Volume 7 I've Been Here Chapter 1010: The Lower One Overthrows the Higher One
Zheng Manli: "Last year was very good. No one was injured or missing. Only a few people were robbed. The losses were not great. Only some cash and valuables such as gold necklaces were stolen. There were also two domestic violence incidents."
"What's going on?"
Zheng Manli: "In one case, the wife of a male worker came to the factory and discovered her husband's affair with another female worker. The male worker's entire face was scratched. In another case, the husband of a female worker caught her in bed with another male worker. If they hadn't stopped him, he would have beaten her to death."
“Is the phenomenon of temporary couples common in the factory?”
Zheng Manli: "The quantity is not too large, most workers cannot accept it."
"It's still the four no principles: no concern, no encouragement, no punishment, no responsibility. Employees' personal emotional issues are handled by themselves, and the factory has no obligation or right to interfere. As long as it's during rest time, workers are free to have an affair with whomever they want, but the object cannot be the line leader or team leader, and it is absolutely not allowed between superiors and subordinates. Once discovered, the person involved will be fired immediately."
"What if both parties are single?"
Nan Yi waved his hand, "No, I know how easy it is for the team leaders and office staff in the factory to pursue female workers. It is because it is so easy that they will change one after another, or one at the same time and multiple at the same time. If possible, they will want to play with all the beautiful female workers in the workshop and do improper things under the banner of love.
Although most of the time it's consensual, there will inevitably be situations where people use the little power in their hands to coerce or bribe others. I'm a private boss and Swallowtail Butterfly is a private enterprise, not an organization. We don't have the right to assign a girl to serve anyone, nor are we responsible for solving personal problems.
I only dared to think about it in my heart, but they did it. When did they become my sons and enjoy such generous privileges? "
Nan Yi was not just bragging, he actually had something in mind. Zheng Manli's younger brother Zheng Xilai worked in the factory office of Swallowtail Butterfly. He was an ordinary office clerk. His work ability was okay, but his lifestyle was not so good. He has changed his fourth girlfriend, and the current one, including the previous three, are all female workers in the factory.
Although the Nan family has eliminated nepotism, it is difficult to do so in a one-size-fits-all manner. As long as the family conditions permit, they can treat their children equally in education. Among brothers and sisters, as long as one is more promising, the others are usually not much worse.
Therefore, in a wealthy family with a good family tradition, whether they are successful or not is determined by their family background. Only in a grassroots family with poor conditions that must concentrate resources to cultivate a family, will there be a distinction between dragons and worms among brothers and sisters, and there will be a huge difference between them.
While Nan's company strictly guards against nepotism, it also, somewhat contradictory, advocates the promotion of talented people regardless of nepotism. As long as they have talent, brothers, sisters, and younger generations can be introduced to Nan's company. Internally recruited personnel are often more loyal than those recruited from outside the company. However, when internally recruited personnel face promotion, they will have higher standards waiting for them, and the "nepotism" needs to be squeezed out.
As long as we adhere to the principle of meritocracy, problems will generally not arise easily. The inevitable phenomena of forming cliques and small factions will not be aggravated or alleviated by blood ties, and blood ties do not mean the same interests.
Zheng Manli, whose original name was Zheng Zhaodi, had a younger brother named Zheng Xilai. This darling of the Zheng family not only did not grow up crooked, but also had some talent. Zheng Manli brought him into the Swallowtail Butterfly Group, which was not a problem. It was also not a problem that he changed girlfriends frequently. Those who engage in business activities and have made achievements are often people with great ambitions and often have poor personal ethics.
A moral role model cannot be a businessman. A person who is strong without desires would have starved to death long ago. If he has no desires for the world, he naturally has no desire for food. If he does not eat grains, he will have reached heaven long ago.
Emotional aspects have never been included in the Nan family's criteria for evaluating a person. If there is any, it is only one thing that will be included, that is, men who do not have control over financial management in the family will not be reused. If a man cannot even handle his wife or his financial management skills are not as good as his wife's, why should we believe that such a man can gain benefits among a pack of wolves?
