"What's going on?"
Wang Yu wasn't the only one bewildered; everyone else was too.
The entire ground began to shake violently, causing the water cups on the table to tremble and fall, shattering on impact.
"Is this an earthquake?" Old Director Li Ming reached out to steady himself against the table.
The tremors were brief, coming and going quickly, and soon everything returned to normal.
Wang Yu and the others hurried out of the conference room, finding the factory workers in a hushed discussion.
"It looked like an earthquake, but it seems to be over now."
Wang Yu pondered for a moment. The automobile factory was an industrial building, sturdier than ordinary residential houses. However, given the circumstances, it was not advisable to continue operations.
"How about this, Uncle Ming, you first arrange for the workers to evacuate. Don't stay in the factory buildings. Have everyone gather at the open test driving grounds... Hmm, since we've been working overtime relentlessly lately, it's a good time for everyone to rest, chat, sing a song, anything to relax.
Then I'll go to the county to inquire about the situation."
Wang Yu gave instructions, then set off on his own fuel-powered scooter.
He first rode back to his home. The way back seemed a bit chaotic, with many people on the road asking each other what had happened.
Upon arriving home, he found Wu Lingling, along with Wang Ling, who was off school today, gathered with a group of aunts and mothers in the square in front of the staff dormitory, basking in the sun and chatting.
They were all laughing and talking, and some of the aunts and mothers were even busy sewing shoe soles and knitting sweaters.
It was evident that Wu Lingling had a good rapport with these elder ladies and had perfectly integrated into the environment.
"Hm? You're back? I heard there was a massive earthquake in Jianglin City, causing great damage, and even the aftershocks reached us. Is your factory alright?"
Seeing Wang Yu return, Wu Lingling hurried forward to ask with concern, pointing to a semiconductor radio in the middle of the aunts and mothers.
This was clearly their source of information, and in this era, it was the most convenient and rapid.
"It's fine, the factory is safe enough. You said there was a super earthquake in Jianglin City?"
Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were unharmed, then immediately asked.
Jianglin City was a prefecture-level city not far from Jiangyang County, a pilot zone for economic development in the province. In recent years, it had attracted a lot of foreign investment and established factories.
If Jiangyang County was an industrial hub, then Jianglin City was the economic center, with a large and dense population!
With such a major earthquake occurring, who knew what the impact would be!
"Yes, the radio is reporting it. It's said to have caused significant losses, which are still being tallied. Emergency rescue efforts are underway!
Alas, who knows how many casualties there will be!"
Wu Lingling sighed worriedly. Even the aftershocks could almost make Jiangyang County unstable, so how severe must the situation be in Jianglin City, the epicenter?
Even in the highly developed thirty years later, people were still quite passive in disaster relief and rescue after major earthquakes, let alone in this relatively backward era!
It was likely a scene of heavy casualties and widespread devastation!
"Has the radio said anything about the current situation yet?" Wang Yu asked.
"Not yet. They say there's a shortage of supplies there, with disruptions to water, electricity, and communication. They're working hard on repairs... Hey, hey, where are you going?"
Before Wu Lingling could finish, Wang Yu was already rushing off, heading in the direction of the factory.
Watching Wang Yu depart, Wu Lingling pondered for a moment and said to Wang Ling,
"Ling, go home and do your homework first. Sister will go check on your brother. If we're not back tonight, eat something on your own, or trouble Grandma Feng downstairs."
Wang Ling, with the wisdom of a child, nodded at Wu Lingling's concern. "Don't worry, Sister Lingling. I won't disturb your 'two-person world'."
"Don't talk nonsense. Your brother might have important things to do, and I need to go see!"
With a playful flick on Wang Ling's forehead, Wu Lingling also got up and left.
Wang Yu ran all the way back to the automobile factory. Everyone was now gathered in the open test driving grounds, chatting in small groups, clearly discussing the recent earthquake.
However, since it was just a brief tremor and no one was injured, and with the respected old director present, no major commotion had ensued.
Some of the younger workers, bored, had even started impromptu singing and dancing.
Annoying. If these guys were transported thirty years into the future, they'd definitely be the core members of the square dancing crowd.
Wang Yu looked at the carefree individuals, speechless.
"How is it, Little Factory Manager?" Seeing Wang Yu return, Li Ming was the first to step forward and ask.
"Jianglin City experienced a sudden, massive earthquake, and rescue efforts are still ongoing. As for us, it was likely just an aftershock, and there shouldn't be any major problems."
Wang Yu nodded and said, "However, we can't guarantee there won't be more aftershocks. Let's let the brothers rest for now. We've been working overtime for days anyway; consider it a break."
"Alas, that's all we can do. Tell the brothers to be careful when they go home to rest."
The old director nodded with some regret. Wang Yu knew what he meant. Everyone nowadays was eager to work overtime non-stop.
On one hand, they needed to rush out orders and revive the factory as soon as possible.
On the other hand, it was also a way to reassure all the workers, to quickly retrieve funds and pay their wages.
