Chapter 55

Guan Haoyu cleared his throat and said, "Alright, we'll temporarily end the meeting here. We'll discuss the specifics later. Director Huang, you represent me and Section Chief Qi to receive them. Remember, be patient and meticulous, and don't escalate the conflict."

Although he was extremely unwilling, Huang Roshan had to reluctantly agree since Guan Haoyu had spoken.

Huang Roshan was promoted by Guan Haoyu and deeply trusted by him. Especially in the past one or two years, as Guan Haoyu approached retirement, he rarely involved himself in the specific affairs of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC). The daily work was mainly handled by Huang Roshan, and everyone, from top to bottom, believed that it was only a matter of time before Huang Roshan took over as the director of the SASAC.

However, Jian Ruoming's transfer from the provincial SASAC to become the deputy director of the Qingyuan City SASAC made the upcoming directorship competition relatively ambiguous.

According to Huang Roshan's thinking, if Jian Ruoming had not received some hint, why would he transfer from a provincial agency to a municipal one, only to seek trouble for himself?

Therefore, Guan Haoyu always emphasized Huang Roshan's position as the successor in the SASAC. For less important city meetings, he often let Huang Roshan represent him. For officials to be promoted, unlike local government leaders who could achieve solid political results, it mainly depended on making appearances in various settings and becoming familiar with the leadership.

You can't have your cake and eat it too.

If you want to gain familiarity, you also have to handle the dirty work.

Guan Haoyu got up and returned to his office, and Qi Daguang quickly followed with his teacup and notebook.

The others left in a hurry.

Only Huang Roshan and Chu Tianshu remained in the small meeting room.

Huang Roshan wanted to call Qi Daguang, but he was nowhere to be seen. Angrily, he cursed, "They all know how to flatter, but no one does the real work." He then noticed Chu Tianshu standing at the door and ordered, "Little Chu, go bring them in. Oh, and don't bring them all in, just a few representatives will do."

Soon, Chu Tianshu brought Wu Shicai, Zhang Wei, and about five or six others to the small meeting room.

Qi Daguang had already been called by Huang Roshan.

They sat on one side of the table and had Wu Shicai and the others sit on the other side.

Just as Chu Tianshu was about to leave, Huang Roshan called him back, "Little Chu, you sit down too."

Huang Roshan knew that the petitioners were often emotionally charged. If the conversation went badly and a conflict arose, Qi Daguang, who was rather frail, might not be able to control the situation. Huang Roshan had seen how fiercely Chu Tianshu had dealt with Tian Keming, and keeping him around would at least bolster their presence.

After sitting down, Huang Roshan introduced himself warmly, "I am Deputy Director Huang Roshan of the SASAC. I am here on behalf of Director Guan to listen to your opinions."

This opening statement was quite skillful, as it both established his identity and hinted that he had no decision-making power and could only listen to their opinions.

Wu Shicai got straight to the point, "Director Huang, I am Wu Shicai from the Instrument Factory. We are here to report the views and opinions of the employee representatives regarding the factory's restructuring."

Huang Roshan also remembered that Wu Shicai was the chief engineer of the Instrument Factory. He had seen him at various meetings before. Smiling, he said, "Mr. Wu, you are a technical expert at the Instrument Factory. I have heard reports from Secretary Guo and Factory Director Liu that the restructuring plan was discussed and approved by the factory leadership. Why do you still have objections?"

Wu Shicai replied, "Yes, I raised my concerns at the meeting, but no one listened. I had no choice but to come to the SASAC to report them."

"Go on, tell us."

"Director Huang, these are laid-off workers from the Instrument Factory. Most of them are dual-employee families, and some have three generations working at the factory. They rely on the factory for their livelihood. When we heard about the restructuring, there was still hope. Now, with the entire factory being sold, everyone feels they have lost their support. That's why we were chosen as representatives to speak on their behalf."

"Hmm," Huang Roshan nodded continuously to show he was listening attentively.

Wu Shicai continued, "The current plan to sell the entire Instrument Factory could lead to a significant loss of state assets and make it difficult to protect the rights of the workers. We hope the restructuring plan will fully consider the actual difficulties of the laid-off workers and address their concerns to the greatest extent possible. Otherwise, even if the Instrument Factory is restructured, it will remain a source of instability."

Chu Tianshu, listening on the side, was secretly impressed. Wu Shicai, a seasoned intellectual, hit the nail on the head and spoke clearly and confidently.

Huang Roshan said, "Mr. Wu, we have just heard about these issues. The restructuring plan was decided by the factory, and the SASAC is only responsible for discussing and reviewing it. Perhaps you should ask Secretary Guo and Factory Director Liu to submit a report to the SASAC through the proper channels."

