dognovel Chapter 1550 Can’t do it
Chapter 1550 Can’t do it
Chapter 1550 Can’t do it
The Jicheng branch of Honggang Group's sales headquarters shares an office address with the management office of the Chinese herbal medicine planting base.
This is not due to the need to save costs, but because the two units belong to the same parent company.
Hongxing Traditional Chinese Medicine Procurement Branch was established after Honggang Group merged with Baicaotang Pharmaceutical Company. It integrated the group's pharmaceutical resources and set up Chinese herbal medicine planting bases in Miyun District of Beijing, Jilin City, and the border areas.
The Hongxing Traditional Chinese Medicine Procurement Branch is under the management of the Supply Chain Procurement Company, which is under the Supply Chain Management Center. The Supply Chain Procurement Company, along with other branches in various regions, is a third-level branch of the Honggang Group Sales Corporation.
However, they belong to different jurisdictions, with each city branch falling under the jurisdiction of the United Trade Management Center.
Currently, Honggang Group's asset management authority has only been delegated to its second-level branches, namely the various departments of the headquarters and its subsidiaries.
Therefore, there is no problem with the two units sharing office assets. Li Xuewu also came to Jicheng to learn about and investigate the relevant asset management situation.
Compared to the Hongxing Factory era, Honggang Group expanded too quickly and too much, and must be restrained.
During the rapid expansion, a large number of young cadres and cadres from other merged units were employed.
Even if a detailed investigation is conducted during the appointment and evaluation period, there will inevitably be those who slip through the net, those who are not qualified, or those who are arrogant at first but obsequious later and willing to be hunted down.
This was originally Jing Yunong's job. Her trip to Fengcheng was just one stop. Next, she would either go to Gangcheng or Jicheng. She had to see both places since she was on the trip.
As a result, they misjudged the weather in Fengcheng, causing them to miss not only Li Xuewu but also many other tasks.
Li Xuewu was also coming to Jicheng anyway, so he took the opportunity to ask around and check things out for her.
"Honggang Group's pharmaceutical and cosmetic company is quite special." At the evening banquet, a forestry official tentatively asked, "They say it can do business with foreigners?"
“You must have some understanding of Honggang Group’s business, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking this question.”
After all, it wasn't their own home, so they had to be polite. Li Xuewu was giving them face, so of course he couldn't directly retort.
Honggang Group has done a lot of business with foreigners, haven't we? What are you so surprised about!
However, tonight's reception was specially arranged by the forestry leaders to welcome him, so he couldn't just overturn the table.
I'll have to stay here tonight.
That's right, he and his research team stayed at the forestry guesthouse that night, which was at the forestry department's invitation.
Actually, you can stay at the Jicheng Guesthouse when you come to Jicheng, but if you do things this way, the forestry industry will really lose face, and no one will be willing to cooperate.
"There is no doubt about the hospitality of Northeasterners, especially in situations where they don't have to spend their own money. Back then, Li Huaide used meals to build relationships quite a bit."
He first pointed at the other party, and then looked at the forestry leader and introduced, "Honggang Group has export orders for automobiles, electrical appliances, hardware, ships and aircraft."
"There are even modular furniture pieces made from logs supplied by you in the tertiary industry, which are very popular in the port city and Southeast Asia."
After introducing all this, he turned to the cadre who had just asked the question and said, "I think the cosmeceutical company you mentioned is the Artistry Cosmetics Sales Branch under Red Star Herbals United Pharmaceutical Sales Company."
"This is the only company in our group that is involved in the cosmeceutical business."
Seeing the other party's expression stiffen for a moment, Li Xuewu smiled slightly and continued to introduce: "Yazhi Cosmetics is indeed highly valued within the group. Not only has it established its own channel supply management center, but it has also broken down regional barriers and established a cosmetics sales branch in Hong Kong."
"And then there are brand-name counters." He smiled and gestured to the forestry leaders present, saying, "When you have the chance to go to Beijing, you can visit Wangfujing Department Store. That's our first dedicated brand-name counter."
"It seems Director Hao has a strong memory of Manager Zhang from the cosmetics company." A leader from the forestry department stepped in to smooth things over, raising his wine glass and giving Director Hao a chuckle. He then turned to Li Xuewu and joked, "We're all men, so let's not go, haha!"
