Chapter 31

These days, Feng Yiping had become very familiar with Wang Changning's home. He greeted Wang Changning's mother, "Auntie, you're picking soybeans."

"En, Yiping, you're here. Come in and sit down, have some water."

Feng Yiping quickly said it wasn't necessary. Wang Changning came out of the room, "Oh, you're here early."

The two of them moved chairs and a square stool to the backyard and started doing their homework. Wang Changning worked on his problems steadily and calmly. Later, when he studied mechanical drawing at the technical college, the diagrams he made were the cleanest and most beautiful in the class. Everyone has their own strengths; if they have the opportunity and can perform well, success is inevitable. For example, Wang Changning later became a golden-collar worker with an annual salary of over two million, and he was just one step away from becoming the CEO of a listed company.

Feng Yiping finished all his homework except for the composition quickly and well, and then relaxed in the sun.

Wang Changning was doing his English homework. He was unsure about a tense and asked Feng Yiping. Then he said, "Why do you seem like you have something on your mind today?"

Feng Yiping didn't need to hide it, "At lunch, my aunt and my third aunt had another argument."

Wang Changning smiled, "Things are much better now. When your second aunt was around, it happened more often."

"Ha ha," Feng Yiping could only laugh.

"It's nothing. You see, it's the same everywhere. Not many sisters-in-law can get along well." Wang Changning comforted him.

"Ah, it's related to me today. My third aunt said she wants to borrow money from our family. If we had the money to lend, that would be good, but she doesn't know that our family hasn't even paid off our debts yet. There's no money to lend. In the end, it's all about money, so we need to find a way to earn it."

Hearing this, Wang Changning also fell silent. Xiao Zhijie's family was in a better situation, and their two families were similar. They both farmed, and his mother wasn't in good health, though not as bad as Mei Qiuping, who had been hospitalized several times, but she had been sick frequently. The good thing was that his sister was very sensible. She dropped out of junior high school and went to work in a textile factory, saving a lot. She kept only a small amount for herself and sent most of her salary home to support the family.

"Changning, the last time I went to Xiao Zhijie's house, I mentioned to his family that if we don't do well on the high school entrance exam, we hope the family can support us to retake it. Have you discussed this with your family yet?"

Wang Changning put down his pen. His grades were similar to Xiao Zhijie's, both in the top ten of the class. From the current situation, it was very difficult to get into the first high school. "Xiao Zhijie and I don't have much confidence. If you keep up, you'll definitely be fine. I haven't thought that far ahead. What if I don't get in? Of course, I want to continue studying. But our families are in similar situations. Do you think our families can support us then?"

"I need to discuss this with you today. You know my parents are in the provincial capital, right?"

"Yes, selling candied chestnuts, your grandfather and your eldest uncle mentioned it when they came to collect chestnuts."

"Right, I also want to talk to you about this. This small business doesn't require much investment and has low risk. It's definitely hard work, but my parents can now sell more than ten pounds a day, at six yuan per pound, with a profit of nearly two yuan per pound. On average, they can earn two to three hundred yuan a month, and three thousand yuan a year."

"Three thousand yuan?" Wang Changning's eyes lit up. This year, his sister worked hard and could bring home about eight hundred yuan.

"Yes, at least three thousand. My parents are very frugal with food and lodging. They bring things from home instead of buying them outside, so they can earn at least four hundred yuan this month."

"That's really good."

"I'm also thinking about this. Since it's just starting, we don't have much confidence, so we can't invite others to join yet. You can discuss this with your parents when you have the chance. It's too late this year, but you can try next year. It's not difficult to do. My parents are very familiar with it, and you can learn it in a day or two."

Wang Changning was very interested, "Will it affect your family?"

Feng Yiping said firmly, "How could it? The provincial capital is so big. It wouldn't matter if there were more than one, or even dozens more. Besides, we can't let them keep pushing the cart around the streets. Once they earn some money and pay off their debts, they can save up and rent a shop, open a noodle shop or something, and have an easier life."

Wang Changning leaned over, "Hearing you say this, it sounds really good. If our family can earn some money, we can also ask them to support us to retake the exam. Otherwise, we would feel bad. Tell me more about it, so I can discuss it with my family. But if my parents have any questions, you'll have to explain it to them, okay?"

"No problem, or we can wait. My parents will come back for the New Year, and you can ask them for more details then."

It wasn't that Feng Yiping was obsessed with going to university. They all worked in private companies later—of course, with their technical college diplomas, they couldn't get into state-owned enterprises, and private companies didn't solely rely on diplomas.

