Chapter 61: Little Tricks
"Master, please don't be angry." Song Yuanchao quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "What I mean is that this is a bit obvious. Otherwise, it would be more appropriate to change the way."
"How about another way? Do you have any good ideas?" Director Ma asked back.
"This..." How could Song Yuanchao say that he had any solution? He immediately looked at Qin Zhengguo with embarrassment: "Zhengguo, how about you see if there is any other solution?"
"Other ways...?"
Qin Zhengguo asked back, then pretended to think for a while and suddenly slapped his thigh: "Got it!"
Seeing everyone's gazes, Qin Zhengguo said, "Uncle Ma, don't say you rented it for free. Just pay the original price. The paper, ink and labor costs will still be calculated according to the original price..."
Seeing that Director Ma was about to say something to refuse, Qin Zhengguo said again: "Uncle Ma, I am not trying to take advantage of you, please listen to me."
Seeing that Director Ma opened his mouth but didn't say anything, Qin Zhengguo continued, "How about this? Everything will go as agreed. I will provide the things the school wants for free, but I have three small requests."
Seeing Director Ma's inquiring look, Qin Zhengguo smiled and said, "The first request is whether we can ask the teachers in the school to help and cooperate and hurry up to organize these materials. You know that time is very tight. The sooner we can print the materials, the sooner the students can get them. This will be good for having ample time to review and prepare for the exam."
"That's no problem. This is what the school should do. I'll go and talk about it." Director Ma agreed without thinking.
"The second request is to have the seal of No. 2 Middle School printed on it, telling everyone that the information comes from No. 2 Middle School, so the reliability and authenticity of the source of the information is absolutely not a problem."
"That's fine, it's the fact." Director Ma still gave a straightforward answer to this.
"The last one is, I hope the school can cooperate?"
"Cooperate? How do you cooperate?" Director Ma didn't quite understand what Qin Zhengguo meant .
Qin Zhengguo chuckled, "Since I've made sacrifices to support the school, can the school help me in return? This is what I think. No. 2 Middle School is well-known in Shanghai and is one of the best in the education system. It's a good thing to make college entrance examination review materials, but such a good thing can't be exclusive to No. 2 Middle School. What about other schools? There must be something there, right? If this gets out, it won't be good for the leaders of No. 2 Middle School."
"In this case, why not let the school recommend it to other schools? But you can't give it away for free. You have to let them pay for it. In this way, if you sell a few more sets of the information the schools want, you can get your money back. If you sell a lot, you can also earn some hard-earned money, Uncle Ma. What do you think?"
"Sell it to other schools... this..." Director Ma never thought that Qin Zhengguo would propose this condition. He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then he thought that what Qin Zhengguo said was indeed correct. If these materials were printed out and the students of No. 2 Middle School used them, other schools would definitely know about it. At that time, the principals of other schools would come to Principal Zhou to ask for the information. Should the school give it to them or not?
If given, there are hundreds of students waiting to take the exam in one school, and thousands in ten schools. With so many students, the number of review materials needed would be at least tens of thousands.
The No. 2 Middle School is short of funds and cannot even meet the needs of its own students. It has to find ways to get money from Qin Zhengguo. It is definitely impossible to give it to him for free, and it is even more unaffordable.
But if we don't give it, other schools will definitely be dissatisfied with No. 2 Middle School, thinking that the school leaders of No. 2 Middle School have no sense of the overall situation. Once the matter is reported to the Education Bureau, it will not be a good thing for No. 2 Middle School.
However, according to Qin Zhengguo's suggestion, Director Ma felt that it was a bit inappropriate. Selling the information to other schools for a fee would become a business, wouldn't it? A good thing became a business when it was involved in business. As for what Qin Zhengguo said about making some hard-earned money for the factory at the same time, he had never thought about it.
Immediately, Director Ma shook his head like a rattle to express his opposition. When Qin Zhengguo asked Director Ma why he opposed, he directly expressed his concerns.
