That Feeling? Nothing Beats It!

Once the biggest hurdle had been overcome, everything that followed became much simpler.

The battery lab got back on track, making steady progress of around one percent every two or three days.

It was expected to take only about two months to complete development of the new lithium iron phosphate battery.

If they happened to hit another snag along the way, they might even finish sooner!

Meanwhile, Jiuzhou Automobile's factory had grown livelier by the day.

Every morning and evening, plenty of workers could be seen coming and going through the gates.

Everyone wore a smile, greeting familiar colleagues or heading home together after work.

A few longtime employees chatted with their equally veteran coworkers as they rode their bicycles home.

"There are so many more people in the factory now. It's like night and day compared to when it was about to close down. I have to say, this new young factory manager really knows his stuff."

"Work feels smoother than ever before. We're a lot busier than we used to be, but there's less to worry about. All we have to do is do our jobs well.

"Most of the latest batch of apprentices are pretty good. Only one was slacking off, and they fired him yesterday."

"Speaking of which, it was incredible. I hadn't even said anything, and Human Resources Department came over and fired him directly.

"That apprentice was unbelievably stupid, too. It was a simple bending job, nothing technical, but after half a month of teaching, he still hadn't learned it.

"The worst part was that he had no desire to learn. I told him to do it one way, and he said he thought it should be done another way.

"He nearly gave me a heart attack. Now that we don't have such a stupid apprentice around, things are a lot easier."

"Old Zhou, want to go fishing? We've still got plenty of time this afternoon, and we already ate at the cafeteria. We can fish until around ten tonight."

"Let's go, let's go! I'll head home and grab my rod!"

"These three shifts are so much better. It beats the old days, when we had nothing to do but still had to hang around the factory all day."

"Speaking of the cafeteria, the food is really good now. The new cooks are great!"

"After eating those bland meals for so long, even a normal cook feels like a godsend!"

As the group of longtime employees gradually headed off, a group of newer hires passed by them and eagerly entered the factory gates.

They, too, chatted with their companions as they got ready to eat at the cafeteria before starting their shifts.

"I've been here half a month, and I've finally learned most of the work. I can handle some jobs on my own now. In yesterday's round of firings..."

"I heard our Human Resources Department is really strict. They fire people based on whether they're suited to their jobs and can do them well.

"Anyone who doesn't take their job seriously or isn't a good fit for their position gets let go."

"We haven't been fired, so our chances of passing probation should be pretty good, right? It's not easy to find work these days.

"It took a lot of luck to find a factory with such short working hours and good pay. We can't fail probation because of our own mistakes."

"Heh, good thing I had the foresight to bring my uncle, nephew, and older brother along when I applied.

"They're really grateful to me now. It'd be even more fun if we'd all been assigned to the same position and could commute together."

"The benefits are really hard to beat. They're better than those at a state-owned company my classmate told me about!"

"There are more than ten people from our village working here!"

"We're lucky to have found this factory. There's no overtime, wages are paid on time, and the benefits are good.

"They even provide meals. If you don't have a place to stay, you can live at the factory. If you have your own place, you get a housing allowance of a hundred yuan a month."

"Even if you wanted overtime, you couldn't get it! Ha-ha. There's only one production line, and the three shifts already cover all the work. There's no room for extra shifts."

"Those who started before us were even luckier. Some of them have only been here three months and are already masters. They earn two hundred yuan more than we do, which means they can buy a lot of things."

"Work hard, and maybe we can get there too."

"Why think so far ahead? Just do your own job well. Don't only look at the people who are doing great. The ones who couldn't meet their targets got fired, too.

"There were only a dozen or so of them, but we should take it as a warning. A job this good is hard to come by."

"Jiuzhou Automobile is so much better than my last workplace.

"I used to start at seven every morning and wouldn't get home until after nine at night. I was so exhausted I didn't even want to move."

"Work hard for a year and buy one of our factory's cars. Then we'll be car owners, too!"

By the time they finished chatting, they had reached the bustling cafeteria. Some had come to eat after their shifts, while others were eating before heading to work. They each held a tray as they waited for the cafeteria staff to serve them.

Half a month had passed since recruitment. Most workers had learned the simpler tasks at their posts. With an experienced employee handling the more complicated work, they could complete production tasks quickly.

The three-shift schedule was much easier than the old twelve-hour shifts. They were even doing better work because they were well rested!

The old Jiuzhou Automobile production line could now turn out more than fifty cars a day!

And there were still more than ten days until the New Year.

The factory was buzzing with activity, and sales at Jiuzhou Store had been excellent lately, too.

It had been more than a month since the Jiuzhou Mini first went on sale.

Even without driving around to advertise every day, Jiuzhou Store still had a steady stream of people coming to look at and pick up their cars.

The older folks, along with some younger consumers, had experienced life with a car for the first time. Naturally, they gave their peers a positive impression of it.

It was simply wonderful. They could drive their wives around every day, exploring places they'd never been able to reach before.

They could easily visit their sons or daughters, and there was nothing wrong with going every day. It made it much easier for older people to visit their children, even when getting there had once been a hassle.

They could even visit relatives in the countryside. Where they had once rarely seen their siblings, now they could drop by whenever they liked and bring home some vegetables they'd grown themselves.

From time to time, they could visit a reservoir, a hill, or a stream on the outskirts of the city and enjoy themselves, making their retirement all the more colorful!

Older people had plenty of free time, and a car could greatly enrich their lives.

Older people needed transportation, too. Old Man Happy cars certainly had all kinds of problems, but there was no denying that they had made older people's lives better, more convenient, and more fulfilling.

Maybe one day, when we're old, we'll be able to drive a decent Old Man Happy car and go on leisurely outings with our old friends, reminiscing about our younger days. Wouldn't that be a kind of happiness, too?

The Jiuzhou Mini was comfortable to ride in and easy to drive, and its quality was beyond question. Its battery, motor, and controller were all from big-name brands, and it was built to automotive production standards. Problems were rare.

It was fuel-efficient, too. One charge overnight was enough to take it a long way, so you could drive wherever you wanted.

That feeling? Nothing beats it!

Word spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. The Jiuzhou Mini had built a reputation throughout the city!

There were even older folks from neighboring cities who came looking for one, insisting that they wanted a Jiuzhou Mini!

That was because the Jiuzhou Mini didn't compete with mainstream cars. It was entering a completely untapped market, which was why business was so brisk.

Especially with the New Year drawing closer, many young people were returning from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen after earning money there.

Spending twenty or thirty thousand yuan on a well-regarded car from the village grapevine for their parents was a wonderful way to show filial devotion. Everyone in the village would praise them and give them a thumbs-up. It brought them so much pride!

They'd earned money but hadn't forgotten to honor their parents. What filial children!