My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 315 Let's see who's really making the wedding dress.
This made Wei Dong feel guilty.

This may be why he never becomes arrogant after making a little money.

They knew the power of the iron fist of dictatorship.

Being able to sit there calmly without jumping up is the result of two years of training.

In this respect, Wei Dong is similar to Shen Laosan, who trembles whenever he sees the government, while Dong Xueying is much more stubborn.

Wu Shengyun, on the other hand, seemed to have a habit of disregarding rules and finding loopholes in his nature. He was not a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the underworld), but a true businessman.

But these people in front of me are definitely soldiers; their decisive and tough demeanor is impossible to conceal.

Fortunately, there were no collar insignia, which allowed Wei Dong to glance at the fully armed guards standing at the conference room door behind him, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

I was also a little puzzled. You've already hidden it so well, why are you still putting on airs?

There aren't that many class enemies, imperialists, or enemy agents sabotaging us.

Factory Director Zhao also took the lead in standing up to greet this group of people who came in a great hurry: "This is Comrade Wei Dong, who is also a pioneer in reforming Xishan Optical Instrument Factory and Shangzhou Industrial Park. He has been helping us with the sales of titanium ingots and has effectively ensured the stability of our factory's income and expenditure. This is... Commander Geng."

Wei Dong clearly noticed that he paused when introducing the other person, without mentioning their position.

Knowing full well that there was a principle of confidentiality, they certainly wouldn't ask any more questions and shook hands with the other party's outstretched hand: "It's a pleasure to meet you. I just happened to be here to exchange some information about the service industry."

To his surprise, the other person held his hand and wouldn't let go, practically pulling him to sit down at the table: "I've heard about Comrade Rang for a long time, which is why I kept urging Lao Zhao to contact you so you could come and share some of your reform experience with us."

Wei Dong suddenly realized why Lao Zhao had been so happy ever since the price of titanium "rose" to over 50,000 and he was shipping five tons a month. But then he suddenly started urging him to come here around the Spring Festival, and once he arrived, he wasn't very enthusiastic about starting any business.

The real problem lies elsewhere: "Is the survival situation of this factory really that dire?"

Actually, you can get a sense of it just by looking at the exterior. Hongguang Factory now has a monthly sales revenue of more than 200,000 yuan, and several vehicles are out on long-distance trips.

Old Zhao and his group weren't exactly dressed smartly, but at least their clothes were brand new and neat, about the same standard as those in a prefecture-level city dozens of kilometers away. Some of them were even wearing jeans.

The people coming in now are almost all wearing old military uniforms, the kind that are worn out and faded, with collars still buttoned up tightly, and even patches on the elbows.

The difference in complexion is even more pronounced.

The relaxed Hongguang Factory workers were calm and composed, but the visitors were serious and anxious; at first glance, you might really think they had come to arrest someone.

It's truly heartbreaking: "Our main project has been under construction for eighteen years, and we've only reached the stage of installing some equipment. Last year, it was suddenly halted, and the goal that everyone has worked so hard for over eighteen years is now stuck there. We're guarding the project... and we need to eat!"

To Wei Dong's surprise, the Xishan factory had also started construction more than 20 years ago, but it usually started production within one or two years.

The buildings at this time were not complicated; brick walls, wooden beams, and blue tiles were sufficient. Military products were also not complicated; they were mostly handmade products, demonstrating that human effort can overcome nature.

But he never expected that there was still a project here that hadn't been finished for eighteen years...

Of course, in his opinion, the efficiency of such a third-tier factory was not particularly high. To borrow a common meme from watching short videos in later generations, we are all trying our best to live.

It sounds touching, but in reality, each situation needs to be analyzed individually.

He wasn't emotional; he was just really impressed.

The investment in the Third Front factories was huge, but at least the Xishan and Hongguang factories still produced output.

This side is just investing from beginning to end, isn't that a bottomless pit? "What... are you producing? It's highly classified, I don't deal with secrets."

He wasn't curious at all, but it would be even stranger if he didn't express it.

As expected, the other party said no without hesitation: "This involves national defense and security, so we definitely can't say. What we want to know now is whether there are any ways to improve our economic conditions."

It's somewhat similar to kneeling down and giving you a chance to beg, the tone is very sincere, but the nature is roughly the same.

Wei Dong was speechless. At least the Xishan factory, which was located along the railway line, dealt with man-made lines. But this third-line factory, located along the river, had completely lost its social attributes.

But he could understand that mindset of not having figured things out yet.

They're still stuck in the high and mighty world of government employees, not bothering to get down to earth and fight it out in the market.

In fact, most of the third-tier factories, and even the state-owned factories that underwent reforms in the 1980s, went bankrupt for this very reason.

They had long been fed by the government and had lost their wild instinct to forage for food on their own.

"Well, I don't know if you have an office or store in Jiangzhou like Hongguang Factory. It's not that these places can make a lot of money, but at least they have a channel to communicate with the outside world. How much do you know about the external situation? Are you clear about the strength of economic system reform?" Seeing the other party shaking their head in confusion and looking wary, it was clear that dealing with them was not easy.

The problem with titanium ingots is that they are a special metal. If they were stainless steel or something similar, Wei Dong wouldn't have any psychological burden at all.

Now, patiently explain: "First of all, this is my work ID, certified by the Fifth Ministry of Machinery Industry as the deputy director of a third-tier factory. Secondly, I have no intention of inquiring about what your factory or project is responsible for, so I can only offer a few non-specific suggestions."

