The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 251: Cafeteria Experience
The factory canteen was bustling with noise, almost everyone was discussing the factory's administrative upgrade that morning.

The workers also shared in the glory. The factory's loudspeaker announced that the factory's administrative standards had been upgraded, which was definitely due to the efforts of all the employees.

Some workers who didn't quite understand asked, "The factory name change sounds better, but what are the benefits of the upgraded administrative status?"
However, many junior cadres were unaware of this, and the workers were even less aware; the workers who were stumped by the worker's question simply shut up and shouted at him, "Anyway, there are benefits, why ask so many questions?"

Just then, Zhou Zhiqiang and his group walked in. After hearing what the workers were saying, Zhou Zhiqiang stepped forward and said, "Dachuan, curiosity is a good thing, and curiosity about the changes in our factory is even better."

Upgrading the factory's administrative standards benefits the entire factory in many ways. If you would like to learn more about it, please contact us.

"A few days from now next year, I'll add a few more notice boards in the factory and explain this matter clearly so that you all know."

Tian Dachuan, who had just inquired about the factory's administrative upgrade, turned around excitedly after hearing Zhou Zhiqiang's words and said, "Factory Manager... do you still remember my name?"

"Of course I remember. At the beginning of the year before last, when I was explaining the technology to the parts I was processing in the workshop, you handed me the tool. Have you forgotten?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. I just didn't expect you, factory manager, to remember as well."

"Haha, I won't say I remember all the employees in the factory, but I have more than half of their names in my head."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile that the factory expansion was too large, and it was impossible for him to remember everyone's name, especially since he hadn't been to the factory for a long time.

"The factory is very busy right now, and many people don't have any free time, but the factory will also run night schools in the future."

Da Chuan, and all of you, Master Zhang, Master Wang, I hope you all feel 'curious' about everything in the factory, and can immediately spot and question any injustices. That's how our factory will get better and better.

Seeing that some of the workers became agitated after hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang felt he couldn't say anything more, as there were leaders waiting behind him.

"Alright, that's all for today. You can eat first."

After Zhou Zhiqiang finished speaking, he turned and walked towards Deputy Leader Wu and his group. When he returned, he apologized and said, "I'm sorry, leaders, I've taken up a little time."

"A few minutes is no big deal, but what you said earlier, Director Zhou, was quite good."

Deputy Leader Li said with a smile, "Letting the workers participate out of curiosity will greatly help our socialist construction. But aren't you afraid that once the workers participate out of curiosity, they will exercise full supervision over you?"

"It would be wonderful if we could achieve that, that's exactly what I think; I walk upright and sit straight, and those who are afraid are hiding something in their hearts."

Zhou Zhiqiang immediately said, "However, it is difficult to achieve this now. The daily overtime production alone consumes a lot of the factory workers' time."

To be honest, what I was thinking about was setting up a night school at the factory; that would be more effective than just adding a few notice boards to let them know.

“But night school might be useful in other factories, but it’s not very practical in our factory. We finish working overtime every day and it’s almost midnight. We simply don’t have the energy to go to night school.”

Zhou Zhiqiang couldn't force other cadres to think a certain way, but he himself wanted to emulate the instructors.

Even if you can't learn everything, learning half of it is enough.

Upon hearing this, Deputy Leader Wu added, "Your factory needs to persevere for the next few years. Although the workers are tired, we must do a good job in logistics."

We can't let them be both tired and hungry.

Secretary Li Younian replied, "Leader, don't worry about that. Director Zhou attaches great importance to logistics. The workers who work overtime at night will have an extra meal every day, and they will be well-fed."

Now, just by smelling the aroma of the food in the canteen, you can tell that Kyushu Machine Tool Plant is doing a good job in logistics.

Moreover, Zhou Zhiqiang had previously exerted immense pressure on the factory's logistics department, demanding results and then instructing the logistics staff to carry them out.

If the workers on the front lines of production are not getting enough to eat, then the logistics department has a responsibility.

Despite this pressure, Tian Wenguo did a good job, managing to acquire a considerable amount of supplies and facilitating cooperation between the factory and more than a dozen communes for the exchange of goods.

It was because Tian Wenguo was capable and could withstand the pressure and do things so well that Zhou Zhiqiang promoted him to branch factory director.

This time, Tian Wenguo was also promoted one level, which made him extremely happy; he had been promoted two levels in less than a year, and he had encountered such great luck.