Hearing Huang Roshan's evasive response, Zhang Wei lost his temper first. He stood up and loudly questioned, "Leader, if they listened to the opinions of the workers, would we have come to the SASAC to report the issues?"

In front of Qi Daguang and Chu Tianshu, Huang Roshan's face fell. He was losing face.

Seeing an opportunity to show off, Qi Daguang immediately stood up and pointed at Zhang Wei, "What do you mean? If your factory leaders don't listen to your opinions, can you come to the SASAC to cause trouble?"

"What do you mean? You haven't even let us speak, and you're already calling us troublemakers. Are you leaders like that?"

"The plan was submitted by your factory leaders. What good does it do to argue with our leaders?"

...

The two of them argued back and forth, their voices getting louder and louder, and the entire office building could hear them.

The laid-off workers waiting outside, hearing the commotion, rushed in, filling the small meeting room and the hallway, their tempers flaring.

If this continued, his authority in the SASAC would be completely undermined.

Huang Roshan was secretly anxious, cursing in his heart: This Qi Daguang, he's good for nothing. These roughnecks are not new migrant workers; a few harsh words won't scare them.

Zhang Wei and Qi Daguang, like two fighting roosters, became more and more hostile, almost coming to blows.

Seeing the situation escalating, Chu Tianshu quickly stood up and shouted, "Shut up!"

This sudden shout had the desired effect, and Qi Daguang and Zhang Wei were stunned.

Chu Tianshu then calmly said to Wu Shicai, "Mr. Wu, please calm everyone down. Director Huang is here to listen to your opinions. If you keep shouting, how can Director Huang speak?"

Wu Shicai stood up, gesturing for everyone to calm down, and loudly said, "Everyone, calm down and listen to Director Huang."

The crowd finally quieted down.

Zhang Wei and Qi Daguang, still glaring at each other, also sat down.

What could Huang Roshan say if he really spoke?

The plan to sell the entire Instrument Factory was almost a done deal.

Before the meeting, Guan Haoyu had mentioned the inside story to him. Before the restructuring plan was submitted, Deputy Mayor Tang Yifu had hinted at it. Several potential buyers had already smoothed out the relationships and had substantive contact with the factory leadership. They were just waiting for the approval process to be completed before starting the auction.

Tang Yifu required the SASAC to quickly discuss and review the plan and report it to the city.

At this moment, Huang Roshan's goal was simple: to get these laid-off workers to leave as soon as possible. As long as they didn't cause trouble at the SASAC, everything would be fine.

Thinking this, Huang Roshan chuckled and said, "Comrades, I will definitely report the issues you raised. However, the final approval for the Instrument Factory's restructuring plan is not within the SASAC's authority. On one hand, you should discuss with your factory leaders, and on the other hand, you can also report to the relevant departments in the city."

Wu Shicai gave Huang Roshan a cold look and said, "Director Huang, the SASAC is the supervisory department of the Instrument Factory. If you can't make decisions, where else can we go?"

Huang Roshan said helplessly, "Mr. Wu, you have been a factory leader. The SASAC is just an administrative body, not a decision-making department. I hope you understand. As for where to report, I can't say for sure."

Wu Shicai said, "Director Huang, I understand your meaning."

Huang Roshan said, "Hehe, good, good."

Wu Shicai stood up and loudly said to the crowd, "Comrades, follow me."

Zhang Wei waved to everyone and also loudly said, "Alright, follow Mr. Wu, let's go!"

More than twenty laid-off workers followed Wu Shicai and Zhang Wei, shouting as they left the SASAC office building.

Huang Roshan stood by the window, watching the laid-off workers leave, and listened to Qi Daguang's flattery, smiling smugly.

Chu Tianshu, watching Wu Shicai and Zhang Wei's determined steps, was convinced they would not give up.

Sure enough, Huang Roshan's smugness lasted only half an hour. He was still boasting to Guan Haoyu in his office when Deputy Mayor Tang Yifu's phone call came, and he was scolded harshly.

Due to the relationship with Ouyang Meimei, Tang Yifu was usually quite polite to Guan Haoyu. Today, his harsh words over the phone clearly indicated that something serious had happened!

It turned out that Wu Shicai and Zhang Wei, along with dozens of laid-off workers, had returned to the Instrument Factory, put up banners at the factory gate, and more laid-off workers joined in. The crowd grew, blocking the main road connecting the Qinglian River Bridge on the riverside avenue.

Within minutes, traffic in and out of Qingyuan City was paralyzed. A provincial leader was stuck at the bridge, saw the situation, and immediately reported it to the provincial government. The executive vice governor then called the Party Secretary of Qingyuan City, Guo Zichun.