Chapter 60: Old Dong is in Trouble

Director Dong drafted the document on the spot, but he did not hang up the phone.

Seeming a bit tipsy, his voice sounded somewhat lazy and unhurried.

"Little Yu, I just heard that you really put on a grand display of might in front of the three major companies of the Taishi Road and Bridge Group."

"Leader, you know how chaotic Shiliying is. If I don't establish some authority, trouble is bound to break out later."

"Hmm, never mind that. But that general manager of the Municipal No. 3 Construction Engineering Company who accidentally fell into the ice hole—let him come back. We are all our own people, so don't let it ruin the harmony."

"Understood."

"And another thing, what do you think of these three construction companies?"

"Wonderful! As expected of state-owned enterprises, their construction efficiency and quality are far ahead!"

"Heh, you young man certainly know how to flatter." Director Dong was very pleased. "Coincidentally, there are a few idle refrigerated shipping containers over at the cold storage. I'll have them sent to you."

"Thank you, Leader!"

You see, a top-tier benefactor is always magnanimous.

Thinking of his upcoming electric locomotives arriving, Yu Yang brought it up again: "Leader, we have the tracks and the locomotives, but the corresponding personnel—such as drivers, maintenance staff, and signal management—are completely lacking."

"That's not a problem. I'll have the Municipal Communications Institute select a batch of top students to do their internships at your company."

"Actually, my idea is to recruit a batch for emergency needs first, and then recruit a group of young people from the villages to train them specifically. After all, using our own people is more reassuring, and it can also solve employment issues in Shiliying."

"That's a very good idea, I support it. But without passing the unified national examination, it will be very difficult for them to get a state-issued graduation certificate."

Since Director Dong said it was difficult, Yu Yang naturally wouldn't force it. "The graduation certificate doesn't matter; as long as they learn real skills, that's fine."

"That's simple. Send me as many as you want, provided they bring their own food and lodging."

"Thank you, Leader!"

"Little Yu, human desires are hard to satisfy. Just like your father's brick kiln—how could the collective ever be completely satisfied? That's what landed him in a lawsuit, right?"

"Yes!"

"I have a lot on my plate—a city of four or five million people, involving even more aspects. Add in the people executing tasks, who vary in character and capability, and the result is that some people are satisfied, some are dissatisfied, and others even resent me and want to take me down.

Most of the time in this world, the satisfied people praise you a couple of times, but no one remembers it, and it doesn't spread. Meanwhile, the dissatisfied people curse you a few times, and the whole city knows it instantly—especially when certain people take the opportunity to exploit it. That bad reputation can last for several years, or even become a personal label for life.

But none of that matters to me.

As for you, working under me, don't overthink things. If you have any needs in the future, just bring them up, and I'll find a way to solve them. Your task, besides getting things done, is simply to get things done!"

"Understood."

"You and I—I get promoted, you get rich. Such a simple logic, yet some people just don't understand it and insist on stirring up trouble..."

Director Dong rambled on before hanging up the phone.

Yu Yang was slightly stunned. Who is "you and I" in terms of generation?

Fine.

You're Director Dong, you're the big shot!

Immediately afterward, he contacted the deputy president of the county branch bank to inquire about what kind of trouble Director Dong had run into.

To his surprise, he really was in trouble.

Half a month ago, Director Dong was seconded as the head of the state-owned enterprise reform project, tasked with restructuring the city's old cotton mill, old textile mill, and old oil refinery, as well as reorganizing three municipal grain, oil, and chemical companies.

None of these were small enterprises; they practically represented an era, involving an even greater number of active and retired employees.

Now, with the restructuring dragging up a whole series of vested interests, all those old folks and laid-off workers had taken to the streets together...

One could only guess that the liveliness in the city far surpassed the current state of Shiliying.

Unfortunately, in his previous timeline, he had been busy making and selling bean sprouts from dawn to dusk, so while he had heard rumors about this, he knew nothing of the details.

...

On the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month.

With Director Dong's document in hand, the ballastless track construction project proceeded methodically.

The township helped procure cement, asphalt, fine aggregates, and admixtures from nearby cities and counties.

The three major construction engineering companies were responsible for transportation.

The laborers of Shiliying were busy tying steel bars and supporting molds on one side, hauling rectangular blocks on another, and watering for curing on yet another...

Meanwhile, construction crews from the three major companies built the roadbed, planted utility poles, strung steel cables, laid ballastless tracks, and stabilized the rails one by one.

Concurrently, the step-down transformer substation supported by Pingdong County rose from the ground, and the five high-power water pumps provided as aid were placed into East Lake.

