met free Chapter 1512 Battle for Dingqing Tower
Chapter 1512 Battle for Dingqing Tower
Chapter 1512 Battle for Dingqing Tower
In just six months, thanks to Manager Tang's series of bizarre actions, Dingqinglou was thrown into chaos, causing widespread resentment and business failure. Many long-time employees were also suffering greatly.
Li Xiaozhen, the accountant, was extremely anxious watching the numbers in the ledgers steadily decline. She had suggested to Manager Tang several times that they revert to the previous purchasing method. Each time, Manager Tang would reply with a forced smile, "Accountant Li, that's company policy. Just keep your accounts in mind."
That afternoon, Manager Tang called Li Xiaozhen into his office.
Li Xiaozhen assumed it was about reconciling accounts again, so she took the ledger and went inside. But as soon as she entered, Manager Tang closed the door and locked it from the inside.
"Manager Tang, what are you doing?" Li Xiaozhen became wary.
Manager Tang walked over with a smile, his face bulging with fat: "Accountant Li, how many years have you been working at Dingqinglou?"
“Thirteen years.” Li Xiaozhen took a step back.
“Thirteen years, you’re a long-time employee.” Manager Tang leaned forward again. “You see, Dingqing Restaurant isn’t doing well right now, and the higher-ups might be laying off staff. You’re a long-time employee, so I definitely have to take care of you. But…”
His hand suddenly landed on Li Xiaozhen's shoulder and slid down her shoulder: "You need to be sensible."
Li Xiaozhen froze, a surge of anger rising within her. She slapped Manager Tang's hand away and glared at him, saying, "Manager Tang, please have some self-respect!"
Instead of getting angry, Manager Tang smiled and leaned forward, saying, "Accountant Li, your husband is working independently out there, and I heard he's drowning in debt. If you're sensible, I guarantee you'll have this accountant position firmly in your grasp. If you're not..."
His hand reached out again, this time directly touching Li Xiaozhen's buttocks.
Li Xiaozhen could no longer hold back. She raised her hand and, with a loud "slap," delivered a resounding blow to Manager Tang's face!
The slap was crisp and loud, echoing in the small office.
Manager Tang covered his face, stunned by the blow.
"Hey, you surnamed Tang, I'm done!"
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Li Xiaozhen opened the door and rushed out. She ran through the corridor, through the lobby, and only stopped at the entrance of Dingqing Tower.
Behind him, Manager Tang chased to the door, covered his cheek, and spat on the ground: "Pah! A woman in her thirties, does she really think she's got some looks? It's a compliment to make a move on you!"
He rubbed his burning cheek and sneered, "But this slap was worth it. Once I replace the accountant with my own people, I'll decide how much Dingqing Tower is worth."
Contracting it out? That's too much trouble! You'd have to keep paying contract fees to the higher-ups. From the very beginning, he had made up his mind to turn Dingqing Tower into his private property. First, contract it out, then slowly resell it, and finally put it under his own name. He had done this kind of thing more than once.
Li Xiaozhen stood at the entrance of Dingqing Tower, panting heavily. A fire of anger burned within her, making her tremble all over.
She subconsciously turned around and looked at the signboard—the three large characters "Dingqinglou" gleamed dimly in the setting sun. The plaque, inscribed by Xu Shichang, was a century-old brand, the culmination of Old Master Cui's life's work.
As she watched, she gradually calmed down.
This departure not only meant losing a job, but also losing her secure livelihood. Although the rumors of state-owned enterprise reform are growing stronger, the phrase "secure livelihood" still carries immense weight in the minds of her generation.
And she's worked here for thirteen years, from a young woman in her early twenties to now being in her late thirties. Her youth, sweat, and emotions are all left here. What can she do after she leaves?
But she'd already made the threats. That bastard surnamed Tang dared to touch her butt! She wanted nothing more than to chop that old bastard into mincemeat! Just looking at him made her feel disgusted! Go back and apologize to him? Impossible! Absolutely not!
She stood at the doorway, caught in a dilemma.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the other end: "Sister-in-law?"
Li Xiaozhen looked up and saw Qin Hao.
"Sister-in-law, you're still at get off work at this hour?" Qin Hao glanced at his watch; it was 4:30 PM. "Is something wrong at home?"
