Anderson is a very ordinary worker, these days the factory stops work more and more often, which makes everyone very anxious.
Starting with one week of shutdown every month last year, and now one week of work and one week of shutdown, a kind of panic is spreading in every worker's heart, especially ... he heard that the factory seems to be about to go out of business.
It's not that the factory is losing money or anything like that, in fact the factory is not losing money, it's just that the sales of the things it produces are getting worse and worse, and a lot of the goods are piled up in the warehouse, slowly turning to dust.
When things can't be sold, there's no income, and the cost of inputs, the cost of warehouse management, the workers' wages, and some other losses have become one of the factory owner's biggest headaches at the moment.
Although he always assured the workers that he would keep the factory alive as long as possible, everyone felt that the day of reckoning was not far off.
Today was payday, and Anderson had packed up early in the morning in front of the factory, where everyone was chatting in groups about the usual things, mostly about who had suddenly become rich, or how a few more factories around them had gone out of business.
They had never felt that life could be so difficult, especially a few years ago when the factory ran from morning to night and the workers were too tired to lift their arms at the end of each day's work.
That time is very tiring, but also very fulfilling, as long as the work has a rich reward, the factory owner even for this reason also expanded the factory, adding more jobs ....
Everyone was chatting, reminiscing about the past or fearing the future, just at that time, the factory financial office page suddenly resounded with clamor.
The noise instantly pricked everyone's sensitive nerves, and most of them immediately stopped what they were doing and jogged to the door of the finance office.
It was only when Anderson got closer that he realized it was several workers who were arguing with the factory owner, their boss, for two reasons.
The first was that the factory would be completely shut down starting next month, and as to when work would resume, everyone was told to wait for notification.
This was tantamount to telling everyone that the factory was finished and that the so-called resumption of work might not exist at all. Federal salaries were based on a system of hours worked, where you were paid for how much you did.
This system has always made sense, especially for the hardworking workers; the more you give, the more you get, and everyone was energized to contribute in the factories.
Once there was a total shutdown, it meant that these workers would not have a single penny for the next month!
The vast majority of ordinary families in the Federation weren't in the habit of actively saving, and with the savings interest rates of the six major banks in the Federation falling steadily in recent times, there was no longer much difference between depositing money in the bank and holding it in one's hand.
This has further reduced people's urge to deposit money in the bank.
Money has a very special quality, when you have money in your hand, there will be an inexplicable desire to spend, the more money, the stronger the desire to spend.
It may be to buy a hot dog that you rarely buy to satisfy your appetite, or it may be to buy a pack of designer cigarettes that you've never bought before to enjoy the mellow aroma of money as it burns.
Without savings, life depends entirely on a paycheck, and without even a paycheck, many families are immediately plunged into the terrible situation of going out of business!
What's even more frightening is the expiration of payment terms on various installment products, including houses and cars, which can become a heavy burden that overwhelms people's lives!
A few years ago, the world began to stabilize from the chaos of the war, and the Federation, which had always been outside the war, began to develop rapidly.
A large number of things were pushed out, including the method of consumption as well as the concept, not only the house can be staged, the car can be staged, as long as there is a social security card, as long as there is legal citizenship, even to buy a TV can be staged.
Everyone was enjoying the huge dividends of the times, as if money was everywhere and if you bent down you could pick it up.
But now these unpaid installments have become a noose around people's necks that can tighten anytime, anywhere, and take away their lives!
Several workers argued with their boss about this matter, and they demanded that the boss must start working next month, and for no less than ten days, as their last insistence.
One day of work and two days of rest, if this could not be guaranteed, their lives would become a problem.
Of course, the boss always had a cold face and kept shaking his head, there was no way he would accept such a request.
Business was not good now, the market in the surrounding areas of Sabine and even within the state was saturated, it was difficult to sell goods in large quantities as before, the payback was slow, and the payments that came back were basically consumed by storage fees and wages.
The only thing he can do now is to stop working completely and then find a way out for his goods, or find a problem and solve it before continuing to open.
The workers are at a loss at this point, in fact the factory owner is also at a loss, obviously it is a best seller, why in just a year or two, it is not selling!
You know, in the past, a large number of people would drive their trucks outside the warehouse to get the goods, and now some people actually called him to ask if they could return the goods, even if it was only thirty percent of the money!
In addition to this problem with the shutdown, there was also the problem of how to pay salaries this time around.
"There's not much money left in the factory account to pay you all, so I thought maybe we could pay you in a different way ..."
The bickering over the work stoppage had stopped and the workers decided to let the union in, their faces at this point were icy cold as they looked at the factory owner, nothing of the friendliness of the old days, not only was there a wall between them, they had become enemies to each other.
The factory owner's eyelids twitched twice, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, his voice was a little dry, astringent, and hoarse, "I don't know how to say ... it," he looked at the strange workers around him and sighed, "You already know the factory's current situation, I can't get the money ... anymore."
Before he had even finished speaking, the group of workers closest to him erupted into a riot, and this riot quickly spread in all directions, and the whole factory was in a commotion, so much so that even the factory owner finally put aside his unnecessary emotions and watched indifferently as the workers fought and made a scene.
After another period of time, this clamor could not be answered, nor could the demands be settled, and they became quiet.
At this point, there was more than a hint of mockery on the factory owner's face, at these workers and at himself, but he quickly withdrew it.
"I will give you what we produce, at cost, as a standard, as a wage."
"You can refuse to accept it, or even go to the union or the court to sue me, just so I can file for bankruptcy protection, and we'll all play it out together!"
"If you are willing to accept it, go to the warehouse and collect your 'salary'!" He finished his sentence and walked right back into the finance office, followed by an accountant and several members of management who began to come out and express their feelings.
Anderson stood like a puppet in the crowd, his head full of noise and ringing in his ears, the only thing he thought about was the sky falling.
Actually, he didn't have to worry about it at all, because he would soon get used to it.
Some of the workers made a scene, while others quietly went to collect their supplies, at least these things were more or less a thing, as long as it was a thing, it had value, it was better than getting nothing at all, wasn't it?
Outside the warehouse, he numbly took out a pen and signed his name on the book to receive his paycheck, then looked at the household appliances packed in three large boxes on one side, his brain buzzing.
What should ... do in the future?
As Anderson walked out of the factory door with the three boxes, there was a gust of wind, and suddenly a cloth, which floated with the wind, covered his face.
He tore it off and opened it, but it was a poster that is common all over the street, a man with an extraordinary instrument showing eight teeth, holding a golden advertisement - "Every day, is a new day".