Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen to continue cooking. The security department of today's state-owned factories 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, fights, and other public order cases in the factory and residential areas. Only major cases were handed over to the public security organization.
In the past two years, with the crackdown, the textile factory's security department had handled many public order cases and was even recognized as an advanced unit.
Wang Ma Zi, a petty thief, was arrested and stripped bare in no time.
"I still don't understand, didn't Wang Ma Zi know this shop was yours? How dare he?" Zhou Jie held a crucian carp in his hand, looking puzzled.
"Exactly, I could take on ten of those scoundrels." Zhou Hai said with a simple smile, sitting behind the stove tending the fire.
The Zhou family had many sons, each one physically strong. They didn't cause trouble, but when they did, they were ruthless and fiercely protective of their own. From their fathers' generation onward, few dared to mess with them.
By Zhou Yan's generation, he had six older cousin brothers: three slaughtered cattle, two were soldiers, and one studied martial arts on Mount Ermei. Zhou Yan had never been bullied in school.
It was only after entering the textile factory canteen that he suffered some hardship.
Workplace bullying often kills silently.
"May be Wang Ma Zi thinks a crackdown will protect him." Zhou Yan chuckled.
Releasing a cockroach and causing a ruckus, even if he doesn't extort money, will disgust the restaurant and damage its reputation.
It's a crude method, but it's effective.
Wang Ma Zi probably didn't expect Aunt Zhao to be so fierce, grabbing a 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 quite wise.
Of course, he probably didn't expect that the restaurant also had two formidable men, Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie, who ended up giving them a good beating for nothing.
Zhou Yan had cultivated a good relationship with the security department beforehand to prevent this kind of thing.
He sent Zhou Momo, a policewoman in reserve, to get help. The little girl, in her childish voice, explained the situation, sounding pitiful, which made Luo Weidong immediately position the restaurant as the victim.
The rest was a matter of course.
Zhou Yan's intuition was that Wang Ma Zi was being manipulated by someone; it just depended on how tough he was to talk.
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai pondered Zhou Yan's words and laughed.
"That's true. If it wasn't for the crackdown, I would have beaten them to a pulp." Zhou Jie wholeheartedly agreed.
"If he dares to cause trouble again next time, I'll stake him out at his house." Zhou Hai joked.
While Zhou Yan and the others chatted in the kitchen, Aunt Zhao was smiling as she cooked cross-legged beef for everyone.
They all looked the same, but the workers addressed Aunt Zhao with noticeably more respect.
The workers went to work, and Zhou Yan and the others only then began to eat lunch.
"Fourth Aunt, you told us not to fight, so why did you grab a knife and go in yourself? Weren'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's business is good, some people will definitely get jealous and cause trouble. I have to beat them hard so others won't dare to come back a second time."
"To paraphrase a great man, 'A good punch now prevents a hundred punches later.'"
"I know you were a female militia member, Fourth Aunt, but you even got first place in target practice?" Zhao Hong asked in surprise.
"I'm a very good shot. A few years ago, before I had to hand over my gun, I could easily shoot rabbits and pheasants just by going up the mountain. I even shot a wild boar with them once." Aunt Zhao's face showed a hint of pride when she talked about shooting.
"No wonder everyone in the village calls Fourth Aunt the Iron Lady." Zhou Jie remarked, suddenly understanding.
"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 looked at Zhou Momo, who was engrossed in her rice, and smiled as well.
Zhou Yan put two pieces of pork ribs into her bowl; the little one had put in a lot of effort today.
"Thank you, Guo Guo." Zhou Momo said, her little oily hands clutching the ribs, her mouth full of rice, her words muffled.
"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 meal cost, I also gave them five yuan for the damaged table and chairs." Zhou Yan said with a smile as he walked over.
"Four good for nothings can't even scrape together eighty cents. What can they possibly afford to pay for this?" Aunt Zhao sighed, touching the gap. "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 will rot completely in a few days."
"Okay." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, 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 spoken to the duty officer, Xiao Wu, and seeing Zhou Yan standing at the door, he greeted him with a smile, "Zhou Yan, just leave the list on Section Chief Luo's desk."
"Okay." Zhou Yan came in and placed the list on Luo Weidong's desk, casually asking, "Brother Wu, you all still not done with the interrogation?"
"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 team; it'll probably take half a day." Xiao Wu said with a smile, "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 get busy, I won't bother you any longer." Zhou Yan took out two cigarettes, offered them to Xiao Wu, and turned to leave.
He didn't smoke, but he always carried a pack of Yuxi cigarettes; offering one was a quick way to build 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 passed them on to him.
These cigarettes were hard to find without a license, so he hadn't sold them; he kept them to maintain relationships.
He had originally prepared to feed the dog this meal, making the list to try and get Wang Ma Zi and his gang 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 feel bad about losing that?
However, the fact that these hooligans had several dozen yuan confirmed his suspicion: someone had probably paid them to cause trouble.
Either it was Wang Defa or Huang Fusheng; they had a vested interest, so it wasn't hard to guess.
Wang Laowu's noodle stall was already closed down; he wouldn't have had 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 with a match, blowing out a smoke ring, and nodding at the cigarette in his hand. "It's definitely better than Hongmei!"
...
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai went home after meal. Zhou Yan rode his bicycle out, glancing at his interface:
[Side Quest: Inheritance of the Cross-legged Beef. Apprentice: Zhou Jie, Learning Progress: 2/3]
[Main Quest: Dominating the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 552/1000]
The Dominating the Textile Factory quest is more than halfway complete. Significant progress was seen today; the factory director's efforts were effective.
The Inheritance of the Cross-legged Beef quest is progressing steadily and should be completed tomorrow.
"Boss Gao, send me another twenty crucian carp to the shop." Zhou Yan said, parking his bicycle in front of the fish stall, addressing the bearded young man dozing on a bamboo chair.