Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 158 Utopia Never Ends (Bonus Chapter)
In the courtyard of Utopia, Yu Donglai was a complete outsider. He was summoned from Xushi by a phone call and did not know why he was there.

But he trusted Shen Rui, and at worst, coming here for a bowl of cold noodles would be nice.

Looking at Zhai Da in the crowd, Yu Donglai sighed, "I never expected that the young couple I met once before would become the top scorers in the college entrance examination. You didn't say they were such good students back then!"

Shen Rui chuckled dryly, thinking to himself, "I didn't know that back then either!"

The other one wasn't even a student at the time.
Yu Donglai said, "This place must be quite profitable, right? I saw a couple hundred people leaving after school just now."

"Yes, it's quite profitable for students, more than most people here imagine."

"So today?"

"Today we invite you to witness the power of role models."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It was still in the waiting hall, and it was still Zhai Da and Shen Rui.

"Distribution according to work and common prosperity for those who get rich first is not about sharing the same pot of rice, much less about egalitarianism. You still need to be able to distinguish who does more and contributes more."

"That's natural. Among everyone, I'm number one, Wu Yue is second, and then Lu Wei. One of them single-handedly took on the sales work, and the other is known for her top scholar reputation. As for the rest, they're all easy to talk about. Everyone works very hard and rushes to wherever there's work to be done."

"If we really have to divide it, I'd take 30%, Wu Yue and Lu Wei 10%, and the remaining 50% would be split equally among the twelve of us. There might be some differences between them, but it's all roughly the same. Do you think that's reasonable?"

Ultimately, they were talking about a "distribution mechanism," not an "incentive mechanism." Utopia will dissolve eventually, so there's no point in keeping anyone in suspense to motivate them. It's pointless to compare the twelve people again.

Shen Rui laughed and said, "What's the point of talking about what's reasonable or unreasonable? Your choice of common prosperity is already unreasonable in today's market. Besides, profit distribution is one thing, but the power of speech and decision-making is still 100% in your hands. You can decide what's reasonable."

Zhai Da scratched his head: "The main problem is that there are too few people and the company is too small. Otherwise, I think we need a sound mechanism to truly achieve distribution according to work. This time, let's start with something simple. This is my first time as well, so I don't think anyone will have any objections."

"Yes, but there's still a long way to go, and I believe you'll have countless opportunities to 'get acquainted' with it in the future."

"So confident in me?"

"When you make this choice, even if you fall down one day, the people around you will carry you on their shoulders and move forward."

"Can't you let me rest for a bit?"

Are you willing to accept this?

---

Inside Utopia, Zhai Dayuan and Teacher Shen Rui exchanged a glance, then smiled and addressed everyone:
“Our Utopia operated for a total of 58 days, from mid-June to mid-August. Except for a very short period at the beginning, our enrollment was at full capacity after that. Our summer intensive classes were always full, and our volunteer tutoring was in short supply.”

Inside the courtyard, Xiang You nodded slightly to himself; it must be the summary meeting, and he felt quite proud.

With a score of 403, he was admitted to Zhejiang University with the help of college application counselors. His future looks bright, but he will never forget this time.

But what happened next was beyond his expectations.

Zhai Dayue spoke faster and faster: "We have already arranged to refund the parents for the classes we didn't finish. Anyway, I've already set aside the money. In addition, I found an outsourced tax office to help with the accounting. It's a bit complicated here, so I'll just get straight to the results."

"After deducting my personal initial investment, the teaching fees paid to all teachers, the refunds to parents, and the public funds used for meals and entertainment during our regular gatherings, Utopia's distributable profit is 623 million."

This is an astonishing number: 6.23 million?

Although everyone is busy in Utopia every day, only a very few people know the general idea, let alone the exact number.

Before anyone could even register their surprise, people quickly realized what Zhai Da was about to do.

Why would a normal "boss" tell everyone how much money they've made?

Is it
Zhai Da said with a grin, "Don't be too happy yet. Although the teachers have a business relationship with us based on hourly rates, and our hourly rates are not low, I have already prepared to give each teacher a red envelope on top of the remaining hourly rate, 20,000 yuan each. We have a total of 17 teachers, including myself, Lu Wei, and Xiang You. So we need to deduct another 340,000 yuan, leaving 589 million yuan."

“We have a small company with few people and a flat structure. Everyone has multiple roles and does whatever is needed, so we can’t be too specific. I just gave an explanation based on the number of people in the company. Listen to it.”

"Of the 589 million, as the initiator, investor, top lecturer, and champion, I will take 30%."

