Jiuguangyin

Chapter 109 Who Knows If They Are in Cahoots

The workers were needed by the cake factory, and the right to recruit was clearly with the cake factory.

With Li Changqing personally making the request, what else could anyone say?

The expressions of two educated youths who had previously agreed to grade the papers for Su Changjiu were not very good.

To obtain this recruitment quota, the villagers had spared no effort.

When they learned that Su Changqing had invited educated youths to grade the papers, they naturally turned their malicious intentions towards the educated youths.

Two educated youths refused to engage in underhanded dealings, but some people could not resist the temptation of two catties of millet.

For two catties of millet, these two people had agreed to two families, promising to be lenient during the grading.

That's right, it was two catties of millet, and they sold their conscience, agreeing to be lenient during the grading.

As educated youths from the city, they couldn't compare to the local villagers in farm work, and thus received fewer work points each year, resulting in less grain.

The meager grain they received was not enough to eat, so they had to find other ways.

This time was a rare opportunity, and they thought that being a little lenient wouldn't matter.

But now, the situation had changed so drastically.

Li Changqing arrived, took a glance, and finished grading all the papers, without needing their grading.

Did this mean that what they had received would have to be returned?

It was unlikely that they could keep what they had obtained.

If only they couldn't keep it, but they couldn't even resist making millet porridge with the millet.

The expressions of the two were very grim, and they didn't know if there would be a scene later.

Everyone present was busy preparing for the second round of the exam, and no one noticed the change in the expressions of the two educated youths.

The second exam was still held in the primary school, but it moved from outdoors to indoors.

In the large classroom, several stalls were set up.

In front of each stall were water, basins, flour, cutting boards, and other items. Although the containers for these materials were different, the materials themselves were the same.

The group participating in the exam looked at the scene with a moment of astonishment.

They were told it was a culinary assessment, and they thought it would be cooking. How could it be like this?

"Team leader, what does this mean?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Su Changjiu cleared his throat and said, "As everyone knows, the cake factory is recruiting. After communicating with Director Li, we have decided that the content of the second assessment today is dough making. Let's begin now."

These two sentences were spoken clearly and left no room for rebuttal.

Of the nineteen people who passed the first round of the exam, eleven were men, and they were now dumbfounded.

The remaining eight women, however, had a bit more spirit in their eyes.

They all knew how to make dough, so they had an advantage.

Regardless of whether they knew how to make dough or not, everyone was preparing to start.

Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying exchanged glances, their expressions filled with a hint of joy.

The women of the Su family were all skilled at cooking, and even more so at making dough.

"Team leader, why do we still need to make dough? I'm a grown man, how would I know how to make dough?" a man in his twenties spoke up.

This man was named Su Zilong, and he was considered highly educated in the Red Heart Brigade.

His passing the first round of the exam was within reason.

"When you go to the cake factory in the future, you'll be doing a lot of dough making. If you don't know how, what are you going to the cake factory for?" Su Changjiu retorted unceremoniously.

The man touched his nose. That was true, the cake factory would definitely require dough making.

He decided not to say anything more.

He glanced at the water and flour in front of him, thought about how his wife did it, and directly started.

As for the others, whether men or women, they all began to make dough according to their memories.

Li Changqing carefully watched everyone's movements. When he saw people reaching out their dirty hands to start making dough directly, his brows couldn't help but furrow.

When he saw someone spitting casually, his brows furrowed even more.

For a moment, he felt he had made a mistake.

He was the director of the cake factory, and the cake factory had high hygiene requirements. Such careless people were not what the cake factory wanted.

People in the countryside were ultimately not particular.

Su Changjiu, however, focused most of his attention on Li Changqing.

He found it strange why Li Changqing would have these people make dough.

Although the cake factory used flour and other ingredients, they certainly wouldn't be making dough.

When he saw Li Changqing's tightly furrowed brows, his heart sank.

He thought it was because these people didn't know how to make dough, and Li Changqing was displeased.

After all, there were few literate women, and most of the people who passed the first round of the exam today were men.

It was truly difficult for these grown men to make dough.

Just as Su Changjiu was about to speak, he saw Li Changqing's gaze fixed on a certain spot, and his furrowed brows relaxed considerably.

He quickly followed Li Changqing's gaze and saw Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying standing opposite them.

Su Changjiu knew that the women of the old Su family were all excellent at housework, and perhaps these two sisters-in-law had the best chance today.

He watched as they calmly tidied their stray hairs, then found an empty basin, poured some water, and began to wash their hands meticulously.

What was the meaning of this? Everyone else had started making dough, why were these two sisters-in-law dawdling?

Su Changjiu noticed that two other men and one woman were also washing their hands. Although they weren't as meticulous as the two sisters-in-law, they were indeed washing their hands.

He remembered that his wife always washed her hands before cooking, and suddenly understood something.

At the same time, he understood why Li Changqing's expression was so bad when he saw these people directly start making dough.

He couldn't help but cast his gaze to the hands of others. Once he looked, he himself felt uncomfortable.

Su Zilong's hands were black, and he didn't know how long it had been since they were thoroughly washed. When his hands were placed in the flour, they formed a stark contrast with the pure white flour.

