Chapter 64: Chapter 58: Getting Reinforcements
The news that Wang the Pockmarked and his fellow hooligans had been caught barely made a ripple at the textile factory.
In an era when village-on-village feuds could escalate to cannon fire, the common folk were tough and had seen it all.
Even Mrs. Zhao could make Wang the Pockmarked wail with a single swing of a kitchen knife. This was small potatoes.
However, the fact that this incident involved the cafeteria’s head chef, Huang Fusheng, immediately ignited the gossiping spirits of the textile factory workers.
News from the Security Department said that Huang Fusheng had instigated Wang the Pockmarked and others to cause trouble at Zhou Yan Restaurant, throwing cockroaches into the food to ruin its reputation.
After the plot was exposed, Huang Fusheng was hauled to the Security Department for an afternoon of interrogation. He was suspended and sent home to await the factory’s decision.
When this news spread, the workers were absolutely delighted.
Ever since Huang Fusheng had replaced Xiao Lei as the factory cafeteria’s head chef, the food had gotten worse by the day.
Now that Huang Fusheng was suspended, would the cafeteria food finally get better?
Everyone was already looking forward to Master Xiao’s return as head chef, hoping he would once again make their mass-produced meals flavorful and delicious.
"Can Master Xiao even come back? I heard he’s working as a prep cook in the back kitchen now."
"Huang Fusheng is out, but I doubt Master Xiao can come back as head chef. When he was stripped of his position, the factory issued a formal notice. He was accused of multiple violations, and it was all done by the book."
"I heard Master Xiao was just a scapegoat, that he was framed by a villain."
"Just say his name. As long as Wang Defa is in charge, it’ll be hard for Master Xiao to return. They got rid of one Huang Fusheng, but he can just promote some Wang Fusheng in his place. Whether the food is good doesn’t matter; what matters is obedience."
"That guy is like a stone in a latrine—hard and stinky, just there to make you sick!"
The workers, eating breakfast, huddled together, sipping congee, eating steamed buns, and chatting about the latest gossip.
The "hard and stinky" Director Wang was, at this very moment, sitting in his office, chain-smoking. The room was thick with smoke, but it couldn’t hide the foul expression on his face.
Huang Fusheng’s arrest had caught him off guard, and for a moment, he had been so panicked he’d wanted to flee.
Fortunately, Wang the Pockmarked and his gang hadn’t escalated things at Zhou Yan Restaurant. There were no injuries, nor had they vandalized the shop and caused serious property damage.
But as the instigator, Huang Fusheng certainly couldn’t get away scot-free. A punishment was unavoidable, and his days as head chef were over.
"That dumbass, hiring those brainless hooligans. He turned a simple job into this mess. Now I’m the one under all this pressure!" Wang Defa cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth in anger.
"Huang Fusheng’s skills are only good enough for him to go back to being a prep cook anyway. My younger cousin has improved his cooking a lot these past two years. His Twice-Cooked Pork and stir-fried pig liver are excellent. He could be the head chef," Sun Meili said, handing over a cup of water and smiling as she moved behind Wang Defa to rub his shoulders.
"Sun Bridge?" Wang Defa frowned, thinking.
"Yes. Sun Bridge said he’s preparing to test for his Third-level Chef certification this year, and he’s sure he’ll pass." Sun Meili said with a grin, "Sun Bridge is obedient. If he becomes head chef, we can keep getting our kickbacks from food procurement. If Xiao Lei comes back, all hell will break loose. That son of a bitch is incorruptible, can’t be swayed by threats or bribes."
"I’ll never let Xiao Lei come back as head chef. If he returns, I’ll have no authority in the back kitchen as cafeteria director," Wang Defa nodded. "Fine. At the meeting today, I’ll push for Sun Bridge to be the acting head chef for now."
"Perfect." Sun Meili leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I’ve also thought of a way to deal with Zhou Yan. His business is booming, right? Then let’s raise his rent. Fifteen yuan a month is too cheap for him."
"How much of an increase?" Wang Defa turned his head to look at her. "Raising it by five or ten yuan won’t do a damn thing to him."
"Then raise it to 100 yuan a month. And he has to make up the difference for this month, too." A cold smile touched the corner of Sun Meili’s mouth. "He dares to steal business from our cafeteria, causing a loss of state-owned assets. He’s just a private business owner. What right does he have to earn so much money?"
"One hundred yuan?" Wang Defa frowned. "And just for his shop? Isn’t that too much?"
"If he thinks it’s too much, he doesn’t have to pay. Isn’t our goal to drive him out anyway?"
...
"What? One hundred yuan a month? Director Sun, you must be out of your mind!" Wang Wei looked at Sun Meili, who was sitting behind her desk, with an expression of utter disbelief. "The storefronts owned by the textile factory usually rent for around ten yuan. Zhou Yan’s shop is near the main gate, so he pays an extra five yuan, making it fifteen yuan a month. That’s already a high rent."
The smile on Sun Meili’s face froze. Her eyes flew wide, and she slammed her hands on the desk as she shot to her feet, roaring, "Wang Wei! What kind of attitude is that! I am your superior, the director in the finance department in charge of the cafeteria! How dare you curse me?"
"I’m not cursing you, I should be praising you." Wang Wei pursed her lips and sneered, "So what if you’re the leader? When a leader issues unreasonable demands and orders at work, workers have the right to object and voice their opinions."
