Seeing that Li Yi was busy, Wang Anguo and Li Gang didn’t press him for further details.
They’d known Li Yi for quite some time and understood his temperament: he’d said everything he could, and as for what he couldn’t say, he wouldn’t utter a single word.
So the two immediately said their goodbyes to Li Yi and Liu Jingshan, then rode off on their bicycles.
As for Liu Jingshan, while Li Yi and the others were talking, he had been keeping a close eye on the situation over here.
Seeing the three of them chatting and laughing, Liu Jingshan was utterly stunned.
While others might not know the identities of the two men standing before Li Yi, he certainly did.
Not only were they the captains of the county bureau’s criminal investigation squad, but more importantly, their family backgrounds were absolutely staggering.
He had originally assumed Li Yi was just lucky to have hooked up with these two big shots.
But now it didn’t seem quite like that. Among the three, Li Yi appeared to be the one in charge, while the other two seemed more like his underlings.
Realizing this, Liu Jingshan felt a chill run through his entire body!
Was the world going mad, or had he simply fallen behind the times? Since when did tigers serve as sidekicks to monkeys?
Although he didn’t fully understand the exact nature of the relationship between these three, he knew that this young man, Li Yi, was definitely no ordinary person. He had to make sure to treat this big shot well—who knows, maybe someday he could get in on their circle too.
Seeing Li Yi walking toward him, Liu Jingshan immediately tore the paper with the calculations off the pad and went to meet him!
“Director Liu, are you done calculating?” Li Yi asked with a smile.
“All done. The mushrooms total 721 jin, the wood ear mushrooms and other mountain produce 223 jin—that comes to 703 yuan in total!” Liu Jingshan said.
Hearing the total, Li Yi was taken aback at first, then frowned and said, “Director Liu, it can’t be that much. You must have made a mistake!”
Liu Jingshan smiled and said, “No mistake. The purchase price for the mushrooms has been raised to 75 cents per jin!”
With that, Liu Jingshan handed the receipt to Li Yi!
Li Yi took the receipt and glanced at it; sure enough, he saw that the mushrooms were priced at 75 cents per pound, which added an extra 36 yuan to the bill just for that item.
“Well, thanks a lot!”
Li Yi was no fool. Although he didn’t quite understand why Liu Jingshan had suddenly raised the price, it was clearly related to Wang Anguo and Li Gang.
Besides, he couldn’t refuse something like this; otherwise, it would be a bit hurtful.
When someone has their desire to befriend you written all over their face, turning them down would be an insult.
So, regarding Liu Jingshan’s price hike, he had no choice but to accept it.
“By the way, Brother Li Yi, there’s something else I need to tell you!”
“What is it? Go ahead,” Li Yi said.
“Here’s the thing: the liangpi went over really well at our state-run restaurant yesterday. We sold out all 100 portions in just one lunch service, so you’ll have to set some extra aside for us today!”
Li Yi laughed heartily. “Alright, I’ll set aside fifty extra portions for you today.”
“150 portions is a bit too few. Could you set aside a few more? I’m guessing even 200 portions a day might not be enough,” Liu Jingshan said.
“Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll set aside 150 portions today, and tomorrow I’ll make extra to get you 200!”
“Alright!”
Since he was in a hurry to set up his stall at the sugar factory, Li Yi didn’t linger to chat with Liu Jingshan. After settling the bill, he left the state-run restaurant!
…….
As for Wang Anguo and Li Gang, after leaving the state-run restaurant, the two hurried back to the county bureau.
After sorting out the team’s work, Wang Anguo immediately hopped into the team’s small jeep and headed straight for the sugar factory on the outskirts of town.
Just as Wang Anguo had mentioned earlier at the state-run restaurant, Liang Yukui had always maintained a good relationship with his family, and his bond with the old man in particular was both that of a mentor and a friend.
So, after hearing what Li Yi had said, he couldn’t sit still.
When Wang Anguo arrived, Liang Yukui was holding a morning meeting with the factory’s management.
The sugar factory’s production targets were particularly demanding at the moment; this year’s quota had been set 20% higher than last year’s, but a severe drought had gripped the northern regions, resulting in smaller sugar beets with lower sugar content.
As a result, the amount of raw material required per ton of sugar had increased by one-fifth, forcing the factory to work overtime.
The meeting had just ended when Director Liang received a report from his assistant that a police officer was looking for him and was already in his office!
Returning to his office, Director Liang saw that it was Wang Anguo and immediately said with a smile, “It’s you, Anguo! What wind has blown you here today?”
Wang Anguo replied immediately, “A northwesterly wind—the kind that carries sand and dust!”
“Huh, what’s going on? Has something happened?”
Liang Yukuai knew Wang Anguo well; he was a very meticulous man, so there must be a reason for him to speak like that.
“Brother Liang, is your factory’s production workload heavy right now?”
“Heavy. We’ve been swamped lately. I just issued the order: starting today, every workshop will switch to three shifts. The machines can’t stop even when the workers rest—we have to make sure we exceed our production targets!” said Factory Director Liang.
Hearing this, a sense of foreboding immediately welled up in Wang Anguo’s heart!
“Brother Liang, if you do this, will the machinery be able to handle it?”
“No problem. We’ve done this plenty of times before…”
At this point, Plant Manager Liang changed the subject, saying with a hint of puzzlement, “Anguo, you seem a bit off today. I know you well—you don’t come to me unless there’s a problem. Just spit it out!”
Wang Anguo’s expression grew serious as he said, “Brother Liang, I want you to temporarily halt production so we can inspect the factory and equipment. Is that okay or not?”
“Why? You’ve got to give me a reason!” Factory Director Liang frowned.
“I can’t give you a reason right now, but trust me—I wouldn’t do anything to harm you!” Wang Anguo said.
Factory Director Liang fell silent. Although Wang Anguo was more than a decade younger than him, Liang had already been working as an apprentice at the glass factory with his father when Wang was just two or three years old.
Whenever things weren’t too busy, Plant Manager Liang would go to the Wang family’s home to help carry water, chop firewood, and have a meal. So, Wang Anguo was practically a child he’d watched grow up.
He believed Wang Anguo would never harm him; there must be a valid reason for his actions.
The fact that he couldn’t speak of it meant there were certainly disciplinary requirements involved.
After giving it careful thought, Director Liang nodded and said, “Apart from the factory buildings and equipment, are there any other requirements?”
“Brother Liang, you know the sugar factory better than I do. In short, treat this as a comprehensive safety hazard inspection. No matter where it is, if there’s a hazard, you absolutely must not let it slip by!” Wang Anguo said.
“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements right away!”
With that, Director Liang immediately called out to the door, “Director Qiu, come in!”
The office door swung open, and the portly office director strode in, asking, “Director Liang, you called for me?”
“Pass the word: all departments and production workshops are to halt operations immediately. Have everyone from the technical department assemble right away—we’re conducting a comprehensive safety inspection throughout the entire plant!”
“Yes, sir!”
……..