Chapter 7

Other companies' security personnel have to patrol inside and out at night with flashlights to prevent thieves from climbing over the walls to steal things.

The silk weaving factory doesn't need to do this. The factory is doing well, with products in high demand, and the workers have been working in shifts for years. There are people in the workshops, in the warehouses, and in the office buildings, so external thieves generally don't dare to come in. If something is stolen, it's usually done by an insider.

Despite this, Han Bo still patrolled inside and out once.

He went to the office building and chatted with Deputy Director Xu, who was on night duty.

He then went to the workshop with Deputy Director Xu to meet a few workshop directors and deputy directors who were on night duty. He didn't return to the dormitory until 12 o'clock, after the small night shift and the large night shift had changed. He gave a safety briefing to the workers he hadn't seen before, covering traffic safety and personal safety.

Thinking too much during the day and resting too late at night, he slept especially soundly.

In the early morning, the propaganda department, as usual, broadcast the news from the Central People's Broadcasting Station. There was no water room on the first floor, so the water pool and faucet were installed by the flower bed. Several cadres, with towels over their shoulders and toothbrushes in hand, stood at the door, queuing up to wash and chat.

Yang Xiaomei got up early and had already returned from the canteen after having breakfast. She greeted him, got on her bicycle, and went to the main gate to change shifts. As a female colleague, the department treated her with more care, only assigning her day shifts and not night shifts.

After washing up, he picked up the enamel tray and prepared to go to the canteen. A motorcycle engine sound came from behind him.

He turned around and was surprised to ask, "Sister, Brother-in-law, why are you here?"

"I was worried, so I came to see."

Han Bo hurriedly helped Han Fang off the motorcycle and complained, "I'm not a three-year-old child. What's there to worry about? I told you not to ride a motorcycle. What if something happens?"

"She insisted on coming. If I didn't bring her, she would have come on her own, which would be even more worrying," Li Taipeng hurriedly shifted the blame, afraid that his younger brother-in-law would blame him.

"How did you get in?"

"We came yesterday, and the gatekeeper recognized us. He was very polite and didn't ask us to register. He let us in directly."

"Come in first. Have you eaten? If not, I'll go to the canteen to get some food."

"We've eaten."

Han Fang glanced at the dormitory, grabbed his sleeve excitedly, and said, "Xiao Bo, I actually came to see the house. Our place is on the first floor, right? I want to recognize the door. Taipeng has nothing to do anyway, so he can start the renovation now. Dad said on the phone last night that if we need any materials, he can have someone bring them from Donghai."

"Renovation?"

"New houses need to be renovated. How can we live in them without renovation?"

In Han Fang's mind, the house in the county town was also her house. Once it was renovated, they could bring the children to the county town to play on weekends, have a place to eat lunch, and not have to rush home in the afternoon. They could spend the whole summer there during the summer vacation, living like city people. She smiled broadly, and from her smile, one could feel how happy she was.

In Sige County, renovation was far from the lives of ordinary people. In most people's minds, renovation was something for hotels. Many people in the factory wanted houses, but none of them thought about renovating. They would at most buy some new furniture. The Hans were in the renovation business, and they had to renovate their own house. They not only had to renovate but also to do it well, to a high standard.

If they had the conditions, they should live comfortably. They weren't factory leaders, so they didn't need to be low-key.

Han Bo thought for a moment and smiled, "If we're going to renovate, you can rest in the dormitory or go to the department store for a walk. I'll go to the canteen to eat first, then go to work. After I finish my work, I'll go to the infrastructure department to ask. The building has already been topped out, and our place is on the first floor, so there shouldn't be any problems. We can go to see it during lunch break."

"We'll go for a walk around and come back at noon. We'll wait for you at the gate."

There was no TV in the dormitory, and sitting there for the whole morning could drive one crazy. Han Bo didn't insist on keeping his sister and brother-in-law. After sending them off, he finished his breakfast and went to the security department. The janitor had already cleaned the office and brought two bottles of hot water.

There were two desks, four chairs, an old sofa, a coffee table, a file cabinet, and a newspaper rack.

On the desk was an internal line phone. You could receive calls from extensions, but you couldn't make outgoing calls. The newspaper rack had quite a few newspapers, about eight or nine types in total, but they were all from four or five days ago. The newspapers would only reach the security department after other offices had finished reading them. It seemed they were just there for show, and the toilet paper was handy.

The desk on the left was moved up from downstairs yesterday. As a deputy director, he couldn't be without a place to work. However, the desk was empty, while Director Jiang's desk had many files.

To familiarize himself with the situation, he had to read the files.

There were files from the factory office, the county political and legal committee, the county comprehensive management office, the county public security bureau, and the Chengxi Town government... all red-headed documents. The most recent ones, about a dozen, were all about the "Severe Crackdown."

The "Severe Crackdown" was the responsibility of the party committee, government, and public security organs. He decided to read the "Economic Police Management Regulations" first.

He had just read to Chapter 3, Article 13, which stated that economic police should abide by and enforce the eight disciplines and ten rules of public security personnel, uphold socialist law, and be role models of law-abiding behavior, when a loud "Report" came from outside.

"Please come in."

He thought it was the class leader coming to participate in the挂牌 (hanging of the sign), but what entered his field of vision was a public security officer. He was about 27 or 28 years old, about 1.75 meters tall, with a square face, slightly dark skin, wearing a peaked cap, a police uniform, and a straight back. He was holding a file folder under his right arm.

"Comrade Gao, Comrade Gao, please sit, please sit!"

