Beijing. Beiguan Village!
Early in the morning, Li Yi returned from Dong’an Market once again!
The flatbed tricycle he’d hired to haul the goods was loaded to the brim with meat and vegetables—three whole boneless sheep alone, over a hundred pounds of beef, plus a large quantity of pork, chicken, and all kinds of fresh seasonal vegetables.
Over the past few days, as the plump cattle and sheep from the grasslands had gradually gained a reputation among the local elite, a steady stream of customers had been coming in every day.
Although the prices at the barbecue and hot pot restaurant weren’t cheap—the average bill per person was nearly ten yuan, and it ran even higher if you ordered some fine wine—
However, the patrons here are either corporate executives or government officials—or, like Jiang Longcheng, children of officials from large government compounds. To be honest, these people certainly aren’t short on money.
It’s not that they’re particularly wealthy, but rather that no matter how much they spend, their organizations will reimburse them.
Whether it’s fair or not is another matter, but that’s the reality!
And that’s exactly why, in recent days, Li Yi’s restaurant—which specializes in grilled and hot-pot meats—has become a popular spot for the local elite to gather and treat their guests.
With more customers coming in, the restaurant’s revenue has naturally been climbing steadily, and profits have been growing rapidly.
From making just 4 yuan in profit on the first day to earning 1,000 yuan a day now.
That’s practically raking in the cash!
Dongzi and the others had already finished cleaning up. When they saw Li Yi and his group return, they immediately came out to help unload the goods.
After watching the tricycle driver ride off, the group immediately got to work, preparing to welcome the lunch crowd.
There’s no doubt business has been booming lately, but everyone has also been busier than ever.
In recent days, everyone—including Li Yi himself—had been severely sleep-deprived.
Every day, they had to head to the market early in the morning to stock up—buying meat, vegetables, and occasionally spices and beverages.
Once back at the shop, they had to quickly marinate the beef and lamb, as well as prepare the other ingredients.
Apart from the occasional one or two hours of rest after their lunch shift, they were busy the rest of the time.
In just a few days, the younger staff members were already on the verge of breaking down.
Most importantly, there are some tasks in the restaurant that men simply aren’t cut out for—such as picking and washing vegetables, or scrubbing pots and drying dishes—which girls handle far more efficiently and thoroughly.
In fact, Li Yi had considered hiring a few women to help, but upon reflection, he decided against it.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t hire them—it was that he didn’t dare to, because these days there’s this damn “eight-person rule.”
That is, if you hire eight workers, you’re considered a capitalist, and that constitutes exploitation.
In reality, this was just an example someone had thrown out, yet some people treated it as a “golden rule,” using whether the number of employees exceeded eight as the standard to determine if exploitation existed, or whether one was a sole proprietor or a private business owner.
No, you can survive!
If you do, you’ll be shut down!
Moreover, this debate persisted until the issuance of “Document No. 5” in 1987, when a clear conclusion was finally reached.
Before that, anyone who dared to employ more than eight people would certainly be arrested and made an example of.
Li Yi wasn’t that reckless, so he certainly didn’t dare to be so bold!
But this wasn’t a sustainable solution. After some deliberation, Li Yi decided to transfer a few more people from his hometown.
By bringing in people from his own family, he wouldn’t have to worry about being accused of hiring outsiders.
The first people who came to Li Yi’s mind were his second older sister, Li Lan, and Liu San’er. Although his second older sister hadn’t had much formal education, she had a knack for business.
Having her help run the shop wouldn’t be a problem, and with her keeping an eye on things, he could take some time off to visit home.
As for Liu San, that kid goes without saying—having him tag along to handle procurement or whatever would definitely be a good fit.
With that in mind, Li Yi decided to contact his family as soon as possible.
Since writing a letter would take too long, and sending a telegram might not convey the details clearly and could even scare people, Li Yi decided to make a phone call.
However, since there was no phone at home, Li Yi decided to call Li Gang at the county bureau and ask him to pass the message on to his family.
He knew the county bureau’s number, but there were no public phones nearby. After much deliberation, Li Yi thought of Jiang Longcheng at the cotton mill.
Since there was still some time before the midday rush, Li Yi immediately asked Dongzi, Qiangzi, and the others to watch the shop while he walked straight to the nearby cotton mill.
…….
Standing once again at the entrance to the cotton mill, gazing at the four large characters “Fine Spinning, Fine Weaving” at the very top of the gate and the wooden sign reading “State-Owned Beijing Second Cotton Mill,” Li Yi felt a mix of emotions.
In his previous life, he had spent three and a half months here—the most difficult period of his life.
Li Yi didn’t know what his life would have become if it hadn’t been for Jiang Longcheng and the cotton mill taking him in.
It was a pity that a factory with such a glorious history
was ultimately swallowed up by the surging tide of the times, becoming just one of the countless state-owned factories that went bankrupt in the 1990s.
And the workers here now would eventually join the ranks of the countless laid-off workers.
Just as Li Yi was lost in thought, he saw a middle-aged man in a blue work uniform emerge from the guardhouse at the entrance.
He gave Li Yi a few careful glances before saying, “Comrade, I see you’ve been standing here for a while. Is there something you need?”
Old Qiao, an ordinary employee in the cotton mill’s security department, was kind-hearted, helpful, and widely regarded as a good-natured soul.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Hello, I’m a friend of your factory director, Jiang Longcheng. I need to speak with him. Could you please call the factory office for me?”
“You’re a friend of our factory director, but I’ve never seen you before.”
Knowing he didn’t believe him, Li Yi immediately replied, “Comrade, there’s no need to doubt me. Why don’t you just make the call? It won’t take much time!”
“What’s your name, then?”
“Li Yi!”
“And your workplace?”
“No need to go into that. Just tell the factory office staff to let Jiang Longcheng know that Li Yi is here to see him!” Li Yi said.
“But…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility if anything goes wrong!”
Old Qiao was skeptical, but being the easygoing sort, he returned to the reception area and dialed the factory office.
Back at the factory office, Jiang Longcheng had just finished a routine meeting and was in the middle of reprimanding several heads of the sales department.
Since the start of the year, the factory had seen a steady decline in orders, leading to a severe backlog of unsold products.
Now, their upstream partner units were demanding payment for raw materials, while the factory’s own products remained unsold—a situation that had already severely impacted the factory’s profitability.
Jiang Longcheng knew full well that if things continued this way, their State-Owned Second Cotton Spinning Factory might end up following the same path as the neighboring foundry—having to beg the city government for money.
This was a scenario Jiang Longcheng was determined to avoid at all costs, so he had no choice but to pressure the heads of the Sales Department to find ways to move the factory’s backlog of products and quickly recoup funds.
However, the heads of the sales department were equally at a loss; they had already exhausted every possible solution, yet the results were negligible.
Just as they were bracing themselves for Director Jiang’s wrath, a sharp knock suddenly sounded at the office door.
Hearing the sound, the sales department staff all breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Come in!”
“Squeak!”
As the office door swung open, everyone watched as Secretary Wang from the Executive Office wiggled her hips as she walked in. She approached Jiang Longcheng and reported, “Director, there was a call from outside saying a young man named Li Yi is here to see you. He claims to be your friend!”
Upon hearing the name “Li Yi,” Jiang Longcheng froze on the spot.
Then he hurriedly said, “Call the security guard immediately and tell them to bring the person in… Never mind, I’ll go down there myself!”
With that, Jiang Longcheng stood up from his seat.
He then hurried out of the office, leaving the sales department staff staring at each other in confusion.