60s: I have a store

Chapter 587 The handle
Zhou Yimin lay quietly in the chair in the office. He had spent several days helping with the mass production of solar water heaters, and now he could finally have a good rest.

However, this comfortable time did not last long.

"Uncle Sixteen!" Zhou Dazhong's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, and when he pushed open the door, a smell of sweat mixed with ink came with it.

His new section chief uniform was ironed neatly, but the factory emblem on the chest was tilted to one side, obviously because it was rubbed crooked while running.

The young man's eyes sparkled, like a bunch of leaping flames: "I have caught Lao Sun's handle, what do you think I should do?"

Zhou Yimin's hand holding the cigarette paused, and the flame flickered in the blue light of the windproof lighter.

He looked at Zhou Dazhong's flushed face. He didn't expect that he was so efficient. He had been promoted to section chief for less than a month, and there were still light red marks on his neck from the tie, but he had already learned to discuss sensitive topics such as "handle" in a calm tone.

"Dazhong, do you want to be tougher or gentler?" He blew out a smoke ring, and the grayish-white mist spread between the two of them. "Hard tactics are effective quickly, but they are easy to make enemies; soft tactics are... "

Zhou Dazhong's Adam's apple rolled and he reached out to straighten the crooked factory logo.

Outside the window, the bell for the end of get off work rang. Groups of workers pushed their bicycles past the corridor, their laughter and chatter mixed with the ringing of bicycle bells.

"Be gentle." He chose his words carefully, the tip of his leather shoes rubbing against the ground unconsciously. "I just took over the position of section chief. If you push Old Sun too hard, everyone in the section will be worried. If the efficiency drops, the production target at the end of the month will be missed."

Zhou Yimin was quite satisfied with Zhou Dazhong's choice. If it wasn't for any deep hatred, the second method would be better.

He recalled his anxiety when he first became the section chief, and the personnel arrangements he repeatedly pondered late at night. At this moment, all of them turned into a faint smile on the corner of his mouth: "Let's talk to Lao Sun alone first."

Zhou Yimin added: "Bring a teacup and say you want to learn from your old colleague."

After hearing this, Zhou Dazhong reacted instantly and thanked him quickly: "Uncle Sixteen, thank you!"

The afterglow of the setting sun shone in obliquely through the air vents, casting a golden edge on the two people.

Zhou Dazhong nodded thoughtfully, a corner of the notebook in his work pants pocket appeared, with something densely written on it. Before leaving, he suddenly turned around and said, "Uncle Sixteen, if..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhou Yimin raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Don't think too much." Zhou Yimin stood up and straightened his wrinkled work clothes. The metal buttons shone coldly in the twilight. "Remember, the real handle is not the evidence in your hand, but the way to make people willing to surrender."

Zhou Dazhong nodded to show that he understood, and then returned to the office of the fifth department.

On the way back, he called Lao Sun to his office.

Old Sun still looked indifferent and followed Zhou Dazhong to the office.

The setting sun in late autumn dyed the glass windows of the section chief's office amber. Zhou Dazhong adjusted the position of the enamel pot for the third time, and the jasmine petals floating on the surface of the tea swayed gently with his movement.

When Lao Sun stepped over the threshold, the creaking sound of the metal door hinge made him look up suddenly, but when his gaze met the other person's tense jawline, he softened his gaze imperceptibly.

"Master Sun, please sit down!" Zhou Dazhong turned over the notebook beside him when he stood up, and the "Attendance Loopholes" on the scattered papers

A few words were almost exposed.

He bent down to pick it up naturally and smoothly, and quickly pressed the key page to the bottom. "I heard that you know the ins and outs of jasmine tea the best, so I specially left half a jar for you to taste."

The sleeves of Old Sun's work clothes were still stained with engine oil from the morning maintenance. He stared at the steaming teacup and his Adam's apple rolled. "I'm afraid Chief Zhou didn't come to me just to drink tea?"

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Dazhong had already pushed the cup of boiling hot tea in front of him, and the mist blurred the expressions of both of them.

"You are an old hand in the factory, and I, a newcomer, still have to rely on your guidance." Zhou Dazhong's thumb unconsciously stroked the wall of the cup.

"I was sorting out files a few days ago." He suddenly paused, noticed that Lao Sun's shoulders suddenly tensed, and changed the subject in time.

The teacup hit the tabletop with a light sound, and a hint of vigilance flashed in Old Sun's eyes: "Just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush here."

The crisp sound of bicycle bells came from outside the window. As dusk deepened, the shadows in the office grew longer and longer.

