Was this confrontation happening directly to block him considered a chance encounter?
"Director Wang, a friend wants to get to know you." Zhao Tao grinned, pointing at a few youngsters. The leader was short, stocky, and fierce-looking.
"This is Wang Quanhu, Brother Hu."
Wang Quanhu, addressed as Brother Hu, greeted Wang Yu. "I heard Director Wang recently struck it rich. My brothers are short on cash, we'd like to borrow some to spend."
"Heh heh, what if I say no?" Wang Yu remained calm in the face of the cocky Brother Hu.
"Heh heh, then you're not giving me face." Brother Hu shook his head, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"People who don't give me face... usually don't have good luck!"
The young men beside him also chuckled. Provoking these idle ruffians meant they might cut a wire today, block a water pipe tomorrow, or mug you the day after. Reporting them to the public security bureau was useless. These types didn't commit major crimes but constantly caused trouble. At most, they'd get a warning and be locked up for a few days, only to come out and intensify their harassment. In short, they were the type who caused little damage but immense trouble.
"How much does Brother Hu want to borrow?"
Wang Yu's expression remained calm. He had heard of these people before. They were the children of the former bicycle factory workers, part of the factory's tertiary industry. Essentially, they were like a reserve team for future temporary positions. They had hoped to inherit their parents' jobs upon reaching a certain seniority, but the bicycle factory went bankrupt first. Afterwards, these individuals banded together with other petty thieves and idlers, living off others' generosity day in and day out, becoming a major blight on Jiangyang County. This Brother Hu was also nicknamed "Tiger Skin Plaster" – meaning, like dog-skin plaster, he was hard to shake once he stuck to you, a detested nuisance. He hadn't expected this guy to come after him today!
"Four of us brothers, ten thousand each, so let's borrow forty thousand in total."
Brother Hu certainly had the nerve to ask for such a sum. In those days, having ten thousand yuan meant being a rich man. Selling them all wouldn't even amount to forty thousand!
"Forty thousand? Easy!" Wang Yu, however, smiled faintly. "Brother Hu, please come to our factory at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to pick it up, how about that?"
Wang Yu's response surprised both Brother Hu and Zhao Tao. They had expected Wang Yu to either curse them out, cower, or perhaps report them to the public security bureau. They hadn't anticipated such a straightforward acceptance.
"Then it's tomorrow!" Brother Hu looked at Zhao Tao hesitantly. "But, if you dare to cheat us then... Hmph!"
A cold snort, filled with a heavy threat. Brother Hu and Zhao Tao left with their group. Watching them depart, Wang Yu wore an expression of understanding.
Indeed... there was a mole in the factory, and not an ordinary one! He had suspected someone was leaking information when the Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory had attacked their factory so swiftly and precisely, hitting them where it hurt the most. The current organized dispatch of cadres to temporary assignments outside the region was specifically to identify and weed out such individuals. He knew Zhao Tao would make a move once he returned, but he hadn't expected him to come to the hospital so soon to intercept him. The person who had been feeding him information must be in the factory right now! After all, in those days, there were no text messages or WeChat, and even telephones were rare! Furthermore, after the factory's profit of over ninety thousand from the brake deal, after deducting various costs and three months' worth of salaries, there was exactly forty thousand left in the account. This coincidentally matched the amount Brother Hu had asked for! This indicated that the mole was not low-ranking, possessing access to such core information, likely at the cadre level. Therefore, the remaining individuals in the factory with such a position were quite obvious!
Wang Yu shook his head and turned back into the hospital building. The mole couldn't escape, and in comparison, his own sister was more important. Entering the building and finding the inpatient department, he saw his sister Wang Ling resting in bed.
"Doctor, how is my sister doing now?" As soon as Wang Yu entered, he greeted the doctor. Honestly, to set an example for others and to draw out the mole, he had chosen to leave on the day of his sister's surgery. He felt quite guilty about this.
"Brother!" Wang Ling's small face lit up when she saw Wang Yu, and she immediately tried to get out of bed, but the doctor stopped her.
