Era: 1962, the rise of vocabulary and related terms

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Li Huaide tapped the table lightly, then cut to the chase: "Report how much supplies you've procured?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Yongkai, the head of the third purchasing section, and Zong Changyi, the head of the fourth purchasing section, who were sitting opposite him, exchanged a glance almost subconsciously.

Their eyes met briefly in the air, and they both caught the same anxiety and evasion in each other's eyes.

No one wanted to speak first.

"Section Chief Sun, you go first."

Having been called out by name, Sun Yongkai knew he couldn't avoid it, so he had no choice but to tell the truth:

"Factory manager, the three departments have purchased about 12,000 catties of grain and 27,000 catties of coal. As for other fabrics, labor protection supplies, and other miscellaneous materials... there are too many items to count yet."

"Hmm!" Li Huaide nodded, his expression unreadable, and looked at Zong Changyi.

"The four grains totaled about 8,000 catties, coal 53,000 catties, and other supplies were not clearly counted."

After listening, Li Huaide nodded expressionlessly, leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands on the table, and unconsciously rubbed his fingertips together.

"So, you two departments have only procured a mere 2 jin of grain and 8 jin of coal so far, and the other supplies haven't even been tallied yet, right?"

The two exchanged a quick glance and nodded heavily.

"No, that's not enough! This amount of grain and coal isn't even enough to fill a gap between our teeth! It's completely insufficient for our steel mill's needs before the New Year!"

Li Huaide's voice suddenly rose, filled with a frustrated anger, "You two section chiefs should know very well, shouldn't you? What are you planning to do at the steel rolling mill before the New Year?!"

"Employee performance evaluation!" the two said in unison.

"If you knew that, how come you only purchased this much? You're trying to fool us! Let me tell you, at the very least! At the very least, you have to double the number you're reporting now! Doubling is just the bare minimum!"

After saying that, Li Huaide slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, seemingly trying to put pressure on the two of them.

"This..." The two of them instantly looked worried.

Sun Yongkai complained, "Factory manager, this number is already what our purchasing department has managed to procure with all our might. We really can't do any more."

"Yes, yes, winter is almost here, and the grain has been delivered to the grain station. The purchasing staff of the Fourth Section are doing their best!" Zong Changyi quickly chimed in.

"Bang!"

"I don't want your excuses, I just need you to complete the task! And don't complain to me, go complain to the workers in the factory and see if they agree! If they agree, then you can do whatever you want with them!"

"The factory has been putting pressure on employees to meet performance targets for over three years. If this continues, can you take responsibility if problems arise?"

Once again, shut them both up!

"say!"

The two of them lowered their heads and remained silent.

From 1959 to the end of 1962, there has been no employee performance evaluation for more than three years.

After a long and successful autumn harvest, everyone's desire to restart employee performance evaluations can no longer be suppressed.

Successful performance reviews for employees not only result in a raise, but also a promotion that can easily add up to 5 yuan per month, or 60 yuan per year.

If the amount reaches a multiple of 20 yuan, you can get an extra industrial coupon.

In addition to these tangible material benefits, there is also an improvement in one's status within the workshop and department.

A higher-ranking worker carries more weight in their words, performs more respectable work, and is more respected.

This time, in order to fully unleash the energy accumulated over three years and to enhance the foundation of the steel rolling mill, the plant's leadership team made an unprecedented decision:

Those who perform exceptionally well in this assessment are allowed to be assessed consecutively, with a maximum promotion of two levels!

For low- to mid-level workers, a promotion of two levels means a pay increase of at least 10 yuan.

For mid- to high-level workers, the pay increase is even greater.

Nowadays, every worker in the factory, from top to bottom, is working with all their might, as if they've been injected with chicken blood.

In the workshop, there are many people working overtime to practice their skills, and during their breaks, they discuss the key points of the assessment.

Everyone was holding back their energy, just waiting to show their skills on the assessment field and soar to new heights!

To incentivize the performance evaluation, Director Yang specifically stated, "Every worker who successfully passes the evaluation and is promoted will receive a grain reward!"

