The Red Era, the Opening University Speech

Chapter 46: A Man of Honour Has No Fear of Shadows [Important Explanation]

[For more on contract workers, please read the author’s words]

The gatekeeper shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, I'll go ask the factory manager if he wants to see you."

After saying that, he went in to report.

Not long after, he came back and brought Li Mu and the other two into the factory.

……

Factory director's office.

The director of the Third Bedding Factory was an old man in his fifties or sixties. His surname was Jiang and his name was Jiang Jianghe.

As soon as Li Mu and the other two came in, Jiang Jianghe frowned and said, "Wang Juanhong, the factory has already given you a light sentence, why are you still asking for more?"

"If you keep making trouble, I will call the police directly. Think carefully about the consequences."

"Director, it really wasn't me, it wasn't me..." Wang Juanhong panicked when she heard the police call. She wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.

Li Jun clenched his fists and said, "Director, we are not here to cause trouble. We suspect that someone has framed my wife!"

As soon as Li Jun finished speaking, a short, fat, middle-aged man holding documents walked in from outside and snorted coldly, "False accusation? Why would anyone falsely accuse her for no reason?"

"Because of your wife, a large amount of state assets were almost lost. The factory was very merciful by not sending her to jail!"

This man had a strong official air and he shut up Li Jun and Wang Juanhong with just a few words.

"Who are you?" Li Mu looked at the person who came and found that the other party's expression and tone were vaguely unfriendly.

The short and fat middle-aged man said calmly: "I am the deputy director of the Third Bedding Factory, Luo Chang!"

Luo Chang looked at Li Mu for a few times and found that Li Mu had the Beijing Institute of Technology badge on his chest. His eyes narrowed slightly and he said in an official tone:
"You are a college student, but you don't even understand that you should be punished for making mistakes!"

"Your aunt made a mistake, but our factory didn't hold her responsible or ask her to pay for the loss. We just fired her, which is already a lenient treatment."

"Not only are you ungrateful, but you also come here to cause trouble. Aren't you afraid of being criticized if others find out?"

Facing the pretentious Luo Chang, Li Mu just smiled and said:
"It's because I'm a college student that I want to get things straightened out."

"Deputy Director Luo, I believe you are a reasonable person. Although my aunt is only a contract worker, she is usually careful and meticulous in her work and has never made any mistakes."

"You can ask the people in the factory about this. They can prove it."

"Besides, if there is a fire, there must be a cause. My aunt doesn't even have a match on her, so how could she make a mistake at work and set the clothes on fire?"

Li Mu's words left Luo Chang speechless for a moment.

Jiang Jianghe frowned slightly and looked at Luo Chang with a hint of scrutiny.

Luo Chang sensed that the atmosphere was not right, and was slightly startled. He said calmly:

"other people?"

"There were already three workers who witnessed the fire, and she was the only one present. Isn't this irrefutable evidence?"

"What other proof do you need?"

"Besides, you said she didn't have any matches on her. Well, even if she didn't have any matches before, who can prove that she didn't have any matches on her on the day of the accident?"

Li Mu paused and also felt that the situation was a bit tricky.

It is very difficult to find out the truth in the opponent's territory without any external intervention.

But now, we can only use the opponent's force to counter it.

"It is also possible that they did it and framed my wife!" Li Jun couldn't help but say when he saw Li Mu suddenly fall silent.

Luo Chang sneered: "Ridiculous, you can come up with such an excuse!"

"The thief cries thief, and then he turns the tables!"

"I'll give you one last chance to leave!"

"If you don't leave, I will call the police and hand you all over to the police station!"

Luo often spoke righteously, with an appearance of someone who hated evil.

But Li Mu was trained in psychology and could see through the other person's micro-expressions and reveal his guilty conscience.

Li Mu guessed that the other party would not dare to call the police, so he smiled and said, "Then call the police. My aunt has a clear conscience, but it will be hard for them to say." "If my aunt is really guilty, then let the law punish her, instead of being wronged for no reason like now!"

Seeing that Li Mu was determined to fight to the end, Luo Chang's eyes turned cold and he pointed at Li Mu: "Okay, okay, I wanted to let her go for the sake of the factory's reputation."

