Chapter 152

Two public security comrades suddenly came to the door. The first person to get the news was not the factory director, nor Director Ding from the factory office, but Lao Du, the security guard of the food factory.

Seeing the police quickly walking into the factory office building, Lao Du felt as if he had lost his temper.

He returned to the guard room, made himself a cup of strong tea, and cleaned the room again.

After wandering for a long time, I still felt something was wrong.

He put down his broom and said to his colleague who had just finished his shift and was about to go home, "Lao Jiang, please keep watch for me for a while. I have a sudden stomachache. I need to go to the bathroom!"

"Then hurry up!" Lao Jiang said, yawning. "I'm anxious to get back to bed!"

Lao Du responded, took two pieces of toilet paper from the drawer, and trotted into the factory, heading straight for his real destination - Finished Product Warehouse No. 3.

Warehouse manager Zhao Baoming was recording the morning's shipment data when he was grabbed by the arm. He muttered, "Can't you talk about it later?"

"What are you waiting for? Zhao Baoming, tell me the truth," Lao Du asked quietly as he pushed him out of the warehouse. "What exactly was in that truck you let me pass?"

"Haha, just some discarded wooden boxes from the factory."

"Don't try to fool me! How much is this wooden box worth?" Lao Du asked relentlessly. "What on earth is this?"

All trucks that come to the food factory to pick up and unload goods must be inspected, especially trucks that come to the factory to pick up goods. The number of boxes must be checked against the delivery note.

Zhao Baoming gave him ten yuan a month and asked him to turn a blind eye and let a truck go out.

Not often, just twice a month.

When Lao Du released the truck for the first time, he specially checked the seven extra wooden boxes on the truck and found that they were indeed empty.

Although I was confused, I couldn't resist the temptation of ten dollars.

He is just a security guard, his salary is not high, and he doesn't make much money on a daily basis.

During the most difficult years, the workers in the workshop always found ways to fill their stomachs, but his family had to tighten their belts and count their fingers to make ends meet. His parents saved their food rations for their grandchildren and themselves suffered from edema.

Old Du was really scared of the poor life, and after only two days of hesitation he reluctantly agreed to Zhao Baoming's request.

This situation continued for more than a year until the 2.27 fire.

Old Du felt relieved that he no longer had to live in fear.

He felt that all the past events had been written off, and neither he nor Zhao Baoming mentioned them, as if they had never happened.

However, perhaps because he had done something wrong, the two police officers who suddenly came to his door today made him feel inexplicably nervous.

He always felt that the police's visit was related to the truck he let go.

Zhao Baoming put his arm around his shoulders and chuckled softly, "Don't worry, Lao Du. With our friendship, I definitely won't harm you. From now on, just guard the gate, check every car strictly, and go to work normally."

Seeing that he still refused to tell the truth, Lao Du said bluntly, "Two police officers came to the factory just now. They were looking for the factory director. I heard them tell Director Ding that there is a case to be investigated and they need the cooperation of the factory employees."

Zhao Baoming's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and said, "Old Du, you just love to make wild associations! The last time the joint investigation team came to the factory to investigate the February 27 fire, you were scared to death. Now, at the first sign of trouble, you're restless again! You're just a janitor. As long as you don't say anything, no one can link this to you!"

He patiently comforted the anxious Old Du and managed to calm him down.

After Lao Du's back disappeared from his sight, Zhao Baoming said hello to his colleagues and took a stack of forms to the Supply and Marketing Department to find someone to sign.

Section Chief Liu Sheng was not there, so he walked over to the desk of Deputy Section Chief Cong Wei, placed the list on the desk, and said with a humble smile, "Section Chief Cong, please sign it for me."

"Why so many?"

"I saved it up for half a month."

Cong Wei looked up at him, hummed, and said, "Put it here. I'll go out and smoke a cigarette and then sign it for you."

As he spoke, he walked out the door first and went to the window at the end of the corridor. While lighting a cigarette, he asked in a low voice: "What's the matter with you suddenly coming to the office?"

"Old Du said that the police just came to the factory."

"Come on, what's there to be nervous about?"

Zhao Baoming advised, "If you ask me, don't rush to sell that batch of goods. At least wait until the end of the year, until the rumors have died down, right?"

