Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

As dawn broke, a layer of white frost still covered the factory gate.

Wang Guowei yawned and staggered into the yard, his cotton-padded coat unbuttoned and white breath coming out of his mouth.

He was about to crawl under the leeward wall when he looked up and paused.

A young man was squatting by the wall, his face bruised and swollen, his eyes swollen and his mouth cracked and bleeding. He was hunched over and smoking in silence.

Wang Guowei glanced at him and chuckled, "Hey, isn't this Wei Dong, the young man from the Sun family? What happened to you? Who beat you up like this?"

Sun Weidong looked up and glared at him, his face turning red, but he didn't say a word.

Zhang Erlai clicked his tongue and whispered, "Who else could it be? His father, Sun Changgui, went home drunk and went on a rampage last night."

Wang Guowei raised an eyebrow: "Old Sun?"

"Um."

Liu San'er squatted to the side, rubbing his hands together, and added gloatingly, "Yesterday, when he came back from the factory, he drank half a bottle of sweet potato liquor and smashed a bowl as soon as he walked in the door. He said Zhao Shanhe was a scoundrel, that he was making an example of him after only a few days in the business, clearly trying to establish his authority by stepping on him."

Sun Weidong, who had been squatting by the wall, raised his head this time, his eyes red and his voice hoarse: "My dad cursed all night last night. He said that he had been in the factory for so many years, when had he ever been treated like this? A peasant who just joined the factory, with just a few words, kicked him out of the security office and sent him to clean the latrines."

"Do you know what he looked like when he came back last night?"

Sun Weidong gritted his teeth, his voice growing increasingly agitated. "He even threw his peaked cap down, his face turning deathly pale with anger. He came in and started cursing, saying that now everyone who sees him wants to laugh. Before, when he stood at the factory gate, everyone would politely offer him a cigarette. Now, when he goes to the toilet to pick up a broom, even apprentices dare to sneer at him."

"He said this wasn't a job transfer, but a deliberate attempt to humiliate him and make him a laughingstock in the whole factory. He even said, 'Who does Zhao Shanhe think he is? Just some country bumpkin from out of town, what does he know about the factory rules? He only dares to bully people like this because he has connections.'"

He became increasingly aggrieved as he spoke, his eyes bloodshot: "My dad gets drunk and goes crazy, cursing and swearing. Then he pulled out his belt and started whipping me and my mom all over the house. He kept muttering that this wasn't over, that he'd never been treated like this in his life. He also said that sooner or later Zhao Shanhe would find out that the Red Star Factory wasn't something an outsider like him could mess around with as he pleased."

The people at the base of the wall fell silent for a moment.

After listening, Wang Guowei first pursed his lips, then laughed, a rather sarcastic laugh: "You're making quite a scene. Why didn't your dad say a word at the factory last night?"

Sun Weidong's face immediately turned a deep liver color.

Wang Guowei took a half step forward, tilting his head to look at him: "At the factory, you can be sent to clean the latrines with just a word, and you don't dare to utter a sound. But when you get home, you beat your wife and kids to a pulp. Tsk, you have nowhere to vent your anger, so you pick on the weakest link at home."

"You—" Sun Weidong stood up abruptly, his fists clenched tightly.

Wang Guowei wasn't intimidated at all; on the contrary, he became even more agitated, snorting, "What are you doing, acting tough with me? If you're so capable, let your dad go find Zhao Shanhe. You can't swallow this insult, can you? Then don't just smash dishes at home, go make a scene in the factory director's office."

Sun Weidong's chest heaved violently, his lips trembled twice, and finally he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "We'll see."

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps hurried and disordered, as if he would be too ashamed to face anyone if he stood there any longer.

As soon as they left, Liu San'er subconsciously looked around, lowering his voice slightly: "That Zhao Shanhe is really ruthless. He can just kick out that old fox Sun Changgui and send him to clean the latrines... Could we really be next?"

Zhang Erlai shrank back, "Who knows? He made such a mess of the security department yesterday, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause today."