"Wu Yue single-handedly took on the sales work, and he was indispensable in the daily operations as well. He gets 10%."

"Lu Wei, a top student and a gold medal lecturer, has the highest number of teaching hours in the entire school and gets 10% of the credits."

"Of course, this is my own evaluation. If you have any objections, you can raise them now."

The crowd below was stunned. It wasn't that they had any objections; it was that they didn't understand.

What does it mean that Zhai Da only takes 30%?
Shouldn't the boss take 90%?
All the profits belong to the boss because the boss bears the risks. Therefore, the boss gets all the profits, while employees only receive the value of their labor. That's what the books say!
What's more, that boss is Zhai Da!

He was the one who came up with the idea, he was the one who led everyone to build Utopia, and he was the one who made everyone's summer so unforgettable.

Lin Shuyao covered her mouth in surprise, somewhat incredulous, because according to Zhai Da's ratio, there was still 50% left.
She seemed to understand, but she still couldn't comprehend it.
However, her eyes gradually reddened, and a few tears welled up.

Zhai Da stopped looking at the crowd and instead took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it aloud:
“589 * 30% is 176.8 million, which is Zhai Da’s part, that is, my part.”

“589 * 10% is 58.9, which is Lu Wei’s and Wu Yue’s share.”

"The remaining 294.5 million will be divided equally among the twelve people, which means each person will receive 24.54 before tax."

There was complete silence and no reaction, so Zhai Da added, "What's wrong? You think it's not enough?"

Chu Xiang opened his mouth: "Is it really okay if it's not just like that?"

This statement also represents the feelings of other teenagers, who feel as if they have stolen something that doesn't belong to them, something extremely precious, so precious that they are uneasy.

In 08, the average salary in a small county town was between one and two thousand yuan, and the annual income was only about twenty thousand yuan.

What does 24.54 mean? It's more than many families' total savings, or even their total income for ten years.

Fan Junwei was somewhat taken aback, muttering to himself, "Too much...too much."

Zhai Da put the paper away, his heart pounding, but he still said, "Don't panic. We built Utopia together and managed it together, so we should enjoy the fruits of Utopia together."

My heart is pounding not because I'm nervous, nor because I'm heartbroken.

Rather, it's because men are naturally excited by "agreements and fulfilling them," something ingrained in their genes since the primitive society's organized hunting, even when it comes to fulfilling agreements with themselves.

"Do you remember what I said when I first came to you? I said that in addition to the fixed salary, we would share the profits. I didn't treat myself badly either. The investment costs were deducted first, and I also took the teaching fee and even gave myself a bonus. I still took the lion's share."

"Remember the note I put behind the blackboard? I did it in front of everyone, standing on Fan Junwei's desk. I was just keeping my promise."

Wu Yue stood with his arms crossed against a pillar, the only one standing behind Zhai Da, and the only one who knew beforehand.

I can't quite describe how I feel, but my heart is pounding.

Witnessing one miracle after another can be just as exciting.

Zhai Da, holding a megaphone, shouted, "Don't move! I haven't finished speaking!"

The boys and girls were excited, moved, or still in disbelief, but all stared intently at the figure in front of them.

Zhai Da took a deep breath, pulled out the [Young Straight Stick] from his sleeve, and raised the [Deterrence Horn].

What follows is very important, even more important:

"You are all eighteen years old, some even seventeen. Two hundred thousand yuan is a huge sum of money for you. I don't want anyone to take this money and choose to squander it or even do something wrong." "I sincerely suggest that your parents should also be involved in the discussion about how to use this money. Should it be saved, spent, or used for any urgent family needs? Of course, every family's situation is different. If you have any objections, come to me privately, and I will give you some advice."

"But my ultimate advice is to save this before you think it through. It will make you more confident and give you a more secure way out."

What he fears most is that teenagers will squander money, and this can even be used as a reason not to share the money. But it's too easy to find a reason not to share the money; even "employees won't work hard if they have money" can be used as a reason.

This is clearly not true for Zhai Da.

That's why we specifically brought out the "Young Straight Stick" and the "Intimidation Microphone" to set the tone.

Remembering that the "deterrent microphone" only works when the insults are a bit vulgar, Zhai Da added:
"Everyone, take it easy! Don't let your GPS fail you as soon as you leave Utopia, leaving you completely disoriented!"

After saying this, Zhai Da also felt a bit emotional.

Utopia is truly over, and everyone will soon be going their separate ways.

The microphone dangled beside his legs, and the straight stick was tucked back into his sleeve.

Zhai Da said calmly and sincerely.

