Chapter Four: Flooring the Gas Pedal

“Smoking without opening the window, are you trying to choke us to death?”
“Smoking this early in the morning—didn’t your wives let you sleep with them last night?”
“Damn it all, I can’t see a damn thing!”

The technical department was shrouded in smoke, drawing a chorus of curses from the women knitting sweaters nearby. In these times, women were truly half the sky—present everywhere from factories to land reclamation and canal construction.

Due to national defense demands in recent years, women also took part in militia training. Coupled with deteriorating public security, their personalities had become quite fierce. Weak-willed individuals were bound to suffer in this world.

The technicians smoking paid no mind, chuckling softly. Such curses were mild compared to what their wives might say. Tempers flared easily these days; in the communal tenement buildings, arguments and shouting matches often dragged on until midnight.

Within the factory, such outbursts were even more frequent; a day without a few heated words was rare. Anyone who couldn’t handle a little scolding would have long since been driven mad.

After all, securing a permanent position in a state-owned factory was like holding an iron rice bowl—there was no such thing as being fired unless one quit voluntarily. Even factory management couldn’t dismiss troublemakers easily. At most, they could dock a bit of pay. The factory belonged to the state; permanent employees worked for the country, and factory leaders were merely managers. Theoretically, they were on equal footing with workers, just with better pay, so they had no authority to fire anyone.

If one didn’t care about promotions or minor pay cuts, there was nothing to fear. Once fearless, anyone who annoyed you could be met with a barrage of curses. Why endure humiliation? That would be unfair to oneself.

Li Dongling continued reading the newspaper in his hands. After finishing it, he borrowed a few more from Zhou Wenyan and Zhang Ao’s desks, who was still catching up on sleep. Through these newspapers, Li Dongling gained a general understanding of the market conditions over the past two years.

Currently, the hottest sectors domestically were real estate and development zones. Yazhou had sprung up with over twenty thousand real estate companies speculating on land. Future real estate giants like Feng Lun, Boss Pan, and Boss Wang of Vanke were all upgrading their operations there. Many of the business tactics seen later likely originated in Yazhou during this time.

The Economic Daily of Hanxi Province, which Li Dongling held, reported on Yazhou’s booming real estate market through a few anecdotal stories whose authenticity was uncertain. One story told of a person who signed a contract at a ground-floor sales office; before even leaving, someone offered to buy his unit at a higher price, allowing him to make a quick profit.

Another involved a drunken man who fell asleep at the sales office entrance. Upon waking, he found himself at the front of the queue to buy a house. As he tried to leave, several people fought over his spot, driving the price up until a wealthy businessman from Xiangshan bought the first-come privilege for 70,000 yuan, making the man rich overnight.

Though the truth of these stories was questionable, they were lively and vivid, as if witnessed firsthand, giving the impression that simply arriving in Yazhou could mean finding money no matter what you did.

Li Dongling shook his head. People these days lacked experience with such schemes, and with the media’s authority in this era, many would likely be tempted to rush to Yazhou.

Besides the real estate boom, development zones were also flourishing nationwide. Even Pingyang City was not exempt, designating a large area of land for a new development zone.

After skimming several similar reports, Li Dongling finally spotted something different tucked away in a newspaper corner.

One paper reported news from Yanjing: in response to this year’s doubled prices, rumors suggested that major and local banks were being ordered to recover some of the loans extended in recent years. Whether true or not was unclear, but the rumor was out.

Li Dongling lingered on this news for a while before moving on. Other reports detailed the strain on domestic transportation—trains and buses running at full capacity—and shortages of coal, oil, steel, iron, aluminum, and various rare metals.

Rubbing his eyes after reading for some time, Li Dongling felt he now had a grasp of the current domestic situation.

Morning passed quickly with tea and newspapers. Meanwhile, several incidents occurred in the factory, prompting calls for the technical department to intervene.

Yet the technicians, engrossed in their reading or knitting, paid no attention. Eventually, the department head, Xu Yiqiao, called Zhou Wenyan and another technician to handle the issues. By midmorning, Li Dongling had gotten to know the department well, recognizing who the dependable “workhorses” were.

After lunch, noticeably fewer people returned to the office. Xu Yiqiao showed no surprise.

Li Dongling accompanied Zhou Wenyan on a tour of West City Wireless Factory No. 1, gaining deeper insight. In his previous life, he had spent less than a week here and hadn’t been inclined to learn much, distracted by others’ guidance.

“Our Wireless Factory No. 1 was once one of Pingyang’s largest. The Feiyan radios it produced were famous throughout Hanxi Province. At its peak, tax contributions reached forty to fifty million a year!” Zhou Wenyan said proudly.

He reminisced about the factory’s glory days, when wearing its uniform commanded respect. In Pingyang back then, no fashionable attire could compare to a Wireless Factory uniform, which even ensured success during matchmaking.

At the time, purchase tickets for TVs and radios had not yet been abolished. During New Year celebrations, the factory issued internal vouchers to employees for buying their products—a significant welfare. These vouchers were highly sought after outside, often selling for over a hundred yuan each.

“Now...”

The light in Zhou Wenyan’s eyes dimmed when he spoke of the present.

Li Dongling sensed Zhou’s deep affection for the factory, which extended beyond mere duty. As a seasoned technician, Zhou did not want to see it suddenly collapse.

Touring the factory, Li Dongling was troubled. Though Wireless Factory No. 1 remained operational, still producing Feiyan radios and TVs, inventory piled up severely. Delivery drivers had started slacking off and even playing cards during work hours, a situation Zhou Wenyan took in stride, indicating it had persisted for some time.

Currently, West City Wireless Factory No. 1 employed over three thousand people, including a thousand permanent workers and more than two thousand temporary ones, filling every department to capacity.

This was only the active workforce. The factory also had to pay pensions to retirees, cover medical expenses, fuel for the transport team, office supplies, and subsidies for the cafeteria.

Li Dongling estimated the factory’s monthly expenses to be around one to two million yuan. How many radios and TVs could it realistically sell each month?

“Tomorrow at eight sharp, all personnel must be at the office for a full technical department meeting. Spread the word. Anyone absent will lose this month’s bonus!”

At day’s end, Xu Yiqiao announced this sternly to the remaining staff, clearly irritated.

“What’s going on here?”

Zhou Wenyan and other veteran technicians wore worried expressions. Xu Yiqiao rarely lost his temper so openly.

The younger workers, including Zhang Ao, seemed indifferent. They cared only about having a position and a paycheck. What happened to Wireless Factory No. 1 was of little concern.

Li Dongling paid it no mind either and borrowed a bicycle from Zhang Ao, planning to visit the fertilizer plant.

“Vroom!”

A motorcycle roared behind him. Turning around, Li Dongling saw Zhang Ao clad in leather and sunglasses, riding a Suzuki 100 with a woman behind him, wearing a cool expression—completely different from the sleepy figure he was in the office.

Zhang Ao greeted Li Dongling, then suddenly accelerated. The motorcycle’s front wheel lifted off the ground, causing the woman to scream and clutch him tightly.

Li Dongling saw a proud gleam beneath Zhang Ao’s sunglasses. Watching him peel away, Li Dongling chuckled and shook his head. Scenes like this were common in this era.