Chapter 88: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The day passed quickly, and at 5 PM, which was the official end of the workday at Factory 760, the workers began shutting down their machines. However, unlike usual, they didn't hurry to leave. Instead, they gathered around Zhang Jianguo's lathe, eager to see the outcome of the bet between Zhou Ming, the capitalist, and Zhang Jianguo.

Watching the crowd grow, Su Han, who had come to accompany Zhou Ming after lunch, pouted in displeasure. "These people are so annoying. They didn't have the courage to wait here all day like you did, but now they're here to watch the excitement when it's almost over."

Zhou Ming smiled nonchalantly. "You can't really blame them. The factory's work still needs to be done; they couldn't just stop production for a whole day because of my bet. And didn't you only come here after lunch too?"

Su Han rolled her eyes at Zhou Ming. "That's because you gave me tasks to do!"

Zhou Ming was about to tease Su Han a bit more when Zhang Jianguo's lathe suddenly stopped. Zhou Ming turned to see Zhang Jianguo carefully inspecting the mold, checking for any issues.

This was the moment they had been waiting for all day!

As Zhou Ming thought this, Zhang Jianguo finished his inspection, called for the crane to remove the mold from the machine, and then the workshop supervisor came forward to check it. He nodded to Zhou Ming, indicating that everything was fine.

At this moment, all eyes were on Zhou Ming. The workers had stayed past their usual quitting time to see the outcome of the bet. Now that the supervisor had confirmed the mold was good, it was up to Zhou Ming to see if he would honor the bet and pay up on the spot, or try to weasel out of it.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhou Ming slowly walked up to the platform beside Zhang Jianguo's lathe. He looked around and said, "I know you're all here waiting for this moment."

As he spoke, Zhou Ming also invited Zhang Jianguo to join him on the platform. Zhang Jianguo looked a bit nervous in front of so many people, but Zhou Ming reassured him with a gesture.

"Today, in front of all of you, as witnesses, I'm going to personally hand over the 500 yuan I promised to Zhang Jianguo."

With a flourish, Zhou Ming pulled out 500 yuan as if by magic, and under everyone's watchful eyes, handed the money to Zhang Jianguo.

The moment Zhang Jianguo accepted the money, the crowd erupted into cheers.

"500 yuan, he really got a 500 yuan bonus! Zhang Jianguo actually got the 500 yuan! It looks like Zhou Ming is just like his father, an honest man who keeps his word and doesn't cheat the workers!"

Some people sighed in regret. "Zhang Jianguo is really lucky. If I had been looking at the bulletin board this morning, I would've made the bet with Boss Zhou too. I can't believe the others didn't think to do it. This was easy money—500 yuan! That's almost half a year's wages for us. I really don't understand what those people were thinking."

Others were hopeful. "Boss Zhou, we can also complete four molds a day. Will you give us bonuses too?"

"Of course!" Zhou Ming replied. "But those bonuses will be part of the new wage system the factory will implement starting next month. If you can complete that many tasks every day, you can earn 100 to 200 yuan in wages. The more tasks you complete, the more money you can earn. Can you earn more money?"

"Of course we can!" all the workers shouted in unison.

In the crowd, some people tried to protest. "Don't be fooled by Zhou Ming! He's tricking you into accepting the factory's new wage system. Our base wages have been cut in half—he's cutting our pay!"

But these words were immediately shouted down. "That's because you're lazy and can't get a single task done in days. Why should you get the same wages as us? Of course, your pay should be cut!"

Some people commented on the new wage system. "I've seen the new wage system too. The floating wage can go up to 200 yuan, so even without the base wage, I can accept it! And the floating wage is added to the base wage. It's a pity it won't start until next month—I wish it could start this month."

He did it, Zhou Ming really did it! He's amazing!

Su Han stood at the front of the crowd, listening to the workers' discussions, feeling genuinely happy for Zhou Ming's success. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at him.

