Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 690 Director Yang's Balance: Don't Be Too Arrogant

"Jingle Bell--"

Just as the two were at an impasse, the phone in Director Yang's office suddenly rang.

"Old Yang, has your steel rolling mill been quite busy lately? Are you planning to postpone my order until next year?"

The tractor factory director's sarcastic questioning made Director Yang frown.

Jin Lijing's worst fears came true.

"I'm not aware of that, but don't worry, we will definitely deliver on time."

The tractor factory manager's response was not satisfactory: "Alright, then I'll wait for good news. I hope I won't have to wait too long."

After he finished speaking, a "click" sound came from the other end of the phone, and the call abruptly ended.

After hanging up the phone, Factory Director Yang looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Xiao Wan!"

"Factory manager, you wanted to see me?" Secretary Wan Shen rushed over.

"Why haven't the orders from the third workshop been delivered to the tractor factory yet? Go ask Director Jin what's going on."

Wan Shen hesitated for a moment, but finally explained, "Director Yang, the third workshop and the transportation team got into an argument this morning."

Wan Shen explained the ins and outs of the matter in detail, striving to be as objective and fair as possible.

"Absurd!" After hearing Wan Shen's report, Factory Director Yang slammed his fist on the table and said angrily.

"Let's finish the job first if there's any conflict! Both of you are under the leadership, how can you not understand such a small thing!"

"Factory manager, according to factory regulations, Captain Zhang did exactly the right thing..."

Wan Shen was far more familiar with the factory rules than Zhang Jinwu, so he explained the relevant regulations in detail.

Upon hearing this, Factory Director Yang's face grew even more somber.

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. At this critical juncture, why are you still so concerned about factory rules? If everyone followed the factory rules, would the steel rolling mill even be able to continue operating?"

Wan Shen said, "Factory Director, I think Captain Zhang's actions were to stand up for his team members. I heard that the car overturned and people almost died."

Upon hearing the word 'accident,' Director Yang's expression immediately turned serious. Compared to life, production is indeed insignificant.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke: "Go and call them both here. I want to see what they're up to!"

Seeing that Director Yang remained silent, Wan Shen felt a slight sense of relief.

"Go and call them both here. I want to see what they're up to!"

"I'll go right away."

Wan Shen turned around and went to call for help.

When Wan Shen went to find the two men, they were still shouting insults at each other.

Jin Lijing had returned to the workshop, but he was still furious and went back to argue with Jia Zhangjinwu.

"Jingle Bell--"

The workday bell rang at an inopportune moment.

"Oh dear, the bell rang. I'm so sorry, Director Jin, I have to go home now."

"Don't worry, I'll arrange for a driver to deliver it first thing tomorrow morning."

"Alright, that's all, I'm leaving now."

Zhang Jinwu patted Jin Lijing on the shoulder provocatively and then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Wan Shen had no choice but to step forward.

"Captain Zhang, Director Jin, Factory Director Yang is looking for you two."

"Driver, please leave a few people behind, something's coming up."

"Let's go, leaders."

After making the arrangements, Wan Shen turned to the side to signal.

When Jin Lijing heard that Director Yang had come to see him, his heart skipped a beat; his worst fears had come true.

Now we have no choice but to bite the bullet and go. It's all Zhang Jinwu's fault. If he hadn't been uncooperative, there wouldn't have been so much trouble!

"Hmph! Zhang Jinwu, you're dead!"

"Oh, you think I'm afraid of you? My transport team is in the right!" Zhang Jinwu retorted without any politeness.

"Leave a few of the masters behind, the rest of you go back first."

After making the arrangements, Zhang Jinwu walked briskly toward Director Yang's office with his hands behind his back.

Soon after, Jin Lijing and Zhang Jinwu were taken to Director Yang's office.

"Director Yang, you must stand up for me!"

Upon meeting, Jin Lijing, relying on his position as workshop director, naturally sided with Factory Director Yang and immediately began to express his grievances and stance.

"Tch!" Zhang Jinwu scoffed, crossing his arms and looking at Jin Lijing.

Jin Lijing said, "Director Yang, it's all the transport team's fault for not cooperating, which caused the order delay. What can I do? Am I supposed to drive there and deliver it myself?!"

Zhang Jinwu retorted: "Cooperate? You'd rather our transport team's lives cooperate with your work? If something goes wrong, you'll shirk responsibility. Do you really think our drivers are just disposable materials?"

"Your workshop only cares about production, not human lives, right?! You're treating human life like dirt!"

"Bullshit! It's clearly your transport team's technical skills that are lacking. What does it have to do with me? I'm just following factory rules. Your transport team is just disobeying orders."

Zhang Jinwu refused to budge an inch.

"Bullshit! If it weren't for your deception, it would have been your dawdling that made Master Wang speed up the delivery. You almost killed our master."

