OBS Chapter 650: An Extra Supplement of Money
Chapter 650: An Extra Supplement of Money
An hour later, Zhang Zhihua, looking disheveled, left the factory with his men.
Before leaving, he glared fiercely at Li Xiangyang, but could only suppress his anger. The 500,000 yuan compensation had already been transferred to the factory's account via bank transfer, and Li Xiangyang had kept the apology statement he had signed.
"Xiangyang, do you think he might retaliate?" Wang Ergou asked with some concern.
Li Xiangyang watched the departing convoy and sneered, "Does he dare? He's in the wrong now, but if things escalate, he'll be the one who suffers."
As they spoke, Zhang Xiaowei walked over timidly: "Factory Manager, I...I'm so sorry."
Li Xiangyang turned around and looked at the young worker. Zhang Xiaowei was only in his early twenties, and his family was indeed struggling financially. His elderly father had been ill for many years, and he also had a younger brother who was still in school.
"Xiaowei, do you know where you went wrong?" Li Xiangyang's tone was not stern.
“I shouldn’t have betrayed the factory for money,” Zhang Xiaowei said, his eyes red. “Factory manager, please fire me. I can’t face staying here any longer.”
"Expel you?" Li Xiangyang shook his head. "Wouldn't that have perfectly achieved Zhang Zhihua's goal?"
Zhang Xiaowei was stunned, not understanding what Li Xiangyang meant.
“Xiaowei, everyone makes mistakes. The key is to recognize them and correct them.” Li Xiangyang patted him on the shoulder. “I know about your family’s difficulties. The factory will be giving out year-end bonuses soon, and you’ll get your share.”
Zhang Xiaowei was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes: "Factory manager, I... I will never do anything to betray the factory again!"
"Alright, go ahead and get back to work." Li Xiangyang waved his hand. "Remember, be an upright person and do things conscientiously."
Zhang Xiaowei bowed deeply, then turned and ran away.
Wang Ergou, watching from the side, nodded secretly: "Xiangyang, you handled it quite well. That child isn't inherently bad; he was just pushed to the limit."
"Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future," Li Xiangyang said. "Besides, our factory needs manpower right now. If we fire everyone, who will do the work?"
Just then, the factory's loudspeaker blared; it was an announcement from Li Xiangyang calling for a general meeting of all employees.
Half an hour later, the factory courtyard was filled with people. There were more than 300 people, from workshop workers to office staff, from security guards to canteen staff.
Standing on the stage, Li Xiangyang looked at the familiar faces below and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
“Brothers and sisters,” he began, “you’ve all heard some rumors these past few days that our factory is going to be sold.”
The audience immediately began to discuss the matter, and many people showed worried expressions.
"I can tell you all clearly today," Li Xiangyang raised his voice, "our factory will not be sold! Anyone who tries to take it hostile will be fought to the bitter end!"
"Bravo!" A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
"Furthermore," Li Xiangyang continued, "starting today, our factory will undergo a shareholding reform. Every employee who has worked here for three years or more can purchase shares in the factory."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.
"Factory manager, are you telling the truth?" someone asked loudly.
“Of course it’s true,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile. “Our factory was built together by everyone, so we should all be the owners of this factory.”
Wang Ergou was thrilled listening to this from below the stage. Li Xiangyang had mentioned this idea to him before, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon.
"We will announce the specific plan next week," Li Xiangyang said. "Those who are willing to invest are welcome; those who are not, that's fine too, you'll still receive your salary as usual."
After the meeting, the entire factory was buzzing with excitement. Employees gathered in small groups, enthusiastically discussing the shareholding reform.
"Xiangyang, that's a brilliant move," Wang Ergou said admiringly. "This way, everyone is a shareholder in the factory, so who would betray it?"
“That’s only one reason,” Li Xiangyang said. “More importantly, I want everyone to live a better life. My brothers and sisters who have worked with me over the years have deserve credit for their hard work, even if they haven’t achieved great things.”
As we were talking, the office phone rang.
When Li Xiangyang answered the phone, he heard that it was Tian Guoqiang calling from Guangzhou.
"Xiangyang, I heard something happened on your end?" Tian Guoqiang asked over the phone.
"It's a minor matter, it's already been resolved." Li Xiangyang briefly explained the situation.
After listening, Tian Guoqiang remained silent for a while: "Xiangyang, it seems our business has grown too big, and all sorts of shady characters are trying to get involved."
"That's normal, the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow," Li Xiangyang said nonchalantly. "By the way, how's Lin Yajing's decision?"
"She called me back today and said she's willing to join Tianrun," Tian Guoqiang said excitedly. "However, she made a condition: she hopes to open a branch in the north as well."
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "That's a good idea. We have abundant resources in the north; we can certainly use local materials and process them locally."
“That’s what I was thinking too,” Tian Guoqiang said. “How about this, I’ll fly over next week, and we can discuss the specific plan in person?”
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang was in a good mood. Although Zhang Zhihua's incident was disgusting, it also made him realize the importance of unity.
At this moment, Wang Ergou pushed open the door and came in, holding a fax in his hand.
"Xiangyang, take a look at this." He handed the fax to Li Xiangyang. "It's from Director Chen of Jinghua Chain Stores."
Li Xiangyang took the order and saw that it was a large order: 150,000 sets of processed agricultural products, all of which were required to be delivered before the Spring Festival.
"That's a considerable quantity," Li Xiangyang calculated. "At the current production capacity, even operating at full capacity would take three months."
"Yes, and the period before the Spring Festival is crucial," Wang Ergou analyzed. "They probably want to promote our products during the peak sales season of the Spring Festival."
Li Xiangyang nodded; this was indeed a good opportunity. Jinghua Chain had stores nationwide, and if they could use this opportunity to increase brand awareness, it would greatly benefit the factory's long-term development.
“But there’s a problem,” Li Xiangyang frowned, “our equipment is getting old. Running it at full capacity for three consecutive months might not be enough.”
"Why don't we take this opportunity to upgrade a batch of equipment?" Wang Ergou suggested.
“Upgrading the equipment will take time, and this order is very tight before the Spring Festival.” Li Xiangyang thought for a moment, “How about this, we split into two groups. One group will speed up production of the existing order, while the other will contact equipment manufacturers to see if we can temporarily rent some equipment.”
Just as they were discussing, Old Chen, the head of the finance department, rushed in.
"Factory manager, factory manager!" Old Chen said breathlessly, "The bank called, there's an extra sum of money in our account!"
"More money?" Li Xiangyang asked doubtfully. "How much?"
"One million! A whole million!" Old Chen exclaimed excitedly. "The remittance was made to Hualian Supermarket."