"Speaking of which, Uncle Ming, I have an idea!"
Wang Yu suddenly spoke up. "Jianglin City is currently suffering from the disaster. I want our factory to offer assistance."
"Offer assistance?" Not only was Li Ming taken aback, but so were the other cadres who had come over, as well as the director of the bicycle factory, Huang He. They were all completely stunned.
"Little Factory Manager, we can't even pay our own salaries. How can we assist others?"
A cadre among the crowd spoke up. He wasn't making an excuse, but stating a fact.
The automobile factory currently had almost no working capital on its books, not much better than when Wang Yu first took over.
Therefore, the most pressing priority was to deliver the Hope No. 1 agricultural machinery products to customers and retrieve funds.
Wang Yu understood this reasoning, but with Jianglin City suffering nearby and countless people in distress, he couldn't stand idly by.
"Our factory cannot shirk its social responsibility," Wang Yu said. His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"As the saying goes, if you have people, send people; if you have strength, contribute strength; if you have money, contribute money. Our factory is indeed in difficulty, but we can provide supplies for disaster relief.
After all, people could be dying at any moment, and the government will not stand by idly. But I want to contribute our own share!"
Wang Yu spoke calmly, without excessive grandstanding, but it brought silence to everyone.
People in this era were not as indifferent as in the future; they still possessed passion and fervor!
"Therefore, I propose that we contribute all our current inventory of prototype vehicles to support the disaster relief efforts. Additionally, workers in our factory who possess skills like electricians, plumbers, and welders can accompany the vehicles to provide support at the disaster site!"
"This..."
Everyone exchanged glances. Wang Yu was not wrong, but no one knew the full extent of the earthquake situation in Jianglin City yet.
"Little Factory Manager, the phone line is finally open."
Old Sun, the doorman, came to call out. Before coming here, Wang Yu had instructed him to use the doorman's only phone to contact the Jianglin City government hotline. However, the line had been busy all along until now.
Upon hearing Old Sun's words, Wang Yu rushed to the doorman's office like a gust of wind and picked up the phone without a word.
"Hello? This is Jiangyang County Automobile Factory... No, no, please listen. I'm not here to discuss investment, but to inquire about the earthquake situation."
"What? No, it's not that. I just want to do my part. Our factory voluntarily wants to provide support."
"What? It's still that serious? Multiple buildings have collapsed, streets have caved in, and you don't know the specific details? You're working hard on rescue?"
"Okay, I understand, I get it..."
Before Wang Yu could finish speaking, the person on the other end had already hurriedly hung up.
It seemed the situation was indeed dire!
"Everyone, Jianglin City is currently experiencing a disaster. You can take a holiday and rest, or you can choose to go with me for disaster relief.
This is a voluntary effort. There will be no bonuses or rewards, and there might even be danger and risk of injury. I, Wang Yu, cannot make any promises to you.
Perhaps you might think I'm being too noble or saintly, but I genuinely want to make a contribution."
Wang Yu said calmly. There was one thing he didn't mention: in his past life, his parents had perished in a well-known major earthquake.
In this life, although the location, time, and people were different, the natural disaster remained the same.
Wang Yu felt compelled to do something!
"Little Factory Manager, you don't need to say more. Am I the kind of person who shrinks back?"
Feng Daochun suddenly interjected. "We all have hearts. If people in other families are suffering, their parents and children, then we should naturally contribute our strength. It's just a bit of hard work! We young people have plenty of strength, and a good night's sleep will fix it!"
"That's right!"
"Yeah, let's go help too."
"I for one, and everyone for me."
...
For a moment, all the workers became excited. They were clearly moved by Wang Yu's words.
"Well, we currently have in stock 30 units of Hope No. 1 agricultural vehicles, 5 experimental versions of Hope No. 2 dump trucks, 15 Meteor No. 1 fuel scooters, and 10 experimental mini fuel engines."
Old Director Li Ming pondered. "These are finished products and can be directly sent for disaster relief. We also have some semi-finished products that can be quickly completed in batches with overtime."
"However, while we have no problem providing personnel and labor, we still need to consider the cost of depreciation and refurbishment for these products after they've been used in disaster relief. This will be a considerable expense!"
The old director's words suddenly made everyone pause.
That's right. A significant portion of the existing Hope No. 1 products were from the first batch of 47 vehicle orders, all of which had customers.
It was fine to use them for disaster relief, but after use, they would undoubtedly be second-hand vehicles. How could they still be delivered to the customers?
Refurbishing them would not be a simple matter. The exterior paint and cargo box panels would need to be redone, all the wearable parts inside the vehicle would need to be replaced, and the engine, gearbox, and rear axle would also need...
"All refurbishment costs will be on me!"
Just then, Wu Lingling suddenly appeared and said to everyone.
"I will cover all the refurbishment costs. I have eighty thousand yuan here, is that enough?"
After saying that, Wu Lingling produced a card from somewhere.
"Wow!"
Everyone present was completely stunned!