"The person is still lying in the hospital, and now they don't want to admit anything after the incident. They're still thinking about good things. Dream on!"

"I'm putting this out there! In front of Director Yang, from now on, I'll handle all the work in your third workshop according to factory regulations, and I'll deliver it to you on the last day!"

"You... Factory Director Yang, you must stand up for me!"

Both sides stuck to their own versions of events and refused to back down.
"Enough!" Factory Director Yang slammed his hand on the table.

"I called you two here, not to listen to you arguing like old ladies at the market. What do you take this place for!"

"I have a clear understanding of this matter. The most urgent task is to resolve the tractor factory issue first."

When Director Yang got angry, both of them fell silent and looked at Zhang Jinwu.

"Captain Zhang, how do you plan to resolve this matter?"

Judging from Director Yang's questioning attitude, it's clear he's biased towards the workshop.

After all, Director Yang came from a factory background, so it was impossible for him not to be biased.

Zhang Jinwu was somewhat dissatisfied with Director Yang's attitude: "It's all up to Director Yang to decide."

After saying that, he looked up at the ceiling without saying a word.

Seeing this, Director Yang didn't bother to say anything more; all he wanted to do now was to complete the tractor factory's order as quickly as possible.

"Alright, since Captain Zhang doesn't want to handle it, then I will handle it."

Factory Director Yang looked at Jin Lijing and said sternly:

“Director Jin, as the workshop director, your actions of delaying production and deceiving the transportation team workers are the root cause of the accident.”

"I've decided to demote you and temporarily appoint you as the director of the third workshop. Once a suitable replacement is found, you'll be out of a job. The third workshop was at the bottom of the performance evaluation this year, and you should reflect on that."

"Factory Director Yang"

Jin Lijing naturally disagreed with the verdict, but Director Yang raised his hand, his expression leaving no room for doubt.

Then, he looked at Zhang Jinwu and said, "Captain Zhang, your insistence on the principle of safety first is correct. The factory will also strengthen safety management and strictly enforce safety regulations."

"The most urgent task now is to complete the tractor factory's order. Please arrange it immediately after you return, Captain Zhang."

Finally, he mentioned Mr. Wang, who was injured on the job.

“Mr. Wang demonstrated a high degree of responsibility and dedication in this accident. I have decided to name him ‘Worker of the Year’ and give him additional compensation and rewards.”

"I wonder if Captain Zhang is satisfied with my decision?"

Having said that, what more could Zhang Jinwu possibly want?

"Satisfied, very satisfied."

"If you're satisfied, then I'll trouble Captain Zhang to make arrangements as soon as possible. We must deliver the goods to the tractor factory today, no matter what."

Zhang Jinwu nodded and turned back to arrange the work. As soon as Zhang Jinwu left, Jin Lijing anxiously looked at Factory Director Yang: "Factory Director Yang, I..."

"Alright, I know what you want to say."

After all, he was the workshop director, and one of their own people. How could Director Yang really punish him like that? Besides, nothing serious had happened to him.

"Let's keep doing this for now, and I'll transfer you back when I find an opportunity."

"Alright!" Jin Lijing smiled broadly, understanding the implication; Director Yang hadn't abandoned him after all.

Factory Director Yang poured cold water on the situation: "Don't be too happy yet. Your workshop is at the bottom of the performance evaluation. You'll have to figure out how to explain this to your colleagues."

Being ranked at the bottom in the performance evaluation means that there are basically no benefits related to the third workshop.

The current environment is not good; if he doesn't handle things well, he won't be able to continue as the acting director of the third workshop.

After Jin Lijing figured it out, he immediately put on a bitter face.

Zhang Jinwu returned to the transport team.

Many drivers stayed behind to see how things went.

Seeing Zhang Jinwu's beaming face, I couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Old Zhang, how is it?"

"Not bad, Director Yang criticized that kid Jin Lijing."

Zhang Jinwu informed everyone of Director Yang's punishment.

When everyone heard that Master Wang had won the "Outstanding Worker of the Year" award, they congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Lao Wang, you've been selected!"

"Not at all!" Master Wang said, sounding embarrassed.

Zhang Jinwu retorted, "What's there to congratulate? Do you also want to risk your lives to escape death?"

Immediately, everyone fell silent.

"Old Wang, be more careful when you drive in the future. You're not a kid anymore, you've been driving for decades, you know the ropes."

"I know you mean well, but your safety is the most important thing. Don't panic just because someone says a few words. Don't act recklessly!"

"Sigh, I know, I didn't expect it to turn out like this either," Master Wang nodded and sighed.

Zhang Jinwu instructed, "Alright, that's all in the past. Now the most important thing is to finish the task. Two drivers, hurry up and go get the goods. Old Wang, you come with me too!"