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "Boss, the food is ready, let's go in."

Deputy Leader Li Hongwen nodded and said, "Okay, let's eat first."

The group quickly walked into the private room. Some workers noticed and said enviously, "The factory manager is having a special meal. That's great! I want to eat there too."

"What are you talking about? The private kitchens in the factory have clearly marked prices. The factory manager definitely pays for it out of his own pocket. If you want to eat there, who's going to stop you?"

"That's right, Xiaohu, are you dissatisfied with the factory manager?"

"No, no, what's going on, guys? I just said I wanted some special treatment, I was being greedy, but I didn't say anything bad about the factory manager."

The worker named Xiaohu quickly explained, otherwise his fellow workers might have really punched him.

The factory's private kitchen was indeed open to everyone, and the cost price of the ingredients was only charged. The factory paid the overtime pay for the kitchen staff, which could be considered a benefit paid with the factory's money.

Everyone can eat here, but the ingredients for the special kitchen are limited, and the chef also needs to rest. There are only a maximum of ten times a month, so if you can't get an appointment, you'll have to wait until next month.

Zhou Zhiqiang doesn't eat much. As the factory director, he sets an example, and other cadres don't dare to overindulge unless they're entertaining relatives.

They only apply to the factory when relatives come, and they will also indicate the reason.

In any case, the practice of entertaining guests rarely occurs at Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory. The factory director doesn't do these things, and neither does Secretary Li. The lower-level cadres wouldn't be so tactless as to bypass the two of them and take advantage of the factory. On the contrary, many workers apply for such treatment.

When relatives or children get married, they hold their banquets at the factory, which is cheaper than going to a restaurant or hiring a chef to come to their home.

Upon entering the private room in the cafeteria, one finds a large round table already set with cold dishes, including mixed seasonal vegetables and cold pig's ears.

After we were seated, the kitchen quickly brought out the rest of the food.

There were a dozen or so people, and a total of ten dishes, so it wasn't a waste.

"What a feast, Director Zhou."

After sitting down, Deputy Leader Li picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, tasted it, and then nodded, saying, "Not bad, this cooking is even better than the chef in our Organization Department's canteen."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Our factory's cook was recruited by Director Sun. It seems that he came to our factory after his private restaurant closed down and he had nowhere else to go."

We usually cook in a large pot, but if there's a small stove available, we'll cook there too.

Although the money for private chefs at the factory is little, between one and two yuan, the factory can't possibly pay the head chef the same price as outsiders.

But coming to the factory means taking on some responsibilities. Besides, the head chef in the kitchen who cooks for the small group can earn sixty or seventy yuan a month, and sometimes even eighty yuan with subsidies.

That's already quite a lot; a first-class cook only has eighty or ninety.

After the leaders started eating, everyone else followed suit. After taking a few bites, Deputy Leader Wu said, "Comrade Zhiqiang, the investment from the Planning Commission will be approved early next year. At that time, your factory's investment expansion project must be started as soon as possible."

The CNC machining plant needs to be put into operation as soon as possible, and the relocation of the supporting plants should also be expedited, proceeding simultaneously on both sides; Comrade Younian, you need to ensure its smooth operation.

Zhou Zhiqiang immediately replied, "Don't worry, leader. I will get the work done before the end of the year. The relocation of the supporting factory will be completed by May next year."

At this moment, Deputy Leader Li spoke up, saying, "Hey, Comrade Jianhong, you're talking about some work-related matters, and I'm not sure if I should listen."

Deputy Leader Wu said with a smile, "Of course you, Comrade Hong Wen, are free to listen. It's not some particularly confidential matter."

However, he then stopped talking about some of the particularly important work of the First Ministry of Machine Building and the State Planning Commission.

They would eat and chat casually, talking about things happening in the factory.

After finishing their meal, Deputy Leader Li Hongwen prepared to leave, and Zhou Zhiqiang and his group saw him off at the door.

Deputy Leader Wu stayed behind and held a meeting with all the cadres of Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory to discuss other matters.

The factory has now been renamed, and next year will be a new year with a fresh start. Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory must maintain its leading position from last year and strive to become the number one heavy-duty factory in the country.

This way, the country will value their factory more and more, and Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory will develop better and better.

Now, Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory is practically a behemoth; two supporting factories will be established next year.

The company has two branch factories; one will start production next year, and the other already has nearly 3,000 employees.