As for the others, some of their hands were even stained with mud, and when they were directly put into the flour, the mud fell into the flour.

Su Changjiu: ...

"Director Li..." Su Changjiu said nervously.

He didn't know what Director Li would think, or if he would think that everyone in their brigade was careless.

If Director Li really thought that, he would have no face to see anyone.

Li Changqing waved his hand, signaling him not to worry.

Although Su Changjiu had a basket full of things to say, he could only hold back.

At this moment, Su Changjiu saw that while one of the men was making dough, he scratched his leg and then directly put his hands into the basin to continue making dough.

He really couldn't bear to watch and simply closed his eyes.

It was over. These people had completely disgraced the Red Heart Brigade.

Yet, Li Changqing was still carefully watching each person make dough.

Half an hour later, most people had finished making their dough.

The same flour and water, but the dough they made was very different, not only in shape but also in color.

Some dough balls were smooth and white, while others had turned a grayish color, and two people's dough balls had even turned black.

Li Changqing finally stopped and directly pointed to five people: "These five people have passed the assessment. Report to the county cake factory tomorrow. Your internship period is three months. If you do well, you will be officially hired!"

He did not know the names of these five people, so he simply pointed to them as he spoke.

Immediately, many people's expressions changed, especially those who had participated in the assessment.

After that, there was an uproar at the scene.

"Director Li, what do you mean? My dough is clearly better than his, so why did you choose him?"

"Exactly, Su Xiangqian's dough was unbearable to look at. This dough is completely unusable."

"Could there be some inside deal? Were the people already decided?"

When such a voice was raised, almost everyone's thoughts were led astray.

Su Changjiu looked over and saw Su Xiaoqin.

Su Xiaoqin was also one of the people who were not selected.

At this moment, for someone who was not selected to say this, it was bound to cause some trouble.

Su Xiaotian watched from the side and couldn't help but sneer.

She thought that with Su Xiaoqin having been in the county for so long, she would have improved a bit, but who knew, she was still as hopeless as ever.

"Exactly, what Xiaoqin said makes sense."

"There must be an inside deal. Didn't you see that Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying, the sisters-in-law, were both selected?"

Liang Xiu and Qi Liangying did make dough very well, smooth and elastic. A round little dough ball placed in the basin was a pleasure to behold.

But what of it?

The cake factory had promised five quotas to their brigade, so why should the old Su family snatch away two at once?

Was it not because the county leader was their relative? Without this relationship, why would the cake factory choose them?

There were plenty of women in the brigade who could cook!

Although these people knew that the old Su family now had backing, when it came to matters concerning themselves, they still chose to direct their firepower directly at them.

Qi Liangying and Liang Xiu, the sisters-in-law, were originally standing together with happy smiles, excited about becoming workers.

But their smiles had just appeared when they suddenly heard someone mention them.

The smiles on their faces instantly vanished, and they looked in shock at the people at the scene who were glaring at them angrily.

"Ask anyone in the entire brigade, how many people can match our cooking skills?" Qi Liangying said with a stern face.

Although Qi Liangying had a good personality, she also knew that if she didn't argue her case now, not only would her opportunity be snatched away, but she might also gain a bad reputation.

Liang Xiu immediately agreed, "Exactly. Whenever our family has a big or small event, aren't they asking me and my second sister-in-law to help?"

"Your cooking is good, but everyone in the brigade knows that you two never went to school?" Su Huzhi questioned, "How could people who never went to school pass the first round of the exam?"

Su Huzhi had been eliminated. He had actually attended primary school, so by rights, he should have passed the first round of the assessment.

However, Su Huzhi had not put his mind to his studies when he was in school, and could barely write a few characters.

He was naturally eliminated this time.

But Su Huzhi did not think he was wrong; instead, he believed that the person who graded the papers had a problem, and that his papers had been deliberately disqualified.

He felt there was a problem, but he didn't dare to say it.

Now, it wasn't just him who suspected; he was becoming bolder.

He even felt that he had caught Li Changqing and the old Su family red-handed.

"Su Changjiu, Li Changqing, Qi Liangying, Liang Xiu, what kind of unspeakable deal did you make to snatch away these recruitment opportunities?"

"You must give the brigade an explanation today, otherwise, I will report you to the commune!"

Su Huzhi spoke with increasing force, as if he were in the right.

Li Changqing and the others looked displeased at being slandered for no reason.

But the more troublesome matters were yet to come. With one person taking the lead, more troublemakers emerged.

"I agree with what Su Huzhi said. Since Qi Liangying and Liang Xiu never went to school, how could they have passed the exam?"

A cold smile flickered across Su Xiaoqin's lips. In a corner where no one noticed, she was stirring up trouble.

If these two women became workers, wouldn't Su Xiaotian's life become even better in the future?

No, absolutely not. She was eliminated, and these two shouldn't expect to have a good life either.

Su Xiaotian had been quietly observing Su Xiaoqin. Seeing the fleeting ferocity on Su Xiaoqin's face, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Chi Yiyuan, standing beside her, saw this and asked in a low voice, "Xiaotian, are you cold?"

