Chapter 69

"Hey, what are you guys up to? Sit down, all of you, sit back down!" As a few employees were about to rush to the podium, a row of figures suddenly stood up from the front and loudly rebuked them. ▲∴

When these employees rushed close, they suddenly stopped in their tracks, unsure whether to advance or retreat upon seeing the row of people who had stood up.

"Master!"

"Director Wang!"

"Old Mr. Zhang!"

...

Not only the people who rushed over, but even other employees at the scene shouted in surprise. As more and more people stood up from the front, the 501 Factory employees in the venue fell silent. Who were these people? Why did they have such a great deterrent effect on the 501 Factory employees?

In theory, even Hu Jiefang or Luo Likou wouldn't dare to speak like that after Hu Wenhui's mass ridicule. Workers in this era were not like employees working for capitalists; the spirit of being the masters of their own destiny was not just for show. If they really caused a commotion, the higher-ups would have no choice but to let it go.

However, in the face of the anger of thousands of employees, this row of figures actually managed to suppress the situation, far exceeding Wang Yichun's expectations.

Wang Yichun put himself in Hu Wenhai's shoes and thought, if he were in Hu Wenhai's position, he would probably only have to make promises and persuade the workers to agree to the reform. Who would start by scolding the workers first? Isn't that just creating conflict? If the workers get angry, wouldn't it be like a duck flying out of your mouth?

But seeing this row of people stand up, Wang Yichun couldn't help but give Hu Wenhai a thumbs up.

Who were these people, and why did they have such an immediate effect?

"What, Er Biao, do you think Factory Manager Hu's words are harsh?"

"Da Hong, you've really grown a backbone, when did you learn to fight? I didn't see that talent in you back then!"

"What, are you guys not convinced?" A familiar voice came from the microphone on the stage. The employees looked up to see Luo Likou taking the microphone from Hu Wenhai: "Do you think you're so great, that you're not useless?"

"Old Secretary, what right does Hu Wenhai have to call us useless? He's not just talking about me, he's saying all three thousand of us are useless!"

"Old Secretary, he must apologize! Hu Wenhai must apologize and leave, we don't welcome people who don't respect us!"

"Right, can 501 Factory be sold to such a person? He calls us useless right from the start, what kind of upbringing does the Hu family have?"

"Ha, so you think you're so great?" Luo Likou squinted his eyes, his gaze like a blade, sweeping over the employees below. Almost everyone instinctively shrank back.

"Ahem, Old Secretary, no matter what, we can't call our employees useless. I think Comrade Hu is still young. Let him admit his mistake and apologize to the uncles and aunts, and let's just leave it at that."

"Oh, Deputy Factory Manager Yi." Hu Wenhai took the microphone from Luo Likou, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "Alright, what I said before was indeed inaccurate. Let me rephrase it."

Yi Yue smiled and nodded, saying in a kind tone: "Good, it's still a good child who can correct their mistakes. Everyone here has seen you grow up, they won't be too hard on you if you admit your mistake."

Yi Yue subtly used Hu Wenhai's age as a point, but no one in the audience was a fool; they could see through his biased support and inflammatory tactics.

However, the attitudes of the factory committee members towards this acquisition were not uniform. Some were pleased with Yi Yue's intervention, while others were indifferent. Hu Jiefang, due to his position, couldn't speak out, allowing this second-in-command deputy factory manager to dominate the conversation.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hu Wenhai held the microphone, thought for a moment, and then readdressed the three thousand 501 Factory employees, nodding: "Yes, I will revise my previous statement. Saying that everyone here is useless is clearly inaccurate. Not only those sitting below, but also those on the stage, like Yi Yue, are useless. No, 'useless' is not the right word. The leadership of 501 Factory, like Yi Yue, is a cancer, a tumor, a blood-sucking leech on 501 Factory!"

Rustle—

This time, not only the people below, but even many of the 501 Factory leaders on the stage couldn't help but stand up. Some hot-tempered ones even made a move to slam the table and curse.

"Rebellion? Sit down! This is a meeting, and you don't allow people to express their opinions? What, are you going to attack people in front of Mayor Wang and me?"

As the saying goes, every creature has its match. In the 501 Factory's power struggle, the hardest to deal with were the employees, but the person Hu Wenhai was least worried about was the current leadership of 501 Factory.

