Chapter 41
After receiving Comrade Ye Manzhi's real-name report, the military representative did not take immediate action.
According to the whistleblower Ye Manzhi, the gambling den was located outside the factory, which was beyond the jurisdiction of the military representative office and the factory security department, and it was not as legitimate to handle it as the police station.
Moreover, Ye Manzhi had just sold more than 300 yuan worth of bonds at someone else's card game. In order to prevent others from linking it to her and retaliating against her, this matter needed to be considered carefully.
Thinking of her bizarre behavior of selling government bonds at the gambling game, Wu Zhengrong couldn't help but hold his forehead, not knowing whether to be angry or laugh.
"I'm talking to you about serious business, why are you laughing?" Ye Manzhi was so anxious that she pushed him on the arm.
"Let's not talk about selling government bonds. Who told you to go to the gambling den alone?"
"I went with my fourth sister-in-law, and my fourth brother was there too," Ye Manzhi said, feeling a little embarrassed at the mention of her disappointing fourth brother. "There were several familiar faces at the card game. They were all acquaintances of my fourth brother."
Wu Zhengrong still remembered her fourth brother, who had been chased by military dogs in the cemetery and looked miserable. He didn't seem very smart.
Thinking of this, he stopped smiling.
"A single gambling game could easily raise three hundred yuan in bets, which shows that they not only bet big, but also have a large number of participants and have been gambling for quite some time. This kind of place is definitely not something that ordinary employees or their families can organize."
The houses in the Dachedian area are all rented by people with connections to the factory.
The people she met at the gambling game might not be the real organizers.
Wu Zhengrong pondered for a moment and said, "When you go back, don't mention the gambling party anymore. Just assume you went there to try your luck selling government bonds."
Ye Manzhi asked quietly, "When will the military representative take action?"
If Fourth Brother is determined to gamble, she won't be able to stop him even with eight pairs of eyes. This matter must be stopped at the root.
"Wait until they've let their guard down. Your job requires you to be away from home frequently, and you often work overtime at night, so you should be more vigilant." Wu Zhengrong thought for a moment, then smiled. "Let them have their free time for a few days until they've saved enough money to buy government bonds, and then we'll capture them and their money."
Ye Manzhi stared at the smile on his lips and asked suspiciously, "Are you laughing at me?"
"No."
"Then why are you always laughing?" Ye Manzhi warned sternly, "You'd better not make fun of me so easily. If I get angry, it will take at least a five-foot cloth coupon to appease me..."
Wu Zhengrong chuckled. "Then I really wouldn't dare tease Comrade Xiao Ye easily. I've already exchanged all the cloth coupons in the military representative office. If I want to exchange more, I'll have to go to other offices."
These soldiers wear military uniforms all year round and basically don't need cloth coupons, but this may not be the case for other departments.
"Please be nicer to me next time!" Ye Manzhi feigned dissatisfaction. "If you go to other departments to exchange for cloth coupons, people will know that you have a narcissistic partner, and then I will be embarrassed along with you."
Wu Zhengrong was amused by her logic and nodded in agreement, saying, "That's okay. We can compensate for the losses inside the dike with funds outside. Let's try to get Cadre Xiaoye to sell more government bonds. Perhaps that will be more effective than the five-foot cloth coupons."
"Hey, thank you very much, Comrade Military Representative! I'm waiting for good news about your victory in the first battle!"
Ye Manzhi trusted his ability to do things very much, so she entrusted the matter to him. She followed his instructions and no longer paid attention to the gambling incident, as if going to the casino to block people was really just a small trick to sell government bonds.
She waited silently for ten days, and saw that she only needed more than a thousand yuan to complete the public debt task.
One night, her sweet dream was interrupted and she was pushed awake in her sleep.
"Laiya, have you seen your fourth brother today?"
"No," Ye Manzhi turned over in a daze and muttered, "What's wrong now?"
"It's already late at night, and your fourth brother hasn't come back yet!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Manzhi woke up instantly, propped himself up and looked at Chang Yue'e and Fourth Sister-in-law beside the bed.