Li Xiaozhen tried to force a nonchalant smile, but found she couldn't manage it. Her lips twitched, looking more like a grimace. She could only manage a bitter laugh: "I quit."
Qin Hao was taken aback for a moment, then frowned: "What's going on, sister-in-law? Did that guy surnamed Tang give you a hard time?"
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to rush in and fight Manager Tang to the death.
Seeing this, Li Xiaozhen quickly pulled him back: "Ji Qiang! Don't be impulsive!"
"Sister-in-law, don't stop me! That bastard bullied you, I won't let him get away with it!" Qin Hao pretended to rush inside.
"Ji Qiang!" Li Xiaozhen grabbed him tightly, her eyes reddening. "I'm already very grateful that you have this intention. There's no need to ruin yourself for such scum. Have you forgotten how Huo Dongfeng got into trouble? Don't let a moment of impulse ruin your life!"
Qin Hao finally stopped, but he still looked unconvinced, his chest heaving.
He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Sister-in-law, you're right. Giving that old bastard a beating is too lenient on him."
Li Xiaozhen looked at him, not knowing what he meant.
Qin Hao lowered his voice and said seriously, "Isn't Dingqinglou currently contracted out? Let's cooperate, take over Dingqinglou, and get that bastard out of here!"
Upon hearing this, Li Xiaozhen's eyes lit up.
If she could really take over Dingqinglou, she wouldn't have to resign or lose her secure job. Plus, she could get rid of that bastard and vent her anger!
but……
“The contracting fee isn’t cheap,” Li Xiaozhen frowned. “It’s 25 yuan a year.”
Qin Hao waved his hand confidently: "Sister-in-law, you don't need to worry about the money. I've saved over 100,000 yuan in the past two years, and Huo Dongfeng and Hongwei can contribute some more. If all else fails, we can borrow some more from others, and we'll be able to raise the money."
He paused, looking at the signboard of Dingqinglou, his tone becoming serious: "We can't watch the old man's life's work be wasted by this grandson surnamed Tang."
Li Xiaozhen fell silent.
She had actually considered taking over Dingqinglou. In the past six months, although her husband's processing workshop had done well, a considerable amount of money was still outstanding. Their clients were all factories, with long payment cycles, often three to six months late. Their savings were simply not enough.
But Qin Hao is different. In the past six months, he opened three more cake shops, and business is booming. It's said that he makes a net profit of twenty to thirty thousand yuan every month, which is definitely within his financial means.
"I'll chip in the rest of the money!" Li Xiaozhen gritted her teeth and made up her mind: "I'll go back and get the family savings, and we'll work together!"
Qin Hao extended his hand: "Then it's settled. I'll discuss it with Huo Dongfeng and Hongwei right away. Let's raise the funds as soon as possible and sign the contract before that guy surnamed Tang does."
"Okay!" Li Xiaozhen grasped his hand and shook it vigorously: "It's settled then!"
……
In the factory's kitchen, Huo Dongfeng and Hongwei were busy making cakes. The oven hummed, and the whole room smelled of milk.
Qin Hao pushed open the door and called the two to the rest area. He got straight to the point and said, "I have something to discuss with you. I'm planning to take over Dingqing Restaurant."
Huo Dongfeng and Hongwei exchanged a glance, both completely bewildered.
Huo Dongfeng wiped the flour off his hands and asked in confusion, "Brother, our cake shop is doing just fine, making a steady profit every month. Why would we want to contract a restaurant? We don't understand that stuff."
Qin Hao said unhurriedly, "When it comes to business, as long as you make money from buying and selling, what difference does it make what you do? A cake shop is a cake shop, and a restaurant is a restaurant; they don't conflict."
Hongwei was somewhat worried: "But I see that Dingqinglou's business is getting worse day by day. And the annual lease fee is 25 yuan. Isn't the risk too great?"
Qin Hao sneered, "If Dingqinglou's business were getting better every day, would the higher-ups still have contracted it out? This is just a trick by Fatty Tang, passing the money around between his own hands. If I'm not mistaken, even the 25 yuan contract fee was his idea. It's all to raise the bar and exclude competitors!"
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at Dingqinglou not far away: "As long as we take over Dingqinglou and bring back the head chef who used to be in charge, many old customers will still recognize the Dingqinglou brand. After all, they have been eating there for more than ten years and have an emotional attachment to it."
