Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 418 Chapter 417 Skipping Class
Yan Xiongfei is very busy at work, but he has not forgotten Tang Zhitong's request. Since returning from the Post and Telecommunications College, he has been thinking about and coordinating social practice matters.

Yan Xiongfei was very grateful to Tang Zhitong, so he wanted to do his best to facilitate the teachers and students of the Post and Telecommunications College.

Considering the location of the Post and Telecommunications University, Yan Xiongfei initially set his sights on Xizhimen Railway Station. The Materials Bureau had a warehouse there, very close to the Post and Telecommunications University.

We were all colleagues in the same unit and had no conflict of interest. We were chatting fine on the phone at first, but after hearing that it was a social practice at the university, they disagreed.

"Old Yan, if you assign a few people here, I will agree without hesitation. You also know that most of the temporary workers here in the warehouse are loaders and unloaders, which is purely physical labor. Let college students do this? Are they used to it? Can they obey management?" The warehouse manager gave the reasons for his disagreement.

"Oh, please help me." Yan Xiongfei certainly knew the situation, but he still wanted to fight for it, so he could only smile and beg.

"This is not a question of helping or not. The temporary workers here are all veterans, and it is inevitable that they will encounter bumps and bruises in their work. Even if I agree, the college students are not familiar with the handling work. What if something goes wrong? I can't take responsibility for this." The warehouse manager tried to persuade him in various ways, but he refused to agree.

"Really? Can't you be flexible?" Yan Xiongfei sighed. He had already promised the Post and Telecommunications College. If he couldn't handle it now, it would be really embarrassing.

"No, no, unless you let the director give the order. I really can't take responsibility if anything goes wrong, please understand." The warehouse manager didn't say anything definite, he pointed out a way, but it was the same as not pointing anything. How could such a thing be brought to the table and discussed with the director?
But Yan Xiongfei just went ahead and said it!

Of course, before speaking, Yan Xiongfei did some other necessary work.

The Xizhimen warehouse is beneficial for the commuting of college students from the Post and Telecommunications University, but they disagree. Now Yan Xiongfei can only start the second plan, which is also the backup plan.

The practice location of the alternative plan is a bit far from the Post and Telecommunications University, but it is highly feasible and may even be able to gain some publicity.

It just involves more people in coordination and is more difficult to implement, but there is no better way at the moment.

After Yan Xiongfei hung up the phone with the warehouse manager, he sighed. Without any conflict of interest, some work is indeed not easy to do.

After going over his words in his mind, Yan Xiongfei picked up the phone again.

After the call was connected, Yan Xiongfei said to the other end: "Old Chu, I'm Yan Xiongfei."

"Hello, Director Yan, do you have any instructions?" asked the person on the other end of the phone.

"What do you mean by instructions or not? I heard some gossip yesterday and I felt it necessary to tell you about it." Yan Xiongfei paused after he finished speaking, giving the other party time to digest the information and waiting for his response.

"Director Yan, please tell me. I'll take note of it." The Lao Chu mentioned by Yan Xiongfei was very helpful and continued.

"It's cold now, isn't it? I heard from my neighbor yesterday that when he went to your coal yard to buy coal, not only did he have to wait in line to pay, but the delivery of the coal was also slow. He had to wait for three days before the coal was delivered, and it was not delivered to his home." Yan Xiongfei finished his words slowly.

"Thank you Director Yan for your criticism and correction. We will definitely find ways to improve our work." Although Lao Chu felt helpless after hearing this, he was also very alert. He knew very well what kind of people lived in the area where Director Yan lived. In the final analysis, it was because he had not done his job well.

"Hey~ What's the point of criticizing or not? I'm also a resident of your area, and I also expect the coal station to do a good job. From our point of view, if the people have difficulties, we have to find ways to solve them, right?" Yan Xiongfei said very kindly, trying his best to weaken the criticism in Lao Chu's mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Yan, for your understanding. I am aware of the situation and am also trying to find a solution. We have recently added some manpower, but it is still not enough. The funds and carts are limited, so we cannot recruit more people." When Old Chu heard what Yan Xiongfei said, he immediately complained.

Regarding the situation described by Yan Xiongfei, the coal yard is not doing nothing. When delivering coal in early autumn, it also reminds residents to prepare coal in advance. But how many residents listen?
We are busy now and there are not enough employees, so we hired some temporary workers. They are busy from day to night and are as dark as coal miners. But some people are still not satisfied and they feel aggrieved.

But what can we do? After all, the weather is getting colder recently, and the demand is surging.

"I understand your difficulties, but we still have to do our work. It has always been our purpose to serve the people and to share their urgent needs. After all, I am in charge of the coal sector. My neighbor specifically told me about this problem, and I can't just do nothing. How about this? You organize an activity called 'Warm Service Month, Delivering Coal to Homes' in the name of the coal yard. I will find a way to solve the manpower problem, and I will handle the supply and transportation. Then I will contact the newspaper to follow up. Is that okay?" Having said this, Yan Xiongfei stated his purpose.

