Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1306 is quite useful.

Chen Hui said, "Let me show you the shrewdness and resourcefulness of these state-owned enterprise executives. Look, they keep emphasizing that it's a division-level unit, and they can arrange a deputy factory director position for you."

Xiao Wei tossed the project proposal into Chen Hui's arms: "Go ahead, perfect timing. You've been in the power industry for so many years and haven't even gotten a section chief position, deputy director is good enough."

Chen Hui shook his head: "Me? I'm a bit... how should I put it? It's a mix of funny and pathetic, that's the feeling."

Xiao Wei said, "It used to be all planned economy directives. Suddenly it's a free economy, and there's no clear planning, no guidance or arrangements. How are these factory managers and directors from the planned economy era supposed to manage? It's normal to be confused, and it's not surprising that they're laughing."

Chen Hui sighed and threw the plan into the trash can: "They don't even understand the positioning. All they know is that I'm a cadre and what rank I am. They're just thinking about how I can climb up and get these people to do the business management. Haha."

They probably don't even understand what a market is. I also have a document that Sister Liu forwarded to me; it's from an old light bulb factory that wants us to purchase two million light bulbs. They say it's a revolutionary old factory, that it has made contributions and received awards, and that this is the time to test our patriotism.

Xiao Wei paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

Chen Hui took Xiao Wei's cigarette pack, sat down, and tossed one to Xiao Wei: "The situation right now is a bit chaotic, hard to understand. You think the factory is failing? Yet their office buildings and cars are all incredibly impressive."

You say the factory is broke? One salesman can spend over a million yuan a year on food. Look at the benefits and living conditions of those leaders; they're far better off than us. They can't even pay their salaries, yet they're giving out seafood and buying cars.

Oh dear, I can't imagine what the future will be like. Looking back now, it's clear you were right to say you wouldn't touch these things.

Xiao Wei said, "How would I know any of this? I just thought that if we don't understand something, we shouldn't get involved. And to be honest, I just don't want to deal with these people. The officialdom is too complicated, confusing, and exhausting."

Chen Hui nodded: "Indeed, once you're in jail, it's impossible to get out cleanly. The one in our province who was in the mining business got arrested, and he's been living the high life these past two years. He's a big private boss, well-known all over the country, and owns a lot of mines, all of which were originally state-owned enterprises."

By the way, on Sister Liu's end, another batch of state-owned factories have been removed from the procurement list. Instead of improving their technology and equipment, they bribe our procurement staff with money, just like they always have.

I estimate that in another two years, all the goods we purchase will likely be from private companies; the state-owned sector is truly finished.

Xiao Wei said, "Not necessarily, and we can't condemn them all. There are still those with vision and courage. State-owned enterprises have more resources and a stronger foundation, and they can't compete with private enterprises in terms of policy. I think no matter how you reform or change things, state-owned enterprises will still be the mainstream."

Chen Hui said, "I agree with that point. However, the biggest drawback of state-owned enterprises is that the leaders are appointed, and laymen are directing professionals. Therefore, there will definitely be ups and downs and instability in all aspects. One person determines one's fate."

Xiao Wei asked, "Aren't many places now implementing contracting and competitive hiring systems? That should improve things considerably, right?"

Chen Hui shook his head: "It's the same old trick, just a change of name. They're like this now because of problems, but they'll definitely come back to this once things develop. There's no one to do the development work, but there are tons of people who want to reap the benefits and take advantage of the situation. They're all resourceful, well-connected, and capable."

Xiao Wei clicked his tongue: "We can't control it anyway, so we should just stay out of it."

Reality quickly slapped Xiaowei in the face; you might not want to get involved, but things just keep piling up on you. Somehow, news of their return spread like wildfire, and people from all walks of life began flocking to their door, wanting to "plot something big together."

Having no other choice, Xiao Wei and Chen Hui inspected the base camp and then fled to Bingcheng. They couldn't afford to offend them, so they had to hide.

Construction is still underway in Harbin.

The project is huge, spanning several city blocks.

"In the future, when we undertake construction of this scale, we should do it in phases, piece by piece. I feel that building it as a whole will both affect the speed and increase the cost."

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui: "Why?"

Chen Hui said, "Look at this, it's been two years since the main structure was finished, and it's still not completely cleaned up. This whole area is so huge, how many workers are there? How many vehicles are there? Isn't this a huge cost?"

Xiao Wei shook his head: "The construction period will definitely be long, and the cost may be a little higher. I estimate that there won't be many opportunities for such large-scale construction in the future. Land prices are getting higher and higher now, and investing too much is risky. With more people, there will be more problems."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "Indeed. If it weren't for the military doing this, there would be a lot more work. I've noticed you're really lucky; you always seem to stumble upon the perfect opportunity."

The situation in Longjiang is more chaotic than in Liaodong. A lot of incidents have occurred around this large construction site in the past two years, but Commander Hou's forces have dealt with them all decisively. The strength of the organized crime group is evident, which has truly saved Xiaowei and his team a lot of trouble.

Under the gun, everything is a paper tiger, invincible.

Xiao Wei patted Chen Hui on the shoulder: "I've definitely had some luck, but it's mainly because of you. To be honest, without Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen, we wouldn't be where we are today, and things wouldn't be going so smoothly."

Forget about getting the military to do the work, we can't even get in touch with provincial-level construction companies; we're already in a complete mess. So we need to be extra careful and absolutely cannot cause trouble for Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen.”

Chen Hui said, "So, I guess I'm actually quite useful, huh?"

Xiao Wei gave a thumbs up: "That's extremely useful."

The industrial enterprises in Longjiang and Jibei are not on the same scale as those in Liaodong, so there are basically no problems in this regard. The government is fully committed to developing commerce, attracting investment, and carrying out urban construction, which makes things much quieter for private business owners. They can just focus on their own business.

Liaodong has too strong an industrial foundation; it was industry that made it and industry that ruined it. It has become rigid, with almost no room for maneuver.

There are also policy issues involved. In China, we tend to be very open and decisive in everything we do, with very little fine-tuning. We always do things first and then see the results, with regulations and policies being implemented only after the fact. There has never been a balance between industry, commerce, and agriculture.

Such an operation is not a big problem for the vast southern provinces, but it has a huge impact on Liaodong or the entire Northeast.

But what can we do?

The two visited leaders of Heilongjiang Province and city and discussed the development plan of the Brother Group for the next two years.

Longjiang has a weak foundation, few large cities, and apart from coal and oil, it's not particularly outstanding in other areas. Every planning and investment by the Brothers Group receives considerable attention from governments at all levels. Moreover, as outsiders, they can't easily find Xiaowei and his team to handle local affairs.

After inspecting the various branch offices, holding meetings, and listening to reports, the two of them rode off to Xidu.

(End of this chapter)