"Yes!" the three masters replied.

Mr. Wang was in a hurry to deliver the goods, wanting to complete three batches of supplies by himself in one morning, which is why he was in such a rush that the accident happened.

If there had only been one batch, perhaps nothing would have happened.

In the past, these three batches of supplies might have been completed in one trip, but now that there's no need to worry about fuel consumption, everyone naturally makes trips in batches.

"Rumble--"

"Load them and get on the road!"

Tractor factory.

The inspector waited anxiously for the truck to arrive.

The three drivers got out of the car immediately after arriving at the warehouse.

"Damn it! It's you two again!"

The inspector was so angry when he saw Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhao that he started cursing at them.

"Do you even know that I'm being insulted because of the two of you? And you still have the nerve to show your faces!"

Seeing the inspector barking like a stray dog, Master Wang felt even more smug.

He immediately retorted, "Go ahead and swear again! Try swearing again and I'll drive away right now! I'll let you get sworn at again!"

Instantly, the inspector was as if he had been choked, his face turning red and unable to utter a single word.

"Why did you stop cursing? Keep cursing! I haven't had enough!"

"Come on, keep cursing! Keep cursing!"

Master Wang, emboldened by his position, repeatedly tapped the inspector's chest, his face displaying an arrogant and domineering demeanor.

This, in turn, deterred the inspectors from acting recklessly.

He knew better than anyone else how much the factory needed these supplies.

He was already scolded by his boss for sending it back in the morning, and now he's going to be fired because of it.

No doubt, he'll be cleaning toilets tomorrow, for the rest of his life.

"Alright, a whole bunch of people are waiting, let's hurry up." Suddenly, a familiar voice came.

Master Wang turned his head and saw that it was the same leader from that morning, whose face was ashen.

Clearly, he was the one who yelled at the inspector, and he was also yelled at by his superiors.

Master Wang, emboldened, retorted, "What kind of attitude is this? Are you trying to teach me how to do things? Huh!"

"No." The leader, his face also flushed, dared not utter any harsh words, but his fists clenched tightly.

Seeing their silence, Master Wang only wanted revenge and to return the insults he had hurled that morning.

At the same time, he also poured out all the grievances he suffered in the workshop to the two of them.

"No rush, take your time. Inspect the goods first to see if they meet the requirements, so you don't reject them."

"Sigh, this steel is no good, it has scratches. We can't keep this truckload of goods, take it back."

The inspector was glanced at by the supervisor and immediately stepped forward.

"No need, no need. A few scratches are normal. It's fine as long as they don't bother you."

"How can that be? Our steel rolling mill ensures quality and quantity in its production; there can't be any mistakes. It has to be taken back for reprocessing."

"Where are the scratches? I don't see them. Are you sure you're not mistaken, sir?"

"Of course there is! This is it," Mr. Wang kindly pointed out the location.

The inspector seemed blind, staring at several places: "Where? I don't see it."

Seeing this, Master Zhao and Master Zhang looked at the inspectors and the leader with amusement.

It seems the tractor factory needs these supplies far more than the steel rolling mill realizes.

All the delivered steel was remelted and repaired in the workshop. The minor scratches from the morning were repaired and refurbished, making it look almost as good as freshly made steel.

Master Wang is just making trouble out of nothing. The inspector is lying through his teeth in order to accept this batch of steel.

"Well done! Go on!"

"I've been annoyed with this kid for ages, finally someone can say something to him!"

"Damn it! He got too big for his britches, making a big deal out of nothing. Now look what happened, the tables have turned! Serves him right!"

Nearby, a group of unloading workers whispered among themselves, secretly cursing the inspector.

I was initially annoyed at being kept behind to work overtime, but I was overjoyed to see the inspector being scolded.

Master Wang was also impressed by the inspector's ability to blatantly lie.

"You're really something, you can't even see something so obvious. I think you should quit this job, you might cause the factory some losses in the future."

Master Wang's words were like a knife to the heart, making him tremble and turn around sharply to look at his leader.

Seeing his expressionless face, I felt a slight sense of relief, but then a tightness in my chest.

Judging from the leader's expression, could it be that he really intends to do so?

"Master, don't talk nonsense. I have sharp eyes. I can see even the slightest mistake. You haven't made any mistakes at all. Hurry up and put it into storage."

"A whole bunch of people are waiting for you. It's already half an hour past the end of the workday, you should hurry up and go home."

The inspector, intentionally or unintentionally, was telling the supervisor that he was selectively blind, not truly blind.

I don't know what the leader is thinking.

Looking at the group of unloading workers, Mr. Wang stopped questioning the inspector.

"Hurry up, I need to go back for dinner."

"Hurry up!" The inspector waved his hand, and the group of unloading workers began loading and unloading the steel.

(End of this chapter)