"Some of us will soon leave this town to go to school all over the country, while others will stay in Dongyang County to start a new life."

"But everyone, we are fortunate. The next ten years or so, which almost encompass your youth, will be a decade of rapid development. The recent Olympics were a dividing line. You will see companies rise, industries flourish, and countless opportunities and pitfalls emerge."

"Observe more, think more, and practice more. If—and I mean if—you also choose to use this money to start a business in the future..."

"Perhaps you will have a different perspective when you recall what happened here tonight."

In the future, perhaps they will choose the same path as Zhai Da, or perhaps they will not.

It doesn't matter.

Doing the right thing will always be remembered, until one day it takes root, sprouts, and is passed down.

The power of role models is boundless.

Suddenly, applause erupted in the courtyard.

It was Yu Donglai, who had been observing from the sidelines.

This billionaire, who is easily moved to tears, clapped his hands repeatedly, his eyes red and he exclaimed, "Good children! Good children!"

Shen Rui told him that Zhai Da's choice was largely due to seeing him as a role model.

This feeling is hard to describe.

A big wave of your hand!
"I'll round it up for you! 24.5 is no good! 30! 30 after tax!! Is that okay?"

Zhai Da quickly chimed in, chuckling, "Great! Absolutely great! Thank you, Mr. Yu! So generous!"

The difference between 30 after tax and 24.5 before tax is quite significant!
We've made it clear, Mr. Yu!
He then gestured to the others, "Aren't you going to thank President Yu?!"

Unfortunately, people didn't play by his rules.

Chu Xiang suddenly shouted, "Thank you, Zhai Da!!"

Then he rushed up and hugged Zhai Da's leg.

"Holy crap! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Thank you, Zhai Da! Quickly toss him up."

"Stop! This chicken neck thing is never over! They're still doing this!"

"Zhai Da is awesome! Long live Zhai Da!"

"Oh, it's too high! It's too high!!"

"Fan Junwei! Use all your strength!"

"Lin Shuyao! You brat, where are you touching?!"

Watching Zhai Da rise and fall, Wu Yue finally couldn't hold back and rushed forward as well.

Shouldn't we add a project this time? Let's call it Aruba?
Amidst the absurd and bustling crowd, Lu Wei tilted her head, watching Zhai Da being tossed up and down repeatedly.

Unconsciously, a warm smile bloomed on her face, which then grew more and more cheerful, even causing her to tremble slightly as she covered her mouth.

A smile can make flowers bloom and kill all others.

Standing beneath the wall, Xu Xuejun, who had witnessed the entire scene, smiled with a hint of kindness on his face and said, "He's a real man...he didn't embarrass Master Yu..."

Zhai Da.

He once mocked his boss for not receiving any notification, but he never thought of taking action himself.

It's easy to blame others, but difficult to restrain oneself.

This time, he finally received the notification of "distribution according to work and common prosperity".

With a broad smile, Shen Rui pulled out his notebook from his backpack, his mind racing as he picked up a pen to jot something down.

Ultimately, however, it was difficult to organize into an article.

A moment later, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he simply wrote down four words.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire"

Then he wrote a "?".

　There have been many discussions regarding money and its distribution, so here are a few additional points for reference.

　　First, many readers feel that the turnover is too high. In fact, I have written the specific calculations and sources, but they are scattered in different chapters. This is for the sake of the quality of the novel. I can't expect everyone to look at financial statements on Qidian, can I? The numbers are of course idealized, but they are by no means made up.

　　Second, some readers wonder why money is being given to students who "did nothing". Here, it depends on the context. I don't think that teenagers who work hard for more than ten hours a day, handing out flyers under the scorching summer sun, overcoming their fears to do sales, learning new knowledge and skills, are "doing nothing".

　　The reason for this is that, subconsciously, "labor" has been excluded from the distribution system, especially "general labor." Many people feel that only those who "own shares" or are "indispensable" are qualified to talk about distribution, namely "capital," "resources," and "technology."

　　Labor is reduced to "force" and is no longer counted as "input".

　　In addition, Zhai Da did not give any sales commissions to anyone; these were all included in the final distribution.

　　The students were not initially positioned as laborers, but as partners, while the teachers were "suppliers".

　　Third: Utopia has completely disbanded, so the profit sharing will be particularly thorough. If it were to continue operating, it would not be so simple and crude. The core members have already taken more than 50%, and that is after deducting the input costs.

　　One last thing:
　　Novels are, of course, idealized.

　　This isn't about arguing, but about discussing with everyone. Feel free to share your opinions. Love you all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)