Airedai, Yisi Anoudai
Anderson is an ordinary worker, and the increasing frequency of factory shutdowns lately is making everyone very uneasy.
Since last year when the factory stopped work for a week every month, and now it's been working for a week and then stopping for a week, a sense of panic is spreading in the hearts of every worker, especially... he heard that the factory seems to be on the verge of collapse.
It's not that the factory is losing money or anything; in fact, the factory isn't losing money. It's just that the sales of its products are getting worse and worse, and many goods are piling up in the warehouse, slowly gathering dust.
If goods can't be sold, there's no income. Add to that the costs of production, warehousing and management fees, workers' wages, and other losses, and this has become the biggest headache for factory owners.
Although he kept assuring the workers that he would do everything he could to keep the factory going, everyone had a feeling that the day they would have to change jobs was not far off.
Today was payday, Anderson arrived at the factory early in the morning, all dressed neatly. People chatted in small groups about ordinary things, mostly about who had suddenly become rich or how many factories in the neighborhood had gone out of business.
They never realized life would be so hard before, especially in previous years when the factory ran non-stop from morning till night, and the workers were so exhausted that they could barely lift their arms after work each day.
It was tiring but also fulfilling. As long as you worked, you would be richly rewarded. The factory owner even expanded the factory and created more jobs for you.
As everyone was chatting, reminiscing about the past, or filled with fear about the future, a commotion suddenly broke out from the factory's finance office.
The noise instantly pierced everyone's sensitive nerves, and most people immediately stopped what they were doing and ran towards the door of the finance office.
When Anderson got closer, he discovered that several workers were arguing with the factory owner, their boss, for two reasons.
First, the factory will be completely shut down starting next month, and we will have to wait for further notice regarding when it will resume operations.
This is tantamount to telling everyone that the factory is dead, and the so-called resumption of work may not even exist. The Federal's salary system is based on working hours; you get paid according to how much work you do.
This system has always been reasonable, especially for the hardworking workers. The more they put in, the more they get out, and everyone is motivated to contribute their efforts to the factory.
Once all work stops, it means these workers will not receive a single penny of income next month! The vast majority of ordinary Federal families do not have the habit of actively saving money, and with the recent continuous reduction in savings interest rates by the Big Six Banks Federal, there is little difference between depositing money in the bank and holding it in hand.
This further reduces people's incentive to deposit money in banks.
Money has a very special characteristic: when you have money, you have an inexplicable desire to consume it, and the more money you have, the stronger that desire becomes.
It might be to buy a rare brand of cigarettes like Houtdog to satisfy one's cravings, or it might be to buy a pack of premium cigarettes that one has never bought before to savor the rich aroma of burning money.
Without savings, life depends entirely on salary. If even salary is gone, many families will immediately fall into a terrible situation of shutting down!
What's even more frightening is that when the payment terms for various installment products expire, including those for houses and cars, this will become an overwhelming burden on people's lives!
In the past few years, the world began to stabilize from the chaos of war, and the Federal, which had always been detached from the war, began to develop rapidly.
A large number of new things are being introduced, including consumption methods and concepts. Not only can houses and cars be purchased on installment plans, but as long as you have a social security card and legal citizenship, you can even buy a TV on installment plans.
Everyone is enjoying huge benefits from this era, as if money is everywhere and you can pick it up as long as you bend down.
But now, these unpaid installments have become a noose around people's necks, which could tighten at any time and take their lives!
Several workers are arguing with their boss about this, demanding that he start work next month and for at least ten days; this is their final insistence.
If they can't even guarantee working one day and resting for two, their livelihood will become a problem.
Clearly, the boss maintained a cold expression and kept shaking his head; he was not going to accept such a request.
Business is tough these days. The market in the area surrounding Sabine City and even within the state is saturated. Goods are hard to sell in bulk as they used to be, and payments are slow. Most of the money that comes back is spent on storage fees and wages.
If he continues production, he will have no choice but to go bankrupt. The only thing he can do now is to stop production completely, find a way to sell his products, or find and solve the problem before he can resume production.
The workers were bewildered, and so was the factory owner. Why did something that was supposed to be a bestseller suddenly become unsellable in just one or two years?
In the past, large numbers of people would drive their trucks outside the warehouse to rush to load goods, but now, some people are even calling him to ask if they can return the goods, even if it's only 30% of the money! Besides the problem of the work stoppage, there is another issue: how the wages will be paid.
"The factory doesn't have much money left in its account and can't pay you all, so I was thinking maybe we can pay you in another way..."
Regarding the work stoppage, everyone has stopped arguing. The workers have decided to let the union intervene. They look at the factory owner with cold expressions, all traces of their former friendliness gone. Not only has a wall been erected between them, but they have also become enemies.
The factory owner's eyelids twitched twice. He raised his hand to rub his eyes, his voice dry, hoarse, and strained, "I don't know how to say it..." He looked at the unfamiliar workers around him and sighed, "You already know the factory's current situation; I can't afford to pay anymore..."
Before he could finish speaking, the group of workers closest to him suddenly erupted in an uproar. This uproar quickly spread in all directions, and the entire factory was in an uproar. Eventually, even the factory owner suppressed his unnecessary emotions and coldly watched the workers argue and make a fuss.
After some time, the noise went unanswered and their demands remained unresolved, so they quieted down.
At this moment, a hint of sarcasm appeared on the factory owner's face, both towards these workers and towards himself, but he quickly withdrew it.
"I will pay you wages based on the cost price of what we produce."
"You can refuse to accept it, or even sue me in the union or in court. I can just file for bankruptcy protection and we'll all go down together!"
"If you're willing to accept this, go to the warehouse and collect your 'salary'!" After saying this, he turned around and went back to the finance office. Immediately afterwards, an accountant and several managers came out to calm them down.
Anderson stood in the crowd like a puppet, drifting along. His mind was filled with noise and tinnitus. The only thing he was thinking about was that the sky was falling.
Actually, he doesn't need to worry at all, because he will adapt very quickly.
Some of the workers started making a fuss, while others silently went to collect their inventory. At least these things were something, and anything has value. It's better than getting nothing, isn't it? Outside the warehouse, he numbly took out a pen and signed his name on the payroll, then looked at the three large boxes of household appliances next to him, his mind buzzing.
What should he do in the days to come? Anderson, carrying three boxes, had just stepped out of the factory gate when a strong wind blew up, and suddenly something was carried by the wind and covered his face.
He tore it open and found it was a poster commonly seen everywhere: a distinguished-looking man flashing eight teeth, holding up a glittering advertising slogan—"Aredai, a touch of Aniu Dai."