Wang Guowei snorted, his face completely unconcerned: "I don't know about others, but if they want to mess with me—" He pointed to himself, smiling smugly, "they don't have the guts. My uncle is the deputy factory director; would he dare not give me any face?"

Zhang Erlai immediately smiled ingratiatingly: "Of course, Brother Wang can be just like Old Sun, right?"

Liu San'er quickly chimed in, "Old Sun, a gatekeeper, can be let go of. But Brother Wang, with your status, would Zhao Shanhe really dare to mess with you?"

Wang Guowei yawned and snorted, "That's why I say Director Li is just sending people haphazardly. Sending a farmer to manage the machinery factory, what does he know? Yesterday he was causing trouble for the security department, and who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause today. Instead of focusing on machine tools, the machinery factory is messing around with leather; it's pure nonsense. If he keeps doing this, the factory will go bankrupt sooner or later."

Suddenly, someone shouted from a short distance away, "Stop squatting there! There's a meeting in the factory auditorium!"

Wang Guowei threw his cigarette butt on the ground, rubbed it hard twice with the sole of his shoe, and muttered under his breath, "Let's go, let's see what this peasant is up to today."

……

In the corridor on the second floor of the office building, a cold wind blew straight into my neck through the window cracks.

"Shanhe, wait a moment."

Liang Tiejun called out to Zhao Shanhe, who was about to push open the door to the auditorium.

"What's wrong, Director Liang?"

Zhao Shanhe stopped and turned around.

Liang Tiejun took two steps closer and lowered his voice: "You were quick enough yesterday with collecting the keys and changing the guards. Don't make any promises today."

"Yes, quite a few older comrades came to me yesterday to pour out their grievances."

Zhang Dafa sighed beside him.

Zhao Shanhe glanced at Zhang Dafa and nodded.

"Two factory managers, I was a bit rushed yesterday."

He spoke calmly: "I just reported for duty yesterday, and then the warehouse caught fire and the machines were switched. If we hadn't acted quickly, those German machine tools would have been taken to the Soviet Union by now. Anyone would be furious, and that's why we were in such a rush to deal with it."

Liang Tiejun didn't say anything, but took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

Zhao Shanhe casually brushed the frost off his cuffs and continued, "I'm not going to punish anyone today. I just want to have a chat with the workers and put their minds at ease."

At this point, Zhao Shanhe changed the subject.

"By the way, there's something I'd like to discuss with the two factory managers."

Liang Tiejun, cigarette dangling from his lips, looked up: "What's up?"

"The experts from Hong Kong will be arriving in a few days."

Zhao Shanhe revealed: "I'm thinking we need to quickly select a few skilled and experienced master craftsmen, and bring along a group of quick-thinking young people to figure out the machine's quirks. To reassure these people, no matter how difficult things are at the factory, we must prioritize paying their wages in full and make up any outstanding payments, as long as they are selected."

Liang Tiejun frowned slightly and continued, "Shanhe, your idea is good—having some experienced workers mentor others first. But I have some concerns about paying wages. Will some people be dissatisfied with paying the back wages first?"

Zhang Dafa sighed beside him, "Won't it be unfair to treat everyone equally?"

Zhao Shanhe's expression remained calm, his voice flat: "It's normal to be dissatisfied."

"But now is not the time to be fair; it's time to let the factory catch its breath."

"The rule is that whoever takes on the work first gets paid first."

The corridor fell silent for a moment.

Liang Tiejun stubbed out his cigarette on the windowsill.

"Okay, Shanhe, you choose. If anyone is unhappy, I'll have a talk with them."

Zhang Dafa's mind raced, and he suddenly asked, "Then how do we choose this person?"

Zhao Shanhe glanced at him and said in a calm voice, "Then we'll have to trouble Deputy Factory Director Zhang and Factory Director Liang."

"I'm new here and completely clueless about the factory. You guys know better than me who's a real pro and who's just coasting along."

"Give me the list, and I'll pick some people from it."

Zhang Dafa and Liang Tiejun exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.

Liang Tiejun nodded readily. "Okay, let's go in."

The door at the end of the corridor creaked open, and the noisy din from the auditorium rushed in.