My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 309 Troops to Serve the King
With a daily gross profit of hundreds of thousands, that's practically a net worth of hundreds of millions.

Wei Dong was still driving a beat-up minivan.

That's really a bit outrageous.

But it makes perfect sense in 1985.

He didn't know that the car from eastern Guangdong hadn't been delivered, and he didn't have any other cars to drive.

But it looks simple.

Just like how he was originally an old security guard who kept reminding people that making money should be a long-term endeavor, and not to only pursue immediate gains, only to end up losing everything.

Yet it has implicitly become a far-sighted, strategic plan of a lord.

Everyone was convinced.

Xishan Factory was even more convinced.

Because the Dong sisters, under Shen Cuiyue's teasing, looked at the several large suitcases of Hong Kong businessmen tied to the roof of the car.

They haven't yet developed the habit of bringing a full set of different styles of clothes, shoes, hats, and even underwear, as well as cosmetics, when they go out.

She just grabs a cloth bag and goes out; she has even less of a refined lady's air than Wei Dong.

Moreover, Wei Dong felt he had to bring some gifts home, so he packed two hundred bottles of SOD honey, over a hundred kilograms of cooked food, several radios, and a large bag of jeans, all in the tent fabric and net bags on the roof rack of the car.

After a bumpy ride of about 100 kilometers, when we arrived at the Xishan factory, the huge headpack had a very cute, cartoonish effect.

People from the entire factory, and even from several surrounding factories, came to see the factory manager.

Three young women, each with a different expression, were playing a game of musical chairs with small butterflies in the second row, while the baby cried out in anger.

When she realized that so many faces had suddenly appeared and surrounded her, she quickly tidied her makeup.

Qin Yuye also shared her multi-functional powder puff makeup mirror, which the girls all expressed their envy of.

The poor girls from the plateau, bewildered, left the county town and didn't even stop in the provincial capital. They immediately realized how big the neighboring provincial capital was. At that time, the plateau provincial capital was about the same size as a county town in the interior.

Then, after a dramatic transformation, they went to the mountain city by the Yangtze River, but before they could even settle down, they moved to a factory in the mountains.

Fortunately, they didn't realize they were being trafficked, otherwise they would have been terrified.

Now I can only stare blankly at the enthusiastic faces outside.

Even when Director Cheng came out and saw it, he frowned deeply. "What are you doing, Xiao Reng? It's too hard."

You can't benefit everyone like this and then be so harsh on yourself.

It's practically a battle-damaged van.

The rearview mirror was tied with wire, and one side was even made of sheet metal. It was heartbreaking.

The car windows were boarded up with two panes of glass, and the paint was painted haphazardly. The things on the roof made it look like a refugee's vehicle. The deputy factory director must be living a really miserable life.

Wei Dong felt that there weren't any good cars, as long as they could be driven, that was fine.

I stopped the car cheerfully, laughing as I took a large framed photo from inside. It was a picture of the leaders of the Xishan Factory having a meeting, which the photo studio had already developed. It was a very historically significant photo.

This made Wei Dong realize that in this era of material scarcity, giving artistic photos was better than giving physical gifts.

Low cost and good results.

Manager Zhang helped him with all sorts of arrangements.

Old Cheng immediately took out a cigarette and examined the car closely, proudly sharing it with the others before asking what was going on with it.

While Wei Dong was chatting with him on the way to the conference room, Shi Tou had already climbed out of the rear window and unloaded things from the roof.

SOD honey is sold to the factory's department store for 50 cents a bottle as a symbolic charge to avoid waste.

The cooked food was directly distributed to several factory canteens, while the jeans were given to each canteen based on body size and size.

The radio cassette player was naturally given as a Spring Festival gift by several factory leaders.

Mao and the two young ladies quickly started distributing the goods.

In short, the factory dormitory area was immediately transformed into a bustling vegetable market.

But none of this could stop everyone in the factory from curiously observing the four girls.

Wearing jeans, high-top boots, and a leather jacket, Qin Yuye immediately sensed it and whispered, "When I arrived in the border region, all the young women in the county dressed up to come and see me."

Shen Cuiyue chuckled: "Thank you for your hard work!"

He would swagger around and enthusiastically greet acquaintances like workshop directors.

Dong Xueqing sized up the Hong Kong girl and admitted that she was much more fashionable than her older sister. She asked Mao'er for the dormitory key and directions, and then took the child to settle in.

Dong Xueying then expressed her sincere gratitude: "He must have many female friends who like him outside. It's all thanks to you taking good care of his work and life. No matter what happens in the future, we will always be good friends."

Qin Yuye immediately rose to the challenge: "No matter what happens in the future, aren't you two very happy? He is the most reliable and steady man I have ever met. He is reliable in his work, reliable in his dealings with people, and loyal to his family. In Hong Kong, it is extremely rare to find someone who excels in all these aspects."

Dong Xueying simply smiled and said nothing more. She gently patted the Hong Kong girl's shoulder twice, then followed her sister, leaving the opportunity for them to interact and showcase their talents.

Qin Yuye could only ask Shen Laosan about this.

Shen Cuiyue was aiming for this overall perspective: "That's right, you've said she's so good, does she deserve it?"

Qin Yuye was shocked. Was there really such a way to solve the problem?

Can such immense pressure be used to force someone out?

This is practically comparable to those power struggles within wealthy families in Hong Kong, but without the smoke of gunpowder.

Shen Cuiyue really enjoyed the feeling. She affectionately took the arm of the Hong Kong girl and introduced the characteristics of this third-tier factory: "Without us, this factory would probably have gone bankrupt and fallen into disrepair. There's another factory that's been contacting us a lot these days. We'll go check on them in a few days. We don't lack this industry. It's just a matter of who can truly grow bigger and stronger and deserve everyone's support."