"I have to sell it. The city has suddenly imposed a management fee on the free market."

Cong Wei is a cadre and believes that he can see further than a rough guy like Zhao Baoming.

The city didn’t care about the free market before because people were having a hard time and if they didn’t allow people to set up stalls, they would lose their source of income.

However, the economic situation has improved significantly this year, and some factories have increased their employment targets. The city cannot allow the free market to continue to operate in such a disorderly manner.

Once the authorities put great efforts into cracking down on the free market, it will be difficult for them to take advantage of the situation.

In order to avoid any further complications, it is safer to get rid of the cans as soon as possible.

Zhao Baoming worriedly said, "I'm afraid if we sell so many cans at once, someone with ulterior motives will take advantage of us."

Cong Wei took a puff of his cigarette and said with a smile, "Don't worry, we'll move on. I won't let him sell it in the city, so most people won't notice it."

The two men smoked a cigarette by the window, and when they returned to the office, they saw two men in uniform wearing big hats at the door, accompanied by Director Ding with an expressionless face.

"Comrade Cong Wei, do you know Chen Dewang?"

Cong Wei's face turned pale instantly, and he nodded calmly: "I know him, he is my distant cousin."

"It's OK as long as we know each other. Come back to the bureau with us."

*

Speculation and profiteering are usually committed by acquaintances.

This method has its pros and cons. It is not easy for relatives and friends to betray, but once one of them is caught, it will be difficult for his accomplices who are relatives to escape.

The first person caught by the police for speculation and profiteering could not hold his ground for more than two quarters of an hour before he gave away his accomplice Chen Dewang, who supplied him with goods.

Chen Dewang was caught red-handed by the police in a temporary warehouse. He could not handle such a big thing alone, so he also gave out his cousin Cong Wei.

The two are cousins, and Cong Wei is the deputy chief of supply and marketing at the food factory, so there is simply no way for him to defend himself.

We all make money together, and of course we all share the responsibility for our sins.

Therefore, after Cong Wei, the public security comrades took away the production planning section chief, warehouse manager Zhao Baoming, and the security guard Lao Du from the food factory.

In three days, four people were taken away.

Moreover, the reason why the four people were taken away gradually became known.

This caused an inexplicable unrest inside the food factory. The employees talked to each other privately, wondering who would be the next person to be taken away.

Some people think that it is impossible for two section chiefs and a warehouse manager to commit such a big crime.

There must be a protective umbrella above.

Either the factory director Niu Enjiu or the deputy factory director Chen Qian.

Especially Chen Qian, he was the deputy director of the canning workshop before, so he is very close to the water.

How could he not know that so many cans of food disappeared right under his nose?

When Chen Qian heard this rumor, he slammed the table and cursed in the office.

"So many workshop directors didn't notice the shortage of cans. How could I, a deputy factory director with a contract, go and count the cans one by one?"

He ran to Jiang Wenming's office next door and asked, "Can we follow up on the progress of the case with the police and ask them to release the results of their investigation as soon as possible? It's just speculation and profiteering, why has it taken so long? If the results are not announced, I'll be accused of being an accomplice to speculation and profiteering!"

Jiang Wenming chuckled, "Don't be impatient. Director Niu is on a business trip to Beijing, so it's not appropriate for us to go to the Public Security Bureau to inquire about the progress of the case. We are not suspected to begin with, and if we take the initiative to inquire about the situation, it will only make us look guilty."

"We can't keep dragging it out, can we? People in the factory are all so uneasy right now, and everyone's suspicious of each other!"

Jiang Wenming raised his hand and pointed to the next room. "Among the leadership team, only the newly arrived Director Ye is completely free of suspicion. If you are truly anxious, please ask Director Ye to go to the branch office to inquire about the situation."

Ye Manzhi was indeed the most suitable candidate, and she was also quite curious about the progress of the case. Therefore, when Jiang Wenming came to her, she did not make any fuss. She just felt a little embarrassed for a moment, then nodded and agreed to go to the Public Security Bureau.

The person who came out to receive her from the branch was Deputy Director Lei.

"Director Ye, even if you don't come, we will still contact the leaders of the food factory."

Ye Manzhi asked seriously, "Director Lei, is this speculation case very complicated?"