"Fourth brother hasn't come back tonight?"
"After the literacy class, he came back and played with Mai Duo for a while. Around nine o'clock, Hu Liu came to look for him at home, and he followed Hu Liu out again."
When Mr. Hu Liu came to Ye Mangui's house, Shen Liangmei didn't think there was anything wrong at first.
But the last time she went to that gambling den with her sister-in-law, there was more than 300 yuan in gambling money on the table alone.
Even though she was always open-minded, she could see that Hu Liu was trying to make Man Gui behave badly.
When Ye Manzhi heard that his fourth brother left with Hu Liu, he felt very nervous and had a hunch that Wu Zhengrong had taken some action.
What kind of luck does her fourth brother have?
Fourth brother has been well behaved for several days since she caught him in the act last time. Could it be that he was arrested by the military representative office just after he went out with Hu Liu?
Ye Manzhi had a plan in mind, so she said to her fourth sister-in-law, "My fourth brother is a man of his age, and he often goes out to play before. He doesn't have to go to work, so he will probably be back tomorrow morning. Let's stop worrying and go to bed!"
Chang Yue'e didn't know about the fourth son's gambling, and she thought that the fourth son's wife was making a fuss. She tucked in her daughter's quilt and took her daughter-in-law out of the room.
However, not only did the fourth brother not return home at night, he also did not show up at home during the next day.
When Hu Liu's family came to inquire about Hu Liu's whereabouts, the Ye family finally determined that something was fishy.
Old Ye and the third brother searched all the places that the fourth brother often went to, and also asked at the homes of several familiar friends, but they still couldn't find any sign of him.
When the whole family was at a loss, Qin Xiang from the military representative office suddenly appeared at the door of the Ye family.
Ye Shouxin recognized him and knew that he was Wu Zhengrong's communicator, so he quickly invited him into the house to sit down.
"Captain Ye, I won't sit down anymore. I still have work to do at the factory. I have a message for you from Captain Wu, but I have to go back quickly."
Seeing that he was serious, Ye Shouxin nodded immediately: "If you have anything to say, just ask."
Qin Xiang's eyes swept over the faces of the Ye family members and asked unnaturally, "Captain Ye, you have a son named Ye Mangui, right?"
"It's my fourth child."
"Look at what happened. Comrade Ye Mangui was taken back by the security department last night for reprimand."
Ye Shouxin was stunned when he heard this. "Why was Lao Si sent to the Security Department? What did he do wrong?"
The role of the security department in the factory is equivalent to that of a police station.
If employees and their family members commit crimes and the case is not reported directly to the police, it must first be handled by the Security Department.
Qin Xiang scratched his head. "This is a long story. There was a diesel theft case at the factory two months ago..."
"Did the fourth brother steal diesel?" Ye Shouxin's voice suddenly rose.
"No, this case has been unsolved for several months. The day before yesterday, the Security Department suddenly received a tip-off from the public that a strong odor of diesel fuel was smelled near the carriage inn. The comrades from the Security Department came to borrow a military dog from the Military Representative Office, so our Military Representative Office sent someone to cooperate with the Security Department to go to the carriage inn to search for the stolen goods."
Qin Xiang sighed and said, "Who would have thought that before we found the diesel barrels, we'd actually discovered a gambling den! There were seventeen people in there, almost all of them related to our factory, so they were all taken back to the factory by the security department..."
Ye Shouxin felt dizzy and waited several seconds before confirming with him, "Was Lao Si arrested by the security department because of gambling?"
Qin Xiang nodded with difficulty, as if afraid to embarrass him, and said, "According to Comrade Ye Mangui's own account, he didn't bring any gambling money and didn't participate in the gambling. But you also know that anyone caught in the act in the casino must undergo education, labor, and a fine. There's nothing we can do."
"However, after listening to Comrade Ye Mangui's confession, our commander Wu believes that he is not lying, so he sent me to your home to tell you."