Nodding at Wang Yu, the doctor then spoke. "The surgery went quite smoothly. Appendicitis itself is not a very complicated procedure. However, she had been stubbornly resisting coming to the hospital, which led to a significant inflammation within her body. Fortunately, the surgery was timely, and after a period of rest and recuperation, she has mostly recovered."
The doctor reprimanded sternly, "But you can't ignore medical advice like this in the future! It would be troublesome if a minor issue escalates into something major! Also, how are you as a brother? Leaving a young girl to be hospitalized alone and not even coming to see her. Really, if she, as a young girl, is ignorant, fine. But you, as a grown man, also..."
The middle-aged doctor rambled on, and Wang Yu could only nod repeatedly. His gaze met Wang Ling's, and he saw her playfully sticking out her tongue at him, indicating she was indeed in good spirits.
"She'll be arranged for discharge in a couple of days. Remember to give her plenty of nutrition, look how thin the girl has become."
After finishing his spiel, the doctor ambled away, leaving the Wang siblings to look at each other.
"Uh, I didn't realize this doctor was so warm-hearted." Wang Yu awkwardly rubbed his nose. Wang Ling also smiled, "Dr. Liu is a good person. He took great care of me these past few days."
"Mmm, I'm truly sorry. I've been busy these past few days and neglected you." Wang Yu said helplessly to Wang Ling. To this, Wang Ling merely chuckled, her small face full of happiness and admiration.
"It's okay, Brother. People from the factory came to see me these days too, Uncle Li, Uncle Ma, they all came. They all said Brother is very capable, that you saved the factory and everyone here. So I believe Brother is the best."
"Saving is an exaggeration, but at least I'm working towards a better life for everyone." Wang Yu casually smoothed Wang Ling's slightly disheveled hair. "You should rest well. Brother will come to pick you up for discharge the day after tomorrow."
"Okay." Wang Ling obediently nodded at Wang Yu's instructions.
After comforting his sister, Wang Yu left the hospital. His previously gentle smile instantly turned serious. He went directly back to the factory and found Li Ming. This selfless old director was probably the most trustworthy person at the moment. Furthermore, he had good connections within Jiangyang County, so asking him for information was always reliable.
"Little Director, why are you looking for people from the bicycle factory?" Li Ming was taken aback. Wang Yu wanted to find the former head of the bicycle factory?
"Mmm, I want to discuss cooperation with them. I have some new products that might require their help for processing."
"New products? Cooperation?" Li Ming was surprised, then earnestly advised, "Little Director, we are still in debt ourselves! Their factory has long since closed down, and they are all unemployed now. It's better for us to handle it ourselves than to approach them!"
Having witnessed Wang Yu's technical skills twice before, the old director had full confidence in the new products he mentioned. His current advice stemmed from two possible reasons. Firstly, to keep the benefits within the family; if there were good opportunities, their own people should take them. Secondly, they were struggling to stay afloat themselves, how could they have the leisure to help other factories? However, Wang Yu didn't say much, just smiled faintly and said mysteriously, "Uncle Ming, you'll know soon enough. This humble person has his own stratagems!"
"Fine, fine, you go ahead with your ingenious plans." Pouting, the old director ultimately couldn't dissuade Wang Yu and, that evening, took him to the home of Huang He, the former director of the bicycle factory.
For the entire night, no one knew what Wang Yu and the other old director, both over fifty, discussed. It wasn't until nearly dawn that Wang Yu, holding a flashlight and yawning, left Director Huang's house. Although tired, he looked quite pleased and cheerful.
The next day, Brother Hu and his group arrived as scheduled at the Jiangyang County Automobile Factory. Perhaps to boost his confidence, and also fearing Wang Yu might go back on his word, he brought all his "brothers" with him. Nearly twenty people, all with rough appearances, making for quite a lively scene.
"Where's Wang Yu? Come out, Brother Hu is here to collect his money." A loud-mouthed thug shouted first.