The worst thing is to be too meticulous!
Qin Mu didn't really know much about finance, but he could use a simple, painstaking method: comparison.
He could always find a problem!
Since it said the canteen's monthly expenses reached two million, he'd go and see for himself where that two million went.
"Ah...okay...okay...coming right away."
Lu Dong stood up with difficulty, forcing a smile, and said, "Please, let's go to the canteen together. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Let's go!"
Qin Mu walked in front, Lu Dong followed behind, while Han Ying and Jiang Haoxuan brought up the rear. They were always there when the county magistrate made a move; it was standard procedure.
Along the way, Lu Dong tried to contact the canteen manager beforehand, but with Han Ying, the director of the county government office, on his left, and Jiang Haoxuan, the county magistrate's secretary, on his right, he had no chance. He was on tenterhooks the whole way…
It was already 10:30 when he arrived at the canteen. At this time, most of the dishes were already prepared, just waiting for people to come and eat.
Qin Mu immediately spotted the cook resting by the entrance.
"Hello, brother, is it convenient for us to chat for a bit?"
Qin Mu stepped forward and asked with a smile.
"You… what can I do for you?"
The cook clearly didn't recognize Qin Mu, but he recognized Lu Dong, the director of the finance bureau, standing next to him.
He didn't have a good impression of Director Lu; he came every few days and took a lot of good stuff.
"This is Director Lu Dong of the finance bureau. We're here to conduct an investigation with you. Can we take a few minutes of your time?"
Qin Mu said politely.
"Sure!"
The chef naturally didn't dare refuse. The other party was an official, and he was just a cook; how could he refuse an official's investigation?
"How much is your monthly salary here?"
Qin Mu asked casually.
"To be honest?"
The old chef glanced at Lu Dong, the director of the Finance Bureau, then at the young man in front of him, unsure whether to tell the truth or a lie.
"What, is there a need to keep your salary information confidential?"
Qin Mu smiled and asked, "Or is there a requirement from the leadership?"
This…
The old chef scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Never mind, Director Lu is here, so there shouldn't be any major problems. I'll tell you the truth: I earn four thousand five hundred a month, including meals, and I get some rice and cooking oil during holidays!"
Four thousand five hundred!
This salary was indeed considered quite good in the county.
"No other benefits?"
Qin Mu suddenly remembered and asked, "What about social security benefits? No subsidies?"
"We don't get those!"
The cook chuckled. "Nobody else gets them either. We're just here to cook. We're lucky to get paid on time; we don't expect anything more!"
No benefits whatsoever, just a fixed salary!
"Okay, thanks for your cooperation."
Qin Mu already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Without saying anything more to the cook, he headed straight for the cafeteria manager's office.
"Bang!"
He pushed open the door. Inside, the room was filled with smoke. Two men were playing games and smoking, with Red Bulls scattered on the table, a mess.
"Who is it?"
"Browsing the office!"
"Get out, get out! Don't bother us!"
...
The smoke was so thick that the two men couldn't even see Qin Mu and the others' faces clearly. They instinctively tried to shoo them away.
"What are you doing? County Chief Qin is inspecting our work! You're playing games during work hours? Have you no manners?"
Han Ying instinctively stepped in front of County Chief Qin and shouted.
This is insane!
They're even pushing County Chief Qin away!
Are these even government officials?
This is utterly lawless!
The canteen staff might not be tenured, but the canteen manager is.
For someone with tenure to slack off like this during work hours, smoking and playing games, is outrageous! Even a script wouldn't dare write something like this!
It's almost lunchtime, and all the leaders are coming and going. Aren't they afraid of being caught?
So audacious?
The county chief is inspecting our work?
The two people inside were also shocked. When they saw Qin Mu's cold face, they froze, not daring to utter a word.
Jiang Haoxuan reacted quickly, opening the window to let in some fresh air; otherwise, they'd be inhaling secondhand smoke.
"County...County Chief, we...we didn't know you...you were here, we're so sorry!"
Under immense pressure, the two staff members quickly apologized to County Chief Qin.
"Bring out the canteen's accounts!"
Qin Mu didn't rush to deal with them, but instead demanded the accounts be brought out. He wanted to clarify the accounts first before dealing with the two men.
"Ah...okay!"
Chang Feng, the canteen manager, didn't hesitate and quickly took the accounts from the drawer, handing them to County Chief Qin.
"All the expenses are listed here, two million per month, is that right?"
Qin Mu glanced through it briefly; the records matched the total expenses provided by Lu Dong.
"Yes!"
Chang Feng nodded hurriedly, "The canteen's expenses may seem insignificant, but each item is actually quite substantial: staff salaries, social security, holiday subsidies, plus the daily cost of fresh ingredients—it's all very expensive!"
"Does every staff member have social security?"
Qin Mu asked calmly.
"Yes, it's a mandatory requirement. Everyone working here definitely has it."
Chang Feng nodded affirmatively.
"I'll ask you one more time, does everyone have social security?"
Qin Mu's tone was icy as he asked again.
This…
Chang Feng finally realized the problem. County Head Qin's tone was off, and so was the silent Finance Bureau Chief, Lu Dong.
Oh no!
Could we have been found out?!
In an instant, Chang Feng's forehead was covered in sweat!
"Han Ying, notify Secretary Qi of the County Discipline Inspection Commission and have him bring some people over."
Qin Mu said calmly, "The Provincial and Municipal Discipline Inspection Commissions just took down some tigers. I think our County Discipline Inspection Commission also needs to swat some flies. Tigers and flies alike must be swatted; they're all parasites on the people. How can our organization develop healthily if we don't deal with them seriously?"
"Yes, County Head!"
Han Ying readily agreed and immediately made a phone call to the County Discipline Inspection Commission.
"County Chief, I was wrong. I dare not hide anything from you."
Lu Dong quickly said, "Please, give me another chance. I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!"
"Too late!"
Qin Mu shook his head slightly and said, "Tell the comrades from the County Discipline Inspection Commission what you have to say. I'm not listening to anything else."
He had only wanted to see how much money the county treasury could allocate to support road repairs, but unexpectedly, his unintentional act had uncovered corruption between the Finance Bureau and the canteen.
This was truly unpredictable!
The rot in Huaining County was truly eye-opening. Perhaps this was just the beginning; his work was far from over!
Ten minutes later, Qi Zhenghao, the Secretary of the County Discipline Inspection Commission, personally led a team to conduct a surprise interrogation of Lu Dong, the Director of the Finance Bureau, and Chang Feng, the canteen manager. Without any hesitation, they confessed everything.