Chapter 609
: Generous Reward
Chapter 609 Generous Rewards (4000 words)
For the people of the provincial capital, 1996 was a watershed year.
The first half of the year was filled with anxiety and rumors, but since August, the dust and smoke brought by infrastructure construction have been a clarion call for take-off.
One floor is built every day, and construction sites provide a large number of jobs. As long as you are willing to work hard, you will not have to worry about making a living.
What Northeastern men have no shortage of is their strength.
In early September, the first Pangdonglai Plaza in the country opened on North Second Road in the provincial capital. While the interior decoration was underway, the recruitment process officially began.
This recruitment includes 4000 positions.
The management team is responsible for business development, marketing, property management, etc. Some of them were transferred from the original Pang Donglai Supermarket, and another 16 people were recruited from outside.
After undergoing rigorous screening by Pang Donglai, some of the merchants who move in need to recruit 3200 staff members, including waiters, sales assistants, and shop assistants.
The Pangdonglai Supermarket in Pangdonglai Plaza occupies a very large area and needs to recruit 180 sales assistants.
Everyone knows that Pang Donglai Supermarket offers good benefits, so when the recruitment information was released, the recruitment site was packed with job seekers.
On the other side of the recruitment site, decoration companies were vying for plaza decoration orders.
Pangdonglai Plaza only provides basic decoration services. If the merchants need personalized decoration, they need to negotiate with the decoration company themselves.
Wang Shuxiang stood in front of Pangdonglai Square, looking at the lively scene, feeling a surge of pride. She raised the corners of her mouth high and put her hands on her hips.
Look! This is the empire we built ourselves!
"Old Lin, isn't this much more useful than your old rope-wielding bureau chief? Hahahaha."
Old Lin...
"Don't get too cocky, you're laughing like a goose. You've invested so much in building this shopping mall, what if you can't break even? How will you face your employees, Mr. Wang?"
Wang Shuxiang glanced at him sideways: "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. People really can't make money outside their understanding. You have no idea about the situation at all. The Tie Nan District is about to take off!"
There were many onlookers near Pangdonglai Square. Some were just passing by, while others had come specifically after work.
Upon hearing Wang Shuxiang's words, they all echoed her sentiments.
"Yes, that's right. The forestry district said in the news that the 8 million yuan from the land sale will be used entirely for the construction of the Tienan District and the welfare of the company's employees."
"The forestry workers are true men; they keep their word. She has never broken her promise. If she says she will guarantee the pension and medical care for laid-off workers, then she will definitely do it."
“Our neighbor’s No. 1 wool textile factory has long been insolvent. Liming Group wants to acquire it, but doesn’t want to take in the laid-off workers. This has worried my aunt so much that her hair has turned white. Now it’s all right, everyone knows that land is valuable, and it’s impossible for Liming Group to acquire the wool textile factory at such a low price! Either they pay more, or they have to wait for the government to relocate them.”
land?
Wang Shuxiang was particularly sensitive to this word and asked curiously, "How much did the Liming Group offer?"
The worker who spoke scoffed, "Money? If he were that willing to pay, wouldn't he have already acquired it? The Dawn Group is just waiting for the First Wool Textile Factory to go bankrupt so they can offer a zero-asset transfer."
Wang Shuxiang asked in surprise, "Zero-asset transfer? What does that mean?"
With his hands in his pockets and gritting his teeth, the worker said, "He won't pay any money, he'll just take over the factory's debts and personnel, and take over all the equipment, buildings, and land. He also thinks there are too many employees, and is only willing to pay 30 yuan to buy the right to use the equipment, buildings, and land, but only wants one-third of the employees."
"Holy crap! Isn't this like getting something for nothing? That's too ruthless!" Wang Shuxiang's eyes widened.
I've learned something new; capitalists are really cunning.
The people around chimed in, saying, "It's just a case of getting something for nothing. The First Wool Textile Factory may have some old equipment, but it has a large area! Fortunately, the workers are united and refused to agree to the Liming Group's conditions, and finally, they saw the light at the end of the tunnel."
"That's because the forestry district came just in time! We almost agreed back then, but as soon as they arrived, they set up a pilot enterprise, which rekindled everyone's confidence!"
"Yes, yes! The forest area is a savior sent by God. With her here, the Tie Nan District will only get better and better."
