At the same time, it was nine o'clock in the morning.
In the Development Office of the Industrial Bureau, after Director Li sent out Wang Ye's telegram and finished some other work, he checked the time and then smiled at his secretary, saying, "It's nine o'clock. Let's take a break and go to the department store."
"Let's see how well Wang Ye and his team are doing!"
Hearing Director Li's words, the secretary nodded eagerly and replied, "Sure, I'll get the car ready!"
Soon, the two of them set off and headed straight to the largest state-owned Red Flag Department Store in Yuntai City, also known as the department store.
In no time, their jeep pulled up in front of the department store. Director Li, getting off the car, couldn't help but imagine the bustling scene of fan and washing machine sales. With brisk steps, as he walked into the main entrance of the department store and a few steps further, arriving at the booth with the Red Star sign, he was astonished to find it empty, with no one inside!
"What's going on? Where is everyone?"
"Could there have been an accident, and they're not selling today?"
"That can't be! Their promotional truck was still bustling around the streets this morning!"
Director Li and the secretary exchanged puzzled looks.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged auntie at the neighboring booth, who had been bribed with two pounds of candy by Wang Ye, mistook Director Li for a customer coming to buy fans. She dutifully explained, "They've already sold out! Everyone's gone!"
"I heard the next batch won't be available until next weekend. Remember to come early to queue up then!"
As they heard this, Director Li's face expressed disbelief. It was barely past nine o'clock, just a quarter past the hour since the store opened at eight. Over six hundred fans and nearly three hundred washing machines had sold out?
Thinking about this, a smile couldn't help but spread across his face. Regardless of the reasons, selling out meant good business. Indeed, privatizing a large collective enterprise seemed to be a viable path!
"Let's go! Back to the Industrial Bureau. We need to discuss the reform of large collective enterprises."
"Now we finally have a case to refer to!"
Director Li turned around with a smile, and the curious auntie, who had been munching on sunflower seeds, forgot about the seeds in her mouth in amazement. Was this man just now actually a leader from the Industrial Bureau?
Just past noon.
Wang Ye and his group returned to the factory. With the arrival of the truck, they immediately attracted attention. They had only left in the morning, so why were they back at lunchtime?
Some people couldn't help but worry, had something happened?
Especially the wives or children of those who worked in the factory. As they began to speculate, Li Baojun stood in the truck's bin and shouted excitedly, "In less than an hour! We sold out over six hundred fans and nearly three hundred washing machines!"
"We've earned over two hundred and seventy-five thousand yuan!"
"The money's all here!"
As the young people cheered, everyone's worries disappeared. Instead, there was a series of amazed exclamations. "My goodness! I never thought fans and washing machines would sell so well!"
"Maybe our mechanical factory should start producing fans!"
"Yes! Since we already supply parts to the manufacturing plant!"
"The director said it himself: let's grow and thrive, create glory!"
Amidst these discussions, some more informed workers or team leaders sneered and retorted disdainfully, "Are we going to fight for scraps with the old collective? Do we have no dignity left?"
"Moreover, how much money can we really make from fans and washing machines? It's not worth it! Our main business is the gas cylinders. We've got orders worth two million dollars!"
"Yesterday, Director Li came in person for that. Two million dollars! That's twenty-six million in old collective currency! Just think about it! How much money is that!"
"What do you know! That's where the real profit lies. Can you compare the profits and scale of the gas cylinders to fans and washing machines?"
"And our rain-enhancing projectiles business is about to begin. That's what our Red Star Factory should be doing for a living. Why mess around with washing machines and fans? How shameless!"
The workers who had proposed venturing into the fan and washing machine business didn't mind these rebukes; they were just showing off, after all!
It's as if they were saying, "Look, even the collective we used to belong to can make this much money!"
In the midst of all this, Wang Ye's first order of business upon his return was to distribute money!
For the regular employees of the manufacturing plant, their bonuses could wait to be distributed along with their salaries. But for those few girls who were part-timers from the mechanical factory, like Liu Manting and Xu Jiaojiao, it was important to pay them promptly.
In the workshop, after counting the money in the cash box and confirming there were no discrepancies, Wang Ye, temporarily acting as the treasurer, said, "Now, let's start paying the part-time workers, my sisters."
"I'll call out your names, and you come to collect your money!"
At Wang Ye's words, the eight girls became excited! They were currently without jobs, some were even still in school, like Liu Manting, who came to help out on weekends. Now, they had earned quite a bit of money on their own; how could they not be happy?
Meanwhile, around Wang Ye...
In addition to the eight girls waiting to collect their money, there were also many onlookers, some just came out of curiosity. After all, this way of distributing bonuses was completely different from the steel mill!
Of course, some were there just to watch their daughters collect money!
"Wang Ye!"
Wang Ye called out the first name. She was the top seller.
From among the crowd, a girl with delicate features and a height of at least five feet six inches, blushing, walked out beside a middle-aged man who was stooping. She came up to Wang Ye.
"Wang Ye, you sold fifty-one units, right? There shouldn't be any problem. The commission for each unit is one yuan, plus today's minimum wage of fifty cents."
"That's a total of fifty-one yuan and fifty cents!"
As Wang Ye spoke, he counted out five ten-yuan bills and one yuan, and five fifty-cent coins, handing them over to Xu Jiaojiao.
At the moment their fingertips touched, Wang Ye could even feel her hand was cold and trembling. After all, for this girl, this was already quite a terrifying sum of money!
"Thank you, Brother Ye!"
Taking the money from Wang Ye's hand, her eyes instantly reddened, and she bowed deeply to Wang Ye.
Wang Ye waved his hand with a smile and said, "There's no need to thank me. You earned it yourself."
"I'm just paying you your wages!"
Hearing Wang Ye's words, she choked back a sob, shook her head, and asked Wang Ye with a trembling voice, "I only know that Brother Ye gave me this opportunity."
"Thank you, Brother Ye! Thank you, Brother Ye!"
With that, she couldn't hold back her tears anymore, grabbed the money, and ran off. Seeing his daughter running back, the middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, blinked his moist eyes, and asked Wang Ye, "Manager, when will we sell again?"
"Can Jiaojiao still work as a salesperson?"
This was a concern shared by many present. Wang Ye smiled and said, "Of course she can. I've seen everyone's hard work today."
"As long as you're willing to come, you can. And Jiaojiao is our top salesperson! Haha!"
Hearing Wang Ye's words, the eight girls felt relieved, and the workers from the steel mill couldn't help but feel emotional. Before the manager came, there weren't even 200 people in the whole factory who could earn this much in a month!
That sounded terrifying!
But everyone could only sigh with emotion. After all, the manufacturing plant was a contracted enterprise, and Wang Ye had the final say on how the wages were distributed!
But it was different for the mechanical plant. They couldn't adjust wages, but they could offer bonuses and incentives!