"Oh, Director Yan is really thoughtful. There will be no problem with our coal yard." Old Chu immediately expressed his agreement. With Yan Xiongfei's skillful narration, Old Chu "successfully" filled in the whole plot in his mind in just a few seconds.

The phrase "specifically told me" is crucial, not "according to someone's reaction". What kind of identity can make Director Yan use such words? What kind of identity can make Director Yan use his own connections to solve this problem?
Since Director Yan’s neighbors have already bought the coal and had it delivered to their homes, it makes sense to discuss this issue now, just to show it to their neighbors, and do it in a big way!
Director Yan even contacted the newspaper. As long as he did his job well, being published in the newspaper would be an achievement!
Director Yan will be in charge of the personnel and coal matters, and I will only be responsible for a portion of the personnel expenses. The key is that I don’t have to pay for this part of the expenses out of my own pocket!
Turn a bad thing into a good thing and get featured in the newspaper. All you have to pay is some fees. There is no reason to refuse!
"Okay, wait for my notification." After getting the answer he wanted, Yan Xiongfei went to the director's office.

Yan Xiongfei dared to go to the director because he had his own support.

On the one hand, the two have known each other for many years and have a close relationship. On the other hand, although he has selfish motives, this is also a business matter.

The most important thing is that the director is particularly humane to his own people.

Generally speaking, when it comes to human touch, what people might think of is that marriage leave, sick leave, bereavement leave and annual leave can be approved, and that they can verbally ask their family members whether they have recovered from the hospital.

But the real human touch is:
Take two more days of wedding leave, send gifts, attend weddings, and even officiate at weddings;

Not only will bereavement leave be approved, but the unit will also send someone to deliver a wreath and express condolences;
Not to mention sick leave, you can be hospitalized for three months, recuperate for three months, recover for three months, and then go back to work to reduce your workload and take care of the patient for three months, and all your wages will be paid in full.

These treatments are not something that the capitalists' beasts of burden can enjoy. If you don't work hard, you won't even be able to be brothers.

Yan Xiongfei knocked on the door and pushed it open after hearing a response from inside, then he closed the door behind him: "Director Wang, I have something to report to you."

"Well, go ahead." Director Wang nodded, waiting for Yan Xiongfei's next words.

"I found the comrade who saved my Ningning. He is a sponsored student of the Post and Telecommunications College. He told me that he wanted to find a social practice opportunity for poor students in the college. I was thinking that the weather has been getting cold recently, and the people's demand for coal is quite large. The coal yard does not have sufficient manpower to deliver the coal. It is a good opportunity to use the west of the city as a pilot project and let the students of the Post and Telecommunications College help deliver the coal, and at the same time publicize it in the newspapers. I came to ask you if it is appropriate." Facing the leader, Yan Xiongfei did not hide his purpose, but slightly changed the order of things, and did not mention the Xizhimen warehouse at all.

"Well, that's a good idea." Director Wang nodded in approval, paused, checked for omissions and said, "This cannot be done only in the west of the city. Contact other sites and other colleges and universities, and roll it out in all four cities, using the public-to-public process."

"I understand. Thank you, Director Wang." After hearing this, Yan Xiongfei secretly felt ashamed. During the heating season, it is not just one or two families that are short of coal, the whole city is short of it. If we only do it in the west of the city and it is reported in the newspaper, it will easily make people in other districts dissatisfied. After all, many residents in the west of the city are public officials.

If the whole city carries out "Warmth Month" activities, then there will be no problem, it will definitely bring warmth!

With the approval of his leader, Yan Xiongfei went back and first counted the demand in the same period of previous years. After doubling it, he contacted the coal mine to confirm the production and set a date for the supply to be in place. This involved another round of tug-of-war.

Then, we contacted the personnel of each coal yard and transfer yard to hold a meeting and asked them to report the estimated coal shortage, coal briquette shortage, personnel shortage, etc. We also contacted the coal briquette factory to ask for an increase in production capacity, and also contacted the newspaper, etc.

Everything takes time. Only after finding the staff vacancies did Yan Xiongfei start contacting various colleges and universities.

While Yan Xiongfei was busy, Tang Zhitong was having breakfast with his family.

October 1959, 10, the 27th day of the ninth lunar month, Tuesday, the second day of pickling Jerusalem artichokes.

After soaking overnight, the Jerusalem artichoke pickles are ready to eat.

Jerusalem artichoke pickles are crispy and delicious, and are an appetizer and go well with rice. Fengzhi eats a little more than usual.

As soups were difficult to carry, Tang Zhitong tried his best to brew out the soup, filled a lunch box with it, and asked Xiao Wang to drop it off in Chunshu Hutong early in the morning.