"Uncle Ma, you're really overthinking this." Qin Zhengguo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You're the factory director. If the factory doesn't make money, how are the workers going to survive? If everyone is as selfless as you, how are the monthly salaries going to be paid? Don't tell me that everything your factory produces every day is sold at cost, and you don't make a cent on it."
"How can they be the same? These are two different things!" Director Ma was stunned and immediately blushed.
"Uncle Ma, Uncle Ma, how can these be two different things? They are obviously the same thing!" Qin Zhengguo counted on his fingers for Director Ma: "Uncle Ma, does this equipment cost money? The rent costs money, right? Does it cost money to organize the materials and make relief plates? The teachers who help and the workers in the factory cost money to work, right? The purchase and work of ink, paper, printing, binding, these things also cost money, right? The workers' labor is also a cost, right? And the water, electricity and other expenses of the factory? Isn't that money? You are an old senior, you know more about the big pot meals in the commune than a junior like me."
"That being said, this thing is different from the products in the factory after all."
"What's the difference? Aren't they all products?" Qin Zhengguo stretched out his hand and drew a circle. "You have been a factory manager for many years, and you are also the manager of a school-run factory. You must understand that knowledge is power. In other words, since knowledge is power, it is also wealth. Isn't it reasonable for us to get due value and compensation in exchange for money, manpower and effort?"
"This..." Director Ma hesitated for a moment. He had to admit that Qin Zhengguo's words moved him, and if he thought about it carefully, if he could do it this way, the problem discussed before would no longer be a problem.
Not only did the school's own data needs get fully resolved, but it also solved the follow-up problems of other schools. In addition, the school and the factory can also make a profit from selling these materials, and they may even be able to subsidize the teachers and factory comrades who helped collect and organize the materials.
Although life is much better now than in previous years, everyone is really short of money. Otherwise, Principal Zhou would not have had the audacity to make this request to Director Ma. Isn't it because of lack of money?
"But what if other schools don't buy it? Schools are not well-off now, and I'm afraid they can't afford the money." Director Ma asked hesitantly.
"I didn't say I would sell it to other schools!" Qin Zhengguo said in surprise, "I just said I would recommend it to other schools. Ultimately, the information is not for students to use. If it is for students, it is considered extracurricular tutoring information. Shouldn't the students pay for it themselves?"
"That's fine...but what if some students come from poor families and can't afford it? That wouldn't be fair to these students!" Director Ma changed his mind and thought of another possibility.
Qin Zhengguo laughed loudly, shaking his head as he laughed: "Uncle Ma, you're thinking too far ahead. If you can afford it, buy it. If you can't afford it, can't you borrow from your classmates to copy? There are many students who copy each other's study materials. They are not as stupid as you think. Besides, if these schools are more serious, they can buy a few sets of materials and make their own wax paper mimeographs. We don't prohibit this."
"Yes, yes, yes, why didn't I think of this?" Qin Zhengguo's words made Director Ma suddenly enlightened, and the concerns he had just had disappeared.
If this is the case, it is not impossible to do this, but Director Ma cannot make the decision on this matter. He must report to Principal Zhou.
Qin Zhengguo agreed with this, but he hoped that there would be results as soon as possible, after all, there was not much time left for everyone.
Director Ma expressed his understanding and immediately stood up to ask Song Yuanchao to entertain Qin Zhengguo and Gu Jie on his behalf. He would go to the principal's office immediately to discuss the matter with Principal Zhou.
Director Ma hurriedly left the school-run factory and walked quickly towards the school. However, after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back. At this moment, he came to his senses. He had unknowingly followed Qin Zhengguo's thoughts step by step and reached such a result. This was somewhat different from his original intention!
"This little trick, Ce Na!"
After coming to his senses, Director Ma couldn't help but laugh and curse, but he didn't go back to find Qin Zhengguo. Although this matter was different from the result he had originally imagined, it was still a relatively good result. Moreover, by doing it according to Qin Zhengguo's idea, neither Qin Zhengguo, the school nor the factory suffered any loss. It can be said to be a win-win situation.
