Chương 55: Crackdown Protected Him

Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen to continue cooking. The security department of the state-owned factory today was quite different from the gatekeepers of later generations. Luo Weidong and the security officers, armed with guns, were also called economic police. They were under the dual management of the public security bureau and the enterprise, responsible for handling theft, fighting, and other public security cases in the factory and living areas.

Only major cases were handed over to the public security organs. In the past two years, the crackdown had been severe, and the textile factory's security department had handled many public security cases and was even rated as an advanced unit. Wang Mazi, a petty thief, was arrested and stripped bare in no time.

"I still don't understand, didn't Wang Mazi know that this shop was yours? How dare he?" Zhou Jie held a crucian carp in his hand, looking puzzled.

"That's right, I could take on ten of these little scoundrels." Zhou Hai sat behind the stove, tending the fire, and chuckled. The Zhou family had many sons, each one stronger than the last. They didn't cause trouble, but when they did, they were ruthless and particularly united and protective of their own. Few dared to mess with them since their fathers' generation. By Zhou Yan's generation, he had six older cousins: three slaughtered cattle, two served in the army, and one studied martial arts on Mount Emei.

Zhou Yan had never been bullied in school. It was only when he entered the textile factory canteen that he suffered some hardship. Workplace bullying often kills silently.

"Maybe Wang Mazi thinks a crackdown will protect him," Zhou Yan chuckled. Releasing a cockroach and making a ruckus, even if he couldn't extort money, would disgust the restaurant and damage its reputation. It was a crude method, but effective. Wang Mazi probably hadn't expected Aunt Zhao to be so fierce, drawing her knife and attacking without even arguing whether the cockroach belonged to the restaurant. The question of how many bowls of noodles she ate could easily lead to a self-justification trap.

Zhou Yan thought Aunt Zhao was very wise. Of course, he probably didn't expect the restaurant to have two formidable men, Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie, who were beaten for nothing. Zhou Yan had cultivated a good relationship with the security department beforehand to prevent this kind of thing. They sent Zhou Momo, a policewoman in reserve, to get reinforcements.

The little girl, in her childish voice, explained the situation, sounding pitiful, which convinced Luo Weidong to immediately position the restaurant as the victim. The rest was predictable. Zhou Yan's intuition was that Wang Mazi was being manipulated; it was just a matter of how tough he was to talk. Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai pondered Zhou Yan's words and laughed.

"That's true. If it weren't for the crackdown, I'd beat them to a pulp," Zhou Jie agreed wholeheartedly.

"If he dares to cause trouble again, I'll stake him out," Zhou Hai joked. Zhou Yan and the others chatted idly in the kitchen while Aunt Zhao smiled and cooked braised beef for everyone. Everything seemed the same, but the workers addressed Aunt Zhao with noticeable respect. After the workers went to work, Zhou Yan and the others finally ate lunch.

"Fourth Aunt, you told us not to fight, so why did you grab a knife and go in yourself? Aren't you scared?" Zhou Jie asked, holding his rice bowl. Zhou Yan and the others also looked at Aunt Zhao.

"Scared of what? When I was a militia member and got first place in target practice, those hooligans were still playing in the mud." Aunt Zhao said calmly.

"When the restaurant business is good, some people will definitely get jealous and cause trouble. I have to beat them hard so that others won't dare to come back a second time."

"To paraphrase a great man, 'A good punch can prevent a hundred punches.'""I know you were a female militia member, Fourth Aunt, but you also got first place in target practice?" Zhao Hong asked in surprise.

"I'm a very good shot. A few years ago, before I handed over my gun, I could easily hit rabbits and pheasants just by going up the mountain. I even shot a wild boar with them." Aunt Zhao's face showed a hint of pride when she talked about shooting. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"No wonder everyone in the village calls Fourth Aunt Iron Lady," Zhou Jie said with a sudden realization.

"Let's not dwell on the past, let's eat," Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

"Look how much Momo is eating, not saying a word." Everyone smiled as they watched Zhou Momo shoveling rice into her bowl. Zhou Yan put two pieces of ribs into her bowl; the little one had put in a lot of effort today.

"Thank you, bro," Zhou Momo said, her little oily hands clutching the ribs, her mouth full of rice.

"You're welcome, eat slowly," Zhou Yan said with a smile. After lunch, Zhou Yan made a list. Aunt Zhao was still upset about the table she had chipped.

"I'll call a carpenter to fix it tomorrow. Besides the cost of the meal, I also gave them five yuan for the damage to the table and chairs," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he walked over.

"Four good-for-nothings, they can't even scrape together eight cents. What good is that?" Aunt Zhao sighed, touching the tear.

"But we still need to call someone to fix it and apply a coat of clear varnish, otherwise the oil will seep in and it'll rot in a few days."

" Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and agreed, taking the handwritten list and heading out into the security office next door. Luo Weidong was out interrogating people, not in his office. However, he had already greeted Xiao Wu, the officer on duty, and seeing Zhou Yan standing at the door, he greeted him with a smile,"Zhou Yan, just put the list on Section Chief Luo's desk."

"Okay." Zhou Yan came in and put the list on Luo Weidong's desk, casually asking,"Brother Wu, isn't the interrogation over yet?"

"These few hooligans, they wouldn't dare commit a major crime, but they've done plenty of petty theft. Section Chief Luo is interrogating them separately with his men; it'll probably take half a day." Xiao Wu smiled and said,"Don't worry, we just searched them; they have a few dozen yuan on them, enough to compensate you for your losses. It's just that there are procedures to follow, so it won't be quick."

"Okay, then you go ahead and do your work; I won't bother you any longer." Zhou Yan took out cigarettes, handed him two, and turned to leave. He didn't smoke, but he always carried a pack of Yuxi cigarettes; offering cigarettes was a quick way to improve the relationship between men. These cigarettes were a gift from Xia Yao to Old Zhou; his mother wouldn't allow him to smoke them, so she gave them to him.

These cigarettes were hard to buy without a license, so he hadn't sold them, keeping them to maintain relationships. He had originally prepared to feed the dog this meal, and made the list to try and get Wang Mazi and the others to get a higher sentence. He was naturally happy to actually get the money. Plus, the table was damaged; twelve yuan and sixty cents—who wouldn't be upset about losing that?

However, the fact that these hooligans had several dozen yuan confirmed his suspicion: someone had probably paid them to cause trouble. It was either Wang Defa or Huang Fusheng; their interests were intertwined, so it wasn't hard to guess. Wang Laowu's noodle stall was already closed; he wouldn't have several dozen yuan to hire someone to cause him trouble.

"Zhou Yan is still quite particular," Xiao Wu said, tucking a cigarette behind his ear, lighting another one, blowing out a smoke ring, and nodding at the cigarette in his hand.

"It's definitely better than Hongmei!" Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai finished their meal and went home. Zhou Yan rode his bike out, glancing at his panel: [Side Quest: Inheritance of Qiaojiao Beef] Apprenticeship: Zhou Jie, Learning Progress: 2/3】 Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 552/1000】 The Dominate the Textile Factory quest is more than halfway complete. There was a significant increase today, and the factory manager's recruitment of new users was very effective.

The task of passing on the tradition of Qiaojiao Beef is progressing steadily and will be completed tomorrow.

"Boss Gao, send me another twenty crucian carp to the shop," Zhou Yan said, parking his car in front of the fish stall and addressing the bearded young man dozing on a bamboo chair. (End of Chapter)