Sail across the sea

Chapter 366 I'll Smash Your Window
Tan Rongjiang didn't even have time to say goodbye; he threw down the phone and rushed out of the office.

His office window faces a large open space in front of the office building. That open space is where customers usually park when they come to pick up fertilizer, and it's noisy almost every day.

Tan Rongjiang chose this office to monitor the factory's situation at any time. Working in this office, he could see what was happening downstairs with just a slight turn of his head.

I was talking to Luo Jiazhen on the phone just now. When we got to the part where he was having fun, he stood up, grabbed the receiver, and turned to look out the window. To my surprise, I saw a burly man swinging the crank of a tractor and smashing it against the bulletin board next to the open space. Then I heard a loud crash of glass shattering and a few screams.

Tan Rongjiang sensed something was wrong and quickly ran out to deal with it. Everyone else in the office building heard the commotion, and several people from the factory office, security department, and production department also ran out.

As Tan Rongjiang was going downstairs, several middle-level managers passed by him, saying, "Factory Director, I'll go take a look first."

When faced with such a situation, middle-level managers cannot lag behind the factory leaders. They must rush to the scene first and, ideally, subdue the perpetrator before the factory leaders arrive. At the very least, they must clear a safe area for the factory leaders.

When Tan Rongjiang arrived at the scene of the accident, the person involved had indeed been pulled away. The people blocking his way included those dressed like farmers, as well as employees of the nitrogen fertilizer plant. Everyone was talking to each other, competing in volume, clearly indicating that there was no effective communication.

Upon seeing the factory manager arrive, one of the men gave an instruction to the others and then ran towards Tan Rongjiang. This man was Shi Defa, the sales manager of the factory.

"Director Tan, did this surprise you? Nothing much happened here. It's just that a farmer from Sanpai Township got into an argument with Xiao Song over buying fertilizer, and then he smashed our advertising display window with a crank handle."

Shi Defa ran up to Tan Rongjiang, panting heavily as he reported. He had some sweat on his forehead, probably from the effort he'd put into breaking up the fight. As for the "Little Song" he mentioned, Tan Rongjiang had seen him among the group; he was Song Chuan, a salesman from the sales department.

"What are they arguing about?" Tan Rongjiang asked.

Arguments between farmers buying fertilizer and salespeople are not uncommon, and physical altercations have even occurred. Generally, if the factory workers haven't suffered any losses, the matter is dropped. However, if they have, security personnel need to intervene, restrain the individuals involved, and decide whether to detain them or impose a fine, depending on the circumstances.

The farmers in Cangyuan are known for their volatile tempers, and many are quick to resort to violence at the slightest provocation. However, they are generally somewhat intimidated by government employees. Some farmers have been arrested and detained for a few days by the security department, but they dare not utter a word afterward, reflecting a sentiment that "the people will not fight against the officials."

Okay, this only applies to farmers from the outskirts who come to buy fertilizer. The area next to the nitrogen fertilizer plant is also rural, and the farmers there aren't so easy to talk to. Perhaps it's because they've become intimidated by the nitrogen fertilizer plant, knowing that their skills have reached their limit. Because when conflicts arise with the plant, they not only aren't afraid, but they dare to take advantage and extort money from it – that's a different story altogether.

When Tan Rongjiang asked about the reason for the argument, Shi Defa downplayed it, saying, "It's nothing serious, we just didn't say something right, and then things got heated and he got a little emotional."

"What did you not say well?" Tan Rongjiang asked casually.

If Tan Rongjiang had known it was just a minor argument, he wouldn't have come downstairs. The sales department had plenty of experience handling these kinds of situations, and with the head of security also present, they could easily manage it. However, since he was already there, he might as well ask what happened.

Shi Defa stammered, "This fellow is from Sanpai Township, his name is Li Maoliang. He owns a hand-held tractor, so he's the one who picks up fertilizer for the village. I used to know him. Just now, he asked Xiao Song if our factory sells urea, and Xiao Song said no..."

“Urea?” Tan Rongjiang was startled. “Why would he ask about urea? When has our factory ever sold urea?”

"Yes, that's what Xiao Song told him too. But he said that one of his cousins ​​bought urea a while ago and applied it to the fields, and now the rice seedlings are growing much better than his. He said that his cousin doesn't know how to farm at all, and in the past the rice seedlings in his fields were not as good as his, but this time he beat him, and he is not convinced."

Shi Defa used the term "laobiao" twice, but in different contexts. In Maolin, city dwellers all refer to country folk as "laobiao," with distinctions made between male, female, older, and younger "laobiao." Among country folk, "laobiao" means cousin, and sometimes it can even mean "close friend."

According to Shi Defa's account, the farmer named Li Maoliang had a habit of competing with one of his cousins, and Li Maoliang always won. This time, the cousin got his hands on urea, and his rice seedlings grew better than Li Maoliang's. Li Maoliang felt he had lost face, so he went to the nitrogen fertilizer plant to cause trouble.

What the hell is this?! "And then?" Tan Rongjiang suppressed the urge to curse and asked Shi Defa.

"Xiao Song explained to him that his cousin's urea might have been bought elsewhere, and it had nothing to do with us."

"How did he say?"

He asked when our factory would be able to produce urea.

"What did Xiao Song say?"

"Xiao Song said he still needs to wait for instructions from his superiors."

"..."

"Then he asked, 'Is it because our factory is deliberately not producing urea?'"

"..."

"He also said that he heard that fertilizer plants in other counties in the province have already switched to producing urea, but Cangyuan is dragging its feet and refusing to switch."

"Who told him that?"

“He said that many people say that, and he also saw a newspaper on the bulletin board that said the same thing while he was waiting in line.”

Tan Rongjiang turned to look at the bulletin board with its glass smashed. The newspaper pasted on it was none other than the Maolin Daily he had just read. The girl in the mailroom was really diligent; she had already put up the newspaper that had just arrived this morning.

"and after?"

"Later, Xiao Song got into an argument with him, and then he smashed the glass of the bulletin board, saying that if our factory deliberately stopped producing urea, he would smash your windows next time."

"They smashed your window?"

"No, I'm going to smash your window."

Shi Defa considerately pointed to Tan Rongjiang, helping him understand the meaning of the listening comprehension question.

"How did he end up talking about me?" Tan Rongjiang asked in astonishment.

"He said he was going to smash the windows of our factory manager's house."

Gao Yiping, you bastard!
At that moment, a thought surged in Tan Rongjiang's mind:
He immediately called a car and rushed to Cangtang to smash Gao Yiping's windows!
(End of this chapter)