you wish!"

Lu Yingying was frightened by this expression and looked at him suspiciously: "But doesn't it mean that the company will never agree to help?"

Yang Mo smiled gently: "Indeed, as a central enterprise, some things are not convenient to be handled directly... But, have you forgotten that Qingfeng Food is not a central enterprise in nature... And I... happen to be the person in charge of the market operation of Qingfeng Food!"

(End of this chapter)