First, the first-generation private entrepreneurs shared many common traits, such as being pragmatic, willing to learn, daring to think and act, perceptive, and good at seizing opportunities, among many others.

Another point is that among them, there were certainly those with higher education, but they were a very small minority. However, not having higher education doesn't mean they lack knowledge. In the process of entrepreneurship, the need for reality forced them to constantly enrich and improve themselves. Many of them had only a high school education, and some even only primary school, but their knowledge was not narrower than that of highly educated talents with master's or doctoral degrees, let alone emotional intelligence.

Therefore, their personal lives and entrepreneurial experiences determined that they wouldn't judge people by their diplomas.

Second, it was a matter of cost. Capital is profit-driven. In some state-owned enterprises, this might not apply, but in private companies, it definitely does.

For the same position and the same salary, if a college graduate is willing to compete with someone without higher education, they would welcome it. But that's not realistic. For the same position, if you offer a technical college graduate 1500 yuan a month, they can accept it, work hard, learn more, and gradually move up.

College graduates are different. Regardless of whether they have the potential to grow, they first require room for development, and they definitely demand that their household registration be resolved, and it must be in the main urban area. Finally, there's the issue of treatment. Would you feel comfortable giving them the same salary as someone who doesn't even know which door to enter at the university?

In their work, Feng Yiping and others also met many college graduates. Later, the new hires were all college graduates, and it was really hard to find someone without a college diploma.

Among these top students, there were indeed many with real talent and ability, but there were also some who were not as good as their reputation.

The company's first college graduate was reportedly brought in with the help of the group's HR director. When he first arrived, he wasn't assigned a specific position and was asked to find areas for improvement.

This person was quite free, never following the company's working hours, rarely attending pre- and post-shift meetings, and easy to find during meal times. When he was in the company, he would wander around, spending more time in places with more girls, like the front desk, finance, and management departments. Because he graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, he would often say, "The General Secretary is my alumnus."

A week later, the company held a regular meeting, and all the managers, including the general manager and external consultants, were present. After a third of the agenda, he arrived leisurely, pulled a chair, and sat at the back of the meeting room by the door.

The general manager then said, "Now, let's welcome the talented graduate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to share his observations."

Everyone clapped, and he was prepared. He took out a notebook and spoke for about ten minutes, but the people below were confused. What was he talking about?

After he finished, there was no expected applause. Most people were polite, looking down in thought or taking notes, while a few who were less polite and had always disliked his attitude laughed out loud.

The general manager defused the situation, "The ideas are good, but because he has been with the company for a short time, his understanding of the situation is not comprehensive. These ideas can be improved in the future."

Then, that was it. On the third day, he was notified to go to the management department to complete his resignation procedures. As he left, he said, "I didn't want to come to such a company anyway."

In 2000, the group hired a returning expert from the United States with a two million yuan annual salary to serve as vice president. He surveyed the company for a few days. Honestly, his knowledge, demeanor, and eloquence were impeccable, winning over everyone from the general manager to the security guard, including the wolf dog in the backyard. He was in his forties, in good shape, not bald, and without a beer belly. He was also very athletic on the company's sports field.

After surveying the company for four days, he called a meeting of all employees, listing many issues from work uniforms to the company's long-term plans. He identified the problems and provided solutions. These solutions were supported by middle-level managers and frontline employees, but key figures, such as the group's shareholders and chairman, would not agree.

For example, he said, professional work should be done by professionals with the right tools. For example, unloading was done by all employees after work, which he considered a waste of professional talent. This time could be better spent contacting clients to create more value. If an employee got injured during the process, it would cause a series of problems. Therefore, he suggested outsourcing this work to a professional company or setting up a new department with forklifts and elevators.

Another issue was the inadequate configuration of office software and hardware, which greatly affected work efficiency and capital turnover. If the software and hardware were in place, the same work could be done in 60% of the original time, significantly improving efficiency. At the same time, the company's inventory would be maintained at an ideal level, saving a lot of financial costs.

Feng Yiping and Xiao Zhijie saw that the general manager was taking notes with a troubled look. He was probably thinking, "Are you here to help me solve problems or to cause trouble?"

Because, according to his suggestions, even if we didn't consider the cost of unloading, just the cost of purchasing office software and hardware would exceed the company's registered capital, and it might still not be enough.

As this vice president surveyed one company after another within the group and proposed one solution after another, he quickly faded from people's view.

It's not that his solutions were wrong; they were all correct, but they were not suitable for the reality of our country at that time.