"Hey—it's the men who should go!"
Li Xuewu also raised his glass, nudged the forestry leader sitting next to him, and gave him a knowing look.
"It seems Secretary-General Li knows how to enjoy life." The forestry leader, of course, understood, and said with a hearty laugh, "He's learned the fine tradition of Northeastern men respecting their loved ones! Hahaha!"
Ha! He's afraid of his wife and he's even saying it in such a roundabout way. No wonder the only domestic violence shelter in China that only targets gay men is in Northeast China.
"If that's the case, it seems we have no reason to refuse Secretary-General Li's proposal."
Other leaders raised their glasses in a joking toast: "Let's drink to Secretary-General Li's suggestion!"
-
"Old Hao in our unit is all talk and no action, he's all talk and no action."
Not wanting his nephew to be upset about this, or even to harbor resentment, Li Gan, partly on the orders of his superiors and partly on his own initiative, said something extra on the way back.
Now that I'm in Jicheng, I'll definitely have to visit my second uncle and aunt.
Of course, he saw his second uncle; they even ate and drank together at the dinner table. However, although his second uncle had drunk too much, he was still sober.
If he were visiting Jicheng in a private capacity, it would be appropriate to visit his second uncle and aunt anytime. But this time it was official business, so even if he didn't leave tomorrow, he would have come tonight.
Tomorrow? Who knows who might visit him tomorrow? Research trips in other places are definitely not just about working during the day; socializing in the evenings is also a form of work.
Sitting in the car, Li Gan was filled with emotion. Although he was drunk and his tongue was clumsy, his mind was still clear. He held his nephew's hand in the back seat and talked a lot.
He was in charge of the driver, so he could say whatever he wanted, but it was all just family stuff, just admiring his nephew's youth and achievements, nothing serious.
Li Xuewu sat in the back seat with his second uncle, listening patiently to his rambling, nodding occasionally in agreement. He knew that his second uncle had been having a particularly difficult time in the past two years.
Of course, it wasn't in the workplace. With his connections to the Honggang Group, my second uncle was highly regarded in the forestry industry, and it could be said that he experienced a second spring in his career.
However, while he was successful at work, his family life was not so good, and his two children caused him a lot of worry.
The car was dimly lit, but if you got close enough, you could still see that your second uncle already had gray hair. How old is he? Even your father, Li Shun, didn't have gray hair yet.
If it weren't for excessive worry, he wouldn't look so old.
"It's alright, just don't let it affect the cooperation between the two sides." Li Xuewu smiled faintly and said, "Even if we don't cooperate anymore, the relationship between our brother units is still important."
"He wouldn't dare; forestry isn't his responsibility."
Uncle waved his hand, tilted his head and said, "If he dares to cause any trouble, I can take care of him without you having to say a word."
As he said this, he leaned close to Li Xuewu's ear and whispered an explanation, then patted his nephew's shoulder, leaving everything unsaid.
Li Xuewu nodded knowingly and said understandingly, "It's normal. There are always people with connections like this everywhere. As long as they don't cause trouble for us, it's fine."
"As for Manager Zhang, I haven't heard any complaints from him, and I guess he hasn't paid any attention to it. Let's just let it go."
"That would be great—" Uncle patted his hand and said, "When we came out, my boss reminded me to explain this to you."
"Of course, our leaders have also said that they will absolutely not let him run wild, and no one can obstruct or interfere with the cooperation with Honggang Group."
“I believe that,” Li Xuewu said, looking at his second uncle. “Your forestry leadership team is quite visionary and capable.”
"Hey, we've all been through tough times, who doesn't want to live a better life?"
He turned to his nephew, raised an eyebrow, and said, "That's human nature, isn't it?"
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu glanced out the car window, then turned back and said, "We've been cooperating for almost three years now, hasn't the forestry department ever considered developing tertiary industries?"
"Yes—of course we have." Uncle chuckled, not without sarcasm, and said, "We've done no less than a dozen tertiary industry projects, but not a single one has been successful."
