Chapter 86: The Angry Announcement

"Zhou Ming, you were amazing just now! All the leaders in our factory were stunned by you, especially Yuan Zhigang. It was like whatever you said, he immediately agreed!"

After the meeting, Su Han excitedly said to Zhou Ming as they returned to the office, her eyes full of admiration.

Facing a girl who was so completely devoted to him, Zhou Ming scratched his head shyly and said, "This is just a basic strategy of giving a stick and then a sweet date. There's nothing particularly impressive about it."

Su Han didn't agree. "Zhou Ming, you were really impressive! Those are all senior leaders of the factory. Even the county leaders couldn't make them so obedient. But now, when you sit down, they all behave like obedient schoolchildren."

Zhou Ming reached out and pinched Su Han's small nose, saying, "Don't keep saying I'm impressive. Su Han, you are the future general manager of our 760 Factory and their boss. You need to learn this strategy and be able to use it flexibly. You also need to command their respect."

"I'm afraid I can't. After all, these people have always been the factory leaders. I get scared when I see them," Su Han said.

"You have to, whether you like it or not!" Zhou Ming said forcefully. "Don't forget, you promised me that you would do your best to be a good general manager, help me manage this factory, and help it grow."

"Alright, I didn't say I wouldn't try," Su Han replied.

At this moment, they heard someone cough nearby. Zhou Ming and Su Han suddenly remembered they were in the same office as Wang Fengqin. Su Han's face turned bright red because flirting with Zhou Ming in front of his mother was really embarrassing. Especially since, due to Huang Zheng's actions, her reputation wasn't great, and Wang Fengqin was biased against her.

"Zhou Ming, come here. I need to talk to you."

Wang Fengqin called Zhou Ming out of the office and walked to a corner in the hallway before asking, "Be honest with me, do you have something going on with that Su girl?"

Zhou Ming replied that he didn't, which relieved Wang Fengqin. "That's good. Zhou Ming, remember, you're a college graduate, and now you're a boss who's returned from Hong Kong. You managed to buy the 760 Factory in just two months, so your future is boundless. Your wife must be someone who can greatly help you, so don't get entangled with Su Han."

"Mom, you already know the truth about Su Han, right? It was all Huang Zheng's slander," Zhou Ming tried to defend Su Han, but Wang Fengqin wasn't having it. "I don't care about past gossip, and I have no bias against her, but she definitely cannot be your wife!"

Zhou Ming wanted to say more, but at that moment, they saw Su Han walking down the hallway. Zhou Ming had to drop the subject and asked Su Han, "Su Han, why are you here? What's up?"

"Secretary Jiang Xia from the Propaganda Department is here. He wants to discuss the promotional plan for the wage reform with you," Su Han said.

Zhou Ming could clearly sense that Su Han was a bit downhearted. Obviously, Su Han was smart and had guessed what his mother wanted to talk about. But there wasn't much he could do about it.

At that moment, Zhou Ming really understood the dilemma that past emperors faced when they couldn't marry commoners. But the key difference was that he wasn't exactly an emperor, right? In comparison, Zhou Ming envied the wealthy, handsome men of thirty years later, who had beautiful women lining up for them, with no one to interfere.

But this wasn't the time to dwell on that. The most pressing issue was figuring out how to implement the wage reform plan.

So Zhou Ming nodded to Su Han and followed her back to the office. When Jiang Xia saw Zhou Ming enter, he immediately stood up to greet him. Zhou Ming gestured for him to sit down, and then Zhou Ming and Su Han sat across from him.

Jiang Xia handed over a notebook. "This is the draft of the announcement our comrades in the Propaganda Department prepared according to your requirements, Mr. Zhou. Please review it."

Zhou Ming took the notebook and carefully read it before passing it to Su Han and Wang Fengqin. Then he said to Jiang Xia, "Secretary Jiang, as expected from a veteran in our factory's propaganda efforts, there's nothing wrong with this announcement."

Hearing Zhou Ming's words, Jiang Xia was slightly relieved, but then Zhou Ming's next sentence made him tense up again.

"But after all, we're trying to break the old system of guaranteed income, and one announcement might not be enough to make the workers accept this new wage system," Zhou Ming said.

Jiang Xia nodded. "Mr. Zhou, you're absolutely right. Besides posting the announcement on the bulletin board, our Propaganda Department will also send personnel to each workshop to work with the workshop leaders in promoting this to the workers."

Zhou Ming still shook his head. "It's not enough. I think it's impossible for the workers to accept it with just this."

