Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

"Your purchasing department can send people to the countryside to purchase food."

Hearing this, Lao Wei's eyelids twitched and he said with a worried look on his face:

"Director, you know that's every grain of food."

"You've never tried it, how do you know it will turn out this way?" Yang Li asked, hitting the chess piece onto the table.

"Director, please understand that the work of the purchasing department is mainly to negotiate business, and the actual purchase is the responsibility of the catering department. Maybe you should talk to Director Tang." Lao Wei carefully considered his words and reminded.

"So, the inability to buy food is the fault of the food department, and the purchasing department has no responsibility at all?" Yang Jun asked sharply.

“No…no…we have a responsibility…it’s just…” Lao Wei lamented, “Director, we don’t have to beat around the bush. If you really have an idea, just say it directly. I can help you deal with it.”

"Take my shot!" Yang Jun seized the opportunity to advance a few steps, feeling very happy - this was the first time he had the upper hand.

Old Wei smiled bitterly and slashed a chess piece diagonally down, "Hey? Why haven't you lost yet?"

Yang Jun exclaimed, adjusted his strategy again, and thought about how to use the next move to kill Lao Wei.

"Horse jumping, see if you can hold on this time? Haha."

"Hey, Director, don't worry, there is still a chance." Lao Wei cleverly set up the cannon and blocked the horse's position.

Seeing this scene, Yang Jun was shocked. Lao Wei was like an indestructible cockroach with great resilience. No matter how he attacked, he could always escape danger and fight back continuously.

"I think the difficulty in getting food is due to insufficient purchasing staff. I think we should send more people to visit the market instead of staying in the office all the time." Yang Xu said seriously, planning in his mind how to win the situation.

"We will do whatever the director says. Just follow your instructions." Old Wei smiled with a hint of respect.

“We can set up service points in various towns and villages in the name of the steel rolling mill’s purchasing department to collect grain from individual households.” Yang Jun stated his new strategy.

"Director, this may not comply with regulations. The cooperative cannot accept it. We..."

“How do you know it’s impossible before you try? You always have to give it a try before you act. Success or failure depends on practice, not guesswork,” Yang Jun emphasized, tapping the table with his fingers.

"Let's start with a pilot project to see the results. If it goes well, we'll gradually expand it. If not, we'll withdraw it. What do you think?" He encouraged the discussion.

"Yes, the director is right. How about we try one point first?" Lao Wei knew how to cooperate with the situation and express his opinions at the right time, making people think that everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.

"Let's start by setting up service points in the city."

"In the city?" Old Wei looked puzzled. "Director, isn't it in the countryside?"

Yang Jun glanced at it and said, "Didn't you say that there is no food in the countryside? There are more large households in the city, and the demand for food is great. Some families cannot finish their quotas, and they cannot trade privately. It is not cost-effective to sell to the grain store. If we set up a point at this time, it may attract people who sell grain. What do you think?"

"Director, your idea is good. If you can really do this, and no longer look up to the cooperative, the food problem will be solved. But..."

"What's wrong?" The inquiry gave Yang Jun a chance to elaborate: "We are not a state-approved grain purchasing agency, so we may encounter some troubles."

"You can resolve this issue through negotiation with the cooperative. Even if they are unwilling to supply us with food, they cannot forbid us from collecting it ourselves." Yang Jun continued to ponder a solution.

"That's right, the director is right. Now the guys in the cooperative are pestering me every day, forcing me to sign a new contract. This is giving me a headache. If we propose to set up a grain storage point at this time, I think they will be more than happy to do so." After hearing this, Master Wei couldn't help but laugh out loud, revealing his mottled yellow teeth.

Looking at his cigarette-stained teeth, Yang Jun felt a chill and lowered his head to look at the chessboard. "Checkmate! You're doomed!"

After checking the chessboard, Yang Jun was sure that Old Wei had been trapped by his chess pieces and had no chance of counterattack. He could hardly contain his joy. "Hey, how about giving up this game?" Master Wei said with a smile.

Hearing him say this, Yang Jun felt a little unhappy. How could he say something that was not sincere? Win is win, lose is lose, how can it be said to be "considered". Maybe it was a draw.

He said dissatisfiedly: "Old Wei, chess character is like a person's character. Can you accept such a loss?" His cheeks flushed slightly and his words were sharp.

Master Wei smiled gently: "I have a question, has the person for the grain collection service point been chosen?" There was a sly glint in his eyes.

