Chapter 48

Lin Qiangsheng and his father stepped out of the workshop and met two soldiers face to face.

Lin Qiangsheng introduced, "Father, this is Gao Jun, and that is Dong Cheng."

"This is Lin Xiangrong, the factory manager of our Jiang'an Automobile Manufacturing Plant!" Lin Qiangsheng introduced his father to the two soldiers.

"Oh!" Upon hearing that the young man called the factory manager "father," Gao Jun and Dong Cheng immediately understood why Lin Qiangsheng was driving such a car.

In their minds, a factory of this size, with thousands of employees, must have a manager of a high rank. At the very least, it should be higher than the county level.

The two soldiers did not have any rank insignia. In 1988, the military rank system was only restored in China. Lin Qiangsheng did not ask about their positions in detail, guessing that even if he did, they would not tell him.

"Hello, hello!" Lin Xiangrong quickly shook hands with the two soldiers.

Gao Jun and Dong Cheng were very enthusiastic. Although Dong Cheng was just a driver, in this era, drivers might have driven for high-ranking officials, so they were also quite polite.

After shaking hands, they were invited to the manager's office by Lin Xiangrong, and Lin Qiangsheng followed them in.

Lin Xiangrong glanced at his son and said, "Why did you come in too? Close the door."

After the two soldiers sat down, Lin Xiangrong asked, "Comrades, what brings you to our factory?" Although he had heard Lin Qiangsheng mention something, he still wanted to know the details.

Gao Jun quickly said, "Our unit wants to modify a batch of military jeeps for mountain driving, preferably like the one your son is driving."

"Your son's jeep gave us quite a run this morning! It was amazing! Is it modified by your factory? It's clear that the vehicle has agile steering, high speed, and powerful performance, especially its hill-climbing ability! This morning, it climbed a steep hill that our 202 couldn't even manage! We want that!"

Lin Xiangrong listened and glanced at Lin Qiangsheng, giving him a stern look.

Turning his head, Lin Xiangrong smiled and said, "Since you are from the military, do you have an introduction letter or official documents? As long as your unit has a real need and the higher-ups have issued a document, our factory will naturally cooperate with the military construction."

The two soldiers looked at each other, their faces turning awkward. Gao Jun turned to look at Lin Qiangsheng.

Lin Qiangsheng smiled, thinking, "Do you want me to leave? Fine, you can say it or not."

Lin Xiangrong did not intend to send his son away. It was clear that the two soldiers had no official documents or introduction letters and had come unannounced. This request seemed to be asking the factory to do something for free. With official documents, it would be easier, but without them, he was in a difficult position.

Of course, Lin Xiangrong did not think anyone would pretend to be soldiers. Who would have such audacity?!

Seeing that Lin Qiangsheng was not leaving, Gao Jun had no choice but to say, "This is a vehicle our division wants. Our unit really needs these vehicles!"

Lin Qiangsheng laughed and said, "Oh? Did your division commander decide this on a whim?"

Gao Jun was at a loss, and Dong Cheng, who was anxious, said, "Although it's what our division commander wants, these vehicles are crucial for national affairs! We hope your factory can help us. I see that your factory is well-established and should be capable. Modifying a batch of vehicles should be easy for you!"

Lin Qiangsheng looked at Dong Cheng, noting his anxiousness, and asked, "What national affairs? Are you going to the southwest? Has your division been assigned to the front?"

Gao Jun and Dong Cheng were surprised, looking at Lin Qiangsheng. Gao Jun asked, "How do you know? How did you find out?"

Lin Xiangrong was also surprised, not understanding what his son meant. Was the country going to war?!

National affairs were not something ordinary people should know. It's like a friend who was your best buddy one moment and then you find out he cheated on you the next. You feel shocked, but in reality, it had been brewing for a long time. By the time you realize it, you might have been a cuckold for a while!

Similarly, at this moment, the higher-ups had not yet made any announcements, and ordinary people still thought Vietnam was our good friend and comrade. In reality, they had already started provoking and firing at us.

"Are you from the 23rd Army?" Lin Qiangsheng asked.

Although Gao Jun and Dong Cheng did not nod, their eyes betrayed them.

"The 23rd Army is stationed in Heilongjiang and is the main force on our northern front. You fought the Soviets in the Zhenbao Island conflict and gave them a good beating. Guarding the northern border is your responsibility, and the higher-ups will not send you to the southwest. Tell your division commander to stay put in the north!" Lin Qiangsheng said.

Gao Jun and Dong Cheng looked at each other and stood up decisively.

Gao Jun said, "It seems we came to the wrong person!" The two soldiers quickly said goodbye to the Lin family and drove out of the factory gate.

"Father, are the workers in the factory hard to manage?" Lin Qiangsheng asked as he accompanied his father into the office.

Lin Xiangrong sighed and said, "The team is very scattered, and it's really hard to manage! It seems I promised too much before! At this rate, the factory's production next year will be far from the target!"

