Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Throughout the entire conversation, the person never once mentioned that "this matter is inappropriate," except that they casually mentioned it while chatting with him.

Li Aimin asked me for a favor; he wanted to buy himself a car.

I'm mentioning this because I feel this way. Aimin is doing really well now, I'm so envious!

After hanging up the phone, Yang Jianguo naturally understood what the other party meant.

Who would call someone specifically to chat during work hours?

If it were just casual conversation, Yang Jianguo would definitely feel uncomfortable.

Buying a car is the key point!

After all these years in officialdom, how could he not be well aware of all the intricacies and complexities of the political arena?

Besides, his public image isn't exactly clean either.

The name 'Yang Jinyu' has been widely circulated in certain circles.

If you come to him without mentioning "seafood," you're a complete novice with no manners!

Chapter 353 Begging for help, what a joke?

This reputation, after all, only spread within a small circle in Beijing.

How could outsiders possibly catch the eye of the "gentlemen of the capital"? How could a peasant from outside possibly try to establish a relationship with the men?

Therefore, these people who don't know the rules come knocking on the door from time to time.

"Director Yang, I'm Wang Fuyou from Hugang, a subordinate unit of Lianggong Steel. Sorry to bother you."

Yang Jianguo asked his secretary to invite the man in, and there he saw the old farmer with a wrinkled face and hands covered with grooves.

He was simple and down-to-earth, and the lines on his face told a story of his difficult life.

Wang Fuyou, standing before us, is a true reflection of the masses during this period.

The scene in Beijing is a strange phenomenon among special cases.

"sit."

Inviting them to sit down, Yang Jianguo asked Wu Mei to pour him a cup of tea.

Wang Fuyou, who had just sat down on the sofa, jumped up and waved his hand, saying, "No need, no need, a drink of water is fine."

"Director Wang, sit down, sit down and let's talk."

Yang Jianguo lightly pressed his palm down and gave Wu Mei a look, after which she continued to make tea.

"Here, have a cigarette." Yang Jianguo sat down next to him in an approachable manner, took out a Qianmen cigarette and shook it out.

"Oh, thank you, Director Yang, thank you..." Wang Fuyou was restless; the meeting was so different from what he had imagined.

Officials in the capital city work right on the outskirts of the imperial city.

"A third-rank official stands before the prime minister's gate"—isn't that a clear enough point?

Wang Fuyou originally thought that no matter what, he would have to get the job done, even if he had to kneel on the ground and kowtow.

If you don't agree, he'll stubbornly stay in the house and refuse to leave.

Unexpectedly, the leader was so approachable that he even poured him tea and offered him cigarettes.

The town's leaders all acted more like they did than he did.

Yang Jianguo was about to get firewood, but Wang Fuyou didn't let him do it. He took out the firewood first and lit it, saying, "Director, let me light it for you."

Yang Jianguo didn't stand on ceremony. He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Seeing his behavior as a heavy smoker, Wang Fuyou felt a greater sense of closeness and trust towards him.

Light yourself a fire, shake it out, and then you'll feel much more at ease speaking.

"We came here to help the families of the more than 80 people working at Hugang Steel Plant, and to ask for a way to make a living."

As Wang Fuyou spoke, he turned around and was about to kneel down next to the sofa.

Yang Jianguo grabbed his arm and put his arm around him, saying, "Get up, talk to me, what are you doing doing this for a grown man?"

"We live in a new society, not the old one, so this kind of thing doesn't apply here."

Despite trying several times with encouragement, Wang Fuyou failed to kneel down.

Seeing Yang Jianguo's displeasure, she stopped insisting and went along with his wishes, sitting down on the edge of the table.

"Director, we really have no way out."

The aftereffects of the Great Leap Forward have not been alleviated to this day, and the major institutional reforms have reduced the workload.

If things aren't going well for those above, they're going to be even worse for those below.

There's no work to do, just some scraps of work assigned from above.

Oh no, my salary still won't be paid as usual.

I'll ask you to do it today, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

This went on for two months, and every now and then, we'd run out of money.

I'm so grateful to finally see some money; I'd be thankful if it could cover my entire month's salary, let alone make up for any previous debts.

"How did it get like this?" Yang Jianguo was a little surprised.

He suddenly realized that he had become a high-ranking official, isolated in his own world, with very little understanding of the situation at the grassroots level.

But then I think about all the major moves and reforms that have been made this year.

Yang Jianguo had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

The household responsibility system, the family planning policy, the establishment of the Economic Reform Commission, and the new proposition of building socialism with Chinese characteristics were officially launched.

