Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The afterglow of the setting sun poured in through the office windows, giving everything a warm hue. I watched Bai Hanchuan open the anonymous letter. The beautiful handwriting caught my eye, but it was full of accusations and dissatisfaction. The letter detailed the various "crimes" of our management: unreasonable work arrangements, unfair reward and punishment systems, and even some people were dissatisfied with their wages.

My heart suddenly sank. These voices surged like an undercurrent, and we had never noticed them. Bai Hanchuan looked solemn, and his bony fingers tapped the table again and again. Obviously, he also realized the seriousness of the problem.

"It seems that we need to reorganize our internal affairs." Bai Hanchuan put down the letter, his tone calm, but with unquestionable firmness.

That night, we gathered all the team members and prepared to have a frank chat. The meeting room was full, but the atmosphere was unusually solemn. The familiar faces seemed a little strange at this moment.

"I know that everyone has some opinions about us recently. The purpose of today's meeting is to hope that everyone can speak freely." I spoke first, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Silence, a long silence. Finally, a voice broke the deadlock.

"Manager Mu, we work from dawn to dusk every day, but the money we get is pitifully little. How can we work with peace of mind?" The speaker was an old employee of the planting base, his tone full of resentment.

"Yes, we have contributed so much to the company, why are we treated worse than those newcomers?" another voice echoed, with a more excited tone.

The conference room was in an uproar, with accusations and complaints coming one after another, like a hammer hitting the hearts of Bai Hanchuan and I. We originally thought that as long as we led everyone to work hard, we would be able to achieve unity, but we didn't expect that internal conflicts had quietly grown.

"Enough!" Bai Hanchuan stood up suddenly and said in a sharp tone, suppressing the noisy voices, "I know everyone is working hard, but the company's development also needs time. We will come up with a solution as soon as possible..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by a sharp voice: "Solution? We have waited too long and don't want to hear any more empty promises!"

I looked at the excited faces in front of me, feeling mixed emotions, but I didn't know what to do. At this moment, Lin Xiao, who had been silent all this time, stood up, pushed her glasses, and cleared her throat... "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment and listen to me." Lin Xiao's voice was not loud, but surprisingly penetrating, and the conference room gradually quieted down. "I believe that Sister Mu and Brother Bai are not the kind of people that everyone says they are. They have always cared about us and have contributed a lot to the company." She paused and looked at everyone, "But I can also understand everyone's feelings. After working hard, everyone hopes to get the rewards they deserve. Perhaps, we can put ourselves in each other's shoes and have more understanding and trust in each other."

Lin Xiao's words were like a breath of fresh air, easing the tense atmosphere. Her words also made Bai Hanchuan and I realize that we were so focused on working hard that we neglected communication with team members, and even more so their psychological feelings.

After the meeting, we returned home and the children were already asleep. Bai Hanchuan and I were both worried and ate in silence. The children seemed to sense our low mood and pestered us the next morning to ask what happened. We briefly explained to them, but unexpectedly, the children said seriously: "Don't worry, Mom and Dad, we are here to help you!"

In the following days, the children seemed to have turned into little diplomats. They went to talk to the uncles and aunts one by one, listened to their voices, and took the initiative to organize a family gathering so that everyone could relax together. Looking at the children's innocent smiles, Bai Hanchuan and I felt a little warm in our hearts.

On the day of the family gathering, everyone gathered together for a rare occasion, eating barbecue and chatting, the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. The children were like happy elves, running through the crowd and spreading laughter to everyone. Looking at this scene, I seemed to see the dawn of hope.

However, just as Bai Hanchuan and I were preparing to take measures to improve management methods, I received an unexpected call early the next morning... "Hello, is this Mr. Mu? This is Wang Qiang..." The voice on the other end of the phone revealed a hint of hesitation, and my heart sank. Wang Qiang is the technical backbone of our team. He is conscientious and responsible in his work and has strong abilities. He has always been the focus of our training. Why would he suddenly call me?

"Wang Qiang, what's wrong? Is there anything?" I tried to make my tone sound calm, but the hand holding the phone tightened involuntarily.

"Boss Mu, I...I..." There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, as if he had made up his mind, "I have decided to resign. I will come to the company today to handle the formalities."

