Pickled long beans

Chapter 153 - 153 151 Factory Tour


153: Chapter 151 Factory Tour 153: Chapter 151 Factory Tour After a brief moment of distraction, Li Dajiang had already recovered.


At this time, Zhang Yong, carrying several bottles of beer, was walking out of the restaurant.


“Young man, you’ve got an eye for detail, very sharp.


Work hard at our factory, I see great potential in you!” With a warm face, he patted Zhang Yong’s shoulder.


Taking a bottle of beer from his hand, Li Dajiang said nothing and opened the bottle cap.


“Younger Brother Chen, the toast I tried to give you, I just had shaky hands, accidentally dropped it on the ground—that’s my bad!”


“How about this?


I’ll chug three glasses as an apology to you!”


As he spoke, Li Dajiang had already picked up a disposable cup, poured it full of beer, and downed it in one go.


Honestly, he usually only drank red wine; he felt beer was beneath his status, so he seldom drank it.


But now, one cup, two cups—without even a bite of food, he had emptied three cups on an empty stomach.


Originally thinking about finding a chance to get the shares back from Chen Hai, at this moment, in front of Chen Hai, he had completely lowered his stance.


“Elder brother, the President Ye Rongzhong you were just mentioning—I’ve only heard of his name, never seen him in person!”


“As for Ms.


Song Ling, I’ve seen her from a distance at a banquet just once.”


“At that banquet, Ms.


Song was the center of attention.


A small fry like me, she probably wouldn’t even take a proper look at me.”


“I’ve heard a bit about her and her husband, Ye Rongzhong, from a fairly well-connected leader…”


Sighing, while reflecting, Li Dajiang tentatively asked Chen Hai, “I don’t know, how do you get along with President Ye and Ms.


Song?”


“They are both very busy people, I’ve actually only met them a few times!”


Chen Hai let out a chuckle, then added, “When I left Capital City, Ms.


Ye specifically instructed me to spend more time in her stead with their daughter Ye Qingqing…”


His words were ambiguous, and if one wasn’t careful, they could easily be misunderstood.


Obviously, Li Dajiang was the kind of person who liked to overthink simple things.


“Young Master Chen, come on, let me toast to you again.


Feel free to do as you like, I’m going to down it in one go!”


This guy had obviously misunderstood big time.


Just a moment ago, it was one ‘Younger Brother Chen’ after another, and now in the blink of an eye, the title had been upgraded to ‘Young Master Chen.’


Chen Hai didn’t bother to explain too much.


Bringing up the names of President Ye and his wife, he intended to use their influence to give Li Dajiang a little nudge.


After all, in the past, his dealings with Li Dajiang had always been from a position of weakness.


When he asked for help to introduce him to his antique-dealing friend, Li Dajiang was always too busy, with no time to spare.


From around June or July, he had dragged it out till mid-September now.


Chen Hai was no fool; he could clearly sense Li Dajiang’s perfunctory attitude during that period.


If the domestic economy hadn’t been poor and the antique industry not yet thriving, thus not fetching good prices, he would have outright sold those jars and bottles to Dong Dahai from Treasure House.


Why then would he go to all the trouble of asking for Li Dajiang’s help in Yuedong?


On this trip back to his hometown, he had already brought out those jars and bottles.


If he could successfully sell one or two items at his friend’s, he intended to take the rest back to Capital City.


If Dong Dahai of Treasure House could offer a decent price, he would likely sell them outright.


If the price wasn’t right, he considered just keeping those items in his West Mountain Villa as decorations!


What exactly were the identities of Ye Rongzhong and Song Ling?


Chen Hai might not be sure, but he could sense that there was something extraordinary about them.


The deep, imposing aura they carried wasn’t something that could be cultivated without years of occupying high positions.


Mentioning them was Chen Hai’s way of using their stature to exert pressure on Li Dajiang, hoping he would put more effort into the antique sale.


After all, he was already here; he didn’t want Li Dajiang to keep giving him the runaround.


If the friend he mentioned kept being unavailable, wouldn’t that be extremely annoying for him?


It seemed that Chen Hai’s tactic was working quite well.


With Li Dajiang’s deliberate flattery, he and Chen Hai got along amicably, chatting and drinking together.


Only Zhang Yong, sitting on pins and needles, felt very awkward.


Seeing his discomfort, Chen Hai waved him off, signaling that he could leave first.


Like someone pardoned, the man vanished in the blink of an eye.


“Young Master Chen, my friend won’t be able to reach Haizhu City until tomorrow morning!”


“You must be tired from your long journey; I’ve gotten you a room at the hotel where you can rest.”


“Of course, if you can’t sleep, you’re also welcome to take a look around the factory.”


“After all, as a shareholder of Huangxin Shoes, you’re also one of the bosses.


