Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The warehouse fell silent.

The grayness in Wang Daikui's eyes had clearly dissipated considerably.

"In other words..."

"Does this mean we'll never work with machinery again?"

"Who said we're not doing it anymore?"

Zhao Shanhe glanced at him, a smirk playing on his lips. "How can we just throw away the machinery that Hongxing Factory has been making for so many years? If I were to really turn the city's famous Hongxing Machinery Factory into some kind of Hongxing Fur Factory, Director Li would take care of me before anyone else even gets a chance to do anything."

Wang Daikui was taken aback at first, then grinned and smiled, clearly relaxing.

"Director Zhao, I feel much better now that you say that."

"As long as this machinery business continues, Lao Chen and I will stick with you."

Old Chen glanced at Zhao Shanhe, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't speak immediately.

Zhao Shanhe saw it.

"Master Chen, is there something you want to say?"

Old Chen was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

"have."

"Now it's just the three of us, so I'll stop beating around the bush."

He looked up at the row of machines, his voice deep.

"Director Zhao, I don't object to the factory's transformation."

"To be honest, Hongxing Factory has really reached a point where it has no choice but to shut down. We all know what the factory has been like over the years. Not to mention others, even I myself recently went to work selling squirrel pelts, hoping to find a way to make a living for my family."

"So I'm not opposed to the transformation."

"But what if you were to switch to fur processing—"

Old Chen paused here, his brows furrowing slightly.

I'm not confident.

"Not only am I unsure, but many workers in the factory are also unsure."

"We've been working with machinery for decades, turning, milling, planing, grinding, dealing with lumps of iron our whole lives. Now, suddenly we have to turn around and touch leather, to work with these new things. This is too big a leap."

"It's not that the comrades are unwilling to put in the effort, it's that they've never done it before and they're feeling insecure."

Wang Daikui clicked his tongue and added:

"right."

"I get excited looking at the machines, but the thought that they're for handling leather and not for continuing our old trade always makes me a little uneasy."

After listening, Zhao Shanhe didn't rush to reply; he first smiled.

"So that's where your weakness lies."

He raised his hand and patted the machine next to him; the sound was not loud, but very steady.

"Fur processing can be simple in some ways, but difficult in others."

"What's so simple about it? If you let an old hunter do it, he could tell you all the steps of tanning, drying, and processing the hides."

"Where does the difficulty lie? If you really turn it into a job in a factory, a way to reliably produce goods and make money, then there are many tricks to it."

"Tanning, drying, separating the leather, thinning, cutting, assembling, sewing—each step alone is not mysterious, but when they are put together, they become complicated."

He paused, then looked up at Old Chen and Wang Daikui.

"But think about it carefully, which part is the hardest to digest?"

"It's still a machine."

"How to start the machine, how to adjust it, how to feed the material, how to prevent jamming, how to avoid wasting leather, how to make the blade move, how to make the transmission smooth, how to fix it when it malfunctions—"

"Isn't this still dealing with machines?"

"No matter how special the leather is, once it's in the machine, it has to follow the machine's rules."

"You've spent half your lives working with metal contraptions, and a piece of leather really stumps you?"

The warehouse fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

Wang Daikui opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Old Chen remained silent, but his expression clearly shifted.

Zhao Shanhe pressed down further.

"Besides, isn't Boss Jin going to bring over a knowledgeable chef from Hong Kong in a few days?"

"When the time comes, everyone will be able to learn how to tan, how to identify leather, and how to connect processes."

"Didn't you all learn from the Soviets little by little back then?"

"Back then, you might not have been able to understand everything the Soviets said, but you still managed to get through it, didn't you?"

"No matter what, Hong Kong people are still easier to understand than Russians, right?"

At this moment, Wang Daikui couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"That's true."

Old Chen's lips twitched slightly, and his expression finally relaxed a bit.

Zhao Shanhe looked at the two of them, his voice gradually becoming calmer.

"So this matter isn't as mysterious as you think."

"It's not like I'm expecting you to be able to make leather coats and sew gloves by tomorrow."

"I only have one thing for you to do now."

"Get to know these machines thoroughly first."

"Let's get this part of the machine working hard first."

"Identifying the leather, separating the leather, cutting the materials, and sewing them together are the next steps."

"You have to walk the road one step at a time, and eat your food one bite at a time."

"Nobody let you reach the end in one step."

The warehouse was silent for a few seconds.

Wang Daikui subconsciously touched the fuselage again, this time with a much firmer grip.

"Director Zhao, if you say that, then I feel truly at ease."

"After all this fuss, it's not about making us switch careers to learn needlework, but about figuring out the temperament of these foreigners first."

Old Chen nodded slowly.

"right."

"We don't understand leather goods, but the machinery part is definitely our job."

"As long as it's not something we have to handle from start to finish all at once, we can take it."

Zhao Shanhe nodded.

That's what I'm planning to do too.

