Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 116 Signing the Contract 2

Old Liu looked around, probably a little angry at the behavior of his subordinates, and said to his henchman: "Get a truck this afternoon, pack all this up and take it back, bring the things from the restaurant here and put them on, make sure there are enough here, and that it's usable. Find something missing in the kitchen and make up for it, you hear me? Call a few more people, the ones who work here, to clean up. If they don't clean it up, they won't be able to stay here anymore. It doesn't matter who I employ, there are plenty of people who want to come."

The assistant agreed, and Old Liu turned to Director Wang and said, "How about this?"

Director Wang said, "Okay, sign it. I really do have a plan. By the way, Lao Liu, those rooms in the back are just sitting idle. They're just sitting idle anyway, so let's take them and use them together. It'll be convenient to put out mats or pile things up. They're going to collapse soon if we don't use them."

Old Liu chuckled, pointing at Director Wang with his hand, and after a long pause said, "Alright, alright, take it. It's going to collapse anyway, so even if you're going to dismantle it, you have to be somewhat reliable. That building has a large span, and the roof is made of reinforced concrete. It can withstand an 8-magnitude earthquake, let alone just leave it standing. If I didn't find it too much trouble to dismantle, I would have done it already. It was built so solidly. There's a lot of space inside. The room at the top is four or five hundred square meters, right next to the toilet. The ones in the back aren't small either, each one is a hundred or eighty square meters."

The assistant took the contract, and several people stood and looked at it, mainly Director Wang.

After flipping through the contract, Director Wang pointed to it and said to Lao Liu, "How come there are ten people now? Wasn't it five? That's doubled!"

Old Liu glared at him and said, "Alright, that's it. Does this company belong to my family? Those guys are all the boss's children, they haven't even worked a regular job, they're just hanging around here getting some pocket money. I've given you everything, and you're even taking over the rest of the place. What else is there to say?"

Director Wang continued looking at the contract and said, "Bullshit, how many years has it been idle? Do you think I don't know? Why would I pay for it if it's idle?" In fact, the grain station here was only closed down in the middle of this year, and the building has only been vacant for less than half a year. If it had really been vacant for several years, it would have been targeted by someone long ago.

After reviewing the contract, and with the Jian'an Company's seal affixed to Lao Liu's side, Director Wang pulled out a pen from his chest and wrote a few lines on a page of the contract. He then handed the contract to Xia Maosheng and said, "Alright, you two take a look and sign it."

The assistant handed over a pen and inkpad, and Xia Maosheng and Xiao Wei signed and sealed the contract. Once the contract was collected, this area belonged to the two of them. They were responsible for the wages of ten people, with each person receiving no less than 220 yuan per month. The contract period had just been changed to nine years by Director Wang. It would be hard to say if it went to ten years. A single-digit number and a double-digit number are completely different things.

The henchman put away the contract, and Old Liu said to Xia Maosheng, "That's it for today. Let them come and pack up this afternoon. You can pick it up tomorrow. I won't give you the keys; just break in and change the lock when you come tomorrow." Turning to Director Wang, he asked, "Are you riding in my car or what?"

Director Wang said, "I'm going to a meeting in the city."

Old Liu glanced at him sideways and said, "I'm a section chief too, I have to go to a meeting too."

Director Wang laughed and said, "I'll take your car, I'll take your car, let's go, haha. Xiao Liu, you take them back, and then you can go back. I'll be driving all day now, so I'll have Lao Liu take me tonight." He called out to the driver and got into Lao Liu's car.

Once inside the car, he leaned out again and said to Xia Maosheng and Xiao Wei, "Let me know when everything is arranged. Make sure the opening here is a grand affair. Put some effort into that too, make sure it's done."

Inside the car, Old Liu asked Director Wang, "Whose child is this? Why are you going to such lengths for them?"

Director Wang said, "Xia Xiaolan's nephew from Beipiao. I'll call her tonight and let her know. She's a capable person; who knows what the future holds?"

Old Liu nodded, took out a cigarette and offered one to Director Wang, lit it himself, took a puff, looked out the window and said, "Huang Yucheng will be promoted next year, right? Xia Xiaolan has a pretty good chance. At the very least, she'll be a bureau chief, and she'll definitely be promoted to deputy director in the future. Anyway, you government people are better off than us in the business world. You look glamorous, but you're nothing. We're always being bullied by you guys."

Director Wang slowly took out a lighter, lit a cigarette, blew a smoke ring, and said, "That's bullshit. Look at you guys, you can build buildings whenever you want, open restaurants whenever you want, buy cars, land, and houses. Look at us, we get a fixed salary, we have no say in anything, everything has to be arranged by the higher-ups. At the same level, I'd rather do what you do, it's much more comfortable."

Old Liu chuckled and said, "Come on, you guys get promoted once you've done your job, but this is all I'll ever be. How can you compare? You're all talented people with political ambitions, while we're just lazy bums waiting to die. We can't compare."

Director Wang laughed and said, "Keep showing off. One day I'll get angry and report you."

Old Liu said, "Nonsense, what are you going to sue me for? We don't engage in any underhanded dealings, our business is decent but not the worst either, just steady and reliable. By the way, I've taken care of your matter, but what about mine? When will you take care of mine? My son is waiting at home."

Director Wang said, "What's so great about banks? Just put your son in your company to support him. Besides, you can get him into any other government bureau here, why does he have to go to a bank?"

Old Liu said, "The kid's all grown up now, he's not obedient anymore. Oh well, let him go to the bank if he wants to. It's a respectable profession anyway."

Director Wang said, "Alright, have him come to my office tomorrow, bring his discharge papers and such, and I'll take him there. One or two will be easy to handle."

Old Liu said, "You're so lucky. You can do whatever you want with a girl. But my three sons, sometimes I regret not controlling their pants back then. They're all grown up now, and they're all so stubborn. None of them listen to me."

Director Wang said, "When children grow up, they're no longer under their mother's control. Let them do whatever they want. Can you control them forever? If you ask me, don't worry about it. Just do what you want. Anyway, you have a backup plan. What are you afraid of? After a few years of this, they'll settle down."

Old Liu sighed, threw his cigarette butt out the window, closed the car window, and said, "These days, it's not like our time. Back then, you just had to follow the Party wholeheartedly. There was no other way. You did whatever you were told, and as long as you didn't fall behind, you'd find a path. But now, society is chaotic. Everyone's focused on money, and all ideologies have been thrown away. It's a mess at the top and a mess at the bottom. These young people all want to make big money; they haven't even thought about playing it safe."

Director Wang said, "Yes, thankfully I only have one daughter, so I don't have to worry too much. In today's society, it's hard to say. Suddenly, everything seems outdated—clothes, songs, even ideas. Now I don't even know what I should stick to anymore."

Those in power may not realize that an unconscious expression, gesture, or word from them can be interpreted into an entire book by those below. They argue back and forth, driving those below crazy with their constant shifts in opinions. So, they simply stick to the basics and ignore everything else. This is one of the reasons why society was quite chaotic during those years.