He patted Li Xuewu's knee and said, "Seeing you guys in the furniture business, we also merged several furniture factories to form an assembly furniture production line. And what was the result?"
"Seeing you guys getting into the leather industry, we'll get into it too. We even brought in high-quality leather raw materials from north of Heilongjiang. The tertiary industry management office almost lost money on underwear."
Speaking of this, Li Gan felt embarrassed and covered his face, complaining, "I heard that you guys can export cosmetics now, so some people have their eyes on you."
"You have your own timber and leather resources, yet you couldn't complete these two projects. Now you want to follow the trend of the cosmetics industry, which has even higher technical requirements?"
Li Xuewu really couldn't understand it. If you can't even make a living off the land, why would you want to make a living from the sea?
"That's human nature, isn't it?"
Li Gan sighed helplessly and said, "The leaders are still very clear-headed. They insist on cooperating with you, but they won't stop us from trying to find our own path in the tertiary industry."
He chuckled and said, "They won't be satisfied unless they squander all this money."
"Actually, the furniture industry is still very profitable." Li Xuewu also couldn't understand why this area in the east had never been a major production and sales base for furniture.
To put it simply, even in later generations, this vast forested area could not be considered a major furniture-producing province. On the contrary, regions like Hebei, Shandong, and other provinces became furniture distribution centers.
"Nonsense, the locals don't approve of this stuff."
Li Gan said with a wry smile, "Let's not even talk about whether rural people can afford it. Even if they need furniture, they'll have carpenters make it themselves. Who's going to come to the city to buy it?"
“City dwellers can afford it, but who wants to buy this kind of assembled furniture? They'd rather come to the forestry department to buy the best materials and have someone make it themselves.”
Perhaps this is one of the reasons?
Li Xuewu couldn't understand, so he could only shake his head with a smile and say, "The sales department told me that Chadian Farm made a profit of more than 270 million yuan last year from furniture manufacturing alone."
He looked at his second uncle, raised an eyebrow, and emphasized, "This doesn't include other projects."
"We can't compare to it, and we can't envy it."
Li Gan was quite clear-headed and frankly said, "The Northeast will inevitably face resource export and over-reliance on heavy industry in the future. Who knows what will happen then?"
As one's rank increases, one is exposed to higher levels of thinking and gains a broader perspective on the future.
Li Xuewu certainly knew the future of Northeast China, but he could only sigh silently in his heart.
***
“Your second uncle said you were coming to Jicheng, and I was thinking you could just come to our house.”
His second aunt opened the door for him and, seeing that it was just the two of them, greeted him with a smile.
"Don't bother, we've already had tea at the guesthouse." Li Xuewu smiled and waved his hand, indicating that his second aunt didn't need to bother.
He sat down on the sofa at his second uncle's suggestion, his gaze sweeping over the furnishings of the house, which were no different from when he first came here a few years ago after he left the military.
However, my second uncle has grown old, and so has my second aunt.
"Is the old lady doing well?"
Seeing his reaction, his second aunt brought out some frozen autumn pears that she had prepared earlier from the kitchen; they were large and sweet.
Li Xuewu understood his aunt's feelings. Before she could even offer him a pear, he took one and ate it himself. The icy pear juice that filled his mouth was quite refreshing.
“I received a letter from your parents saying that Avon is recovering very well.”
"Yes, the old lady is overjoyed to dote on her great-grandson."
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at his second uncle, saying, "When I go home before the New Year, the old lady will have a whole kang (heated brick bed) of children and won't be able to take care of them all."
"Hehehe—" Li Gan chuckled and rubbed his head, saying, "Your dad's still up the mountain?"
“It’s all settled now, it was his own decision.” Li Xuewu took another bite of the pear and said, “You know my dad, he’s not one to fight or compete.”
"Actually, it's good; peace is a blessing."
The second aunt sat on the sofa next to him and looked at the father and son and said, "That's just how my eldest brother is. Getting him involved in those things will only be a waste of his time and energy."
Li Gan simply nodded, then looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Third brother has secured a job and gotten married. Are you planning to have children?"
“They said they would, but neither of them intends to delay.” Li Xuewu glanced at him and explained, “My mom and dad aren’t in a hurry.”
