Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 257 Fate is in your own hands (Seeking monthly votes)
When Zhou Yi arrived at the No. 1 Steel dormitory, before even entering the main gate, he saw his grandfather taking a stroll.

That's how older people are; they sleep less and wake up very early.

Grandpa's health has almost fully recovered recently. Before, he would go for walks away from my second uncle and aunt to keep things quiet. Now, he goes for walks to keep himself busy, to find something to do, and to get some exercise at the same time.

"Zhou Yi, why are you here so early?"

"Grandpa," Zhou Yi said, getting off his bicycle, "I'm taking a walk."

"Yes. Have you eaten? I'll go buy you two steamed buns."

"no, I'm fine."

Zhou Yi pushed his bicycle and walked inside side by side with his grandfather.

"Zhou Yi, is something wrong at your parents' factory?" Grandpa suddenly asked.

Did my dad say anything?

"No, but I noticed his and your mother's expressions were off after they came back yesterday. And last night your dad kept getting up in the middle of the night, seven or eight times. Something's definitely wrong." Grandpa asked worriedly, "Is it hard to work at the factory? Maybe I should talk to the old leaders at No. 1 Steel and see if I can transfer my organizational affiliation there."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "First Steel is now in dire straits, just like Second Steel. It won't make a difference where I transfer them."

"Grandpa, don't worry about it. I'll talk to Dad for a bit in a bit. As long as you stay healthy, that's the greatest blessing for your children and grandchildren."

"Oh, I'm getting old. I don't know how many more years these old bones can live," Grandpa said with a smile.

"No, you must live a long and healthy life. Let's not talk about anything else, just look at your pension, it's no less than my dad's salary."

The grandfather and grandson chatted and laughed as they walked inside.

Inside the Zhou family's house, Zhou Jianguo was pacing back and forth in the living room with his hands behind his back, while Zhang Qiuxia sat at the table. Both of them had very serious expressions on their faces.

"Why are you pacing back and forth? It's so annoying!"

“We are both employed, how come we were both laid off?”

"What's the use of saying this? Think of something."

"What can I do? Can I just decide not to be laid off?"

Zhang Qiuxia's eyes lit up: "That Xiao Zhao from the ironworks, he shouldn't have been laid off yet, right? Go ask him if he has any ideas, if he's given someone a bribe, and ask him to give us some pointers. We can also give him a bribe, at least if only one of us gets laid off."

"What's the use of looking for them? They're just like us, workers too."

"At least go and ask him. Didn't he learn to drive a forklift from you when he first joined the factory? You're practically his mentor. It's better than you just wandering around here aimlessly. What if he does?"

Zhou Jianguo sighed and turned to walk towards the door.

But the door opened first.

"Zhou Yi? What brings you here?" Zhou Jianguo asked in surprise.

"I got up early, but it's too early to go to work, so I came to see you all."

Seeing her son arrive, followed by her husband, Zhang Qiuxia forced a smile and said, "Son, did you have cake when you went home last night? Xiaoshuang said she'd bring it to you."

Zhou Yi nodded: "I ate. I ate with Xiao Shuang."

Zhang Qiuxia nodded repeatedly: "That's good."

"Have you had breakfast?" Zhou Yi asked.

Zhou Jianguo said, "I'm not hungry."

Zhou Yi grabbed her father's arm and said, "It's good that you haven't eaten yet. Come out with me for a bowl of noodles."

"Oh dear, why go out to eat? It's such a waste of money. I'll cook at home myself..." Before Zhang Qiuxia could finish speaking, the father and son had already disappeared.

At a noodle shop by the roadside, Zhou Yi and Zhou Jianguo sat on small stools. The chef served them two bowls of steaming noodles, and Zhou Yi also added two pieces of vegetarian chicken, one for each of them.

"Dad, hurry up and eat, the noodles will get soggy and won't taste good," Zhou Yi said when he saw his father not touching the noodles.

Zhou Jianguo picked up his chopsticks and said worriedly, "Zhou Yi, you were right. Yesterday, the factory suddenly announced the list of layoffs, and your mother and I are on it."

"Didn't you tell Grandpa?"

"I didn't know how to say it, I was afraid he would worry unnecessarily, and Xiaoshuang was there yesterday too."

"I think you should tell Grandpa the truth later, otherwise he'll get even more anxious if he hears it from somewhere else. Anyway, you're just the first batch, there are more to come."

Zhou Jianguo was dumbfounded: "Huh? There's more? Does this mean everyone will be laid off?"

"Basically... about the same."

"How...how did things suddenly turn out like this?"

“Dad, ask yourselves honestly, wasn’t this bound to happen sooner or later? There’s nothing to do at work, and we’ve been owed wages for months. Being laid off was inevitable. It’s not like it just happened suddenly. It’s just that none of you want to admit it; you’re just deceiving yourselves.”

Zhou Yi's words left Zhou Jianguo speechless.