"But that's the best effort our Propaganda Department can make," Jiang Xia said. "Mr. Zhou, I think we should have some faith in our factory workers. They will support our factory's reform efforts."

"Secretary Jiang, you're being too optimistic," Zhou Ming said. "People are creatures of habit. When they get used to a certain way of life, sudden changes are hard to accept, whether the change is good or bad. Let alone this wage reform, which breaks the guaranteed income system. Everyone has a lazy devil inside them. The workers are used to the comfort of knowing they'll get a fixed wage no matter how they work in the factory. Now, suddenly, you want them to compete for wages. It would be surprising if they accepted that."

"Of course, I'm not blaming you, Secretary Jiang. I know you've done your best. What I'm suggesting is that we could try thinking differently," Zhou Ming said.

Jiang Xia was stunned for a moment and said, "Thinking differently? I don't understand what you mean, Mr. Zhou."

"It's actually quite simple to understand," Zhou Ming said. "First, why do you think we're implementing this reform?"

"To enhance the factory's competitiveness, improve its efficiency, and help it develop better, of course," Jiang Xia replied without hesitation.

"And if the factory's competitiveness improves and its efficiency increases, how does that affect the ordinary workers?" Zhou Ming asked.

Jiang Xia thought Zhou Ming's question was obvious and didn't understand why he asked, but he answered anyway, "If the factory's efficiency improves, the workers can get their wages on time. And this wage reform you proposed, Mr. Zhou, overall, as long as the workers complete their tasks, it will increase their wages."

"You say it will increase, but the workers can't see that. Not to mention ordinary workers, even the factory leaders showed reluctance when they heard about the wage reform, didn't they?" Zhou Ming pointed out.

Faced with Zhou Ming's question, Jiang Xia looked down, embarrassed. Zhou Ming continued, "So my point is, if we want the workers to accept this wage reform, shouldn't we use a more direct form of promotion?"

"What more direct form of promotion could there be?" Jiang Xia asked cautiously.

Zhou Ming didn't answer directly but instead asked Jiang Xia, "Secretary Jiang, do you like reading history?"

This question completely confused Jiang Xia, making him feel like his brain was spinning. He looked at Zhou Ming, puzzled, not understanding why the conversation had suddenly shifted to history. What did promoting the wage reform have to do with history?

Seeing Jiang Xia's confusion, Zhou Ming smiled and said, "To use history as a mirror is to understand rise and fall."

...

The next morning, the Propaganda Department posted the wage reform announcement. When the factory workers went to work and saw the announcement on the bulletin board at the factory gate, they were in an uproar. By the time Zhou Ming and Jiang Xia arrived, a large crowd had already gathered around the bulletin board, and everyone was angrily discussing the wage reform.

"How can the factory do this? How can they just change the wages like that? Look at this basic wage—it's been slashed by almost half. If we take this wage, we won't even be able to feed ourselves, let alone go to work!"

"Isn't Old Zhou from the metalworking shop the factory director now? He's a good man. He wouldn't set such a rule, would he?"

"Old Zhou is indeed a good man, but I heard that the real factory director now is his son, Zhou Ming. He's a big capitalist who returned from Hong Kong, specializing in exploiting us workers. See, now he's starting by cutting our wages! He's slashing nearly half of our pay. If he keeps this up, we might as well become farmers and grow our own food!"

"That's right! Zhou Ming is just messing around. Before the reform, the factory's efficiency was poor, and wages were often delayed, but in the end, we still got the full amount. But now, this capitalist shows up and wants to cut even the little we have!"

...

Listening to these angry discussions, Zhou Ming awkwardly scratched his nose. He never expected that he, a factory-born and raised guy, would now be seen as an evil capitalist in the eyes of these workers. Life is truly unpredictable.

Jiang Xia

, having heard these discussions, became even more worried and suggested to Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou, maybe we should go back for now. With the workers in this state, there's no way we can communicate with them. What if something happens to you?"

Zhou Ming waved it off casually, saying, "Don't worry. They're just venting their frustrations. If they're cursing at me, then everything will be fine. But if they read the announcement and say nothing, that's when I would turn around and leave."

Seeing Zhou Ming's attitude, Jiang Xia became more anxious. "Mr. Zhou, please don't take unnecessary risks. These workers are not reasonable!"

"Didn't I already explain my plan to you yesterday? Don't you trust me, Secretary Jiang?" Zhou Ming asked.

"Of course I do. I have great faith in your plan, Mr. Zhou, but…"

Before Jiang Xia could finish, Zhou Ming said, "Then it's settled. Let's go!"