This kind of people are only suitable for being assigned to mechanical jobs, following the rules and repeating the work meticulously. They are generally not good at doing innovative work. Although there are exceptions, the probability is not high. There is no need to destroy the fairness and integrity of the rules for a few small things and breed a "special" culture.
If Zheng Xilai had not been transferred within Swallowtail Butterfly, Nan Yi would not have meddled in other people's business and criticized Zheng Manli.
Zheng Manli is also a smart person. The reason why Nan Yi mentioned this to her instead of Wang Fengtai is naturally because the matter is related to her. Her own affairs are already old news. If it wasn’t her, it must be her brother.
"Boss, I will warn my brother."
"When working, it is better to address each other by their titles."
Zheng Manli's face straightened and she said, "Okay, Boss."
Nan Yi nodded in response and looked at the two young women dressed as clerks who had just been scared away by Zheng Manli at the door of the milk tea shop. They walked hurriedly and disappeared in a flash.
"Does the factory have a rule that you can't leave the office during working hours?"
Zheng Manli followed Nan Yi's gaze and looked towards the gate. "Without this rule, many people in the factory office would come out to buy breakfast after clocking in in the morning, and would also come out to buy snacks and drinks in the afternoon. As long as they don't take too long, no one would hold them accountable."
" Haha, it seems that you are very dignified in the factory office. You just scared two people away." Nan Yi smiled and said, "Let's go and sit somewhere else. It's almost lunch time. Those who sneaked out early will show up. Don't scare them and make their hearts beat fast all afternoon."
After leaving the milk tea shop, Nan Yi and his friend came to a bicycle rental shop.
As workers work longer hours, their lifestyles naturally change. Although the distance from the dormitory to the workshop has not changed, they used to get up early and walk slowly to the workshop, but now they rush to the workshop on time on their bicycles.
Everyone has different consumption concepts. Some people choose to buy their own bike, while naturally some people choose to rent a bike. This creates room for bicycle rental shops to survive.
Bicycle rental is not new. Nan Yi has a bicycle rental advertisement from 1897, which he accidentally found in the pages of an old book. During the Republic of China period, the bicycle rental business was already very developed, and one dimes could be used to rent a bicycle for an hour.
Zheng Manli picked out two geared bikes, registered with her employee card, and then rode with Nan Yi to the central park.
Two and a half years ago, the Coconut City Branch of the South China Bank expanded its business to Dongguan. Due to policy restrictions, it could not come here in the name of the bank. So the South China Bank opened a cash deposit in Yanweidiechang Town and issued an employee card to each employee of Yanweidie for free. In fact, it is a bank card that integrates magnetic stripe and RFID technology. The monthly salary will be paid into the employee card.
At the same time, Yanweidiechang Town began to implement a cashless system, and all consumption locations now use employee cards for settlement.
Soon, Nan Yi and the other man came to a chess table in the park and sat down. After taking a look at the surrounding scenery, Nan Yi said, "This time I came here, I found that Gaoshe Town is much more lively than before. There are more cars and more shops."
"Boss, Dongguan has developed rapidly in the past two years. Many Taiwanese and Hong Kong companies have come here, and many people from China have also opened factories here. Also, the Yue Yuan Shoe Factory on the other side of the town has expanded rapidly and is hiring people every day." Zheng Manli suddenly looked embarrassed as she spoke.
Nan Yi pinched the straw, poked it a few times, and took a big sip. He sucked several pearls into his mouth and chewed them while saying, "Are there other companies putting pressure on us again?"
"Yes."
"Directly or indirectly?"
"indirect."
Nan Yi sucked a few more pearls into his mouth and asked slowly, "In the town or in the city?"
"In town."
"Oh." Nan Yi tore open the plastic seal, poured the few pearls that he couldn't suck into his mouth, ate them clean, handed the garbage to Tianxian, rubbed his hands, and said, "Secretary Zheng, this problem is not difficult to deal with for Fengtai or you, but you want to turn it into a problem. Now that I'm here, it shouldn't be a problem. Is three days enough?"
