Siheyuan: Fishing for All Things

The meeting was over until near noon.

Guan Qi didn't plan to leave, probably because he still had something to tell Liu Yunde.

After the other leaders in the factory left, Yang Weiguo was about to get up and invite Guan Qi to the canteen for dinner, but Lin Shaowen suddenly stopped them.

"Don't leave yet, I have something to tell you."

"Hmm?"

Wang Kuirong and others who had already stood up immediately sat down.

They knew very well that Lin Shaowen usually didn't speak, but once he spoke it would definitely be a big deal.

"Old Lin, do you want the minister to step aside?" Yang Weiguo said softly.

"Yang Weiguo, what do you mean?" Guan Qi was furious, "I am the minister of the Ministry of Industry anyway, what's the matter? I don't even have the qualifications to listen to your meeting?"

"Minister, don't be angry." Liu Yunde said hurriedly, "Director, I don't think you are right. Our steel rolling mill is a subordinate unit of the ministry. How can we ask the minister to step aside?"

Yang Weiguo, Wang Kuirong and others all pouted, but didn't say anything else.

"It's only a few years until the 1980s. I think we need to develop technology business in addition to our main business." Lin Shaowen took out a cigarette and smoked it.

"What technology business?" Guan Qi asked anxiously.

"For example, computers, game consoles, televisions, refrigerators and other technological things." Lin Shaowen shook his head and said, "And we can't always use the Red Star Steel Mill brand. It's not appropriate..."

"What do you mean? Isn't our steel mill brand famous?" Yang Weiguo said dissatisfiedly.

"It's not that it doesn't make a lot of noise, but isn't it inappropriate for a steel mill to produce a game console?" Lin Shaowen sighed, "My suggestion is to set up a sub-brand under the steel mill to specialize in these things."

"I don't understand these things, we will do whatever you say." Yang Weiguo said seriously, "Give me a name, I'll ask Lao Liu to go and handle the formalities this afternoon..."

"Then let's call it 'Huaxing', a good omen for 'China's prosperity'." Lin Shaowen reached into his pocket with his right hand and took out a handheld game console, "Send this thing to the R&D department later, while there is still time, let's make a lot of money..."

"What do you mean by still have time?" Guan Qi asked curiously, "You are only in your early thirties, don't you have plenty of time in the future?"

"That's not what I'm talking about." Lin Shaowen shook his head and said, "Minister, there is something called 'Copyright Law', and we in China have not yet joined the 'World Copyright Convention', do you know what this means?"

"What does it mean?" Liu Yunde said tightly.

"In addition to foreign games, we can even copy their equipment." Lin Shaowen chuckled, "For example, this handheld game console in my hand, we are fully capable of making the same thing..."

"Why don't we just not join the 'World Copyright Convention'?" Li Chunhua disagreed.

"Don't think like that."

Lin Shaowen sighed, "We are living in poverty now, so we don't have to talk about these things, but the country is developing, and everyone is making progress. Sooner or later, our country will be in line with the international standards... When we do business with the world, you don't follow the rules, and others don't follow the rules, won't it be a mess?"

...

Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

Especially Guan Qi, he really didn't understand why Lin Shaowen thought so far.

"Old Lin, do you mean that we can get some foreign computers, TVs, refrigerators, etc. and copy them back?" Yang Weiguo said excitedly.

Now the rice cooker business alone can make them full. If there are a few more, why worry about the steel mill not being prosperous?

"Yes."

Lin Shaowen sighed, "From now until the millennium, it is a critical twenty years. Whether our steel mill can get up depends on these twenty years..."

"Even if it's another twenty years, the steel rolling business will still exist, right?" Li Chen asked puzzledly.

"It will exist, but it doesn't need people anymore." Lin Shaowen shook his head and said, "Look at Toyota next door, their parts are all mechanized, and they don't need so many people to work. So if we don't transform, we will have no way out."

"Shaowen, do you mean... our workers will be laid off in the future?" Guan Qi's heart tightened.

"This is an inevitable trend."

Lin Shaowen sighed, "With the development of the country and the improvement of the industrial industry, it is bound to be 'big fish eat small fish'. Many factories with no technical content and weak foundation are likely to face bankruptcy."

"Minister Lin, since you have discovered the problem, what do you think?" Guan Qi said seriously.

From this moment on, he truly regarded Lin Shaowen as a colleague, not as a junior.

"Reform."

LinShao Wen said seriously, "All of them should start to change to technology-based industries, small factories will become subsidiaries of large factories, help them to make what they need, and adopt a division of labor and cooperation system."

"Can this save those factories?" Liu Yunde said in a deep voice.

"No." Lin Shao Wen sighed.

"What's the point of doing this?" Yang Weiguo also frowned.

"When the factory goes bankrupt, we can give them some generous compensation. This is the best effort the ministry can make." Lin Shao Wen shook his head and said, "I believe the minister also knows that economic reform is necessary. The country needs to develop and it is impossible to support so many workers all the time..."

Developing technology is actually a double-edged sword.

Technology has to develop, but it also means that so much labor is not needed.

Enterprises have reduced their employment costs, but they have also made a large number of workers unemployed.

"I will discuss this matter at the meeting." Guan Qi said in a deep voice, "You steel rolling mill should do the things at hand first. If we need..."

"Minister, we will not... take away all the profits of the next three years. The money we earn now is all from the factory." Yang Weiguo said immediately.

"You don't look like a cadre, you look like a capitalist." Guan Qi said with a smile.

"Capitalists should be hanged on street lights." Lin Shaowen added.

"Get lost."

Yang Weiguo glared at him fiercely, causing everyone to laugh.

...

Lin Shaowen separated from Guan Qi and others at the entrance of a canteen. They also knew his character, so they didn't persuade him.

"Teacher, here..." Li Xiaoyue waved not far away.

Lin Shaowen was about to walk over, but happened to meet Yi Zhonghai and others.

"Old Lin, you are such a coward as the deputy director." Liu Guangqi sneered, "Look, the minister came to inspect and didn't invite you to the dinner..."

"Isn't it cowardly." Xu Damao also curled his lips and said, "If I were you, I would have quit the job of 'first deputy director' a long time ago..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the factory broadcast sounded.