"It's indeed a bit complicated," Deputy Director Lei said. "According to the suspects' confessions, they steal 300 cans of food from the First Food Factory every month, and this has been going on for over a year."

"So many?" Ye Manzhi had already had her doubts in her heart, but she still asked the question as one might expect. "Director Lei, our factory's finished goods warehouse reconciles accounts every day. 300 cans of canned goods must be packed into at least 12 boxes. If so many cans are missing, there's no way the accounts will be balanced."

Deputy Director Lei shook his head and said, "They didn't steal directly from the finished goods warehouse, but rather through the inspection warehouse. Every day, the quality inspectors would replace ten bottles of unqualified products with ten bottles of qualified products. And your factory's method of destroying unqualified products is to discard the contents and leave the intact glass jars. As long as there's something in the trash can and the empty jars are returned to the workshop, it's considered destroyed."

"The quality inspector exploited this production loophole and used pre-prepared empty cans to replace qualified products from the inspection warehouse. For example, there were 50 bottles of defective products that day, but the quality inspector mixed in 10 bottles of qualified products. When destroying the defective products, she only poured the contents of the 40 unqualified bottles into the trash, leaving 40 cans. She filled the remaining 10 bottles with the empty cans she had prepared in advance."

Ye Manzhi: “…”

There are mountains of cans and bottles in the warehouse, and the loss of glass products is very high, so no one cares about the number of cans and bottles.

The inspection warehouse is right in the workshop, so quality inspectors don’t even have to spend their own money to buy bottles, they can just get them from the workshop.

Deputy Director Lei continued, "The cans they exchanged will be treated as freshly sterilized and cooled cans and will continue to be observed in the inspection warehouse. When the factory is about to ship them out, they will be packed and sent to the finished product warehouse, and then loaded onto trucks with the other products on the order sheet and shipped out of the food factory."

Ye Manzhi: “…”

Safety measures in food factories are already very strict.

If nothing had happened, who would have thought that there were so many loopholes in the factory?

"Director Lei, the police only took four people from our factory, and none of them were quality inspectors. Could this quality inspector who was cooperating with the investigation be the deceased quality inspector, Su Xiu?"

"It was definitely her," Deputy Director Lei said. "The canned goods they were reselling were all produced before the February 27 fire. After Su Xiu's death, no one was colluding with them, so the criminal chain was broken. According to the confessions of suspects Cong Wei and Zhang Baozhong, Su Xiu and He Dali, who died in the fire, were involved. Therefore, we suspect the February 27 fire was no ordinary accident. This morning, we applied to merge the two cases and re-examine the February 27 fire case."

The fire on February 27 destroyed half a century of accumulation in the canning workshop, and it would take several years to recover.

I didn't expect that there was something strange about the fire.

Ye Manzhi asked with a heavy heart, "Director Lei, is it convenient to tell us about the February 27 fire now?"

Deputy Director Lei said: "Based on the previous on-site inspection, the investigation team classified the fire as an accident. However, based on Cong Wei's confession, we suspect there is something else going on."

This small gang from the food factory has been committing crimes for more than a year.

When the crime was first committed, Deputy Factory Director He Dali was not involved.

He joined half a year later.

According to Cong Wei, He Dali has a huge appetite.

Their previous monthly sales revenue was around 250 yuan, but after He Dali joined, he asked for a 100 yuan monthly commission.

In the entire chain of interests, whether it is quality inspector Su Xiu, warehouse manager Zhao Baoming, or Cong Wei and Zhang Baozhong, everyone has contributed more than He Dali.

When they were first caught by He Dali, they were completely panicked.

They agreed to whatever Director He asked for.

However, as time went by, they gradually came to their senses.

While He Dali caught them, they also caught He Dali's handle.

Although Director He did provide some convenience for them in moving and delivering goods, it's not necessary for him to take all the money for himself, right?

We are taking such a big risk to steal canned food, not because we are working for Director He!

The factory will ship out a batch of goods on February 28th. On the 27th, they will transfer the cans in the inspection warehouse to the finished product warehouse and wait for shipment the next day.

The factory manager on duty on the 27th was Chen Qian, who was in charge of the canning workshop. According to Chen Qian's habit, he would definitely stay in the canning workshop.

