Chapter 52: An Unusual Driver

  "What's going on?" Chai Peide put away his teasing expression, turned his head to look at Qin Hai, and said to Xu Yang: "Xu Yang, why don't you find a place for Master Qin to rest for a while."

  "No need, just let him stay here." Ning Zhongying raised his hand to stop Xu Yang, who was about to take Qin Hai away, and then said to Chai Peide: "What I want to say is nothing that can't be heard by others, it's fine for Little Qin to stay here."

  Chai Peide was somewhat perplexed, as this matter involving the factory leaders was generally not suitable for a driver to overhear. However, since Ning Zhongying said there was no need to avoid Qin Hai, he had nothing to say and merely made a gesture for Xu Yang to pour Qin Hai a glass of water before continuing to speak to Ning Zhongying: "Director Ning, what's going on? Tell me."

  Ning Zhongying then gave Chai Peide a detailed introduction to Wei Baolin's various performances after becoming the factory director. Although he had not spoken out on any of the factory's affairs in the past two years, nor participated in any meetings, he was fully aware of all the things Wei Baolin had done, and could recite them like counting his family treasures.

  Chai Peide held a small notebook, constantly taking notes. Ning Zhongying's eloquence was excellent, and his thinking was also very rigorous, the things he said were clear and logical, Chai Peide had no difficulty in recording them.

  Wei Baolin had been talking until he mentioned that he was going to switch to producing washing machines, when Chai Peide finally interjected and asked: "Director Ning, what do you think about this decision?"

  Ning Zhongying smiled and said, "This decision is purely nonsense. Not only do I say so, but even the workers in our factory know it. Don't believe me? Ask Xiao Qin about it. Xiao Qin, tell Mayor Chai how you all view this matter of switching to producing washing machines."

  Jing Zhong shifted the firepower to himself, Qin Hai smiled helplessly and said: "Director Ning, I'm just a small worker, how can I understand such big things? You're making it difficult for me."

  Ning Zhongying knew that Qin Hai was pretending to be stupid, so he glared at him and said: "I'm telling you to speak up, you're saying that Mayor Chai is a kind and approachable leader, are you still afraid that Mayor Chai will eat you?"

  Chai Peide was taken aback by the two men's behavior. He had some understanding of Ning Zhongying's style and knew that he must have a deep intention behind his actions, so he remained silent for the time being, waiting for Qin Hai to speak up.

  Qin Hai responded with a polite phrase, knowing that Ning Zhongying had brought him up to speak, so he sat up straight and said to Chai Peide: "Mayor Chai, Director Ning has asked me to express the thoughts of our workers. I'll take the liberty of representing some of our factory's workers to share our opinions. In my view, Qingfeng Agricultural Machinery Factory switching to produce washing machines is a dead end. If the county and city governments support this move, not only will Qingfeng Factory suffer a miserable defeat, but the county and city governments will also be dragged down, ending up in a situation where both the chicken and eggs are broken."

  "Oh? Your words are quite sensational, can you tell me why you think switching to washing machines is a big deal?" Chai Peide detected something unusual from Qin Hai's words and vaguely sensed that this driver was not simple. It's not that people who drive for a living can't have their own thoughts, but drivers who can speak with such logic are rare in today's society.

  Qin Hai had once discussed his views on the transfer of washing machines with Ning Zhongying, and now he was just reiterating his previous point. When Qin Hai made a comprehensive judgment about the macroeconomic situation, Chai Peide's face showed surprise, and he turned to look at Ning Zhongying, only to find that Ning Zhongying had given him a meaningful glance.

  This old fox, where did he find such an excellent young man and still pretend to be a driver in front of me? Chai Peide secretly scolded Ning Zhongying in his heart.

  "These are my views on the issue of Qingfeng Factory's conversion to washing machines. If there is anything inappropriate, please correct me, Mayor Chai." Qin Hai concluded his explanation with these words.

  "Comrade Xiao Qin, which school did you graduate from?" Chai Peide couldn't help but ask.

  "Provincial Agricultural Machinery Technical School." Qin Hai said.

  "What major are you studying?"

  "Cast."

  "Foundry?" Chubby asked in surprise, "Those who study foundry, how can they know so many things?"

  Ning Zhongying said: "Don't worry about this, Mayor Chai. Do you think what Xiao Qin said makes sense?"

  Chai Peide, after all, is a vice mayor. How could he possibly make a statement about the management decision of a subordinate enterprise in front of a young worker? He smiled and said: "What Comrade Xiao Qin said, of course, also has some reason. However, Comrade Xiao Qin's point of view only says that the washing machine market may become saturated and a more severe competitive environment will appear. But since it is competition, apart from losers, there must be winners. Why can't Qingfeng Agricultural Machinery Factory be the winner?"

  Qin Hai Dao said: "By the same token, why can't Qingfeng Agricultural Machinery Factory be a loser?"

