Chapter 54: The Exam Papers Only Four People Passed

Five hundred yuan!

In 1980, this was equivalent to two years' salary for an ordinary worker!

Everyone's breathing became heavy.

Lao Liu's eyes almost popped out as he stared greedily at the stack of papers.

But as he stepped forward and saw the dense "ghostly scribbles" on the paper, his expression instantly collapsed.

He recognized ABCD, but put together, they were like a book from heaven.

One minute passed.

Three minutes passed.

The courtyard was terrifyingly quiet; even the sound of people swallowing saliva was clearly audible.

Sun Erga scratched his head in frustration.

Liu Guihua looked ashamed.

Wang Dapao buried his head low, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

As for those few loafers who wanted to "rest on their laurels," they huddled in the corner, not even daring to breathe loudly.

"What? No one wants this five hundred yuan?"

Lin Xi picked up the document and waved it in his hand.

"Don't you all think this money just blew in with the wind?"

"Don't you think that as long as you follow me, even a fool can strike it rich?"

"Manager Lin..."

"We... we're uneducated, you know that..." Sun Erga defended himself in a low voice.

"Being uneducated isn't shameful; being uneducated and not wanting to learn is."

"Thinking you can just coast through life and win, that's what's truly shameful!"

Lin Xi slammed the document back onto the table with a "thud," shattering everyone's hearts.

"Let me tell you, the current Red Star is like a heavy truck climbing a hill."

"I am the driver and the engine. And you..."

Lin Xi pointed at everyone present.

"Right now, you are just dead weight hanging off the truck."

"If I weren't pulling you, you would have fallen into a ditch and died long ago!"

"Next year! By next year at the latest!"

"Foreign market rules will become more complex, and domestic competitors will pounce like wolves."

"When that time comes, what will you use to compete with them?"

"With your a brand of cigarettes? Or your little red-brick buildings?"

Dead silence.

The overbearing pride from moments ago had been ground into powder.

Lin Xi took a deep breath, his tone softening slightly but remaining icy:

"Now, step forward when I call your name."

"Sun Erga."

"Present!" Sun Erga jolted.

"Liu Guihua."

"Present!"

"Wang Dapao."

"Wang Yu."

The four stood in a row, looking at Lin Xi with trepidation.

"Starting tomorrow, you four will enter the 'Special Training Class'."

Lin Xi stared at them. "Sister Guihua, go to the base's Night School every evening to study accounting."

"Within three months, I want you to be able to understand basic English reports."

"If you can't, then give up your position as financial supervisor."

Liu Guihua bit her lip, her eyes reddening but her gaze firm:

"Manager Lin, I'll learn! Even if I have to memorize it by rote, I'll learn!"

"Erga, you go and follow Manager Sun from Dongfeng Department Store for a month."

"Don't just learn how to hand out cigarettes and pour wine; I want you to learn what channels are and what inventory turnover is."

"If you can't learn it, go back to the workshop and tighten screws."

"Yes, sir!"

"Big Cannon, take Wang Yu and keep a close eye on the production line."

"Also, Wang Yu..." Lin Xi looked at the consistently taciturn young man.

"Don't let that Radar Signal Compensation Technology of yours sit idle; keep researching it."

"As for the rest of you..."

Lin Xi glanced at Lao Liu and the others huddled in the corner.

"Since you want to live a stable life, go to logistics and the warehouse."

"Your salary will be paid as usual, but your bonuses will be halved."

"From now on, you don't need to be involved in Red Star's core matters."

This was equivalent to a watershed.

On one side was a painful evolution; on the other, a frog being boiled in warm water.

Although Lao Liu and the others were unwilling, they also felt a sense of relief.

After all, not having to learn that deadly foreign language while still getting paid was also pretty good.

After handling the "diversion," the atmosphere in the courtyard was oppressively uncomfortable.

Lin Xi knew that after the stick, he had to give a carrot.

But this "carrot" couldn't be money; it had to be a "godly skill" that would truly impress them.

"Feel wronged?"

Lin Xi looked at the dejected group of four. "Think I'm making things difficult for you?"

"We wouldn't dare..." Wang Dapao muttered.

"Alright, stop looking so miserable."

Lin Xi took out a circuit structure; in Wang Yu's eyes, it might just be a high-voltage generator.

But in 2025, this thing had a much trendier name—

A Negative Ion Generator.

Cost: 1.8 RMB.

"Power it up."

Lin Xi casually stuffed the soldered circuit board into a discarded plastic box, leaving only a sharp discharge needle exposed, and connected it to the power source.

No explosion, no fire, not even a sound.

Wang Dapao leaned in to look, his face full of confusion. "There's no movement? Is it broken?"

"Don't move." Lin Xi pressed his hand on his shoulder. "Inhale through your nose."

Wang Dapao froze for a moment and subconsciously took a deep breath.

The next second, his wide eyes bulged.

The air that was originally filled with the smell of sweat, smoke, and rotting watermelon suddenly became incredibly fresh around that small box.

It was like a forest after a rainstorm, carrying a crisp, refreshing scent.

"This... what is this smell?"

Sun Erga also leaned in and greedily took two breaths.

"Amazing! One breath and I feel like my head has cleared!"

"This is called 'negative ions,' also known as 'Air Vitamins'."

Lin Xi turned off the power, like a magician.

"Its function is to settle dust, kill bacteria, and make people feel pleasant."

"This thing costs less than two yuan."

Lin Xi held up the ugly little box, his eyes shining as he looked at the group of four.

"Add this to our fans, and this will be the second generation of 'Red Star · gentle breeze'."

"Our current fans sell for 30 dollars."

"With this two-yuan gadget and the 'forest oxygen bar' concept, we can dare to sell our next-generation product for 40 dollars!"

Hiss—

Everyone gasped.

A cost of two yuan in exchange for a premium of 5 dollars (over 7.5 RMB)?

"This is technology; this is cognition." Lin Xi threw the box to Wang Yu.

"This is also why I'm forcing you to learn."

"Because only the things in your head are what others can't take away."

At this moment, the way Wang Dapao looked at Lin Xi changed.

If before it was awe of his money-making ability, now it was a near-superstitious worship.

In this man's hands, scrap metal could turn into gold, and air could turn into dollars.

"Manager Lin, we'll learn!"

Sun Erga shouted this time at the top of his lungs.

"I want to learn foreign languages too!"

"I want to understand what this thing really is!"

Lin Xi smiled.

"Alright, Wang Dapao, you and Wang Yu keep an eye on the development of the second-generation fan."

"This thing doesn't have much technical difficulty; it's mainly a gimmick."

Lin Xi brushed the dust off his hands and stood up.

He looked toward the brightly lit Final Assembly Workshop not far away, then past the workshop into the deeper night sky.

"For the next while, don't come bothering me if it's not important."

"I'm going into seclusion."

"Seclusion?" Liu Guihua was stunned.

"Are you going to do something big again?"

Lin Xi didn't look back; he just waved his hand at everyone with his back turned.