Therefore, He Dali switched shifts with Chen Qian and went to the canning workshop in person to take charge.

Cong Wei and Su Xiu planned to take the opportunity to discuss the issue of redistribution with He Dali.

Now they are tied to the same rope, and neither side can tell others about their speculation.

Both sides are therefore confident.

Cong Wei felt that if he wanted He Dali to make concessions, he would need to find another handle that was neither too big nor too small to threaten him.

The handle on He Dali's lifestyle can make him feel a little intimidated, but it will not make him go all out and expose the more serious resale of state-owned assets.

The case has not been fully investigated yet, so Deputy Director Lei did not reveal too much information to Ye Manzhi.

After introducing the general situation, I served tea and saw the guests off.

Just as he sent Ye Manzhi out the door, a young police officer ran over and said, "Director Lei, there's progress with warehouse manager Zhao Baoming!"

Deputy Director Lei walked quickly into the nearest office without saying a word.

In the dim room, the old policeman was repeating what he had just said slowly.

"Cong Wei, the deputy section chief of the supply and marketing department, gave you the camera and asked you to take intimate photos of Su Xiu and He Dali. But you failed, right? Because He Dali pushed Su Xiu away."

Zhao Baoming hadn't slept for several days and nodded dejectedly.

The old policeman asked slowly: "Then tell me again, why did he push Su Xiu away?"

Zhao Baoming said irritably, "What else could it be? He Dali is not good enough! How many times have I answered this question? Go to the food factory and ask everyone, who doesn't know that He Dali has impotence? His wife admitted it herself! If I had known he had this problem, I wouldn't have taken the photo."

"Well, the photoshoot didn't work out, so you set the workshop on fire?"

"Bullshit! Who burned the workshop?"

The old policeman lied, "Cong Wei from your factory's supply and marketing department, and Zhang Baozhong, the head of the production planning department, both said you set the fire."

Zhao Baoming was getting even more irritated and angry: "I didn't start the fire! It was really an accident!"

"Haha, there weren't so many accidents! There were only three of you in the workshop at the time. Those two people are already dead, and you were the only one who escaped. And when we investigated the February 27 fire last time, you didn't say you were at the scene of the fire."

"No one asked me why I was looking for trouble."

The old police officer said to the young police officer next to him: "Well, record it, he admitted to setting the fire."

"..." Zhao Baoming said angrily, "You are ignoring the facts and arbitrarily tampering with the confession! Who admitted to arson?"

"Well, I'll make a note of it. I'll just have him press his fingerprints later." The old policeman, like a scumbag, glanced at his watch and said, "It's just in time for dinner after he presses his fingerprints. As long as we can give an explanation to the higher-ups about the 227 fire, that'll be fine."

The young policeman echoed, "Master, the canteen has boiled pork today. Let's go over and eat early after we finish examining this!"

Zhao Baoming slammed the table with red eyes: "I didn't set the fire, it was He Dali and Su Xiu!"

"Haha, dead people can't speak anyway, so whatever you say is what it is." The young policeman sneered.

"It really was them! When He Dali pushed Su Xiu away, he knocked over the nearest stationary rack. The racks in the inspection room were all next to each other, and when one rack fell, the others were affected. Hundreds of cans on the rack were broken! The spilled sugar water splashed onto a power supply, which caused the fire!"

The old police officer immediately said, "Oh, there was a fire, and you just stood there and watched? Why didn't anyone turn off the power? Isn't there a separate power switch in the inspection warehouse?"

"There were so many broken cans. Su Xiu was the on-duty quality inspector and couldn't explain this to the factory. In that situation, being criticized and having her salary deducted would be the least of her worries. She might even be fired for causing such a huge loss!"

"So you're just going to take advantage of the situation and let the fire burn?"

"He Dali asked me to go outside and find someone to put out the fire, to test whether Curry could create the illusion that the cans were broken because of the fire."

The old policeman asked: "Did you find anyone to put out the fire?"

"I found it."

"You're lying! Most people in the factory were on holiday that night, and no one saw you in the canning workshop! After you ran out, you didn't go get anyone to put out the fire." The old police officer said with a sharp look in his eyes, "Not only did you not get anyone to put out the fire, you also blocked the passage from the inspection warehouse to the workshop!"