"Two granddaughters and two grandsons, there's no rush," Auntie said with a smile. "When the third son has two more, the family will be so lively."
"Li Xue still hasn't found a boyfriend?"
My second uncle cares a lot about the children in the family. Although I didn't watch them grow up, the brothers have a very good relationship.
“She has her own ideas.” Li Xuewu ate a few bites of pear, got up and went to the kitchen to wash his hands and mouth before returning and saying, “I didn’t interfere in her love life; let her make her own decisions.”
Neither Li Gan nor Han Xiumei had any say on this topic, nor did they have anything worth sharing.
Li Juan is the eldest daughter in the family. She was pampered since childhood, has a good personality and good character, and could easily find a husband from a prominent family.
Li Gan was still conservative, and Han Xiumei was also influenced by the times, preferring to find an honest and hardworking worker to settle down with for a more stable life.
Given Li Juan's personality, she would naturally be more inclined to trust her parents when it comes to romantic relationships, so she ended up dating Shen Jianbing, which is like falling into a trap.
Perhaps because they were reminded of their own daughter by Li Xuewu's attitude towards Li Xue's personal feelings, the two fell silent.
Li Xuewu could certainly sense the change in the atmosphere in the living room, but he took the initiative to ask, "How is my older sister now?"
We're all family, yet we avoid talking about these things even though we know them, which makes us seem distant.
Li Xuewu is that kind of person; there's nothing he can't say or talk about, and being straightforward makes him seem open and honest.
My second uncle was reluctant to talk about it, but my second aunt sighed and then explained, "The child has already been born, what else can we do?"
"My brother-in-law went back to his old workplace?"
Li Xuewu still addressed his elder sister and elder sister's husband as such, to ease the minds of his second uncle and aunt, and to give them face, since the two families already had a good relationship.
Back then, it was my second uncle who took care of their family. Now, we can't disregard our past relationship just because of my eldest sister's situation.
Furthermore, the eldest sister is the eldest sister, and the second uncle is the second uncle; we can't sweep them all away.
"No, he went to the forestry department with your second uncle."
My second aunt gestured in my second uncle's direction and explained, "Your eldest sister has gone back to her old workplace. If she's working, she can bring the child to me or to her mother-in-law's house."
How was her mother-in-law's attitude?
Li Xuewu didn't engage in superficial conversation; he asked what he needed to ask and was concerned about his older sister's attitude.
Han Xiumei could certainly feel his care and sincerity, and Li Xuewu had no reason to travel a long way to their home to embarrass them.
Last year, my elder brother and sister-in-law came to Jicheng in person to comfort them and to ease the awkwardness.
The couple can still face Li Xuewu calmly, and they know that Li Xuewu came this time to comfort them.
“We’ve already swallowed our pride and accepted it. What else can they do?” Auntie sighed again and said, “None of them give us a moment’s peace. We owe them something.”
"Okay, it seems my eldest sister still wants to live a good life."
Li Xuewu nodded and said, "My brother-in-law has someone to look after him with my second uncle, so you can all relax."
"If it were up to me, we'd either split up or all of us get out of here," Uncle said angrily. "Just seeing his pathetic state makes me furious."
"Alright, alright—" Han Xiumei glanced at him and said, "Why are you still saying these things when things are like this? You didn't come home to learn martial arts to listen to this."
"My eldest sister is too naive."
Li Xuewu looked at his second aunt and said, "We still need to teach her. In the future, she should communicate more with her family if there are any problems. There's nothing that can't be solved."
"Okay, just don't hold it against her."
As she spoke, her second aunt burst into tears, sobbing as she said, "Second Uncle and Second Aunt are so sorry..."
"Hey, Auntie, why are you saying this?"
Li Xuewu moved forward and took his second aunt's hand, saying, "She's my eldest sister, how could I hold a grudge against her? Aren't we family now?"
Han Xiumei nodded, but tears kept flowing; she had experienced so much heartache and helplessness in the past two years.
Today, I only vented my anger because I heard and saw Li Xuewu's attitude in front of him, who was also a party involved in that incident.
Li Xuewu came for the same reason; he didn't want his second uncle and aunt to keep this matter in their hearts forever, creating a rift between their families.