  "This should be a matter of course, shouldn't it?" Chai Peide said, unperturbed by Qin Hai's rebuke.

  Qin Hai Dao said: "In business operations, stability is a very important decision-making principle. Qingfeng Agricultural Machinery Factory has nearly a thousand employees and their families. Once this decision goes wrong, the livelihood of thousands of people will become a big problem. At that time, not to mention Pingyuan County, can Beixi City afford it?"

  "What do you think we should do then?" Chai Peide asked back.

  Qin Hai smiled and said, "In my humble opinion, since Director Wei is so optimistic about the washing machine project, the city should let him form a separate team to promote this project, rather than tying Qingfeng Factory to his chariot. If he succeeds, it's possible to merge Qingfeng Factory in the future. If not, at least the men and women of Qingfeng Factory can still make a living. Mayor Chai, what do you think?"

  As soon as these words came out, Chai Peide couldn't help but want to applaud. Qin Hai's words pierced a layer of window paper that everyone had neglected, which is that since Wei Baolin decided to completely abandon the traditional agricultural machinery business, and there was no necessary connection between these businesses and washing machines, why did he have to use Qingfeng Factory as a carrier to make washing machines?

  Qingfeng Factory has been losing money for two years, and it seems that changing production is the only way out. But Chai Peide knew that Qingfeng Factory's losses were largely due to Wei Baolin's reckless management. If Qingfeng Factory could focus on a few products and work hard to improve quality, at least it wouldn't have fallen into such a state.

  As for the matter of switching to washing machines, even without Ning Zhongying and Qin Hai's advice, Chai Peide was inclined to oppose it. The domestic competition situation mentioned by Qin Hai was also understood by Chai Peide, who knew some places even better than Qin Hai did. Four cities in the province had already launched new washing machine projects, resulting in a severe shortage of silicon steel sheets for making washing machine motors. Chai Peide knew the vice mayors in charge of industry and finance in those cities and had heard them complain about this issue before.

  When the companies launched new projects, they were all ambitious, but when the raw materials supply was not available and the market could not be opened, they would only cry to the municipal government. At that time, the mayor became the person who wiped their buttocks for them. Chai Peide also wanted political achievements, but he really didn't have the habit of wiping other people's buttocks.

  Report on Qingfeng Factory's conversion to washing machine production has been submitted to Chai Peide from Pingyuan County. Pingyuan County is very enthusiastic about this matter, and County Magistrate Guo Ming personally came to the city twice to report, making it difficult for Chai Peide to express opposition. Qin Hai's words directly awakened Chai Peide from his dream, thinking that if Wei Baolin was so certain about the washing machine project, why not let him lead a team to do it himself? Is it necessary to drag Qingfeng Agricultural Machinery Factory down with them?

  If Wei Baolin were to do the washing machine project himself, he would probably not be able to make it work, but what does this have to do with Chai Peide? If they can free up Qingfeng Factory and pair it with a capable leader, who knows, maybe they really can turn losses into gains, which would greatly alleviate the pressure on the city.

  Chai Peide seemed to have understood this point, and his heart felt a little relieved. However, he didn't let this emotion show on his face, and instead continued to ask: "Xiao Qin, you said that Qingfeng Factory doesn't need to make washing machines to turn losses into profits, do you have some good method?"

  Chai Peide asked this question, which is to shut Qin Hai's mouth, and it is a way of ruling underlings. When your subordinate comes up with a good suggestion that solves your problem, you must not let him feel how much he has contributed, because this will make him self-inflate and become uncontrollable. The best approach is to give him an even bigger problem, so that he retreats in the face of difficulty, feels pessimistic about his own intelligence and emotional quotient, and looks up to the leader's ability with admiration.

  Who would have thought that Chai Peide's little trick wouldn't work on Qin Hai. In response to Chai Peide's question, Qin Hai replied bluntly: "I don't have any particularly good methods, but if you hand over the Qingfeng factory to me, turning losses into gains is at least not a difficult task."

  "What a big tone!" Chai Peide said with an exaggerated tone, "So many old comrades can't make Qingfeng Factory turn losses into profits, what kind of high trick do you have to achieve it?"

  Qin Hai was about to speak, but Ning Zhongying waved his hand and said: "Xiao Qin, I've almost finished reporting the things I need to tell Mayor Chai. You go ahead and drive to Xinhua Bookstore to pick up Xiao Jing, I'll stay here and chat with Mayor Chai for a bit, and when you get back, we'll head back to Pingyuan."

  "Yes!" Qin Hai knew that Ning Zhongying wanted him to step aside so he could discuss some secret matters with Chai Peide. He stood up, bid farewell to Chai Peide, and then left his office accompanied by Xu Yang.

  As the door closed, Chai Peide put away the dignity on his face and smiled at Ning Zhongying: "Old Ning, what are you singing for me? Where did you find this Qin Hai?"