Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 296: The Old Rascal (1/2)

Chapter 296: Chapter 296: The Old Rascal

Mr. Niu suddenly stood up, looking somewhat dazed and confused.

He stared blankly at Chen Yu, his eyes filled with incredulity.

“You’re actually Shuixianzi!”

Chen Yu might have felt he hadn’t had enough fun, supporting his chin with one hand, his eyes brimming with teasing.

“Look at me, how could I possibly be Shuixianzi? I am a genuine businessman!”

Mr. Niu’s eyes were wide with disbelief.

“Chen, don’t make me come over there, or I’ll kill you!”

Suddenly, Chen Yu became serious, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

“Then you’ll need the ability to actually kill me!”

In that instant, Mr. Niu felt an unprecedented murderous intent, causing his body to shiver uncontrollably.

“Enough, why waste words on this guy?”

Zhou Shengtao had his men take Mr. Niu away, then pulled Chen Yu aside.

“Chen, you’ve really made a significant contribution this time. You have no idea how much we’ve paid to catch this old fox. I heard he tricked you into that village. Are you okay?”

Thinking back to the village gave Chen Yu a chill; he had never imagined a small mountain village could suffer from plague for seven or eight years.

“Right, Captain Zhou, I haven’t asked you yet, what’s the deal with that village?”

Zhou Shengtao sighed helplessly.

“We’ve sent so many people there before, but we could never get to the root of the problem. Once we cured one type of plague, a variant would emerge. In the end, we could only isolate the place.”

Chen Yu nodded, deciding not to ask any more questions.

Industrial Park, Pharmaceutical Factory No. 3.

Hou Jianchang sat on a pile of stones at the entrance, his face showing helplessness. In front of him, a hundred or so grey-haired elderly people, all wearing uniforms, clearly the factory’s retired workers, surrounded him.

“We’re all retired from here. Since you’ve taken over the factory, our pensions should now be your responsibility.”

“I’ve worked at this factory my whole life and I’m attached to it. Why won’t you let me come back? Do you think I’m too old to be of use? That’s discrimination.”

“Call your manager out, let them explain it to us face to face.”

“We too were owed wages back when we worked. You’ve paid those new workers their back pay, so why haven’t you paid us?”

…

The crowd kept up a constant chatter, which was giving Hou Jianchang a headache.

As the Industrial Park continued to expand, more and more chaotic issues emerged. Hou Jianchang’s hair, which had already been half white, was now almost completely white.

Moreover, the current situation had arisen so suddenly that even he didn’t know what to do.

The people who came brought with them old labor contracts, some even dating back twenty years.

In those decades, that pharmaceutical factory had changed owners countless times; could the wage issues from so long ago really be piled onto them?

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve already made it very clear to you, it wasn’t us who signed the labor contracts with you. Although we’ve taken over this factory, according to the rules, we’re not responsible for the personal wages and other benefits of the employees. What we’ve done already exceeds our obligations…”