Chapter 11: The Red Flag Factory Must Hurry to Reform

“If you still don’t pass the exam this year, will you continue repeating the year? You better not wait until I graduate and then show up in your class—that would be so embarrassing, haha!”

“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. I’m definitely going to get in this year!”

“Why? So confident?”

“Time waits for no one!”

“But you need to improve by over two hundred points. To get into Yunnan University, you need to raise your score by 275 points. No one has ever improved that much in just one year!”

“That’s because I hadn’t started yet!”

“Stop bragging!”

“I only blow the harmonica, not smoke.”

Di Yutong laughed heartily, then turned serious and said to Liang Jiyong, “If you’re serious, you really have to work hard. A year goes by fast. Yunnan University and No.1 High School are close. Whenever I have time, I’ll come over to tutor you in English!”

“Don’t take up too much of your time. My grammar is poor; I’m free on weekends. Don’t let me hold back your studies. Otherwise, I’ll find another tutor!”

“College courses are pretty easy!” Di Yutong said dismissively.

Liang Jiyong shook his head. “If you just want to coast through college with a diploma, sure, it’s easy. But if you want to learn something, time will be tight. You’re in the foreign languages department; passing the TEM-8 English proficiency test is a must. Plus, you have an advantage in Russian. As China and Russia’s ties grow closer, Russian will become increasingly useful. If you want to be a linguist, you need not only to master foreign languages but also understand their customs, history, and culture...”

Di Yutong looked at Liang Jiyong in surprise. “This doesn’t feel real. Is this really you?”

“Authentic as ever. You only saw one side of me before. These thoughts aren’t all mine; most came from my elder brother and second sister. I call it pragmatic borrowing.”

“That sounds more like it. But you’ve really changed a lot. Here we are, come in and sit for a while.”

“No, it’s too late,” Liang Jiyong shook his head.

“No matter. My father is a night owl; he’s probably still working. The factory’s two production lines have been acting up recently, so he often works past midnight.”

“That equipment’s been around since the factory was built. He’s worked there for thirty years and should have retired long ago,” Liang Jiyong said, speechless.

“There’s no money. Don’t be fooled by how our Hongqi Factory is still holding on; it won’t last much longer. If production stops, we’ll be no better off than Hongxing Factory or Guomian Factory. After graduation, who knows if there’ll even be jobs!” Di Yutong began to worry.

“There’s always a way forward. Your major is in demand. At least for the next twenty or thirty years, it won’t become obsolete.”

“Let’s hope so. Come in. Do you want soda or Jianlibao?”

“No thanks. I’ve had too much soda today; my stomach’s full of bubbles. Go tidy up.”

“All right. Get whatever you want. My father should be in his study. I’ll shower first, then come over. You can chat with him—he asked about you just a couple of days ago.”

“Oh.”

Liang Jiyong was quite familiar with Di Yutong’s father, Chen Wei, a name he had adopted later. His original name was Viktor, but the full name was too long for Liang Jiyong to remember.

Just as Di Yutong went upstairs, the study door on the first floor opened.

A tall, middle-aged man with curly hair stepped out.

He bore clear mixed-race features, with a certain handsome charm.

Chen Wei was in his early forties. Beneath his smiling eyes lay traces of hardship; life’s struggles had repeatedly tested him since he was ten.

“Xiaoyong, come on in. I was just about to ask you something,” Chen Wei said in a consultative tone.

“Uncle Chen, you’re still up?” Liang Jiyong approached.

Chen Wei stepped back into the study. On the desk lay several intricate design blueprints, alongside rulers and drawing tools.

“Sit down. Want something to drink?” Chen Wei asked.

“No, thanks.”

“How about some watermelon juice? I just put it in the fridge; it’s not very cold yet.”

Chen Wei took out a bottle of watermelon juice from the fridge and poured it about seventy percent full into a clear crystal glass.

“Thanks, Uncle Chen!”

