Chapter 029: The Rectification Begins!

The disciplinary system, safety regulations, and 5S guidelines were compiled into a small booklet and distributed to every worker. With Wang Qiang’s assistance and the collective exploration of Liao Wenfeng and other leaders of the Jin Gong Machinery Factory, the work environment was temporarily made much more efficient.

Walking through the freshly cleaned ingredients workshop, Wang Qiang and Liao Wenfeng exchanged a knowing smile. The glass around them gleamed, spotless, and the concrete floor was immaculate. Yellow lines marked the work zones, materials were neatly stacked by the walls, the mouths of woven oilpaper sacks tightly tied with string. The entire scene evoked a sense of clarity and order—tidy worktables, fresh air, not a speck of dust. Immersed in such a pristine workshop, a sense of joy naturally arose.

Yet the workers were thoroughly exhausted, their hands blackened, sitting and muttering quietly among themselves, likely wary of the general manager overhearing.

Liao Wenfeng, visibly satisfied, walked with hands in his pockets, chatting with Wang Qiang as they headed outside.

“It’s almost five. Time to clock out,” Liao Wenfeng beamed, giving Wang Qiang’s shoulder a hearty squeeze. “Xiao Wang, your ideas are great. See? Even just stepping into the workshop feels a lot better now.”

Wang Qiang nodded with a gentle smile, saying nothing.

Though the workers appeared obedient, whether they truly accepted the changes remained to be seen. He could only hope nothing would go awry when the new rules were formally implemented tomorrow.

He politely declined Mr. and Mrs. Lu Dahai’s invitation for dinner and headed home after work.

...

At dusk, the slanting rays of the setting sun shimmered on the fields and water.

The evening clouds set the western sky ablaze. The village’s gravel paths bustled with people returning home after a long day’s labor. In the distance, wisps of blue smoke rose from the chimneys of a few households—dinnertime was approaching.

When Wang Qiang arrived home, his mother was stir-frying the remaining half of a cabbage.

The aroma of food filled the house.

Wang Qiang walked forward, “Mom.”

His mother turned, spatula in hand, surprised. “Home so early?”

He walked behind the stove. “Yeah, Boss Lu invited me for dinner, but I was craving your stir-fried loofah and eggs, so I came back.”

His mother shook her head with a smile. “You’d rather have loofah and eggs than fish and meat? All right, I’ll make it for you.”

Grinning, Wang Qiang replied, “You’re the best, Mom.”

As mother and son chatted about daily life, dinner was soon ready.

Once the dishes were set on the table, Wang Qiang picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. His mother, having just wiped her hands, sat beside him and asked with concern, “How was work today at the factory?”

Mouth full, Wang Qiang mumbled, “Not bad.” After swallowing, he recounted the day’s events in detail.

When he finished, his mother asked skeptically, “And nobody kicked up a fuss? I’ve heard a few people at the machinery factory are real troublemakers.”

Wang Qiang placed a piece of egg in his bowl, unconcerned. “I’m not afraid of trouble—what worries me is if there’s no reaction at all.” He could tell from Lu Dahai’s determined approach that the man meant business; after all, he’d paid handsomely to have Wang Qiang come train the staff.

To be honest, Wang Qiang himself didn’t believe a single incentive and penalty system would win over the workers so easily. He was fully prepared to make an example of someone if necessary.

“By the way, how did the fish sell today?” Wang Qiang asked.

At that, his mother’s face lit up with joy. She put down her chopsticks, too excited to eat. “Sold out! We made over a hundred and seventy yuan!”

Two days ago, they had a big yellow carp, which fetched a high price. Today’s catch was mostly grass carp, which wasn’t as valuable and sold at about the same price as regular crucian carp. Besides, Wang Qiang had told his mother to give customers a little extra weight for free, so although they sold more by weight, the profits didn’t increase much.

After dinner, Wang Qiang prepared bait and placed it in the cages. Together with his mother, he went down to the western riverbank to set them.

Though there were few fish left in that area, it was already late, so Wang Qiang had no choice but to leave the cages there for now.