The factory's leaders did not expect the biggest problem to be the workers. Perhaps they had anticipated it but did not realize how serious it was. After all, they were just a small auto repair shop with a few dozen people, and management was minimal. Suddenly expanding to a large factory with over a thousand people was a bit of a feverish decision! It seemed the entire province was in a feverish state! They were part of the nationwide industrial surge, with ambitious goals: by 1980, achieve agricultural mechanization nationwide; by 1985, reach 250 million tons of oil production and build ten Daqing-like oil fields; by 1985, reach 60 million tons of steel production and construct or expand 120 large projects. This new surge, known as the "foreign leap forward," required equipment to be imported from abroad, far exceeding the country's capacity. The lack of foreign exchange would be borne by energy-rich provinces!

For example, the famous Baosteel project, with its outdated Japanese equipment and technology, was priced at $8 billion. In 1978, during the second oil crisis, the Japanese saw an opportunity and demanded payment in oil from Daqing. These catch-up plans were due to the country's development being delayed for a decade, and the entire nation hoped for rapid economic growth. Another reason was the tradition of pursuing high-speed development. Lin Qiangsheng was grateful for this industrial peak, otherwise, how could a small auto repair shop suddenly become a large automobile factory!

However, the factory now needed to thoroughly reorganize the workers' spirits to instill a sense of responsibility and mission, and fully integrate them into the factory's production!

Lin Qiangsheng comforted, "Take it slowly! Don't rush. As long as the factory can produce 20,000 vehicles in the next six months and reach 30,000, it will be a good start!"

Lin Xiangrong nodded unconsciously, looking at his son with satisfaction, feeling that his youngest son had grown up. His son's words were exactly what he had been thinking. He often reminded himself that the new factory and new workers needed time. If the first half of the year could produce 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles, it would be a good start, and he could report to the higher-ups.

After the eldest son went to the army, he rarely contacted the family and did not take care of it. The second daughter went to the countryside to settle down. Only this youngest son was left, so Lin Xiangrong and his wife, Xu Hongmei, loved Lin Qiangsheng even more.

"Whatever those two soldiers said today, don't tell anyone else to avoid any leaks!" Lin Xiangrong warned.

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Of course, why would I say anything?"

Regarding domestic matters, especially military affairs, the higher-ups were very secretive. Therefore, ordinary people found it mysterious and best not to inquire too much.

Lin Qiangsheng continued, "But, Father, I do have something to say! Today, I went to the countryside and met an old technician from an instrument factory, ..."

Lin Qiangsheng told his father about his discussion with Wang Guoxi.

Lin Xiangrong asked in surprise, "You want to start a factory? How will you do it? Is it allowed by the state?"

Since Lin Qiangsheng started working on molds, Lin Xiangrong could not understand his son. Even when his son resold cloth tickets and opened a small cloth store on the street, Lin Xiangrong just watched silently.

Lin Qiangsheng scratched his head and laughed, "That's where I need your help, Father! I want to affiliate the watch factory with the automobile factory. The accounts will be under the automobile factory. Is that possible?"

Lin Xiangrong said, "How can that be! The state does not allow it, and our automobile factory cannot do it!"

Lin Qiangsheng wanted to affiliate with the automobile factory because otherwise, the watch factory could not operate normally! Without an account, the factory would not pay him, and there was no precedent for personal business accounts. Anyone who tried to open one would be arrested!

Why not start a private or individual business? Because the state did not allow it! Moreover, Lin Qiangsheng did not want the commune to interfere in his factory, creating a small collective that would lead to conflicts over profits and complaints against him. Don't think farmers are simple and the masses are kind. If he did, Lin Qiangsheng would be naive.

In 1978, private factories had already appeared in Wenzhou, a coastal city. While people in inland areas could not even imagine it, the people of Wenzhou had already started their own family workshops and small factories. Initially, they operated under the guise of collective enterprises, and later, they formed joint-stock enterprises. The first batch of joint-stock enterprises in Wenzhou was the Li Family Knitting Factory, which was co-founded by 40 shareholders in the spring of 1979 and expanded to 119 shareholders by New Year's Day 1981, becoming the Cangnan Woolen Factory. This shows that by 1979, they had already started individual operations and had the capital to form joint-stock enterprises.

Lin Qiangsheng continued, "Many small factories are already affiliated with larger ones! Treat my factory as one of them, and let me affiliate it!"

Lin Xiangrong knew this situation; indeed, there were many such small factories in society.

He said to his son, "Qiangsheng, why don't you focus on your studies? The university you got into is great! When you have free time, come to the factory and help in the mold workshop. Why do you need to bother with these things?"

Lin Qiangsheng was determined and shook his head, "Father, how many years can a person live? If I don't do something, what will I do? I'll be bored to death!"

Lin Qiangsheng continued to persuade, determined to build the watch factory.

Lin Xiangrong nodded, not saying whether he agreed or not, and said, "When the time comes, go to the finance department."

Lin Qiangsheng smiled. Although his father did not explicitly agree, the fact that he told him to go to the finance department meant he would speak to them. That was enough!

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