Zhou Ming stepped down from the platform and, together with Su Han and Jiang Xia, left the workshop. As Zhou Ming walked away, Zhang Jianguo suddenly shouted, "Long live Boss Zhou!"

His shout quickly caught on with the others, who all started chanting, "Long live Boss Zhou!"

The unified chant of the workers startled Jiang Xia. He looked at Zhou Ming in disbelief.

Jiang Xia, who had worked at Factory 760 for 30 years, considered himself a senior member of the factory. But in all his years, he had never seen a factory leader like Zhou Ming, someone who could inspire such loyalty from the workers without any prior organization, getting them to shout "Long live!" Not even the most respected old factory manager had ever received such treatment in his lifetime.

But Zhou Ming, this young man, managed to earn it so easily. 

Jiang Xia couldn't help but wonder. Moving wood to establish credibility was just a story, after all. The ancient people had simple minds, but today's factory workers are sharp and shrewd. How did Zhou Ming manage to convince them so easily, not only to accept the new wage system but also to shout "Long live" for it? This morning, they had loathed the system. What kind of magic does Zhou Ming have?

Zhou Ming noticed Jiang Xia's gaze and turned to him. "Are you surprised?"

Jiang Xia nodded dumbly. "If I hadn't experienced it myself, I wouldn't have believed it."

Zhou Ming smiled slightly. "It's not about believing or not believing. Workers will support someone not because of their high status or great power, but because that person brings them real benefits, like me giving them a wage increase."

Zhou Ming paused for a moment and then continued. "As for the story of moving wood to establish credibility, it's really about setting an example."

"Secretary Jiang, imagine why, in the morning, no matter how much we promoted it, the workers couldn't accept it? It's because no matter how much we reasoned, they had no concrete understanding of it. Only when someone actually gets the money, and they all want that money too, do they have to convince themselves to accept it." Zhou Ming said, "That's why a thousand words of reason can't compare to doing one practical thing."

Zhou Ming's final comment made Jiang Xia draw a sharp breath. It was true that this saying was common, but applying it in practice wasn't something everyone could do.

Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Ming and said, "Boss Zhou, it's hard to believe you're so young. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would've thought you were a fifty- or sixty-year-old university professor."

This comment made Zhou Ming laugh heartily. "Maybe I really am fifty or sixty years old!"

It was 1987, not thirty years later when stories of time travel and reincarnation were popular. So when Jiang Xia heard Zhou Ming's remark, he felt completely confused.

At that moment, Jiang Xia could only tell himself that Zhou Ming was joking. But even if he racked his brain, he would never guess that Zhou Ming was telling the truth. If you added his previous life's fifty-plus years, his mental age really was fifty or sixty years old.

It was precisely because Zhou Ming had memories of the next thirty-plus years that he felt more fortunate about today's events.

In Zhou Ming's memory, breaking the fixed wage system and replacing it with a performance-based floating wage was an incredibly difficult task. As he had said before, everyone has a lazy demon inside them. If I can get the same pay regardless of whether I work hard or not, why should I accept a system where I have to work hard to earn the same amount?

But fortunately, everything went smoothly today. Zhang Jianguo had stepped up at the right time, taking on this responsibility, and he had completed the task on time and with quality, making everything go smoothly. On the other hand, if anything had gone wrong, it might have ended very differently.

"Zhou Ming, is it true that the most important hurdle in reforming Factory 760 is over?" Su Han suddenly asked.

Zhou Ming nodded. "Yes, as long as we can break the fixed wage system and implement a floating wage that introduces competition, it'll be easy to increase our production efficiency. In this era when everyone's still relying on fixed wages, once our factory has work efficiency, it'll be easy to revitalize the whole place!"

Normally, Su Han would be thrilled to hear this, but at this moment, she wasn't as enthusiastic. She looked up at Zhou Ming and asked, "So you're going to leave, aren't you?"