1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Upon hearing the word "chicken," Wang Cuiqing's fair face flushed slightly.

"Who are you talking about?! Can't you speak properly?!"

"So what if it's a chicken?! Aren't the eggs you sell made from chicken droppings?!"

Erzhuzi was stunned, not understanding why Wang Cuiqing was so angry about the chicken.

He subconsciously turned his head to look at Dong Jianguo, only to find that Brother Jianguo had already entered the yard first.

Wang Cuiqing rolled her almond-shaped eyes, snorted coldly, and left Erzhuzi, who was completely bewildered, to turn around and open her own door.

But Zhou Tong had already locked the door from the inside, and no matter how hard she pushed, she couldn't open it.

In a bad mood, Wang Cuiqing started banging on the door.

Zhou Tong, who was in the room, turned pale with fright when he heard the banging on the door. He thought Dong Jianguo had come to visit again and was wondering whether he should grab a kitchen knife to defend himself.

Fortunately, he heard his wife calling him from outside, who hadn't come home all night. He breathed a sigh of relief and ran out to open the door.

"Why are you only getting back now?!"

"Going out to discuss business, what else could I be doing! I've been talking all night, drinking and singing with clients, I'm exhausted..."

"It's tiring, but it's also been very educational. Mr. Wang from Shenyang said that the big factories there are all failing and have already started giving their employees extended leave... I think it'll be the same for us sooner or later!"

Zhou Tong frowned after hearing this, and was about to say something when he felt as if someone was watching him.

Turning my head, I saw Dong Jianguo in the neighboring yard carrying a box of eggs and looking this way. When he noticed me looking at him, he actually grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

This perfectly normal smile looked like a vengeful ghost from hell to Zhou Tong!

He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and pulled his wife straight into the house.

"Hey, what's wrong!"

"Let's go back inside and talk, let's go back inside and talk..."

"Bang!"

As Zhou Tong's door closed, the courtyard returned to silence.

Dong Jianguo had heard the couple's conversation clearly. After looking away, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face.

In 94, under the national policy transformation, many large state-owned enterprises in Northeast China began to pilot the "rotation system" and "long holidays".

Although the names are varied, they are essentially just ways to avoid the term "unemployment" by using novel names.

To put it bluntly, it's essentially the same as being laid off.

The workers initially harbored unrealistic fantasies, thinking they would tighten their belts and weather the storm with the factory, getting through these tough times together.

Little did they know that they themselves were seen as a burden by the factory...

Thinking of the small bills his fellow workers had slipped into his pocket at the morning market yesterday when they stood up for him, Dong Jianguo felt he should do something to help them.

But what to do? I feel lost and don't know where to start.

The wheels of time will always crush some people. What am I, standing alone in front of this train, anyway?

He shook his head, banishing unrealistic fantasies from his mind.

Now he has only one goal: to sell eggs well and make a lot of money for his family!

In the midst of this cold wave of layoffs, take good care of your family...

Thinking to himself, Dong Jianguo couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"A cold wave is coming..."

……

The news that people could buy eggs in groups spread the word in the morning, and it quickly spread to the alleys and hutongs near Dong Jianguo's house, thanks to the neighbors' word of mouth.

It was said that as long as you collected enough kilograms, you could buy eggs that were two cents cheaper than the market price, and all the housewives in the family were tempted by the idea.

People who live paycheck to paycheck are never well-off.

The factory is doing poorly right now, and wage arrears have almost become the norm. Who doesn't want to save more money for their family?!

So even before noon, people were already coming to Tung Chee-hwa's house to buy eggs.

Dong Jianguo personally weighed and calculated the money, and Xiuyun, who had finished counting the number of egg boxes delivered by each farm, was also assigned to work, sitting in a chair to collect the money.

They turned their small courtyard into a husband-and-wife food stall.

Erzhuzi was also busy.

Yesterday, he contacted several restaurants in Jianhua District and, after speaking with Dong Jianguo, the No. 3 bus was once again loaded with eggs and set off.

As for the most profitable first-laid eggs, Dong Jianguo is not in a hurry.

We can have Erzhuzi go to Xijuzhai to sell the goods again after get off work in the evening.

Guests came and went, and the couple were busy until Erzhuzi came back at one o'clock in the afternoon, when they finally had a moment to rest.

When Erzhuzi left, he took nine boxes of eggs with him. When he returned, the boxes were all empty and he had 750 yuan with him.

The three of them were so busy all morning that they didn't have time to cook. Dong Jianguo simply asked Erzhuzi to take the cleaned-up egg mixture to Fatty, the noodle shop owner in the next alley, and buy 20 pork pies on the way back.

The pancakes were pan-fried until golden brown and glistening with oil. The pork and scallion filling sizzled with oil with every bite, and paired with Xiuyun's homemade chili sauce, they were incredibly delicious!

Moreover, Xiuyun actually saw the money this time, which made her feel much more at ease. With less pressure, her appetite increased significantly.

I ate four pies that were only the size of my palm!

Dong Jianguo and Erzhuzi had a great appetite and each ate seven large pies.

As the three of them stared intently at the remaining two pancakes, a figure pushed open the door and walked in.

Dong Jianguo looked up and saw that the person who came was very thin, only about 1.6 meters tall, wearing a faded work uniform, and had shoulder-length short hair.

The three people in the courtyard all knew her; the woman was also a quality inspector in Workshop 2, and her name was Zhao Hongmei.

Dong Jianguo had some impression of Zhao Hongmei and knew a little about her.

Zhao Hongmei is 8 years older than Zhou Xiuyun, and is 30 years old this year. She has a hard life.

Her husband is a driver in the factory's fleet, and the couple has a 6-year-old daughter.

Two years ago, her husband died in a car accident while rushing to deliver a batch of raw materials for the factory due to fatigue.

From then on, Zhao Hongmei became a widow.

Logically speaking, this kind of thing should be considered a work-related death, and as a family member, Zhao Hongmei should have been entitled to a compensation payment.

Unfortunately, the factory director at the time was unreasonable. He insisted that the accident was caused by the driver himself, and kept saying that it was already an act of leniency not to make Zhao Hongmei compensate the factory for her deceased husband's losses. In the end, she didn't pay a single cent.

Zhao Hongmei initially wanted to petition higher authorities, but she had to make a living with her daughter, so in the end she had no choice but to accept her fate.

After recognizing Zhao Hongmei, Xiuyun quickly wiped her mouth and stood up from her chair:

"Oh, Sister Hongmei, are you here to buy eggs too?"

Zhao Hongmei shook her head and smiled somewhat awkwardly at the group:

"No, I just heard your business is doing quite well, so I came to check it out..."

Xiuyun nodded, and subconsciously said politely:

"We just had lunch. Hongmei, have you eaten yet? If not, let's eat together!"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Dong Jianguo and Erzhuzi clearly saw Zhao Hongmei swallow hard.

"I already ate before coming... I'm not hungry at all..."

"Um, Xiuyun, are you free? If so, I'd like to come inside and talk to you about something..."