Chapter 10 Life Has Hope

Li Jiajun giggled foolishly to himself in his small office for quite a while before finally snapping out of the massive shock brought by those five million.

He glanced out the window; the setting sun was slowly descending, coating the dilapidated factory buildings in a layer of warm gold. In the workshop, the roar of machinery had long since ceased, leaving only a few Master Craftsmen at their respective stations, silently packing their tools with slow movements and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

Some of them had worked here their entire lives. This factory was their second home. Now that the family business had declined, everyone's face was etched with confusion and worry about the future.

Watching this scene, Li Jiajun felt his nose prickle.

'No, I can't keep this good news to myself!'

He took a deep breath, slammed open the office door, and roared toward the workshop with all his might:

"Meeting! Everyone! Now! Immediately! Assemble in the courtyard!"

His voice cracked slightly from excessive excitement, echoing through the empty workshop and sounding somewhat abrupt.

The workers were startled by his shout and looked up one after another, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Another meeting? It's almost time to clock out."

"Could it be... he's going to announce the factory is shutting down?" a young worker whispered.

"Don't talk nonsense! The Director isn't that kind of person!" The Master Craftsman, Wang Defa, glared at his apprentice, but the worry in his own brow deepened. He set down his wrench and was the first to walk toward the courtyard.

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The others also gradually put down their work and sluggishly followed. Everyone kept their heads down, their steps heavy as if attending a funeral. The entire line was lifeless, without a single sound.

Soon, over a hundred workers gathered sparsely in the factory courtyard. Their hearts sank as they looked at Li Jiajun, who was standing on an empty oil drum, his face flushed and his breath coming in ragged gasps.

'It's over. Looking at the Director's expression, it's eighty to ninety percent certain we're disbanding. He's preparing to give his final farewell speech.' This pessimistic thought surfaced in many people's minds.

Li Jiajun looked at the silent crowd below, at those faces filled with despair and numbness, and felt as if his heart had been pricked by something.

He cleared his throat, waved his arms, and shouted in a voice that was almost a roar: "I know! I know what everyone is thinking! Do you think the factory is finished? That next month's wages are gone? That we're all about to pack our bags and get lost?"

No one answered, but everyone's expression confirmed it.

Li Jiajun split his mouth into a grin and laughed, a smile that was incomparably brilliant.

He pointed at everyone and said word by word: "I'm telling you! Starting today! The good days are back!"

The workers still didn't react much, merely looking at him blankly. They had heard too much of this kind of talk about 'pie in the sky.'

Li Jiajun didn't care; he knew that without cold, hard cash, anything he said was just nonsense.

He took a deep breath and dropped the first bombshell.

"Now! I am announcing the first thing!"

"All the back pay owed to everyone! And the bonuses from last quarter! Now, immediately, right away, they will be paid in full!"

These words were like a small pebble thrown into stagnant water, causing a faint ripple. A stir of commotion rose from the crowd, but it was mostly skepticism.

"For real? Another empty promise?"

"Where would the Director get the money? He didn't sell the factory, did he?"

Li Jiajun had anticipated their reaction. He pulled out his phone and dialed the finance department—in reality, the finance staff had already left work; he was just putting on a show.

"Hello? Finance Section? Yes, it's me! Li Jiajun! Now! Send out everyone's wages and bonuses! Within one minute! I want to see the money in their accounts!"

He hung up and held his phone high above his head like a gambler waiting for the results.

The entire courtyard became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Ten seconds later, in the crowd, a young worker's phone suddenly gave a 'ding.'

He subconsciously pulled out his phone to look, and instantly stood frozen on the spot.

A coworker beside him gave him a shove: "What are you dazing out for?"

The young worker acted as if he hadn't heard; he stared fixedly at his phone screen and read out word by word in a trembling voice: "Your savings card account ending in xxxx... deposit... six thousand eight hundred yuan..."

"Buzz—buzz buzz—"

As if it were a signal, in the next second, phone notification sounds erupted across the entire courtyard like firecrackers on New Year's Eve, one after another!

"Mine arrived too! Wages! Bonuses! Not a cent missing!"

"Holy crap! It's real! The money actually hit the account!"

"Five thousand two hundred! Mine's here too!"

"Wuwuwu... My wife's surgery fees for next week are finally covered!" A middle-aged man looked at his SMS; a man in his forties crouched on the ground on the spot, covered his face, and started crying.

After confirming it wasn't a dream, the entire courtyard was instantly drowned in a massive wave of sound!

Cheers, screams, and cries of joy mingled together, rising into the sky as if to completely disperse the gloom hanging over the factory. Workers hugged each other, slapping each other's backs hard, and long-absent, heartfelt smiles bloomed on their weather-beaten faces.

Standing on the oil drum, Li Jiajun looked at the boiling ocean before him, at those faces that had regained their vitality, and his own eyes grew moist.

He felt that the sense of satisfaction at this moment was a hundred times stronger than when he had seen those five million arrive in his own account!

He waited until the cheering subsided slightly before raising his hand again.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him again.

"Everyone, listen to me! This is just the beginning!"

He waved his fist excitedly, his face carrying a near-manic excitement as he announced loudly:

"We've received a super massive order from an overseas artist! A super massive order worth ten million!"

"From today on, our Li Family Toy Factory is no longer that half-dead, broken factory!"

"Our factory is saved!!!"

As the words fell, the courtyard erupted once more with thunderous cheers and applause.

Master Craftsman Wang Defa was so excited his face was beet red, and he took the lead in shouting: "The Director is awesome!"

"The Director is awesome!!!"

Over a hundred people shouted at the top of their lungs, using the simplest language to vent the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and their infinite hope for the future.

Standing in the sunset, Li Jiajun looked at the faces full of respect and confidence and listened to the deafening cheers; he finally couldn't help but join them, laughing out loud.

He felt that his good days were finally coming; life... finally had hope.