“Your second uncle is such a proud man, he’s even embarrassed to see you again because of this,” Han Xiumei sobbed. “I’ve scolded her and even hit her, but she’s just that stubborn, especially with that child.”
She looked up at Li Xuewu, crying, and said, "Back then, I didn't share your second uncle's opinion. I said I couldn't let Xiaojuan stay with him no matter what."
"But Xiaojuan is heavily pregnant, and she's determined to keep the baby. What can we do? We can only bear the consequences."
"Neither of them has experienced anything yet."
Li Xuewu nodded, taking the initiative to excuse his elder sister and brother-in-law. It wasn't that he had a good temper and could forgive everyone, but that's just how things are in the family.
Knowing that my older sister and brother-in-law are unreliable, I'll just stop doing things for them from now on. I can't just fight when we meet and then curse each other when we don't, can I?
His leniency wasn't mainly directed at his eldest sister, but rather at his second uncle and aunt. If it weren't for his second uncle's help, his father wouldn't have been able to obtain medicinal herbs to make money by making house calls.
Everyone says that Second Uncle and Father Li Shun are brothers, but without Second Aunt's approval, how could Second Uncle have supported Father so much?
Therefore, we should remember the good things about others and maintain a proper balance in our relationships with relatives. Some things we can never see again, but others we should let bygones be bygones.
Because of Li Xuewu's attitude, he could clearly feel that his second uncle and aunt were much more relaxed after venting their anger.
He even took the initiative to talk about the younger generation in his family. His second aunt also showed concern for Li Shu, and when she heard him talk about going to school, her face was full of relief and envy.
They chatted for over an hour, and Li Xuewu, seeing that it was getting late, got up to say goodbye. His second aunt wanted him to stay at her house.
“Your older sister went out on a trip, and Xue Li hasn’t come back from the mountains yet, so you can stay at home.”
"No, Auntie, there are work rules."
Li Xuewu waved his hand and explained to his second aunt, "Our company has clear regulations for business trips; you are not allowed to leave the team at night."
"They have this rule, and besides, he's the team leader," my second uncle explained. "Anyway, it's not far, it's right at our guesthouse."
"Then come over for lunch tomorrow?"
My aunt said warmly, "I'll make dumplings for you. I don't know if Xue Li can make it back in time; I can't get in touch with him for a while."
"Don't mention it, Second Aunt." Li Xuewu walked out the door and took her hand, saying, "If I hadn't been worried about you, I might not have had time to come this time. Let's do it next time."
He shook his aunt's hand and said, "What's past is past, don't take it to heart. You and your uncle should take care of yourselves and come home to visit often."
"Okay, we'll take care." Second Aunt smiled, but her eyes reddened as she spoke, this time with a look of relief and pride.
The children in the family have finally grown up, and there is always a strong and upright man among them.
His second uncle saw him downstairs. Before getting into the car, Li Xuewu chatted with his second uncle for a few more minutes, still talking about the old lady's health and hoping that he would make more time to go home and visit her in the future.
Although the old lady was only in her early sixties, she was considered very old for that era. The average life expectancy was 35 years in 49, 57 years in 57, and only rose to 68 years in 81.
The old lady had suffered hardships and toiled in her youth, and raising several children was no easy feat. The departure of her second and third uncles was undoubtedly due to the need to reduce family expenses.
If you have enough to eat, who would want to leave their hometown?
Li Xuewu told his second uncle that family members should not be separated. Given the old lady's age, going back for a year is fine, and seeing her once is fine too. He didn't want her to regret it later.
If we live close by, it doesn't matter. If something happens, we can get home in no time. But it's still so far away. If something really happens, can we take a plane back?
This was to persuade my second uncle to let go of his grudges and to encourage him to go back and visit the old lady more often.
He took a train for a whole day to get to Jicheng, worked non-stop all day, and came to my house in the evening specifically to show this attitude.
As for what my second uncle and aunt think, that's up to them to decide.
As a junior, he still has to do what he's supposed to do.
He stayed at the forestry guesthouse that night, and the conditions were excellent. Forestry has always been a pillar industry in Jicheng, so how bad could the forestry guesthouse be?
