The two were silent at this moment, for what Yu Zhou said was indeed unpleasant to hear.
But it was the truth.
Even if Yu Zhou were to agree to all their demands right now, after operating for a period of time, it would still be beyond the city government's control if he started doing certain things.
After all, it was a natural course of action for the owner to decide how to run their own factory.
Yu Zhou stating this in advance was already showing considerable sincerity.
"I really want to know why you told us this from the very beginning."
"The process isn't even finished yet, aren't you afraid the office will regret it?"
Liu Bing was puzzled, as this seemed entirely unnecessary in his view.
Which boss involved in reform would not say everything nicely at the start, agreeing to any excessive demands?
Then, after all the procedures were completed, they would simply renege on their promises.
Some bosses would even agree to everything at the beginning, taking on all the employees, only to dismiss them all after the process was finished and some time had passed.
Such incidents were all too common in reforms.
Yet here was Yu Zhou, explaining the situation before the process was even complete. Wasn't that putting himself at a disadvantage?
"Because I want long-term development! If it were just short-term development, selling the factory after a year or two for a substantial profit."
"Then I wouldn't bother with good management; dismissing those employees would be the best option."
"However, if I want to develop the dried fruit factory properly, the experience of the old employees and the stability of their morale are very important."
"I can state some things here in advance, but I will absolutely not pretend to obey while disobeying."
Yu Zhou spoke very directly at this moment.
Because he knew clearly in his heart how difficult it would be to develop a dried fruit factory.
It was possible he would have more dealings with this deputy director in the future. While a one-off deal might be profitable, long-term development required building good relationships with such people.
"Okay, we can discuss your requirements. Do you have any other demands?"
After a period of contemplation, the deputy director finally spoke.
Beside him, Liang Xiaohai also agreed with this approach.
"Although re-signing labor contracts might lead to some employees not understanding, at least things are being made clear from the start. I believe there won't be too much trouble then."
He understood that if Yu Zhou was not wholeheartedly focused on developing the factory, then any sweet words spoken at the beginning would be useless.
Liang Xiaohai loved this factory deeply; it was almost his home.
It was precisely because of his deep affection for the factory that he did not go elsewhere during the reform, even when he had other options. He waited until the handover.
If this new factory manager was incompetent, he might not have continued to struggle alone.
However, if the new boss truly intended to develop the factory, he wouldn't mind working for someone else. After all, he had no money to acquire the factory himself.
Under such a general trend, it was impossible for the dried fruit factory to remain unaffected.
After all, the dried fruit factory was not a large enterprise vital to people's livelihoods that the state could not let go of.
"Other issues can be discussed after I've fully taken over. Dried fruit factories, while large, have very poor production capacity."
"The reason I want to take over the dried fruit factory is to research new products and expand production capacity."
"Relying solely on the supply of dried fruits during the New Year, even if profitable, cannot replace the function of a modern factory."
"Of course, these are all matters for later. As for what the new products will be, we can discuss them then."
"Next, let's establish the rules and discuss compensation!"
Yu Zhou actually had a series of plans in mind, but it was not appropriate to reveal them at this moment.
For him, with knowledge of all the development trajectories of later generations, revitalizing a dried fruit factory was not a difficult task.
Even if he were given any factory to take over and develop with a forward-looking vision, it might very well become a large enterprise.
However, in this era, anything too ahead of its time would look out of place and be difficult for people to accept.
As long as these issues were navigated, it would be a foolproof venture for Yu Zhou.
Why was he investing in the real economy? And doing so with such unwavering effort?
Wasn't it to seize the first-mover advantage and truly achieve something?
In his previous life, he had suffered from neglecting the real economy. When he first got involved in business and started his ventures, the internet was already booming.
But if you shifted your focus entirely to the internet industry and neglected the real economy, you would become like a rootless duckweed.
This was not what Yu Zhou wanted to see. Therefore, the deeper the foundation he laid, the more stable his dual approach would be.
"Establish rules?"
Clearly, upon hearing Yu Zhou say this, not only Liang Xiaohai but also Liu Bing became serious.
It was often said that a new ruler brings new policies, and this was no empty phrase.
Since Yu Zhou was taking over the factory, it would inevitably be run according to his way of thinking.
On this point, everyone was mentally prepared.
And given Yu Zhou's consistent attitude, the rules he proposed now were not to be violated.
Thinking of this, how could the two of them not be serious?
Especially Liang Xiaohai, who had already developed some ideas about continuing to work there after interacting with Yu Zhou.
However, despite having such thoughts, he still felt a bit uncomfortable upon hearing that Yu Zhou intended to establish rules.
It wasn't because he suddenly felt someone superior to him.
Rather, Yu Zhou appeared to be just a young man. What if he was wealthy but didn't truly understand management?
He was establishing rules from the outset, with an attitude that they must be followed. If he was truly incompetent, what if he ruined the factory?
"Speak! As long as it's not excessive, I'll take responsibility for explaining it to the employees."
However, fortunately, even though he felt somewhat uncomfortable, Liang Xiaohai still expressed his stance at this moment.
Regardless of anything else, he was now someone working under Yu Zhou. Helping his boss, or being loyal to him, wasn't that what he should do?