An 18-year-old Hong Kong girl is already quite worldly and has her own ideas, but in terms of experience and cunning, she is still far behind a seasoned gangster who has almost died once.

I believed it, and we began to focus on discussing the production management of the denim apparel factory.

It's obvious that these jeans will be sold in large quantities after the New Year, and they might even compete for advertising opportunities on TV stations, which would require launching denim clothing and creating a product chain with more styles.

Shen Cuiyue doesn't understand the product chain, but she will encourage him: "The radio cassette player company wants to run ads, but they tried to sneak them in once. Dong Ge cares most about whether someone has betrayed you or had ulterior motives. So as long as you do a good job with the product, I will help you gather the manpower and give him a little sweet talk. You'll definitely have all the advertising opportunities this year."

Qin Yuye was spurred on by her, clenching his little fists and saying he had to keep it up.

Shen Laosan chuckled to himself.

What Wei Dong and Lao Cheng were discussing in the office was this: "A Hong Kong businessman opened a home appliance factory. They have all kinds of ready-made technologies, equipment, and production line management. I have sales channels. Then there are two other links: raw materials and components, and labor. Can the Xishan factory get involved?"

The supplier that made the casings for the radio cassette player factory immediately raised their hand and said they would fully participate. They have been making all kinds of parts and said they had already called technicians and engineers over to make a new mold for your rearview mirror, which is too shabby.

They are actually bakelite plastic products factories. Before petrochemical-grade polyethylene and polyurethane plastics became popular, the domestic plastics industry, which followed the example of the northern big brother, particularly favored this kind of plastic chemically synthesized from formaldehyde and phenol.

The solvent is mixed with powder to form a paste, which is then poured into molds while hot and allowed to dry to produce a hard and brittle finished product.

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s in China, almost all plastics were made of this stuff, especially items that needed insulation, such as light switches, hence the common name Bakelite.

Its hard and brittle properties are both an advantage and a disadvantage, and it is only natural that it was later completely replaced by petrochemical plastics.

Back in the 1980s, the major petrochemical plants in China had just started production with huge investments and hadn't had time to cover all industries. Many plastic products still had to import raw materials, which were quite expensive. Even vest pockets and resealable bags had to be imported.

Bakelite, a type of plastic that can be mass-produced cheaply, also has a significant price advantage.

Wei Dong was immediately reminded: "Sure, do a good job. I'll take it back and see if Jiangzhou Automobile Factory can help you get some parts production qualifications."

The military factory has been operating for decades and has its own technical capabilities; the key is how well it sells through distribution channels.

Even communal meals can have fragrant crispy rice crusts.

Looking ahead forty years, all kinds of production systems have a chance to survive; the key lies in the ability of the leaders.

There are so many cigarette factories across the country, and so many have gone bankrupt, but the top state-owned ones still exist.

That's what Wei Dong thinks.

Old Cheng was very satisfied: "That's right. Cameras may have a market ceiling, and we also have a technical ceiling. We can't make very complex electrical appliances, but we can provide full support to the electrical appliance factory in Jiangzhou. Besides, the car factory you mentioned is also a sister factory of our Fifth Ministry of Machinery Industry. I'll talk to the leaders for you."

Wei Dong raised his cup in a gesture of respect: "I will offer you tea instead of wine. As long as you all work together, I will definitely expand sales and markets, and ensure that everyone in the Xishan factory area can live and work in peace and contentment. I am not interested in making a lot of money here; what I want is an absolutely reliable industrial production base."

The dozen or so leaders from various factories all gave their earnest approval.

Old Cheng also took a sip of tea: "By the end of the year, we have already applied to merge the five factories into the new Xishan Industrial General Factory. State-owned assets are definitely not to be shaken, but all the sales departments of the general factory will be separated into independent sales companies, which will be solely owned by you, Weidong. This way, no matter what personnel changes occur, the overall situation will not be affected. The department has already agreed to this new joint venture model. If it is officially approved after the New Year, we will have completely handed over the thousands of employees and their families of Xishan General Factory to you to lead."

Wei Dong joked, "Do you want to retire? Impossible. You'll work for at least another ten years. These are ten years of good money. The sales system has been established and hasn't even been put to use yet. You've worked hard all your lives, so it's time to reap some rewards."

Someone scratched their head: "The factory is profitable, we can't make that mistake."

State-owned factories can pay workers extra through overtime, bonuses, subsidies, and other means, and a monthly salary of two or three hundred yuan would certainly be quite satisfactory.

However, management may inevitably become psychologically unbalanced in the face of future economic trends, as private factories can earn tens or hundreds of thousands or even more.

He was still receiving an administrative salary that was only slightly higher than that of the workers, and even when the company was thriving by the time he retired, he had nothing.

You'll break down mentally.

A large proportion of people experience financial problems before retirement, and this is the reason.

Even if they could legitimately distribute large bonuses and share the profits, it would easily cause dissatisfaction among workers.

Let Wei Dong explain simply: "Of course I know that policies and regulations cannot be touched, and it is impossible to just give them to the management of state-owned factories. But we can put our children and family members in the sales company. It's not like we're just giving them money for nothing. There are coefficients on both sides. How much contribution your factory makes, how much contribution it makes to sales, we will reflect in the sales company. The general manager of the branch that was attacked in Chengdu has already been given a salary of 20,000 yuan per year plus bonuses. I hope that our factory manager level can also reach that level in the future."

The atmosphere became so lively that Lao Cheng almost couldn't contain himself.

Paying higher wages and bonuses is always the best way to motivate a team to forge ahead.

If they still have ideals and dreams, then this team is probably invincible.

During the Spring Festival of 1985, it felt like all the teams under Wei Dong's command were eagerly anticipating and ready to fight.

(End of this chapter)