This proposition was tantamount to a clarion call, labeling the special economic zones that were established one after another, and also inspiring the first batch of bold individuals who dared to take the plunge.

Li Aimin used his resources to become a middleman.

They were thriving and living a life of luxury.

In other places, there are naturally others like him who have used resources to get rich through different paths.

Among them were steel mill operators, which squeezed Hugang's living space and market.

In 83, the legality of private ownership was not yet included in the current law.

But that doesn't mean it can't exist. After all, the designer said that we should be bold in trying new things and feel our way across the river.

If we don't dare to take risks or try new things, can we really succeed by setting the tone right from the start?

Specifying it won't work.

Therefore, no one could find fault with the local government's support for the establishment and production of private steel mills.

If you insist on accusing people of collusion, then produce the evidence first.

What's the point of a memorial without a picture?!

Having grown accustomed to the communal dining system, they also harmed Hu Gang's interests.

The factory owes several months' worth of wages and can't pay them; this is unacceptable.

Forced into a corner, Wang Fuyou had no choice but to personally travel to the capital to file a complaint, hoping to gain support from higher authorities.

"What they're doing is illegal, but they have powerful backers, so nobody can do anything about it..."

Watching Wang Fuyou angrily criticize his competitor, Yang Jianguo was filled with mixed emotions.

We can't say he was wrong, judging from the perspective of this era.

Having grown accustomed to being provided with everything by the state, the workers found it difficult to adapt to the sudden appearance of competitors.

Let's just focus on doing our jobs well and not worry about anything else.

Housing, salary, and wife can all be allocated; otherwise, why would it be called an "iron rice bowl"?

In a competitive market, you need ideas, quality, and products to compete and grab market share!

There's absolutely no awareness of it; not even a hint of it.

We have secure jobs, so what's there to compete for?

Even now, during the great wave of public-to-private transition, there are still people who hold the same mindset.

This has been going on for decades, and now it's all about to be overthrown in one fell swoop.

Who can understand how many of the beneficiaries can actually accept this?!

Why do people later say that the 1980s generation is a lost generation?

Seeing their parents' secure jobs crumble, the goals they had set for themselves vanished.

Before people's thinking could keep up with the change, the free market came crashing down on them.

Previously, people had no worries about food and clothing, and their families could inherit their businesses. However, policies such as housing allocation have all disappeared.

It was slapped right in the face and turned into a sand sculpture. I had just regained some consciousness and was just starting to get used to splashing around in there.

What we witnessed was the devastating reality of finding work and skyrocketing housing prices that drove people to despair.

It felt like being transported to a lower dimension; for ordinary people, buying a house became the most important thing in life.

House prices are changing every day and rising sharply every three days.

They may give up in despair, or they may muster all their strength and prepare to make a big splash.

My confidence hasn't settled yet...

The internet age arrived with a bang, crashing down on us like a thunderbolt.

When they came to their senses, apart from a few lucky trendsetters, the rest had no choice but to go with the flow.

Because that age when we dared to fight and take risks was swept away by wave after wave.

Before I knew it, I had entered middle age...

Nowadays, they carry the elderly on their shoulders and raise young children on their backs.

Looking around, besides his lover who was also carrying a heavy burden, he didn't even have any brothers or sisters to talk to.

Being able to hold on and not collapse is already a skill; what's the point of dreaming of riding the waves?

He lived in a daze, experiencing several changes in the times.

Looking back in middle age: Am I alive or dead?

Let alone outsiders, even I can't understand it.

Only in the dead of night, when all is quiet, does the emptiness in my heart make me tremble all over, and tears flow uncontrollably.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "Thirty or forty years, what have I even accomplished in my life?"

Chapter 354 A Way Out: A Small Restaurant (Please Subscribe to All Chapters)

Wang Fuyou's demand was simple: to get rid of this privately owned factory.

Return the stolen orders and resume production.

This request seemed perfectly normal to him, but to Yang Jianguo it sounded like nonsense.

The reason for this is naturally that the two people have different perspectives, perceptions, and positions when looking at the problem.

Wang Fuyou still doesn't understand that opening up the private sector is an inevitable trend.

There will be no more guaranteed jobs in the future. The free market will be like a giant roller, crushing all industries that are not competitive.

"Director Wang, I cannot fulfill your request."

Upon hearing Yang Jianguo's words, Wang Fuyou's face immediately darkened.

There was anger, but even more so sadness and worry.

How will he explain this to his coworkers and colleagues when he gets back to the factory?

Despite being a factory manager, he's incompetent and can't solve the workers' wages and food problems.

You'll still get beaten up if you deserve it; it's your own fault for being incompetent!