With the addition of the main factory employing over 10,000 people, the scale of Jiuzhou Machine Tool Factory has grown larger and larger.

Five or six years ago, who could have imagined that the Second Machine Tool Plant would grow to this size today?

------

In the evening, after a busy day, Zhou Zhiqiang was driven home by his driver.

Today is Saturday, and most of the factory workers went home early. After completing the planned production tasks, the factory is not so strict about overtime work.

You can go home early on Saturday night and have a good rest over the weekend.

After getting off the bus, Zhou Zhiqiang headed home. It wasn't too late yet, so he simply closed his door without locking it from the inside.

If it had been any later, Zhou Zhiqiang would have been knocking on the door when he came back.

Although the security in Nanluoguxiang is already very good, with security patrols frequently patrolling the area, there are still some daring and greedy individuals.

So if Zhou Zhiqiang hadn't returned by mealtime, the house would be locked from the inside, which was at Zhou Zhiqiang's request.

Their family is small and lives in a large house, so it's safer to be cautious and avoid any mistakes.

When they arrived in the backyard, Guo Yuting and her mother-in-law were just cleaning up the dishes.

Upon seeing Zhou Zhiqiang return, Guo Yuting immediately smiled and said, "You're back, Zhiqiang. Have you eaten? I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "No need to trouble yourself. I've already eaten at the factory. I had something to discuss just before the end of the workday, which took a little longer, so we started the meeting after I finished eating."

"Okay. By the way, Village Chief Zhao came to deliver something again. It seems he also has something to discuss with you. He said he'd save it for tomorrow. You're not working overtime tomorrow, are you?"

Every year I send them something, and this year it's mushrooms again, but with some chili peppers; the couple loves chili peppers, so we kept them.

Guo Yuting said, "Never mind, I'll go to Pingping's house and tell Village Chief Zhao that you're back. They're definitely not resting right now."

Upon seeing this, Zhou Zhiqiang said, "I'll go ask."

"No need. You just got back. Sit down and rest for a while. Besides, if we really need to talk about something, it's better to come to our house. There are too many people at the No. 131 compound."

After Guo Yuting finished speaking, she put down what she was doing and went out.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhiqiang had no choice but to go back into the house to check on his son and daughter. The two little ones were gathered around their cousin, watching Guo Chenghua do his homework.

Neither of the two children made a sound, and the harmonious scene made Zhou Zhiqiang feel embarrassed to bother his daughters, so he could only glance at them a few times before turning away.

A short while later, Guo Yuting arrived with Zhao Tiandong, the second village chief.

"Village chief, you've arrived."

Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and welcomed the man into the main house, then asked, "Village Chief, I saw you even brought us some chili peppers. Are they growing these in the village now?"

"No, the harvest is too small; we grow most of it ourselves."

Village Chief Zhao said with a smile, "Two other families also grow their own, but not many. I know you like to eat it, so I traded some with them and brought it to you."

"Chili peppers are good, I really like eating them."

Zhou Zhiqiang said with a smile, "If your village's production brigade planted more crops, they could make chili and mushroom sauce, which would be even more appetizing."

Upon hearing this, Village Chief Zhao took it to heart and quickly asked, "Zhiqiang, can our village do this?"

"Of course, more than half of the village and town factories are run by the village production brigades, but they are small in scale and supply less."

Zhou Zhiqiang casually said, "Village chief, if Hongqi Village is going to build brick houses, they won't go to the county's brick factory to get bricks, will they? They'll get them from the surrounding communes."

The commune's brick factory was run to supply the surrounding villages; otherwise, hauling bricks from the county would have been too much trouble.

"You're right. No wonder you're a college student, Zhiqiang."

Village Chief Zhao originally wanted to ask more questions, but remembering that he had come on important business, he decided to start with the important matter and asked, "Zhiqiang, our Hongqi Village production brigade has had a good harvest this year."

So they're planning to hold a village gathering to celebrate the better days ahead—just a meal together. But since you're the most capable person in Hongqi Village, they'd like to ask if you have time.

"Sir, so this is why you wanted to see Brother Zhiqiang? Then don't make things difficult for him, he has a lot of things to do at the factory."

Zhao Tiandong, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up: "Our factory has recently made some big moves. As the factory manager, Brother Zhiqiang has a hundred times more to do than I do."

"If you call Zhiqiang back, aren't you just making things difficult for him? Forget it, sir."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Tian Dong, you don't need to be that busy."

(End of this chapter)