"Sis, don't you think Boss Zhang is crazy? Boss Tan said he didn't have time, but he still insisted on having a get-together. We finally got two days off."
"Alright, it's not like it's delaying your time. You can do whatever you want after eating, you can just tell him directly."
"Oh, if only it were dinner, then I could sleep until the afternoon before getting up."
"Stop grumbling, we'll go shopping after we eat."
Jinpeng Trade implemented a single day off system.
If there was a shipment, they would have to go to the factory to help with temp workers.
The work intensity wasn't high, but there wasn't much rest time.
New Year's Day fell on a weekend, and the sisters Li Yanning and Li Jinglan finally got two days off, which was the first time since they started working.
Yet, it was these rare two days off that Boss Zhang still insisted on having a get-together, and he scheduled it for noon.
This left Li Jinglan brimming with resentment; on such a cold day, it would be so nice to sleep at home.
Zhang Xupeng still didn't understand one thing: employees actually don't like to hang out with the boss, especially on holidays, even if their relationship is usually good.
Tan Jincheng didn't want to go for this reason too.
Why bother with so many gatherings?
Pay them more, and they'll call you grandpa.
There's no need to foster camaraderie at all.
Even compared to industry counterparts, Jinpeng Trade employees' income was considered upper-middle, not to mention Li Jinglan, who used to screw in screws at an electronics factory.
In these times, assembly line workers earned a few hundred yuan a month, with no advantages other than free food and accommodation.
However, in December, her basic salary plus subsidies, along with commission from the Taobao store, brought her monthly income close to 3,000 yuan, several times what she earned on the assembly line.
This was enough to make her work with complete devotion.
Tan Jincheng even thought this kid was having ulterior motives.
He often saw him trying to get close to Li Jinglan.
To be fair, although Li Jinglan seemed a bit naive, she was quite pretty.
When recruiting employees, Tan Jincheng preferred those who were more honest and seemed a bit naive, not overly clever, as long as they could handle the tasks assigned.
At the turn of the century, opportunities were everywhere.
Employees who were too clever wouldn't stay long; they would seize the opportunity to start their own business.
Recruiting employees is actually a skill for different periods, but no matter the era, honest people are always the easiest to control, and honest employees even more so.
In Tan Jincheng's eyes, the sisters Li Yanning and Li Jinglan were just like that.
This year, the company expanded recruitment, mainly focusing on honest people.
In the evening, when Tan Jincheng arrived home, he saw Zhang Xupeng lying alone on the sofa playing on his phone and couldn't help but tease,
"Oh? Why are you home? Didn't you go shopping with Xiao Li?"
"What do you mean, shopping with Xiao Li? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Zhang Xupeng denied.
"Do you think I'm blind? You've been trying to get close to Xiao Li lately, are you interested in her?"
"Bullshit, how is that possible? You're slandering me."
"Come on, then why did you organize a get-together today?"
"That was to increase employee sense of belonging and cultivate employee loyalty to the company. Besides, isn't her sister there too?"
"Alright, alright, so how did that cultivation go?"
"It broke up right after dinner."
"Oh, you, don't disturb employees' private lives on holidays. If you really like her, then pursue her. I wouldn't object to that."
Seeing Zhang Xupeng about to retort, Tan Jincheng immediately stopped him and said,
"But if the two of you really start dating, then she can't work here anymore. Think about it yourself."
In their previous lives, the two of them earned their first 100,000 yuan, but it wasn't this easy.
Back then, it was understandable that Zhang Xupeng had no other thoughts, but now he's almost constantly surrounded by women.
Young and in love, plus having some money in hand, it's normal to have some thoughts.
Love between men and women is human nature; but it can't affect me making money.
I have bigger goals.
Tan Jincheng's words startled Zhang Xupeng, who subconsciously asked,
"Why?"
"Are you really stupid or just pretending? If you successfully pursue her, and Li Jinglan becomes your girlfriend, would she still have the mind to work?"
It goes without saying that if the pursuit isn't successful, she's definitely going to resign.
Tan Jincheng wasn't afraid of Li Jinglan resigning; he could easily find a replacement.
But he was afraid of affecting Li Yanning's work mood.
A suitable and hardworking merchandiser is hard to find.
This is also a drawback of relatives or friends working in the same company, though it's a common issue for small companies these days, a characteristic of the era.
Rural people coming to the city to work lack a sense of security and prefer to stick together.
If employee relationships are handled well, the company is very stable, and production capacity skyrockets.
If not handled well, a swarm of resignations occurs.
Some radicals even quit without collecting their salaries, just to spite the boss.
Collective demands for pay raises during busy periods are also common, which is why Tan Jincheng only wants to hire honest people.
Honest people aren't like troublemakers; they don't cause so many issues.
"No, I don't like her at all,"
Zhang Xupeng still retorted stubbornly, but his voice was much softer.
Tan Jincheng's words made him fall into deep thought.
"I've already eaten dinner. If you haven't, sort it out yourself."
Seeing Zhang Xupeng no longer speak, Tan Jincheng didn't bother with him and walked into his own room.
——
Monday, the first workday of 2005.
Beicang Tax Bureau, Le Jiakai was an ordinary staff member at the Beicang Tax Bureau, responsible for reviewing the legality and compliance of export tax refunds for some enterprises within its jurisdiction.
Of course, due to his qualifications, only small-scale foreign trade enterprises were assigned to Le Jiakai.
Export tax refunds are a common practice internationally and a powerful means to enhance the export competitiveness of domestic enterprises.
Many trading companies and factories are able to make the price of export goods even lower than domestic sales for this very reason.
Many cities, to encourage exports, even provide some conveniences to enterprises in terms of procedures.
However, where there are benefits, there are naturally those who exploit loopholes, and companies that illegally obtain benefits through false exports or other means are not uncommon.
Le Jiakai's job was to identify enterprises with abnormal tax refunds.
Currently, he had one such foreign trade enterprise in hand.
It had been established for less than three months, with only 4 employees enrolled in insurance.
Le Jiakai had checked, and among these 4 people, two were bosses, leaving only 2 actual employees.
Yet, this insignificant enterprise had a tax refund amount exceeding 200,000 yuan in less than three months.
A 200,000 yuan tax refund, in a port area like Beicang, which is bustling with foreign trade, isn't considered much.
But for the enterprises Le Jiakai was responsible for, it was already quite high.
Especially since this company reported so much in just over two months of establishment, it seemed somewhat abnormal.
It seemed he needed to report this to the section chief.
(End of Chapter)
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