Chapter 126
After the news of the provincial quality product evaluation was announced, major hotels and guesthouses in Binjiang City became extremely busy.
The directors of factories from other places came into the provincial capital carrying large and small bags.
Ye Manzhi is a member of the food industry review team and has recently met representatives from various factories.
People knew that they couldn't give gifts to judges at work, so they all blocked her on her way to and from get off work and at her doorstep.
In addition to the canned biscuits sent by Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory, there were also breweries that sent gift packages of soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame paste, and even a meat processing factory from another place sent her a large piece of fresh frozen pork.
These factory managers claimed that everyone in the evaluation team had a share, and that this was not a gift or bribe, but just some samples for the judges to taste for themselves.
Fortunately, she had learned her lesson at the food factory and was extremely quick to react. She slipped away with her bag before the food was even handed to her.
"These people waiting at the compound gate every day to give you gifts are a bad influence on you," Wu Zhengrong suggested. "The day after tomorrow is the weekend, so let's move to the military academy's family compound. Don't tell your colleagues about the new address yet. Wait until your evaluation is over."
Ye Manzhi echoed, "Let's move quickly."
She was originally reluctant to move out of the military industrial compound, always thinking that she could delay it for as long as possible.
However, the military industrial compound was heavily guarded, and those who brought gifts were not allowed to enter the compound, so they had to wait at the gate.
Although the two sides would choose a quiet corner when talking, there were many people at the gate of the courtyard, and even if she confiscated other people's things, it would easily attract attention.
However, they were moving the day after tomorrow, which made Ye Manzhi feel a sense of urgency. She quickly found the biscuit box containing the money and counted her belongings again.
In addition to cash and passbooks, the jewelry Grandma Wu gave her also had to be properly preserved.
Catching a glimpse of a green jade bracelet on his mother's wrist, little Wu Yuzhuo was attracted by the sparkling jewelry and couldn't help but move over from the corner to take a closer look.
Wu Zhengrong said coldly, "Go back and stand still."
"I've been standing here for a long time."
"Stand for half an hour, not a minute less."
"Dad, you are stricter than the headmaster's grandmother."
Wu Yuzhuo pouted and sulked. Seeing that her father ignored her and her mother didn't speak up for her, she had no choice but to turn back and stand against the wall like a punching bag.
The two morning glories on its head drooped.
Ye Manzhi was actually a little reluctant to let her daughter stand in the corner as punishment. She was only three years old, why should she be punished by standing in the corner?
But Wu Zhengrong has already acted like a villain in front of the child, and it would be unkind of her to jump out and speak for her daughter.
And this kid really needs to be taught a lesson.
She always plays with two boys, Taxi and Qiqiu, and has no sense of being a little girl at all. Today, she even got into a car with someone else.
This time it’s real racing!
Director Shen’s grandsons also had a similar children’s tricycle. The two children, one four and a half years old and the other three years old, found a slope behind the cafeteria where cabbages were dried and rode their tricycles down.
Her little beauty was quite smart. When going downhill, she didn't step on the pedals and slid down by inertia.
But Director Shen's grandson was eager to win, and he rushed forward with all his might, pedaling hard, and rushed directly into the chicken coop behind the cafeteria. He scared the old hen so much that she learned to fly, and no eggs were laid that day.
Director Shen paid the canteen for the eggs, took his grandson home and gave him a good beating.
After Wu Zhengrong picked up the child, he first took her to watch the execution process of her friend, and then took her home to stand in the corner as punishment.
Wu Yuzhuo had just been made an example of, so he didn't dare to say a word and just stood obediently against the wall.
Glancing at his listless daughter, Wu Zhengrong hardened his heart and ignored her. He turned to Ye Lai Ya and said, "I'm inviting Captain Ma to dinner at our house tomorrow. I'll invite our father and third brother over so we can all get to know each other."
"Why so sudden? Our house is a mess. Is it appropriate to have guests at home?"
"It's okay. The main thing is to establish a relationship between Dad and Captain Ma. After we move, I will officially leave Factory 656." Wu Zhengrong said gently, "Ask Mom to help cook a few dishes, and we'll have a few drinks with Old Ma."
"Then I'll come back early after get off work tomorrow to help!" Ye Manzhi agreed with a smile.