"Master Wang, Master Chen, I'm going to do it like this—"

"You two, along with a few other reliable experienced workers in the factory, should take the lead in forming a learning and problem-solving group."

"Don't expand too much at first. Instead, gather a group of people and thoroughly understand the most important machines."

"You give me a report on the number of people you need."

"Whoever is quick-witted, fast-handed, willing to work hard, and truly dares to take the plunge, should be selected first."

At this point, Zhao Shanhe's voice became completely somber.

"The Red Star Factory is now at its most critical moment."

"This is not the time to slowly grind things out or muddle through; it's the time to race against time."

"The first group of people who come up cannot be just there to make up the numbers."

"You have to be quick-witted, clever, willing to endure hardship, and truly dare to get your hands dirty."

He looked up at the two of them.

"You've worked at the Red Star Factory for so many years. Who in the factory is truly skilled, who's a half-baked amateur, who's willing to put in the hard work, and who's just coasting along, taking up positions without doing any work—"

"You know better than I do."

Neither Lao Chen nor Wang Daikui said anything.

Zhao Shanhe continued:

"So this first group of people, they won't be chosen by anyone else, they'll be chosen by you."

"Make me a list later."

"We don't need many people, just pick a few who can really do the job and get the basics set up."

Wang Daikui subconsciously smacked his lips, his expression stiffening slightly.

Old Chen didn't reply immediately, but just lowered his eyes and looked at the small piece of cigarette ash on the ground.

The two looked at each other, but neither spoke first.

Zhao Shanhe raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"Afraid of offending people?"

Wang Daikui chuckled dryly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Director Zhao, it's nothing else."

"We're all old-timers from the same factory, we see each other all the time. If it comes down to who can and can't be decided by us, what will happen to our relationship in the future..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Shanhe had already taken it.

"It'll be hard to face people from now on, won't it?"

Wang Daikui grinned sheepishly but didn't say anything.

Zhao Shanhe looked at him and suddenly gave a cold laugh.

"You're afraid of losing face, but I'm not."

"You're afraid of offending people, so I'll be the one to offend them."

"Red Star Factory has already come to this point, what's the point of worrying about feelings or face? Then this factory can forget about turning things around."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and patted the machine next to him.

"What the factory lacks right now is not manpower."

"What we lack are people who can really get this bunch of guys going."

"I won't let those who were chosen first work for nothing."

"I will prioritize making up their wages."

"Whoever takes on the work first will be the first to get a hot meal."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Daikui's eyelids twitched noticeably.

Old Chen slowly raised his head as well.

These days, talking about anything else is meaningless.

A hot meal is more practical than any grand philosophy.

The wind outside whistled softly through the crack in the door.

The light cast long shadows of the three men, which loomed diagonally over the row of German machines.

Wang Daikui stood there, pursing his lips, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled and raised his hand to wipe his face hard.

"OK."

"Director Zhao, since you've put it this way, Old Chen and I won't beat around the bush with you anymore."

He glanced at Old Chen, then looked back at Zhao Shanhe, the slickness and smirk on his face gone.

"Who in the factory is truly skilled, who's just coasting along, who can lead, and who should be fired—"

"We both know exactly what's going on."

Zhao Shanhe didn't speak, but looked at Old Chen.

Old Chen remained silent.

His calloused hands hung at his sides, his knuckles slightly curled, as if he were weighing something in his mind.

Two seconds later, he raised his head and looked at Zhao Shanhe seriously.

Under the lamplight, that weathered face looked particularly somber.

Zhao Shanhe didn't dodge; he just calmly stared back at him.

Old Chen stared at him for a long time, as if trying to discern whether the young factory director's words were just a whim or meant to be.

Finally, he slowly nodded.

"it is good."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was very heavy.

"We'll provide the list."

"But there's one unpleasant thing I have to say upfront."

Zhao Shanhe looked at him.

"you say."

Old Chen raised his hand and pointed outside, saying in a muffled voice:

"Just by bringing up this list, you're bound to offend more than one or two people."

"Some people are seasoned veterans, and some have connections behind them."

"If things really get out of hand, you'll have to be able to handle it."

Wang Daikui added:

"right."

"If they really pick someone out, someone in the factory will definitely throw a tantrum."

"You can't let the two of us take the fall when the time comes."

After listening, Zhao Shanhe's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded.

"OK."

"You provide the list, but I'll handle carrying people."

"Whoever causes trouble, let them come find me."

"If anyone disagrees, let him come find me."

As soon as he said that, Wang Daikui's lips twitched violently, then he gritted his teeth and smiled.

"become."

"With your words, Old Chen and I will take on this task."

Old Chen didn't say anything more, but just glanced at the row of machines again and slowly exhaled a long breath.

As he exhaled, it was as if the pent-up anger that had been building up in his chest for many years also eased a bit.

He turned his head, looked at Zhao Shanhe, and said in a deep voice:

"Then let's give it our all."

Zhao Shanhe nodded.

"Let's give it our all."