Zhou Dazhong took out a brown paper bag from the drawer. When he pushed it over, the opening of the bag opened slightly, revealing half of a leave application with his personal seal printed on it.

"Last Wednesday afternoon, you said you were going," Zhou Dazhong said in a very low voice, "but I just happened to run into you at the entrance of the textile factory."

He did not continue speaking, but just poured tea for the other person again, the tea leaves floating in the cup: "I know your daughter will take the high school entrance exam next month, and you need someone to accompany you."

Old Sun's hands suddenly trembled violently, and the scalding hot tea spilled onto the table.

He stared at the brown paper bag as if it was a bomb about to explode. He didn't expect that Zhou Dazhong would catch him so easily. However, judging from Zhou Dazhong's expression, he probably didn't want to make a big deal out of it, otherwise he would have said it out loud in front of everyone.

Old Sun could only give in at this time: "Chief Zhou, what do you want me to do?"

Zhou Dazhong got straight to the point: "Master Sun, I just want to cooperate with you so that the fifth unit can continue to operate."

Old Sun nodded to show that he understood, and left the office without saying anything else.

The 28-inch bicycle of Lijia Village Chief Li had already rolled over the bluestone road of Zhoujiazhuang. The country eggs in the basket of the bicycle collided gently with the bumps, making a tiny noise.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and braked the car in front of the old party secretary's house. The rubber tires made a harsh sound as they rubbed against the ground.

"Old Party Secretary! Are you home?" Village Chief Li shouted at the top of his voice, with dark sweat stains on the back of his coarse shirt.

The door of the main room creaked open. The old branch secretary was wearing reading glasses, holding a half-rolled cigarette in his hand, and his cloudy eyes showed doubt: "Old Li, you came so early."

"I heard that the chickens from Taojia Village are selling for a good price!" Village Chief Li didn't bother to greet people, and grabbed the enamel pot on the table and took a gulp of herbal tea. "I heard that it was Yimin who helped? The chickens in our village are ready to be released from the cage. They are shiny and plump, but we just need a good market!"

He took out a wrinkled cigarette case from his trouser pocket, shook out two cigarettes and handed them to the old secretary: "Can you please..."

The old branch secretary puffed on his cigarette, and the smoke swirled between the two of them.

The old locust tree in the corner of the yard rustled, and a few yellow leaves fell on Village Chief Li's shoulders: "Yimin went to work at the steel factory and hasn't been back recently."

The old branch secretary tapped his pipe, and the ash fell on the doorstep: "This child has a heavy burden. There are many things to do in the factory."

Village Chief Li's shoulders visibly slumped, but he immediately straightened his back and said, "Old Party Secretary, could you please inform Zhou Yimin that the chickens in our village can be released from the cages?"

His voice was full of pleading: "You know, everyone in the village is looking forward to exchanging these chickens for money."

The old branch secretary looked at the mountains in the distance and his Adam's apple moved.

Of course he understood that if he could help Lijia Village expand its sales, it would also be good for Zhou Yimin's reputation.

"I will inform Yimin." The old branch secretary pondered for a moment.

"Let you talk to Yimin about the specific matters!" "Thank you, old Party Secretary!" Village Chief Li stood up in a hurry and almost knocked over the teacup on the table.

He took out a handful of eggs that were still warm from his body and stuffed them into the old Party Secretary's hand: "These are from our own chickens. Please try them."

The two men stood at the gate of the yard and chatted for a while about chicken breeding. Village chief Li looked towards the direction of the village entrance from time to time, his eyes full of anticipation.

As Village Chief Li's bicycle gradually disappeared on the winding dirt road, the old branch secretary looked at the still warm egg in his hand and sighed softly.

He turned around and went into the house to take out the yellowed address book. His fingertips lingered on Zhou Yimin's number for a long time, and finally he picked up the phone.
Outside the yard, the autumn wind blew up a few fallen leaves, and the rustling sound hid the two villages' eager anticipation for better days.

At this time, the phone in Zhou Yimin's office rang, and Zhou Yimin answered it directly.

The old Party Secretary said, "Yimin, the head of Lijia Village just came to me and said that the chickens in their village can be released from the cages, and he wanted to ask you for help to see if you can sell them at a good price!"

Zhou Yimin didn't even think about it: "Okay, I'll go back then!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Then he took out a notebook and opened the first page. He could clearly see several names on it, including Xiao Zhao, Li Anguo,
These people have been investigated by Zhou Yimin and are found to be hardworking and have good character. He plans to divide up some of the good purchasing locations, which will also help Xiao Zhao and others.

Soon Zhou Yimin walked out of the office and called out, "An Guo, come in!"