Wu Zhengrong does not show favoritism at work, but with him as the military representative in the factory, Old Ye and the third brother can live a peaceful life.
The two of them don't have to worry about anything other than work and can focus on production and researching technology.
The credit and honor belong to them, and no one can take it away.
Now that Wu Zhengrong has just been transferred and is still working in this city, Old Ye and the third brother should not encounter any trouble in the short term.
But it’s hard to say what will happen over a long period of time. It would be safer for the county magistrate to introduce them to the newly appointed military representative instead of just taking charge.
After thinking this through, Ye Manzhi put down the cookie box and planned to kiss Dr. Wu.
Yu Guangli noticed that her little pretty girl was staring at her parents' excitement with her big eyes, so she deliberately put on a stern face and said in a serious tone, "Youyan, turn around and reflect on your mistakes!"
Comrade Wu Youyan's feet were sore from standing, but she had a good memory and could still vividly remember the scene of her little friend crying loudly when she was spanked. She was afraid of being spanked, so she sighed and turned around, facing the wall to think about the past.
Ye Manzhi was amused by her old-fashioned sigh. Suppressing her laughter, she sat astride Wu Zhengrong, kissed his dry lips, and said, "I'll ask your father-in-law and eldest brother-in-law to treat us to a meal and thank you later."
Wu Zhengrong held her lips, kissing her from the bead of her lip to the deepest part, and chuckled softly, "I won't eat at other people's banquets. As long as Section Chief Ye is willing to appreciate it, can I eat at the banquet tonight?"
Putting her palm on his broad shoulders, Ye Manzhi asked an irrelevant question, "After you are transferred to the research institute, will you still have military training? Do you need to exercise every day?"
"All military units have military training."
Ye Manzhi nodded with satisfaction, that's good.
She had only two requirements for Wu Zhengrong's body, one was the face and the other was the shoulder and back muscles.
As long as these two things exist, the country will exist.
Wu Zhengrong knew her quirks well, so he let her grope his back for a while before asking persistently, "Can we have the feast today?"
Ye Manzhi chuckled, "You've trained so hard, of course you can! You have to keep up the spirit even after you change to a new unit!"
Wu Zhengrong agreed seriously and looked at the clock. There were still five minutes before the punishment of standing was over.
He coughed lightly and said to the little quail in the corner, "Wu Yuzhuo."
"Here!" the child answered in a well-trained and crisp voice.
"Well, the punishment of standing is over. Go wash your face and brush your teeth. It's time to turn off the lights and go to bed!"
Wu Yuzhuo had learned how to read the clock from his great-grandfather. He secretly glanced at the wall clock and found that there were still five minutes left.
Looking at his mother who was winking at him, Wu Yuzhuo swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and ran out to play with Kuihua.
*
The moving time was set for Sunday morning, and all members of the Ye family went out to help, except Ye Shouxin who was working overtime at the factory.
Even the taxi and the pilling were not left behind.
Before Wu Yuzhuo realized what moving meant, she found out that her brothers Cheche and Qiuqiu had also moved to her new home, so she happily took her little friends to explore the new world.
The Ye family, together with Wu Zhengrong's comrades, worked together in numbers. They put the furniture back in place and cleaned up the place in just one morning.
Wu Zhengrong set off a string of firecrackers outside the yard, and their small family officially settled down in their new environment.
Looking at the children running around, Huang Li asked, "Have you decided on a kindergarten for Youyan? Where do you plan to send her to?"
She had no regrets about parting with her sister-in-law, but she was very reluctant to part with her little niece.
She doesn't have a daughter of her own, and her son often acts up, which makes her tired. In recent years, she has treated Youyan as half a daughter.
"Go to the kindergarten at the Military Academy."
Ye Manzhi actually wanted to send her daughter to the kindergarten of the Provincial People's Committee, but after Wu Zhengrong analyzed the pros and cons for her, she gave up the idea.
Now that the child has gone to the government kindergarten, the task of picking him up and dropping him off falls entirely on her.
Moreover, primary schools are divided into districts based on household registration.
Although the 1062 Institute has nothing to do with the Military Academy, they are after all staying in someone else's family compound.
It is unknown when the 1062nd Institute will be able to build its own housing for its staff.
Therefore, when Wu Yuzhuo went to elementary school, there was a high probability that he would attend the military academy's children's primary school.