Yang Jun was stunned when he heard this: "What are your plans?"

Master Wei shook his head repeatedly: "I don't have any special ideas, I just want to confirm. Once the person is chosen, I will know how to deal with it." He is not stupid. Yang Jun has put so much effort into setting up a grain collection point, it must be to place his own people, and he will never ask for trouble to share the benefits.

Yang Jun said calmly: "It has been confirmed."

Master Wei smiled when he heard this, as if he had already anticipated the result. "In fact, I had seen through your intentions as early as when you made your move." He said with a teasing tone.

Yang Jun looked down and indeed found that his key rook had been blocked for a long time. Old Wei patiently played the whole game with him. "Master Wei, I suspect you secretly changed the chess pieces."

But Master Wei didn't wait for him to finish, and said happily: "Director, please wait a moment, I will go to discuss some important matters with the cooperative." After that, he turned and slipped away, giving Yang Jun no chance to change the situation.

Yang Jun was extremely angry. He had finally had a chance to win, but lost to Master Wei's strategy at the last moment. As for his chess skills, he realized that he might never be able to make a comeback unless Master Wei retired.

He took a puff of cigarette and fell into deep thought. Why did he strive so hard to establish this grain purchasing point? First, it was for practical considerations. He was the logistics director, and if there was a problem with the canteen, he would be hard to shirk responsibility; even if he could not bring in a large amount of grain, having such a point would help him release some resources when necessary. Second, as his family network expanded, he could not accommodate everyone, and he had to be cautious even when avoiding problems. If a grain collection point was established, he could find a suitable position for his relatives and keep them separate from the factory staff to avoid right and wrong. This was a well-thought-out long-term plan.

In fact, many managers in the factory have similar practices. Yuan Kaizong, as the "relative" of the driver's motor vehicle crew, almost all of them are their relatives, from cousins, to uncles, nephews... Even the fair and honest Director Yang put his nephew in the Propaganda Department.

People in this world cannot avoid the entanglement of human relationships. Even a pure person like Director Yang is no exception. However, in the face of interests, they still cannot resist.

Next, the steel mill and the cooperative renegotiated the supply agreement, reducing the quota by 20% and raising the price by 30%. This was not a loss that the steel mill was willing to accept, but an option that it could not refuse - the whole country was now facing a food shortage, and the food rations of all units had been reduced. Even if the steel mill was unwilling, the counterparty might unilaterally tear up the agreement, and then they would be helpless.

In short, food shortage has become a problem.

Faced with this situation, Yang Jun could do nothing about them. That afternoon, Lao Wei put the documents and necessary procedures for setting up the grain station on Yang Jun's desk - Yang Jun did not need to do the follow-up operations himself, the people from the housing management department would handle it properly.

The next afternoon, the housing management department had prepared the lease and keys, and Lao Wei took the keys back to Yang Jun. After get off work, Yang Jun invited everyone to his yard. After explaining the plan to set up a grain station in detail, he handed Yang Anbang a store key and a business license, "Anbang, the grain procurement work here will be handed over to you from now on. Be responsible for purchasing supplies."

"Hey, brother, I... I may not be able to do it. Why don't I go to the factory to help?" Yang Anbang showed a distressed expression.

"Are you afraid of being tired?" Yang Jun was almost angry after hearing this. He worked so hard for them, but they didn't appreciate it. Working in a factory, is the outside world so free? Moreover, if you are so old and want to be an apprentice in a factory, the other party may not be willing to recognize you as a teacher.

Normally, apprentices start at the age of 10, but Yang Anbang is already an experienced worker with more than 10 years of work experience. If you, a 30-year-old, call yourself a master, you will not feel embarrassed when you say it, but others will feel uncomfortable when they accept it.

Hearing this, Yang Anbang breathed a sigh of relief: "We just need to collect the grain?"

"That's right." Yang Jun explained, "We only buy grain, not sell it. As long as there are people who want to sell grain, we will buy it at the market price. You don't have to worry about the rest."

Hearing this, Yang Anbang felt relieved. If it was so simple, it would be an easy job. Although he was spared from the "wind and sun", he was not opposed to hard work; but who would be willing to work hard in a factory?

At the same time, Yang Jun told Yang Anbang that Zhao Hongmei and Zhou Miaomiao would also go to assist in the work. For the time being, there were only three people in the team, and one more person would be needed in the next few days. Zhao Hongmei and Zhou Miaomiao's eyes immediately sparkled when they learned that they could participate together.

