Fu Wan looked up and saw that the old man was wearing clothes covered in patches and shoes made from scraps of cloth. He couldn't help but feel a little timid in front of the neatly dressed crowd.
This timidity intensified after seeing Fu Wan.
"Comrade, are you... are you the female factory manager of the food factory?"
Fu Wan nodded, "Yes, sir, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old man Xu suddenly stepped forward and knelt down in front of Fu Wan.
Fu Wan's pupils contracted, and she quickly helped him up.
"Grandpa, what are you doing?"
"Leaders, comrades, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Old Xu's eyes were red, and his feet were covered in guilt.
"Old comrade, what do you mean by that?"
Zhao Gang and Du Jianhua stepped forward. As soon as Old Xu saw their posture, he knew that they were leaders from somewhere.
He wiped away his tears and said in a hoarse voice, "You are all leaders in the county, right? My surname is Xu, and my name is Xu Agui."
"The child who ate something bad that was mentioned in the newspaper a few days ago is my child..."
After saying this, Su Ran and the others realized that the victim's surname was indeed Xu in the Longcheng Evening News that day!
Did this old man come here today to demand an explanation?
Before Su Ran and the others could think any further, Old Xu's trembling voice continued to ring out.
"I...I'm so sorry, Factory Director! My children...they didn't get sick from eating food from the food factory. They...they ate the sick pork that their uncle brought back, and that's why they're vomiting and having diarrhea!"
"Hey, you old man, why did you talk nonsense to the newspaper people before!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Lin was immediately displeased. He had just poured water and offered cigarettes, but it was like feeding a dog!
"I...I was bewitched, I listened to my eldest son...He said if the food factory was in the wrong and they could rehire him, he could get a stable job again. I was confused for a moment, that's why..."
"Your eldest son is..." Fu Wan asked tentatively.
"His name is Xu Zhenbang..."
Xu Zhenbang?!
"Then who are the children in the hospital...?" Fu Wan asked, frowning.
“They are my youngest son’s children. Their father went out to work, the harvest was bad this year, I broke my leg, and Zhenbang was laid off last year. The family was so poor that we could hardly afford to eat, so I agreed to Zhenbang’s proposal.”
Upon hearing what Old Xu said, Fu Wan noticed that he was indeed limping, which meant he probably hadn't fully recovered yet.
She winked at Wang Jianmin, who understood and quickly moved a chair over from the side.
"Come, brother, sit down and tell me slowly."
After saying that, seeing that the old man was dressed in thin clothes, Wang Jianmin kindly poured him a cup of hot tea.
Whether it was sitting down that made Xu Agui feel more at ease, or the warmth of the hot tea that made him feel safer, Xu Agui held the cup of hot water tightly and then, haltingly but clearly, explained the matter in detail.
"Zhenbang told me... the food factory changed its leadership, and the current factory manager didn't like him, so he was laid off."
"We just need to take two photos and tell the reporter that we got food poisoning from the food factory. That manager will definitely get criticized, and once she leaves, Zhenbang can go back to work."
Fu Ming almost laughed in anger upon hearing this, and Fu Wan then asked, "What's wrong with the sick pig?"
"The sick pig... the sick pig was raised by Xu Dasheng at the entrance of our village. The pig was castrated a few days before its due date and then suddenly died."
Although it's still a piglet, it's still meat, and it would be a pity to throw it away, so Zhenbang went and got some back..." At this point, Xu Agui paused, his mouth opening and closing for a long time, as if he was having some difficulty saying what was to come.
After a long pause, he wiped away his tears, closed his eyes, and said, "Zhenbang brought back some meat and added some croton seeds. After the children started vomiting and having diarrhea, he brought people to take two photos and then asked me to take the children to the hospital."
The things I said to the reporters were things he taught me to say: "I didn't buy anything from your factory..."
“I… Zhenbang told me I can’t tell anyone about these things, but my conscience won’t let me!”
At this point, Xu Agui could no longer hold back and covered his face, tears streaming down his face.
“Yesterday I went to the outhouse and when I came back I saw all the things you bought for the children, like malted milk powder and canned fruit. They were so expensive. I felt so bad… We can’t keep making this mistake.”
Especially when he looked into the clear, innocent eyes of his grandchildren yesterday, he couldn't convince himself to do such a heartless thing in front of the children.
Farmers are honest and hardworking all their lives. These past few days, he hasn't been eating or sleeping well, afraid that he might accidentally let slip that they framed the food factory.
Of course, besides that, there was another reason why Xu Agui was brought in to explain the situation.
"Comrade, when I came in just now, I saw the police arrest Zhenbang. Let the police arrest me instead, and I'll apologize to you. Could you please release my son?"
Xu Agui looked pleading, but Fu Wan looked at him and shook her head firmly.
"Sir, I'm sorry, I can accept your apology, but I can't let Xu Zhenbang go."
"This incident almost caused hundreds of people in the food factory to lose their jobs, and the factory's customers returned a large number of goods. If I were to let this matter pass by with just a few words because of you, it would be irresponsible to the food factory, as well as to the workers and consumers."
"Moreover, his arrest wasn't due to the United Daily News framing the food factory being exposed, but rather because he just tried to put dead rats on my factory's production line!"
“Grandpa, the fact that you came here shows you still have a conscience, but Xu Zhenbang, he doesn’t have that thing.”
Fu Wan spoke without any politeness, and Xu Agui was stunned when he heard this, and then he was about to kneel down to Fu Wan again.
This time, Ye Lin, who was standing nearby, quickly stopped him.
“Grandpa, listen to me,” Fu Wan sighed and continued to explain, “Your son didn’t tell you the truth either. The food factory didn’t change its leadership. A year ago, I bought it with my own money, and Xu Zhenbang, your son, also wanted to buy the factory.”
Xu Agui instinctively retorted, "How could that be? Where would Zhenbang get that kind of money?"
"He doesn't have the money, but the people behind him do."
"Sir, do you know he's working for the Japanese?"
"An island nation?!"
Xu Agui was so shocked that he stood up abruptly, and then became excited.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, young comrade! My grandfather and his siblings were killed by the Japanese. The people of our village are sworn enemies with the Japanese. Zhenbang... how could Zhenbang possibly work for them!"
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Fu Wan turned and called out to Fu Ming, who was guarding the door.
"Brother, please take the radio to the reception room for me!"
"Also, have the police take Xu Zhenbang there as well."
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