By then, her classmates would all be promoted directly from the Military Academy kindergarten, and as an outsider, she would most likely not be able to integrate into the new group.
In order to help her daughter adapt to the new home and new kindergarten, Ye Manzhi discussed with her two sisters-in-law and decided to let Taxi and Qiqiu stay at home for a week.
The three little kids ate and lived together, went to the kindergarten of the military academy together during the day, and went home to play together at night.
When the taxi and Qiqiu were about to return to Factory 656 to attend kindergarten, little Wu Yuzhuo didn't seem reluctant to leave and even promised his brothers that he would go back to his grandmother's house to play together every weekend, but the two little boys cried their hearts out.
Ye Manzhi lamented the precious brother-sister relationship, but Wu Zhengrong coldly shattered her fantasy.
"The slide in the new kindergarten is nearly 30 meters long and it's a spiral slide. They can't bear to part with the big slide."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
As if that wasn't enough, Wu Zhengrong continued, "Your daughter must be so happy that she doesn't have two older brothers competing with her for the slide."
Ye Manzhi: “…”
This fragile brother-sister relationship.
…
The children adapted well to the new environment, and Ye Manyzhi also started a new life in the new home.
The wake-up call still sounded at six o'clock on time, breakfast was still brought back by Wu Zhengrong, and Wu Zhengrong was still responsible for picking up and dropping off the children.
If you take the bus from the military academy to work, you can save two stops.
Except for the two times when I took the wrong bus after get off work and ended up back at the military industrial compound, there was nothing to complain about in other aspects.
"Xiao Ye, we're going to the general office later. Please get ready!" Xia Zhujun came to the office and called people.
"Director, is it just our food group?"
"Yes, bring the information."
The review committee has received application materials from factories across the province.
Among food, clothing, housing and transportation, the largest number of application forms come from the food industry.
The staff of the review group divided the hundreds of applications into more than a dozen categories, including alcoholic beverages, candies, biscuits, pastries and bread, condiments, pickled beans and vegetables, rice, flour, grain and oil, dairy products, processed meat products, fresh and frozen pork and frozen pork cuts.
When Ye Manzhi planned this event, she had no idea that the review process would be so complicated.
When she saw the application forms on the desk, she was overwhelmed!
She originally thought that she would go to the office to sort out those application forms, but after entering the meeting room, she found that the atmosphere was not right.
Several deputy directors of the review committee were present, and several people who were not from the food industry review group were also sitting in the conference room.
Ye Manzhi sat down at the conference table calmly, waiting for the leader to speak.
"I've called a few of you here today to verify some information," said Director Guo of the Commerce Department. He took out three envelopes and said, "Over the past few days, our review committee has received several letters of complaint from the public. According to these letters, some of our review team members have accepted gifts from applicants."
Xia Zhujun asked: "Is it a real-name report or an anonymous report?"
"Anonymous. We can't wrongly accuse our comrades just because of a few anonymous reports, but we do hope that they can truthfully explain the situation." Director Guo pointed to the envelope and said, "The three comrades reported are all from the food industry review team: Miao Li, Chen Qinghe, and Ye Manzhi. Do you have anything to say?"
Ye Manzhi said: "Recently, many colleagues from companies have approached me. Some have wanted to invite me for tea, some have invited me to dinner, and some have given me gifts on their way to and from get off work, but I have never accepted any of them. The family compound where I live is strictly managed and outsiders cannot enter. I don't need to accept people's gifts at the gate."
Miao Li from the Commerce Department immediately added, "My situation is similar to Ye Manzhi's. I haven't confiscated anything either."
Chen Qinghe from the supply and marketing cooperative said truthfully, "I received a gift from the Dehua Meat Processing Plant, but I handed it over to Director Cai the next day at work."
Ye Manzhi glanced at Fifth Brother's mother-in-law, only to see Director Cai nod and say, "Xiao Chen has already reported this to me."
"Well, then Chen Qinghe's situation is consistent with what was described in the report."
After dealing with the report against Chen Qinghe, Director Guo subconsciously frowned when he looked at the other two.
Director Cai glanced at Ye Manzhi, who was watching closely, and after a moment of silence, said, "Anonymous reports cannot be used as a basis for judging cadres. Since the letter says that our cadres accepted gifts, there must be people who accepted gifts and those who gave gifts. Call the person who gave the gift and ask him, and we'll know."