When Li Anguo heard Zhou Yimin's call, he quickly stood up from his office. The people around him were also very curious about this scene. Why did Section Chief Zhou call Li Anguo?
A similar thing had happened before, and the previous protagonist was Xiao Zhao.

Li Anguo knocked three times with his knuckles on the door frame, and then waited by the side.

"Come in." Zhou Yimin said.

After getting permission, Li Anguo pushed the door open and walked in.

The wooden chair made a thin sound as it dragged on the tiles. When the young man sat down, his knees were spread wide apart, but the seams of his overalls were as straight as if they had been measured with a ruler.

"Have some tea first." Zhou Yimin handed over the enamel cup, with two blooming jasmine flowers floating in the tea.

Li Anguo held the cup with both hands too hard, leaving bluish-white marks on the wall of the cup with his fingertips, and the tea in the cup made tiny ripples: "Zhou, Section Chief Zhou wants to see me."

His eyes swept across the open notebook on the table and fell on the eye-catching asterisk next to his name, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Zhou Yimin saw through it and said, "An Guo, don't be so nervous. I just want to discuss something with you."

Li Anguo became even more uneasy. Did he want to transfer himself to the workshop?

After all, I haven't completed the procurement task for two months.

Zhou Yimin continued, "I have a Lijia Village in my hand. The chickens in the village are ready to be released from the cage. I want you to go and purchase them. Do you have any objections?"

Li Anguo begged for mercy: "Chief Zhou, please give me another chance. I will definitely... Chief Zhou, what did you just say?"

Zhou Yimin had no choice but to repeat it again.

After hearing this, Li Anguo went from being uneasy at first to being excited now. He had never thought that such luck could fall into his hands: "Chief Zhou, I do!"

Zhou Yimin heard Li Anguo agree and said, "Then I will take you there tomorrow. It will be up to you to discuss it with Lijia Village later."

All he can do is make an introduction. The rest depends on how Li Anguo talks with Village Chief Li.
If Li Anguo couldn't even accomplish such a simple task, it could only be said that Zhou Yimin had misjudged him.

Li Anguo quickly thanked him: "Thank you, Section Chief Zhou, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely seize it."

Zhou Yimin nodded, then waved his hand, indicating that he could leave.

When leaving the office, Li Anguo's steps were much lighter than when he came.

The draft in the corridor lifted the hem of his work clothes, revealing the collar of his washed-out shirt underneath.

The ceiling fan of the purchasing department made an annoying squeaking sound above his head. The moment Li Anguo pushed open the office door, more than twenty pairs of eyes swept over him like searchlights.

Lao Zhang's swivel chair spun around, and his eyes behind the lenses fell on the door handle that he was clenching until it turned white.

"Brother Anguo, what confidential information does the section chief want to discuss with you?" Kobayashi poked his head out from behind the partition and asked impatiently.

Suppressed laughter was heard all around, and a few old-timers exchanged glances and drew meaningful slashes on the report with their pens.

Li Anguo is not a fool. He must not tell anyone about this kind of thing, otherwise the duck in hand will fly away.

I could only come up with a random excuse: "I didn't complete the task last month, so I was called in for a talk."

Li Anguo continued: "If the task is still not completed next month, it may be transferred to the workshop."

When the people around heard this answer, although they didn't quite believe it, they didn't want to pursue it any further because they couldn't force others to say it.

Even if Li Anguo doesn't say it, you will know it by just waiting for a while.

If you were like Xiao Zhao, who was called in by Zhou Yimin not long after, you would be able to purchase one or two hundred chickens, and you wouldn't have to worry about the mission for several months.

If the same thing happens at that time, I guess many people will have opinions. After all, we are all a whole, so why only take care of Xiao Zhao and Li Anguo.

Li Anguo felt relieved when he saw his colleague was fooled. It seemed that his performance on the spot was quite good.

He couldn't concentrate on anything right now. He was just thinking about how to perform well tomorrow and not embarrass Zhou Yimin.

Before we knew it, the bell for the end of get off work rang and everyone started packing up and getting ready to leave.

However, Xiao Zhao did not leave, but came to Li Anguo.

Li Anguo was a little surprised: "Xiao Zhao, do you have something to ask me?"

Xiao Zhao didn't say anything, just put down a book and left.

Li Anguo didn't understand why Xiao Zhao did this, but out of curiosity he wanted to open the notebook.

When I opened it, I found that these were Xiao Zhao's processes and thoughts when he went to Taojia Village to purchase chickens.

Li Anguo felt as if he had found a treasure. He put it carefully into his pocket and prepared to go back and study it carefully.

(End of this chapter)