What is a Conscientious Enterprise?

Employees voluntarily offered to lower their severance pay standards?

Huh?

This...

Something feels off.

An Huchun watched An Wuyang's stunned expression, his own smugness growing. "Didn't expect things to turn out this way, did you?"

"No." An Wuyang truly hadn't anticipated this scenario.

In An Wuyang's mind, he had assumed the employees of Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group would be dissatisfied with the current severance package and demand more compensation.

But it was the exact opposite!

"Can't figure it out either?" An Huchun asked again.

An Wuyang thought for a moment before tentatively replying, "Is it because our group strictly follows labor laws?"

Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group adhered rigorously to labor regulations—eight-hour workdays, five-day workweeks, and even overtime was compensated strictly by the book.

Beyond that, the group had even implemented a "five insurances and two funds" system.

The so-called five insurances included: pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance, and maternity insurance.

The two funds were: the housing provident fund and the enterprise annuity.

What's more, Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group's five insurances and two funds were based on actual contributions, not the local minimum standard.

In the current climate, very few companies even offered five insurances and one fund, and most that did used the minimum contribution benchmark—let alone the full standard for five insurances and two funds.

An Huchun confirmed, "That's part of it. Our group strictly follows labor laws, which has fostered stronger cohesion."

"Another key reason is our corporate culture," An Huchun added.

"..." An Wuyang was speechless.

What corporate culture did Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group have?

Why didn't he, the sole heir, know about it?

"Our corporate culture is..." An Wuyang probed.

An Huchun replied, "Of course it's people-oriented!"

"A corporate culture like that? Huh. You know Nokia?" An Wuyang quipped.

"Aren't they known for swapping shells?" An Huchun joked.

"Our group's culture truly is people-oriented. The management reflects a human-centered approach, which is why our veteran employees consider the group's interests," An Huchun added.

An Wuyang didn't argue. Whether it was the corporate culture or strict adherence to labor laws, the fact remained that the veteran employees supported Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group.

"So what do we do now?" An Wuyang asked.

An Huchun shook his head. "I don't know either."

An Wuyang looked at his father in surprise.

Li Wenya chimed in from the side, "Your dad immediately rejected the proposal to lower severance pay. After all, he put that plan together after careful thought—why would he easily waver?"

She continued, "But there's another development at the group."

"The veteran employees have offered to take pay cuts, give up performance bonuses, and work overtime voluntarily to help the group weather the storm," Li Wenya added.

???

An Wuyang was genuinely shocked!

Was his family's business really this remarkable?

What kind of fairy-tale company was Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group, that employees would willingly go this far?

Li Wenya sighed, "Honestly, I never expected the veteran employees to do this. I've seen so much scheming and backstabbing that this feels almost unreal."

As a divorce lawyer, Li Wenya mainly handled marital cases.

In those cases, she encountered all sorts of absurd and morally bankrupt behavior—she hadn't seen something like this mutual loyalty between a company and its employees in a long time.

"So, should we cancel the layoff plan?" An Wuyang ventured.

Li Wenya paused for a few seconds before replying, "From a marginal cost perspective, even if we reduce labor costs, poor sales will still drag us down."

"If we proceed with layoffs now, we'll take a heavy hit—maybe even be left gasping—but we'll preserve a spark, a chance to survive." She glanced at An Huchun.

On the surface, she was explaining to An Wuyang, but in truth, she was reminding An Huchun.

An Wuyang looked at his father, catching Li Wenya's underlying message.

An Huchun took a deep breath before speaking. "Wenya, I understand your logic, but I have to consider those old brothers."

"Many of them grew up with me. Their parents spent their whole lives at the Tianjingyan Medicinal Herb Planting Base, and they themselves have dedicated most of their lives to Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group," An Huchun explained.

"Sorry, I'm not a qualified capitalist," he said apologetically.

If An Huchun were a proper entrepreneur, he would now cold-heartedly and ruthlessly use every means to drive away those who had given their best years to the group—at minimal cost.

Just like the mainstream internet giants, forcing out talented employees in their thirties to "graduate" and contribute talent to society.

Now that's what a proper capitalist should do!

"Also, I have some good news for you." An Huchun added with a smile.

Li Wenya immediately looked at him.

An Wuyang also pretended to be interested, turning his gaze toward An Huchun. He actually already knew what the good news was—it had to be the Bitter Orange Blossom Essential Oil skincare product, right?

"The R&D center finally came through!" An Huchun teased, holding back the details.

Li Wenya quickly pressed him, "What did you develop?"

At this moment, Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group desperately needed a miracle.

"Dad, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us what it is—can it pull the group out of its predicament?" An Wuyang asked.

An Huchun began to explain, "We extracted essential oil from bitter orange blossoms and mixed it with Aloe Vera Gel to create a skincare product that eliminates dullness and brightens the complexion."

"This research has been ongoing for over seven years, and today we finally got conclusive experimental results." An Huchun sighed.

Li Wenya spoke with some urgency, "Old An, if the group had such a product, why didn't you let me be a volunteer?"

An Huchun looked a bit awkward. "Well... because we couldn't determine the side effects yet, so... ahem."

"Now that the results are confirmed, does the group have any extra product?" Li Wenya pressed immediately.

"Yes, yes, I'll bring some back for you tomorrow." An Huchun replied obligingly.

"I'll go to the group with you tomorrow." Li Wenya declared she would visit Wugengtian Pharmaceutical Group in person.