"That's enough." Zheng Manli said guiltily.
Nan Yi said calmly, "Two years ago, the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office released the trial records of the February 26 Incident. I got a copy and after reading it, I found that the core figures who participated in the "decision" did not end up well. Secretary Zheng, do you know about the February 26 Incident?"
"The inferior is overthrowing the superior." Zheng Manli's face looked very ugly.
Nan Yi glanced at Zheng Manli's face nonchalantly and said, "I am a person who is willing to admit my mistakes. The failure of Swallowtail Butterfly was not caused by Fengtai and you, but by me. I know this very well.
I never let anyone suffer injustice, but my job is very busy and there are many things to deal with, one by one. For some problems, I will naturally solve them when it’s time to do so.
We are a company, not a feudal dynasty, and I am not Emperor Jing of Han. If we are wrong, we are wrong. We can admit it generously. There is no need to push Chao Cuo out as a scapegoat for the princes to see."
Nan Yi suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How is your Vietnamese learning going?"
"Ah..." Zheng Manli couldn't keep up with Nan Yi's pace for a while. She was stunned for a moment before saying, "I can already communicate with Vietnamese people without any obstacles."
"Very good. In August, another company is going to Vietnam to set up a branch. You can go with them and help with some translation work. You can also have fun in Vietnam. It will take about a month. Adjust your work in advance."
As soon as Zheng Manli heard this, she knew that Nan Yi would not send her to do translation work for other companies for no reason. This should be a prelude to letting her get familiar with Vietnam and then sending her to Vietnam.
"That's what I said. The big boss wouldn't ask me to learn Vietnamese for no reason. There must be a purpose."
Zheng Manli had already guessed that she would be sent to Vietnam to establish a branch, but she didn't know the scale of the branch in Vietnam.
Nan Yi didn't tell Zheng Manli too much about the Vietnam branch. He would decide the general direction, while Wang Fengtai would have to arrange the details. It was already lunch time, and there were many bicycles passing by in the park, and they seemed to be heading towards the dormitory.
"Can I open fire in the dormitory?"
"The couple's room is OK, and there is a dedicated public kitchen separated from it. Some workers have their husbands and children here, so it's inconvenient for them to eat in the cafeteria."
"Where can I buy groceries? Outside the West 1st Gate?"
"Yes, there are vegetable vendors setting up stalls at the door every morning. Vegetables and meat are available for sale."
"Oh, fire safety must be taken seriously. Have the fire brigade visit you frequently to publicize it. Fire drills cannot be superficial. They must be taken seriously. If nothing goes wrong, it's fine. But if something does go wrong, it's a big deal."
Nan Yi looked in the direction of the dormitory and kept talking, "There is also a psychological counseling room. We can't just wait for the workers to come to us. Frontline managers should pay more attention to observe the workers who are not in a good mental state. They should be forced to receive psychological counseling."
"Boss, Director Wang usually pays attention to fire protection and the psychological development of workers."
"We should pay more attention to it than we do now." Nan Yi emphasized, and then asked, "How is the Workers' Committee doing?"
Zheng Manli smiled and said, "Just as you expected, Boss, a lot of things happened to the Workers' Committee. First, they ate and drank with public funds, and then they made up excuses to enrich themselves. In 1990, two more committee members ran away with the committee's money, and we haven't found them yet."
"Oh, now, has the union come in?"
"In 1992, after the party branch was established, it submitted a written application to the higher-level trade union. In the middle of the year, the Swallowtail Butterfly trade union was established."
"That's good. Some things can only be done with peace of mind if they are done by state-owned units. I'm a little hungry, so I'll find a small canteen nearby to eat."
In addition to the subsidized large canteen, Swallowtail Butterfly also set up a small canteen, which is actually just some partitions separated from the large canteen and rented to outsiders to sell snacks. This can not only provide workers with more food choices, but also generate income.
