Chapter 246 Confession Interrupted
Bai Ye had never felt such a sense of crisis as he did now. Even when the shoe factory was undergoing transformation and facing various difficulties, he had never felt this way. Under the bright moonlight, the girl hummed a lullaby and walked with a bouncy gait, looking quite playful. An impulse welled up in his heart: to confess his feelings directly.
"Yunxia, I have something to tell you."
"Go ahead and say it, I'm listening!"
The girl looked up at the persimmon tree laden with fruit and replied with a smile that she loved autumn the most. Every year at this time, there would be countless fruits to eat, and no one would question why there were out-of-season fruits when she took them out of her spatial storage.
Bai Ye mustered his courage, strode forward, and stood face to face with her. He gazed into her clear eyes for a long time before saying, "Yun Xia, I...I..."
Suddenly, a beam of light shone on the two men's faces, so bright it was blinding. A distinctive Sichuan-Chongqing accent rang out from nearby, "What are you two doing, you idiots?"
Hiss, Yunxia touched the large persimmon in her pocket and remembered that the school rules said not to steal a single needle or thread from the school, otherwise she would be punished. She quickly pulled Bai Ye to run with her. They ran until they were panting and could no longer see the flashlight beam before they stopped to rest, clutching their chests.
Dear, the security guard interrupted them, completely ruining the atmosphere for the confession. Bai Ye sighed and then asked worriedly, "Xiaxia, are you... alright?"
"It's nothing, I just got a bit out of breath from running. I'll be fine after a rest. What bad luck, why did I have to run into the security guard?"
"Actually, we didn't do anything. At most, we were asked a few questions, and then he left."
"hey-hey!"
The girl smiled awkwardly, then took out two large persimmons from her coat pocket and handed one to him like a precious treasure.
"Xiaxia, you..." When did she pick it? How come I didn't see it?
"I had planned this a long time ago. Otherwise, why would I be wearing a thick coat to the welcome party when the weather isn't even that cold!"
It's not that I haven't thought about directly storing it in my personal space, but there are too many people at school, and who knows where there might be eyes watching? If someone discovers my secret, it would be terrible.
"You really can't resist the temptation of delicious food. I'll send you a whole box of it tomorrow, just wait and see how hungry you are."
"Can something bought directly be the same as something picked by hand? Let's go, it's getting late, let's go back to the dorm and sleep. Don't forget our promise for National Day!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, tossed the persimmons around, and slowly walked forward. Suddenly, he turned around sharply and asked in confusion, "What did you want to tell me in the grove just now?"
The atmosphere was tense, and so was his courage. Bai Ye's lips twitched slightly as he said, "It's nothing, you can go back now!"
"Okay!"
Long after the girl left, Bai Ye finally came to his senses, sighed deeply, and turned back to the boys' dormitory.
Before they knew it, it was National Day. That evening, after packing his belongings and saying goodbye to the two people in the dormitory, he took the bus back to the villa. After having two days of fun at Jiangcheng Amusement Park with An'an, he finally got into Bai Ye's car and went to Wuyun Mountain.
During her conversation with the village chief, Yunxia noticed that his eyes were darting around and he was stammering, as if he was hiding something. Coupled with the rapid decline in the factory's output, she guessed that the thing she had been worried about had come to pass.
“Village Chief Li, we’ve known each other for years. Just say what you want to say. You can’t hide it forever.” Bai Ye, who also had his suspicions, asked with a frown.
"Sigh, I knew I couldn't hide it anymore," Village Chief Li sighed, taking a deep drag on his pipe. "Damn it, people are never satisfied. They... sigh, I'm too embarrassed to even mention it. I was the one who brought them here, but I never expected to attract a bunch of ungrateful wretches. Sigh, here's what happened..."
People can share hardships, but rarely share happiness. A few months ago, sales of peony root were sluggish. The workers were conscientious and implemented the factory rules in every production process. But when sales of peony root picked up, a few packs could cost as much as a month's salary for them, and their minds were no longer on their work.
His mind was scattered, and he lost his motivation to work. He spent all his time thinking about how to ask the boss for a raise. Once, at a dinner party, a big man who had a lot of influence in the village said that a raise was useless. Peony and the factory both used land in the village, so he should be a small boss with shares.
Farmers who have spent their entire lives working the land dream of becoming small business owners who can make money without lifting a finger. Upon hearing this, they were all very tempted. They put their dirty thoughts into words, claiming that they were doing it for the benefit of the whole village.
A large group of people gathered at the village chief's house, offering him many benefits and asking him to act as a persuader. Village Chief Li clutched his chest and cursed the crowd out.
But the seeds had already sprouted, and just as the rains came (the peony wine decoction became a hot commodity), the employees lost all motivation to work. The quality inspector rejected half of the substandard products and said that if a similar situation occurred again, their wages would be deducted.
This statement angered the employees, and two-thirds of them went on strike, making a series of unreasonable demands and refusing to return to work unless they were met.
The labor contract was meticulously crafted and finalized over a long period of time. Village Chief Li intended to use it to bind the other party, but alas... the other party didn't understand the law and wouldn't abide by it.
After hearing the whole story, Bai Ye remained silent, but if asked whether he regretted his decision, he would definitely answer that he did not.
"Xiaxia, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault!"
"Hey, now's not the time to argue about who's right and who's wrong. Village Chief Li, who are the ringleaders and the ones who started this commotion?"
"The leader is Old Tao. Don't let his 50 years fool you; he's got a lot of muscle and can do physical labor just as well as a young man. He's outgoing, loyal, and loves to host parties and banquets. Eight out of ten men in the village have eaten at his house at least once. He has a capable son who made his fortune in the renovation business. Now he owns a house near the school and has become a contractor. Before you came, many villagers had to give gifts to his family if they wanted to find odd jobs to supplement their income!"
He tapped his pipe and continued, "Those who egged him on are either bachelors, who can eat their fill and have no worries for their families, or they are drinking buddies who hang out with Lao Tao all year round."
Wow, isn't this the legendary village bully?
"Village chief, how many days have those guys been on strike?"
"Yeah, it's been almost a week!"
"Bai Ye, first, enlarge the contract template and post it at the factory gate. Second, post the penalty regulations there as well. Any employee who doesn't submit a leave request will be dismissed. Deliver the dismissal notices to each household. These things need to be done today. Let's go down the mountain first and come back in a few days."
The peony wine decoction is in ample stock, and the orders from other provinces haven't been signed yet, so Yunxia isn't in a hurry at all. But it's not good for the villagers who rely on wages to make a living; if they don't work for a day, they'll lose a day's wages.
"Alright, we'll do it your way, Village Chief Li. The rest is up to you."
After saying that, he smiled apologetically, took Yunxia's hand and left. When they encountered villagers on their way down the mountain, the two greeted them with smiles as if nothing had happened.
This led the villagers to mistakenly believe that they had secured shares, and they began to dream of becoming small business owners. Unfortunately, just before noon, a series of dismissal letters shattered their dreams.
At the entrance of the peony factory, contracts and penalty regulations were plastered all over the place. Since it concerned their own interests, the villagers panicked and went to Lao Tao's house to demand an explanation.
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