Chapter 171 Manager Lin, what do you think?

The small conference room at the Haiwei City Government Guesthouse was thick with smoke.

A waiter entered with a thermos to refill the water.

He poured a full cup of hot tea for Director Sun, who was sitting at the head of the table.

The tea leaves swirled in the cup, releasing a fragrant aroma.

When it was Lin Xi's turn at the end of the table, the waiter also poured him a cup of tea.

But the scent and color of the tea were clearly different from what was in Director Sun's cup.

In this era, seating arrangements and tea quality were the most intuitive indicators of status.

Director Li of the Investment Promotion Bureau was clearly a man who understood the rules.

Not only did he offer Director Sun a cigarette (a brand of cigarettes), but he also struck a match to light it for him personally.

His attitude was so attentive it bordered on servile.

As for the young man who had been keeping his head down and taking notes,

Director Li simply assumed he was a junior secretary or clerk brought along by the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building Industry to gain some experience.

He gave a polite nod and left it at that.

A wave of laughter drifted across the bullet comments in the livestream:

"Hahaha, classic judging people by their status!"

"Director Li: This young guy clearly looks like a bag-carrier, serve him the tea dust!"

"Waiting for Director Li's face to get slapped later; this is a walking God of Wealth!"

"This cup of tea dust will turn into his tears of regret later."

Director Sun took a drag of his cigarette and cast an amused glance at Lin Xi, who was sitting upright.

All along the way, this kid had disguised himself too well.

He didn't speak, didn't try to steal the spotlight, and was just like an invisible person.

If not for that display of 'dominance' at the pier earlier, even Director Sun would have been fooled by him.

"Director Sun, although this is our first time dealing with each other, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me."

After the pleasantries, Director Li sighed.

His face was filled with worry.

"The situation at the Haiwei First Fishing Gear Factory is even worse than what you've seen."

He pointed to Chen Guangwei, who had been sitting in the corner without daring to make a sound:

"Old Chen is a good hand, and the workers in the factory have impeccable skills."

"But in the last two years, raw material prices have gone up."

"Our products aren't selling, and we've been struggling on the verge of bankruptcy for a long time."

"The city's finances are also tight, and there are holes everywhere waiting to be filled."

Director Li spread his hands, his tone revealing a sense of helplessness,

"The medical and heating expenses for these hundred-plus people are crushing me so hard I can't breathe."

"To speak from the heart, this factory is now a hot potato."

Chen Guangwei kept his head down, his hands gripping the corner of his clothes tightly.

As a factory director, being exposed like this by his superior in front of an outsider was no different from a public execution.

But he couldn't refute it, because this was reality.

The bullet comments in the livestream scrolled by:

"Too realistic... This is the painful transition period for state-owned enterprises in the 80s."

"Looking at Factory Director Chen's actions makes me want to cry. Back then, factory directors really treated workers like family."

"The saying that 'three hundred yuan can stump a hero' really isn't just talk."

Director Sun flicked the ash off his cigarette, noncommittal:

"So, what is Director Li's intention?"

Director Li hesitated for a moment, appearing to weigh the pros and cons.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, as if he had made a big decision:

"Director Sun, to tell you the truth."

"Before you arrived, I was already in contact with a foreign trade company."

"Oh?" Director Sun raised an eyebrow. "Where are they from?"

"Japan, the Yamashita Trading Company."

Mentioning foreign capital, Director Li's back seemed to straighten a bit, and his tone quickened,

"They have their eyes on the land and factory buildings of the fishing gear factory."

"They want to rent them to use as a warehouse and transit station."

"How much are they offering?"

"120,000!"

Director Li held up one finger, a certain gleam in his eyes,

"A ten-year lease, paid in full at once!"

"With this money, the factory's debts can be cleared, and there will still be some surplus for the city."

120,000 RMB. In 1982, this was a massive sum that would make any county-level city finance director's heart race.

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Chen Guangwei in the corner suddenly looked up.

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he lowered his head dejectedly.

In those rough, large hands, the unlit cigarette had been crushed to pieces.

Lin Xi, who had been silently taking notes, suddenly paused with his fountain pen.

He drew a heavy line across the paper.

"What are the conditions?"

Director Sun keenly noticed Lin Xi's action and calmly followed up,

"120,000 is not a small amount."

"The Japanese are not philanthropists."

Director Li's eyes darted away, and he picked up his teacup to cover his embarrassment by taking a sip:

"It's just... it's just the standard personnel placement issue."

"They only want the land and the factory buildings, not the people."

"Except for keeping two gatekeepers and a few porters."

"The original technical workers and management in the factory..."

"Will all have their length of service bought out and be laid off."

As soon as these words were spoken, the bullet comments in the livestream exploded:

"Damn! This is too dark, right? This is what you call 'clearing the cage to change the bird'? You're killing the bird!"

"You want the land but not the people? This is naked plunder!"

"It's those bastards again! Back then they snatched resources, now they're snatching land!"

"I can hear them calculating this scheme all the way from the future!"

"Streamer, you can't let this go! How can you tolerate this?!"

"Clang—"

A sharp sound came from the corner.

Chen Guangwei stood up abruptly, his movement so forceful it knocked over the chair behind him.

This man, who couldn't be blown down by the sea breeze or knocked down by the waves at the pier,

now had red-rimmed eyes, his chest heaving violently.

"Director! You can't sell!"

Chen Guangwei's voice was trembling,

"Those are my old brothers who have been with me for over a decade!"

"They are all skilled workers with unique expertise!"

"If they are laid off, their rice bowls will be smashed!"

"The roots of our Haiwei fishing gear industry will be cut off too!"

"Old Chen! Sit down!"

Director Li's face darkened, and he scolded sternly,

"This is the city's decision!"

"We have to consider the big picture!"

"If we don't do this, will you fill that 100,000-plus hole?"

"Will you pay everyone's medical expenses?"

Chen Guangwei opened his mouth, like a fish out of water.

A thousand words were stuck in his throat.

But they were firmly suppressed by that heavy word "money."

He closed his eyes in pain, and slowly, bit by bit, sat back down.

In that moment, this forty-year-old man seemed to have aged ten years.

After scolding Chen Guangwei, Director Li put on a smiling face again and looked at Director Sun:

"Director Sun, excuse the spectacle."

"Actually, we are in a difficult spot, but this is indeed the best plan right now."

"If you don't have a better one..."

Before he finished speaking,

he saw Director Sun suddenly turn his head.

He looked at the young man sitting at the end of the table.

"Manager Lin."

Director Sun stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

He asked politely,

"What do you think about this?"