Friday, November 20th, the twenty-sixth day of the tenth lunar month.
Auspicious for: betrothal, marriage, ancestral rites, praying for children, travel, opening markets, signing contracts, hanging plaques, moving into a new home, relocation, installing doors, visiting friends and relatives, and laying foundations. It was a good day for an opening ceremony.
Li Ye arrived at the Group Headquarters building at seven-thirty. A notice had gone out yesterday that everyone had to arrive early today and prepare to receive guests from all directions.
At seven-thirty on a northern winter morning, the sky was only just beginning to brighten. Yet from a long way off, Li Ye was startled by the sea of red that filled his vision.
Red flags, red lanterns, red ceremonial gates, red banners. If they laid down a red carpet too, it would rival the film festivals of decades later.
Li Ye could not help laughing soundlessly.
He remembered that the last time he had seen such a scene seemed to have been during his first two years at the Light Vehicle Company. Even when the unit's finances were tight, they would do their utmost to decorate for visiting guests. Never mind whether it was tacky or not—they had to make people feel that the occasion was exceptionally grand.
Only, over the past few years, the Light Vehicle Company had relied on Li Ye's sales network, and its economic performance had improved dramatically. Yet this kind of superficial formalism had quietly faded away.
Even when higher-ups had brought Shang Bin and the others over for a visit a few days ago, the main factory had merely made some simple arrangements, focusing on making people feel comfortable.
In Li Ye's eyes, the Light Vehicle Company still retained some stubborn old habits. But after years of subtle influence from the