Chapter 121 Wang Erzhu
Gu Qiuyue's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't show it on her face. She just whispered to Zhang Xiumei, "Sister Xiumei, you lead everyone to continue working. I'll go see what's going on."
She straightened her clothes and followed the young soldier to the gate of the family compound. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the courtyard wall, lengthening her figure.
Gu Qiuyue took a deep breath, and various possibilities flashed through her mind. The matter of Wang Erzhu was indeed not that simple.
Standing at the door was a man in his fifties, wearing a gray Mao suit, with his hair combed neatly, a frown on his face, and a black briefcase in his hand.
"Hello, I'm Gu Qiuyue, the person in charge of the military dependents workshop." Gu Qiuyue spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The man looked her over, his eyes sharp. "I'm the deputy director of the city textile factory, my last name is Yang." He said stiffly, "Comrade Gu, has your workshop recently come into contact with a man named Wang Erzhu?"
Gu Qiuyue's mind raced as she frankly admitted, "We did have contact. Director Yang, this isn't the place to talk. How about we sit down at the stone table over there and talk?" She pointed to a stone bench under the shade of a tree not far away.
Deputy Director Yang pondered for a moment and nodded.
After taking their seats, Deputy Director Yang got straight to the point. "Wang Erzhu is a temporary worker in our factory's sales department. He's been acting strangely lately. He suddenly didn't come to work the day before yesterday. There's something the factory needs to know about. I heard he's been to your place before?"
Gu Qiuyue keenly sensed the probing tone in Deputy Director Yang's words. She carefully considered her words, "Director Yang, Wang Erzhu did have contact with people from our workshop, but it wasn't our people who approached him. He took the initiative and tried to use improper means to influence our production."
She selectively talked about Wang Erzhu's bribery of Li Caifeng, emphasizing Wang Erzhu's attempt to undermine the reputation of the Military Dependents Workshop, but temporarily concealed Li Caifeng's name and family difficulties.
Deputy Factory Director Yang's brows furrowed ever more tightly. "Is there such a thing? How dare Wang Erzhu do such a thing under the guise of a textile factory?"
Gu Qiuyue caught a hint of irritation in his tone and asked, "Director Yang, is there someone behind Wang Erzhu? Our workshop may be small, but we've always been honest and upright in accepting orders. I don't understand why we're being targeted."
Deputy Director Yang pondered for a moment, then spoke more slowly, "The factory is also investigating Wang Erzhu's situation. He's been acting a bit strange lately, frequently asking for leave and even boasting about finding a way out."
After a pause, he continued, "Comrade Gu, I'm here today mainly to verify the situation. The textile factory is a large state-owned enterprise and will not condone such behavior that undermines unity and disrupts market order. If Wang Erzhu really does anything under the name of the factory, we will definitely deal with it seriously."
Gu Qiuyue breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Deputy Director Yang was not here to cause trouble. "Thank you, Director Yang, for your understanding and support. We sisters in the Military Dependents Workshop just want to improve our lives with our own hands and reduce the burden on the troops. We have always done things in an orderly manner."
Deputy Factory Director Yang's expression softened considerably. "I've heard a bit about your workshop's reputation, it's quite good! Sorry to bother you today. If Wang Erzhu shows up again or you discover anything, you can contact the textile factory's security department directly."
After seeing Deputy Director Yang off, Gu Qiuyue breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at the sky. The sun had already set, and it was time to go home and cook.
As soon as I walked to the door of my house, I smelled the fragrance of chopped green onions. I pushed open the door and saw Xie Shiyu, wearing an apron, coming out of the kitchen with two plates of steaming dumplings. Huahua and Shuangshuang were already sitting obediently at the table, staring at the dumplings eagerly.
"You're back just in time. Wash your hands and have dinner." Xie Shiyu saw her and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "The cafeteria has leek and pork dumplings today. I bought some back."
Gu Qiuyue felt warm in her heart. She washed her hands and sat down at the table. The children were already eager to start eating, their little mouths stuffed full.
"Is the workshop free today?" Xie Shiyu picked up a dumpling for her and asked casually.
Gu Qiuyue sighed and told her husband about Deputy Director Yang's visit, as well as the details of Wang Erzhu's previous attempt to bribe Li Caifeng.
After Xie Shiyu finished listening, he frowned slightly. "This Wang Erzhu's behavior is not simple. There may really be someone behind the scenes directing him. How could he, a temporary worker, have the confidence and the money to do such a thing?"
"Sister Zhou mentioned before that Wang Erzhu has connections outside." Gu Qiuyue swallowed the dumplings in her mouth. "Shi Yu, do you think someone is jealous of our workshop for accepting orders from the school-run factory?"
Xie Shiyu pondered, "I can't rule it out. With the reform and opening up, many people are thinking about going into business. With the fierce competition, it's inevitable that some people will have ulterior motives. I recently heard that several small private factories have emerged in the city, and they are also accepting this kind of processing orders. Their methods may be quite radical."
He paused and looked at Gu Qiuyue: "Your workshop has been developing well recently. It's inevitable that it will attract attention. You must be more careful when handing over goods in the future, especially the quality control must be more stringent. Don't let anyone catch you."
Gu Qiuyue nodded. "I know. I've asked Sister Xiumei to strengthen the quality control. Now it's double-checked." She seemed to be thinking, "If only I could know who Wang Erzhu hooked up with..."
"Since the textile factory has already intervened, there should be a result." Xie Shiyu comforted him, "Just do your own things normally. When the enemy comes, we will fight back."
After dinner, Gu Qiuyue cleaned up the dishes and was about to prepare for class when Zhang Xiumei's voice came from outside the door: "Qiuyue, are you home?"
Gu Qiuyue opened the door, and Zhang Xiumei approached with a mysterious look on her face. "Qiuyue, I just came back from Sister Zhou's place. Guess what? She said Wang Erzhu was drinking and bragging with someone a few days ago, and mentioned something called the 'Yuanda Labor Protection Factory,' saying that the commissions there were high and that they provided food and accommodation."
"Yuanda Labor Protection Factory?" Gu Qiuyue frowned. "I've never heard of it."
"Sister Zhou hasn't heard of it either. I guess it's a newly opened factory." Zhang Xiumei lowered her voice. "Sister Zhou said Wang Erzhu seemed to be bragging about helping Yuanda win a big order from the city's No. 1 Middle School!"
Gu Qiuyue's heart trembled, and she immediately understood something. It seemed that this Yuanda Labor Protection Factory was the "relationship" behind Wang Erzhu.
After seeing Zhang Xiumei off, Gu Qiuyue pondered for a moment and decided to find out more about the Yuanda Labor Protection Factory tomorrow. Just as she was about to continue preparing for class, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Is sister-in-law home?" It was a young voice at the door.
When Gu Qiuyue opened the door, she saw the young soldier standing at the gate: "Sister-in-law, there's someone outside looking for you. He said he works in a factory run by a middle school."
Gu Qiuyue turned to look at her husband, Xie Shiyu: "Do you want me to go with you?"
"No need, you stay at home with the children, I'll be back soon." After saying that, Gu Qiuyue walked towards the door with the little soldier.
"Teacher Gu, something bad has happened! Director Wang asked me to come and tell you that someone claiming to be the manager of Yuanda Labor Protection Factory just came to see him and said there were quality issues with the gloves in your workshop and that they would transfer the order to their factory tomorrow!"
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