"Fine! Fine! Fine!" Sun Meili was trembling with rage. She pointed at Wang Wei and said, "You’re insubordinate, you insult your superiors, you have no sense of organization, no discipline! I’m going to have you transferred to the warehouse to guard it and haul goods!"
"Don’t try to pin that on me!" Wang Wei scoffed. "Who do you think you are? You think you can just transfer me to the warehouse because you say so? You don’t own the textile factory!"
"I see what this is. You’re just jealous that Zhou Yan Restaurant is doing well, and you want to suppress and retaliate against Zhou Yan."
"Some leader. You get a little bit of power and you want to crush people just to show how capable you are, is that it? Your behavior is nauseating!"
After speaking, Wang Wei turned and walked out of the office without a backward glance.
"You get back here!" Furious, Sun Meili threw the enamel cup she was holding, sending tea splashing everywhere.
In the main office outside, the accountants all glanced over, exchanging looks and enjoying the drama.
A middle-aged woman from the desk nearest the director’s office hurried in, picked up the enamel cup from the floor, wiped it clean, and placed it back on the desk with a fawning smile. "Director, don’t be angry. These young girls don’t know their place. How dare they talk back to you."
Sun Meili looked at her, her anger subsiding slightly. She said, "Wu Lili, I’ll leave this matter to you. Go collect the one hundred yuan rent from Zhou Yan Restaurant. And inform him that starting next month, the rent will be one hundred yuan every month. If he doesn’t pay, have the Security Department deal with it."
"Do a good job, and the ’Advanced Individual’ award at the end of the year is yours. It was supposed to go to Wang Wei this year, but now we’ll see if you’re more worthy of being cultivated."
"Don’t you worry, Director. I’ll definitely get it done right." Wu Lili nodded repeatedly, accepted the task, and turned to leave.
...
"What? One hundred yuan? Why don’t you just rob us instead?!"
At the entrance of Zhou Yan Restaurant, Zhao Tieying stared at the newly arrived Wu Lili, her brows tightly furrowed.
They had just finished the morning rush, and she had barely finished a bowl of noodles when an accountant claiming to be from the textile factory’s finance department showed up to collect rent, demanding a hundred yuan right off the bat.
"Don’t give me any of your nonsense! This is a notice from the factory. You’d better pay up immediately!" Wu Lili stood with her hands on her hips, speaking condescendingly. "If you don’t pay the rent, I’ll have the Security Department come and throw you out! Let me tell you, this storefront is a state-owned asset. You private business owners are stealing business from the factory cafeteria, causing a loss of state assets. A couple of years ago, you would’ve been arrested and thrown in jail for this!"
"Oh, what a big shot, threatening to throw me in jail! Let’s see if I don’t rip that bitchy mouth of yours off first!" Zhao Tieying rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.
"Mom, don’t get physical yet." Zhou Yan came out of the restaurant and stopped her, then looked at Wu Lili. "Comrade, who sent you to collect this money? Do you have an official, stamped notice from the factory? Why the sudden rent increase? Is it for all shops owned by the textile factory, or just ours?"
"I... I’m definitely here on behalf of the factory to collect this money. I don’t have the notice right now, I’ll bring it to you next time. Your restaurant’s business is so good because the location is good. It’s normal to raise the rent. You think you can just pocket all the profits? If you can’t afford it, then move out. Stop being so long-winded." Wu Lili’s voice lacked conviction as she looked at Zhou Yan.
"What ’good location’?! It’s because Zhou Yan’s cooking is good! You could carve two eyes into a carrot and it would still be more of a person than you are! How dare you spout such nonsense!" If Zhou Yan hadn’t been standing in her way, Zhao Tieying would have lunged forward to slap her.
Wu Lili stumbled back two steps in fear. ’This woman does not look friendly!’
"Are you going to pay or not? If you don’t, I’m going to get the Security Department!" Wu Lili said to Zhou Yan, her voice sharp but her posture betraying her fear.
"You don’t even have a stamped document. Of course I’m not paying this. For all I know, you could be a scammer from who knows where." Zhou Yan shook his head. "Ever since I rented this place, the accountant Wang Wei has always been the one to collect the rent. I don’t even know where you came from."
"Wang Wei? Hah. Because she was unwilling to come collect your rent and talked back to the director, she’s being transferred to the warehouse to haul goods. From now on, I’m in charge of collecting rent." Wu Lili said smugly, "I’m going to get the stamped notice for you right now. You’d better have the money ready."
Wu Lili turned and walked toward the factory.
"That girl is pretty righteous. But what’s with the rent suddenly jumping to a hundred? Should we pay it?" Zhao Tieying frowned, looking at Zhou Yan with a worried expression.
She also knew that fighting that woman wouldn’t solve anything and might instead cause more trouble for Zhou Yan.
"Exactly, there’s no reason to suddenly raise the rent like this!" said Zhou Jie, who had been watching from the side.
"Don’t worry, it’s not a big problem. If it’s a factory-wide decision and everyone’s rent is raised to one hundred, then we’ll pay it. It’s only about a day’s profit anyway," Zhou Yan smiled reassuringly. "But if it’s just our rent being raised, specifically to target and suppress us, then we absolutely cannot pay. Not a single cent. Once you let them get away with it, they’ll think we’re easy to bully, and this kind of thing will just keep happening."
Zhou Yan turned back into the restaurant, took a pack of Yuxi cigarettes from a cabinet, and tucked it into his pocket.
"Where are you going?" Zhao Tieying asked as she watched Zhou Yan head out the door.
"To get reinforcements."
Without looking back, Zhou Yan ducked into the Security Department office next door.
