Like a Flowing River (Da Jiang Da He / 大江大河)

Proletarian internationalism is built on the notion of seeking truth from facts.

Only when you stand firmly,

insisting on seeking the truth from facts

can socialist modernization

move forward.

We can now enter university!

What has been undergoing, as a practice, is the only discussion we will have to examine the truth.

More practically, the core argument is to emancipate the mind.

Whether or not...

Like a Flowing River

~Episode 40~

Dad! Mom! We're late! It's all Xiao Hui's fault—

- You're back. - Our daughter is back.

- Secretary Shui. - Uncle Shui is here.

You're already an adult yet you still act like a kid.

- Go to the kitchen and help out. - Yes.

Looks like Kaiyan is here to file a complaint.

As her father, you're not giving her justice.

Aren't you scared that your daughter will be bullied by Little Song?

No, he didn't bully me. I'm only blaming him for sleeping late last night.

He stayed up all night to work, and only went to bed in the morning.

Have you come up with a plan on how to lower the parameters of the equipment?

Secretary Shui, decreasing the parameters will damage the equipment.

Also, the new workshop has good equipment and products,

but unable to be sold at a higher price. I don't think that decreasing the machine parameters will be the best method to solve this.

What other good plans do you have to for Jinzhou to shift its losses to profit?

Last night, I suddenly remember an article I've read from the Shanghai Journal of Economics during the start of year.

The title was "Export Expansion: Dare to Compete".

It claimed that the main reason why our export trade has been stagnant for the past years

is because we lacked high quality products that can fulfill international market need.

For a large scale state-run enterprise like us who is equipped to produce outstanding products,

we should actively strive for management autonomy in foreign deals..

Additionally, helping the country expand its export trade.

This idea is very inspiring.

Since locally, our product can be likened to selling an egg as a potato,

let us then think of every means to sell it abroad.

And better not let any foreign distributor to purchase them at a lower price. Let us sell it directly and earn foreign exchange.

Let's sell it based on international standard prices.

The quality of our products are on par with international standards after all.

But this was just an article.

The ministry still hasn't provided a clear approval

regarding autonomous setting of prices for export sales.

These past years, a lot of people in the government are thinking of ways to expand our exports.

The ministry puts a lot of importance regarding the problems in the economic field.

Or else, they wouldn't have especially called me to go to Beijing

just because of the losses of the new workshop.

Let's follow this idea and discuss it with them.

Do our best to get the chance of selling our products internationally.

That's also what I want to suggest.

I came up with a proposal overnight with this idea in mind.

Have a look.

Timing and subtitles brought to you by The River of Life Team@ Viki

Very good.

The ideas of young people are really great.

Shanghai is currently testing import-export agency systems.

Allowing enterprises to find their own foreign clients and to set their own price.

Settling the exchange by themselves. Shouldering any profit or losses by themselves. If we can also do that,

we'll be alive.

When we were discussing the equipment last year, even the foreigners told me

that if we use the low labor cost locally

plus a very advanced equipment, our Jinzhou products

will surely be competitive.

I'll go the ministry now to ask for a policy. If they don't give me one,

don't they dare scold me next time.

- Food is ready. - Yes.

I will go in and help.

Old Cheng.

Your son-in-law is better at

management than engineering.

He has a very good understanding of policies,

Too bad, he has good technical skills.

I couldn't bear to transfer him away from a technical post.

I actually want to suggest that he work in a technical post for a few more years.

Let him be more familiar with it before doing other things. Or else, he wouldn't be able to assess problems in a more complete picture.

You've only work with equipments, so your thinking is too conservative.

Young men are lacking in experience so they are somewhat immature in considering problems,

but they have the drive and enthusiasm.

What we need are young men like that to be the vanguards in the front line,

while we stir the ship behind them.

From what I can see, among the new college graduates these two years,

there's a couple that has potential.

That Xiao Yu has a personality that is quite flexible.

He's quite outstanding in doing mediating tasks.

I am planning on bringing him with me when I go to Beijing this time.

Okay. Okay. Come.

We can chat while we eat.

Let's eat.

Factory Manager Min, why are you here?

I am here to talk to your director.

- Busy? - Factory Manager Min.

Little Song, did you read the financial report for this month?

I still haven't gotten the time to read it? Is there any urgent situation?

No. 1 and No. 2 Workshops have worked their ass off for a month

and was finally able to maintain the past level of profit of No. 1 Factory.

But if we're going to isolate the new workshop, it's still at a loss.

If we continue with the current price for our products,

the new workshop will surely suffer losses.

This is the reason why I came here, to find a solution to this problem.

This month is already under the fourth quarter.

Our No. 1 Factory mustn't sill be losing money

once we do the annual assessment.