"What?!" I cried out in shock. This news was like a bolt from the blue, catching me off guard. The laughter and joy at the family gathering a few days ago seemed to still be ringing in my ears. How could it turn out like this in the blink of an eye? "Wang Qiang, do you have any difficulties? Can you tell me? The company will definitely do its best to help you solve it!"

"Mr. Mu, thank you for your kindness, but I have made up my mind. You don't need to persuade me anymore." Wang Qiang's voice became firm and he hung up the phone.

I sat in my chair, the busy tone echoing in my ears, and I was filled with doubts and anxiety. Wang Qiang's sudden resignation made Bai Hanchuan and I realize that the problems within the team were more serious than we thought.

After learning about this, Bai Hanchuan immediately decided to talk to Wang Qiang in person, hoping to understand the real reason why he left and try his best to win him back. When he found Wang Qiang, Wang Qiang was packing up to leave.

"Wang Qiang, have you really decided to leave?" Bai Hanchuan's tone was sincere and genuine. "I know that the company has indeed had some problems recently, but we are working hard to resolve them. I hope you can give us some time, and also give us some time."

Wang Qiang was silent for a moment, then looked up at Bai Hanchuan with a complicated look in his eyes. "Boss Bai, you and Boss Mu are both good people, and the company is also good, but I have already made up my mind..."

He hesitated to speak, and finally did not tell the real reason. Bai Hanchuan did not force him, patted his shoulder, and watched him leave the company.

Late at night, Bai Hanchuan and I sat in the office, speechless. Outside the window, the lights of the city were still bright, but our hearts were filled with gloom. Wang Qiang's departure was like a stone that broke the originally calm water surface, causing ripples.

"Did we do something wrong?" I muttered to myself, my tone full of confusion and helplessness.

Bai Hanchuan didn't say anything, but just held my hand tightly. His eyes were firm and deep, as if telling me that no matter what happened, he would face it with me.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door, and a voice sounded outside the door: "Mr. Bai, Mr. Mu, I have something to tell you..." "Come in." Bai Hanchuan said in a deep voice.

The door opened and in walked Manager Li from the marketing department. He was also a veteran of the company. He was kind and hardworking, and was respected by everyone.

"Mr. Bai, Mr. Mu, I'm sorry to bother you so late." Manager Li looked a little tired, with a hint of apology in his tone.

"Manager Li, if you have anything to say, just tell me directly. You're welcome." I said quickly, with a bad feeling rising in my heart.

Manager Li sighed and said slowly: "I came here today to talk to you about the company's recent situation..."

He paused, as if trying to organize his words. "I heard some rumors that the company's recent decisions were somewhat radical, and there was a lack of communication between management and employees, which led to dissatisfaction among some employees..."

Manager Li’s words confirmed what Bai Hanchuan and I had previously speculated, that there were indeed some problems within the team.

"Manager Li, we have also noticed the situations you mentioned." Bai Hanchuan said solemnly, "We have been trying to find a solution to the problem, and we hope you can give us some suggestions."

"Boss Bai, Boss Mu, you are all doing this for the good of the company. I have never doubted this." Manager Li said, "It's just that the company is developing too fast now, and many employees can't keep up with the pace. They need time to adapt, and they also need more care and understanding."

Manager Li's words made Bai Hanchuan and I fall into deep thought. Indeed, in order to cope with external competitive pressure, we have put all our energy on business development and technology research and development, but neglected the care and communication with employees.

"Manager Li, thank you for reminding us. We will seriously reflect on our problems and come up with solutions as soon as possible." I said sincerely.

Manager Li nodded, talked to us about the company's development plans, and then stood up to say goodbye.

After seeing Manager Li off, Bai Hanchuan and I fell into silence again. The office was quiet, with only the ticking sound of the wall clock, as if reminding us of the passage of time.

"It seems that we really need to reflect on this." I broke the silence, my tone full of helplessness and self-blame.

"Yes, the company is like a machine. Every part is indispensable. Only when all parts are functioning properly can the company achieve maximum efficiency." Bai Hanchuan took a deep breath. "We only focused on the pursuit of speed but ignored the stability of the team. This is our mistake."

"So what should we do now?" I raised my head and looked at Bai Hanchuan, hoping he could give me some guidance.

Bai Hanchuan pondered for a moment, a gleam of determination flashed in his eyes, "Tomorrow, go talk to Wang Qiang..."