The silk weaving factory had assigned a university graduate, and it should be him. Gao Changxing took off his cap and asked somewhat awkwardly, "Are you Director Han?"

"I'm Han Bo, Deputy Director of the Security Department. Director Jiang should be here soon. Please sit, and I'll get you some water."

His immediate superior was in his early twenties, a university graduate, a student party member, and a state cadre from the start. Gao Changxing couldn't help but feel a bit envious. He put down the file folder and stopped him, saying, "Director Han, no need to get water, I'm not thirsty."

At this moment, a young girl rushed over, leaned against the door frame, and laughed, "Director Han, if the police... Oh, you're here! Comrade Gao Changxing, right? Secretary Ding is not at home, and Director Qian is busy. The leadership has asked you to go to the union, the second room on the west side of the corridor. Chairman Liu is waiting for you."

"I am, I'll go right away." Concerning his personal future, Gao Changxing didn't dare to delay for a minute and quickly picked up the file folder to go to the union.

The young girl didn't go with him but instead walked in, closed the door, and said with a look of disdain, "The police can't solve the problem of a formal position, so they come to our silk weaving factory. Do they think we're someplace else?"

He had met her yesterday. Li Suhong, whose father worked at the silk reeling factory and whose mother was a loom operator in the fourth workshop of the main factory, was a genuine silk weaving factory child, entering the factory directly after graduating from a vocational high school.

Han Bo asked curiously, "Xiaohong, is there any inside information?"

There weren't many university graduates in the factory, and there were even fewer who were as handsome, wealthy, and promising as him.

Director Qian had said yesterday that he would help introduce him. Thinking of the jokes his office colleagues had made, Li Suhong's heart fluttered. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "The police can't solve it, and our factory can't solve it either. The leadership said that now it's the factory manager's responsibility system, and they won't accept people assigned by the personnel bureau or the civil affairs bureau anymore. You, Director Han, are the last one."

Director Jiang had also said last night that eating from a common pot had no future. The factory leadership was implementing internal reforms, promoting performance-based wages in the workshops, and contracting the three silk reeling factories to individuals. They were also negotiating with the county government and the silk company to implement a hiring system for workshop directors and above.

Han Bo didn't find this strange; instead, he admired the factory leadership's approach.

There were so many enterprises in the county, and many had failed or were struggling. The silk weaving factory could stand out, to a large extent, due to the current factory leadership. They were bold, willing to reform, and flexible, especially Factory Manager Hou, who was a pioneer of the reform and opening-up.

"What do you mean by 'can't solve it'?" Concerning his own mentor, Han Bo couldn't help but ask.

Being assigned by the state and being forced into the factory were completely different. Although they both just entered the factory, in the minds of most workers, he belonged to the silk weaving factory, and his four years of university counted as work experience when he received his salary.

Gao Changxing was completely an outsider, an outsider who envied the good treatment of the silk weaving factory. Li Suhong chuckled, "The leadership said they would follow the rules. According to the rules, to promote a cadre, they need to conduct an investigation, have a conversation with the person, assess their work and organizational abilities, understand their moral behavior and lifestyle, and seek the opinions of the masses, then make a collective decision at the party committee meeting.

He just came, who knows if he has the ability to work or organize. The workers don't know him, and the mass opinion won't pass. Like me, he will start as a regular worker, and the promotion will be discussed next year. By then, the policy might have changed again."

The silk weaving factory was the leading enterprise in the county, creating significant benefits for the government and foreign exchange for the country, and helping many farmers in the county to raise silkworms and become wealthy!

Factory Manager Hou was much more powerful than the factory manager of the brick and tile factory in Sige Town. He was thought to be at the level of a full section, but last night he learned that he had long been enjoying the political treatment of a deputy division level for several years.

He was a national people's representative, with a license plate number from the county committee, Jiang E80012, the 12th car of the county committee. To see the secretary or the county head, he could go directly to the county committee or the county government, and township-level leaders would treat him politely. If it weren't for the "Severe Crackdown," the police wouldn't have the right to force people into the silk weaving factory.

Poor Gao Changxing, coming with high hopes, would probably leave disappointed.

During working hours, the young girl didn't dare to slack off. After a close encounter with her crush, she left, still feeling unsatisfied. As soon as she left, Jiang Guoping walked in with a bulging envelope.

"Xiao Han, the funds for buying police uniforms have been approved. I planned to ask the fleet for a car to go to the police station to pick up the uniforms, but all the drivers are out. Director Qian heard from Zhang Qingmin that you can drive, so he asked you to prepare some photos and get your ID card photocopied downstairs. The factory will help you get the necessary documents."

Jiang Guoping put down the money and then took a set of car keys from his pocket, looking very pleased.

Han Bo asked in confusion, "Director Jiang, what's this for?"

"These are the keys to car number 7. You can drive it. You know how to drive, right? There's a lot of stuff, and it's inconvenient without a car. Each person gets two sets of police uniforms, so that's 42 sets for 21 people. Plus the caps, shoes, belts, and a few batons, and the sign for the economic police detachment. It would be much better to bring it all back in one car."

"I don't have a license now!"

"What's there to be afraid of in the county? No one will check if you have a license. Even if they do, what can they do? Once you put on the police uniform, you're one of us. Drive slowly, and I'll keep an eye out for you. As long as nothing happens, it's fine." With a deputy who could drive, using the car would be much more convenient, and Jiang Guoping was very happy.

"But, but I only know how to drive a car."

"Car number 7 is a car, a minivan. The trucks are for delivering goods. You wouldn't even have the chance to drive them if you wanted to."

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