Just as Zhou Yi said, everyone in the factory knew perfectly well that many people just chatted and played cards to kill time at work, but no one was willing to admit it. Seeing his son so calm, Zhou Jianguo asked, "Zhou Yi, what about that company you mentioned last time? I haven't had a chance to ask you since you've been so busy."

That's how people are. Things they initially reject will resurface when they're desperate, simply because people need something to hold onto their hopes; otherwise, life would be worse than death.

"Dad, that's what I came here to talk to you about today. The company is temporarily out of time, but it won't be affected in the short term. Please listen to me..."

Zhou Yi told his father everything he had been thinking, which made Zhou Jianguo's heart pound. When he came to his senses, the noodles had indeed soured.

"Will this work? The factory won't agree to us selling steel coils, they'll say it's a loss of state-owned assets," Zhou Jianguo said worriedly.

"Who said we're going to let state-owned assets be lost? Let me ask you, when the list of laid-off workers was announced yesterday, did they mention how the resettlement compensation would be paid?"

Zhou Jianguo shook his head.

"Have you said when the owed wages will be paid?"

Zhou Jianguo shook his head again.

"So this means that No. 2 Steel has no money left to pay you. If the layoffs hadn't been announced, this matter would have just dragged on in a muddled way. But now that the layoffs have been announced, you workers are the creditors. Is it reasonable for you to demand that the factory resolve the issue of the money owed to you?"

Zhou Jianguo nodded: "That makes sense."

"But the factory has no money. Then tell me, what does the factory have?"

"Steel...steel coils and equipment."

"That settles it then. The purpose of producing steel coils is to sell them; only with the money from selling the steel coils can we pay the workers' wages. The reason the factory can't pay wages right now is because the steel coils aren't selling. If we sell the steel coils, we can pay the laid-off workers' wages."

"That seems to make sense." Zhou Jianguo's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.

"Moreover, the business that Uncle San has brought in can be handled by the steel mill directly signing a contract with the other party, and the payment can go directly into the steel mill's account without going through Uncle San's company."

"Then your third uncle worked for nothing?"

"As for Uncle's hard work fee, you can negotiate a handling fee with the purchasing party and go through a separate contract. I believe Uncle can handle it."

Besides, he had already discussed his further ideas with his third uncle, who knew exactly what he wanted to do and wouldn't be bothered by such petty gains.

Zhou Jianguo immediately became excited: "That's great! As long as we can keep selling the steel coils, the Second Steel Plant will be revitalized, and no one will have to be laid off."

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "Dad, you're so naive."

Steel coils can only be sold once; there will be no next time.

Just like my father just said, the factory will definitely accuse me of losing state-owned assets and won't allow me to touch the steel coils.

But while the factory leaders cared about these outdated and rigid rules, the leaders above them might not think the same way.

Therefore, as long as Zhou Jianguo can organize the first batch of laid-off workers and put pressure on the factory leaders, and then propose a temporary solution under sufficient pressure, the matter can be accomplished.

But there will never be a second time, and it's even less likely that, as Zhou Jianguo said, we can keep selling steel coils, revitalize the No. 2 Steel Plant, and ensure that everyone is happy and no one is laid off.

I can't be happy at all!

Once the first deal is secured, the factory leaders will have all sorts of thoughts. These include issues of other people's interests and face-saving, but more importantly, the factory leaders' value will be severely impacted.

Then it will be impossible to sell steel coils a second time. They will try every means to prevent you from doing so, even if you say you are not making a penny.

Therefore, Zhou Yi had thought it through from the very beginning: this was something that could only be done once.

But this time is crucial. If this batch of steel coils can be sold successfully, at least the immediate living problems of the first batch of laid-off workers will be alleviated.

Only in this way can he proceed with the next step of the plan.

Because from the very beginning, what he wanted was not money, but people.

People are the productive force. A group of people who have been helped to make a living by your kindness, but do not know how to live in the future, will be the most effective productive force.

Only with this productive force as a foundation can value be created and more people be mobilized.

Of course, that's a story for later; right now, the most important thing is to take the first step.

"Dad, don't think too much about it. Just tell me, can you do this?"

Zhou Jianguo's expression was somewhat conflicted.

“Dad, to be blunt, if you’re really going to chicken out and not want to be the one to take the lead, I understand. Anyway, my salary at the Municipal Bureau is decent, and we can make a living. You and Mom can just do odd jobs here and there. I’m not someone who’s after great wealth.”

"However, if you feel that you've worked most of your life and are over fifty, yet you're suffering this humiliation, and you can't stand it, then let's take a gamble. Fate is in your own hands; whether you're a worm or a dragon, you'll only know after you fly."

"However, I must remind you that I can only offer you advice on this matter, and I cannot act on your behalf. After all, I am not an employee of Ergang Steel, and I do not have the qualifications to work at Ergang Steel for thirty years."

"You'll have to handle this yourself."

"Think about it!"

Zhou Jianguo's eyes suddenly hardened, and he slammed his hand on the table, saying, "I've been a coward for most of my life, but this time my son is backing me up. Let's... let's do it!"

(End of this chapter)