"Passing the first test will reward you with 5 jin of grain; passing the second test will reward you with 10 jin of grain!"

This encouragement instantly boosted the enthusiasm of the steel rolling mill, but also made Li Huaide feel immense pressure.

Li Huaide made the final decision: "I don't care what methods you use, but the minimum grain requirement is 10 jin, the more the better, there's no upper limit! The coal requirement must reach 50 jin! This is a strict order!"

Although he was the deputy factory director, he could neither suppress nor oppose the "employee assessment" movement, which was forged by the boiling desire of all the factory workers and the common will of the factory leadership.

After all, he was the deputy factory director in charge of logistics.

There are still about two months until the end of the year when the assessment is scheduled for the new year.

There seems to be plenty of time, but considering that winter is approaching, getting food and coal from others will not be an easy task.

He slammed his hand on the table again, making a firm decision: "Any problem that can be solved with money isn't a problem. If all else fails, we'll exchange with other factories and see what we can offer them. We'll guarantee we have more supplies than we need!"

Zong Changyi looked troubled: "Factory director, we are willing but unable to do so. We can discuss and think of a way to deal with the grain, but we really can't purchase 50 jin of coal. Winter is approaching, and various places are stockpiling coal, so it's really difficult to procure it!"

Li Huaide waved his hand dismissively, brooking no refusal: "No! The coal issue is even more crucial! The factory is currently developing new equipment, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose industrial raw materials like coal and steel. We can't afford to lack coal!"

The factory has a new layout, which makes things even more difficult for the two of them.

Two people can work together to meet the standards for either grain or coal, but now that both need to be met, it becomes much more difficult.

Sun Yongkai's eyes darted around, and finally he suddenly said, "Factory Director...you know the capabilities of our two departments. I'm afraid it would be very difficult for us to accomplish this on our own."

"I don't want excuses."

"Yes, yes, factory manager, why don't we bring in the purchasing departments one and two as well, and let them contribute their efforts? With their help, we should be able to procure everything in no time."

"Hmm!" These words instantly brightened Li Huaide and Zong Changyi's eyes; it was a good idea, but—

"As for how to get them to contribute, haven't they been out of position for three years? I think we could put out the positions of section chief and deputy section chief, and put them up for auction in public. Whoever bids the most gets the position. What do you think?"

"Those people with connections may be coasting along, but who doesn't want to climb the ladder? Salary, benefits, and status—those are all real and tangible things!"

Li Huaide only thought for a moment before almost forgetting about the existence of these two subjects.

In the past, these two departments were only responsible for ensuring the basic supplies for the steel rolling mill, so that the mill could operate. They didn't cause any trouble, so he didn't pay much attention to them.

"Hmm! Section Chief Sun, your brain really comes out sharp at crucial moments! Good! Let's do it your way!"

He made the final decision.

The first and second departments are full of people with connections. Usually, they discuss and take turns being in charge. Now, deciding directly based on the bid is a good solution.

They may be lazy and complacent, but they can't stay as low-level purchasing clerks forever; they'll naturally want to move up when the opportunity arises.

"Alright!" Seeing Li Huaide nod in agreement, Sun Yongkai and Zong Changyi exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief.

With these connected people making the move, they can have it a bit easier.

"Then how do we tell them about this?" Sun Yongkai asked, since it was impossible to let Li Huaide tell them.

Li Huaide glanced at Sun Yongkai, and finally looked at Zong Changyi.

"Section Chief Zong, you go and talk to them about this."

After all, breaking the established rules all at once is a big problem. Sun Yongkai came up with a plan, so Zong Changyi naturally took the blame.

"Yes!" Zong Changyi immediately put on a bitter face.

"Alright, everyone get back to work. There are only a few days left until the end of the month, so let everyone get some rest. Next month will be busy, and we'll rest only when we finish the purchasing!"

"If nothing happens before the New Year, you can take leave until then."

"Thank you, factory manager!"

The two returned to Corey to report back.