Furthermore, Li Xuewu is leading a delegation to conduct research this time, so the forestry department will make proper arrangements, ensuring that his food and lodging are of a high standard befitting his status.
***
The next morning, when Xilin came to visit him, she also mentioned that after so many years in Jicheng, this was the first time she had ever visited the forestry guesthouse.
"Haven't had breakfast yet?" Li Xuewu glanced out the window and asked, "Aren't you cold getting up so early?"
"What's so cold about it? I'm used to it now."
It's clear that Xilin has truly adapted to life in Jicheng; even her accent has changed, now resembling that of a local.
She glanced at the room's furnishings and clicked her tongue in amazement, saying, "I never imagined Jicheng had such a luxurious place."
"You haven't learned anything at all," Li Xuewu teased her with a laugh. "This is nothing. There's something even more extravagant waiting for you in Tianjin."
“That’s great! I never thought I’d be able to work back in the interior.” Xilin looked at him and said with a smile, “I thought you’d have to send me to Harbin.”
"What? You have a problem with Zhou Ziqiang's work?" Li Xuewu smiled, walked to the door and asked his secretary Zhang Enyuan to get two breakfasts and bring them to his room.
Xilin was brought in by Zhang Enyuan. Zhang Enyuan is a very smart person. He made a note of himself when he passed by the front desk and the floor duty desk.
The person entered the leader's room and the door was never closed.
Zhang Enyuan's room was right across the street, so it didn't matter if the door was open; no one dared to eavesdrop on the leader.
"I don't have any objections, I'm just overthinking things." Xilin sat on the sofa, bounced around to test its softness, and said playfully, "Were you alone last night?"
"Once you get to Tianjin, you'll have a chance to return to Beijing."
Li Xuewu ignored her joke and changed his outer clothes in front of her. He wasn't naked, so there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about.
"Yes, I really want to go back and visit."
Upon hearing his words, Xilin said with great emotion, "I haven't been back to Beijing for two years since I returned for the Spring Festival the year before last. I want to see Diliya and her child."
"He Zhuang? He's doing well, you big fat boy." Li Xuewu changed his shirt and said with a smile, "No wonder his father is a cook, he's the fattest kid in the neighborhood."
"Hahaha, is that so—"
Xilin said with a smile, "Last time I saw him, he was still crawling on the kang (a heated brick bed), but now he can walk."
“When did this happen? Their He Zhuang is a few months older than our Li Ning.” Li Xuewu sat down opposite her and said, “He can run and jump a long time ago.”
"That's wonderful—" Sirin said enviously, "She must be very happy."
Aren't you happy?
Li Xuewu looked at her suspiciously and asked, "Are you missing Ge Lin? He'll be back soon, and we can meet in Tianjin."
"Are you really unaware or just pretending?" Xilin glanced at him irritably before turning her head away and saying, "We haven't done *that* yet."
"What do I know?" Li Xuewu gave her a strange look and said, "You've already gotten your marriage certificate, what's the meaning of this? Are you two just going to be friends?"
"Go to hell—" Xilin turned around and glared at him, then lowered her head and said, "Let's wait for him for two more years. Even though we're married, I still can't bring myself to do it. I feel guilty."
"It has to be you guys," Li Xuewu said with amusement. "Even after getting married, you still manage to cause all this trouble."
“You think I’m like you?” Xilin curled her lips and looked at him with amusement, saying, “Those two beautiful girls living in Dongsi are younger than me.”
"Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me this early in the morning?"
Li Xuewu ignored her teasing. When he saw Zhang Enyuan come in with a lunchbox, he got up to help take it and gestured, "Have breakfast with me. I can chat with you for a little while."
"Then should I say something useful?" Sirin teased with a smile, and stood up to help set out the breakfast lunchboxes.
In fact, breakfast usually consists of only a few things: steamed buns, pickled vegetables, a bowl of rice porridge, and an egg. In this day and age, that would be considered a high standard. In fact, his breakfast also included an extra stir-fried dish.
"You cadres really do have a good standard of living," Xilin said, looking at the lunchbox on the table. "I'm so envious."
