freenovelworld Chapter 1108 Who could resist such corrupting influence?
Chapter 1108 Who could resist such corrupting influence?
Mindu Heavy Machinery Factory, located north of the Minjiang River wharf, covers an area of 35 mu and is one of the largest factories in Mindu. Zhong Qingfa's office is not with Han Shuangming and the others, but in a three-story building by the wharf.
The first floor is the dining room and living room, the second floor is the office, and the third floor is where Zhong Qingfa rests. This Japanese-style building is jokingly called a money pit by the workers.
Before liberation, only the wealthy and powerful could afford to enter this small building. It housed the most famous courtesans in Fujian, the most renowned Min opera and Puxian opera troupes—in short, everything you could imagine was here.
After liberation, this small building was converted into Zhong Qingfa's office. However, now the people who come here are no longer the so-called powerful and wealthy. It's just a few leaders from the factory who often come over to play cards and drink. How can they resist such a corrupt life?
Zhong Qingfa is in his forties. He is short and chubby, like the Maitreya Buddha in a temple. No matter who sees him for the first time, they will think that he is honest and reliable.
But as the old saying goes, "He may look like a pig, but he is actually shrewd and cunning." He was a vicious and vengeful person.
He stood in his pajamas by the window of his third-floor bedroom, watching the fishing boats coming and going at the Minjiang River dock.
A pair of delicate arms emerged from behind him, seemingly trying to wrap around his waist, but after a while, they finally gave up—their arms were too short to hold his large belly.
Zhong Qingfa turned around and pulled a glamorous woman into his arms. The woman was only wearing a thin veil, which vaguely revealed her round little suns.
"Brother, why are you up so early?"
Zhong Qingfa pinched her round buttocks and grinned as he spoke.
“I didn’t go home last night, and that old hag is probably going to come and cause trouble again. I have to go back now, you can get some more sleep.”
The woman seemed to be very afraid of Zhong Qingfa's wife; she shuddered and quickly agreed.
Zhong Qingfa changed his clothes. He didn't care that his build looked terrible in a Zhongshan suit. He went downstairs, where his butler, Liu Zicheng, stepped forward and said respectfully.
"Sir, there is a factory-wide meeting in half an hour. Han Shuangming is coming to invite you to attend."
Zhong Qingfa has a quirk: he likes crowds and lively atmospheres, and he especially likes everyone's eyes to look at him with envy. So whenever there's a big meeting at the factory, he makes sure to attend.
It was precisely because of this habit that the factory director, Han Shuangming, sent someone to inform him, and Zhong Junfa hummed in response.
"What kind of big meeting is this? It's almost Chinese New Year, is it an awards ceremony?"
Liu Zicheng thought about it, but he wasn't quite sure either.
"I heard it's some kind of 'Four Cleanups and Five Antis' conference, something the higher-ups ordered."
"Why bother with all that useless stuff? Wouldn't it be better to just earn some money honestly? Look at the Japanese devils back then, as long as we sent our tribute every month, they wouldn't even show their faces. But look at them now! They're holding meetings every other day."
"Alright, I'm going to join you. You stay home. Make some good dishes for lunch, and I'll have a drink when I get back."
Liu Zicheng agreed, took the briefcase, and presented it with both hands. Zhong Qingfa took the briefcase and went out. He didn't take a car at the factory; he preferred to wander around.
Seeing that Zhong Qingfa had left and was sure he wouldn't be coming back, Liu Zhicheng chuckled and rubbed his hands together. He tiptoed up to the third floor, pushed open the bedroom door, and started taking off his clothes as he pounced on the bed...
Han Shuangming is very proud of himself. He was a cadre who came up through the land reform and became the factory director. Although it was a joint state-private enterprise, he had the final say in the entire factory. As for the secretary, Liu Yuhe, he was a heavy drinker who was always drunk and was more often confused than sober.
Han Shuangming was also quite satisfied with Zhong Qingfa, the other investor in the factory. Zhong Qingfa was a sensible man who knew he was a womanizer, so he would introduce a woman to him every now and then to have a new one. He even introduced his cousin to him as his mistress.
In his office, Han Shuangming listened to Wang Lijun introduce the meeting that was to be held today. Wang Lijun claimed to be Han Shuangming's brother-in-law, but the relationship was actually quite distant. Wang Lijun and Han Shuangming's wife were originally from the same village, so they were related in some way. Wang Lijun kept calling her "sister" repeatedly.
Over time, the people in the factory misunderstood and said that Wang Lijun was Director Han's brother-in-law. Wang Lijun was a very perceptive person; he could usually tell what was going on just by Han Shuangming giving him a slight look.
As time went on, Han Shuangming became somewhat inseparable from Wang Lijun, so when Wang Lijun called him brother-in-law, he did not object, and this relationship was thus formed.
"Brother-in-law, the provincial and municipal governments have both issued documents regarding the Four Cleanups and Five Antis Movement. This time, the provincial government's wording is quite harsh, saying that a working group from the central government has arrived, and whoever is responsible will be held accountable if any problems arise regarding this movement."
Han Shuangming is in his thirties, with thick hair, big eyebrows and eyes. If he were an actor in a movie, he would definitely play a positive role.
He nodded with his eyes slightly closed.
"I asked you to inform Boss Zhong about the large meeting, did you go?"
Wang Lijun quickly replied.
"I've gone, I've gone. Boss Zhong was resting in the small building yesterday, so I didn't disturb him. I told Liu Zicheng."
Han Shuangming's eyes lit up when he heard about Xiaolou. He stood up, stretched, and said without turning his head.
"I've been so tired these past few days, my back and legs are aching. After the meeting, tell Zhong Qingfa that the masseur he found for me last time is quite skilled. Call him to Xiaolou, and I'll go get a massage."
"Okay, okay, I'll make the arrangements after the meeting."
Wang Lijun, as the office director, had served Han Shuangming for so long, so of course he knew that his brother-in-law had a problem: he couldn't move when he saw a pretty woman.
The meeting was scheduled for 8:30. Seeing that it was almost time, Han Shuangming led Wang Lijun out of the office and directly to the outdoor meeting room.
Where would they find a meeting room large enough for over 5,000 people? So Wang Lijun cleared out a space yesterday and announced that work would be suspended this morning for the meeting. Workshops were to be present at the designated area by 8:00 AM to wait for the meeting to begin.
In front of the meeting place, Wang Lijun specially ordered people to build a platform with wooden planks, on which five tables were placed, covered with red cloth, and he also made a banner and put it on the platform.
Although this person is good at flattery, he is still capable at his job.
The workers arrived at work at 7:30 a.m., changed into their work clothes in the workshop—a strict rule at the factory, designed to ensure uniformity.
Then the workshop foreman organized the workers to come to the designated area. Everyone sat down and had to look up at the leader as a sign of respect...