"This place is relatively close to the Seventh Canteen. The owner of the Hunan restaurant there has excellent cooking skills. A new batch of Hunan lotus and fish heads just arrived."
"I'm in luck. The lotus root with rock sugar and the fish head with chopped pepper are my favorite dishes."
After dinner, Nan Yi went to see the kindergartens, clinics, hospitals, cinemas and other supporting facilities that have been added in recent years. With the increase in the number of people in the factory town, the supporting facilities are becoming more and more complete. In order to avoid carrying too heavy a burden, except for the canteen which will be subsidized, other supporting facilities need to achieve an independent balance between income and expenditure, and it is best to have a slight profit.
Although there is a profit requirement, it is still very affordable for the workers. Many supporting facilities are not registered as independent legal entities, but are all under the name of Swallowtail Butterfly. They do not need to pay taxes, and the charges are naturally not too high.
After going to the cinema, Zheng Manli took Nan Yi to a relatively open area in the south, next to a dug pond, with a dairy farm on the left and a poultry farm on the right.
"Boss, we have 30 dairy cows here. The milk produced every day is first supplied to the kindergarten. The surplus is then supplied to the middle and senior management of the factory office and the merchants with whom we have close relations. For example, Chenji has dozens of workers celebrating birthdays almost every day, so the factory office needs to place long-term cake orders with Chenji."
Looking at the cows in the cowshed, Nan Yi asked, "How much milk can a Holstein cow produce here in a year?"
"About 9 tons, boss. When the cows were delivered, there was an instruction manual saying that these cows can produce about 20 tons of milk a year. The breeder..." Zheng Manli stopped abruptly.
Nan Yi waved his hand, "That's the maximum milk production, a practice of draining the pond to catch fish. The instruction manual you read is for customers who buy dairy cows, so that the cows can be sold at a high price. It's inconvenient to get concentrated feed here, and the nutrition of the dairy cows can't be guaranteed. The annual output of 9 tons is already good. If the output is higher, there is no need to raise dairy cows ourselves. It's better to buy milk directly from outside."
The dairy cow breeders here at Yanweidie are appointed by Shennong Nanliang. They come here to explore the high-nutrition dairy cow breeding methods in non-pastoral areas and calculate the costs, with the aim of paving the way for the future direct supply of fresh milk business.
Zheng Manli asked, "What if the fine feed is guaranteed?"
"The maximum increase is two to three tons, no more. We need to consider the psychological endurance of dairy cows. Dairy cows are actually similar to pregnant women. If a pregnant woman is in a bad mood and has a lot of mental stress, it will affect the pituitary gland through the brain, thereby affecting the secretion of prolactin, resulting in insufficient breast milk secretion or even weaning, and it will also affect the quality of milk.
If you want to drink high-quality milk, you can’t put too much psychological and physical burden on cows. You need to make them happy, eat well, sleep well, take a walk every day, listen to music, and occasionally let them date handsome bulls. "
“Hehe…”
After visiting the dairy farm, we went to see the poultry farm. Although it is called a poultry farm, in fact, they mainly raise laying hens, which are also supplied to kindergartens first. A bottle of milk and an egg are what the children in the kindergarten must have every day.
After visiting the poultry farm, we went to the north to visit the soy milk production factory. Just then, a pot of traditional soy milk came out of the pot. Nan Yi drank a bowl of it with a spoonful of soy sauce and a pinch of green onions. The soy milk immediately became thick and turbid when it came into contact with the soy sauce, and it was not clear at all.
The traditional method is a traditional method after all, and the production technology is not as advanced as it was a decade later. The soy milk residue is not filtered cleanly, and only sugar and water are left. It deserves a bad review.
I asked the production workers, and they said that one pound of beans can only produce five or six pounds of soy milk, which is even worse. The output rate is too low. The entire factory town has to supply at least five tons of soy milk a day, and that's with one ton of beans.
After walking around and looking around, it was already past three in the afternoon. Wang Fengtai came back, and everyone went to Wang Fengtai's office. They greeted each other's families first, and then got down to business.