Hongwei subconsciously looked at Huo Dongfeng. He always followed his "big brother's" lead; if Huo Dongfeng said to do something, he would do it; if Huo Dongfeng didn't do something, he wouldn't do it either.
Huo Dongfeng remained silent, sitting there without saying a word.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Qin Hao changed the subject and started to appeal to his emotions: "Old Huo, I was in a daze and mentally challenged state for ten years. It was Grandpa Cui who took care of me for ten years, bringing me food every day and quilts in winter. That's how I got to where I am today. Dingqinglou is Grandpa Cui's life's work. He's been running the shop since he was an apprentice at sixteen. No matter what, I can't just stand by and watch Dingqinglou be ruined by that grandson of the Tang family."
He looked at Huo Dongfeng and said seriously, "If you don't want to do it, I won't force you. I'll talk to Miss Yang about it later. She's rich and knows how to run a business, so she should be willing to cooperate."
As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Dongfeng's body trembled, and he slammed his hand on the table. With a "bang," the flour on the table jumped up.
"Let's do it!" Huo Dongfeng stood up, his eyes wide open. "Who said we wouldn't? We have to do it!"
Speaking of gratitude, Huo Dongfeng could never repay the kindness of Old Master Cui in his entire life. He was just worried about not having a chance to repay the old man. Now that an opportunity had finally come to him, he wouldn't even flinch, even if it meant going through fire and water, let alone just investing some money.
Seeing that Huo Dongfeng was willing to do it, Hongwei immediately agreed: "Then I'll do it too! I still have 30,000 here, take it all out! Just leave me 500 for food!"
Huo Dongfeng was even more decisive. He took out the money he had saved for a year and a half—a total of 40,000 yuan. This money was originally intended for buying a house. He had already planned to buy a two-bedroom apartment once he had saved enough money, bring Erpang back from Grandpa Cui's house, and the two of them would live together. This was also the reason why he hadn't brought it up before.
But now, buying a house can be postponed. The old man's affairs must take precedence.
Qin Hao calculated: "I have 150,000, plus Lao Huo's 40,000 and Hongwei's 30,000, for a total of 220,000. I'm still short 30,000."
Huo Dongfeng frowned: "Not much difference. Shall I borrow some from Ermei?"
"No." Qin Hao shook his head: "We can't use Ermei's money. I'll think of another way."
……
Meanwhile, Li Xiaozhen returned home, went straight to her bedroom, and pulled out the savings book hidden deep inside the cabinet.
Cui Guomin was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper when he saw his wife's expression. He looked puzzled and asked, "Isn't this the money we've been saving for our future? What are you doing with it? What happened?"
Li Xiaozhen hesitated for a moment. She was worried that her husband might act impulsively and go to confront Manager Tang. So she omitted the fact that Manager Tang had taken advantage of her, and only said that Manager Tang had been making things difficult for her, and she couldn't stand it anymore, so she had a big fight with him and quit.
“I happened to run into Ji Qiang, who said he wanted to take over Dingqinglou and asked if I would like to work with him,” Li Xiaozhen said. “I thought about it and felt it was an opportunity, so I agreed.”
Cui Guomin didn't suspect anything. He put down the newspaper and asked, "Isn't Ji Qiang's cake shop doing quite well? Why are you suddenly interested in Dingqinglou?"
Li Xiaozhen glared at him and said irritably, "That's why Ji Qiang is so grateful. He couldn't bear to see our dad's life's work ruined by Fatty Tang. I've seen our dad pass by the entrance of Dingqinglou several times, standing there for a long time, and that back view... it looked so lonely."
Choi Kookmin remained silent.
He had seen it before. His father stood at the entrance of Dingqing Tower, his back hunched, staring at the old plaque for a long time. He knew what his father was thinking—it was his life's work, and now it had been ruined like that; it pained him.
"Yes, Ji Qiang is indeed a kind person." Cui Guomin nodded.
Li Xiaozhen opened the passbook and looked at the balance: "It's a pity that we only have 20,000 left. We just paid back the money you borrowed to buy equipment a few months ago, and we haven't received the money in the account yet. I don't know if it will be enough."
Cui Guomin thought for a moment and said, "If that's not enough, I still have a few clients who owe me money. I'll go and urge them to pay."