“I came by this afternoon. Your father said you’re planning to repeat the year to prepare for university entrance.”

Liang Jiyong nodded.

“Your score last year was 275, right?”

Chen Wei knew a lot about Liang Jiyong’s situation, thanks to an ardent daughter.

Liang Jiyong nodded again without showing much embarrassment over the low score.

“Past scores belong to the past. As long as you’re determined, I believe nothing else will be a hurdle. When I took the college entrance exam back then, I barely had a middle school foundation. If you have an unshakable will and give it your all, I believe the future will be bright.”

Liang Jiyong smiled and thanked him. Chen Wei was truly an inspiring figure—no one would have guessed that in the first year after the resumption of the college entrance exam, he had become the first university graduate from Hongqi Factory. The hardships he endured were beyond most people’s understanding.

Chen Wei offered more words of encouragement, subtly implying that Liang Jiyong should devote himself to his studies this year. Perhaps he shared the same concerns as others but didn’t voice them.

When people heard Liang Jiyong was going to repeat the year, their first thought was that the boy was once again going to be the protector of the Su family’s little girl.

“When I stopped by today, your father mentioned Shao An. He seemed to have something unsaid. Is Shao An facing some difficulties?” Chen Wei looked at Liang Jiyong.

Liang Jiyong hesitated and chose not to reveal too much. He felt he could handle the problem himself.

“My elder brother just graduated. Maybe his work situation isn’t quite settled yet.”

“I spoke to Shao An on the phone last night. The 706 Ordnance Institute has accepted his file. It’s not a work issue. Xiaoyong, I want you to be honest with me—what exactly is the difficulty?”

Clearly, from both brother and father, Chen Wei hadn’t gotten a clear answer.

Liang Jiyong scratched his head in frustration, thought for a moment, then spoke up.

“My elder brother plans to study abroad for two years. The funding isn’t quite enough yet, but there’s a lead.”

“Studying abroad, even if it’s government-funded, requires at least a hundred thousand yuan extra for living expenses. Your father has worked for thirty years and never took a wrench home. How will this money be settled?”

Chen Wei frowned deeply.

Though he was chief technical engineer with a salary tier above Liang Dahong, the logistics director, Chen Wei had no extra income. Due to family circumstances, he also had to care for his stepfather’s children. Though they weren’t blood-related, without his stepfather’s support, he couldn’t have survived those hard years, let alone passed political screening for university.

Though his mother and stepfather had passed away, he still helped those children as much as he could.

As a result, his savings were limited, even less than the Liang family’s.

“Uncle Chen, we can manage this. You don’t have to worry,” Liang Jiyong said.

“100,000 yuan is no small sum. And with your father opposed to Shaoping working in Lingnan, it won’t be easy. These days, trying to nurture true talents is hindered by mere tens of thousands of yuan, while others...” Chen Wei shook his head. Perhaps his life experiences made him cautious, reluctant to mention certain things.

Liang Jiyong knew exactly what Chen Wei was thinking.

“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll talk to Secretary Sun. He thinks highly of Shao An. He’s the first PhD graduate produced by Hongqi Factory. We can’t let a few thousand yuan stand in the way.”

“Uncle Chen, that’s not appropriate. My elder brother isn’t likely to work at Hongqi Factory. If the factory pays for his studies, people will gossip.”

Liang Dahong had never taken a penny from the public fund. If the factory footed the bill for his education, there’d definitely be rumors.

From Liang Jiyong’s perspective, it wasn’t worth sullying his father’s lifelong reputation over a few ten thousand yuan. Besides, he already had ideas on how to earn money.

“Shao An is already a well-known mechanical expert in the country. The factory’s production lines have problems that need his help. I’ll contact him tomorrow and then decide.”

“Can those production lines still be fixed?” Liang Jiyong asked with some doubt.

