Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Xu Changshun slapped his thigh: "Alright! I'll ask Comrade Hongbo after get off work what new gadgets you guys have come up with! I'll call the kiln right away about the bricks; let's all get together for a meal tonight and chat while we eat!"

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed, "Okay, see you tonight!"

After leaving the steel mill, He Yuzhu and Su Qiao walked side by side.

Su Qiao turned to the side and asked, "Does Secretary He have any other plans? If not, I need to rush to the department store."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "You go ahead with your business, I'm fine. I'll just take the driver back to the factory after I'm done. I'll take the train tomorrow morning."

Su Qiao nodded: "Okay, Secretary He, see you later!"

The driver parked the car steadily at the main entrance of the department store and followed Su Qiao inside—he carried bags to buy things, while she carried proposals to discuss cooperation.

Su Qiao went straight to the front desk: "Hello, comrade, I am from the Dongli County Furniture Factory. I would like to have a talk with your store manager in person."

After the staff checked her work ID, they led her up to the fourth floor and gently knocked on the manager's office door.

When the door opened, a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was bent over reading documents. He was neatly dressed and had a calm expression.

Su Qiao said confidently, "Hello Manager Tan, I am Su Qiao, the deputy director of Dongli County Furniture Factory. I am here today to set up a counter in your store and bring our factory's furniture into the homes of the people in the county."

Tan Yong looked her up and down for a few seconds, slightly surprised: "The department store has never opened this kind of door before."

Su Qiao's smile remained unchanged: "How about we make an exception? Let's try selling for a month first. If it sells well, we'll renew the lease; if it doesn't sell, we'll still pay the rent for two months. You'll have zero risk."

Tan Yong hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Okay, we'll clear out that counter in the west corner tomorrow so you can stock it."

—Actually, he had already received word from his superiors that the Dongli County project was a key area for support. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't even let them in the door; a sales counter, it wouldn't get in the way, and he could gain favor, so why not?

Su Qiao immediately pulled out a gift certificate: "Manager Tan is so generous, our factory should also show our appreciation—a set of custom-made office desks and chairs will be delivered to you tomorrow morning!"

Tan Yong gladly accepted: "Then I thank you on behalf of my company! Pick up the goods tomorrow morning, and we'll settle accounts monthly."

After agreeing on the rent, delivery, and after-sales service, Su Qiao got up to say goodbye and hurried downstairs to return to the furniture factory.

That evening, in a private room at the state-run restaurant, Xu Changshun led several factory directors in. He Yuzhu only recognized Li Hongbo; the other faces were completely unfamiliar.

Xu Changshun pointed to a bald, slightly overweight middle-aged man: "This is Director Sha of the textile factory."

He Yuzhu extended his hand: "I've long admired the sand factory!"

Factory Director Sha laughed heartily and shook hands: "I've heard so much about Secretary He's name that I'm sick of it. Meeting him today, I can see he truly has an extraordinary presence!"

Xu Changshun then pointed to the square-faced man with thick eyebrows: "Director Zhao of the glass manufacturing plant."

Then he turned to the capable and efficient female colleague beside him: "Director Wu of the breeding farm."

He Yuzhu shook hands with each of them, his smile hearty: "Nice to meet you!"

Xu Changshun gestured towards Li Hongbo with his chin: "Comrade Hongbo, you two are old acquaintances, so I won't introduce you further."

He Yuzhu raised his glass, looked around, and said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Minister Xu, for your kind hospitality, and thank you even more to all the factory directors for taking the time to gather here! This glass is a toast to all of you leading figures—may our factories in Dongli County grow stronger year after year!"

Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together, their laughter ringing out, the room filled with the aroma of wine.

Xu Changshun rubbed his hands together, his tone warm yet slightly probing: "Secretary He, here's the situation—all of our factories are currently planning to build employee dormitory areas, and the plans are basically the same as those for the garment factory. However, if the price of bricks at the brick factory could be lowered a bit, everyone would feel more at ease."

He Yuzhu nodded readily in agreement: "This is a truly beneficial project for the people! It's a blessing for Dongli County to build more buildings and settle more experienced craftsmen. Thank you all for trusting our brick factory. I will immediately instruct the factory to prioritize supplying at cost price and deliver the quotation to you within three days."

Li Hongbo leaned forward slightly and replied with a smile, "Actually, what we're most concerned about is the furniture factory—we took some people there for a visit a couple of days ago, and everyone praised the solid workmanship and neat designs. If you could offer a bit more of a 'familiar customer's' discount on the price, that would be even better!"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, his expression sincere: "This matter really isn't up to me to decide. Once I get back to the county, I'll immediately go and meet with the furniture factory management. You can rest assured about the quality; furniture from Dongli County is so sturdy, even the nails will rattle when you hammer them in!"

Li Hongbo laughed heartily: "With your words, we feel reassured! Thank you in advance, Secretary He!"

He Yuzhu also laughed: "It's a small matter, not worth mentioning."

Dinner was a relaxed and lively affair, during which they chatted briefly about the style and construction schedule of the furniture. After dinner, Li Hongbo took the initiative to get up and accompany He Yuzhu all the way to the entrance of the guesthouse.

The next morning, He Yuzhu boarded a green train and rushed back to the county, covered in dust.

Before he could even sit down in his office, Liu Qiang pushed the door open and entered, his voice clear and bright: "Secretary He, County Chief Yu requests your presence."