Visiting can give you a chance to acquaint yourself with the specific details of our operations!”



After a satisfying meal and drinks, Li Dajiang insisted on settling the bill.


With a beaming smile, he extended an invitation to Chen Hai.


“Okay, I’ll listen to you, big brother.


I’ll head to the hotel first and, after I put away my luggage, I’ll join you for a tour around the factory!”


Without much hesitation, Chen Hai nodded and agreed directly.


He was indeed very interested in visiting the factory.


Even if Li Dajiang hadn’t mentioned it, he thought he would have asked about it himself.


At around 7 p.m., at Huangxin Shoes, within the factory grounds.


Although dusk had fallen, the factory was still brightly lit, and the workers, full of enthusiasm, were busy without a moment’s rest.


“In our private enterprise, we don’t practice the ‘iron rice bowl’ approach!”


“At our factory, we implement a piece-rate system.


The more you work, the more salary you get.”


“In addition, we also implement a last-place elimination system.


Any worker who ranks in the last three of piece-rate output for three consecutive months will be directly dismissed by the factory.”



Leading Chen Hai around the production workshop, Li Dajiang explained with a face full of pride.


This management approach of his had been introduced from advanced concepts in Japan.


Since the implementation of his methods, the factory workers’ enthusiasm for work had at least risen significantly.


Of course, there had also been some troublemakers who refused to follow management.


For those types of people, Li Dajiang would dismiss anyone he found without any leniency.


After all, these days, there was no worry about not being able to recruit general staff.


Countless rural surplus laborers, driven by poverty, left their homes to move south and join the wave of migrant workers.


At Huangxin Shoes, although the management was a bit stricter, the level of wages was significantly better compared to other nearby factories.


If they were to recruit workers, many people would break their heads trying to squeeze into their factory.


“I don’t know much about management, big brother, you do what you think is best.


I’m just looking around, not giving any opinions!”


Chen Hai smiled, paused slightly, and then asked amicably, “How many employees do we have here now?”


He was genuinely curious about this question.


After all, Huangxin Shoes practiced shift work.


Even from the brief glimpse he had gotten, the number of workers he saw was almost certainly not less than a hundred.


“About two hundred or so, I guess!


For the exact numbers, we’d have to ask the HR department!”


“The vacant lot on the left side of the factory grounds has already been acquired by Huangxin, and we’ve already scheduled the factory expansion.”


“Young Master Chen, I need to tell you about this in advance.


In order to expand production, the factory will not be distributing dividends for the next two years, or if there are dividends, the amount won’t be too much…”


With an apologetic expression, Li Dajiang explained to Chen Hai.


“I can understand that.


As long as Huangxin Shoes can grow and strengthen, even if there are no dividends for three to five years, I have no objections!”


Chen Hai nodded with a smile and added, “As a shareholder, I’m fine without dividends, but I should have the right to inspect the accounts!”


“Come year-end, I might have someone come over for an audit.


What do you think?”


“Sure!


You have the right to audit the accounts.


Other than you and me, the other shareholders of the company will definitely come to check the books at the end of the year too.”


“As long as the accounts are clear, then there are no issues on my end!”



As they walked and talked, Chen Hai and Li Dajiang inadvertently found themselves in the chairman’s office.


To Chen Hai’s surprise, there were other people in the office at that time.


A person in grubby work clothes, wearing a duckbill cap, sat on a stepladder.


She was installing an air conditioner.


“It gets hot here in Yuedong, and without an air conditioner, working here would be too much for me to bear!”


Upon seeing this scene, Li Dajiang chuckled and explained to Chen Hai.


When the factory had first started production, he was a bit strapped for cash.


As the chairman, he had no air conditioning in the office, but he had gotten through it.


But now, with Huangxin Shoes thriving, naturally, he wanted to make his office a more comfortable place for himself.


Chen Hai just smiled and didn’t say much.


“Miss Dong, you’re a salesperson who sells air conditioners.


Why are you, a woman, trying to prove yourself by doing this?”


“Why don’t you let your company, Li’s Electronics, send a few guys to do this?


Why must you insist on doing it yourself?”


After explaining to Chen Hai, Li Dajiang raised his head, rolled his eyes, and yelled at the person who was drilling holes in the wall with an electric drill on the stepladder.


“President Li, providing the most perfect service to customers is our mission.”


“The colleague responsible for installing the air conditioner had a minor accident and couldn’t make it, but no worries, I can handle it.”


“It’s not my first time installing air conditioners for people.


Rest assured, I’ll have it set up for you in half an hour at the most!”


Miss Dong, whom Li Dajiang was talking to, was obviously very determined.


If she hadn’t said anything, Chen Hai would have never realized she was a woman.