"No rush, let me meet with Ji Qiang tomorrow and we'll talk about it then."
……
The next day, Qin Hao and Li Xiaozhen met at the cake shop and pooled their money to calculate their accounts.
Qin Hao: "I have 150,000 here."
Li Xiaozhen: "I only have 20,000 here."
Qin Hao frowned: "Adding Lao Huo's 40,000 and Hongwei's 30,000, the total is 240,000. We're still short 10,000."
Li Xiaozhen panicked: "The deadline for the contract application is just around the corner, where am I going to get 10,000 yuan? Maybe... I should go ask the old man..."
Qin Hao touched his nose and interrupted her, "Then don't bother asking the old man. He's invested all his money in my cake shop, and he hasn't paid back the 50,000 yuan he borrowed from me last time. He won't have any money left to borrow from him again."
Li Xiaozhen was at a loss: "Then what should we do?"
Qin Hao thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Why don't you ask Sister Zhou and the others if they'd like to contribute this money? They're all long-time employees of Dingqinglou. If Dingqinglou gets contracted out, they can keep their jobs. We can share the profits and all be bosses together!"
Li Xiaozhen's eyes lit up: "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! I'll go find Sister Zhou and the others right now!"
After leaving the cake shop, Li Xiaozhen headed straight for Dingqinglou.
It was a little past three in the afternoon, and there were no customers in the shop. Sister Zhou and the other waitresses were all sitting dejectedly in the corner, waiting to get off work. When they saw Li Xiaozhen come in, they all looked up.
"Xiao Zhen, what brings you here?" Sister Zhou asked.
Li Xiaozhen walked over and briefly recounted the events in a low voice. She explained everything from Manager Tang's actions to her resignation, Qin Hao's proposal to contract Dingqinglou, and the fact that they were still short 10,000 yuan.
When they first heard that they needed to raise money, everyone looked troubled.
These days, even though reform and opening up have begun, ordinary people still don't have much money. Many factories have been struggling financially in the last two years, and some couples have gone from dual-income households to single-income households, leaving their families already struggling. The little money they save is reserved for emergencies; they dare not touch it easily.
Seeing that no one was saying anything, Li Xiaozhen felt a chill in her heart.
Just as she was feeling disappointed, Sister Zhou stood up.
"I'll offer five thousand!" Sister Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
Everyone looked at her. Five thousand yuan was no small sum. Sister Zhou, a waitress, only earned a little over three hundred yuan a month; how long would it take her to save five thousand?
Facing everyone's gaze, Sister Zhou slowly said, "Back when Grandpa Cui was alive, how prestigious was our Dingqing Restaurant? The queue stretched all the way across the street, and customers had to make reservations in advance. When we worked at Dingqing Restaurant, many people looked up to us."
She pointed out the window, her voice rising with emotion: "Look at the state of things now! There are hardly any customers all day long. We're just sitting here like retirees waiting for the workday to end. And that guy surnamed Tang keeps deducting bonuses and scolding people. I've figured it out, he's never been kind to us!"
She paused, then continued, "Right now it's a contract, but what's next? Next, Dingqinglou will be under the Tang family's control! Then we'll all become contract workers, and he can fire whoever he wants and deduct wages from us whenever he wants. Rather than that, we might as well pool our money and become our own bosses!"
These words really struck a chord with everyone.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Mr. Tang is the manager, sent from above; he has no right to fire any permanent employee. They have "iron rice bowls" (guaranteed jobs). But once they become contract workers, they become fish on a chopping block, completely at the mercy of others.
“Then I’ll pay a thousand!” a young waiter stood up.
"I'll offer two thousand." Another one.
"I'll contribute a thousand too," several waiters chimed in.
Li Xiaozhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She took out paper and pen and wrote down the amount each person contributed. The total came to over eight thousand.
Just then, she noticed that Zhang Xiaomei had been sitting in the corner without saying a word.
Li Xiaozhen gave her a wink.
Zhang Xiaomei hesitated and said, "Sister-in-law, you know our family's situation. Hailong only earns a meager fixed salary each month, and we have to raise our child. We really don't have any spare money..."
Li Xiaozhen frowned.
