Li Datou quickly brought over the list of people who had been working overtime during this period.
Yan Qingqing noticed that there were quite a few, and more than half of them were willing to work an extra hour.
Yan Qingqing looked at the list and picked out a few people to ask about their situations.
You can't tell anything from the list alone. Yan Qingqing returned the list to Li Datou and said, "Keep the list safe for now. Just act as usual and don't show anything unusual."
Later, gather all the workers in the preserved egg workshop together; I'll hold a meeting for them.
I'll go check out the other workshops first, and then come back later.
Upon hearing this, Li Datou quickly nodded. Yan Qingqing and Li Xiang'an promoted him to management because they trusted him, but who knew that such a mistake would occur now.
Li Datou cursed the person who stole the preserved eggs to the eighteenth generation in his heart, but he still had to maintain a polite smile on his face.
After inspecting the workshops, Yan Qingqing found that the other workshops were doing exceptionally well, with ample preparation in both quality and quantity, ensuring that delivery would be no problem in a few days.
Yan Qingqing praised the team leaders of the other workshops and encouraged them to keep up their efforts. She promised to give them bonuses once the first batch of goods was delivered.
Everyone was overjoyed to hear the news and became incredibly motivated.
After they finished their inspection, it was getting late, so Yan Qingqing and Li Xiang'an returned to the preserved egg workshop.
Li Datou has already gathered everyone together.
Yan Qingqing looked at the neat row of people standing in front of her and said, "I just checked a few jars of the finished preserved eggs with your young master and found that the quality is good, which means that you have mastered the technique well."
After Yan Qingqing finished speaking, she noticed that everyone's faces showed a relaxed expression.
They were naturally happy to receive Yan Qingqing's praise.
Yan Qingqing paused for a moment before speaking again: "But I also discovered some problems. I found that some jars didn't have enough preserved eggs."
Of course, it was only an occasional jar; it must have been a miscount during the packing process. This kind of problem must be avoided in the future.
As Yan Qingqing spoke, she observed the expressions of the people. The others did not react in any particular way, except for two people who showed a hint of panic when they heard Yan Qingqing say that there were not enough jars.
When Yan Qingqing said that the number of people who filled the jars was wrong, the two of them visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Qingqing had a general idea of what was going on. But to catch someone in the act of adultery, you need to be caught red-handed; without concrete evidence, she wouldn't easily convict someone.
She wanted to catch them red-handed, so they wouldn't be able to deny it.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing's smile became even gentler.
After saying a few more words of encouragement, Yan Qingqing left.
Back home, Yan Qingqing didn't make a sound. Li Xiang'an returned soon after, and the mother and daughter whispered and discussed it for a while in the house.
Li Xiang'an walked out of the room, and Mu Xi came in not long after.
After greeting Yan Qingqing, Mu Xi asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Madam?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "Go to the workshop and keep an eye on two people, and catch them in the act."
Yan Qingqing then told Mu Xi about the theft of the preserved eggs from the workshop's jars.
Mu Xi quickly agreed, saying, "Don't worry, Madam, I'll go and keep watch tonight."
Yan Qingqing laughed and said, "It's really a waste of your talents to ask you to do this."
Mu Xi quickly replied, "No matter is too small for Madam."
Yan Qingqing smiled upon hearing this; Mu Xi was indeed a lovable child.
She then asked him how he was doing at home lately and whether he was able to adapt. Mu Xi suppressed her emotions and answered Yan Qingqing's questions one by one.
If Li Xiang'an and the others were present, they would definitely think that Yan Qingqing was too concerned about Mu Xi. Although Mu Xi's situation was very pitiful, he was, after all, just a servant.
Although Yan Qingqing was always kind to the servants in her household, she had never been this kind to anyone before.
Just as Mu Xi left, Li Xiang'an came in again and said, "Mother, everything has been arranged with the workshop. You already said today that there aren't enough preserved eggs in the jars. Do you think they'll still steal them?"
Yan Qingqing sneered and said, "A leopard can't change its spots. Besides, they've already tasted the sweetness of success, so how could they possibly stop?"
Moreover, what I said today dispelled their concerns.
They'll just think we're incompetent, that we couldn't find any problems even after random checks.
However, the truth will eventually come out, and sooner or later, some customers will report this to us. Then it will be inconvenient for them to steal again.
Therefore, they need to take advantage of this time gap to steal even more.
Li Xiang'an felt that Yan Qingqing's analysis made a lot of sense.
Late at night, the workers who had been working overtime in the workshop began to leave, chatting in twos and threes about how much more money they could earn this month.
After looking around, Li Datou noticed that Yang Quan and Yang Jin from Yangjia Village were still there, so he asked, "Everyone's finished work, why haven't you two left yet?"
Yang Quan replied with a smile, "Didn't the boss say that we make food in our workshop? Putting everything else aside, hygiene must be kept in good condition."
We always need to clean up the mud and chaff left over from making preserved eggs and sealing jars in our workshop.
Otherwise, things will be chaotic at work tomorrow.
Li Datou smiled and said, "Yes, you two are very hardworking. I'll remember that and talk to the boss about it later. He'll give you both a bigger bonus when he gives out rewards."
The two exchanged a glance and quickly thanked Li Datou.
Li Datou left satisfied.
After Li Datou left, the two looked at each other and Yang Quan said smugly, "I told you they wouldn't find anything. You're such a coward, always so absent-minded."
Yang Bao whispered, "Cousin, why don't we stop? The boss has been so good to us."
Moreover, the head of the household has now been granted an imperial title; if this is discovered, we're doomed.
Yang Quan snorted and said, "You're just a coward who'll never make a fortune."
What's there to be afraid of? We have powerful people protecting us. Didn't they say they'd take the blame if anything went wrong?
Besides, these preserved eggs are very expensive. If we steal them and resell them, we can make a lot of money.
In addition, there was a reward from a benefactor, making it double the amount of silver.
"Aren't you having an affair with that cripple's wife? If you didn't have money, would that woman sleep with you? Would the cripple turn a blind eye?"
Yang Bao blushed as Yang Quan spoke, and stammered, "No, no, that's not true, cousin, don't talk nonsense."
Yang Quan scoffed and said, "Alright, stop pretending. Everyone knows about your messy affairs. But that cripple is no good. He'd make his wife serve other men for money."
I heard he was even engaged to the eldest daughter of the landlord, but unfortunately, he wasn't destined for that.
After saying that, he chuckled twice and then said, "Alright, hurry up and get it done."
Then he took the lead in unsealing the jar of preserved eggs and took out two of them.
Just as the two were engrossed in their theft, the surroundings suddenly lit up, illuminating the entire area.
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