novelraw Chapter 47 Steel Slag
Chapter 47 Steel Slag
Zhang Xiuying's voice, which had been furiously cursing just moments before, suddenly seemed to choke on something.
He could no longer make a sound.
Instead, Liu Jianguo quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
"We definitely need to investigate."
"There's nothing wrong with the ledgers. Director Lin can check them however he wants."
"But Director Lin is right, the workers' wages must be paid."
"At that time, the factory director had already been transferred to Director Lin. But without Director Lin's approval, we shouldn't have let the workers come to clean without paying them wages."
Liu Jianguo said with a forced smile:
"We'll send it, we'll send it!"
Then he turned around and gave a wink.
They persuaded Old Sun, the production section chief, and Li Aiguo, the deputy factory director, who were about to lash out.
Old Sun, on the other hand, had a simple and honest appearance, as if he really couldn't afford that amount of money.
Li Aiguo could only manage a helpless, bitter smile.
Seeing that someone was sensible, Lin Yu nodded.
"That's settled then."
"How long has it been since the equipment was updated?"
Lin Yu wanted to investigate.
Liu Jianguo initially wanted to incite everyone to launch an attack, but after seeing Lin Yu's almost confrontational questioning, he gave up.
They genuinely want to make money off the factory. If things really fall apart, Lin Yu will just leave, and they'll end up in jail.
To be appointed as factory director at such a young age, his backing must be much stronger than he imagined.
Lin Yu dared to be so shameless, but they didn't.
The ledgers appear to be without problems, but the real fear is that someone might investigate them thoroughly over the past twenty years.
If you really make an enemy of Lin Yu, someone with such a powerful background can send his men running around like crazy with just a word.
So Liu Jianguo could only answer honestly, hoping that by going along with Lin Yu, he wouldn't be investigated.
"The equipment used when the factory was built is still in use today."
Liu Jianguo pointed to the top and said:
"In 85, we applied for technological upgrading funds and were approved for 12 yuan. Because we couldn't afford to buy equipment, we overhauled all the equipment and didn't touch anything else."
Lin Yu calculated that 12 yuan in 1985 was enough to buy several new boilers.
This actually made him both angry and amused.
So all you did was patch up the old boiler?
Is he really that greedy? Are you trying to fool him like a child?
Lin Yu decided to put the matter aside for now and use the workers' wages as a small punishment to warn them. He would settle the score later when he had hired people who could replace them.
"Take me to the warehouse."
The warehouse is behind the workshop, and it is still a huge building constructed of bricks and tiles.
The door was open, and a pungent smell of ashes wafted out.
The piled-up items are neither raw materials nor finished products.
It's steel slag.
A mountain of steel slag filled half the warehouse. The door was open, and light shone in, making the dark gray fragments gleam with a metallic sheen.
These are all waste materials generated during the steelmaking process, and they should be disposed of in a timely manner.
The warehouse should have been filled with ore, but now, this steel slag has become the factory's largest inventory.
Lin Yu asked:
"Why aren't these being dealt with?"
Liu Jianguo rubbed his hands together and smiled shyly:
"It costs money to process."
"It costs money to find a vehicle to haul it away, and it costs money to find a place to store it."
"A few years ago, we could sell it to cement plants as an auxiliary material, but in recent years, cement plants themselves have also been struggling, and nobody wants it anymore."
Xu Haoxiang, who was following behind Lin Yu, suddenly became quick-witted and added:
"Nobody wants this? Then why did you give it to the workers as bonuses last year?"
Lies are not sharp blades; the truth is the real weapon.
This naive question from the true spoiled brat immediately exposed Liu Jianguo's hypocritical mask.
Lin Yu ignored them.
He crouched down and picked up a piece of steel slag.
It is about the size of a fist and has a rough surface.
It feels heavy in my hand.
During the steelmaking process, due to technological limitations, it is impossible to completely extract all the elements from these steel slags.