“How many outsourcing companies are there now?”
"Five."
"Talk to them and ask who wants to set up a processing plant. We will provide orders, technology, funds, and personnel support. Expatriate workers who have been with Yanweidie for less than one year can take them away."
"Boss, do you want to outsource the order?"
Nan Yi nodded, "Yes, we can just send out orders that are too low-profit for us, and we only need to control the quality control."
Wang Fengtai frowned and said worriedly: "The OEM model is not complicated. With our hands-on teaching, we will soon cultivate a new competitor. Isn't this just shooting ourselves in the foot?"
"If we don't take the initiative to support, will there be no competitors? There will be competitors, but the speed will be slower. But how much slower can they be? We will definitely face a harsh competitive environment. Instead of passively waiting, we might as well take the initiative to ignite the flames of war. In this way, we will have greater initiative. Fengtai, support is not free, it must be exchanged for shares.
Since Swallowtail Butterfly has started offering high welfare benefits, it cannot give up halfway, otherwise all previous efforts will be in vain, and both the substance and the face will be lost. Swallowtail Butterfly will provide high welfare benefits to its workers, but other factories will not. Swallowtail Butterfly will not lose face, but will look for substance outside. "
Wang Fengtai thought for a moment and asked, "Boss, do you want to transfer the pressure of profitability to the external foundry?"
"Yes."
"This is not a good idea. If we can't get the controlling stake, we won't have a say and will be easily kicked out in the future."
"The future? There is no such thing as a bright future for OEM factories. Fengtai, let me ask you, why do your fellow Taiwanese people come to the mainland to open factories? Isn't it better to open factories right at your doorstep?"
"Labor costs have increased, profit margins have been squeezed, and it won't be long before we become unprofitable."
"That's it. You and I both know that sooner or later we will face this problem here. There will come a day when it will become unprofitable to open a factory here, even if we remove the high welfare benefits.
That is why we need to make plans and be ready to transfer production capacity to more backward countries at any time. Just as migratory birds fly south, we chase after backward places. When a country's export-oriented economy is just starting out, it will treat us as guests of honor. But once the economy improves and stabilizes, we will become leeches and the objects to be cleaned up.
We can only keep migrating..."
Nan Yi suddenly made a change of direction, "Of course, this is a long-term thing, Fengtai, I understand your concerns. You joined Nan's at the age of 40, and it has been almost nine years now. In the blink of an eye, you will be 50. Your parents are still alive, and you need to support your wife and three children. The pressure is very great, and time is running out. You want to make more money while you are still young, which I can understand."
"Boss, after the Information and Strategy Committee announced the mandatory retirement age of 65, I became a little anxious. I wanted to earn more money while I could still work, so..."
Nan Yi waved his hand, "It's okay. It's human nature to put yourself first. Some of your actions are understandable. I don't blame you. It's precisely because I know your difficulties that I changed my schedule and came here to deal with the swallowtail butterfly matter first.
I have already mentioned the first method, which is to transfer the profit pressure. Taking advantage of the good market conditions, it is easy to support one or two OEM factories. The details can be carried out by redeeming shares. The operation methods and contract details have been sent to your email.
The second method is to separate the employee welfare housing and set up a Swallowtail Real Estate Company. The previous model of dividing and selling half could be further refined to gain more profits from the real estate sector to subsidize the funds for housing construction.
I will introduce a third-party company to guarantee the properties developed by Swallowtail Butterfly Real Estate. Any properties that cannot be sold will be taken over by the third-party company.”
Hearing this, Wang Fengtai's pupils dilated and his brows raised with joy. If Nan Yi did this, Swallowtail Butterfly Real Estate would have a stable source of profit.
"The third method is to support workers in starting their own businesses. We have been doing this for a long time. Previously, we mainly instilled entrepreneurial thinking in them. This time, we will be more specific and support them to start their own businesses in their hometowns, let them open OEM factories in their hometowns, and allow them to poach people from Yanweidie.
