1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Dong Jianguo read a book, and one sentence in it stuck with him:

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus.

The core argument of the book is:

Men and women have fundamental differences in their thinking patterns, communication styles, and emotional needs, which are like people from two different planets.

For example, when you meet an outstanding person, under normal circumstances, you would first think about whether you can cooperate with them or make friends with them.

Then I thought that at least I had to save face, and I couldn't offend anyone no matter what I said.

At least Dong Jianguo certainly wouldn't think, "The other party is so much better than me, I'm so bad..."

However, pregnant women often experience hormonal imbalances, making them prone to overthinking, so it's understandable that she might be upset...

So Dong Jianguo sighed, put his arm around his wife, and slowly said:

"Honey, I totally understand how you feel. Sometimes when I see people who are better than me, it makes me feel bad too."

"Do you remember Wang Gaofei, our factory's former secretary? Every time I saw him, I felt a little inferior."

"Especially when you find out he still likes you. That feeling... is both angry and helpless..."

Xiuyun blinked and looked at Dong Jianguo: "Really?"

"Why would I lie to you! Of course it's true. He's a college graduate and a factory office secretary. I'm just an ordinary worker, what do I have to compare with him!"

Xiuyun nestled her head against Dong Jianguo's chest: "Don't talk nonsense, you're much better than him! I've never liked him."

"Yeah, so I think you're much more capable than Li Wan. You're the one who developed the recipes for the braised eggs and chicken feet in our factory."

Even if you lack connections and power, you still have me!

"Tch, all you do is talk..."

"How about your man proves it with his body?"

"Ugh! Get lost!"

Seeing that his wife's mood had returned to normal, Dong Jianguo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to look out the window and suddenly noticed something floating outside.

"Oh, honey, it looks like it's snowing outside..."

"Um?"

The two walked to the balcony and looked out the window. Snowflakes were falling sporadically from the sky...

"This is the first snow of the year!"

"Yeah...wow, winter's here already!"

Watching the snowflakes outside the window fall faster and faster, Dong Jianguo secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

I wonder how many people will find this winter difficult to endure.

……

The next day, after Dong Jianguo had prepared the goods, he asked Xiuyun to call Li Wan, and Li Tianming drove over that afternoon.

The car was a rare black Mercedes-Benz with a tiger-head design, which left Dong Jianguo speechless.

"Uncle Li, this car..."

"From a friend."

"Understand!"

Li Tianming took a walk around the factory.

Once inside the gatehouse, he told the truth directly.

"Xiao Dong, to be honest, I admire you, but the scale of your factory... is still a bit too small."

"Looking at the packaging, it seems the workers are still manually vacuuming and sealing it, which is a bit..."

Dong Jianguo smiled and offered to state the conclusion for the other party: "It's a bit embarrassing to present."

"Uncle Li, there's nothing I can do. I've inquired about automatic vacuum sealing machines. The domestically made ones are cheap, but they always break down. The imported ones are ridiculously expensive, costing two or three hundred thousand."

"My small factory can't afford such amazing machines."

"Besides, it's good to have more workers now. You don't know, I came from a textile factory. The factory is not doing well now, and too many workers are on leave at home. The factory told everyone to find their own way to make a living. I won't comment on this policy, but it was really too sudden, and most of the workers were not prepared."

"If I hire more workers, their families can get through this winter..."

Unexpectedly, Li Tianming stopped talking and his gaze towards Dong Jianguo softened considerably.

Although he worked for Northern Airlines, he also had some understanding of the current situation of other factories.

What Dong Jianguo said is not an isolated case.

It was a storm that swept the entire country.

Those who escaped unscathed were simply blessed with good fortune.

Unexpectedly, this young man, while struggling to protect himself, still remembered his former coworkers.

This kind of person has already had it tough enough; there's no need to add to their troubles.

"Don't worry, as long as the sample passes the test, I will do my best to help you get it."

"Uncle Li, thank you for your trouble..."

After sitting for a while longer, Li Tianming prepared to leave.

While loading braised eggs into his car, Dong Jianguo took the opportunity to stuff two boxes of pickled chicken feet into his trunk.

"Uncle Li, this is a new product developed by our factory. It's already being sold by the Harbin Passenger Transport Department. Please try it when you have time, and give us your valuable feedback."

Just as Li Tianming's Mercedes-Benz drove off, a van pulled up with a creak and stopped in front of the food factory.

Because the car stopped abruptly, half of the not-so-secure bumper on the front of the car fell off with a snap, startling Dong Jianguo.

"What's going on? The repair shop is 300 meters ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, the car door opened.

Five or six shady-looking young men filed out of the car.

The young man wearing a Lei Feng hat who got off the bus first looked up at the Hezhiwei sign, then turned to the man in the passenger seat and said:

"Big brother, this is it!"

Seeing that this group of people looked hostile, Dong Jianguo frowned:

Who are you looking for?

The man in the passenger seat glanced at him and said, "Call out the person in charge of your factory. I need to speak with him."

This man was in his thirties, with a stubble beard, and his most distinctive feature was his face.

Extremely long, like a horse...

"I'm the factory manager. Tell me what's wrong."

"You're Tung Chee-kwok?"

The man looked Dong Jianguo up and down, but even though he saw Dong Jianguo nod, he didn't take Dong Jianguo seriously.

"Someone asked me to pass on a message to you: don't get too involved, just stick to selling your eggs."

"As for other things... those are not for you to touch."

Dong Jianguo frowned, instantly guessing the other party's intentions.

The only person who would send such a message through someone else must be Liu Degui, whose chicken feet business he had stolen.

I can't believe this kid is so petty. Such a trivial matter, and he actually sent someone to threaten me.

"What if I insist on selling?"

The man in the passenger seat didn't say anything, but reached out and lit a cigarette.

He took a deep drag and exhaled a smoke ring in Dong Jianguo's direction.

This seemed to send a signal, and the people who had just gotten off the bus walked towards Dong Jianguo, forming a semi-circle around him.

"Damn, you're pretty good, aren't you!"

The boy in the Lei Feng hat spoke, and his foot had already flown up.

"Bang!"

Dong Jianguo dodged the kick, which landed squarely on the iron gate of the food factory.

The kick was powerful, and the iron gate of the food factory rattled loudly.

Hearing the noise, the female workers in the factory thought something had happened and rushed out of the workshop.

"What's going on? Why is there such a commotion?"

"I don't know, oh dear, it looks like the factory manager is surrounded!"

Tian Lina frowned. Erzhuzi was out delivering goods and there wasn't a single man in the factory besides Dong Jianguo.

Thinking of this, she could only grit her teeth and run into the gatehouse to prepare to call the police.

Zhao Hongmei was the quickest to react. She turned around and went into the factory. When she came out, she had a one-meter-long stainless steel stirring ladle for the braising pot in her hand.

She ran towards Dong Jianguo, calling out to him as she went:

"What are you all standing there for! Find something to protect the factory manager!"