Seeing that Old Ye was so angry that he couldn't speak, the third brother quickly stepped forward to negotiate with Qin Xiang.
He still didn't know the relationship between his sister and Wu Zhengrong. He shook Xiao Qin's hand and thanked him repeatedly, "Comrade Qin, can we go to the security department to pick up the people now?"
"I'm afraid this isn't going to work," Qin Xiang sighed. "There were a lot of people gambling this time, and most of them were children of our factory employees. After informing the factory leadership, the Security Department decided to detain them for 72 hours while they studied relevant laws and regulations. To prevent family members from using connections to intercede, Section Chief Li decided to wait 72 hours to notify the families. Captain Wu was worried your family would be worried because they wouldn't see anyone, so he asked me to come home and tell them in advance."
The third brother thanked him again and immediately expressed his understanding and support for the factory leaders' decision.
After he sent Qin Xiang downstairs and returned, he frowned and said, "I thought the fourth brother had improved, but why is he suddenly addicted to gambling again? Will the security department hand him over to the police station?"
Hearing this, Shen Liangmei burst into tears. "Wow, if he goes to jail for gambling, I won't go! How can Maiduo hold his head up high in the future when his father is in jail?"
Huang Li said disdainfully, "Why are you crying? If they really wanted to hand them over to the police station, they would have done it immediately. Why would they let them study in the factory for 72 hours?"
It would be a good thing if Ye Lao Si could take this opportunity to learn a lesson!
Ye Shouxin kept a sullen face and remained silent, waiting at home for another day without a word.
When 72 hours passed and the security department notified the family to pick up the person to pay the fine, he immediately stood up from his chair.
"Dad, let me go with you!" Ye Manzhi volunteered.
Ye Shouxin said "hmm" and walked out silently.
When they arrived at the security department, other family members had also arrived.
Most of the people who came to pick up the people were factory employees, and the highest-ranking one among them was the head of the logistics department.
It is said that the venue for gambling was provided by his eldest son.
All the family members were taken to a conference room by the security chief. Seventeen listless gamblers were sitting on one side of the conference room.
The family members were placed on the other side.
Ye Manzhi's eyes swept across the gamblers one by one. Most of them were relatively young, but there were also two old men in the group who affected the harmony of the picture.
It seems that gambling is not limited by age. People with such a big age gap can still play together.
She sighed in her heart, but caught a glimpse of a familiar figure suddenly rushing towards the gambler opposite her in her peripheral vision.
Guo Erni was furious with a ferocious expression. She grabbed one of the old men by the back of the neck and started beating him.
"Hey, hey, is there still any law?" The beaten old Zhao tried his best to dodge, "What daughter-in-law dares to hit her father-in-law! The younger generation hits the elders, do you still have any rules?"
"Bah! You're a worthless elder!" Guo Erni attacked without mercy. "You think your home isn't a mess enough? Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you imitate others and start gambling together!"
Old Zhao dodged and explained, "I didn't gamble! I just went with Old Liu to watch the fun. You should know how much money I have in my pocket. How could I possibly afford to play card games?"
Guo Erni spat, "Isn't the excitement in your own home enough? Aren't those chess players in the compound enough for you to watch? Why do you have to go to the casino to watch the excitement? How dare you go anywhere?"
The family members present, including Old Ye, all wanted to teach their children a lesson, but they held back because this was the security department's territory.
Guo Erni was the only person in the audience who put her ideas into practice.
Because of the dispute between the two people, the conference room suddenly became chaotic.
Ye Manzhi was the only female comrade besides Guo Erni. Seeing this, she took the initiative to step forward and hugged Guo Erni, who was still trying to kick and fight.
"Sister Guo, calm down. Your father-in-law is not young anymore. If you beat him up in public and make him sick, you will still have to take care of him!"
Ye Manzhi was also familiar with Guo Erni.
After she took charge of civil affairs, the first bizarre thing she witnessed was that Zhao Guodong married his brother's wife as a bigamist, and then his brother came back to seek revenge, scaring his brother to the point of peeing his pants.