Once the cages were set, he wandered near the big river nearby, scouting for a new spot to place cages the next day. Just as darkness began to fall, he found a good place near the burial grounds. Few people ever went there, so he didn’t have to worry about theft.

With the cages no longer being kept near home, their security was greatly reduced. He needed a spot with fewer people but plenty of fish—the burial grounds were perfect. To be honest, Wang Qiang felt a chill just walking near the graves, but that only reassured him that the cages would be safe there.

At this time, cremation wasn’t yet mandatory in the country. Burials were still common in rural areas. Thinking of what lay buried underground, Wang Qiang hurried home while there was still a bit of daylight.

...

The next morning at dawn, Wang Qiang and his mother went to retrieve the cages, only to be disappointed: all told, they caught just over fifty pounds of fish.

Still, business had to go on.

By six, they reached the market, and by seven, nearly all the fish were sold.

The profit was much lower than the previous two times—only about seventy yuan.

Fortunately, Wang Qiang had already found a new spot for the cages, so he wasn’t worried. He told his mother to pack up and head home, then made his way early to Jin Gong Machinery Factory.

He arrived at a quarter past seven.

To his surprise, Liao Wenfeng was already waiting in the guard's office.

Wang Qiang entered the guardroom and greeted them, “Good morning, Director Liao. Good morning, sir.”

With a leader present, the guard’s attitude was much improved. He didn’t make idle chat, only nodded in return, “Morning,” and sat at the window, pretending to keep a sharp eye out.

“Xiao Wang, come sit,” Liao Wenfeng beckoned.

Wang Qiang walked over and sat on the long bench, asking, “Why are you here so early today?”

“I came early to check on the night shift,” Liao Wenfeng said with a cold laugh. “Just as you predicted, I caught seven or eight loafers.” As he spoke, he pulled a small notebook from his pocket, flipped it open, and pointed, “See here? He Jinlian, sleeping on the job—fined five yuan. Ren Xiaojun, smoking—fined two yuan. And there are others.”

At these words, the guard straightened up, as if afraid Liao Wenfeng might fine him for any sign of discontent.

Curious, Wang Qiang glanced over. Aside from one employee cited for reporting a violation, the rest—eight in all—were listed for penalties. Two of them had even been fined ten yuan and given major demerits for fighting, the reason clearly stated.

Liao Wenfeng narrowed his eyes and said fiercely, “It’s shocking. I showed up at six-thirty this morning and just with a casual round found this much trouble. If someone kept watch all night, the notebook would be full!”

Wang Qiang chuckled, “And how did they respond?”

That seemed to please Liao Wenfeng. “What could they say? All accepted it. The two who fought even threatened to complain to the township. I told them, ‘Go ahead, whoever doesn’t go is a coward.’”

As they spoke, the HR department and several workshop supervisors arrived.

Liao Wenfeng ordered the supervisors to check each workshop—the night shift’s lack of management had led to chaos.

As for the five HR staff, none went to their offices. Instead, they sat on the bench with Wang Qiang, ready to take attendance.

There was no punch card machine yet; everything had to be recorded by hand.

Rao Xiaoyan took an A4 sheet from her bag, listing all the employees’ names.

Liao Wenfeng checked it over carefully, then placed it on the windowsill for the workers to sign for confirmation.

Time ticked by.

Around 7:45, the first employee arrived—a middle-aged woman who dutifully signed her name.

Perhaps because the new incentive and penalty system had just been announced, the workers were more conscientious; nearly all arrived before eight.

Even Lu Xiaoqing, known for his laziness, showed up five minutes early.

Just after eight o’clock, Wang Qiang asked, “Is everyone here?”

Liao Wenfeng glanced at the attendance sheet, displeased. “Five still haven’t shown up.”

HR manager Rao Xiaoyan said, “Director Liao, you go ahead. I’ll watch things here and won’t go easy on anyone.”

Liao Wenfeng looked at Wang Qiang. “What do you think, Xiao Wang?”

“We’ll wait here,” Wang Qiang said firmly. “Let’s see exactly when these five show up!”

The crackdown had begun!