Furthermore, the real plastic greenhouses, super heated brick beds, fake plastic greenhouses, drainage ditches, warehouses, office buildings, staff dormitories, factory parking lots, and even the cafeterias and restrooms did not stop expanding either...

This was an immensely massive project. Whether it was the personnel from the three major companies, the over four thousand able-bodied men and women of Shiliying, or the laborers rushing over from neighboring townships looking for work, everyone was busy day and night.

Yet, everyone was extremely happy.

Without reason—they had food to eat and money to be paid.

Especially when evening arrived.

"Time to eat!"

Following the shouts of the flag-bearer carrying the "Patrol" flag, the construction teams in each zone withdrew in an orderly fashion, making way for the night shift workers to continue operations.

As for the retiring personnel, led by their foremen and holding high a team flag, they gathered in the dormitory area near the brick kiln.

Shortly after, five wooden carts rolled out from the direction of the brick kiln's large cafeteria, respectively carrying large iron buckets filled with stir-fried bean sprouts with chili, Chinese cabbage and vermicelli stewed with pork, corn porridge, and baskets of steamed buns.

Upon reaching the team flags, two robust cafeteria aunties greeted the laborers who had been starving all afternoon and began serving food.

The foremen, the patrol flag-bearer, the village head of East Village responsible for that zone, and the accountant of West Village seized the opportunity to verify the work points recorded by the foremen and the ratings recorded by the patrol flag-bearer. Then, the accountant kept the ledger, and the village head distributed the money.

"Huang Jinbo, slacked off for half an hour. Work points: 9. Rating: 8. Daily settlement: 17. Keep a tab or collect the cash?"

"I didn't slack off, I went to squat in the outhouse."

"You squatted five times this afternoon, and every single time you reeked of cigarette smoke. Not counting you off for a full hour is already the Great Chief showing mercy outside the law, and you're still arguing? Deduct 1 more point from your rating."

"..."

"Huang Laosan, work points: 10. Rating: 10. Daily settlement: 20 yuan. Eleven consecutive days of excellence—you've passed probation!"

"Yay, that's fantastic!"

"The village rewards you with 10 eggs. Once your onboarding paperwork is done, remember to pick them up at the village committee."

"Thank you, Village Head!"

"You should thank the Great Chief. Go share the good news with your wife quickly."

Huang Laosan didn't even eat his meal; clutching his lunchbox, he strode forward on his large feet, kicking up a trail of dust as he headed straight for East Village.

On the other side.

"Holy crap, I passed probation?"

"I passed probation too!!!"

"What's going on today? Over a dozen people passed probation?"

"Are you an idiot? The factory construction speed is picking up, especially with another 30 plastic greenhouses north of Yu Family Village going into operation. Sanyuan's company is short on people."

"No kidding! This time, they're not just recruiting female workers, laborers, and drivers; they're also recruiting young people with a junior high school education or above, saying they'll be sent to the Municipal Communications Institute to learn how to drive trains, repair trains, handle traffic signal management, and maintain railways. When they come back, they'll be treated like college graduates and sign a 20-year labor contract with Sanyuan."

"Damn it, what are you eating for? Get up and get back to work!"

"Work, work, work!"

...

Yu Family Village.

With both younger cousins having entered the Municipal No. 3 Construction Engineering Company as accountants with official staff status, the Sixth Uncle insisted on hosting a dinner treat.

Over food and drinks.

Sixth Uncle sighed emotionally, "Sanyuan, the company is getting bigger and bigger, but your uncle can barely handle everything. Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed. You should find someone else for management."

"Sixth Uncle, to be honest, have you embezzled enough and are you planning to run away?"

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? How can you talk to your uncle like that?"

"I just saw Auntie wearing a big gold necklace." Kk
"Fake, gold-plated, and hollow at that. It's just that seeing us make big money, nobody suspects a thing."

Yu Yang immediately pulled a stack of blue hundred-yuan bills from his briefcase. "Go buy a real one for Auntie."

"You haven't even bought one for your mom yet."

"Then I'll buy one for each of them, plus a gold ring, a gold necklace, and gold earrings. You go buy them."

"Heh, completing the set of three gold pieces... Actually, if you buy it for your aunt yourself, she'll be even happier."

"Then you just tell her I bought it."

"Makes sense!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses and exchanging of toasts.

Yue Donglai, the head of the Pingpu flatbed towing operation, rushed breathlessly into the courtyard. "Great Chief, it's bad! Our fleet heading north has been detained—twenty flatbed semi-trailers, and Old Han and Zhang Hai have both been arrested."

"Damn it, who is it? Having so little regard for Director Dong's face!"

"From Liaocheng."

"Oh, well, they indeed don't need to give Director Dong face..."