"You only make seventy or eighty yuan a month, and you're already eyeing my breakfast?" Li Xuewu chuckled, pointing to the sofa and gesturing for her to sit down so they could eat and chat.
Within the recycling system, those like Xilin who independently control their own area are paid high salaries, and Li Xuewu is not stingy in this regard.
However, the salaries of the branch managers are not fixed and vary. Xilin has been with him since the beginning of the business, and she was the one who created the recycling station in Jicheng, so her salary is higher.
Ding Wanqiu, who rushed back from the frontier to take over her post, previously received some subsidies, which were not low. Only the newly appointed managers received relatively lower salaries.
For example, Zhou Ziqiang and Zhou Changli are still young and need to earn salary increases through their abilities and achievements.
"How did you come up with the idea of having Lao Ding take over my job?" Xilin asked, changing the subject to something more serious while eating breakfast.
Li Xuewu glanced at her and asked in return, "Is that not allowed?"
"I didn't say no, it's just..."
Xilin hesitated for a moment, but still said, "He had worked in Jicheng before and knew a bit about the work here, but his methods were too ruthless."
“I admit that it was thanks to his ruthlessness that we have peace today, but I’m afraid some people will be too frightened if he comes to Jicheng.”
“I originally wanted Yu Li to replace you,” Li Xuewu said, taking a bite of pickled vegetables. “But I thought it wouldn’t be appropriate to send female generals over one after another, so I changed it.”
"Isn't it because Yu Li is unwilling?"
Xilin smiled knowingly, shook her head slightly and said, "You must know more about management than I do. I'm not against Lao Ding coming to Jicheng, it's just a little bit of a concern of mine."
“He will go to Gangcheng before coming to Jicheng.” Li Xuewu nodded and said, “I will talk to him first.”
“That would be best,” Celine agreed. “He’s older than all of us and has so much experience; he does some things without any scruples, and some…”
“I know, I’ll talk to him.”
Li Xuewu put down his chopsticks, took a sip of rice porridge, and said, "You don't need to wait here for him to hand over the work. Once it's all taken care of, you can go directly to Tianjin."
“This… isn’t a good idea,” Sirin said hesitantly. “I was planning to wait until he arrived and introduce him to the relationships and work here before I left.”
"Consider it a test for him."
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "If he can't find another way, then I'll have to send him to Hong Kong. He's still thinking about revenge."
“I’ve heard about that too.” Xilin curled her lips and said, “It seems those opera singers really did wrong him back then, that he can hold a grudge for so long.”
"What you're telling me is a blood feud."
Li Xuewu shook his head slightly and said, "Let him have his way. I promised him I would give him a chance to take revenge."
Celine shrugged, not wanting to comment on such behavior. She had never experienced such hatred in her life, not even when her parents were sold out.
***
On Sunday, February 16, Li Xuewu set off back to Gangcheng, again choosing to travel by train, and arrived in Gangcheng on the morning of the 17th (Monday).
These days, if you've never flown, you'll never complain about how slow a train is, because it only takes a day to cross from one province to another—it's incredibly fast!
Li Xuewu never complained about this, nor did he ever arrange for a plane to pick him up in order to save time for work. He still felt that it was better to go slower.
With the development of technology and the progress of society, telephones have evolved from wired to wireless, and from wireless to smart. People's lives have indeed become more convenient, but it seems that they are more tired and time is passing faster.
Trains were slow in those days, but he had time to write an article, read a book, and enjoy the romance of the journey. There were no WeChat groups that kept ringing and required him to reply "received".
When they arrived at Gangcheng Railway Station, Yu Zhe still drove the car onto the platform, which can be considered a kind of welfare benefit provided by Honggang Group in the local area.
It's not just Honggang Group that enjoys this; executives of large industrial enterprises also enjoy this kind of hidden benefit, because companies in this era are more powerful.
"The latest issue of the newspaper."
After Li Xuewu boarded the train, Zhang Enyuan took a newspaper from the station and handed it to him, pointing to the headline.
Li Xuewu has already seen that the National Planning Work Conference will be held starting on the 15th and is expected to conclude on the 21st. During the conference, the outline of the Fourth Five-Year Plan will be discussed, and the national economic plan for this year will be drafted.