"I didn't!" Zhao Baoming said hysterically, "Why would I do that?"

The old police officer pressed on, "Because after the Spring Festival holiday, the factory director, Niu Enjiu, suddenly tightened the control over the warehouse's incoming and outgoing goods. You're guilty! You're afraid of being exposed, and you don't want to do this anymore! But you're just a warehouse keeper. Once you're on board, it's hard to get off. If Su Xiu, the key figure in the resale of state-owned assets, and Deputy Factory Director He Dali, die, your gang will be completely disbanded!"

"I didn't!" Zhao Baoming gasped.

"Haha, it's up to you to decide whether it happened or not!" the veteran police officer continued to lie. "You didn't really think you were the only one there that day, did you? After bringing the four of you back to the bureau, we gathered clues widely at the food factory. Comrade Jincheng from Finished Product Warehouse No. 2 was also on duty on February 27th. While using the restroom, he noticed smoke coming from the workshop. When he ran over to investigate, he happened to see what you had done!"

His words were almost full of loopholes, but Zhao Baoming, who was already panicking, just kept recalling whether Jincheng was on duty at the factory that day.

The long period of panic and depression left him no time to think. Since Jincheng discovered the workshop was on fire, why didn't he organize a rescue? Why didn't he say anything after the fire?

He recalled the duty roster of that day in a panic, and it seemed that Jincheng's name was really on it!

This conclusion was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, causing him to collapse completely in his chair.

*

On the day Niu Enjiu returned from Beijing, the district public security bureau officially announced the truth about the 2.27 fire and announced that it had successfully captured a criminal gang headed by former deputy factory director He Dali that was reselling state-owned assets.

After the truth was revealed, it caused a huge uproar.

This group of people made a profit of 3,000 yuan from canned food in just over a year!

Not only did they resell state-owned assets, but they also caused a fire that shocked the entire city!

Not only did the provincial and municipal leaders issue instructions on this matter, but the employees in the canning workshop were also very excited. Some old employees had special feelings for the factory and the workshop. When they heard that the fire on February 27 was actually set by someone, they ran to Zhao Baoming's house and smashed the windows that day.

Of course, He Dali and Su Xiu's families were not spared either.

The people who were most unable to accept this investigation result were He Dali's family.

He Dali was a fire-fighting hero yesterday, so how come he has become a corrupt official today?

Family member Qiu Yanping went to the Public Security Bureau to protest and demanded a re-examination of He Dali's part of the case.

He Dali is the deputy factory director and his salary is enough to support his family's expenses. There is no need for him to take such a big risk in speculation.

According to the police, He Dali received at least 700 to 800 yuan in stolen money.

So, what about the money?

Apart from his salary, He Dali never brought a penny more home!

The officer who received her said, "We've checked He Dali's remittance records. He sent 700 yuan to Dehua in three installments. According to our investigation, before He Dali married you, he had a wife in his hometown who gave birth to two sons. Those two sons got married in October of last year and January of this year, respectively."

He Dali's first wife has never remarried and has been raising two children alone in her hometown. She has never asked him for money over the years.

It was not until his two sons reached marriageable age and could not afford the bride price that he wrote to his biological father, asking him to be responsible for paying the bride price for his sons.

He Dali's salary has always been kept by Qiu Yanping, and when he married Qiu Yanping, he never told her that he had been married. It was not until several years later that Qiu Yanping accidentally discovered it.

This topic has always been a taboo in the family.

Since his son needs money to get married, He Dali has no choice but to take an unconventional approach.

…

Because of the new conclusion to the February 27 fire case, the factory has been in chaos.

Both the factory leadership team and ordinary employees were somewhat restless.

Ye Manzhi was the person least implicated in this matter.

While the factory was busy appeasing the employees, she took a break and visited her parents' home.

"Fourth brother, our factory may be hiring. You should review your studies and practice your calligraphy. The recruitment exam will definitely include a written test. If you fail the written test, don't expect me to help you with the back door!"

Fourth Brother chuckled proudly, "Haha, I've already started studying. I'm sure I'll pass the exam for a job at your factory! I heard a security guard got fired? I've got my eye on that job, so I'll apply for it when the time comes! I'm young, I'm sure I'll pass!"