"Brother, can we go to work too?" they both asked in unison.

"Yes. You will get your salary, but Zhao Hongmei will be treated as a temporary worker for the time being," Yang Jun replied. Although her monthly salary was only 18 yuan, she expressed her gratitude, "Thank God! I am so lucky to have this fixed income. For my family, this amount of money is enough to support us for half a year."

Zhou Miaomiao said with great emotion: "It is indeed a lot. Women can also hold up half the sky." Unlike Yang Jun and his wife, Zhao Hongmei was not included in the list of formal employees of the steel rolling mill. She and her children still have agricultural household registration, and their life in the city is supported by Yang Jun's food ration. The monthly ration of more than 20 kilograms is far from enough for the whole family to have a full meal. In contrast, although the third master Yan Bugui has a meager salary, everyone in his family enjoys the food distribution guarantee brought by the urban household registration, while Yang Anbang's spouse and children do not have this benefit.

Now that they have this temporary job, the meager income of 18 yuan a month can help to supplement their family expenses. "Handle money and accounts separately. Zhao Hongmei, you are responsible for money and property management, and Zhou Miaomiao is responsible for account bookkeeping. Ensure that income and expenditure are consistent and resolutely avoid discrepancies in accounts. Do you understand?" Yang Jun told them.

"I understand, brother." Both of them agreed.

The next morning, the group went to the grain receiving point early. This point was only a short 40-minute drive from their accommodation. This was the advantage of Yang Jun specifically asking the housing management department to rent a house nearby, which was close at hand.

Yang Jun didn't need to go to work, so he drove them there directly. It was a small courtyard with an 80-square-meter store in the front and a relatively spacious residence in the back. The store had been cleaned up, empty and deserted.

There was a wooden sign on the door with a white background and black text, which read:

"State Cooperative Division"

Below the big title, the words "Buying but not selling" were written in small font. Yang Anbang did not hold a formal opening ceremony, nor did he gather a crowd of spectators. He just lit a string of small firecrackers to officially open the business. The people who came to check it out left after making a few comments. Then, Hua Haitian, the head of the Finance Department, came here with money and grain coupons. He glanced around and muttered a few words before leaving without saying much. He doubted that this place could collect any grain, and even thought that setting up such a point was a waste of effort.

Yang Anbang, Zhao Hongmei and Zhou Miaomiao were guarding the store, full of expectations but waiting in vain for several days without anyone delivering grain to sell. After returning home, the three of them reported the situation to Yang Jun with a sad face. Yang Jun didn't have high hopes in the first place, and setting up this grain receiving point was not his original intention. "Isn't it good to be idle? Are you starting to feel uneasy after not doing anything for two days?" While chewing the rice, he caught a glimpse of Yang Anbang smoking at the door for fun.

"Brother, we can't keep going like this. If we can't collect even a grain of rice, how are we going to explain to our superiors at the end of the month?" He was concerned about the risk that poor performance might lead to the closure of the collection point.

Yang Jun knew this very well, but he didn't care. He would just go back to the factory and hammer a steel hammer. But what about Zhao Hongmei? She was just a temporary worker. If the factory was closed, she would probably lose her job and go home to take care of her children.

"What are you worried about? Don't you still have me?" Yang Jun smiled and comforted, "Focus on your work, I'll support you. Maybe in a few days, the business will turn around."

"Oh, I hope so." Yang Anbang could only sigh.

Two weeks later, the store was still quiet. Every day before and after get off work, Yang Anbang reported the progress of grain collection to Yang Jun on time.

"Brother, we harvested some grain today." Yang Jun had just stepped into the door and hadn't washed his hands to eat yet when Yang Anbang ran over excitedly to share the good news.

"How much?" Yang Jun was excited to hear that, finally there was some progress.

"Well... a total of three pounds and two ounces of corn flour." Yang Anbang said embarrassedly.

Hearing this, Yang Jun couldn't help but smile bitterly. He took a sip of water and was about to swallow it, but suddenly it all came out again. "This is not a bad thing, it's a good start, keep going." Yang Jun patted his brother's shoulder and tried his best to comfort him.

"We can't just focus on purchasing grain supplies, we also have to accept other supplies, such as cabbage, potatoes, pork, and even game from mountain villages. We need to broaden our thinking and find ways to increase sales," he emphasized.