1591: Chapter 1587: Promise 1591: Chapter 1587: Promise Among the five-star hotels in the Ancient City, the most expensive and famous one is the Ancient City Hotel….
The na might make one feel a bit powerless to complain, but, just as the top hotels often simply add ‘hotel’ to the na of a capital city, during the brief period of glory in the history of the Ancient City, it too was associated with so historical events.
“Once, a Warlord proclaid himself emperor here, his last na was Lu, and it’s said that this was his palace…..”
“That has nothing to do with …
cough cough, I an, I can’t believe that happened, you know I never paid attention in history class.”
On the second floor of the hotel, there’s a small private room with an exterior loft where one can enjoy tea and incidentally observe the people coming in and out of the hotel.
At the hotel entrance, the sign “Ancient City 19th Middle School Class 9603 Reunion” was particularly eye-catching.
Lu Ping’an was sitting upstairs on the second floor, this ti not in military uniform, nor wearing that ridiculous disguise…..
Just a simple shirt and slacks, indistinguishable from passersby.
Lu Ping’an didn’t dress up specially, but still looked neat and clean; he resembled a young office worker who had carefully grood himself, one who had only worked for a year or two and hadn’t yet been worn down by the grind.
“Uh, I rember weren’t you the top student in humanities, Old Lu?
You were known for your photographic mory back then…
ha-ha, it really is you, you don’t bother rembering things you’re not interested in.”
The one joking was also a young man, with gold-rimd glasses and long hair, a handso face, and his decently tailored suit looked quite valuable.
“….I didn’t expect you would see through on television;, I thought my makeup was pretty good.”
Lu Ping’an couldn’t be bothered to beat around the bush; instead of spending ti probing with less familiar classmates, he’d rather catch up on so sleep.
“Heh, I’ve actually been keeping an eye on you…..
Don’t get wrong, I’m normal; it’s just that you not only got accepted into the Extraordinary program at Ancient City University but also directly transferred to the Special Service Team.
I have a relative who is in the Special Service Team…”
Liu Yu, second-generation rich from a steel enterprise, or perhaps the future IT generation.
In Lu Ping’an’s world line, there was also such a classmate who, using his family’s funds for investnt, seized the wave of the tis and rose to beco one of the mavericks.
When he was interviewed, he said, “What I’m best at is judging people; knowing how to use the right people is key to how I got to this point”…
but ironically, in the waves of the following years, due to misplaced trust, he completely collapsed.
Just as Liu Yu described Lu Ping’an as a legend, in the mory of that world line’s Lu Ping’an, this person was also a legend…..
Compared to the peak achievents of Liu Yu at that ti, Lu Ping’an’s were quite ordinary.
It was also because he rembered this person that Lu Ping’an did not refuse the invitation.
“So, you’re the one who arranged this reunion?
There’s no need for such circumvention, just approaching directly would have done…”
On hearing this, Liu Yu showed a bitter smile, you’re a Vice Admiral, a Rule-level, and I even vaguely heard you’ve beco the Overlord of a world; how would I dare to provoke you casually.
First, a private approach to test the waters, if possible then collaborate, if not, it’s not considered an offense…
Even if it is offending, it’s only on a personal level.
Of course, that’s not how it’s said.
“It’s just a casual gathering of so old classmates still in the Ancient City; we have them every year, it’s just that it’s rare for you to be around…”
That was the truth as well; only this ti, they had been brought forward by at least two months, naturally as an opportunity to et with Lu Ping’an.
“…I heard you have a major project here?”
Finally, they got to the main subject.
“Uh-huh, are you interested?”
This was the real reason why Lu Ping’an would co to the eting earnestly.
The person before him was a second-generation owner of a local steel company…
If Lu Ping’an rembered correctly, with the developnt of the tis, this batch of companies was actually not far from death at this point in ti, barely surviving on governnt subsidies.
This was not simply for the sake of their survival…
Steel companies are famously known for providing a large number of jobs, and it is common for an entire community to devote itself to one company for decades.
Old industrial cities might even beco the “rust belts” of the steel and equipnt manufacturing industries.
Should a chain collapse occur, just the number of laid-off workers alone could shake the very foundations of the entire city.
“Yes, my family’s enterprise is doing fairly well, even a bit of spare cash…”
This was not what Lu Ping’an had anticipated…
but after thinking it over, he nodded his head.
The biggest difference between the two tilines is that the Ancient City had indeed taken on new technological specialties.
“Car making” and “shipbuilding” both require a lot of steel, so naturally, old steel companies have ushered in their second spring.
Even outdated technology is not a death blow…
As long as there are enough new orders, they can pay researchers to upgrade, really what they fear most is the “manufacturing” collapse, which would bring the entire upstream and downstream down with it.
“On my side, it might be the abilities of the Biological Departnt that you steel companies cannot reach.”
“We can reach them, indeed we can.
In fact, it’s not just my family…
My family doesn’t amount to much.
Recently, the Steel Union of our city has reported that laid-off workers will exceed ten percent within two years.”
Hearing this, Lu Ping’an put down his tea and frowned as well.
This was sowhat anticipated…
Although this world seems not to have a plan to reduce steel capacity, as technological upgrades and demand upgrades (for new types of steel materials) naturally improved survival efficiency, there also began a certain degree of layoffs.
For example, a production line for a new type of rebar hired so technical backbones and young workers, but associated with that, the workforce for the old boilers was directly cut.
Additions and subtractions, a ten percent layoff rate doesn’t seem like much, but consider just any steel material that has thousands or tens of thousands of people, it’s possible that the number of unemployed has already reached five digits.
“They estimate that there will be more than twenty percent layoffs to follow, at least fifty thousand people, and mostly those over the age of forty…”
Now, Lu Ping’an fully understood.
This old classmate before him did not co for himself at all.
It is likely that the entire Steel Workers’ Union had commissioned him to contact Lu Ping’an.
“Why not go to the Developnt Zone…
Oh, forget what I said.”
Jobs there were actually oversubscribed, and it was dominated by the Saphire people.
Lu Ping’an recalled his own past tiline…
The wave of layoffs ca later than expected, yet was just as unavoidable.
In the end, this was all a result of technological innovation that led to industrial upgrading.
Getting laid off is not anyone’s fault, it’s just occurring at a particularly bad ti in an industry already struggling.
“…
I’ll consider it.”
Lu Ping’an had a headache.
All he wanted was to invest in a project to help his hotown soar, but now he found himself tangled in such a complex issue.
He understood sowhat…
“Are you afraid I’ll use foreign labor?”
“I didn’t say that…
But if possible, it’s still best.
Cough cough, take care of our own hotown folks.”
Although the Ancient City has now enacted “Equal pay for equal work,” there are still practical manipulations like “tax deductions,” “extra bonuses,” and “dical subsidies”…
For companies, it might still be cheaper to hire foreign labor that doesn’t need so many benefits, and these foreign workers are indeed willing and agile at learning.
Among the vast “refugees”, it naturally includes various Elite talents.
Their ability to adapt and especially their learning ability are quite impressive…
For companies, as long as costs can be reduced, what is there that can’t be done?
“I’ll consider it, I can’t promise anything right now…
But I will take care of our hotown people.”
At this mont, this was all Lu Ping’an could say.
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