HPDBC Chapter 41 Paying Cash to Employees
Chapter 41 Paying Cash to Employees
Early in the morning, the concrete vacant lot at Xinghuo Technology Electronics Factory, which had just been cleared yesterday, was now transformed into a simple yet solemn meeting place. There were no banners, no colorful flags, only a small wooden platform temporarily erected at the front, and hundreds of workers sitting in sections according to their workshops and departments below.
The sunlight dispelled the morning mist, illuminating weathered faces filled with tension and anticipation. They whispered amongst themselves, their eyes frequently glancing towards the factory office building; a palpable tension and expectation hung in the air.
"Can it really be sent?"
"I heard the money has arrived!"
"Don't tell us they're just trying to fool us again..."
Suddenly, the door to the factory office building opened.
All eyes were instantly drawn to them.
Then, Wu, the head of the finance department, led several administrative staff members out, carrying two heavy green metal cash boxes, half-sealed with bank seals. Their steps were somewhat unsteady. The weight of the boxes seemed to weigh heavily on everyone's hearts.
The cash box was carefully placed on the small square table in front of the wooden platform. The staff member next to Section Chief Wu skillfully opened the cash box—instantly, a collective gasp rippled through the audience!
Inside the cash box, stacks of brand-new, freshly printed 100-yuan bills were neatly arranged like bricks, reflecting an alluring yet solid gleam in the morning sun!
One million in cash! The visual impact is unparalleled!
Section Chief Wu picked up the microphone, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, yet unusually loud:
"Quiet! Everyone, quiet!"
The entire room fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.
"Now, workers whose names I call, please come up one by one to verify your names, sign the form, and receive your back wages!" Section Chief Wu took a deep breath, picked up the thick list, and began to read: "Workshop One, Wang Jianguo!"
A stocky middle-aged man suddenly stood up and almost staggered onto the stage. His fingers trembled with excitement as he crookedly signed his name on the payroll and pressed his red fingerprint down heavily.
Based on the details, the staff quickly pointed out the corresponding amount: "Wang Jianguo, seven months of unpaid wages, pay 60%, totaling 1,197 yuan! Count carefully!"
A stack of bills, plus a few loose bills, was handed to Wang Jianguo.
Wang Jianguo's hands trembled as he accepted the heavy stack of banknotes, as if carrying a thousand-pound burden. He looked down at the money in his hands, then looked up at the hundreds of eyes staring at him from below the stage. This man, who usually shed blood but not tears, instantly had tears welling up in his eyes, his lips trembling. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he just took a deep breath and bowed deeply, almost at a ninety-degree angle, to Ling Yun standing on the stage! Then he tightly stuffed the money into his pocket and quickly ran off the stage.
This one bow speaks louder than a thousand words.
"Workshop Two, Li Xiuying!"
"Equipment Department, Zhang Yuanchao!"
"Logistics, Sun Yumei!"
Names were read out one by one, and workers came up to the stage one after another. They signed, pressed their fingerprints, and received their money. Some cried on the spot, some repeatedly stroked the banknotes to confirm their authenticity, and some clutched the money tightly to their chests, looking up at the sky as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The entire venue was filled with an atmosphere of mixed emotions, of joy and relief.
It took more than two hours for the distribution to finally come to an end. Almost all the workers received their belated, discounted, but still precious, back wages. Below the stage, the atmosphere was no longer one of doubt and anxiety, but rather one of genuine gratitude and trust in the new and old bosses for keeping their promises.
Just then, Ling Yun slowly walked onto the wooden platform.
He walked to the center of the stage, his gaze slowly sweeping over the faces below, which were now radiant with life because they had received their wages, over the banknotes clutched tightly in their hands, and over the rekindled flame of hope in their eyes.
He didn't hold a microphone, but his clear and powerful voice resonated throughout every corner of the venue.
"Fellow workers! The money's in your hands! Really?"
"Absolutely!" came a chorus of responses from the audience, some loud and some choked with emotion.
"This money is what you deserve! It's Spark Technology fulfilling its promise to everyone!" Ling Yun's voice suddenly rose. "However, this money is a debt from the past! It's compensation! It can only solve our immediate problem, not our lifelong wealth!"
He abruptly changed the subject, his tone sharp as a drawn sword: "Our electronics factory, our Spark Technology, must earn and fight for our own future!"