At first, Guo Erni wanted to marry her brother-in-law.
"Bah! I won't serve him!" Guo Erni was furious. "When Zhao Guodong gets out of the detention center, I'm going to divorce him!"
She and Zhao Guodong did not get married, but they had three children, so they were in a de facto marriage.
Therefore, the marriage certificate obtained by Zhao Guodong and his sister-in-law has no legal effect.
His bigamy was different from bigamy before liberation. He could have been sentenced to three months' detention and six months' probation, but the court believed that he knowingly committed the crime and deliberately deceived his wife, and finally sentenced him to three months' detention without probation.
Zhao Guodong is currently serving his sentence in the detention center.
The eldest son was in jail, and the younger son was resurrected, so her parents-in-law rushed over from the countryside.
Guo Erni originally thought that the two old people were here to solve the problem.
It turned out that they were there to help the eldest son look after the house.
At least her mother-in-law knows how to cook and take care of children.
My father-in-law has completely changed after leaving the countryside. He no longer has to farm. Every day after dinner, he pushes his bowl aside, puts his hands behind his back, and goes to the yard to watch people play chess.
Guo Erni wanted to find a job when her mother-in-law could help her take care of the children, so that she wouldn't have to live off her savings after she divorced Zhao Guodong. So even though she hated her father-in-law in her heart, she endured it.
Unexpectedly, this guy became even worse. The yard was not big enough for him to play, so he actually started gambling!
Guo Erni's face flushed red as she said to the security officers, "Do whatever you want with him! His son is in the detention center. You can send him to the police station. I won't pay his fine anyway!"
The comrades from the security department had not yet expressed their views, but the other family members were already unhappy.
"How can you be so impulsive, comrade? How can you send someone to the police station without any reason?"
"That's right, Xiao Guo, we can discuss it!"
Sending Old Zhao to the police station is a small matter, but there must be a reason to send someone to the police station, right?
Once the reason why he gathered people to gamble is revealed, those who gambled with him will inevitably be taken to the police station.
After all, no one gambles alone.
Wu Zhengrong tapped the table with his pen. "Quiet."
Military uniforms are more intimidating than security uniforms. After he spoke, the meeting room gradually calmed down.
Wu Zhengrong's handsome face remained calm as he spoke solemnly, "Factory 656 has clear penalties for group gambling within the factory. Although the gambling took place outside the factory, the participants were all family members of employees living within the military industrial complex, so the same penalties apply. Now, I'd like to invite Chief Li from the Security Department to share his recommendations for handling these 17 individuals."
Section Chief Li stood up and shouted, "Since the establishment of Factory 656, there has never been such a large-scale gambling incident. There are so many people involved, and the amount of money involved is huge! The factory leaders were furious when they heard the news and demanded that the Security Department impose severe punishment. In addition to forcing them to study relevant laws and regulations, they should also be handed over to the public security organs..."
"Section Chief Li, we must teach these brats a lesson. Can you please let them go instead of handing them over to the police station?"
"I really want to beat my second son to death, but if I go to the police station and have a criminal record, it will affect my future job and marriage prospects."
Section Chief Li waved his hand and said, "Listen to me first. Considering that some comrades are indeed first-time offenders, and given their financial conditions, it is unlikely that they would personally participate in gambling, the factory has decided to offer a second option. It depends on whether the family members want them to plead guilty or accept punishment."
Confessing guilt means being transferred to the police station.
Accepting the penalty means paying the fine.
Without any hesitation, almost everyone chose to accept the punishment.
Only Guo Erni refused to pay the fine to Lao Zhao and asked the factory to transfer him to the police station to put an end to it.
This way, things are back to square one.
If Old Zhao is sent to the police station, other people will suffer as well. What’s the point of other people accepting the punishment?
Old Liu, who had taken Old Zhao to the gambling game to watch the excitement, advised: "Guodong's wife, you are a daughter-in-law. How can you take the initiative to send your father-in-law to the police station? If he goes to the police station, your children will be ashamed!"