"Okay, I'll go right now." He Yuzhu grabbed his enamel mug, not even bothering to take a sip of water, and turned to walk towards Yu Bo's office. After knocking, he pushed the door open and asked as he entered, "Comrade Yu Bo, what urgent matter do you need me for?"

Yu Bo stood up, holding a stack of reports in his hand: "Secretary He, the tractor factory's orders are booked for the next three months, and the current workforce simply can't handle it. I'm thinking of bringing back a group of experienced masters from the provincial capital to train apprentices; I've already urged the factory about expanding the dormitories, but the key is manpower—I wonder if there's any fresh blood left from the provincial capital's technical schools or unemployed skilled workers?"

He Yuzhu didn't hesitate: "The factory is in your hands now. You have the final say on hiring and hiring. I'll take care of anything that needs coordination."

Yu Bo's eyes lit up: "Then I'll head to the provincial capital tomorrow to get a feel for things before signing contracts; locally, the recruitment of apprentices in each commune will also begin simultaneously."

"Okay, go for it!"

……

At the Dongli County Furniture Factory, Su Qiao was checking delivery slips when the phone suddenly rang.

She answered the receiver, her voice clear and crisp: "Hello, this is Su Qiao from Dongli County Furniture Factory."

"Hello, Comrade Su Qiao! I'm from the first branch of the state-run hotel in the provincial capital. We urgently need fifteen sets of small and medium-sized furniture. The sooner the better. Can you deliver them by the day after tomorrow at the latest?"

"What a coincidence, the inventory is just right, and it can be loaded and shipped this afternoon."

"Great! I'll prepare the money right away, and you can have it delivered directly to my door!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lou Xiao'e pushed open the door and came in, holding a red-headed document in her hand: "Here, this is the appointment just issued by the region—you will temporarily serve as the deputy factory director, in charge of production and sales. The organization trusts you, so you must be able to handle things. Report to the Party School on time next week, learn while you work. In this special period, even if it's tough, don't let us down."

Su Qiao solemnly accepted the document: "Thank you for the organization's trust. I will definitely shoulder the responsibility and do the job well! By the way, factory manager, I have to send fifty sets of furniture directly to the provincial capital today; also, the garment factory in the provincial capital just placed a big order—more than 1,800 sets of small and medium-sized furniture, plus 100 sets of large furniture. We really need to replenish our manpower!"

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "I'll inform Secretary He about this right away. Be careful on the road, safety first."

"I'll get back to work now!"

The delivery team had already neatly stacked the furniture, the truck engines humming. The production foreman rushed into the workshop, shouting, "A new order has come in!"—the entire factory instantly erupted in cheers: over 1,800 sets? With this manpower, they couldn't even handle half of that in a month!

The masters immediately surrounded the apprentices, teaching them how to plan and adjust mortises step by step; on the same production line, piece-rate wages followed output—apprentices received a fixed wage, while the masters made the final decision and earned more for more work.

No sooner had Su Qiao left than Lou Xiao'e dialed He Yuzhu's number.

"Zhu Zi, orders are pouring in like snowflakes, but we can't keep up with the manpower! Recruiting is urgent. Do you have any good leads?"

"This is just the beginning!" He Yuzhu said briskly. "Next month's orders will only be more plentiful—the brick factory has already received orders for bricks for infrastructure projects from four or five factories in the provincial capital! As soon as their factories are completed, they'll be snapping up the stock. You all need to hurry up and start recruiting workers throughout the county, mobilize all the women's federation members, and go from village to village to promote the work; I've already reported to the regional government and tried to get a group of experienced carpenters to come and help. By the way, how many beds have been freed up in the new dormitory building?"

"We're working day and night to finish this place; it can accommodate 8,000 people. The stoves, steamers, and cold storage in the canteen are almost done. Has the production equipment my dad was negotiating been finalized yet?"

"Don't worry!" He Yuzhu said confidently. "The first batch of payment for the equipment arrived last night, the contract has been signed, and the machines will be delivered to the factory within ten days. How are the night school arrangements going? We can't let our skills go to waste while we work during the day."

"We've reached an agreement with all the teachers at each school: one yuan a day for each class, plus meals."

"Okay, you can discuss this further with Comrade Wang Xiulan. I'll call Secretary Yan right now."

The call connected, and He Yuzhu got straight to the point: "Secretary Yan, our furniture factory is expanding production this time and urgently needs a thousand skilled carpenters. We'd like to use the regional platform to recruit them. What do you think of the feasibility? If the shortage is too large, I'll immediately turn to the provincial capital to poach people."

Yan Xudong said calmly, "I will personally oversee the publicity efforts. I will keep you informed of the recruitment numbers and progress every day. However, there are two hard rules that must be upheld: first, the salary standards will be uniform across the city, with no distinctions between different levels; second, accommodation conditions will be the same for everyone, without exception."

He Yuzhu answered crisply: "The whole province works as one, and Dongli County doesn't impose any restrictions or barriers. No matter where you come from, once you're in the factory, you're family, and everyone is treated equally! The tractor factory has been doing this for a long time, and it's very effective. When you come to inspect, I'll accompany you to every workshop and every dormitory!"

Yan Xudong smiled: "I'll send a working group to the site right away. We'll take plenty of photos, make sure the display boards are up and ready, and put them up at every recruitment point. Since our region is taking the lead, we must pay close attention to the issues that the people care about, such as food, accommodation, transportation, work and leave, and children's schooling, and ensure that every matter is addressed and responded to!"