Hearing the heartfelt praise from the people, Wang Shuxiang and Lao Lin felt a sweet warmth in their hearts, proud of their daughter.
Time flew by and it was early December when the first batch of high-end residential communities in Shenyang was officially completed, with a total of 1200 units, and they were about to be put on the market.
Pangdonglai Plaza is all ready and has chosen an auspicious day to officially open to the public.
The cold wind from Northeast China cut like a knife on the face, but everyone in Liaoyang Province had their eyes fixed intently on the former industrial ruins in the Tienan District.
On that newly leveled land, a commercial complex called Pangdonglai Plaza is in trial operation, next to which is the newly topped-out high-end residential community, Tienan Xinyuan.
Such a high level of attention is because everyone in the province knows that this is the first "test field" for the policy of paid land transfer.
If this place doesn't become popular, and no one buys houses or shops, then the whole "moving east and building west" strategy might fail completely, and those banks, developers, and merchants who are still observing will immediately back down.
Provincial leaders are waiting for news, city officials are waiting for data, and even the former factory directors who have already moved to the development zone are privately inquiring about what's going on here.
The district finance bureau chief's blood pressure has spiked these past few days, and he's been glued to the daily reports every day.
The executive deputy district head didn't say it, but he was also very nervous.
If this pilot program fails and land prices continue to fall, it will not only hinder relocation and construction efforts, but also severely damage morale throughout the province. The province's enterprise reform efforts will suffer a major setback.
In December, the weather in Tienan is so cold that your ears can freeze off, but long queues formed at the sales office of Tienan Xinyuan as early as 4 a.m.
People, young and old, were wrapped in military overcoats, wearing cotton-padded jackets, and carrying bankbooks in their pockets. They were breathing out white breaths, stamping their feet, but their eyes were shining brightly.
The first person on the list was a man in his fifties who used to be the workshop director of a motor factory in the provincial capital. After being laid off, he did some small business and saved up some money.
“I trust District Chief Lin,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “The factories she ordered to relocate survived. The residential complexes she commissioned to be built will definitely be worthwhile!”
At 9:00 AM sharp, the sales office doors opened, and a huge crowd surged in. The model was packed with people, and the floor plans were snapped up instantly.
The salesman shouted through a megaphone: "Everything below the fifth floor is sold out!"
"Only two units remain on the east side!"
Long queues formed at the deposit payment area, with some people slamming entire stacks of cash on the table and counting them out in tens of thousands. In less than half a day, 80% of the first batch of 200 apartments were sold. When the news reached the district government, everyone nearly jumped out of their chairs.
The average price of 2,200 yuan per square meter is 300 yuan higher than expected.
Houses are selling like hotcakes here, and the Pangdonglai Plaza is packed with people.
On the first day of the trial operation, the entrance to the square was already packed with people at 7:30 a.m.
People from Tienan District, Heping District, and even those who came all the way from Fushun and Liaoyang surrounded the square in layers.
The security guards formed a human wall, holding hands, and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Don't push! Don't push!"
But the crowds still surged in like a tide.
As soon as the doors opened, the crowd surged in like a burst dam. The shopping carts in the first-floor supermarket were instantly snatched up. Some people were struggling to move forward in the crowd while pushing their carts, so they simply abandoned their carts and squeezed in with their shopping baskets.
In the vegetable section, fresh meat section, and cooked food section, there were long queues of more than ten meters in front of each counter.
An older woman bought five bottles of peanut oil in one go, saying as she loaded them into her shopping cart, "This is much cheaper than our lousy vegetable market! And it's cleaner too!"
An old man next to him chimed in, "That's right! Before, you had to walk two miles just to buy soy sauce, but now it's so convenient, you can get anything you want!"
Long queues formed at the cash registers in the second-floor department store area, with at least thirty people in each line.
The third-floor dining area was packed, with customers waiting in front of every restaurant.
Some people were standing and eating a bowl of spicy hot pot, while others were sitting on the stairs with their children, eating hamburgers.
The most impressive thing was the supermarket's cashier data; the sales on the first day broke the historical record for commerce in this area.
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, General Manager Pang Donglai looked down at the sea of people below and turned to Wang Shuxiang beside him, saying, "Sister-in-law, we came to the right place. District Chief Lin gave us the right directions."