As a manager of a heavy industry enterprise, he naturally cares about the content of this work meeting. In fact, Lao Li would even attend the meeting, since Honggang Group is a representative company.
However, he had no expectations for this meeting. It was something he had already learned in textbooks, and although he couldn't remember it very clearly, he still had some impression of it.
This meeting will put forward the slogan of "strengthening war preparedness," but the slogan also includes a long sentence such as "promoting a new leap forward in the national economy," which can explain some issues to a certain extent.
If nothing unexpected happens, this meeting will again decide to "concentrate efforts on building the strategic rear area of the Third Front," and will even set ambitious targets such as a 17% increase in total industrial output and a 46% increase in infrastructure investment this year.
Putting aside the incredible decision of a 46% increase in infrastructure investment, let's first talk about what a 17% increase in total industrial output means.
Li Xuewu recalled that last year's total industrial and agricultural output value was 2613 billion yuan, an increase of 23.8% compared to 68. Among them, the total industrial output value was 1665 billion yuan, an increase of 34.3% compared to 68; and the total agricultural output value was 948 billion yuan, an increase of 1.1% compared to the previous year.
In the industrial sector, light industry grew by 25.2%, while heavy industry grew by 43.9%.
In other words, based on the existing total output growth, the percentage difference in growth of heavy industry is not very large, while light industry has to bear at least half of the growth pressure.
Some people say that heavy industry is difficult to develop while light industry is easy to develop. This is utter nonsense. Both light and heavy industries are difficult to develop, and the difficulty cannot be simply measured by data.
Where did the extra 283 billion come from, which suddenly increased from 1665 billion to 1948 billion?
Furthermore, Li Xuewu was very unsure whether last year's industrial output growth rate was accurate, just as people in later generations didn't quite believe GDP data. Even if it was said to be 5%, life was still tough.
Let's talk about the 46% increase in infrastructure investment. Last year, the national infrastructure investment reached 200.83 billion yuan, which is a high figure of 77.6% higher than the previous year.
Last year, fixed assets were newly added at 106 billion yuan, but the fixed asset delivery and utilization rate was only 52.7%, making it one of the years with the worst investment results.
Last year's fiscal revenue was 526.8 billion yuan, an increase of 165.5 billion yuan; fiscal expenditure was 525.9 billion yuan, an increase of 166.1 billion yuan. After offsetting revenue and expenditure, revenue exceeded expenditure by 9000 million yuan.
In other words, taking into account this year's revenue growth rate and based on last year's revenue and expenditure situation, it is very likely that the government will run a deficit in order to complete such a large infrastructure investment.
Of course, the increase in infrastructure investment is mainly reflected in the military industry and related projects, a point that Li Xuewu does not quite agree with, as it has too much of an impact on economic development and construction.
不过对比之下，工业指标定的还不算太突出，这次会议要为75年定下粮食产量6000亿到6500亿斤；钢3500万吨到4000万吨；煤4亿到4.3亿万吨等等这样的重压力目标。
Li Xuewu certainly hopes that the country will become richer and stronger, but there has to be a process; taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble.
However, another news item in the newspaper elicited a light laugh.
"...In response to the plan by Beijing Automotive Group and other large automotive industrial enterprises such as Factory No. 17 to jointly establish an automotive parts supply chain, Hongxing Steel Group Sales Corporation announced that it will strengthen supply chain cooperation and technology sharing, and proposed an industrial co-construction plan..."
"...In its plan, Honggang Group proposed to select sites in Fengcheng, Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, and Jincheng to build automotive parts supply chain warehouses, forming five major warehousing areas..."
"...The automotive manufacturing companies that have responded to the plan include Beijing No. 2 Automobile Manufacturing Plant, Shanghai No. 1 Automobile Manufacturing Plant, Sichuan Automobile Manufacturing Plant, Beijing Bus Manufacturing Plant, Beijing Motorcycle Manufacturing Plant, and Shanghai Bus Manufacturing Plant..."
"Was this done by the group's publicity department?"
Li Xuewu put down the newspaper, looked at Zhang Enyuan and asked, "Find out what the Northern Industry Daily's report on this matter is about. I want to know their attitude."