Chapter 14: Greed for Money

“I won’t stand in the way of your happiness, but I want to meet him first.”

Those words put Shen Qingyao in a dilemma.

It wasn’t that she feared what Shen Qingye might say to Jiang Yan, but rather that Jiang Yan might be unwilling.

Although Jiang Yan hadn’t shown any signs yet, Shen Qingyao didn’t want to keep probing his limits.

As the saying goes, the more people, the more trouble.

Would Jiang Yan think she was someone who loved to stir up trouble?

Shen Qingyao shook her head. “Brother, I’ll talk it over with him first.”

Shen Qingye hesitated, glanced at Shen Qingyao several times, but said nothing.

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door.

“Old Shen, come quick! The military department is sending people today, and other factories will send representatives too. We need to get to the factory and prepare.”

Shen Qingye hurriedly put on his clothes, and Shen Qingyao stood up as well.

“Brother, I want to come with you!”

“Stay close to me.”

Normally, Shen Qingyao wouldn’t be allowed into the steel factory.

But today was different.

With officials coming from above and representatives from other factories arriving, work at the factory was always more particular on days like this.

The dirty, grimy tasks were shelved in favor of neat, impressive work.

Such tasks required little technical skill and wouldn’t reveal any industrial secrets to visitors.

Shen Qingye relented, and Shen Qingyao followed closely behind like a little shadow.

Steel factories in this era were very different from those in the 21st century.

Working inside was all about endurance.

If it got too hot, workers simply stripped down and kept working.

Shen Qingye began his tasks, while Shen Qingyao stood for a while before using the excuse of needing the restroom to slip away.

She dared not roam freely throughout the factory, only pretending to be lost as she glanced around.

If she bumped into someone, she’d apologize and say she had taken a wrong turn.

Her main strategy was shameless persistence.

Though somewhat embarrassing, it was effective.

With her appearance and a smile of apology, no one would be too hard on her.

She wandered around until she reached an open area.

Still wondering if she really had taken the wrong path, she suddenly heard voices.

“Shen Qingye is investigating this account now. He senses something’s off. What else can we do but teach him a lesson?”

“Shen Qingye has been at the factory for years. Everyone knows his character. The way you’re framing him is just too much…”

“Do you want to take the blame yourself? If anyone finds out, you’ll be dragged in for questioning!”

“I…I don’t want to…”

One man glared fiercely at the other, who deflated like a punctured ball.

Shen Qingyao dared only to listen and didn’t dare to peek out to see who they were.

She silently memorized their voices, then retraced her steps.

What account? What questioning?

Did it have anything to do with the batch of steel from this morning?

She only knew that in her world, real estate developers would siphon off steel after building houses, turning them into shoddy structures.

Did people do that in this era as well?

Shen Qingyao didn’t dare to ponder further. She decided to find Shen Qingye first.

Suddenly, firecrackers sounded outside the door, and several military vehicles drove in.

Jiang Yan and Jiang Feng sat in one car, followed by another carrying Chen Zheng and Xu Kaifeng.

Shen Qingyao spotted Jiang Yan immediately.

His aura was unlike anyone else’s; his military uniform gave him a cold, aloof air.

Shen Qingyao was stunned, hardly daring to believe it.

Could a squad leader really come to inspect the factory?

And wasn’t that the person who helped them get the stamps last time sitting next to Jiang Yan?

Could a leader and a squad leader really ride in the same car?

Shen Qingyao blended into the crowd without making a sound.

“The leaders have arrived...”

“Quick, call Old Shen. The factory director won’t be here for a while yet.”

Workers passed the word along, and Shen Qingye dropped his tools and came out to greet them.

He approached Jiang Yan and Jiang Feng, lowering himself repeatedly.

Jiang Feng was easier to please; he nodded at whatever Shen Qingye said.

Jiang Yan remained indifferent to everything.

It wasn’t disinterest exactly, but certainly not enthusiasm.

There was nothing much to see in the factory machines or workers; the real focus was on the steel products.

Shen Qingye led them toward the warehouse, workers trailing behind.

Wasn’t that the open area Shen Qingyao had just been in?

Were those two men still there?

It was too late for Shen Qingyao to pull Shen Qingye aside now; she could only hope these people wouldn’t catch her off guard.

The factory director arrived and shook hands with Jiang Feng and his father one after another.

“Commander, Colonel, thank you for coming to the factory today...”

“It’s all part of the job. It’s not about being tired or not,” Jiang Feng replied with polished words.

Shen Qingye stepped back, letting the director introduce Jiang Feng.

The steel produced up front was passable, but the ones at the back left much to be desired.

“What are these...?”

“Report, Commander, these are to be reprocessed. It’s inevitable that some are substandard during production.”

The factory director, sweating profusely, ordered the men to cover them up.

“Director, I’ve been checking the accounts, but no matter how long I look, they just don’t add up!”

“We’ll discuss this later. There are leaders here today.”

No sooner had the director spoken than Jiang Feng’s attention was drawn to the accountant.

They hadn’t come just for a routine inspection.

Someone had submitted a report accusing the steel factory of secretly trading factory goods for personal gain.

A check of factory input and output showed everything matched.

So the discrepancy must be coming from somewhere else.

Xu Kaifeng, a rough character, grabbed the accountant by the collar.

“What did you just say? Say it louder!”

“I said the accounts don’t match. Don’t drag me into trouble later!”

The accountant spoke, handing the ledger to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng’s face darkened as he passed the book to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan, sharp with numbers, flipped through a few pages and quickly spotted where the problem lay.

“Why has the price of raw materials jumped so drastically over the past four months? Has no one suspected anything?”

His eyes swept over the factory director and accountant.

Shen Qingye, standing nearby, clenched his trouser leg nervously.

A bad premonition welled up inside him, but he kept it hidden.

“Who’s responsible?”

“I am.”

Shen Qingye raised his hand and stepped forward.

Jiang Yan was momentarily taken aback.

He looked quite similar to Shen Qingyao.

Shen Qingyao resembled neither Shen Dongsheng nor anyone else; if they stood together, no one would guess they were family.

But Shen Qingye was different. His gaze and features bore a clear resemblance to Shen Qingyao.

“Leader, I have records of all procurement accounts and have preserved all necessary documents. I’m not afraid of an investigation.”

“Shen Qingye, don’t pretend. If you weren’t involved in some shady dealings, why would your father come to your dorm to snatch things away?”

“That’s right. You interfere in everything at the factory. No one has more opportunity to embezzle factory funds than you!”

Shen Qingyao couldn’t sit still any longer and stood up.

“On what basis are you making these accusations? Do you have any evidence?”