PFC Chapter 542 Something is wrong
Chapter 542 Something is wrong
The night of the 29th of the lunar year ended with a lively dinner party.
The next morning, while frost still clung to the windowpane, Linzhi had already gotten up and sat up, having thrown off his quilt.
She fumbled in the dark to find a red cloth bag hidden deep inside the cabinet; inside were the gold-flecked couplets that Li Xiaoyun had bought yesterday.
Li Xiangyang had just carried the bamboo ladder out of the house when he saw Li Xiaohua standing on tiptoe, pasting paste onto the door frame, her nose red from the cold: "Brother, do you think this horizontal scroll should be pasted higher or lower?"
"A higher point is good, it symbolizes rising step by step." Li Xiangyang held the ladder and passed the bowl of paste up, his eyes catching a glimpse of Li Xiaoyun carrying a bundle of cypress branches out of the woodshed.
According to old custom, a "prosperous fire" will be placed in the center of the main room today, made of cypress branches in the shape of a tower, and lit at midnight to bring good fortune and prosperity.
"Wangchen, help Grandma stick the 'Fu' character on the water vat." Linzhi lifted the lid of the vat, watching her grandson press the upside-down "Fu" character flat and neat, her eyes crinkling with a sweet smile. "That's right, good fortune arrives, good fortune arrives! All our family's good fortune is in this vat."
Around noon, the sound of chopping dumpling filling on the cutting board suddenly stopped.
Li Xiaoyun held the kitchen knife and looked out the window.
A light snow began to fall, landing on the plum branches in the corner of the courtyard, making the few remaining red blossoms appear exceptionally bright.
At night, when the clock struck midnight and the village loudspeaker broadcasted the sound of firecrackers, the smoke from burning cypress branches, carrying sandalwood incense, drifted towards the rooftops, seemingly making all the year's hard work transparent.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, and the lanterns swayed warmly red in the wind and snow. Li Xiangyang stood at the door changing the candles in the lanterns. Looking up, he saw that the newly pasted couplets had been lifted by the wind amidst the swirling snow, revealing a golden "福" (good fortune) character underneath. In the distance, the sound of firecrackers filled the air.
Time flies, and once the Lantern Festival is over, the festive atmosphere gradually fades, and Xiaoliang Village returns to its usual tranquility.
Li Xiangyang got up early, opened the window, and saw that most of the snow outside had melted, revealing dark brown soil.
The air carries the moist scent of spring's approach.
"Dad, are you going to work today?" Li Wangchen asked, leaning on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and blinking his big eyes.
"Go on, it's the first day of work today, Dad has to go check on things." Li Xiangyang patted his son's head. "You stay home with Mom and wait for Dad to come back."
Li Xiaoyun was busy at the stove when she heard this and turned around: "Xiangyang, yesterday Fatty Ma sent someone to say that the Hong Kong businessman has placed a new order. You'd better keep an eye on things."
“I know.” Li Xiangyang put on his cotton-padded coat. “Now that the business is growing bigger and bigger, we definitely need to be more careful.”
Just as he was about to leave, he heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard gate. Wang Ergou came running in, panting.
"Brother Xiangyang, something's happened!" Wang Ergou's face was grim. "A group of people from the factory have come, saying they're from the quality inspection department, and they insist on going in to check."
Li Xiangyang frowned: "When did this happen?"
"Just now, I was going to go to the factory to check on things after the New Year, but I saw several cars parked at the gate from afar," Wang Ergou wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Fatty Ma is negotiating with them and told me to come and get you."
Li Xiangyang's heart sank; it seemed his worries had come true. Those people Wang Ergou had mentioned before the New Year, the ones gathering information, were indeed no pushovers.
"Xiaoyun, you stay home and look after the kids, I'll go check on them." Li Xiangyang quickly put on his coat. "Ergou, let's go!"
When Li Xiangyang arrived at the factory, he saw several black cars parked at the gate, none of which had local license plates. A crowd of villagers had gathered at the gate, pointing and discussing something.
Ma Qingfu was standing at the factory gate, facing three or four middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits. The one in the lead wore glasses, carried a briefcase, and spoke in a very forceful tone.
"Mr. Ma, we are a joint inspection team from the province. We received a report that your factory has quality problems, and we must cooperate with the inspection." The bespectacled man's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
“But comrade, our paperwork is all in order, and the product quality is fine.” Sweat beaded on Ma Qingfu’s forehead. “Why don’t you take a look at our certificates first?”
“We’ll check your documents, but we need to enter the factory for inspection now.” The bespectacled man waved his hand. “This is standard procedure; please cooperate.”
Li Xiangyang stepped forward, nodded to Ma Qingfu, and then looked at the man with glasses: "Comrade, I am one of the persons in charge of this factory. May I ask what exactly you need to inspect?"
The bespectacled man sized Li Xiangyang up and down a few times: "You're Li Xiangyang?"
“Exactly.” Li Xiangyang said calmly. “Is there a problem?”
“We received a report that your factory is using substandard raw materials and that your products pose a safety hazard.” The bespectacled man took a document from his briefcase. “This is an inspection notice; we have the right to enter the factory for a comprehensive inspection.”
Li Xiangyang took the notice and looked at it carefully. The seal and signature on it looked formal, but something felt off.
"Comrade, may I see your work identification?" Li Xiangyang asked politely.
The bespectacled man's expression changed slightly, but he still took out his identification from his pocket. Li Xiangyang examined it carefully; the identification was exquisitely made, but he felt something was amiss.
Just then, the village's old Party Secretary, Grandpa Zhang, arrived.
"What's going on? Why are there so many cars?" Old Master Zhang asked anxiously, leaning on his cane.
“Secretary Zhang, these comrades say they’re here from the province for an inspection,” Ma Qingfu quickly stepped forward to explain.
Although Mr. Zhang was old, his eyesight was still sharp. He glanced at the ID in the bespectacled man's hand, then at the car parked at the door, and suddenly asked, "Comrade, which department are you from?"
"The Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau," the bespectacled man answered quickly.
"That's strange." Old Master Zhang shook his head. "I just went to a meeting in the county a few days ago. I heard that the provincial quality inspection won't start until next month. Why did you arrive early?"
The bespectacled man's expression was visibly unnatural: "The plan has changed; the time has been rescheduled."
Grandpa Zhang then asked, "Then why do your inspection vehicles have private license plates?"
This question completely threw the bespectacled man into a panic. He gave a wink to the people behind him, who immediately surrounded him.
"Old man, mind your own business!" one of the men suddenly said, his attitude turning hostile.
Seeing that something was wrong, Li Xiangyang immediately stepped forward to block Old Master Zhang: "Gentlemen, what do you mean? During a normal examination, they shouldn't be talking like this, right?"
The bespectacled man realized he'd been exposed, so he decided to be blunt: "Li Xiangyang, if you know what's good for you, shut down the factory. This isn't a place you can afford to mess around."
"Oh?" Li Xiangyang sneered. "Looks like today's visitors aren't an inspection team, but rather someone looking for trouble."
Upon hearing this, the villagers who had been watching began to discuss it amongst themselves. Several young men were already itching to step forward and help.