As he spoke, he was about to take off his worn cotton jacket and give it to Su Xiaotian.

Su Xiaotian quickly stopped him and said, "No, Brother Yiyuan, I just feel that Su Xiaoqin's expression is fierce, and I'm a little scared."

Chi Yiyuan quickly held Su Xiaotian's hand and said, "It's okay, Brother Yiyuan won't let her hurt you."

This scene happened to be seen by Su Shouwen, who couldn't help but frown.

Why did this boy Chi Yiyuan look so displeasing to the eye?

Su Shouwen clearly didn't consider that his dislike for Chi Yiyuan was fundamentally because Chi Yiyuan was coveting his sister.

But at this moment, with the scene in chaos and involving his relatives, he didn't have much time to pay attention to two young children.

Just as the crowd was getting agitated and on the verge of causing trouble, Li Changqing's voice was suddenly heard.

"Since you think there's a problem with the papers, then find two people from your brigade to look at their papers and see if they answered correctly."

Li Changqing did not want to escalate the situation too much, so he suppressed his displeasure and spoke in a gentle tone.

He was afraid of making a scene, but clearly, some people were not afraid of making a scene.

"Look at the papers? Who knows if the person looking at the papers is also in league with you?"

"Exactly. Su Chuan's son-in-law is a high-ranking official in the city. What wouldn't you do to curry favor with a high-ranking official?"

Li Changqing sneered and said, "If these two quotas were really pre-determined for them, then I wouldn't have to come to your brigade. As a factory director, I have this much authority."

At this moment, a strange male voice was suddenly heard: "How about I act as a mediator in this matter?"

"Director Qian?" Hearing the man's voice, Su Changjiu immediately greeted him, even respectfully ushering him in and thoughtfully bringing him a stool.

Director Qian?

Although most of the villagers had not seen Director Qian, they had heard that the head of the commune was surnamed Qian.

Seeing Su Changjiu's attitude, there was no doubt that the person in front of them was the Director Qian from the commune.

"Director Qian, you must uphold justice for us villagers." The one who spoke was Su Huzhi.

"Exactly, Director Qian, you are a leader in the commune, you must uphold justice for us common people!"

"Oh, tell me, what do you want me to do justice for?" Director Qian said with a half-smile.

He came today because he heard that the chicken farm in the Red Heart Brigade was doing very well, so he came to take a look.

Who knew that as soon as he entered the Red Heart Brigade, he heard that the county cake factory was recruiting in the Red Heart Brigade, and he became interested and came to see.

Little did he know that as soon as he entered, he saw this chaotic scene.

How did a good thing turn into this?

Didn't someone say earlier that the Red Heart Brigade was the most united?

Now it seemed that this was clearly not the case.

The originally noisy crowd fell silent after Director Qian's question.

Because no one spoke, the atmosphere became stagnant.

Li Changqing also did not expect such a situation to arise.

He truly regretted his decision this time. If he had known, he wouldn't have agreed to recruit for the Red Heart Brigade.

Let alone Li Changqing, Su Changjiu also regretted it.

He had overestimated the members of the Red Heart Brigade. He originally thought that as long as it was public and fair, he could convince everyone, but who knew that when faced with great temptation, all fairness and justice would be seen as a cover-up by others.

Just as Director Li was about to speak, he heard Su Huzhi speak.

"Director Qian, it was said that recruitment would be open to the entire brigade, but we cannot let Su Chuan's family get all of it! It doesn't matter if I don't get hired, but I cannot stand by and watch them wield absolute power!"

"Su Huzhi, what are you saying?" Su Changjiu was so angry, he didn't expect Su Huzhi to be such a scoundrel.

"Did I say something wrong? Team leader, you have absolute power in the Red Heart Brigade, and you don't allow us to speak?"

"Director Qian, although my family and Su Chuan's family are relatives, we cannot stand by and watch Su Chuan's family bully others like this!" Liu Xiuying came forward this time.

She had originally thought that Su Xiaoqin could become a worker, but who knew that Su Xiaoqin did not get the quota, and instead, Su Chuan's two daughters-in-law snatched away two quotas.

If these quotas were taken by other families, it would be fine, but she was unwilling to let Su Chuan's family have them!

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glare fiercely at Su Xiaoqin.

This useless slut, couldn't even handle such a small matter!

"Director Li, I heard that you represent the cake factory in recruiting from our Red Heart Brigade. On behalf of the commune, I thank you for your care for the farmer brothers!" Director Qian ignored Su Huzhi and Liu Xiuying and instead spoke to Li Changqing.

Li Changqing sighed and said, "I originally intended to recruit workers fairly, and considered it as taking care of the Red Heart Brigade. Who knew that good intentions would lead to bad deeds? I think I should just recruit in the city!"

Everyone was instantly stunned. What did this mean? Recruiting in the city and not wanting people from their brigade anymore?

The people of the Red Heart Brigade felt their hearts sink.

What was the point of fighting amongst themselves if the quotas were snatched away by city people?

"Director Li, didn't you say that these quotas were for our Red Heart Brigade?" Su Huzhi asked incredulously.

[Author's Note]

Babies, please give more feedback. I will work hard to write!