Chapter 3

On the morning of the third day, Ryan was already there when I arrived at the office.

He stood beside my workstation, holding a document.

When he saw me, he threw the document onto the desk.

“What is this?”

I picked it up and looked at it, and it was the monthly logistics work plan.

“The plan we submit on the fifth of every month.”

He took the document back, scribbled a few words on it, and threw it back to me.

“Rewrite it. I want to see specific data, comparisons with the same period last year, and this year’s budget execution rate.”

“Don’t bring out this garbage and try to fool people.”

He took one step forward and lowered his voice. “Let me tell you, I’m not sitting in this position for nothing.”

“The higher-ups sent me here to clear out people like you who are just coasting along. How many years have you been in this department?”

“Fifteen years.”

“Fifteen years.”

He repeated it once.

“And after fifteen years, this is all you’ve amounted to? Do you know how many useless people a place like logistics has kept alive?”

I looked at him and said nothing.

He patted my shoulder. “Write the plan properly. If you can’t, someone else can handle logistics from now on.”

He left.

I stood in place, and the people at the surrounding workstations all kept their heads lowered.

Kyle raised his head, looking like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

I returned to my seat and turned on the computer.

The screen flickered and went black.

I pressed the power button, but there was no response.

I pressed it again, and there was still no response.

Kyle ran over and took a look for me. “Walter, the power supply burned out.”

I said, “Can it be fixed?”

He shook his head. “This antique? You’re better off replacing it than fixing it.”

I thought for a moment, then stood up and went to find Ryan.

He was on the phone, and when he saw me knock, he waved for me to wait.

I stood at the door for five minutes, and after he finished the call, he finally lifted his chin at me. “What is it?”

“My computer broke, and the power supply burned out.”

“If it’s broken, fix it. Why come to me?”

“There are no spare machines in the supply room, and purchasing requires going through the process.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked me over. “Then what do you want?”

I said nothing.

He took a form out of the drawer, scribbled a few words, and handed it to me.

“Go borrow one from Administration, and return it when you’re done.”

I looked at the form, and it said: Approved to borrow one computer for one week.

I said, “One week may not be enough.”

He said, “Then submit a purchase request. Before the request process is complete, use the borrowed one first.”

I took the form to Administration.

The young woman in Administration looked at it and said quietly, “Mr. Clark, borrowing a computer requires a deposit.”

“How much?”

“Two thousand.”

I touched my pocket and did not have that much money on me.

The young woman said, “Why don’t you come back this afternoon after getting the money?”

I said okay.

Back at my workstation, Kyle asked if I had borrowed one.

I said I would bring money in the afternoon to borrow it.

He thought for a moment, then dug five hundred dollars out of his drawer and handed it to me. “Walter, this is all I have on hand. Take it first.”

I said there was no need.

He shoved it into my hand. “Just use it first and pay me back later.”

In the afternoon, I went to Administration, paid the deposit, and borrowed a laptop back.

I powered it on and installed software, and after messing with it until almost time to get off work, I finally got it working.

Ryan came out of his office, and when he saw the laptop on my desk, he walked over and tapped it. “You borrowed it?”

I said, “I did.”

He glanced at the brand and clicked his tongue. “Dell? Why does Administration use nothing but Dell?”

I said nothing.

When he reached the door, he turned back again. “By the way, people from headquarters are coming tomorrow for an inspection, so logistics needs to clean up.”

“The restrooms, hallways, and conference room all need to be clean. Especially the restrooms. They smell awful.”

I said, “All right.”

He left.

I checked the time, and it was five-forty.

The cleaning lady got off work at six.

I went downstairs to find the cleaning lady and explained it to her.

She said okay and that she would come early tomorrow to give everything a thorough cleaning again.

When I got home that night, my wife asked how my day was.

I said it was okay.

She glanced at me and said nothing.

After dinner, I sat on the balcony and smoked.

My wife walked over and stood beside me.

“Has something happened to you lately?”

I said, “No.”

She said, “You’ve smoked for so many years, and even when you were trying to quit, I never saw you smoke this hard.”

I looked at the cigarette in my hand, and half of it was still left.

I put it out and tossed it into the ashtray.

She said, “If something is going on, say it. Don’t keep it bottled up.”

I said, “There’s really nothing.”

The next morning, I arrived at the office at six-thirty.

The cleaning lady was already there and was mopping the hallway.

In the restroom, she had placed two air fresheners and sprayed room deodorizer.

I checked it once, and there really was no smell anymore.

At seven-fifty, Ryan arrived.

Before entering his office, he deliberately walked around to the restroom entrance and sniffed.

“Not bad,” he said. “Do it like this every day from now on.”

I said, “The cleaning lady can’t handle all that alone, and doing this every day isn’t realistic.”

He turned back to look at me. “Did I ask you to do this every day?”

I said nothing.

He stared at me for two seconds and suddenly smiled. “Walter Clark, do you think I’m that easy to talk to?”

I said, “No.”

He said, “Then do as I say. Before work every day, the restroom must have no smell. Any problem?”

I said, “No problem.”

At ten in the morning, the inspection team from headquarters arrived.

Ryan accompanied them around for a tour and held a two-hour meeting in the conference room.

When the meeting ended, I happened to be passing through the hallway.

Ryan escorted them out, and when he ran into me, he froze for a moment before smiling and saying:

“This is Walter from our logistics department, and he’s been here for fifteen years.”

The leader of the team glanced at me and nodded.

I nodded too.

After Ryan saw them off, he passed me on his way back and lowered his voice. “At least you knew your place and didn’t run your mouth.”

I stood there and watched him walk into his office.

At three in the afternoon, Kyle suddenly ran over, his expression off. “Walter, have you heard?”

I said, “Heard what?”

“Logistics is cutting staff. The quota came from above, a twenty percent reduction.”

I said nothing.

He said, “I heard Ryan proposed it, saying he wants to optimize the personnel structure. The list has already been submitted.”

I asked, “Who’s on the list?”

He shook his head. “It hasn’t been announced yet. But it must include some of the older logistics staff. He’s been saying for a while that logistics keeps useless people around.”

I sat back in my chair and looked at the borrowed laptop.

At five, Ryan told me to go to his office.

He sat in his chair, holding a list.

When he saw me come in, he flipped the list over and placed it face down on the desk.

“Walter, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

I stood still without moving.

He leaned back in his chair. “The higher-ups require us to optimize the personnel structure, and logistics needs to cut two people. I thought about it, and you have the longest tenure, so you can get a decent severance package. Do you want to consider it?”

I said, “Consider what?”

He said, “Early retirement. Take a lump sum and go home to enjoy life. Isn’t that better than being treated badly here?”

I looked into his eyes and said nothing.

He looked at me too, and after waiting a few seconds, he smiled.

“Fine, if you won’t consider it, forget it. I’ll submit the list first, and when the notice comes down, don’t blame me for not giving you a heads-up.”

I turned and walked out.

Behind me, he said, “By the way, Administration is asking for that borrowed computer back.”

“I still haven’t approved your purchase request, so figure it out yourself.”

I paused for a moment, then continued walking out.