Once the steel is produced, these unextractable components are discharged as steel slag.
Lin Yu looked at the steel slag.
The black and gray fragments were also subtly mixed with various shades of green, gray, and white.
Back then, a large part of the industrial pollution across the country came from the unrecoverable waste slag from steelmaking.
However, low-carbon factories have been achieved in later generations.
These waste materials can be further processed and transformed into new products.
The utilization rate of steel slag reached over 98%.
"Not useless."
Lin Yu muttered to himself.
Lin Yu stood up and dusted off his hands.
Liu Jianguo then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Lin Yu, who looked at him with surprise.
"Director Lin."
Liu Jianguo hesitated for a moment.
"The higher-ups said you're here to bring about reforms, and we'll all listen to you. It's just that the factory is in a state of flux—we have no money, no materials, and over 700 mouths to feed."
He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: this situation was too difficult to handle.
Liu Jianguo was not optimistic that Lin Yu could solve this problem, but he felt that if he could get on Lin Yu's good side, it would be more promising than Lin Yu reviving the factory, so he gritted his teeth and said.
"I have some connections who can bring over a batch of ore. What do you think?"
Lin Yu neither confirmed nor denied, but instead asked:
"Director Liu, where do the workers live? Can you notify them?"
Liu Jianguo was at a loss for words:
"Many workers live in Fangshan, while others have returned to their hometowns."
"But since there were no telephones, we had to notify everyone door-to-door."
Lin Yu glanced at him sideways. It's amazing that you guys were able to get so many people to clean up the place, given how difficult it was to notify them.
As if understanding Lin Yu's meaning, Factory Director Liu quickly assured him:
"Although most households don't have telephones, I can gather everyone together whenever Director Lin needs me."
Lin Yu nodded.
"tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, call all the workers who can come to the factory for a meeting."
Lin Yu looked at the mountain of steel slag piled up in the warehouse and said, word by word:
"Let me tell everyone, the Red Star Factory will not go out of business."
"Tomorrow I will pay the workers a month's wages. And within three months, I will make sure everyone receives the wages they are owed."
The workshop was quiet for a few seconds.
Then someone took a breath.
Liu Jianguo's eyes widened, and he looked somewhat anxious.
"Director Lin, you can't say things like that! The factory is currently..."
Lin Yu interrupted him:
"I know what the factory is like now."
Lin Yu turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"I see it all: no money, no materials, outdated equipment, and low morale."
He walked to the workshop and stood still.
"But I also saw something else."
"Forcibly summoning workers is certainly your demand."
"The equipment was polished to a shine, and the steel slag was neatly piled up."
"The workers at least have an emotional attachment to this factory."
Having previously harshly criticized these people, Lin Yu didn't mind saying some polite words to give them a reward, making their flattery seem more substantial.
What does this mean?
"This shows that there are still people willing to contribute to this factory, and that people still care about this factory."
Lin Yu's voice echoed in the empty warehouse.
"The country entrusted this factory to me, not so that I could declare it bankrupt, but so that I could keep it alive."
"As for how to survive..."
He paused.
I'll tell everyone at the meeting tomorrow.
Sure enough, as soon as those words were spoken...
The factory leaders, who had been somewhat tense, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
It seems that although the kids this time were a bit harder to fool, they were still fooled by these superficial gestures, just like always.
On the way back to the city, Xu Haoxiang kept glancing at Lin Yu while driving.
"Didn't you initially think those people were forcing the workers to clean? Why did you change your mind later?"
Looking out the car window at the crowds struggling to make their way along the snow-covered dirt roads, Lin Yu replied:
"Because it's not important."
"There's no point in dwelling on their mistakes; just make them admit their mistakes."
"And I wasn't speaking to them, I was speaking to the workers."
Lin Yu said:
"I must tell the workers that I see their efforts, and it doesn't matter if they are forced to do it. I will reward them for their efforts."
"Once you've established a good reputation, it'll be much easier to lead the rest of the team."