"It seems that this is not necessary, Security Department!"

Luo Chang yelled, and two guards rushed in from outside.

Seeing this, Li Jun immediately protected Li Mu and Wang Juanhong.

Just when the atmosphere was tense, Jiang Jianghe finally opened his mouth and shouted angrily: "Enough, what are you doing? What do you think this place is!"

Li Mu felt a little relieved when he saw Jiang Jianghe speak.

From the moment he came in, he had been observing Jiang Jianghe's expression.

Originally it was just to control the rhythm of the conversation, but Li Mu unexpectedly discovered that the factory director Jiang Jianghe frowned slightly when Luo Chang came in.

That's why Li Mu deliberately angered Luo Chang to see if Jiang Jianghe would take action.

As it turned out, Li Mu guessed right.

Jiang Jianghe continued, "Li Mu, right? Since you are a student of Beijing Institute of Technology, I won't make things difficult for you, but don't push your luck."

"If we really call the police, not only will your aunt go to jail, but our factory's reputation will also be damaged. Is this the result you want to see?"

Li Mu bowed and said, "Director Jiang, I certainly don't want to see this result."

"But I have confidence in my aunt. This matter has absolutely nothing to do with her."

“I hope that the three workers who saw my aunt coming out of the warehouse can come and confront her!”

When Luo Chang heard this, he realized something was wrong and tried to stop him: "Director, he's talking nonsense!"

"Those three workers are all veterans of the factory and regular employees. What reason do they have to frame Wang Juanhong?"

"If we suspect them of lying just because a college student came to cause trouble, and confront them in front of outsiders, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the people in the factory!"

Jiang Jianghe waved his hand and said, "If you are upright, you have nothing to fear. Let them come and explain things to each other. We should be fair in everything we do!"

"When the time comes, if it is confirmed that Wang Juanhong made the mistake, then we will deal with it as we see fit. Her family will not be dissatisfied!"

After Jiang Jianghe finished speaking, he glanced at Li Mu and Li Jun and his wife.

"It's a deal!" Seeing that Luo Chang was about to speak to stop him, Li Mu spoke first.

Jiang Jianghe snorted coldly, and then said to the two security officers who had just come in, "Go and call Zhang Zhiguo and the other three over."

……

After a while, three male workers were brought into the office.

Before Li Mu could speak, Luo Chang snorted and said, "Luo Shengli, Zhang Zhiguo, Wang Kangzhan, some people say that the three of you framed Wang Juanhong and that you were the culprits who almost burned down the warehouse. Is that true or not?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Shengli, who looked like a rat, said, "I am wronged! Director Luo, the three of us have worked in the factory for so many years, how could we do such a thing?"

"It must be Wang Juanhong who is trying to turn the tables. She has always wanted to become a regular employee, but she could never get the target. She must be holding a grudge about this and wants to burn the warehouse to vent her anger!" Another man with a moustache, Zhang Zhiguo, also spoke up.

"Yes, yes." The third male worker named Wang Kangzhan kept nodding in agreement.

Wang Juanhong was so angry when she heard the three people distorting the truth that she almost cried and shouted, "You are talking nonsense, I didn't do it!"

Luo Shengli glanced at Wang Juanhong and sneered, "How dare you say you don't want to be a regular employee? You haven't been a regular employee for several years, don't you feel any resentment?"

"Contract workers get 12 yuan a month, while regular workers start at 18.5 yuan, a difference of 6.5 yuan a month. Some people will do anything for money."

I actually did try to find out whether there were contract workers in that era.

I asked several elderly people who had experienced that era, all of whom were workers in collective enterprises.

They said that before being converted to regular employees, they are contract workers, and it will take about 1-3 years to be converted to regular employees.

At that time, temporary workers were actually paid on a daily basis, or in other words, they were hired to do a job temporarily and then laid off after the work was completed.

The above is my argument.

In addition, the plots in these chapters are necessary. You may feel that they are a bit boring or off-line, but they actually serve the subsequent plots!
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(End of this chapter)