Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

As they arrived at Factory No. 36 by car, Xiao Duan became nervous from afar: "Boss, the gate is full of workers, should we still go?"

The workers blocked the door, trying to keep out those who were "coming to ruin their livelihoods."

In fact, for some people, Yang Jianguo and his group were there to take away their livelihoods.

With the abolition of the "iron rice bowl" system, the safety net has been removed.

What if I make a mistake or something goes wrong in the future?

They just fired him without any recourse.

No, no.

What reform? The more you work, the more you earn? We'd rather not earn that money.

We are quite content with our current lives.

Nobody is allowed to disturb our good days. If you want to take away our jobs, you'd better ask these people if they'll agree first.

"Pull over." After instructing the driver to pull over, Yang Jianguo got out of the car.

"You all stay here. Big Guy, Little Tang, you two come with me."

With the two men by his side, and under the worried gazes of the crowd, Yang Jianguo stood before the workers blocking the gate of Factory No. 36.

"Hello everyone!" Yang Jianguo greeted with a smile, not embarrassed that no one was paying attention to him.

"I am Yang Jianguo, from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill in Beijing. I wonder if any of the workers here know me?"

Yang Jianguo didn't mention any leaders or cadres, nor did he order anyone to step aside.

Instead, they immediately made their identities clear.

Worker.

We are also workers, and we have come to where we are today step by step, steadily and practically.

The rewards, honors, and glory we receive are all earned through our own hard work.

Empathy allowed Yang Jianguo to overcome the resistance of the crowd.

“You, you are the workers’ representative, Master Yang, right?” Someone recognized Yang Jianguo.

He didn't look much different from before.

Only his sideburns have changed a bit, and the lines on his face have deepened with age.

His gaze remained as firm and passionate as ever, and his smile was still as gentle and kind as ever.

"Yes, it was me. I remember in 73, a female comrade from a textile factory came to the capital for a meeting. She was from Chang'an."

"I was in such a rush that I only had time to say hello. I don't know if she's still there."

"Yes, yes, Sister Liu is an advanced worker and role model in the No. 1 Factory. She is our role model and idol."

"Haha, really?" Yang Jianguo said as he walked in, standing among the workers and chatting freely with them about the past.

Everything happened so naturally and harmoniously.

It was as if he had been a member of the textile city from the very beginning.

The people here are all his old colleagues and comrades.

Everyone had endless things to talk about and endless joy and happiness.

"Great, that's wonderful." Yang Jianguo was genuinely happy to hear everyone's positive feedback.

"Master Yang, do you still have the counselor's letter?"

Not seeing who was speaking, Yang Jianguo nodded vigorously with a smile and said, "Of course I've kept it. I want to pass it down from generation to generation."

"Master Yang, are you a leader now and no longer working?"

"Hey~ I don't agree with that. If being a leader isn't a job, then we wouldn't be where we are today if no one led us."

"Exactly, what kind of dirty talk is that? Get out of here!"

"Master Yang, are you here to shut down our factory?"

The smiles and happy laughter gradually quieted down, and the gazes of the crowd as they looked at him became complicated.

People trusted him, respected him, and even worshipped him.

But if he's here to make me lose my job, then how should I treat him?

"No, I'm not here to shut down your factory."

Yang Jianguo remained calm and composed, looked around sincerely, and said, "I came here to help everyone live a better life."

“The factories have all been bought by individuals, so aren’t we just becoming the lackeys of capital?”

"Yes, we will not be lackeys of capital."

"The factory cannot be closed, and it certainly cannot be bought by someone else. We will not agree to that."

"No, no!"

Seeing the scene of public outrage, Big Guy and Tang Youshui, who hadn't followed in earlier, quickly pushed their way forward.

Fearing something might happen to Yang Jianguo, he's currently surrounded by a large group of people.

Chapter 416 Yang Jianguo's Promise, Opening the Channel

"Quiet, quiet, everyone, please listen to me, please listen to me..."

The previous conversation paid off, and Yang Jianguo quickly brought the situation under control.

He then winked at Big Guy and Tang Youshui, signaling them not to come over.

Now that he's one of us, their arrival is like creating an invisible wall between us and the workers.

Let them truly realize that the two are different.

This actually makes it difficult to carry out the work later, which is why he came in alone.

"I know everyone is worried, but I'd like to ask for some time to explain the situation clearly."

"Just like in our work, you can't let interns start working right away, right?"