Of course, we must be careful in choosing the leader. I will definitely be Mr. Dongguo, but I don’t want to be that person too often. It’s not a pleasant thing to turn the gun against one’s own people. In addition, we must be selective in terms of location. Forget about places with inconvenient transportation.”
"What will happen to the welfare of the workers who leave?" Wang Fengtai asked.
"What needs to be settled has been settled, and what needs to be stopped has been stopped. It's my fault. The starting price was too high. There's nothing I can do. I made the decision myself, and I have to continue no matter how difficult it is." Nan Yi waved his hand, "Let me tell you about the fourth solution. Now is a good time to develop a clothing brand. Many visionary people will enter the clothing field and establish their own brands at this time.
A Swallowtail Capital company was established to invest in emerging companies in the clothing field, entering the angel round and A round and exiting after listing. For non-listed companies, it will exit after the rapid expansion period ends.
This investment is not limited to the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Seoul are all possible. There are many clothing stalls in Dongdaemun that want to develop brands, but they just have no funds. Now is the right time to enter."
Upon hearing this, Wang Fengtai asked, "Will the Intelligence and Planning Committee provide assistance?"
"Other places can provide help, but Taicun might be a bit troublesome. Nan's strength there is limited, and the connections they have established are not related to the clothing industry."
"I have some connections in the Taicun clothing industry. It won't be a problem to start business by making some contacts," Wang Fengtai said easily.
Nan Yi nodded, "You find a new secretary. Zheng Manli will be sent to Vietnam to build a branch next year. We also need to prepare for Bangladesh. Foreign branches only need to follow one principle: find the lowest and maximize profits."
Wang Fengtai felt relieved when he heard this, "The big boss finally understands that he is doing business."
"Fengtai, when I entered the town, I saw a lot of nice cars on the road, including several Land Rovers and Mercedes-Benzes. Are the Taiwanese businessmen investing in Gaoshe pretty strong?"
"Boss, you can't tell the strength of an investor by looking at the cars. Most of the Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz on the road are smuggled cars that have been modified and refurbished from the Jianghai Auto Parts City in Taizi Town."
"Oh, I thought so. The car looked a little strange." Nan Yi suddenly realized, "I heard there are a lot of fun places in Taizi Town. Do you go there often, Fengtai?"
"Oh my god!" Wang Fengtai subconsciously glanced at the office door and said anxiously: "Boss, don't say that. If my wife hears it, I will be in trouble."
"Haha, does your wife often come to the office?" Nan Yi said with a smile.
Many Taiwanese businessmen who come to the mainland to invest will find a lover or simply change their wife here. As far as Nan Yi knows, Wang Fengtai’s wife was not called here by Wang Fengtai, but his wife came here on her own initiative. The purpose is self-evident.
Wang Fengtai's face was bitter. "She would bring me soup occasionally. Oh, I really regret calling her over. She's too difficult to deal with. If I'm out socializing one day, she'll sniff me like a police dog when I get home. She'll also check if there's any woman's hair on me or lipstick marks on my collar. If she finds anything, I'll be in trouble. I won't have a good life for several days."
"Haha, it's normal for your wife to be worried. If you want to blame your fellow villager for not setting a good example for you, I'll go to your house for dinner tonight and I'll talk to your wife and give her some reassurance."
"Okay, I'll call back and ask her to cook a few more dishes."
"No need to prepare anything, just home cooking will do."
"Yes, yes." Wang Fengtai said, picked up the phone and dialed.
Nan Yi did not stop him. Instead, he stood up from his chair and walked to the window to look out. The location of Wang Fengtai's office was naturally not bad. The window faced the shade of green trees. There were several red-eared bulbuls, gray wagtails, and red-tailed robins standing on the trees. There were also magpies that liked to steal homes circling nearby. It was very lively.
After looking at it for a while, when Wang Fengtai finished his call, Nan Yi asked him to ask someone to bring over the past orders and raw material purchase accounts of Swallowtail Butterfly...