It’s not that I’m reluctant to give more, but the containers are really limited. Take these to eat first, and send more over the next few days.

The temperature is only around ten degrees now, so putting it in a shaded place is almost the same as refrigerating it in the refrigerator. There is no need to worry about it going bad or spoiling.

After arriving at the Post and Telecommunications College, Tang Zhitong received two letters, one was a reply from Ma Kejian and the other was a reply from Wu Haiyang. Both letters were taken from the office and handed over by Luo Zhiping.

Ma Kejian's reply was ordinary. He said that his company had been very busy recently and he was as tired as a grandson. He had no time to come back and that everything was fine at home.

Wu Haiyang didn't say that he was busy, but just chatted about family matters. At the end of the letter, he invited Tang Zhitong to bring classmate Xiao Wang to his home for a visit.

Overall, there was no problem at all, but Tang Zhitong felt that there was a problem.

Wu Haiyang has always been a busy man. He always tells me whatever he wants. But this time he didn't say anything, but invited me to his home.

Tang Zhitong was still thinking about the letter, unsure what it was about, when he suddenly heard the teacher calling his name, and he was completely paralyzed.

After Tang Zhitong stood up, he found someone waving at him at the door. It was Wei Zhizhen.

The teacher pointed to the classroom door, indicating that someone was looking for Tang Zhitong.

Tang Zhitong breathed a sigh of relief, put the letter away, closed the book, and left the classroom through the back door.

"Comrade Xiao Tang, Director Yan called and asked us to go to the Materials Bureau. How about we go together?" Wei Zhizhen came straight to the point and said.

"Okay, then I'll go ask for leave from Teacher Zhou." Tang Zhitong was going of course. After accepting the gift and troubling Yan Xiongfei to do such a big favor, he should thank him in person.

"I've invited you, let's go directly." Wei Zhizhen's impatient expression was evident on his face.

"Okay, then I'll ask my classmates to help me take the book back." After Tang Zhitong finished speaking, he entered the classroom from the back door, said a few words to Lu Jian, and hurried out.

Wei Zhizhen had a bicycle, and the two of them each took one and rode straight to the Supplies Bureau.

When he arrived at the bureau, Wei Zhizhen saw several acquaintances, who were from the logistics departments of several colleges on College Road. They were all in the same circle and he had dealt with them to some extent.

After a few words, I found out that they were all called here by the Materials Bureau for social practice.

After the participants arrived one after another, Yan Xiongfei waited for a while before walking into the meeting room.

Yan Xiongfei gave a general account of the matter, stating that there would be pre-publicity in the newspapers in the next two days, and that the social practice participants would be paid one yuan per day and must complete the tasks in quality and quantity.

Then comes the allocation of areas. Each site corresponds to a university. The specific number of people needed, when the personnel will be in place, what tasks need to be completed, etc. are all determined by the connection between each site and the corresponding university.

The next step is one-on-one work implementation.

Yan Xiongfei had no intention of interfering in the specific affairs. He waved to Tang Zhitong and walked out of the meeting room on his own.

Tang Zhitong had no chance to say anything, so he said hello to Wei Zhizhen and left the meeting room.

Tang Zhitong is not stupid. This time the warmth-giving event is a big deal. He himself would not believe it if someone said that this warmth-giving event has nothing to do with the social practice opportunity he requested.

"Director Yan, I'm sorry. I didn't expect to make such a big fuss. I'm sorry for causing you trouble." As soon as Tang Zhitong stood still after leaving the meeting room, he apologized to Yan Xiongfei.

Although he was not sure whether Yan Xiongfei made these dumplings just because he was jealous, he had to maintain a correct attitude.

"Hey~ What are you talking about? I should thank Comrade Xiao Tang. If you hadn't mentioned social practice, I would have no idea, let alone dare to think of trouble college students to do such rough work." Yan Xiongfei was kind and polite, but he did not deny that this activity was related to Tang Zhitong.

"Then I'm still quite embarrassed. On behalf of my classmates, I promise to cooperate well and not bring shame to the Material Bureau." Tang Zhitong heard it, but he was of low status and his words did not count, so he could only do what he could.

"It's okay, don't take it to heart. I came to you just to tell you that the site that needs the most people has been assigned to your Post and Telecommunications College. I finally lived up to your trust." Yan Xiongfei smiled and patted Tang Zhitong on the shoulder.

"Thank you. On behalf of my classmates at the Post and Telecommunications College, I thank you." Although he knew that Yan Xiongfei did not lose out in this wave, he was indeed at a loss morally. Tang Zhitong wanted to bow to Yan Xiongfei.

"Okay, I received your thanks. You and Xiao Wei should work out how to make the arrangements. I'll go back first." Yan Xiongfei smiled and nodded to Tang Zhitong, then went back to the office first.

(End of this chapter)