589: Chapter 558: Difficulties 589: Chapter 558: Difficulties On his first day reporting to the City Committee office, Liu Hun was struck dumb as soon as he entered the door, for he saw a person he couldn’t be more familiar with—Xia Yanran.
“You…
why are you here?” Liu Hun asked in astonishnt.
Xia Yanran made an even more surprised face, “Why can’t I be here?” Speaking of which, she laughed and teased Liu Hun, “How is it?
Is life in the Criminal Investigation Team bearable?”
“It’s okay, I guess…
but how did you know I went to the Criminal Investigation Team?” Liu Hun found that the Xia Yanran in front of him seed to know everything.
“I’m the director of the City Committee Office, after all.
A little personnel change like this, I can find out if I want to,” Xia Yanran said with a bit of pride.
Liu Hun’s jaw nearly dropped in surprise; he hadn’t expected that while he was risking his life in the Criminal Investigation Team, this Xia Yanran had suddenly beco the director of the Yuhua Municipal Committee office, his superior.
“What’s the matter?
Comrade Liu Hun, do you have any questions?” Xia Yanran asked, arms folded and chin raised, looking at Liu Hun.
Liu Hun could only sigh at the unpredictability of life and shook his head with a wry smile, “No, no questions.”
“Good!
If you have no questions, then get to work properly!” Xia Yanran patted Liu Hun’s shoulder with the air of a superior.
After working in the Yuhua Municipal Committee office for so ti, Liu Hun began to have a preliminary understanding of Yuhua City’s higher-ups.
Yang Guangrong, who had initially transferred him to the Police’s Criminal Investigation Team, was a slightly thin, bespectacled elder with graying temples.
The mayor, Hong Rengui, on the other hand, appeared to be a robust and strong middle-aged man.
Liu Hun had only had hurried etings with the rest of the City Committee mbers: organization departnt head Jia Mingliang, propaganda departnt head Jiang Bin, deputy mayor Wu Yanzhi, and the secretary of the disciplinary committee Wu Chongguang, and so he didn’t have a lasting impression of them.
That day, Liu Hun had just entered his office and had hardly ward his seat when Xia Yanran followed him in, casually tossing him a docunt, “Take a look, it’s the latest directive issued by the City Committee.”
“What’s this?” Liu Hun had been at the City Committee office for a while, but honestly, he hadn’t done anything significant.
He felt that the Party and governnt teams didn’t seem to get along very well.
“Research on the Mingyang Factory?” Liu Hun flipped through the docunt, remarking as he read, “It looks like this Mingyang Factory is quite large.”
No sooner had Liu Hun finished speaking when Xia Yanran rolled her eyes at him, “Are you new to Yuhua City?
You don’t know Mingyang Factory?”
Xia Yanran’s retort left Liu Hun with no coback, as he genuinely didn’t know about Mingyang Factory.
After carefully studying the docunt, he discovered that the factory was originally a heavy equipnt manufacturing enterprise and had been the pillar industry of Yuhua City for decades.
However, with reform and opening up, Mingyang Factory’s aging industrial structure and resource-intensive disadvantages gradually beca apparent.
Therefore, Mingyang Factory had always been the city governnt’s love-hate existence—until now, when it had gradually beco a problem that was hard to get rid of.
“To put it bluntly, if we want it to close down, how do we solve the problem of so many workers’ livelihoods, how do we deal with the annual tax revenue?
If we don’t let it shut down, relying on the municipal finances for now might be okay, but at this rate, in less than two years, Mingyang Factory will beco the most severe burden for Yuhua City, even a cancer,” Liu Hun pointed at the docunt as he analyzed the future situation, “To give an example, Mingyang Machinery Factory is now like a sugar-coated bitter pill—reluctant to lose the sugar coating yet unwilling to taste the bitterness.
It’s a tough situation.”
“That’s why they want us to go investigate,” Xia Yanran felt Liu Hun’s analysis was rather on point, but she still valued the actual research process and results more.
“What need is there for an investigation when everything’s already written clear as day in the file?
If you ask , we might as well cut our losses and shut down Mingyang Factory sooner rather than later,” Liu Hun said, but then a deeper issue crossed his mind, and he casually asked Xia Yanran, “What do the City Committee mbers think?”
“What else can they think?
It’s just the two opinions of whether to let Mingyang Factory go bankrupt or not.
But Mayor Hong advocates for letting Mingyang Factory go bankrupt imdiately, while Secretary Yang holds a reserved opinion; he’s probably still very cautious.
Anyway…
we’ll see after we go check it out.” Xia Yanran, ever the spirited and action-oriented girl, imdiately pulled Liu Hun along to rush to Mingyang Factory.
Mingyang Factory was located in the East District of Yuhua City and occupied a very large area.
Given its early establishnt, the original planning and site selection were done on a vast open space.
However, with the rapid developnt after reform and opening up, many tall buildings and skyscrapers had sprung up around Mingyang Factory, turning it into a bustling comrcial area of the entire East District and even Yuhua City.
As soon as Liu Hun stepped out of the car, he saw the slightly worn-out but enormous factory buildings, which, amidst the surrounding shiny and dazzling skyscrapers, seed very much out of place.
Two people, after being announced by the security guard, were soon greeted at the entrance by the director of Mingyang Factory, who had hurried over.
The Factory Director Chen Yao, whose hair had already turned significantly white, arrived quickly wearing a khaki uniform and greeted the two with an exhausted yet enthusiastic smile, “We warmly welco the comrades from the City Committee to inspect and guide our work.”