The other party still took his work ID and examined it carefully, very meticulously.

But I mainly listened attentively to what he said: "Last year I went to Beijing to attend the economic reform conference. I don't know which department you belong to. Xishan Factory belongs to the Fifth Ministry of Machinery Industry. From the conference and our work, we felt that the Third Front factories would definitely be shut down completely. Not only did the international situation not need the Third Front model, but more importantly, there was no money."

Wei Dong thought he was just stating the facts, but it turned out like he'd stirred up a hornet's nest. Some people on the other end changed their expressions drastically, and others stood up excitedly: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The country needs us..."

It took immense self-discipline to swallow the project name.

Commander Geng's face was also taut and contorted.

Wei Dong was startled and immediately realized that he had stabbed him in the heart. It could be said that he had overturned the other party's values, destroyed all his beliefs, and sacrificed decades or even a lifetime of beliefs.

This step... Old Cheng and the others at Xishan Factory probably went through it before they sent Wei Dong to the factory to make cheap cameras. Old Zhao and the others hadn't fallen into the worst situation yet, and Wei Dong was tricked into starting sales by chance.

Only these guys, who were only suspended from work last year, experienced such a precipitous halt to production...

Wei Dong was urged to be as sincere as possible: "The reason for reform and opening up is that the economic structure could not support it, so we had to change our approach. Many third-tier factories should have started to ask themselves to make a living several years ago."

Old Zhao nodded quickly in confirmation: "Yes, we received the document in 81, were reminded to confirm it in 82, and were officially weaned off in 83. Old Geng, you even comforted us back then..."

Seeing the other person's even more pained expression, I thought, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all."

You can imagine that back then there was a sense of superiority that he hadn't been laid off. But when the wave of layoffs came later, followed by the wave of store closures under e-commerce, and the wave of restaurant closures during the era of masks, Wei Dong suddenly realized that these were all repeating themselves!

So he reached out and pressed down on the other person's hand, then poured his sincerity into it: "Just like children in a family, you must always believe in your mother, but each child should also try to grow up and earn a living to support the family, instead of just staying at home drinking milk. What I mean by this is only one thing: give up illusions and try to find a way out."

He's only twenty years old, but he speaks like he's an old man.

Without waiting for a response, he took the snacks from the bag on the table and distributed them: "I just came from the ferry and saw a lot of construction vehicles parked there. If possible, they should all be organized to go out and form transportation companies to make money, instead of all of them being parked there and scrapped. The drivers are just sitting around playing cards and wasting their money. Policy changes are not a reason to lie on our laurels and sleep soundly."

"Secondly, what I originally proposed to Hongguang Factory was to take advantage of the relatively good wild environment here to raise livestock on a large scale, set up a food factory to make products such as spicy chicken nuggets, or even raise pigs."

Then someone else jumped up and scoffed, "How could that be? We're in the field of scientific research and technology, how could we possibly raise pigs!"

Wei Dong said helplessly: "The economic model that has been running for so many years is now stuck, you understand? It's like a big truck getting stuck on a narrow mountain road. If the road is widened, it can move forward, but in the process of widening, the whole truck may rust and become unusable. At this time, the whole truck should save itself as soon as possible, disassemble itself and do whatever it can, so that it can be reassembled and run when it has not lost its value."

As he spoke, he tore open a small package and started chewing: "You can all try it. The transportation company I'm talking about is one that ordinary people might have a hard time organizing to find work in the market, but we can guarantee that. Several vehicles from Hongguang Factory were also involved before... No wonder you haven't been running long-distance routes quietly for the past two months. Once the pressure to survive is gone, you've started to become lazy again."

You really can't expect state-owned factories to be full of enthusiasm, especially after that spirit of hard work is shattered by the realities of the market economy. They'll just feel like they've been bullied and deceived.

This is the reaction of most of the people in front of me.

The people at Hongguang Factory, on the contrary, felt embarrassed but also somewhat relieved.

Wei Dong couldn't help but threaten them: "You've really forgotten the pain once the wound has healed! You only forgot about last year when you couldn't sell them and were only selling them at low prices? What will you do if you can't sell them again?"

At this moment, Commander Geng also tore off a piece and began to chew, slowly asking, "What kind of practices does this chicken and pig food factory have? How can it be converted into economic benefits?"

Wei Dong patiently advised, "Try it on a small scale first. If it works, then scale it up on a large scale. Our camera sales company can help you set up a sales company to sell the products."

Someone at the Hongguang Factory muttered to themselves, "We could set up a sales company and sell them ourselves."

Wei Dong was more than happy to agree: "Alright, alright, you can set up your own sales company. I won't participate since the contract is expiring."

The men's expressions immediately changed, and Old Zhao quickly tried to smooth things over: "The transportation contract is still in place, it's still in place. The motorcade only wants to stay in the city to transport goods for the project, which is indeed a bit lazy. I will criticize them and sign a new sales contract."

The store lease contract was signed last year before the Spring Festival, and it has indeed expired. Wei Dong saw that these guys really wanted to get rid of this agreement.

But looking at the serious and weathered commander over there, I felt a little reluctant to do it.

Perhaps sensing the goodwill in Wei Dong's eyes, the commander suddenly asked, "Engineering transportation? What kind of engineering? Can we, as engineering corps, do engineering?"

Wei Dong was stunned.

These days, the construction industry is probably the most volatile sector!

(End of this chapter)