Feng Yiping had a client who ran a factory producing clothing machinery. To expand business, he hired a high-salary graduate from a prestigious university's marketing management program. Since it was a small factory, the boss was responsible for the business, and the graduate would go out to meet clients with the boss in a Santana.

At that time, entrepreneurs hadn't developed the habit of wearing luxury from head to toe. The boss's attire was similar to the graduate's, who was tall, fair, and had a better image than the boss, who was a bit dark and thin.

So many times, when they arrived at the client's company, the responsible person would mistake the graduate for the boss and warmly welcome him, treating the real boss as the driver.

The graduate would explain each time, "That's my boss," but he didn't try to avoid this situation. For example, he could have carried the boss's briefcase from the back seat and followed the boss, or he could have suggested learning to drive, but he didn't.

Perhaps deep down, he never truly respected these small bosses who were unsophisticated in both appearance and speech, thinking they were just lucky. So when he was mistaken, although he appeared embarrassed, he secretly felt a bit proud and pleased.

A few months later, the boss completely mastered the graduate's negotiation techniques and moved him to the office, then to the workshop, and finally, the graduate left on his own.

Although this incident was somewhat amusing, the situation of high-salary hires being unsuitable was very common.

So later, many company bosses realized that when hiring, they should not look at diplomas or resumes but at character. Good character means training and mentoring within the company, personally guiding and teaching, and spending money on various training programs. This way, the talent they cultivate is the talent they need, the talent that fits.

But for Feng Yiping and others, were diplomas really unimportant? Of course not. For the same work, they earned 1500 yuan, while college graduates earned several tens of percent more. Feng Yiping and others worked hard on the front lines for over two years, dedicating themselves to the company, and slowly moved up to middle management. After three more years, they finally became branch managers.

The college graduates, on the other hand, spent at most three months on the front lines before moving to the office, saving nearly two years of time.

However, among the college graduates hired at the same time as Feng Yiping, very few eventually became branch managers or group executives. They had many opportunities and often jumped to other companies halfway through, repeating the cycle, and it wasn't certain that they would achieve great success.

For Feng Yiping and others without college diplomas, their eventual success was not due to exceptional ability but to the lack of choices, which forced them to succeed.

Moreover, if Feng Yiping were to go to university, it wouldn't be for the diploma. Although they later studied a lot on their own and attended many training programs, their efficiency was much lower compared to those with systematic university education. For example, for the same problem, they had to spend a lot of time studying on their own and might not fully understand it. In school, a teacher's guidance could quickly clarify the issue, saving time and achieving better results, and the knowledge would be more solid and comprehensive.

Generally, those with formal education have more potential than those who are self-taught. This is what Feng Yiping wanted.

When Feng Yiping left, Wang Changning's mother warmly invited him to stay for dinner, but Feng Yiping said his grandfather was alone at home, and he needed to go back to keep him company.

Back at his grandfather's house, his grandfather was steaming rice, "I was about to go call you."

Feng Yiping laughed, "No need to call, I'll definitely be home on time for dinner."

His grandfather said, "It's just the leftover lunch, I didn't cook anything new."

"That's enough, Grandpa. We can't even finish this for two people."

"Alright, you help me watch the fire, and I'll go find your eldest uncle."

A while later, his eldest uncle came over with a pair of pliers and a screwdriver, ready to remove the two wheels.

Feng Yiping went to help and saw a bundle of straw in the backyard, which his grandfather must have cut in the afternoon.

In the evening, his third uncle came to his grandfather's house with a flashlight. His grandfather asked, "Is Yangyang okay?"

"He's fine, just a bit red in the eyes. The doctor said he'll be better in a couple of days."

His grandfather didn't say anything more.

His third uncle mainly came to see Feng Yiping, "Yiping, you did a good thing by lending money, but it turned out this way. Don't take it to heart. Your aunt acted impulsively, but she didn't mean any harm. I've already talked to her. Although your parents are earning some money now, they still owe a lot of debt. They don't have money to lend, so don't take your aunt's words to heart."

His third uncle spoke quickly and urgently. As his mother said, his third uncle spoke a bit like a woman.

Feng Yiping said, "It's okay, Uncle. I understand. Our family's situation is known to you. With Grandpa and my eldest uncle helping to collect so many chestnuts this year, we need to try to pay off these debts by the end of the year. After paying off the debts, we might not have money to pay off old debts, but I think next year will be better. We'll definitely pay off the debts next year, and then it will be fine."

His third uncle said, "I'm glad you understand. Tell your parents that if they have difficulties at the end of the year, let me know. I can help with a few hundred yuan."

Feng Yiping knew that his third uncle had the intention. They were all brought up by their eldest sister, Mei Qiuping,