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Chen Yao led Liu Hun and Xia Yanran on a comprehensive tour of the various workshops and buildings of the entire Mingyang Factory.
Throughout the tour, although Chen Yao did his utmost to praise Mingyang Factory and subtly spoke of its difficulties, Liu Hun—who had seen the advanced machinery and managent models of Tengfei Mining—was extrely pessimistic about Mingyang Factory’s prospects.
After visiting the factory workshops and machinery, Chen Yao invited Liu Hun and Xia Yanran into his office, eager to know the opinions and attitudes of the City Committee towards Mingyang Factory.
As soon as they sat down, Chen Yao, impatient, asked, “Leaders, if you have any opinions or suggestions for our Mingyang Factory, please speak freely.
As the factory director, I will certainly listen earnestly and implent improvents.”
Although Chen Yao’s attitude moved Liu Hun and even made him feel sowhat heart-stricken, considering the bigger picture, he still had to speak frankly, “Factory Director Chen, forgive my bluntness.
I have seen machinery enterprises from Singapore during the bidding for mineral resources in Baoshan Village, one of Yuhua City’s ten key support projects.
I even have an in-depth understanding of them.
Compared to them, Mingyang Factory is at least fifteen years behind.”
Upon hearing Liu Hun’s words, Chen Yao and several responsible parties of Mingyang Factory looked worried.
They knew that the opinions of these two representatives sent by the Municipal Committee would be directly reported to the City Committee.
“The backwardness of the machinery is one issue,” Liu Hun continued without holding back, intent on making his points clear, “Second, the energy consumption is too high, and the environntal pollution is severe.
I have just looked at your data, and the output-to-input ratio is too low; too many resources are wasted.
To be honest, these resources would be much better used elsewhere, other than Mingyang Factory.
Furthermore, Mingyang Factory’s location now occupies the busiest area of the East District.
Although it can’t be said to be worth its weight in gold, you surely understand its value better than I do.
As such, the pollution from Mingyang Factory directly seeps into the most bustling area of the East District.
Over ti, it will inevitably lead to dissatisfaction.
There are several foreign-funded and joint ventures here, as well as a few projects supported by the city.” Liu Hun did not intend to delve deeper, but they should understand that once these enterprises jointly apply pressure to the municipal governnt, Mingyang Factory’s situation would beco very awkward.
“Lastly, as an old state-owned enterprise, Mingyang Factory certainly has its unique advantages, but it also suffers from all the drawbacks associated with state enterprises.
Today’s visit by Director Xia and was unannounced, and there was no opportunity for prior notification or arrangent on your part, Factory Director Chen.
Of course, this is not to say that you have been unwelcoming, but rather it allowed us to see the true face of Mingyang Factory.
We have also seen the situation of the factory workers, and I believe you understand their condition better than we do.” Liu Hun still left Chen Yao with so dignity, refraining from ntioning the workers he had seen drinking tea, chatting, and sleeping—he expected the factory director to be aware of such conditions.
Chen Yao’s eyebrows knitted tightly, and after a long silence, he sighed heavily, “Comrades, I am aware that Mingyang Factory has many flaws and shortcomings, and it has beco a significant burden for the municipal governnt.
However, the contributions of Mingyang Factory cannot be erased.
For many years, Yuhua City has been supported by just this one factory.
Now that Mingyang Factory is old and obsolete, becoming a burden for the municipal governnt, it still sustains twenty thousand people in Yuhua City!
Comrades, think about it, without Mingyang Factory, where would these twenty thousand people go to find work, what would beco of their families?
Therefore, I earnestly request the two comrades to speak kindly of Mingyang Factory.”
Liu Hun and Xia Yanran looked at each other, finding themselves in quite a dilemma.
Seeing their silence, Chen Yao suddenly stood up and made a move that neither had expected—he knelt down with a “thud,” “I beg you, please plead with the municipal governnt to let Mingyang Factory continue to live!”
Liu Hun was imdiately flustered, not expecting Chen Yao to make such a gesture, and he quickly helped him up, nodding, “We will certainly reflect the situation truthfully to the City Committee, and we will definitely convey Mingyang Factory’s difficulties to the leaders of the City Committee.
Please rest assured.”
Sitting in the car back to the City Committee, Liu Hun felt very heavy-hearted.
He realized that he had oversimplified things upon arrival.
Such a bloated state-owned enterprise indeed had significant issues, but as Chen Yao had said, both its past contributions and its current role in solving employnt issues could not be easily dismissed or disregarded.
Returning to the office of the City Committee, Liu Hun took the initiative to write the report, recording all the problems and thoughts he had considered.
“Wow, what’s got into you today, Comrade Liu Hun?” Xia Yanran saw that Liu Hun seed sowhat downcast and teased him.
Liu Hun handed over the report he had written to Xia Yanran, responding with a wry smile, “Director Xia, please submit it.
Consider it my modest contribution for Mingyang Factory.”
Xia Yanran took the report Liu Hun had written, glanced over it, and asked, “How co there are only problems and no solutions?”
“Heh, I’m not a leader of the City Committee.
Of course, it’s not my place to co up with solutions.” Liu Hun actually had more to say.
The issue with Mingyang Factory was very tricky.
A mishandling could an the loss of livelihood for tens of thousands of people and would further involve the power struggles between the City Committee, the municipal governnt, and the Party committee.
As a newcor, it was better to stay out of it for now.
“Alright then!” Xia Yanran apparently did not catch the deeper thoughts in Liu Hun’s mind, but she did have a favorable impression of Liu Hun’s ability to analyze problems and his kindness.
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