“Leader, are you treating me for dinner because we had signed the contract and you are in a good mood? There is no need for this. This, this, this, are the ones I don’t want. Serve everything else on the menu will do.”


  Feng Yu had just returned home and was about to call Fu Guangzheng to talk about the public buses advertisements when he received Zhang Ruiqiang’s call. He wants to treat Feng Yu for dinner.

  “Everything else? You think I am earning as much as you? Just 4 dishes and nothing more!”


  Feng Yu pouted: “You want to treat me and don’t let me order? Stingy!”


  Zhang Ruiqiang: “……” Who orders food this way? There were dozens of dishes on the menu, and you want to order everything else except for two dishes you don’t like?

  “If you can finish everything you ordered, then go ahead and order whatever you want.”


  Fine. Feng Yu was only joking with Zhang Ruiqiang. In the end, he just ordered 4 dishes. Two meat and two vegetables dishes. He also ordered 4 bottles of beer. This was not a fancy restaurant, and Zhang Ruiqiang could surely afford it.

  “What is it you want from me? You must be up to no good when you offered to treat me dinner. What industry’s developments run into problems and you need my advice? Or you want me to help you check on the City’s planning?” Feng Yu asked.

  “No. I only need a small favor from you. The scale of your supermarket business is so big, and you are still opening so many branches. The Bing City Machinery Company is also set up so many branch factories. Do you need workers?” Zhang Ruiqiang was quite speechless with Feng Yu. I need you to help me check on the City’s planning? Who do you think you are? Do you think I don’t now know about your management capabilities?

  “Recruit people? Which Government owned enterprise is going bankrupt?” There was no news of this. If the enterprise is related to machinery, then it’s okay for the Machinery Company to take over all the workers. Just nice there was an increase in orders and a shortage of workers.

  The automobile manufacturing industry was a labor-intensive industry now. It can also be considered an expensive and Technology-intensive industry. It requires too many workers.

  No matter which country, the number of workers in automobile manufacturing factories will be the highest. Even the countries with matured automobile industries, like the US, Germany, Japan, England, etc. have more automobile workers than other sectors.

  Automobile factories still could not automate their assembly line 100%. At most, they could only make it semi-automated. This was why it still requires lots of workers.

  If there were skilled workers in the machinery field, Feng Yu would be willing to take in all the workers. This would be better than training ordinary workers from scratch. This was why Feng Yu was ready to agree to Zhang Ruiqiang. He was still feeling happy that Zhang Ruiqiang will owe him one more favor.

  But what Zhang Ruiqiang wanted to say was no this.

  “Can’t you say something nice about Bing City? Where do you find some many enterprises going bankrupt?! I am talking about the placement of the Longjiang Province soldiers. Are you able to help?” Zhang Ruiqiang was furious. I am the Mayor of Bing City, and you are hoping for the government-owned enterprises here to be bankrupt? Are you telling me that I am not doing my job?

  “Huh? Longjiang soldiers’ placement? Shouldn’t this the job of the Provincial Personnel Office? Why are you getting involved with this?” Feng Yu was puzzled. Zhang Ruiqiang was only the Provincial Governor’s assistant. Although he might be promoted to be a deputy governor, the Personnel Office was an important department. Zhang Ruiqiang should not be qualified to meddle with the work there yet.

  “I know I am not in charge of that department, but I need to take care of those retiring soldiers from Bing City. Our Bing City had just privatized some enterprises, and we can’t continue to send people into the remaining enterprises. I know you have lots of factories. Can you help me take care of some of these people?” Zhang Ruiqiang told Feng Yu to want he wanted.

  “How many people?” Feng Yu asked.

  “How many people can you take in?” Zhang Ruiqiang asked Feng Yu back.

  “Leader, this is not right. I am helping you and not asking you for help. This meal does not cost more than 30 RMB and how much work do you want me to do for you?” Feng Yu asked.

  “Hahaha. I am only asking how many people can you take in and I can plan for the remaining people.”


  Other state-owned enterprises and even those privatized enterprises faced the same problems. There were too many workers and have a Succession system, where the children of the workers will take over their parent’s role in the factory. The factories had to take care of their workers and still have to give them retirement funds.

  But Feng Yu’s companies were different. It was newly set up not long ago. Some of the companies were converted from State-owned enterprises and does not have the policy of Succession system.

  Because Feng Yu’s factories had been expanding and hiring, all the workers will try to arrange for their friends and relatives into the companies first. Other factories and companies had too many workers, but Feng Yu’s companies were always short of manpower.

  Usually, the City Government will help the soldiers retiring from service every year to arrange for jobs.

  But since the 1990s, there was a reform of the military service. In the past, soldiers were recruited during the summer. But in 1990, it was changed to the winter. The newly hired soldiers were also different from the previous batches. Their length of service was adjusted to 3 years.

  There should be no problems with all these changes. But in the past two years, there was a war, and a batch of Shenyang army soldiers was sent there. This was why there were no problems of assigning jobs for the soldiers in the past few years as lesser soldiers were retiring from service.

  But last year, that batch of soldiers which were sent to war had returned. They had fought against Vietnam and the local troops there was able to handle the rest. Now, there were two batches of soldiers that were going to retire from service. This resulted in the number of soldiers retiring this year much higher than the previous few years.

  “I also did not expect there were so many soldiers retiring this year. The truth is I am unable to find so many jobs for them.” Zhang Ruiqiang was helpless. There were too many people. Although Bing City’s economy had recovered slightly, there were still not enough jobs for them.

  Feng Yu thought for a while. A supermarket needs store assistants, cashiers, packers, warehouses, drivers, etc. The most it will only be about 100 people. Even if he hired the veterans for all these positions, he also could not help much. However, he could take in more people for the rest of his factories. Those factories were not state owned. The City government had no right to force a private company to take in those veterans. This was why Zhang Ruiqiang came to ask Feng Yu for help.

  “I can help you arrange jobs for some of them. 300 is my limit now. I can accept more female soldiers to help you. You still have to settle the rest yourself. This is the most I can help.”


  Zhang Ruiqiang was overjoyed: “300? That’s great! I represent Bing City to thank you for your contributions. Are you willing to accept those retiring officers?”


  “Impossible!” Feng Yu was furious. The soldiers might still be manageable. But if those officers were there, who knows what would happen? They might not even have any skills and were used to be leaders and likes to give orders. These people will only create chaos in the company!

  “I have helped the City Government arrange jobs for so many soldiers. Shouldn’t the city give me some benefits, like tax subsidies?” Feng Yu asked.

  “Huh??? I will try.” Zhang Ruiqiang was surprised that Feng Yu knows about this government policy.

  “Not try. I must have tax subsidies. If not, I will not accept any one of them. This is something I am getting from the local governments for my supermarkets. Don’t think I do not know about this.”


  “Fine. I will go through the documents when I return and see how much subsidies can you get for each year!” Zhang Ruiqiang gritted his teeth and agreed. But to settle the job placement for 300 veterans was still a great help to him. The province can resolve the rest of the veterans by themselves. There should not be any problems.

  Translator’s notes:

  Sino-Vietnamese conflicts, 1979–1991

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-Vietnamese_conflicts,_1979%E2%80%931991