Putting the Du brothers’ factories aside for the moment, after that conversation with Chu Yifeng, Wang Cheng focused his attention on his own jam factory. The first thing he wanted to change was not the embarrassing problem of the factory’s jam failing to sell, but the production process itself.
The jam made by the factory was still somewhat different from Mama Wang’s. In terms of flavor, Mama Wang’s was obviously better. Later, Wang Cheng brought several jars over for Lu Dade and the others to taste. Every one of them agreed the jam was excellent. When they heard it had been made by the factory manager’s mother, Lu Dade and the others were surprised. Once that surprise passed, they immediately understood what their manager intended.
“Factory Manager, we make more than one kind of jam here. Are we only going to produce this one from now on?” Lu Dade asked with some concern, holding the jar Wang Cheng had brought.
“Of course not. Keep making the others. We’ll just adjust the main line to follow this recipe.” Wang Cheng rejected the idea. The factory did not make only one kind of jam. The one they mainly produced was a thick, paste-like jam that still contained some small pieces of fruit after cooking and bottling. Another type was thinner and more viscous, used as filling for ice pops, ice cream bars, ice cream, and similar products. Competition in that market was fierce as well, but it was not the factory’s main product.
Hearing that, no one had any further objections.
Afterward, Wang Cheng discussed the matter with Mama Wang. She had no objection either, so they chose a time to visit the factory together. Mama Wang did not know much about using industrial machinery, but she knew how to make good jam. She explained some of her methods and tricks to the factory’s technicians. The technicians were more professionally trained than she was, so they understood almost immediately. After several rounds of testing, they had more or less mastered the method.
At the same time, another piece of good news arrived.
The Du brothers’ factories were inspected by the Health Bureau again. This time, unlike the previous inspection, they could not simply slip through. The factories had always had problems. They had escaped before only because those problems were well hidden. Under a thorough investigation, the inspectors finally found them.
Each of the Du brothers’ factories had a secret cold-storage room. Inside were piles of rotten fruit bought cheaply from the countryside. Oranges were the most common winter fruit, so nearly ninety percent of the contents were spoiled oranges. Even though they had been frozen, the foul smell of decay still filled the air, and many were so rotten they nearly collapsed at a touch.
Because the shipment had arrived only the night before, they had not had time to dispose of the evidence. Even worse for the Du brothers, the cold-storage room had a door connecting to another room, and that room was where the rotten fruit was turned into jam. Several large vats were filled with spoiled fruit. All of it was photographed as evidence.
After the scandal broke, the Du brothers tried sending money and pulling strings, but nothing worked. Orders had already come down from above that this case was to be punished severely and without leniency. Otherwise, more unscrupulous merchants would simply appear. To crack down on such businesses, the relevant authorities even formed a dedicated investigative team.
The news soon made the front page of the local newspaper. Public condemnation rose in wave after wave. Jam, canned fruit, fruit juice, and every other product made by the Du brothers’ factories was thrown away or recalled. The merchants who had chased cheaper prices and placed orders with them also suffered losses to varying degrees.
No one was happier about the Du brothers’ downfall than Lu Dade and the others. For the past half year, they had constantly hoped the factories would collapse, not only because the brothers had stolen their business, but because of basic morality and conscience. They simply wanted the Du brothers to stop harming people who knew nothing about what they were eating. Because of the scandal, the benefits to Wang Cheng’s jam factory far exceeded anything they had expected.
Wang Cheng took advantage of the wave of public concern over unscrupulous food businesses. When a reporter came to investigate, he led the reporter through his own factory so they could see its operation with their own eyes, including the fruit used to make the jam, all of it fresh, sweet, and good quality.
The reporter personally tasted the products. When the reporter later asked about the Du brothers’ factories, Wang Cheng arranged for Lu Dade and the others to accompany them and explain what the brothers had done over the years. The reporter knew exactly how to use the material. As expected from someone skilled at playing with words, the resulting article condemned the Du brothers while contrasting them with Wang Cheng’s jam factory in highly emotional language, earning the factory a great deal of public sympathy.
After that, orders began arriving one after another. In only a few days, they received as many orders as they normally did in an entire month, leaving Lu Dade and the others grinning from ear to ear. But they soon discovered the “hardship” that came with success.
With so many orders, even producing jam every day and working overtime was barely enough to meet demand. Eventually, the factory had no choice but to put up help-wanted notices. Fortunately, their recent newspaper exposure had made them well known, so plenty of people came to apply. After a careful selection process, they hired quite a few.
Just when everyone thought the busy period was finally about to ease, customers who had already placed orders came back and increased them. It turned out the new jam was selling extremely well. The first orders had been too small and had sold out almost immediately. Some longtime customers also noticed that this jam tasted different from what the factory had produced before. It was better.
To reward the factory workers, Wang Cheng raised everyone’s wages. The work was harder, but the employees had never been happier.
The old factory manager came by several times and was deeply comforted to see the place thriving again.
Some people said that if the Du brothers had been investigated earlier and the scandal had broken sooner, the old manager would never have needed to sell the jam factory he had spent so many years running. He might have looked decisive when he sold it, but the old man had genuine feelings for the place.
The smarter employees did not join that conversation. No one knew who exactly had brought the Du brothers down, but everyone vaguely suspected the new factory manager had something to do with it. Otherwise, why had the Du brothers’ factories collapsed almost as soon as he arrived? No one believed it was completely unrelated to him.
“Supervisor Lu! Is Supervisor Lu here?”
An employee outside suddenly shouted Lu Dade’s name. Hearing himself called, Lu Dade went out, and the employee told him someone was looking for him.
Lu Dade wondered who it could be, but the moment he walked outside, he saw Xiao Ma. He immediately remembered what the new factory manager had told him last time. Lu Dade had never confronted Xiao Ma afterward, but the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that the manager had been right. Since then, he had stopped paying attention to Xiao Ma and had even told his wife to do the same. After the Du brothers’ factories shut down, Xiao Ma had lost his job as well. Lu Dade had heard through relatives that he was looking for work. Seeing him suddenly appear now, Lu Dade had a good guess why.
“Uncle Lu, I finally caught you.” Xiao Ma had apparently forgotten what he had done before and greeted Lu Dade with an affectionate, delighted expression.
“What are you doing here?” Lu Dade’s tone was unfriendly, though Xiao Ma did not seem to notice.
“Uncle Lu, I heard the jam factory is hiring. Could you put in a word for me and help me get a job here?” Xiao Ma had heard that wages at the jam factory were generally a little higher than at other factories and became interested. But the factory’s hiring standards were relatively strict. