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

A few words about Chapter 277

In the No. 2 Steel dormitory, the open space between the buildings was crowded with people who had been called down by Zhou Jianguo and Kong Laosan. There were also many people upstairs, peering down from the balconies and windows.

There must have been at least two or three hundred people, all curious about what was going on.

"Isn't this Zhou Jianguo? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. He said he had something to say about being laid off."

"Oh, did the factory change its mind?"

"It's not his place to inform us if we change our minds. Besides, how can we just change our minds like that?"

"Zhou Yi from their family is doing really well now. He was even on TV last time. Could it be that he spoke up for us to the boss?"

"Forget it, what can the police do about things in the factory?"

"Stop guessing, just listen to what he has to say."

Looking at the densely packed heads, Zhou Jianguo's heart pounded wildly. He had always been a man who didn't have much of a say in things.

I used to listen to my parents, after marriage I listened to my wife, and at the factory I listened to my boss.

Even when the family divided their property, whatever the second son's family said went.

To put it nicely, someone like him is an honest person.

To put it bluntly, he's a good-for-nothing, with no ability and no opinions of his own.

He felt that a simple, down-to-earth life was good enough.

He had never encountered, nor imagined, that one day he would be surrounded by so many people, all waiting for him to speak.

Although I had spoken harshly to my son this morning, I still felt a bit panicked when I actually faced this situation, and I had an urge to run away.

"Zhou Jianguo, is it almost done?" Kong Laosan asked, holding a washbasin and a spoon.

Zhou Jianguo nodded, then gritted his teeth and stood on the flower bed, looking at the dense crowd in front of him.

He steeled his resolve. His son was so outstanding, even appearing on television; how could he, as his father, embarrass him?

"Is everyone here? Well then, I'll... say a few words." Zhou Jianguo cleared his throat and raised his voice.

Everyone was watching him, eager to hear what he had to say.

"The factory announced the layoffs yesterday, everyone should be on the list, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Then let me tell you, this isn't over! It's not just us who will be laid off!"

These words caused an uproar, with everyone asking if it was true or not.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Zhou Jianguo, did you hear something from somewhere?"

"Don't worry about where I heard it from, I would never lie to you. But what I want to tell you is that we all need to face the facts and stop dreaming. Ergang is finished! It's hopeless!"

Zhou Jianguo was one of these people. If his son hadn't analyzed things for him, he would still be immersed in the fantasy that the difficulties were only temporary and that the factory would solve them sooner or later.

Everyone who doesn't want to face the harsh truth doesn't want to be woken up by someone else.

But he needs to wake them up now, otherwise they'll just have to wait to die.

Zhou Jianguo said loudly, "I joined No. 2 Steel when I was nineteen. At that time, No. 2 Steel had just been established, and I was one of the first batch of workers to enter the factory. My father advised me to go to No. 1 Steel. His exact words were, 'The new factory is very tough and not as comfortable as the old factory.'"

“I said: I’m not afraid of hardship. I’m a steelworker. I’m proud and honored to see No. 2 Steel Plant getting better and better. I’ve contributed to the construction of No. 2 Steel Plant.”

Among the crowd, some people secretly wiped away tears. In that era, many people had a strong sense of collective honor and belief, regarding their workplace as half a home and themselves as a part of the workplace.

“I understand that the factory is facing difficulties and wants to lay us off, and I am willing to comply with the arrangement. But they can’t just ignore our lives. I have worked for Ergang for thirty years, and now that I’m old, I can’t even afford to eat. Is that fair to us?”

Immediately, the crowd was outraged and shouted that it was unfair.

"Yesterday, when the layoff list was announced, the personnel department officials didn't mention anything about how to handle the resettlement compensation or the back wages. They just said the factory would find a way. What way? How to solve it? When to solve it? They didn't say anything. What are they doing? They're playing a fool! I, Zhou Jianguo, will be the first to object!"

"I, Confucius, will not agree to this!"

“That’s right, we all disagree!” shouted the crowd.

"My son is about to take the college entrance exam, how can he go to university without money?"

"My mom is still in the hospital, and we need money for everything."

“Our family’s food will run out by the end of this month, and I’ll have to borrow money to eat next month.”

Everyone chattered away.

Zhou Jianguo raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "The factory said there's no money in the account, there's nothing we can do. So I want to ask everyone, where did our No. 2 Steel's money come from before? Did it grow on trees?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Did you find it on the street?"

Everyone shook their heads frantically.

"Money doesn't come out of thin air; it comes from selling the steel we produce."

Everyone nodded frantically. "So the factory isn't short of money, it just doesn't have cash. The money's been sitting in the warehouse for a long time. That steel is our wages, our resettlement compensation!"

“I don’t want to argue about why the steel coils can’t be sold. I’ve never been a leader, so I can’t just make things up, right? But if the factory is short of money, shouldn’t it be thinking about how to sell those tons of steel coils in the warehouse? If the steel coils are sold, everyone’s resettlement compensation and wages will be paid. Steel coils lying in the warehouse won’t magically turn into money.”

Someone upstairs said, "Old Zhou, what you said makes sense, but if those people in the sales department were capable of selling, they would have sold it already. Why would we be here worrying about it?"

"Exactly, if they could sell it, they would have done so already."

"Besides, we can't exactly use steel coils as collateral. We can't carry those things, and they're not really of any use to us."

Everyone started talking at once.

Zhou Jianguo took a deep breath and shouted, "They can't sell, but I can!"

"Really?" Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

“Zhou Jianguo, we all know each other well. You’re just a forklift driver. Where did you get the connections to sell steel coils?” a middle-aged man couldn’t help but shout.

"Yes, that's right. I, Zhou Jianguo, am not very capable, but my younger brother, Zhou Jianye, is. He owns his own company in the south and is a big boss. He knows a lot of people, and even foreigners do business with him."

Zhou Yi made him say these words because Zhou Yi was well-versed in human nature and knew that no matter how much they talked, in the end it all came down to strength and status. Without the latter, the former was just a mirage.

So we need to use a tiger's skin and raise a big flag.

Thanks to my mother's years of "publicity," most of Ergang's neighbors knew that my third uncle was doing business in the south, but no one knew the specifics.

Zhou Yi knew that relying on his father alone was not enough, since his father had neither background nor prestige, so the key was his younger brother, who was the "big boss".

Whispers immediately broke out among the crowd.

"I think I heard Zhang Qiuxia mention it, saying that he was doing quite well in the south."

“I heard their father mention it last time.”

“I think I saw her last time, with Zhou Yi from their family. She was dressed quite elegantly.”

Zhou Jianguo said, "My younger brother Jianye has already found a factory in the south that needs steel. As long as the leaders of No. 2 Steel are willing to agree, and as long as the quality of our steel coils is up to standard, we can sell a batch of steel coils. I dare not say how much money we can make, but I can guarantee that at least we laid-off workers will have food to eat and will be able to get our resettlement compensation back!"

"Really...really?" Upon hearing that they could receive resettlement compensation, everyone was skeptical.

"Will the factory leaders agree to this? They have a whole repertoire of excuses they can come up with," someone asked worriedly.

Zhou Jianguo knew they were tempted. Just as his son had said, in this situation, giving them a glimmer of hope would be their lifeline.

"Of course they won't agree easily! Just like you said, they'll find all sorts of excuses, saying they need to report to their superiors, saying they need to hold a meeting to discuss it," Zhou Jianguo shouted again, raising his voice. "So, we can't let them keep trying to fool us. We have to make them give their opinion on the spot, otherwise nobody's leaving!"

"However, this is not something I can do alone. I need you all to come with me, the more the better!"

Zhou Jianguo raised his arms and shouted, "Fellow workers, No. 2 Steel was built brick by brick by us. It may fall under the wheels of time, but it cannot fall into the memories of every No. 2 Steel worker! We have not let No. 2 Steel down, and No. 2 Steel cannot let us down!"

“That’s right! Old Zhou is right!” someone shouted. “This matter cannot be left like this.”

"Yes, why should steel coils sit in the warehouse gathering dust while we have to starve at home?"

"That's right, sell the steel coils to get money and pay everyone's wages!"

More and more people responded, venting their dissatisfaction and emotions.

"Old Zhou, tell us what we should do next. We'll all listen to you!"

"Yes, you decide what to do, and everyone will listen to you!"

Zhou Jianguo knew that, as his son had said, the first step had been successful.

"Go find your laid-off coworkers in your respective workshops and tell them to meet at Gate 3 at 10:00 AM tomorrow. We're going to go to the factory leaders together and demand an explanation. Either let us sell steel coils, or give us back the money we owe everyone! The more people, the better!"

The crowd was immediately excited and shouted repeatedly.

Kong Laosan, holding up his model worker certificate, shouted, "If they don't agree tomorrow, I...I...I'll hang myself at the factory director's office door!"

Zhou Jianguo grabbed Kong Laosan's hand and pulled it away. "Stop acting like you're going to die. We're here to solve problems, not to risk our lives."

Then he said to everyone, "No one is allowed to bring any weapons tomorrow, and no one is allowed to cause trouble. If anyone brings weapons or starts a fight, then even if we are in the right, we will be in the wrong, understand? Everyone knows what Zhou Yi does, right? Don't make things difficult for Zhou Yi later, we are all his elders."

Everyone nodded and agreed, all saying they would never do anything reckless.

Some people were curious: "Wasn't Old Zhou a pretty tough guy before? Why is he so principled today, actually taking the initiative to speak out?"

"You don't understand, do you? It's his son who gives him that confidence. If you had such a successful son, you'd definitely be more confident than him."

"You know, we've watched Zhou Yi grow up since he was a kid. How come we never realized he was so promising when we were younger?"

Zhou Jianguo recalled that in the morning, when Zhou Yi was explaining to him step by step how to proceed at the noodle stall, he mentioned inciting everyone to demand an explanation.

Zhou Yi said, "Dad, although you should encourage everyone to go and demand an explanation, you can't actually go in the end."

Zhou Jianguo was confused by his words: "What do you mean? I don't understand what you're saying."

　Thank you to Huo Huo Huo for the 27 monthly tickets, and thank you to all the other readers for their monthly tickets.

　　Thank you to Uncle Liu from next door - BC for the three 1666 reward points.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)