bookrandom Chapter 425: Worker Cui Daqi's Fantasy
Chapter 425: Worker Cui Daqi's Fantasy
Cui Daqi said with emotion: "During the war, all the roads around Guangzhou were blocked. Now, the city is better. The trams are running, and goods can be transported, and people can also travel freely."
After hesitating for a while, Cui Daqi finally picked out a pack of Baochuan brand cigarettes from the cigarette box. The red was festive and the gold was elegant, like the best cigarettes that were only lit during the Chinese New Year. In fact, the cigarette factory was in the north of the city, just two blocks away from the bicycle factory where Cui Daqi worked.
He took out a few coins and handed them over: "Give me a pack."
The boy took the money swiftly, smiled, and pulled out a new package from the bottom of the box and handed it to him: "Here, sir, this is the real tax stamped stuff!"
"I know, I know." Old Song crossed his legs and tapped his pipe. "Who dares to evade taxes nowadays?"
Zhang Chi knew that as long as commerce flourished, commercial taxes and customs duties would be far more effective than collecting poll taxes. Rather than following the White Party's lead and collecting agricultural taxes until 2012, it would be better to tighten the screws on commercial taxes.
Therefore, the three most powerful departments in Yangon today are the police station, customs and tax bureau. The backbones of the three are veterans who have retired from the army, and they are truly elite soldiers.
Cui Daqi took it, tore open a corner of the paper wrapper, took out two cigarettes, and handed one to Lao Song: "Brother, try this machine-rolled cigarette."
Old Song put down his pipe, bit the filter-tipped cigarette, squinted his eyes and lit it: "Hmm, it's really good, better than the San Pao Tai we used to smoke, especially the filter, it's very fashionable!"
Seeing that the deal was done, the boy picked up the box and walked to the next stall, shouting as he walked: "Sir, do you want some cigarettes? They just arrived, they are authentic and not expensive."
The street light shone on his thin back, casting a long shadow.
The shadow shuttled between the night and the fireworks, like a small boat, swaying towards tomorrow in the prosperous streets of Yangon.
Soon after, the lights on the street corners began to light up. The evening breeze in Yangon still carried a hint of the daytime heat, but it was no longer as sweltering as it was at noon.
Cui Daqi finished his tofu pudding and almost finished smoking his cigarette. He burped, sat back on the bench, and continued to flip through the South China Morning Post he had just read halfway.
His eyes were fixed on one of the titles - "Summary of the First Month of Implementation of the Pilot Measures for Worker Protection", and his eyebrows could not help but raise slightly.
Cui Daqi looked down at the black and white lead type, muttering to himself, "Factories where conditions permit should uniformly distribute personal protective equipment to workers, including labor protection gloves and cotton dust masks... according to job requirements..."
The worker in his early thirties felt warmed at the sight of this. Being provided with a meal at noon, free cold tea and soda, etc., wasn't this what he had personally experienced in the factory recently?
"To be honest, although the work is important, it is a world of difference compared to when I was in Guangzhou." Cui Daqi sighed, his eyes shining.
At that time, I was working in a machine repair shop at the dock in Guangzhou. It was difficult to even have a hot meal. What I was most afraid of was the high temperature in the workshop. There was no electric fan. The sweat could soak my pants. When the lathe started, sparks flew and no one cared when it burned my face.
If an accident occurs, there is no compensation or protection, and the workers have to bear the consequences themselves.
But now here - in this new factory in Yangon, there are several large ceiling fans hanging on the ceiling of the workshop. Although it is not cool, at least people will not get heatstroke.
Every day at noon, not only can you get a meal, but you can also get a bottle of "soda" in a glass bottle or a cup of refreshing herbal tea. It doesn't have much sugar, but it is effective in quenching thirst.
Even the protective masks used by welders are distributed per person.
Although there are many rules and regulations, I can get my salary on time every month without any delays or arrears, and I also get subsidies for overtime work. This was something I could never have imagined in the past.
This round of trial measures for worker protection was naturally first proposed by Zhang Chi, improved by the administrative team, and first implemented by Nanhua Group companies.
Although doing so actually increases production costs, Zhang Chi knows that improving the working environment and increasing welfare benefits will be the unanimous choice of the red and blue camps in the future Cold War.
The only thing he could do was to strictly enforce tariff barriers to prevent dumping from destroying the nascent industrial system, and to use the People's Security Army to pressure private bosses to implement the pilot measures for workers' protection.
"The more rules there are, the better. It's better to have rules than to have chaos." He thought to himself with a satisfied smile on his face.
As he turned the page, he accidentally saw another short message, which was about a new air-conditioning factory built next to the Industrial Street. The technology was introduced from the School of Engineering of South China University. It was said that it could make a small house of 20 square meters as cool as late autumn even in the hot afternoon.
Cui Daqi couldn't help but touch his back. His blue short-sleeved uniform had been wet and dry, dry and wet for a long time.
"Tsk...if this air conditioner could be installed in our workshop, we would be living in heaven."
But then he thought again and shook his head. "How can the workshop get an air conditioner? The newspaper said that these things cost hundreds of dollars each and use more electricity than ceiling fans. Even if the factory is willing to spend the money, I'm afraid they still have to consider the power load."
He smiled and said, "But it's not a fantasy to install one in my own room in the future."
He had already calculated that for a skilled welder like him, saving twenty dollars a month would not be a problem with his current salary.
In a few years, maybe I can really buy a side house in a large courtyard in the city.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a little small, as long as it has good ventilation, water and electricity, and an air conditioner, with a cool breeze blowing, you can lie on the bed, read the South China Morning Post, drink soda, and listen to the radio. That would be a life that even gods would envy.
Thinking of this, he folded the newspaper, stuffed it carefully into his bag, patted the cigarette box, stood up and walked towards the dormitory.
On the road, a "Feige" brand human-powered tricycle, which was obviously produced by their bicycle factory, passed by with a clanging sound. Cui Daqi was jealous and thought, why not buy a bicycle produced by their factory first?
The evening breeze made his short-sleeved uniform puff up, making him feel refreshed. He walked steadily, as if every step was on the road to the future.
"It's worth sweating a little for tomorrow."
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"I don't understand, is this kind of publicity really useful?" Xiao Qi asked with a pout in the office.
Looking at the somewhat confused Xiao Qi, Zhang Chi laughed heartily and said:
"That's all propaganda. The Natuna Islands have been documented in ancient books since the Song Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, the eunuch Zheng He used it as a logistics station and transit point for supplies during his voyages to the West. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese fishermen, merchants, and even pirates operated in the surrounding waters and on the islands."
"I understand. It's been around since ancient times." Xiao Qi nodded. "But does this really help boost everyone's morale?"