"Even the child's father is in jail, what's the big deal about a grandfather going in too!" Guo Erni said with a half-smile, "Old Liu, my father-in-law went to the casino with you. If you can't stand it, just pay his fine!"
Old Liu shut up immediately.
In addition to handing over the gambling money, each person has to be fined 20 yuan. How could he possibly give money to Lao Zhao!
The situation came to a standstill, with neither side refusing to give in.
Guo Erni was so angry that she asked the other party to pay the fine on her behalf.
Ye Manzhi slowly raised his hand at this moment.
She was a rare female comrade present, a bright spot among the crowd, and as soon as she raised her hand, she was noticed by Section Chief Li.
"Comrade Xiaoye, what do you want to say?"
Ye Manzhi sighed and said, "Captain Wu, Section Chief Li, these people who participate in gambling really don't bring honor to our family. My father has lived a life of integrity, but the little reputation he built up has been completely ruined by my fourth brother. I believe everyone feels the same way. Although we agree to pay their fines, we are definitely not happy about it."
"Who can be happy with something like this? I really owed this evil thing to you in my past life!"
"I think the factory's purpose in imposing fines isn't to collect money, but to teach them a lesson. If that's the case, can we do what the public security authorities do and give them reeducation through labor instead of fines?"
Ye Manzhi was afraid that someone would interrupt her, so she spoke rapidly, "You may have heard that the Municipal Education Bureau has approved a quota for building a primary school in Guangming Street. However, due to financial constraints, we need the residents of our street to contribute money and effort to build the school."
"These 17 comrades are both family members of employees and residents of Guangming Street. I think they can be sent to work on the primary school construction site for a period of time. While they receive their punishment, they can also contribute to the schooling of primary school students."
Ye Manzhi finished speaking in one breath, but he was actually not quite sure in his heart.
After all, 656 also has the task of expanding the cemetery. If they are taken to work in the cemetery, it would be considered as re-education through labor.
After hearing her words, everyone fell into deep thought.
The family members were already furious, and even if they agreed to pay the fine, they did so with reluctance.
Replacing fines with re-education through labor is something that everyone would like to see happen!
Not only can we save the fine, but we can also make these bastards suffer and learn a lesson!
Everyone turned their eyes to Section Chief Li and Wu Zhengrong.
Before Section Chief Li could speak, Wu Zhengrong spoke out, "Cadre Xiaoye's suggestion is a good one. However, considering these comrades have no experience building houses, asking them to help on the construction site would be irresponsible for the safety of the elementary school students. I propose that each of these 17 comrades go to the riverbank to dig a ton of sand, and each also provide 200 red bricks for the school."
Ye Manzhi thought, this is even better!
Labor costs are not valuable nowadays, but building materials are valuable!
Moreover, transporting sand from the riverside to Guangming Street is also a big problem.
If these people could dig up the sand and transport it back, it would save the street a lot of money on transporting the sand!
Wu Zhengrong's suggestion was not excessive, so the family members stopped bargaining and expressed their willingness to let their son support the construction of the primary school.
Ye Shouxin came forward and signed the form, then grabbed the fourth brother by the collar and dragged him out of the meeting room.
Before leaving, he specially thanked Wu Zhengrong.
"My kid is not doing well. I am sorry to have made Captain Wu laugh this time."
"Uncle Ye, you're welcome," Wu Zhengrong said with a smile. "According to the confessions of Fourth Brother and others, he did go to the casino to watch others play cards, and has not yet officially sat down at the gambling table. Third Brother and Lai Ya are both very good, and I think Fourth Brother will be no worse. Just go back and talk to him."
Ye Shouxin thought to himself, fortunately there were still two spicy peppers, otherwise he would be too embarrassed to face anyone.
He was thinking about the fourth brother and had no time to investigate the change in the other party's address.
Ye Manyi secretly glared at Wu Zhengrong.
You are older than my fourth brother, why are you calling me fourth brother?
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