Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1361 Happiness

Under these circumstances, Xiaowei and Chen Hui patiently stayed at the chemical plant for two days. On the afternoon of the second day, they ran away after the activity ended, without waiting for the group to return.

The key issue is that Chen Yongzhi's smug, self-important attitude is a bit annoying.

There are too many people like this. So many things have been ruined by them, and they still act as if it has nothing to do with them and are completely self-righteous.

……

"Really, there's so much chaos these days," Xiao Hong muttered.

Chen Xiao said, "The egalitarian system should indeed be abolished. In fact, it's not just a problem with the leaders; the workers also have many problems. They truly treat the factory as their own, taking everything from the factory and asking for everything, but they don't do any work. They just loaf around all day. It's no wonder things are not going well."

Xiaowei agrees with this.

When it comes to anything, they blame the factory, the government, and the country. No one ever looks for the cause within themselves. They live a life of idleness and slacking off, yet the factory and the government still expect to take care of what's rightfully theirs.

To be honest, the generation that Xiaowei's dad and his peers were truly hardworking and dedicated. Later generations of young people mostly just coasted along, collecting their wages while their minds were full of scheming, shirking their duties, taking advantage of others, and seeking benefits. There were very few who were truly committed to their work.

It's not about who's good or bad; it's just that times have changed, people's aspirations have changed, and the old systems and management methods are outdated.

The days when a little red flower or a handwritten certificate could bring excitement and satisfaction are long gone.

With the whole country focused on economic development, a commercial boom is sweeping the nation, goods are becoming increasingly abundant, and prices are soaring. To expect this generation to pursue spiritual fulfillment in the same way as decades ago is simply a joke.

Seeing others earn several months' salary by selling a pair of shoes, who can work with peace of mind?

In short, the system and management haven't kept up. Our mechanisms are just that rigid and outdated, what can you do about it?

Therefore, it is understandable that various problems and issues arise.

Just like what a certain provincial-level official said in court: "I generate hundreds of millions of yuan in tax revenue for the local area and the country every year, but I only have a little over a thousand yuan in salary. I can't even maintain the basic living needs of someone at my level. What's wrong with me taking a little?"

I don't regret it, and I would still reach out if I had to do it again.

After Chu Laochu of Tashan was imprisoned, chairmen and general managers of state-owned enterprises across the country began to receive high annual salaries. Where could he go to seek justice? Later, those entrepreneurs found ways to raise their own salaries, and who cared?

……

"We're receiving more and more documents and information about state-owned enterprises these days, and some of the conditions are quite favorable. Are we really not going to do anything about it?"

Chen Xiao looked at Xiao Wei and asked.

Xiao Wei shook his head: "I won't touch it. We're doing fine now, we have enough to eat and drink, and there are no problems with development. Why would you get involved in those things? All told, how many provinces have we covered now? How many provinces are there in China?"

We can't even handle this much, what's the point of talking about anything else? Once you touch it, you can't shake it off. We can't open this door. You only see those with good conditions, where are we supposed to get all the benefits? There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Chen Hui said, "Once you start talking, you can't stop. Who will you give face to then? We're hiring and paying taxes now, so we have some face wherever we go, and people will look up to us. Isn't that great?"

Instead of wasting time on that, why not try to recruit more people? That would be helping the government and contributing to social stability. Everything else is just nonsense.

"Stop picking at the bricks," Xiao Hong called out to the children, "Why don't we go for a walk? I haven't left the hospital for over a month."

Xiaowei's mother came out carrying Lele: "What time is it? What are you doing out here?"

Xiao Hong said, "Why don't you go stay at my sister's place for a while and get some fresh air? You guys just wander around all day without a second thought for me. You've finally made it big and you still care about me."

Xiaowei's mother shoved Lele into Xiaohong's arms, took the ring she had taken off, and walked away, saying, "Get lost! Who cares about you two? Aren't you coming back for dinner?"

Chen Xiao said, "How about we eat at the restaurant tonight?"

