Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 616 Fang Minghua's Interview Diary
November 11 Daily Life

The interview with Li Dazhou was conducted on the grounds of his home.

Today the weather was very cold and it was snowing heavily. Fang Minghua was wearing a military coat and a locomotive cap. It was impossible to ride a motorcycle in this weather, so he took a taxi. Finally, he followed Fang Mingjun into the home of a worker. There were no sofas or chairs. The only folding stool was pushed around by everyone, and no one was willing to sit on it.

In the 15-square-meter room, there is no furniture except a bed made of broken wood. Two old cardboard boxes in the corner are used to store clothes and daily necessities.

What’s even more terrifying is that there is no heating in the house in such cold weather!

"I'm sorry, Chairman Fang, we don't have the heating fee this year so we have to stop using it. I'll use the electric stove for you." The owner of the house who spoke was named Li Dazhou, 51 years old.

Fang Mingjun whispered that this factory was the first to close down in the area, and according to policy, laid-off workers could only receive two years of basic living allowance, but now they can't get a penny.

Fang Minghua quickly said that he had been walking for half a day and was not cold at all. He took out a pen and paper from his schoolbag, exhaled a breath of hot air, and prepared to take notes.

Li Dazhou slowly told the story according to Fang Minghua's questions.

The "living allowance" for laid-off workers in the city is 30 yuan per month, which is paid by the unit for months. However, if the factory is in financial difficulty, the money cannot be received on time.

"I haven't received it for two months." Li Changjiang said with a smile.

"According to the policy, if you are in financial difficulty, can you apply for a minimum living allowance from the Civil Affairs Bureau? You didn't apply?" Fang Mingjun couldn't help asking.

"I applied, but they said no." Li Changjiang pointed to a 14-inch TV in the corner.

"This was given to me by a relative. I haven't turned it on for a long time to save electricity, but people said that as long as you have electrical appliances at home, you don't qualify as being in extreme poverty."

There was silence in the room.

"Then Master Li, how do you make a living?" Fang Minghua asked.

"My wife also has a pension of 30 yuan a month." Li Changjiang laughed: "Our family of three has to budget carefully when we receive this money at the beginning of each month. We have to buy necessities such as rice, flour and oil, and use the remaining money to buy some cheap vegetables. We haven't eaten pork for a month."

November 11: Women's Strength

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the gate of the Workers' Village Farmers' Market opened and owners of more than 400 stalls poured in.

More than 80% of them are laid-off workers.

"It's always hard in the winter," said Zhang Yimei, the stall owner, Fang Minghua. She has been running a seafood business here since she was laid off from the XX Chemical Factory this summer.

The lowest temperature in Fengtian at that time was minus 15 degrees Celsius, with a force wind. A considerable number of stall owners rushed to the nearby wholesale market to purchase goods at a.m. every day.

Their meager income makes them reluctant to take taxis, and one can imagine how it feels to ride a bike in the cold and darkness.

Zhang Yimei had a severe cold today and was shivering as she sat in the agricultural trade hall. There was no heating and the temperature was the same as outside. But she insisted on not lighting the electric stove, saying that it consumed too much electricity.

Mou Yimei put his hands into his big sleeves, where he held a "homemade heater" - a hot water bottle.

She usually wears size 0 shoes, but now she wears size because she wears three pairs of socks.

After sitting in front of the cold cement table for two hours, Zhang Yimei finally welcomed the first buyer. The other party bargained hard for her, but she was unwilling to give up the business. In the end, a pound of shrimp was sold for 18 yuan. Before leaving, the buyer grabbed another shrimp into the basket, and the two quarreled again. "If you don't give it to me, I don't want it!"

The buyer's words forced her to give in. She laid her head on the cold cement platform and said to Fang Minghua, "I will lose money this way." As companies continued to merge and go bankrupt, more and more laid-off workers flocked to small businesses. Fierce competition began among people. The newly opened morning market at the entrance of the Workers' Village Market took away a lot of people's business.

"Now, I can earn a maximum of 150 yuan a month." Zhang Yimei's income represents the level of stall owners in the Workers' Village Farmers' Market.

But people who lost their jobs continued to emerge in large numbers, so the only government-run employment agency was always overcrowded.

"We have to receive more than 100 laid-off workers every day, and we are simply too busy to handle it," said Yan Xiaomin, director of the employment agency. When she was interviewed by reporters, it was already 12 noon, but the job-hunting hall was still crowded.

At some intersections near the workers' village, several spontaneously organized labor markets have emerged. Job seekers wandering there hang signs on their chests, which say what they are good at, such as "plumber" and "electrician". Around 2 p.m., when the temperature rises, they gather in large numbers and are the most active.

When reporters walked past them, they stared at you, chased you and asked, "Do you need people? Do you need people? Whatever you want!"

At dusk, Fang Minghua ran into Li Dazhou, the laid-off worker from the electromechanical factory, in the workers' village. "My car is lost. I bought it with more than 1 yuan that everyone pooled together." His tone was full of sadness and resentment. "I really want to chop that thief to pieces!"

November 11 Hope and Love

At 8:00 in the morning, Zhang Yimei set up her seafood stall as usual. Although she still had to face the cold and illness, she was in good spirits. "It's the weekend now, and I can sell shrimp and fish for a good price." She said with a smile on her face.

Li Dazhou rushed to a friend's house, and his friend promised to support him with 2 yuan. Soon, he could ride his new tricycle to work again.

In the labor market on Jiumalu Road in the Workers' Village, those job seekers with badges on their chests were still stubbornly waiting for employers in the cold wind. Some came, some came! They rushed forward.

The officials of the Municipal Labor Bureau are still busy completing the "integration task" of 1 people by the end of the year.

"I don't have the energy to think too far ahead, but I have to live my life. At least, for my children." The words of a laid-off mother are inspiring.

In Li Dazhou's bare house, there are several pots of Euphorbia tricolor - a plant similar to cactus - growing lushly.

"This flower thrives well," Li Changjiang said with a smile. "Even though there was no heating this year, it didn't freeze to death."

Indeed, hope did not die with the loss of her job.

And resistance itself is a kind of hope.

Three days later, Fang Minghua and his father went to the cemetery to burn incense for his uncle. Burning paper was not allowed in the cemetery, so everyone offered white flowers to express their condolences.

After completing the burial of her uncle, Fang Minghua did not leave Fengtian, but bought a plane ticket for her father and sent him to the airport.

He's going to stay.

There is so much to understand.

He stayed in Fengtian for another week, visiting factories and focusing on government departments to understand the overall situation. The title of vice chairman of the Qin Province Writers Association and nationally renowned writer brought him great convenience, allowing him to understand the basic situation of laid-off workers in this city and the many problems they faced.

Fang Minghua will leave Fengtian tomorrow, so of course she will not forget to say goodbye to her aunt's house. In the evening, she will also go to Fang Mingjun's house to express her gratitude.

"Are you leaving tomorrow? Okay, let's go for a drink later." Fang Mingjun said.

(End of this chapter)