Secretary Shui is currently in Beijing lobbying autonomy for pricing and rights to export our goods.

As long as we're allowed to sell the eggs according to its proper price,

the new workshop will not be losing money any more.

I heard that there is a huge resistance from the ministry.

Secretary Shui's progress isn't going smoothly.

Before I came here, I'd talked this over with Vice Factory Manager Cheng.

At this moment, we can only lower the technical parameters.

Just try to maintain a similar product quality with No. 1 Workshop.

Secretary Shui didn't ask me to decrease the parameters.

This is a big issue. Why don't we wait until Secretary Shui is back to discuss this?

In the meeting before Secretary Shui left,

he instructed us to put importance on production efficiency.

We cannot let him down.

You must know what the financial report for the fourth quarter

means for Jinzhou and Secretary Shui.

This is a huge matter that will dictate if we're going to break even.

We should still call Secretary Shui and ask for

his suggestions before we do anything.

We indeed will do the phone call, but you still must ready yourself to decrease the parameters.

Don't wait once Secretary Shui gives the order

and you're still going to prepare things, make adjustments and do tests.

After doing so many, one month would would have passed.

What if I decreased the parameters here,

and then Secretary Shui comes to set the price.

We then are unable to provide enough high quality products to be sold internationally, what then?

The ministry usually won't make important decisions by the end of the year.

That has been the practice here in our system.

Factory General Min.

- Have some tea. - Thank you.

Little Song, you must also try to take care

of your brothers in the New Workshop.

If we continue to incur losses during the fourth quarter, they won't have any year end bonus then.

You can't really let these colleagues of yours that had worked through overtime with you

to not have a good new year too, right?

Factory Manager Min, the equipment of the the new workshop

is among the most advanced whether locally or internationally.

We all know that.

The circulation of the new products from the new workshop is currently suffering from policy limitation,

hence, it can't be sold at its rightful price.

You mustn't pass the responsibility to this to our workshop.

Of course, it is also unfair to blame it on Jinzhou.

But we must look at the trend of the policies

wherein there are less and less restrictions on enterprises. Businesses are getting more autonomous.

The future of the new workshop is still a bright one.

Currently, the new workshop is at the darkest moment before dawn.

This is the time when everyone should be more united

to work hard together in resolving this difficulty.

Little Song, decreasing the technical parameters wasn't decided just by me.

Do you need Deputy Factory Manager Cheng to personally issue you the order before you're going to do it?

After the suggestion of decreasing equipment parameters was raised in the last factory assembly meeting, I calculated the data.

Based on my calculations, if we are to decrease the parameters,

it might cause a large area coking in the reactor.

You haven't tested it, so how sure are you that coking will occur?

The entire facility of the new workshop has used up several millions of US dollars of state fund.

I don't dare take any responsibility in doing tests on such a very expensive equipment.

Come in.

Factory Manager Min, you're looking for me?

Come in.

It's your day off today. Did I disturb your sleep?

It's fine. I should be up already.

Sit.

You are the youngest technician in the workshop.

You probably know the newly imported German equipment than people from my generation, right?

You said it right. I'm indeed the youngest technician in the new workshop.

But regarding the German equipment, Director Song knows it better than me.

Will there be coking if we decrease the parameters of the new equipment?

That will depend on what specific parameters would be decreased. For the detailed situation, it's better that we ask Director Song.

I'm asking you.

I think it will.

Okay already. There's nothing more. You can go.

Engineer Cheng, aren't you on day shift today?

Why are you here and not in the control room?

I need to do something.

Factory Manager Min is looking for you, right? He also asked me to see him.

It probably is the same matter. Go now.

Okay. See you next time.

What do you mean by probably? You are a technician. You must speak in an exact manner, with reason and basis.

Give me a clear answer. Can the new workshop decrease its technical parameters?

Factory Manager Min, because this equipment was never set at such low parameters,

hence, we must do very close observation while adjusting it.

Go and adjust it then. Make the parameters low for a certain amount of time.

I can't.

Look. When Director Song adjusts any parameters,

he would be at a very tensed state and would sweat a lot.

My skills are way inferior from Director Song.

I don't have the boldness to test such an expensive equipment.

Go. Go.

Okay then. Factory Manager Min, I'll go back to my work.

Hello.

Little Song, it's Old Min.

Oh, Factory Manager Min, do you need anything from me?

Are you doing anything tonight?

Come to my house for a meal. Let's talk in a more in depth manner.

What? Still angry at me?

Don't forget that I was an old superior of yours.

You won't even give me the honor of eating with you?

Okay. I'll be there.

Coming! Coming!

- Factory Manager Min. - Little Song, come in.