Others: “…”
Who would admit publicly that they gave a gift?
Unless there is particularly sufficient evidence, both the gift giver and the gift receiver deny it, and the matter will eventually be left unresolved.
Director Guo said seriously, "I have already invited the relevant personnel mentioned in the letter. Let's ask about the situation first."
The first person to be invited in was the deputy director of Shilin Winery. When asked whether he had ever given gifts to Miao Li, he denied it flatly.
"No, no, I definitely haven't! I haven't even met that comrade, how could I give him a gift?"
It was as if the two of them didn't know each other at all.
Miao Li relaxed his shoulders slightly and leaned his back against the chair.
Gift-giving is done in private, without the presence of a third party. As long as the parties involved do not admit it, it is difficult to find evidence.
Director Guo seemed to have anticipated this outcome. Before inviting the second person in, he said earnestly, "We're evaluating quality products. This kind of evaluation requires fairness and impartiality, so everyone must behave properly and not let personal behavior affect the reputation and credibility of the entire provincial quality project."
Whether there was something fishy going on between the two of them could be seen from the look they gave each other when they entered the door.
Director Guo didn't say anything more. Miao Li was a cadre in their Department of Commerce, so they would discuss the specific handling of the matter after he returned to the unit.
He frowned and pondered for a while. The next confrontation might be just a formality, but he still asked someone to invite Liu Sheng from Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory in.
As soon as Liu Sheng entered the room, he greeted all the leaders with a smile. When he was asked whether he had given a gift to Ye Manyi, he admitted it to everyone's surprise!
"This is my fault, my fault!" Liu Sheng rubbed his hands and said, "My original intention was to let the experts on the evaluation panel taste our products in advance, but the factory director felt that the timing of my gift was too sensitive and might be suspected of bribery, affecting the fairness of the evaluation. So, I only gave one copy and didn't give any to the other judges."
Everyone turned their eyes to Ye Manzhi.
Obviously, the only gift Liu Sheng gave was accepted by Ye Manyi.
Ye Manzhi said: "Comrade Liu came to my house and stopped me at the gate of the family compound and said that every comrade in the review team received this gift."
"Yes, yes, yes, that's what I said! Oh, I'm sorry, everyone. My gift really had nothing to do with Section Chief Ye. She didn't want to accept it at the time, but I was afraid she would refuse, so I stuffed it into her mother's hands and ran away."
What he said was the true situation that day, but to others, it sounded like he didn't want to offend anyone and was trying to excuse Ye Manzhi.
Liu Sheng said with an embarrassed look on his face, "The responsibility for this matter lies with me. Our factory director has already severely criticized me, and I am willing to apologize to the review team. Actually, after giving Chief Ye the gift, I knew it was inappropriate and wanted to return it, but..."
Everyone understood what he had left unsaid.
Asking for something back that you have given away is purely offensive.
Their factory is in the critical period of applying for the "Provincial Excellence" evaluation. It would be bad enough if they failed to win over the judges, but if they also offended people in the process, wouldn't that be more trouble than gain!
Everyone's eyes looked back and forth between Ye Manzhi and Liu Sheng.
A total of three comrades from the food industry review team were reported.
I passed the first two without any major problems, but I didn’t expect to fail with the only lesbian!
Some people think that Ye Manzhi is unlucky to have met Liu Sheng, who is confused and unreliable.
Some people think that it is not unfair for a branch to be full of leaves, one should not put shoes on in a melon field, and one should not adjust his hat under a plum tree. Knowing that he is a member of the review group, he still accepts gifts from the applicant company, which is just carelessness.
However, some people suspect that there is something fishy going on between the two.
For example, Director Cai.
She even felt that Liu Sheng might have some personal grudge against Ye Manzhi.
Otherwise, why would they publicly admit to bribery? Admitting it would not benefit either party.
As long as you deny it on the spot like the previous factory manager did, you can get away with it.
You could hear a pin drop in the conference room. The north wind blew against the glass windows, and the noisy waves made the room even more silent and depressing.
Director Guo hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He cleared his throat and asked, "Comrade Ye Manzhi, do you have anything to say?"
"Director Guo, can I see that anonymous letter?"
Director Guo pushed the envelope over, and everyone in the conference room waited quietly for her to read the letter.
