I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

“Thank you, President Chen.”

Everyone stared blankly at President Chen standing in front of the hall, then shouted in unison with firm and loud voices.

“No need to thank me. This break is something you all deserve.”

Chen Mo waved his hand somewhat awkwardly. He never expected the employees to be so grateful. He simply wanted them to work fewer hours so that his factory could lose as much money as possible.

“Also, you all worked hard overtime yesterday. After this meeting, go home and rest. Don’t worry, today’s break will count as a paid day off—it won’t affect your wages.”

“Get some rest, and come back to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, right, today is Friday, and tomorrow and the day after are the weekend. Since you’re off, you’ll come back the day after tomorrow.”

“Alright, meeting adjourned.”

Clap, clap, clap...

A wave of enthusiastic applause filled the hall.

Judging by how hard they were clapping, their hands were probably numb by now.

“We’re really getting a break?”

“Seems like it. And it’s a three-day break, no less.”

“Pinch me. Am I dreaming?”

“Hey, not so hard! That hurts! Pinch yourself!”

“Ouch. Looks like it’s not a dream.”

When Chen Mo returned to his office, the employees in the hall still hadn’t moved. Every one of them had a dazed expression.

But soon enough, the hall fell into chaos as people kept confirming with each other whether what they had just heard was real.

—

“Shen Rou, please inform the remote workers about the new policy changes later.”

Back in his office, Chen Mo leaned back in his chair and looked at Shen Rou, who had followed him in.

“Understood, President Chen.”

Shen Rou nodded but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she kept staring at Chen Mo with bright eyes.

Her boss, who wasn’t much older than her, was simply too kind.

This was the first time she had ever seen an employer who treated their workers so well.

Two days off per week, public holidays off as usual, full insurance benefits, generous perks... Not only that, but when he noticed the employees were exhausted from overtime, he even gave them a paid day off.

Even the largest corporations couldn’t match this level of treatment.

“What’s wrong?”

Noticing Shen Rou staring at him, Chen Mo instinctively wiped his face. Was there something on it?

“Oh, nothing!”

A faint blush appeared on Shen Rou’s face. She quickly turned around and left for her desk.

—

Jiang Cheng had just changed clothes and was walking down the road in the industrial park.

Since President Chen had given them a break today, and with the weekend following, he decided to go home for a visit.

He hadn’t been home in over three months.

His hometown was just a small town near Jiangcheng. By bus, it would only take a little over three hours to get there.

But under the factory’s old policies, if he went home, he’d lose his full attendance bonus. If he stayed for more than a day or two, his paycheck for the month would barely amount to anything.

So, in order to earn more money, he had been working without taking any time off.

But ever since President Chen took over the company, everything had started to change.

He never thought that, at nearly forty years old, he would finally have a job with full insurance benefits—and a significant pay raise to boot.

Now, the factory even changed its leave policy. From now on, they would have at least two days off per week, all with full pay, and the full attendance bonus wouldn’t be deducted.

This meant he could visit home every week if he wanted.

Though, he didn’t plan on making the trip every week.

Recently, he had heard that once the company’s cafeteria was built, they would be hiring janitors to handle cleaning work.

The salary would be 4,000 yuan, plus insurance coverage.

He was thinking of letting his wife take the janitor job. That way, they wouldn’t have to live apart, and he wouldn’t have to make long trips back and forth.

Both of them would have insurance, and in the future, they wouldn’t need to burden their child.

Plus, the employee dormitories were currently being renovated. Each unit was designed as a double-occupancy room, which would be perfect for him and his wife.

As Jiang Cheng thought about it, he couldn’t help but smile. He could already picture the two of them working and living together in the future.

“Old Jiang, all dressed up? You off today?”

Not long after, someone called out to him.

Jiang Cheng looked up and saw an old colleague of his.

The man worked in another factory within the same industrial park. Jiang Cheng had left his previous job because the boss was skimming wages, which led him to join this garment factory.

“Yeah, I haven’t been home in a while. Figured I’d go back for a visit.”

“Well, damn. The sun must be rising from the west. You never take time off.”

Lu Zhenguo gave Jiang Cheng a once-over and teased him.

Back when they worked together, Jiang Cheng would only take leave once every six months.

“I didn’t request leave. The boss gave us the day off.”

Jiang Cheng chuckled.

“Oh, wow, haven’t seen you in a while, and now you’re cracking jokes?”

“I’m serious. It’s a three-day break.”

Jiang Cheng held up three fingers, his smile impossible to hide.

“Your company must be struggling financially. They’re probably forcing you to take unpaid leave, huh? That kind of break is worse than nothing. Your boss is a real bastard.”

Seeing how serious Jiang Cheng was, Lu Zhenguo knew he wasn’t joking.

But then a thought struck him, and he came to a different conclusion.

“Your boss is the bastard! Ours is great!”

Jiang Cheng bristled at Lu Zhenguo’s words.

“These three days are fully paid. And from now on, we’ll have two paid days off every week!”

He tilted his head back, his face filled with pride.

“For real?”

Lu Zhenguo was skeptical. He knew Jiang Cheng’s personality—he wasn’t one to make stuff up.

But based on his understanding of factories, his colleague’s reaction wasn’t wrong either.

“Of course! If you don’t believe me, go ask someone else from our factory.”

Jiang Cheng pointed toward his workplace.

“Lu, the boss is coming. We need to get back to work.”

A distant voice called out.

“Coming!”

Lu Zhenguo responded, then turned back to Jiang Cheng.

“Let’s grab a drink sometime.”

“Sure, go take care of your work first.”

Jiang Cheng watched Lu Zhenguo leave and sighed.

If not for President Chen, he would still be in that same situation.

“Lu, who were you talking to?”

“An old colleague. His factory seems pretty nice now.”

“Are the wages good?”

“I didn’t ask about the pay, but they get two days off per week—paid.”

“Who are you trying to fool? I’ve worked at over ten factories, and not a single one of them had weekends off. Your friend must be pulling your leg.”

Lu Zhenguo fell silent.

He knew Jiang Cheng wouldn’t joke about something like this.

But based on his own experience with factories, his coworker wasn’t wrong either.

He had never heard of a factory offering double rest days.