He picked up the last few stacks of banknotes on the table, held them up in the air, and said passionately, "Everyone sees this, this is just a mere one million! That's the sum of the hard-earned money owed to hundreds of us for almost a year! But do you know what? If we do a good job from now on, if we do an outstanding job, Xinghuo Technology can pay more than one million in salaries every month! Even more!"
Earning over a million in a month? The workers below the stage stared wide-eyed, their breathing becoming heavy. This was unimaginable to them in the past.
"Why?" Ling Yun asked himself, his voice firm and resolute. "Because of the membrane keyboards we're about to start producing! Because of the mouse we're about to master! Because of the decades of skill honed by our experienced craftsmen! And most importantly, because of our shared desire to live a better life!"
"In the past, we all got the same pay, whether we worked hard or poorly! We just slacked off and coasted through life, which eventually bankrupted the factory and cost everyone their jobs! Do you really want to go back to those days?"
"No!" A thunderous roar erupted from below the stage, filled with a resolute determination born of painful reflection.
"Alright!" Ling Yun slammed his fist heavily on the wooden tabletop. "From today onwards, at Xinghuo Technology, we'll establish new rules! More work, more pay; less work, less pay; no work, get out!"
"Our wages are divided into two parts! A basic salary to cover your basic needs! Performance-based pay, depending on your skills! It's all piecework! If you make a decent keyboard, you get paid for it! If you make a hundred, you get paid for all of them! If you're fast, skilled, and don't produce defective products, I guarantee you can earn in one month what you'd earn in four years! Or even more!"
"Make it through the last four months!" This specific and tempting goal instantly ignited a flame in everyone's hearts! The crowd below stirred, their eyes burning with desire, as if they could already see the scene of that lucrative income.
"This isn't just empty promises!" Ling Yun pressed his advantage, pointing towards the workshop where materials were already being moved and equipment being tested. "The production line will be set up soon! Materials have been procured! The experienced technicians have already optimized the production process! Now, all that's left is for us to roll up our sleeves, get to work, and produce these keyboards! Improve the quality! Boost the output!"
"Fellow workers! The hard times of the past are over! The good days of the future are in our own hands!" Ling Yun spread his arms wide, his voice like a war drum, resonating in everyone's hearts. "Others may not believe we can do it, but we must believe in ourselves! Others may think our factory is finished, but we will make it rise from the ashes! We will use the keyboards we produce to seize the market! We will use the money we earn to give our families a good life! We will make all those who looked down on us look at us with new eyes!"
"Does everyone have confidence?!" he roared.
"have!!!"
"have!!!"
"have!!!"
Below the stage, hundreds of voices erupted in a thunderous response, the roar almost shaking the sky. The workers waved their arms, their faces flushed, their eyes burning with a fighting spirit and desire that had been suppressed for too long. Ma Baoguo stood at the front of the crowd, tears streaming down his face, yet he clenched his fists with all his might.
Looking at the workers below the stage, their enthusiasm palpable, like soldiers about to go into battle, Ling Yun knew that the mobilization had been successful. The lure of money, coupled with their yearning for a better life, had raised the morale of this group to its peak.
He calmed his agitated emotions and issued the final, crucial instruction:
"After the meeting, all workshop directors should immediately organize their personnel to their designated positions to conduct final equipment and environmental preparations, awaiting the issuance of production process documents!"
"Also," he turned his gaze to several bright-looking young employees who had been specially called over, "Zhang Bin, Li Li, Wang Haitao! You guys, get ready, we're leaving tomorrow!"
"President Ling, what's the mission?" Zhang Bin, who was in charge, asked excitedly.
"Reconnaissance!" Ling Yun's gaze was sharp, as if he could already see the battlefield in the distance. "You will split into three groups and go to Zhongguancun in Beijing, Xujiahui in Shanghai, and Tianhe Computer City in Guangzhou!"
"There's only one task: find out everything about every keyboard and mouse brand, model, price, sales volume, and which brand sells best on the market! Record it all in detail and bring back a report!"
"We need to know ourselves, but even more importantly, we need to know our competitors! Whether our products can compete or not, the market will decide! Your eyes are the first pair of eyes that Xinghuo Technology uses to see the market! Do you understand?"
"Understood! We guarantee to complete the mission!" The young men straightened their chests, feeling an unprecedented sense of responsibility and trust.
"Alright!" Ling Yun waved his hand. "Meeting adjourned! Get ready, let's get to work!"
Like a floodgate bursting, the crowd surged towards their respective workshop posts, brimming with passion and clear goals. The sounds of machines being debugged, workers shouting, and materials being moved clattered together filled the air…