Why? Because the person speaking was on Hu Wenhai's side. Who was this person? None other than the Director of Xiucheng Machinery Industry Bureau, Zhang Mingjie!

Undoubtedly, Zhang Mingjie was at least a tiger in this game of animal chess. Devouring the wolves and dogs of 501 Factory was no easy task.

The workers had nothing to lose, so they could fear no one. But these 501 Factory leaders couldn't ignore the opinions of the bureau leaders. The workers could slam the table at the mayor, but the leaders had to sit back down under Zhang Mingjie's stern gaze.

However, in this game of animal chess, each animal has its own way of survival. Yi Yue picked up his enamel cup, took a sip of water, and then slammed it down on the upper right corner of the table in front of him.

This action was like a signal. The previously calm situation immediately spiraled out of control. Under the incitement of the workers who had already stood up, many others who had intended to wait and see couldn't help but join in.

"Ha, I guess you don't want to accept the title of 'useless.' But I want to ask you to judge for yourselves, compared to these people, are you really not useless?"

Hu Wenhai made a gesture inviting someone from the crowd to the stage.

"Old Mr. Zhang Zhanxun, no need for an introduction, right? Old Mr. Zhang, could you tell us about your achievements at 501 Factory?"

An elderly man, probably in his early sixties, wearing a gray work uniform that looked a bit loose on him, spoke with a loud and clear voice: "My name is Zhang Zhanxun, recipient of the May 1st Labor Medal in 1956! Three-time provincial model worker, eight-time municipal model worker. I don't have much to call achievements at 501 Factory, and compared to many of my old colleagues, I haven't done enough!"

Old Mr. Zhang's eyes took on a nostalgic look as he recalled: "I remember, when we were tackling the 6211 project, to solve the problem of the new material casting sand binder, our technical team leader Hao Mingshan didn't return home for a month. He was so covered in oil and grease that you couldn't see him walking on the road at night! In our time, let alone leaving production materials exposed, even if you found a screw on the road, you would hand it over to the organization!"

"I've been retired for five years, and I want to ask, is there anyone in the factory now who can be like our team leader Hao? Can the factory's warehouse be left unlocked?"

At this point, Luo Likou waved his hand, and an elderly man with glasses also walked up to the stage and stood beside him.

"Old Hao, you speak!" Luo Likou didn't give him a choice, shoving the microphone into Hao Mingshan's hands.

"Comrades, my name is Hao Mingshan, I was the head of the technical department at 501 Factory from 1970 to 1975. I'm not as great as Zhang Zhanxun says; all the technical breakthroughs were the result of the collective efforts of all colleagues. During my time as head of the technical department, 501 Factory completed 122 technical breakthroughs, 31 major projects assigned by superiors, accumulated 2,571 material test data, developed 71 new materials, and received 11 commendations from superiors!"

Hao Mingshan, who was initially a bit shy, became more spirited as he spoke, especially when he mentioned the number of commendations, it was as if he was shouting from the depths of his heart with pride!

Hao Mingshan stood tall and asked, like Zhang Zhanxun: "I want to ask, from 1980 to now, how many technical developments has 501 Factory had, and how many times have we received commendations from superiors?"

"Next, Old Wang, Workshop Two Director Wang Deyang, you old guy, come up and talk about your own achievements!"

Luo Likou pressed his advantage, calling out the names of the elderly people standing in the row below, almost one by one. Without exception, these elderly people were full of honor. Moreover, 501 Factory was truly outstanding, and the spirit of dedication of Chinese workers was almost perfectly embodied in them.

Compared to the current batch of workers, the stories of these old workers could make anyone feel ashamed. If the quality of the workers hadn't declined so severely, 501 Factory would never have been kicked out of the military-industrial system and handed over to Xiucheng City to manage.

The process of these elderly people introducing themselves and their achievements took almost an hour, but not a single worker in the venue showed any sign of impatience. Even the originally agitated crowd maintained a disciplined silence.

Only after all the elderly people had finished introducing themselves and their achievements, and the microphone was passed back to Hu Wenhai, did he stand at the front of the stage, chest out and head high, and ask: "I want to ask again, compared to these old comrades, who among you dares to say you are not useless!!!"