Zhang Xiaomei's family was both employed; Zhao Hailong worked in a machinery factory, and Zhang Xiaomei herself worked as a waitress at Dingqinglou Restaurant. Together, they earned over 600 yuan a month, which was a decent income in the 1990s. So, after all these years, they had no savings? Either Zhang Xiaomei was a spendthrift, spending every penny she earned each month, or they didn't trust her and were unwilling to spend money.
"Okay, then think about it some more."
Soon, employees were willing to contribute the remaining two thousand, so Li Xiaozhen didn't say anything more and put the list away.
After leaving Dingqing Tower, Li Xiaozhen walked quickly back to the cake shop.
……
Li Xiaozhen's high-profile efforts to recruit Dingqinglou employees as shareholders and prepare to take over Dingqinglou did not escape the notice of Fatty Tang.
That afternoon, Fatty Tang learned that Li Xiaozhen was going to participate in the bidding for the contract.
He sat in his office, listened to his informant's report, and smiled dismissively.
"Naive." He picked up his teacup and took a slow sip. "Does he really think that money can buy a state-owned restaurant? How naive."
Although Li Xiaozhen was a long-time employee of Dingqinglou and was indeed qualified to participate in the contracting, the decision of who got the contract wasn't made by the employees below, but by the leaders above.
The reason he was able to take over Old Master Cui's job was, of course, because he had connections at higher levels. That leader had received a considerable amount of bribes from him. When it came to contracts, even if Li Xiaozhen had a million, she couldn't compete with him if he just asked.
"Let her do whatever she wants." Fatty Tang put down his teacup. "The more she stirs things up, the harder she'll fall."
……
However, to Tang Pangzi's surprise, when he went to the higher-level department to submit the contract, he found that Li Xiaozhen had also arrived.
Not only did she come, but Grandpa Cui came too!
Old Master Cui was wearing a faded Zhongshan suit, his hair neatly combed, and his back ramrod straight. He stood next to Li Xiaozhen, talking to a leader. That leader was none other than the superior of Tang Pangzi's backer!
Fatty Tang's smile froze on his face.
When Li Xiaozhen saw him, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly. That smile held a hint of smugness, but also a touch of sarcasm.
She recalled what Qin Hao had said yesterday: "Sister-in-law, we can't do it on our own. We need to ask the old man for help. He's worked at Dingqing Restaurant his whole life and knows the people there. His words carry a different weight."
At the time, she was still somewhat skeptical. Now it seems Qin Hao was right. With the old man standing there, even the leaders gave him some face.
"Master Cui... Master Cui." Fatty Tang forced a smile as he approached, "What brings you here?"
Old Master Cui glanced at him and said indifferently, "What? Can't I come? I'm retired, but my daughter-in-law is still working at Dingqinglou. I have to keep an eye on her affairs."
The smile on Fatty Tang's face froze even more.
The leader glanced at Old Master Cui, then at Fatty Tang, his brow furrowing slightly. He turned to Old Master Cui, speaking politely, "Master Cui, rest assured, we will handle this matter fairly and justly. As for the contract, we will award it to whoever has the best terms and the best plans for the future of Dingqing Restaurant."
Grandpa Cui nodded, took out an envelope from his pocket, and handed it over: "This is our contracting application, along with a detailed business plan. Please take a look."
The leader took the envelope, opened it, and looked at it with a surprised expression: "Wow, you're quite well prepared. The source of funding, staffing, and business strategy are all clearly stated. And you, Master Cui, are personally serving as an advisor?"
"I wouldn't call myself an advisor," Old Master Cui waved his hand. "I just can't bear to part with the Dingqinglou brand, so I wanted to help keep an eye on it."
The leader nodded and put the envelope away: "Okay, we'll look into it. We'll get back to you by next Monday."
Fatty Tang stood to the side, his face turning green.
He never expected that Old Master Cui would personally intervene. He also never expected that Li Xiaozhen and the others would be so well-prepared. His contract only contained a few simple lines, with no plan whatsoever.
As she stepped out the door, Li Xiaozhen couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Dad, you're amazing! Did you see Fatty Tang's expression? He looked like he'd swallowed a fly!"
Grandpa Cui didn't smile. He looked back at the building behind him and sighed, "Whether Dingqing Building can be saved is still uncertain. Ji Qiang is a good kid, so we have to do our best."
“Yes!” Li Xiaozhen nodded emphatically.