Chen Wei sighed. “According to their original design lifespan, they should have been retired by now. But reality doesn’t allow it. Replacing them would require investments of hundreds of millions, money we don’t have. Those two lines have solid foundations. With proper repairs and an overhaul, they might last another two or three years. Hopefully, by then, we’ll find a solution. Otherwise, Hongqi Factory will succumb to obsolescence.”

“Uncle Chen, I’ve heard talk about restructuring. Why is it all thunder and no rain?”

“Restructuring involves many issues. Even if it happens, Hongxing Factory and Guomian Factory are ahead of us. Hongqi Factory can still hold on.”

Liang Jiyong understood that most workers at Hongqi Factory were reluctant to restructure unless absolutely necessary. Emotionally, they couldn’t accept transitioning from a state-owned giant to a private or joint-stock company.

“Uncle Chen, I know you people of your generation feel attached to Hongqi Factory. But let me say something bluntly: sentiment won’t fill your stomach. Our factory’s situation is only slightly better than Hongxing or Guomian Factories. If we wait another year or two and end up like Hongxing, it’ll be worthless. Before our ship sinks, we need to find partners, buy new production lines, innovate technology—anything. If we drag this out, it’s certain death.”

Chen Wei looked at Liang Jiyong in surprise. Those words were definitely not taught by anyone else. If they came from Liang Shao An, it wouldn’t be surprising, but from this young boy, it amazed him.

“Uncle Chen, the workers, especially the young ones, are very worried about the factory’s future. Hongxing and Guomian’s examples are clear. Our factory has the most workers, the largest scale. If things drag on, who knows how many will be left jobless, how many young workers will be forced onto the streets? And the women workers—those are our sisters who grew up with us. It’s harsh to say, but if that happens, you factory leaders will be the ones whose backs get broken.”

Liang Jiyong’s words made Chen Wei feel a prickling unease. Harsh and bitter though they were, they were honest and unwelcome truths.

He believed he’d done nothing wrong. But if Hongqi Factory stopped production, workers starved, and the women were forced into prostitution, Chen Wei wouldn’t be able to hold his head high.

Chen Wei stood and paced. He understood these truths well. But restructuring wasn’t something one person or a handful of leaders could decide. As a state-owned giant under provincial authority, any restructuring required approval from the provincial party standing committee.

Though Chen Wei was chief technical engineer responsible for technology, he wasn’t ignorant of management.

It was difficult—immeasurably difficult.

Because he understood the technology and the factory’s reality, and the gap between them and other enterprises. Without administrative interference, their sales would have collapsed long ago.

But how much longer could they last?

This latest equipment problem was a bitter blow.

With more administrative meddling, substandard products wouldn’t be accepted by others. They couldn’t keep covering losses forever.

“Difficult. As difficult as climbing to the heavens!” Chen Wei sat down helplessly again.

“Uncle Chen, waiting for orders from above will take at least four or five years. By then, Hongqi Factory will be rotten through and through. For those officials, the factory is just a company. If restructuring succeeds, it’s a feather in their cap; if not, they get criticized. But to us, Hongqi Factory is more than a factory—it’s home. No matter what joys or sorrows happened here, this is our family. If the factory rots, our home is gone.

“Do we watch our own home decay, or do we save ourselves? I think every one of us at Hongqi Factory needs to consider this.

“Grassroots workers are easygoing as long as they have food; if they see some leaders take a little here and there, they just grumble. But if workers don’t have food, there’ll be trouble.

“Our factory has more workers than Hongxing and Guomian combined. If things explode, no one can contain it.

“It won’t be a matter of scapegoating one or two low-profile leaders. I don’t believe Secretary Sun and Director Lu don’t see this. Maybe those two have strong connections and will move up to the province someday, but others can’t leave!”

These words were bold—very bold.

Chen Wei looked at Liang Jiyong, stunned, as if coming back to himself.

“Xiaoyong, who told you to say these things?” Chen Wei felt the sharp analysis and pros and cons behind these words were definitely not Liang Jiyong’s own ideas.