"To my knowledge, your father should be at home now, and there's nothing pressing, right?"
"He retired early back then. Although he's already over sixty now, it's not ideal for him to just farm at home all the time!"
"I think he would be very happy if he could contribute some of his remaining energy. I'm just not sure about your opinion, Mr. Yu. Are you willing?"
After a moment of thought, Zhang Dongliang finally revealed his purpose.
Did he genuinely want Yu Zhou's father to contribute his remaining energy to the Second Textile Factory?
Anyone with a modicum of sense would know this was impossible.
The real reason he did this was to leverage Yu Zhou's reputation, at least making most people in the Second Textile Factory aware that Yu Zhou stood with them.
In truth, many people in the Second Textile Factory were still grateful to Yu Zhou.
After all, the restructuring was initiated by the old factory director who approached Yu Zhou, and Yu Zhou succeeded in carrying it out.
Just for this reason alone, people wouldn't lose their jobs.
While the 'iron rice bowl' of guaranteed income was gone, similarly, those who remained felt indebted to Yu Zhou, which was unavoidable.
Yu Zhou knew this principle very well, but he never felt that this so-called favor absolutely had to be repaid by his former colleagues.
After all, the trend of reform was ever-present. As long as this was the case, even if the Second Textile Factory truly went bankrupt, the employees wouldn't be completely without means after being laid off.
At most, their lives would be a bit more difficult, and they might feel anxious before the bankruptcy.
What he truly accomplished was preserving the Second Textile Factory. This achievement made many people with deep affection for the Second Factory grateful to Yu Zhou, but that was all.
Now that Zhang Dongliang had approached him, asking his father to contribute his remaining energy, it might not necessarily stem from malicious intent, but the objective of having the older colleagues show some respect to his father, or more directly, to Yu Zhou, was certainly present.
Therefore, at this moment, Yu Zhou understood this intention but couldn't explicitly point out the other party's thoughts.
"Regarding my father's matter, as long as he agrees, I naturally have no objections."
"But you still need to ask for his opinion. After all, he's at such an advanced age. If he's unwilling, we as the younger generation cannot force him."
Yu Zhou understood the other party's intentions at this moment and knew it was the best approach.
However, similarly, as a son, he couldn't demand that his own father return to his post and contribute his skills.
Just as Zhang Dongliang said, if Yu Hongchang was willing and wanted to return to work at the factory, then Yu Zhou would have no other thoughts and would fully support him.
But his father hadn't worked for many years. Would he still be willing?
On this point, even Yu Zhou himself couldn't guarantee it. Naturally, he couldn't guarantee that his father would truly agree either.
"The entire Second Factory has a complex membership, and even the old factory director is still contributing. To be honest, this is not a well-restructured factory."
"At that time, I only approached you for help with the restructuring due to face."
"In this matter, I owe you a favor!"
Yu Zhou picked up his wine glass. Even though he clearly knew why Zhang Dongliang, aware of the Second Factory's complex situation, had still taken on this task.
However, the favor in this situation was something Yu Zhou truly felt indebted for.
People who reach this point are not fools.
Would they genuinely participate in the Second Textile Factory's restructuring at a loss just because someone said a few words?
Obviously, this was impossible. Not only were there sufficient benefits involved, but it also earned Yu Zhou's favor, which was what Zhang Dongliang considered most meaningful.
After all, even before Yu Zhou had fully developed the Dried Fruit Factory, his trajectory was evident. It was impossible to guarantee he would become a representative entrepreneur in Jiangbei.
However, Yu Zhou becoming a well-known entrepreneur had become a certainty.
Even though Zhang Dongliang now possessed millions in assets, the garment industry itself had significant constraints, leading him to be unable to imagine his factory or company developing to a level he couldn't even conceive of.
This was fundamentally an impossible feat. Therefore, building a relationship with someone like Yu Zhou, even if it meant a slight financial loss in business, was something he wouldn't hesitate to do.
Moreover, the situation of the Second Factory was not only clear to them but also to the municipal government.
Would they completely disregard everything and push for the restructuring of the Second Factory without offering Zhang Dongliang any benefits? Clearly, this was impossible.
Even the factory buildings and land alone would be enough for Zhang Dongliang to recoup his costs.
Furthermore, Yu Zhou's participation was involved. Even with only a 20% stake, this participation still represented Yu Zhou's stance.
The morale of the entire Second Textile Factory had stabilized considerably. If Yu Hongchang also joined, the challenges they would face in the future would undoubtedly be much simpler.
"That's not entirely true. If I myself hadn't wanted to restructure the Second Textile Factory, then even if you had asked me, I wouldn't have acted."
"Since I decided to take action and the money has already been spent, no matter how difficult it is, we must do our best to achieve the best outcome."
"Unless it's truly beyond recovery, who would want to see a factory with decades of history disappear under my watch?"
This was not Zhang Dongliang speaking platitudes but his genuine thoughts.
In his mindset, once something was undertaken, it had to be done well. If the restructuring of a factory couldn't succeed under his management, then the subsequent development for the entire industry would inevitably become more difficult step by step.
Indeed, Yu Zhou had approached him first this time, and he only proceeded with the restructuring in the end.
However, this kind of business was not something that could be decided upon and undertaken without hesitation based solely on favors or face.
This was something that both Yu Zhou and Zhang Dongliang understood clearly.
If he hadn't seen tangible benefits, and were to restructure a factory purely for a favor, Yu Zhou, no matter how much he valued his reputation, wouldn't believe his influence was that significant.