Wang Shuxiang smiled as she looked out the window at the crowd of people, sweating profusely but full of excitement. She recalled that just a few months ago, this place was a dilapidated factory overgrown with weeds.
The wind blew from Jianshe Avenue, making the colorful flags at the square entrance flutter in the wind.
December has never been so lively in Tienan.
The booming success of the pilot commercial district relocation project in Tienan District quickly ignited a nationwide media frenzy.
The Dongguk Ilbo published a lengthy front-page article titled "From 'Industrial Rust Belt' to 'Commercial Pearl': A Chronicle of the Compensated Land Transfer Reform in the Provincial Capital's South District."
The Tiexi old industrial area, once filled with towering chimneys and roaring machines, is now transformed by rotating cranes and bustling shopping malls. The strategic use of land value increments has provided the old industrial base with the key to its phoenix-like rebirth.
The article specifically points out that the plan of revitalizing more than 500 billion yuan of existing assets in Tienan District through "relocation to the east and construction to the west" has achieved initial results, providing a vivid example for the transformation of old industrial bases across the country.
The Economic Daily published a commentary titled "A Piece of Land Activates a City".
The article states that [the practice in Tienan District eloquently proves that under the socialist market economy, land is not only a factor of production but also a crucial lever for driving regional economic transformation. Without increasing the burden on provincial finances, the district has achieved self-balancing and sustainable development through land transfer fees, forging a new path of 'relying on reform rather than subsidies.']
The article also highly praised the pioneering and innovative spirit of the Tienan District in its reform efforts.
The Liaoyang Daily even published a series of reports on its front page for three consecutive days, with the titles "North Second Road Bids Farewell to 'Loss-Making Street'", "Pang Donglai Ignites a Consumption Boom", and "People of Tie Nan: Our Lives Are Getting Brighter and Brighter". The articles were filled with heartfelt joy at the achievements of the reforms.
In an instant, praise poured in from the central government to local authorities, from party newspapers to radio stations.
The successful pilot program in Tienan District provides valuable experience for the whole country, especially for the three old provinces.
Who knew land could be used in so many ways!
No wonder Lin Xiaohe's words on corporate reform were so sharp back then, because if you take the value of land into account, those previous bankruptcies and acquisitions were really huge losses!
In an instant, the bankruptcy acquisition of factories across the country all had to go through the process again and be re-evaluated.
Insolvent? Did you include the factory's land in the calculation?
Management buyout? How much would they offer? Goodness, could that even buy a third of the land use rights?
Previously, company employees didn't understand asset appraisal and just believed whatever others said. But now, with such a large piece of land sitting there, everyone has a general idea of how much it's worth.
Acquiring assets with zero assets is no longer an option.
……
On the mountain, the elderly people smiled broadly.
"Hey, this girl actually pulled it off. Looks like it's time to loosen up the housing market."
"Hahaha, a lot of people are furious behind her back, but they can't do anything about this girl. You have to admit, this girl has a bit of luck on her side."
"The implication is that since Lin Xiaohe was able to open up the situation through land sales, other counties and cities can refer to this approach and postpone management buyouts."
It's not about prohibiting management buyouts, but about improving the acquisition process, strengthening supervision, and ensuring the well-being of laid-off workers.
The days of picking up factories for free are over and will never happen again.
The former leaders carefully reviewed Lin Xiaohe's materials, including her speeches at Changhong Group, articles published in internal reference publications, and speeches to the cadre team.
Even her unintentional words were analyzed and scrutinized word by word.
An elderly man who once spearheaded industrial development tapped his finger on a piece of paper: "Lin Xiaohe said that starting this year, our country would shift from exporting to importing oil. Judging from the new data in December, her words have come true."
A look of shock flashed across everyone's eyes.
The silver-haired female cadre's lips trembled slightly: "If I remember correctly, Lin Xiaohe's educational background and social connections did not involve the petroleum industry."
Is it possible for people to be born with innate knowledge?
Isn't Lin Xiaohe's level of precision a bit too exaggerated?
Every step she took was on the line, like dancing on a knife's edge; one wrong step and she would lose everything.
But upon closer examination, there is indeed something to say about Lin Xiaohe.