After quickly reading it, Ye Manzhi pushed the letter to Director Xia and sighed.
"Dear leaders, I was indeed inconsiderate and made some mistakes in handling the gift-giving incident at Binjiang No. 1 Food Factory. Comrade Liu Sheng told me that everyone on the review team had received a gift, so I assumed everyone had received one."
"I'm a college graduate who was just assigned to the Industry Department this year. I have little experience working in government agencies and I'm unsure how to respond to something like this. When he told me that other people had also received gifts, I wondered if I'd put them in a difficult position if I handed them over. Would they also have to do the same to appear honest and upright?"
Everyone appeared calm on the surface, but nodded in unison in their hearts.
If everyone in the team receives gifts, and someone suggests handing them over, it is likely to offend other colleagues.
Others may not say anything, but they will hand it in with you, but you don’t know what they are thinking in their hearts.
Ye Manzhi continued, "So, when I received this bag of gifts, I was very embarrassed. If the other party had given me a bottle of soda or a loaf of bread, I wouldn't have been so upset. The key is that the bag was filled with so much stuff: canned fish, canned meat, canned fruit, canned vegetables, bread, cake, biscuits..."
Everyone: “…”
She actually said that I was greedy.
"How could I dare to accept so many things?" Ye Manzhi patted his chest and observed Liu Sheng's expression. "So, I tossed and turned all night, and the next day after work, I secretly handed the things to our Director Xia."
Seeing the other person's eyes widen in surprise, she looked away.
Upon hearing this, someone asked in surprise, "You handed in the gift too?"
Xia Zhujun said solemnly, "Xiaoye did give me the bag of gifts, along with a statement of circumstances."
She opened her notebook, pulled out a folded piece of letter paper from the interlayer, and handed it to Director Guo who was closest to her.
Director Guo unfolded the letter and read ten lines at a glance, finally his eyes fell on the date at the end, which was the day after the date mentioned in the report letter.
He passed the letter to the others, then smiled as if relieved and asked, "Since you've already handed in the gift, why didn't you tell me when I asked you before?"
Ye Manzhi complained in his heart, of course he wanted to see what the person who wrote the anonymous letter was up to!
When she received the bag of gifts that day, she felt something was wrong.
Hasn't she ever eaten pork or seen pigs run? Even if she wanted to give a gift, she should have done so in a place where no one was around, right? How could she just give something at the gate of the compound?
But she couldn't tell her boss about this. She said with a guilty look, "I thought everyone had received the gifts. If I admitted to accepting them and gave them to my boss, what if other colleagues were implicated? This is my fault. I lacked the proper trust in my colleagues. Most of the people in our group, when they received gifts, would have turned them over to the organization, just like Chen Qinghe and I did."
Director Guo nodded silently. Although Comrade Xiao Ye was immature in his work, he was a kind person.
Ye Manzhi continued, "Fortunately, Comrade Liu Sheng only gave me a gift, so no serious mistake was made. Otherwise, the impact would be too bad. We are a provincial-level quality product evaluation unit. If a bribery scandal really broke out, all our efforts these days would be wasted..."
Everyone turned their attention to Liu Sheng again.
Liu Sheng admitted with embarrassment: "It is indeed my fault. I was too focused on the present and not the future. I will reflect on this when I get back!"
Director Guo frowned and said, "You go back first. We will deal with your problem later."
They said they would deal with it later, but everyone knew there was no good way to deal with it.
Liu Sheng has already taken the initiative to admit that he gave gifts and his attitude of admitting his mistake is very good. What else can be done to him?
Ye Manzhi didn't believe Liu Sheng's words at all. Like the director of the winery before, he denied giving gifts on the spot. This was the normal choice. After all, it is human instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm.
Liu Sheng knew that admitting to giving gifts would not benefit either party, but he still took the initiative to admit it.
What else could it be if not directed at her?
Ye Manzhi calmed down and put on a worried expression.
"Dear leaders, the provincial quality product competition is approaching, and too many business representatives have been coming to Binjiang lately to curry favor. Some of our comrades didn't want to accept gifts, but they couldn't resist people like Liu Sheng, who simply shoved things into our hands and then disappeared. This kind of thing has a terrible impact on society! I think we should make an example of this and add a clause to the selection regulations: Anyone found guilty of bribery, fraud, or other acts during the selection process should have their eligibility revoked!"
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