Xiaowei's mother stopped and thought for a moment: "Let's eat at a restaurant? That's fine. Xiaowei, keep an eye on Xiaohongdian. She just finished her postpartum period, so we can't indulge her whims. We don't want her to upset her stomach."

Xiao Wei asked, "Aren't you going?"

Xiao Wei's mother turned through the moon gate: "Why not go? Who wouldn't want to eat something delicious?"

Everyone laughed. Xiao Hong handed Lele to Xiao Wei and waved, "Let's go. I'm finally free!"

Several people, holding hands or carrying children, walked out towards Qin Xuemei Bookstore. As soon as they came out, the children started running around excitedly, laughing and playing wildly around the adults, enjoying the joys of childhood.

The lake reflected the scenery on the shore, which was all a bit gray. The willows, stripped of their leaves, stood listlessly on the withered grass, their branches no longer supple. Sparrows flitted and hopped among the branches without any cover.

The people swimming in the lake have long since disappeared, and even the number of people fishing has decreased significantly.

The old men playing chess under the tree, carrying large teacups, were also wearing hats.

A gust of wind blew, and everyone felt a chill. Winter is coming soon.

"Uncle, won't this freeze in winter?"

"freeze."

"Can we go play on the ice?"

"Sure, what do you want to play?"

"Do you have a sled? A spinning top? Bamboo planks?"

Seeing Xiaowei keep shaking his head, Wang Yan was a little disappointed. She frowned as she looked at the water, looking worried: "Why is there nothing here? What are we supposed to play with? Sigh, how are we getting by?"

Chen Xiaohui asked, "What's a sled?"

Beibei said, "I know that if an adult holds onto it while I sit on it, I can run on the snow."

Wang Yan said, "I don't need an adult to hold me up. There are poles, so I can skate by myself. It's so liberating to skate on the ice. My grandpa has done it for me before."

Beibei and Chen Xiaohui looked at Wang Yan with admiration and longing, thinking how amazing she was.

Chen Hui said to Xiao Wei, "The environment in which children grow up really has a big impact on them. These three are from different places: one from the countryside, one from a county town, and one from the city. That's where the difference comes in. Wang Yan knows and understands more than my son and Bei Bei. She's also more sensible."

Xiao Wei said, "Bei Bei was raised by Sister Gui Fang and her maternal grandmother when she was little, so she didn't have access to these kinds of things. But Xiao Hui, we should let him go out and play as much as possible in the future, let him play with everything, so that he won't complain about us when he grows up."

Chen Hui nodded, looking at his son and saying, "Take them out more often when you have free time. Do you know how to make a sled?"

Xiao Hong said, "He can even make things like a one-legged donkey. When we were little, we made them all by ourselves. Who cared about that? I can even nail together a sled."

Xiao Wei glanced at Xiao Hong with a smile: "If you can't thread the wire through, you'll cry."

Xiao Hong laughed and kicked Xiao Wei: "Who told you to bully me?"

Chen Xiao looked at Xiao Hong and Xiao Wei, then at her sons: "It feels like it's great that they've gotten married after growing up together. They have so many memories to share, and talking about them brings back so many happy memories. It's a blessing."

Chen Hui said, "That's easy. Our son is all grown up and will be the happiest. He can choose any of these three."

Thank you to Wenrunruyu, Youtaotai, Backpack0991, Anni's Dad, Qingqinglushang, Xiao Cui, and Tianya (I can't type the symbol here), and many other friends for their generous donations. I wish all my friends a happy new year with abundant wealth and all the best.

I've been a bit lazy lately due to the Chinese New Year holiday and also because I've been preparing for my new book. I can't honor the extra chapters for donations right now, but I'll add them to "Old Tales of Maple City" in a few days. Yes, it's been almost twenty years, and the book will be finished in a few more days.

My next book will be published in the city, mainly about entrepreneurship, the times, and men and women. I hope everyone will continue to support Lao Ning.

(End of this chapter)