Chapter 85: Director Liang’s Invitation
In the jeep, watching Li Na driving the bright red mule cart all by herself, Wang Anguo asked with some concern, “Is it really okay to let your sister run the stall all by herself?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Why wouldn’t it work? My sister is every bit as capable as any man—this won’t be a problem for her!”
Then Li Yi added, “What I’m really curious about is, you two aren’t doing any real work—where exactly are you taking me?”
“Heh, to be honest, my senior brother wants to meet you!” Wang Anguo said.
“Your senior brother? Why does he want to see me?”
“Well, you’ve actually met him before—he’s Director Liang from the sugar factory!”
“Director Liang is your senior brother?”
Li Yi said with some surprise; this was the first time he’d heard of it.
“Didn’t I tell you before? When Director Liang was young, he apprenticed under my old man, so my brother and I have always called him ‘senior brother’ since we were kids!” Wang Anguo explained.
“So that’s how it is!”
Li Yi then said, “So it looks like we’ve identified the problem at the sugar factory!”
“Yes, we’ve identified it—and it’s led to a massive scandal!” Wang Anguo said.
“Oh, can you tell me about it?”
“Although there are disciplinary requirements, you’re practically a participant in this matter, so it’s okay to tell you.”
Wang Anguo continued, “Yesterday, my senior colleague once again organized the factory’s technical team to inspect all the factory buildings. They discovered serious safety hazards in the steel beams of two of the buildings.”
“More importantly, the head of the technical team had reported these issues to the relevant supervisor as early as six months ago, but received no response for a long time. The supervisor even tried repeatedly to sweep the matter under the rug. My senior colleague realized something was wrong and immediately called the police, requesting an official investigation into the matter!”
“Our investigation has revealed that Fan Tongyu, the deputy plant manager in charge of work safety at the sugar factory, engaged in the practice of substituting inferior materials and cutting corners during the construction of Production Halls 1 and 3, as well as several subsequent production workshops and warehouses. They secretly replaced the high-quality steel beams originally specified with substandard products from small factories, which ultimately led to the beams snapping and nearly caused a major work safety accident!”
Hearing Wang Anguo’s words, Li Yi was secretly shocked.
In his previous life, the authorities hadn’t disclosed this; they’d only stated that the steel structural components in the production workshops failed to meet quality standards, which had triggered the safety incident.
He never imagined there were so many shady dealings behind the scenes—it was truly an eye-opener!
“So what does Plant Manager Liang plan to do now?” Li Yi asked again.
“The entire factory has suspended operations for repairs and inspections to identify potential hazards, while we await instructions from higher-ups!”
“Will he be held accountable?” Li Yi asked.
“No, my senior colleague hasn’t been in office long. Whether it’s project approvals, construction, or the final acceptance inspection, none of it has anything to do with him!”
Wang Anguo continued, “On the contrary, thanks to his vigilance, he not only prevented a serious production accident but also exposed a bunch of parasites preying on the state—that’s a major achievement!”
“That’s good to hear!”
“So why is he meeting with me this time? To thank me?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“Well, after my senior brother heard that you specifically asked me to remind him about this matter, he was deeply grateful. So he repeatedly asked to meet you, this master of yours. As for how he plans to thank you, I’m not sure!” Wang Anguo said.
“Alright, I’ll meet him then!”
Li Yi naturally didn’t believe Wang Anguo was unaware of the matter, but he didn’t press the issue.
Since the other party wanted to meet him, he’d meet him.
Besides, people who do good deeds without seeking recognition are called Lei Fengs, and he, Li Yi, was clearly not one of them.
Soon, the car arrived at the main gate of the sugar factory.
After presenting their IDs, the car drove straight into the factory grounds.
After the three of them got out, led by Wang Anguo, they headed straight for the factory director’s office on the second floor.
By this time, the factory’s security personnel had already been withdrawn, but along with them, more than twenty mid-to-senior-level officials had been taken away.
Consequently, when the factory staff saw Wang Anguo and Li Gang in their uniforms, they all felt a chill run down their spines.
Upon reaching the plant manager’s office, Wang Anguo knocked on the door. Hearing “Come in” from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.
Liang Yukuai had just hung up the phone when he looked up to see his junior colleague Wang Anguo and Li Gang’s son entering with a man who looked both familiar and unfamiliar.
The reason he described him as both familiar and unfamiliar was mainly because Liang Yukuai had seen Li Yi before—wasn’t he the guy who set up a small stall at the factory gate every day?
His junior apprentice had personally approached him earlier, asking him to look out for this young man.
As for why he found him unfamiliar, it was because Liang had just keenly noticed that both his junior apprentice and Li Chujia’s son treated this young man with great respect.
As the three entered, the younger apprentice and Li Chu’s son instinctively walked on either side, while the young street vendor walked right in the middle.
Such an instinctive gesture was no small matter; it indicated that, in the minds of those two, this young man held a higher status than they did.
It was much like when city or provincial leaders came down for an inspection, and everyone else would naturally step aside to the sides.
“Junior Brother, could that ‘master’ you mentioned be this young man here?” Factory Director Liang said with a smile.
Wang Anguo replied immediately, “Senior Brother, you’re spot on. Brother Li Yi is the master who saved me, Gangzi, and you!”
“So the master really is Brother Li Yi,” said Director Liang. “I was blind to see that. Please forgive my oversight!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “I wouldn’t dare claim to be a master. Besides, that’s not something we should be discussing right now. Director Liang, just think of me as an ordinary person with a keen eye for detail!”
As far as Li Yi was concerned, he was telling the truth anyway. Whether they believed him or not was none of his business.
Of course, Director Liang didn’t really take him at his word—after all, an ordinary person wouldn’t possess such abilities.
However, he also knew that the higher-ups strictly prohibited any mention of feudal superstition, so the title of “master” was indeed not a good one to hold. Li Yi had good reason for not wanting them to use that term.
“All right then, Brother Li Yi, please have a seat!”
After everyone had taken their seats and Director Liang had his staff serve them tea, he said, “Brother Li Yi, I won’t beat around the bush. I really can’t thank you enough for what you did this time. If it weren’t for you, not only would I, as the factory director, be in big trouble, but who knows how many of our front-line workers would have been killed or injured!”
“Words of thanks are too hollow, so I won’t dwell on them. Quite a few people at the factory have been arrested, leaving several positions open. I was wondering if Brother Li Yi might be interested in taking on the role of Head of Security or Office Director here at the sugar factory?”
At these words, both Wang Anguo and Li Gang looked stunned.
The sugar factory was one of the most profitable enterprises in all of Qing Shan County. While other factories were struggling more and more, the sugar factory’s orders were already booked through the middle of next year.
And with the factory’s strong performance came top-notch employee benefits and compensation, making it the number one place most people in the county aspired to work—bar none.
Even a single permanent position at the sugar factory was currently valued at a conservative estimate of 800 to 1,000 yuan.
Not to mention that Director Liang was now offering the positions of Head of Security and Office Director—these were bona fide leadership roles that money simply couldn’t buy.
For a moment, both men’s gazes fixed on Li Yi, eager to see how he would choose!