Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 699 Talents are all poached

The commendation was only announced to Xiaowei and his three friends. It wasn't a big event. A few leaders from the Party Committee of the Department attended, but they didn't say anything official. They shook hands, exchanged a few words of encouragement, and then the medals, commendations, and appointment letters were issued. The whole process took less than forty minutes.

The criminal investigation team also received commendations, but they weren't combined with those from the Jixian Police Station. The leaders had their own ideas, and it wasn't appropriate for anyone to inquire.

This commendation also included a bonus: 2,000 yuan for Xiao Wei and Xiao Liu, and 1,000 yuan for Lu and Huang. In addition, the institute was specially granted two sidecar motorcycles and given 5,000 yuan in funding, which made Lu extremely happy.

The four men came out of the hall, and Lu said, "Let's find a place for the whole institute to celebrate tonight."

Xiao Wei said, "Forget it, let's not spend money outside. Let's come to my place, it's on me."

Xiao Wei said, "How about this, we'll buy the groceries, and I'll bring two chefs over. We can cook at the station tonight. That way we'll save money, and the guys on duty can have a meal together."

Huang said, "I think it's a good idea. Buying vegetables and meat and cooking it yourself can save a lot of money, and you won't have to go through all the hassle of going back and forth."

That was settled. The four of them got into their cars separately, and Xiao Wei drove straight to Zhongjie.

Today, the renovation and upgrading project in Zhongjie was completed and the house was handed over for use.

When they arrived at Chaoyang Street, the project manager from Jian'an Company was already waiting there. Xiao Wei smiled when he saw him, and the other person smiled back. The two shook hands and went into the four-story European-style old building together.

The person in charge of this project is also named Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei is the most common name in China, ranking first for nearly a century and never being surpassed. Other names like Zhang Li, Zhang Jing, Zhang Min, Zhang Yong, and Zhang Lei follow closely behind.

Top 20 Chinese people with the same name: Zhang Wei; Wang Wei; Wang Fang; Li Wei; Li Na; Zhang Min; Li Jing; Wang Jing; Liu Wei; Wang Xiuying; Zhang Li; Li Xiuying; Wang Li; Zhang Jing; Zhang Xiuying; Li Qiang; Wang Min; Li Min; Wang Lei; Liu Yang.

Zhang, Wang, Li, and Liu are the four most common surnames in China.

Legend has it that one of these names is definitely your classmate or colleague.

"The entire building has been reinforced, and some important parts have been rebuilt with steel components embedded inside. The main supporting columns have been encased in concrete with piles. I dare not say anything else about this building now, but it will definitely be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8." Zhang Wei explained to Xiao Wei while showing him the blueprints.

Xiao Wei said, "I'm definitely not worried about that. I've never been concerned about the load-bearing capacity. What I'm worried about is the aging of the walls, since we can't just tear it down and rebuild it."

Zhang Wei said, "The exterior walls were well-preserved because they originally had a cement surface. Some parts of the interior walls had aged quite severely, but now we've done wall surface repair on both the exterior and interior. Don't worry, it'll be great. I've applied high-strength white cement to the outside of the repair liquid, which will last for decades without any problems. This aging is mainly on the exterior walls; the interior won't have too many issues."

Because it is a Western-style building, the interior decoration of the entire building adopts a simple and grand Western style. The interior walls of the two lower floors have been removed, leaving only a toilet and two rooms to be used as dressing rooms and rest rooms. The rest of the space is a hall. The columns are supported by steel structures, and the exterior looks like an arched corridor with European-style sculpted pendants installed at the ends.

The entire space is illuminated by black wrought iron European-style chandeliers, one dome and one lamp, which, together with the European-style eaves relief in the dome, look quite grand, yet simple and bright.

Zhang Wei laughed and said, "I've been in this business for quite a few years now, and you're the most willing to spend money I've ever met. These things aren't cheap; they all had to be bought from eastern Guangdong. But they're really beautiful. I've even thought about doing the same thing when I have my own big house."

Xiao Wei carefully observed the windows, doorways, and corners of the walls. The problems with the baskets and hampers were all at the finishing touches.

The third and fourth floors are reserved for offices. There's a reception area right at the top of the stairs, followed by a V-shaped corridor. Xiaowei plans to move the Romantic House Food Management Company here; this will be the headquarters. The development and management of the cake shop will be handled here, while food research and development will be handled by the food factory.

After arriving, Li Wenhe will take on multiple roles, serving as an advisor to the baking school, a manager of the management company, and the head of food research and development.

"It's pretty good, there are still some minor issues with the details, but it's not a big problem. When will those over there be ready?" After looking around, Xiaowei and Zhangwei went downstairs, asking as they walked.

Zhang Wei glanced at the forms in his hand and said, "The ones in the capital will take another week, and the ones in Taiyuan Street will be slower; it'll probably snow by the time they're due. The rest are all due in the next few days. Why don't you go check on them?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "I might not have time. Let Xiao Hui go over then. Actually, taking over this part doesn't mean much to us. If we don't trust you, we won't let you do the work. How much do you make a month here? Are there bonuses or anything for doing projects?"

Zhang Wei said, "The salary is only four or five hundred yuan. There's some subsidy for engineering projects. Like yours, one project can give you about two thousand yuan, so you get more than a thousand yuan a month after taxes. What's wrong?"

Xiao Wei said, "Is there a chance for promotion? I started a real estate company and we're short-staffed right now. Why don't you come and help me? You'll be in charge of old house renovation and decoration."

Zhang Wei said, "Promotion is like the moon in the sky—beautiful, but unattainable. How much salary are you planning to give me after I come here?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's basically an independent department under the real estate company. You'd be the head, making 1,300 a month, with project bonuses on top, plus a company car and apartment. Is that okay?"

Zhang Wei said, "I definitely can't do it alone. If I'm coming, I'll have to bring at least three people with me."

Xiao Wei said, "It would be best if you led ten people. Anyway, the department is yours, you can set it up yourself. Apart from the two deputy managers for finance and procurement, you have the final say on everything else, including salaries, benefits, and bonuses. You can discuss personnel matters collectively, okay?"

Zhang Wei said, "I'll go back and ask. Actually, I'm willing to do this myself. For me, the development prospects here are better than staying in Jian'an. But this is a big deal. My family has to discuss it. After that, I also have to ask if anyone in the cost design department is willing to come with me. This job can't be done by a single person."

Xiao Wei said, "I can borrow people from the design institute for the design and cost estimation, or have them introduce people to me. It mainly depends on your ideas. You don't need to worry about the other aspects."

Zhang Wei said, "Okay, let's discuss it when we get back tonight. Is Engineer Wang starting work for you?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yeah, Engineer Wang came to help me. He's retiring anyway, so there's no point in him staying in Jian'an. You're different; you're young. If there's a chance for promotion, you should stay and work hard."

In the early 90s, elite talents from all industries were basically concentrated in government units. In the previous ten years, as long as you graduated from high school or vocational school, you could be assigned a job and receive cadre treatment.

Therefore, during this period, the only way to find talent was to poach from government agencies. There were plenty of talented people who were underappreciated and sitting on the sidelines; that's just how powerful government agencies were.

(End of this chapter)