Of course, Zhang Liunian did not know about this matter. At this moment, he was sitting in the car, being driven by Zhang Qian towards Jiangcheng.
They arrived smoothly at Fuqiang Pig Farm, only to see Chen Zhenghe sitting at the factory entrance, looking at the sky with a bitter expression. Upon noticing Zhang Liunian's car appearing, he immediately staggered to his feet and walked over.
"Boss, I'm sorry. This was truly my dereliction of duty. I failed to guard the factory, allowing people to steal all the pigs overnight. I will bear this responsibility, please do not blame the others.
I have tallied the factory's losses; it amounts to sixty-five thousand. I have already paid this sum, and it is on the desk in the office."
Chen Zhenghe felt he had failed Zhang Liunian terribly. With so many people in the factory, all the pigs were gone in just one night.
Whether it was the sows or the piglets, not a single one remained.
However, he did not want Zhang Liunian to scold the employees, because he had already spoken to them that morning, and those people were his fellow villagers.
Zhang Liunian's eyes twitched slightly. He did not approve of Chen Zhenghe's soft-hearted approach, but he did not bring up the employees' responsibility. Instead, he addressed Chen Zhenghe's own dereliction, "You do indeed bear responsibility for this matter. But seeing as you admit your mistake, six thousand will suffice. This money will be entirely used to purchase piglets and raise them anew."
"I am already in the process of making arrangements for this. However, it will be difficult to return to our previous state quickly, as there were breeding pigs and sows due to farrow." He had already made contact for these matters, but breeding stock and sows require time to mature.
This time frame is one year, meaning the pig farm might not earn much profit for a year.
Zhang Liunian understood his meaning and secretly nodded at his actions. "The breeding and farrowing of the sows are imperative. You take good care of them this year, and also contact for the delivery of the foreign breeds.
Has the police been informed about the pig farm incident? Are there any leads as to who did it?"
"Yes, the police just left. We are still awaiting news, and we don't know when we'll get a result." Chen Zhenghe had handled these matters quite well.
Zhang Liunian could find no fault with him. He entered the factory and took a look around, noticing tire tracks on the ground. He frowned and asked, "This was a large vehicle entering the factory. The commotion must have been considerable. Did they truly hear nothing last night?"
Zhang Liunian looked at the tire tracks on the ground, his face filled with confusion.
Logically, if a vehicle entered the factory, they should have heard something.
Chen Zhenghe replied helplessly, "They were all sleeping like logs yesterday. It's likely they were drugged again. I suspect Zhu Lao San is the one who uses such tactics."
Chen Zhenghe's suspicion was not unfounded. After all, Zhu Lao San was the one who had used such tactics last time, and they had only offended him recently.
Upon reflection, Zhu Lao San was the most likely culprit.
"I only sent Zhu Lao San to jail a few days ago. I wonder if he's been released yet." Zhang Liunian did not disagree with his suspicion, but instead was contemplating something: had Zhu Lao San been released so quickly?
"I've heard some rumors these past few days. They say Zhu Lao San is someone who walks by night and has helpers in many places. To accomplish something like this, and for us to discover it only today, no one else has this capability but him."
The more Chen Zhenghe thought about it, the more convinced he was that Zhu Lao San was responsible.
"Whether it's him or not, we need evidence. Our word alone doesn't count." Zhang Liunian stood up and sighed.
Chen Zhenghe understood this principle. "I know, I'm just angry that even after he's gone, he's still causing trouble and retaliating against us."
"Learn from your mistakes. You need to strengthen the factory's security, and arrange for the piglets as soon as possible."
"Understood."
Unlike the somber mood here, Zhu Lao San, who had returned to the provincial capital by truck and earned tens of thousands from Fuqiang Pig Farm, was overjoyed.
Looking at the money in his hands, his smile was unstoppable.
"Master Zhu, that woman has run off." Just as Zhu Lao San was rejoicing, a subordinate came to report the news about Wu Gudi.
Zhu Lao San's smile vanished, then he waved his hand dismissively, "Just a woman, if she ran off, she ran off."
However, he had taken a liking to Zhang Liunian's wife.
That woman truly struck his fancy.
"Who is managing the Hong Gang now?" If he wanted to obtain the beauty, this was the best opportunity. Zhu Lao San was extremely tempted.
"Zhao Zilong."
"Assign him a task: go to the Tang family's old residence and bring a woman here." Zhu Lao San was determined to have Jiang Qingqing and did not want to wait another moment.
"Yes."
On the other side, Zhang Liunian personally went to the detention center to inquire about the case's progress, only to be met with the words "still investigating."
After leaving the detention center, he and Chen Zhenghe went to other pig farms to purchase piglets.
The next day, Zhang Liunian and Chen Zhenghe planned to visit a few more farms. However, as they reached the factory entrance, they saw many employees standing there, blocking their way.
Upon seeing this, Chen Zhenghe immediately stepped forward and reprimanded them, "What are you doing? Why are you blocking the way?"
These employees did not leave because of his words. Instead, they collectively looked at Zhang Liunian.
Receiving their gazes, Zhang Liunian inwardly thought they were here for him. He strode towards them and spoke, "Do you have something you wish to say?"
The leading few exchanged glances and collectively uttered one sentence, "Please spare Director Chen."
"..."
Chen Zhenghe was stunned. He never imagined they had come to plead on his behalf.
Zhang Liunian said expressionlessly, "Is there anything else you wish to say?"
The employees looked at each other, then began to speak in a babble.
"Boss, please don't blame Director Chen. This is our fault. We were careless and made a mistake. Please don't fire him."
"Boss, Director Chen is a good director. Please don't fire him."
"It's our fault. We slept too soundly and didn't even realize the factory was being robbed."
"..."
After they finished speaking, Zhang Liunian said sternly, "It is indeed your fault."
His voice was extremely loud, striking them silently, causing them to feel ashamed.
Zhang Liunian ignored their expressions and continued, "Regarding yesterday's incident, if even one of you had discovered it in time, it would not have turned out this way.
Overnight, the factory lost over sixty thousand yuan, nearly a year's earnings. If you do not bear this responsibility, Director Chen will.
However, let me make one thing clear: if anything like this happens again, you will all be dismissed. My factory is not here to feed you for free. You are responsible for safety, not for allowing yourselves to be outmaneuvered time and time again.
If such an incident occurs again, you will not only lose your jobs but also compensate for the corresponding losses.
As for this time, since Director Chen has already stepped forward to pay, your wages will be suspended for one month.
If anyone has any objections or cannot accept this, step forward now."
Zhang Liunian hadn't had the time to settle accounts with them yesterday, and today they had all come, so it was the perfect opportunity to settle the score.
His factory did not employ idlers. He could tolerate one mistake, but a second would lead to dismissal.
The employees below collectively dared not utter a sound. This was the first time they had encountered such a strict boss.
When Chen Zhenghe was the boss before, he had never spoken to them like this. Even when he had reprimanded them yesterday, it wasn't this terrifying.
Now that the boss had changed, and was talking about deducting wages and making them bear compensation, it was true that things were not as good as before with a new boss.
But they were unwilling to give up this good job. Facing Zhang Liunian's relentless pressure, they were naturally speechless.