Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

When Li Feng heard someone knocking on the door, he responded directly towards the door.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged man of about forty years old walked in. He was wearing a slightly worn blue work uniform, his hair was neatly combed, and he was holding a folder in his hand.

"Director Li, hello." The visitor said respectfully.

Li Feng recognized him; he was Liu Min, the head of the factory's infrastructure department, a meticulous and conscientious older colleague.

"Oh, it's Section Chief Liu. Please have a seat." Li Feng stood up and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Would you like some tea? I just brewed some."

"No, no, Director Li, I just came to report to you on my work." Liu Min quickly waved her hand, appearing somewhat reserved.

He only sat on half of the chair, opened the folder in his hand, and placed it in front of Li Feng.

"Director Li, it's about the first batch of welfare housing for our factory. The main construction has been completed, and we are now doing the final interior decoration and finishing touches on the exterior. It is expected that... at most another half month, it will meet the delivery standards."

Welfare housing!
Upon hearing those three words, Li Feng's spirits lifted.

He kept this matter in his heart.

Back when he was just a mid-level painter, the factory launched a welfare housing project, and he was already eligible to apply.

Now that he is a deputy factory director and deputy secretary of the Party Committee at the level of a full-fledged division chief, the matter of allocating housing is naturally a done deal.

He looked down at the blueprints and documents that Liu Min handed him; they were floor plans and floor layouts for the newly built family apartment building.

The project consisted of eight six-story red brick buildings in a unified Soviet architectural style, which were considered top-notch at the time.

"Are all the apartment layouts the same?" Li Feng asked, pointing to the blueprints.

"They're basically the same, both are two-bedroom, one-living room layouts, around 60 square meters, with a separate kitchen and bathroom, as well as heating and hot water supply. The only differences are the floor and orientation," Liu Min explained.

Li Feng nodded, his fingers tapping lightly on the drawing.

He had no concerns about his status. Since he had made so many contributions to the factory and was the head of the factory, it was only natural for him to choose the best house.

"What belongs to you, you shall be yours."

With that thought in mind, he scanned the blueprints and quickly locked onto a building with the best location and no obstructions in front or behind, then pointed to a unit on the fifth floor.

“This is a good location.”

The third floor is neither too high nor too low, offering the best natural light and a wide view.

Liu Min glanced at it and immediately understood. She quickly wrote it down in her notebook: "Okay, Director Li, I'll reserve room 301 in Building 2 for you."

"Hmm," Li Feng responded, then steered the conversation back to what he, as the factory manager, should be concerned with: "What are the plans for allocating the housing this time?"

This is Liu Min's main purpose in coming today. The real challenge lies in how to divide the houses once they're built, and this is where conflicts are most likely to arise.

"Director Li, I was just about to ask you for instructions." Liu Min's expression turned serious. "According to past practice, the ranking is mainly based on factors such as seniority, rank, technical title, family size, and whether both spouses work."

"The factory office has drafted a preliminary scoring guideline, and we would like to ask you to review and make your decision."

Li Feng took the detailed rules and read them carefully. The rules were very detailed and well-considered, showing that a lot of effort had been put into them.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The general direction of these detailed rules is fine. Let the factory office implement them according to these regulations. Openness, fairness, and impartiality are the basic principles." "All eligible employees can submit applications, and then they will be scored and publicized uniformly to be subject to the supervision of all employees."

“Okay, I understand.” Liu Min nodded.

Li Feng put down the documents, leaned back slightly in his chair, interlaced his fingers on the table, and his gaze became deep.

"However, I have another idea."

Liu Min immediately straightened her back and listened attentively.

"In this housing allocation, under the condition of equal points, priority should be given to employees of the old factory." Li Feng's tone was not heavy, but every word conveyed an undeniable force.

"Old factory employees?" Liu Min was taken aback, somewhat puzzled. Logically speaking, these houses were built by the branch factory and should have been prioritized for the branch factory employees.

Li Feng noticed his confusion and patiently explained, "Section Chief Liu, you need to understand that Wuxing Ceramics Factory is a whole. The branch factory is newly established, and many key personnel and experienced masters were transferred from the old factory."

"They left their familiar environment and made great sacrifices for the construction of the branch factory."

"More importantly, there is a large number of veteran workers at the old factory who have dedicated their lives to the ceramics factory and are either about to retire or have already retired."

“They still live in old bungalows from decades ago, and the conditions are very poor. Now that we have a better life and have built new buildings, we must not forget these old predecessors who helped build the factory.”

"We prioritized them not only to solve their practical difficulties, but also to show all the factory workers an attitude—Wuxing Ceramics Factory will not forget any meritorious contributor! This is called winning people's hearts, no, this is called uniting people's hearts."

"And most importantly, when the welfare housing was first built, it was intended for the old factory workers."

These words deeply shocked Liu Min, and even caused a fine layer of sweat to appear on her forehead.

He was only thinking about how to distribute the houses smoothly and avoid any trouble, but Li Feng was thinking about using the housing distribution to unite the hearts of the entire factory and enhance the prestige of the entire leadership team!

This vision and perspective are even more far-reaching than those of Director Zhu!
"Director Li, I...I understand!" Liu Min's voice was trembling with excitement. "You've thought of everything so thoroughly! I was really...shortsighted before. With this, the experienced workers at the old factory will definitely feel very warm inside. In the future, if our factory needs their support in any way, they will absolutely help without hesitation!"

“That makes sense.” Li Feng nodded with a smile. “Go and talk to Director Jin in the factory office and ask him to add this to the allocation plan. Then post it out as soon as possible so that everyone knows this good news.”

"Yes! I'll take care of it right away!" Liu Min stood up with great enthusiasm, as if she had received a military order, and quickly walked out with the documents in her hand.

He knew perfectly well that once Li Feng issued this instruction, his prestige throughout the factory, especially among the older workers, would instantly reach its peak. A twenty-one-year-old young man possessing such shrewd political skills and a compassionate heart for his subordinates was truly terrifying and admirable. (End of Chapter)