"I say, you didn't possibly tie them up and bring them here, did you?"
Wang Yu looked at the abandoned warehouse in front of him, utterly speechless.
I asked you to find people, not to be a bandit!
"Little factory manager, after your teachings, I, Brother Hu, have completely turned over a new leaf. How could I possibly do anything that violates the law?"
Hearing Wang Yu's words, Brother Hu hurriedly complained.
Of course, as expected, he once again displayed his knack for using idioms.
"Do I, Brother Hu, look like that kind of person?"
"Yes!"
"Very much so!"
"Extremely so!"
Not only Wang Yu but also Han Jun, Feng Daochun, and the others nodded in agreement.
This was exactly the kind of thing Brother Hu would do.
"Uh... well, actually, I just found them and presented facts and reason, making them profoundly realize their mistakes. Then they voluntarily followed us back, saying they wanted to admit their errors to you, the little factory manager."
Brother Hu waved his hands repeatedly, proclaiming his innocence.
"Is that so? Is that all?"
Wang Yu chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Brother Hu.
"Well... of course, I added a tiny bit of spice, but I swear I didn't do anything excessive!
And I took very good care of them too!"
Brother Hu swore an oath.
As he spoke, the warehouse door was opened, and Wang Yu saw the dozens of people inside.
Some stood, some lay down, and some simply sat on the ground.
They were all in ragged clothes and looked gaunt.
However, seeing the empty lunch boxes and drink bottles nearby, it seemed Brother Hu wasn't lying; he had provided them with decent treatment.
"Hmm, you've been thoughtful. Go to finance for reimbursement of the food expenses later. I'll allow you some extra hardship pay, but if you dare to submit inflated bills, I'll break your legs."
Wang Yu nodded and instructed Brother Hu.
Then he walked to the front of the group.
Indeed!
Seeing these people before him, Wang Yu understood.
They were all disabled people; one could tell just by looking at them!
Unlike those at San Liu Qi Institute who were severely injured and disabled due to the fire, the villagers from Taiping Village before him were all congenitally disabled.
Some had one side of their bodies atrophied, some were hunchbacked, some had one eye larger than the other... all sorts of appearances were present.
"I say, Brother Hu..."
Wang Yu looked at Brother Hu.
"Little factory manager, what are your orders?"
Brother Hu eagerly scurried closer, still happily thinking about Wang Yu's promise to reimburse the food expenses.
The little factory manager had always been good to his brothers, and he, Brother Hu, was a grateful person and would never do something as wicked as submitting inflated bills.
However, a little hardship pay wouldn't be refused by the little factory manager, and later he and the guys could go have some fun at the Red Moon Dance Hall.
Brother Hu, in his joyful anticipation, approached Wang Yu, probably assuming Wang Yu was about to praise him for his reliable work.
"These poor people have had a difficult life too."
Wang Yu looked at the people from Taiping Village and sighed helplessly.
"Yes, yes! They are all pitiable people. It's truly tragic that Fang Zhongtian from the Metallurgical General Plant still oppresses them. Little factory manager, do you think they are even human? They are practically beasts!"
Brother Hu chimed in, his face filled with righteous anger.
"No, I wasn't talking about that scoundrel Fang Zhongtian."
Wang Yu glanced sideways at Brother Hu. "I'm talking about your convoy back then. How could you let such frail and disabled people snatch your cargo... Just how incompetent and useless were you?"
"Ah? What?"
Brother Hu's voice abruptly stopped, clearly not expecting Wang Yu to suddenly shift the topic.
"Get lost! Your bonus for this month is canceled."
Wang Yu gave Brother Hu a kick on the backside and sent him away.
He was always clear about rewards and punishments.
"Are you Wang Yu, the factory manager of Jiangyang County Automobile Factory?"
Among the group from Taiping Village, a strong middle-aged man in the front addressed Wang Yu.
He was the leader of the Taiping Village people, Nie Gaocheng.
He was also one of the few who looked relatively normal. His left ear was deaf and his left eye blind, which affected him somewhat, but at least he could move and communicate normally.
When Brother Hu and his men had approached them earlier, it was he who had communicated and dealt with them. After hearing all of Wang Yu's deeds, he had brought everyone here without any resistance.
"Yes, I suppose so."
Wang Yu replied vaguely. "The name Jiangyang County Automobile Factory will soon be a thing of the past. A new group enterprise will emerge... Forget it, no need to tell you about that for now.
In short, I am Wang Yu."
Wang Yu nodded to Nie Gaocheng.
"We previously hijacked your convoy, but we didn't cause any damage. Everything can be returned to you at any time.
I am the instigator of all these matters. If you want to hold someone accountable and send us to the public security team, just arrest me directly.
One man's actions, one man bears. It has nothing to do with my brothers!"
Nie Gaocheng straightforwardly stepped forward and took all the responsibility upon himself.
"Brother Nie!"
"Brother Nie, we were involved too. You can't take it all on yourself!"
"That's right, that's right! Arrest me if you have to!"
The other villagers from Taiping Village stepped forward one after another, all saying they wanted to share the blame.
It was evident that Nie Gaocheng had considerable prestige as their leader.
All his brothers actively vied to take the blame, unlike some people in later generations who used their brothers to betray and take the fall... Cough cough!
"Alright, if I wanted to report you to the public security team and have you arrested, would I wait until now?"
Wang Yu found a piece of scrap machinery in the warehouse and sat down on it like a stool. He waved his hand at everyone.
"Those little trinkets, I, Wang Yu, don't really care about them."
"Then what do you want to do?"
Nie Gaocheng asked in a low voice, also unsure of Wang Yu's intentions.
When they were brought here by Brother Hu and his men, he had initially thought Wang Yu wanted revenge and to vent his anger, as they had indeed hijacked his convoy.
But after arriving, they had been treated to good food and drink, which made him very puzzled.
"I heard you used to work for the Metallurgical General Plant. Hmm? Pass me a cigarette too."
Wang Yu said, casting an annoyed glance at Brother Hu, who had shamelessly scurried over to offer him a cigarette and a lighter, showing some perceptiveness.
After distributing a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, the attitudes and emotions of everyone stabilized somewhat.
Nie Gaocheng took a couple of puffs, his expression slightly calming, his eyes filled with immense hatred.
"Yes, we brothers all worked at the Metallurgical General Plant. We couldn't find work anywhere else, and it was good that the Metallurgical General Plant was willing to take us in. We thought it was a good thing. Even if the wages were a bit low, and we didn't get paid during the three-month probation period, it was fine. At least we could earn a living honestly!"
"But, but we never expected that bastard Fang Zhongtian! He framed us for stealing and then outright refused to pay us our hard-earned money..."
Nie Gaocheng became more and more indignant as he spoke, and the other people from Taiping Village also showed expressions of great indignation.
But... what could they do?
Who told them that as disabled people, they had trouble finding work elsewhere?
Compared to ordinary people, their labor capacity was significantly deficient, and it was normal for most people to be unwilling to hire them. This wasn't discrimination or a moral issue; employers also needed to operate and make a living, right?
The only detestable one was Fang Zhongtian. People were already so pitiful, and he still cruelly exploited them, even trying to use them as pawns against Wang Yu!
"Heh heh, don't mention that scoundrel Fang Zhongtian. Let's talk about other things first. Are you interested in working with me?"
Wang Yu said with a smile.