Chapter 61: Assignment

Since the five representatives were chosen by the workers, they must have some outstanding qualities. Upon hearing Li Xian's proposed salary model, they immediately realized the "harsh" aspects of the system.

"Bullshit! Isn't this just changing from a communal eating system to separate dining? Those who can work more get to eat more, and those who can't get less? You're just creating internal divisions!"

"Oh, so you want to break us apart and then deal with us one by one? Let me tell you, we're not buying it! Want to change the salary system? No way!"

After Yang Hongshan explained the new salary mechanism, two people immediately jumped up in strong opposition.

Li Xian was not surprised by this reaction. Both of these speakers were older, with one being a soon-to-retire veteran from the sales department. The new salary mechanism directly harmed their interests.

Under their influence, the remaining three representatives looked hesitant and conflicted. They wanted to say something but eventually kept their thoughts to themselves, showing their attitude through silence.

Li Xian understood the situation. He whispered to Wang Zhiye, and when he saw her eyes light up, he stepped back.

As Yang Hongshan was fuming from the opposition of the two old-timers, Wang Zhiye stepped forward. "I think this matter concerns the interests of the entire tile factory. Although you five were elected by the workers, it's better to consider everyone's opinions on this issue. How about you pass on the salary mechanism to the workers, let them discuss it thoroughly, and then we'll go to the tile factory tomorrow for a vote among all the employees to see what everyone thinks?"

This suggestion allowed the representatives to find no fault with the proposal. After discussing among themselves, they returned to the courtyard and explained the new salary mechanism. The crowd immediately became chaotic, with various opinions flying around.

Watching the previously gathered crowd start to disperse into smaller groups, Li Xian had a rough idea of the situation. The drastic change in the salary system caused a lot of discussion, and since no clear conclusion was reached, people decided to go home and think it over before returning.

At this point, the commercial bureau staff finally wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

Li Xian then turned to the curious Wang Zhiye and smiled, telling her about Xu Chaoyang's invitation to dinner at the retirement home.

Wang Zhiye had originally planned to spend the holiday with her grandfather, but was delayed by the tile factory issues. She ended up spending less than an afternoon at the retirement home during the National Day.

After informing her superior and declining Yang Hongshan's invitation, the two of them left together.

After two busy hours, they finally arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative across the street. Li Xian suddenly slapped his forehead.

He had originally come out to buy groceries!

Hastily buying supplies with Wang Zhiye at the cooperative, Li Xian quickly rode his motorcycle back to the retirement home.

On the back seat, Wang Zhiye adjusted her hair, which had been messed up by the wind, and patted Li Xian's back.

"Hey!"

"What's up?" Li Xian didn't turn his head.

Seeing his back, Wang Zhiye, with concern, asked, "Do you think the new salary mechanism will pass tomorrow's vote at the tile factory?"

Li Xian still didn't look back. "Do you think I made this salary system arbitrarily? The tile factory is relatively new, and most of the workers are around thirty years old. These people actually want to earn more. The main resistance comes from the older workers, but there are only a few of them in the factory. According to the new salary mechanism, as long as people work hard, their earnings will be considerable. The younger workers will understand this. Just wait and see, the vote will definitely pass tomorrow."

Feeling Li Xian's confidence, Wang Zhiye couldn't help but smile. "You've got so many clever ideas."

"Ha!" Hearing the compliment, Li Xian slowed down, glanced back, and said, "What, are you attracted by my ever-present wisdom and charm?"

Seeing his playful look, Wang Zhiye shifted her bottom away from the back of the motorcycle. "You're so full of yourself! Even the frogs in the ditch are more appealing than you."

"Oh, you cheeky girl!" 

Turning around, Li Xian applied the front brake of the motorcycle. The sudden deceleration made Wang Zhiye, who was unprepared, lurch forward, and her forehead bumped against Li Xian's back. 

Her already sore forehead now felt like it was being drenched in hot pepper water.

"Ah!!"

"Haha, hoohoo…"

Hearing her painful cry, Li Xian burst into hearty laughter.

...

At the retirement home, Wang Lin and a few others had completely missed lunch. Seeing that the chef was already preparing dinner, Wu Shengli was furious.

"That brat Li Xian said he'd buy cooked food; does he think he's gone to raise pigs?"

Zheng Weishi, reclining in a rocking chair, said weakly, "Damn it, he probably wants to starve me to death so he can inherit my good tea leaves."

"Could something have happened?" Wang Lin, who had just gotten off the field, was worried. He had argued with Sun Dazhi earlier in the morning, and now Li Xian hadn't returned, making him fearful of retaliation.

At that moment, the familiar sound of a motorcycle approached, and Li Xian, with Wang Zhiye behind him wincing in pain, entered the courtyard.

The old men quickly got up and surrounded them. As they were about to express their displeasure about Li Xian missing the dinner invitation, they saw the big bruise on Wang Zhiye's forehead.

Upon learning about the recent troubles at the commercial bureau, everyone lost their sense of humor. 

Especially Xu Chaoyang, who was aware of the tile factory's contract issues. 

In fact, contracting such a township enterprise to individuals was not new in the south, but in the northeast, particularly within the forestry bureau, it was still a new experiment. The southern regions had local government leadership, but the forestry bureau itself was a production unit, making many things difficult to handle.

Thus, the contract for the tile factory was issued with the intent of being a pilot project. Xu Chaoyang had specifically instructed the commercial bureau to handle it carefully and coordinate all aspects.

Hearing about the employees' protest at the commercial bureau, Xu Chaoyang was drenched in cold sweat. It wasn't until he learned that Li Xian had resolved the situation and provided a solution to stabilize the workers that he began to relax.

Regarding Li Xian's salary mechanism, Xu Chaoyang, ever astute, quickly recognized its merits.

"This method is good! Linking employees' income directly to their job performance will definitely have a motivating effect. The clear job goals, along with the layered target breakdown, will facilitate the achievement of organizational strategies, which fits the current situation at the tile factory. Furthermore, considering personal performance in employee income will create internal competition, making it easier to manage the factory."

Li Xian smiled at his analysis.

This salary mechanism wasn't originally his invention. The differential piece rate system was proposed by American economist Frederick Taylor in 1895 and had been used in Western countries for over a century.

As he pondered how much China still needed to catch up, Xu Chaoyang assigned him a task.

"Tomorrow, you go to the tile factory. Handle the situation there!"