Chapter 82: The Matter of Dividing Houses

When he returned to the factory, it was already nearly time to clock out. After a conversation in the factory director's office, followed by splitting some tangerines with Director Ma, and then sharing a meal together, it was already past eight o'clock when Zhao Guoyang finally got back to his dormitory.

Seeing the empty room, Zhao Guoyang couldn't help but mutter inwardly. It seemed that Xu Dongfeng had gone out to meet his girlfriend again. This fellow was truly undaunted by setbacks in matters of the heart, earning a certain admiration.

It was still a bit early to go to bed, so Zhao Guoyang decided to step out for a stroll.

No sooner had he exited than he overheard two factory employees whispering to each other.

"Old Qin, did you hear the news? Once spring arrives, the factory will be distributing housing again."

"Yes, Old Fan, I heard as well. Apparently, because the factory performed well last year, they even built an extra building."

"Exactly! And, did you know, this time there are five tiers of apartments—one hundred and twenty square meters, one hundred, ninety, eighty, and the smallest at sixty. Old Fan, you're a veteran here; you should qualify for the second tier, a hundred square meters, right?"

"Ha, don't even dream about it!" Old Fan grumbled.

"The hundred-square-meter units are reserved for mid-level managers—the heads of departments. Only six or seven people qualify, and I'm not even a middle manager. There's no way it's my turn..."

"Don't lose heart. I heard that this time, besides rank, they're also considering technical qualifications and years of service."

"Old Fan, you have a technician's title and thirty years in the factory. Surely you deserve the same treatment as those department heads?" Old Qin tried to comfort him.

"Hmph. They say they'll consider qualifications and tenure, but when it comes down to the actual distribution, you'll see. If I manage to get a third-tier ninety-square-meter unit, same as the regular middle managers, I'll count myself lucky."

Old Qin sighed, "Well, at least you have something to look forward to. Compared to you, I'm in a miserable spot."

"Worked my whole life as a laborer, never earned a title. Even if I get a place, it'll surely be the lowest tier."

"That's not quite true. You’ve been here over twenty years, haven’t you? The threshold is ten years, so you’re already above average. You might even get bumped up and land an eighty-square-meter apartment."

Hearing someone worse off than himself, Old Fan's mood brightened, and he offered words of consolation in return.

Zhao Guoyang heard the entire exchange. The news that the factory would soon be distributing housing made him feel rather gratified.

After all, in his previous life, the reality of exorbitant property prices had turned countless people into mortgage slaves, something that always made him uncomfortable. Even now, he had no place of his own in the city, which left him feeling unsettled.

But now, the factory had built a dormitory building. Although he had been here less than a year, his position as technical section chief—a middle management role—should qualify him for an apartment.

And if things were as Old Qin and Old Fan described, he might even get a spacious ninety-square-meter unit. That would be a very pleasant surprise.

…

Early the next morning, Zhao Guoyang entered the office, and sure enough, everyone was abuzz with talk about the housing allocation.

In this era, housing wasn't so fiercely sought after. As long as one stayed at a unit long enough, sooner or later they'd be assigned an apartment of some kind, be it large or small, close or far.

Yet, despite everyone getting a place, the differences between them could be quite dramatic. For instance, the gap between the largest and smallest units was nearly double—a world apart.

Naturally, those in the know began to pull strings and cultivate connections, hoping to be bumped up a tier when the time came.

When Zhao Guoyang walked in, Huang Xiaohua—temporarily sidelined—greeted him with her usual cold indifference, ignoring him as always. Meanwhile, Huaguo Sheng, a technical section backbone, came over cheerfully to chat.

"Guoyang, you went to Yangcheng? Back already?" Huaguo Sheng asked.

"Yes, there was still business at the factory, so I figured it best to return quickly," Zhao Guoyang replied honestly.

Huaguo Sheng chuckled. Glancing at the others chatting in groups, he leaned in and lowered his voice. "By the way, Guoyang, did you hear about the housing distribution this spring?"

Zhao Guoyang had already caught wind of it last night and nodded, indicating he was aware.

Huaguo Sheng paused. Seeing Huang Xiaohua leave with her teacup, he finally spoke again. "Guoyang, this concerns your personal interests—you mustn't take it lightly. Pay close attention!"

Zhao Guoyang tilted his head, puzzled, unsure what Huaguo Sheng meant.

"Come on, Guoyang, aren’t you usually so sharp? How can you be so oblivious about this?" Huaguo Sheng said, his tone half exasperated.

"You’ve heard the allocation standards, right?"

"Yes, five tiers—that’s not so surprising," Zhao Guoyang replied, still skeptical.

"If you know there are five tiers, do you know which one you belong in?" Huaguo Sheng asked with deliberate gravity.

"Er, probably the third?" Zhao Guoyang answered candidly, not giving it much thought.

"Wrong!" Huaguo Sheng hunched his shoulders, sneakily scanning the room before continuing in a hushed tone.

"Guoyang, don’t you see? Our technical section doesn’t have a chief, but the quota is still allocated by the factory."

"In other words, the technical section is guaranteed a second-tier apartment, and the contenders for that slot are you and Huang Xiaohua. Aren’t you going to pay attention to this?"

Zhao Guoyang began to grasp the situation.

Indeed, the technical section chief’s position had always been concurrently held by Deputy Director Wang Youchang. When it came to housing, Director Wang would naturally be in the first tier.

Therefore, Director Wang wouldn’t use up the technical section’s second-tier slot; instead, the quota would fall to the two deputy section chiefs.

Seeing that Zhao Guoyang had caught on, Huaguo Sheng gave another well-intentioned reminder. "Guoyang, although you’re currently running the technical section, your rank is the same as Huang Xiaohua’s."

"Her years of service far exceed yours. When it comes to housing, you might lose out. So I think you should go talk to the factory director…"