Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

"This is the 'Pilot Program for the Socialist Transformation of the North China Food Processing Plant,' which we jointly formulated with the municipal government. Now, I'll read you the first article of this program."

Everyone held their breath.

Cheng Shuhai read aloud clearly, word by word: "Article 1: Regarding personnel placement. After the completion of the public-private partnership, all 152 employees of the original North China Food Processing Plant will be retained, and their labor relations will be transferred to the newly established state-owned North China Canned Food Plant, with their seniority calculated continuously."

"Whoosh!"

A suppressed gasp of surprise rose from the crowd.

Keep them all? Not a single one missing?

Cheng Shuhai didn't stop, continuing, "The original salaries and benefits of all retained employees will remain unchanged for the time being. Adjustments will be made according to the principle of 'more work, more pay; higher skills, more pay' once the new technical level assessment is completed. The salaries of key technical personnel will only increase, never decrease!"

These words caused an uproar among the crowd!

"No pay cut, and there's even a possibility of a raise?"

"My God, did I hear that right?"

The workers' faces lit up with unbelievable ecstasy.

But Cheng Shuhai knew that a promise alone was not enough; he wanted to provide tangible reassurance.

He called out to the crowd, "Cheng Shujun!"

"Here!" Cheng Shujun and several workshop directors carried out a large blackboard that had been prepared in advance.

The blackboard was covered with names and job titles written in dense white chalk.

"Look everyone," Cheng Shuhai pointed to the blackboard, "this is a job roster we prepared in advance based on the production needs of the new factory. From the workshop director to the front-line workers, and even the canteen chefs, every single one of your names is on it. Your future positions and who your direct supervisors are are all clearly written down."

The workers crowded forward, searching for their names on the huge roster.

"Found it! I'm still in group one, as the group leader!"

"Haha, Lao Wang, look, we're even in the same workshop!"

"That's great! Now I can finally relax completely!"

A small roster, like a highly effective reassurance, instantly dispelled the gloom that had hung over the factory.

Smiles returned to the workers' faces. Their gazes towards Cheng Shuhai shifted from initial doubt to heartfelt gratitude and trust.

Standing aside, Deputy Section Chief Li watched this dramatic scene unfold, filled with admiration for Cheng Shuhai's methods.

He originally thought that appeasing the workers would be the most difficult part of the takeover process, and he was even prepared to negotiate with the workers' representatives for several days.

But he didn't expect that Cheng Shuhai, with just a document, a roster, and a few words, could so easily quell a potential storm.

Moreover, he also managed to win over a wave of the most valuable people in the newly established state-owned factory.

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

In his heart, Deputy Section Chief Li silently gave Cheng Shuhai a thumbs up.

He knew that this pilot project would probably go much more smoothly than he had imagined.

After calming the workers down, the next step was the most crucial and also the most complicated task: asset verification and accounting auditing.

Deputy Section Chief Li led his team into the factory's finance office and warehouse.

In his experience, the handover of such private enterprises usually results in a mess. Discrepancies between the asset list and the actual inventory, inflated equipment depreciation, and unclear raw material losses are commonplace. He was even mentally prepared to spend at least a month painstakingly "grinding through the accounts" with the other party.

However, when Qin Huairu neatly placed a thick stack of account books in front of him, Deputy Section Chief Li and the professional accountants behind him were all stunned.

All the ledgers are bound with uniform covers, and the year and category are marked on them in neat handwriting. They include everything from "Fixed Asset Ledger" to "Raw Material Inbound and Outbound Details" to "Production Cost Accounting Sheet".

Open any book at random, and you'll find the handwriting neat and strong. Every transaction, including its summary, voucher number, and amount, is recorded clearly and concisely.

"Section Chief Li, these are all the financial records of our factory from the first day it was built until yesterday," Qin Huairu said, standing to the side neither humbly nor arrogantly. "All the original vouchers have also been bound into volumes by month and stored in the filing cabinet at the back, which can be accessed at any time."

An experienced accountant picked up a "Fixed Assets Ledger," exchanged a glance with his colleague, and their eyes revealed a hint of surprise.

He pointed to one of the items and asked, "This German-imported bottling machine is valued at 800,000 in your books, along with the customs declaration and invoice. However, according to standard accounting practices, such large equipment should be depreciated annually. Why is it that the value of this equipment on your books hasn't changed at all in two years?"

This is a very professional and incisive question.

If it were another company, it would likely be deliberately omitting depreciation in order to inflate its assets.

Qin Huairu remained calm. She pulled out a document from another pile and handed it over.

"Comrade, please look at this document. This is an appendix to the technical cooperation agreement we signed with the Soviet Union. According to the agreement, although we use this production line, the ownership belongs to 'joint assets of China and the Soviet Union' during the cooperation period. Furthermore, the Soviet side will send experts every year to maintain and upgrade the equipment. Therefore, after communicating with the tax authorities, this equipment will not be depreciated during the cooperation period, but its annual maintenance costs will be directly included in the current period's costs."

Her explanation was logical and well-founded, and she even cited international agreements and tax regulations, leaving the old accountant speechless for a moment, unable to find any grounds for rebuttal.

"So that's how it is..." The old accountant nodded and then flipped to the warehouse storage point list.

"In charge, Qin, your inventory sheet shows 9,976 cans of finished canned goods in stock. But the daily production report shows a cumulative output of 10,000 cans. What's going on with the 24 cans difference?"

This problem is exactly the same dilemma that Qin Huairu encountered last time.

Qin Huairu remained completely calm. She composedly took out a new register from another folder.

"Comrade, please look at this 'Sample Requisition Register.' These twenty-four cans were sent as product samples to the Ministry of Industry, the Municipal Bureau of Commerce, and the Soviet expert group. Each requisition is documented with the signatures and seals of the requisitioning person, the approver, and the receiving unit. All the paperwork is here."