"You have to learn the technology first, and understand it thoroughly."

"We're in the same boat now. I'll explain the restructuring to everyone. You can ask me any questions you have in front of everyone."

“One is one, two is two. If I, Yang Jianguo, am lying to everyone, you can point your finger at me and curse me to my face, you can even curse my mother.”

Under Yang Jianguo's persuasion, the workers gradually regained their senses.

Everyone did have questions about how this restructuring was actually carried out.

Is it really as the factory says, that they're just trying to make sure everyone goes hungry so that their own people can benefit?

Surely not?

If that were the case, wouldn't the country be in complete chaos?

That place has undergone reforms, and I haven't heard of anything bad about it. On the contrary, everyone who has been there says it's good.

You can make money, a lot of money, and all sorts of rare and exotic things.

Or shall we listen to this?

Yang Jianguo looked around and pointed to the steps next to him: "Masters, let me explain where we are going."

The crowd spontaneously followed him toward the steps. Yang Jianguo stepped onto the steps, turned around, and stood there.

Seeing this from afar, Zhang Yu, who had followed along out of concern, knew that there wouldn't be any more problems this time.

Yang Jianguo's speeches have always been very inspiring, and the workers trust and respect him.

As long as he opens his mouth and explains it clearly.

I believe everyone can understand and agree with this policy.

The ultimate goal of the reform is to enable everyone to live a good and happy life.

Yang Jianguo personally oversaw the project, leaving his family behind to travel extensively.

The purpose is to ensure the implementation of this policy and to ensure that it truly benefits the people.

Instead of being exploited by those with ulterior motives and stirring up new turmoil, as it has been for the past ten years.

"The purpose of our reform is to gain competitiveness in the future free market and eliminate those who are lazy and incompetent."

"If someone who just wants to coast along in the factory distributes his wages to everyone, wouldn't everyone's wages be higher?"

"Think about it, everyone. We work so hard to do the job, but in the end, some lazy, cheating people take all the money. Can we accept that?"

Yang Jianguo stirred up the workers' emotions; his words truly resonated with them.

Everywhere you go, there are sycophants and cunning opportunists.

An honest person works hard and does their job well, but the salary they receive may not even be as much as the bill they get from going out for drinks with their boss.

We did all the work, but they got all the benefits.

If you want your child to get a job in the factory, you have to beg and plead with everyone, giving gifts and money.

But those who have no skills at all can easily arrange good jobs for their children.

High salary, easy job, and damn well, he's our boss.

Damn it, it's not Dongxi.

Which factory can avoid these kinds of troubles?

It's inevitable, we can't avoid it.

This group always represents the minority, while the majority are always the ones who are oppressed and treated unfairly.

Just like the saying goes, "There are always more good people than bad people."

This is the truth, even when you encounter unpleasant things.

But you experience so many things and meet so many people every day.

How many truly unpleasant moments do we experience in our decades-long lives?!

However, when things come to a head, we tend to exaggerate our own feelings. It's okay, just fight it out and do your best.

As long as you've tried and fought.

Even if the ending isn't good, at least there won't be any regrets.

99% of life is uncontrollable and completely unknown.

Focus on the 1% you can control, and use that 1% to leverage the remaining 99%.

Most people tend to overlook this 1%, focusing instead on the remaining 99%.

In the end, it turned out to be a losing proposition.

Those who learn to control that 1% and strive to leverage the remaining 99% often live very well.

Now, Yang Jianguo wants to teach them how to control that 1%.

Don't expect to resist reform, don't expect to continue eating from the same pot, rely on yourself to resist the times and fight against the arrival of change.

Doing this will often only bring suffering to yourself in the end.

"I know everyone still has concerns, and it's normal to have concerns."

"But please believe me, believe that the country wants everyone to live a good life and a happy life."

"Only when the country prospers can everyone live a good life. And only when everyone lives a good life can the country become strong, stand tall, and stand upright."

"Restructuring will inevitably be painful, and everyone is feeling bad, including me!"

“It’s not easy, but we have to change, we have to learn, and we have to earn people’s respect.”

"Foreigners look down on us, and Big Brother looks down on us too, but we've made it through."

"Now, we don't rely on anyone. We rely on ourselves to find our way across the river and make a good life."

"At this crucial moment, how can we hold back? Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock in front of outsiders?"

"I personally supervised and was responsible for this restructuring."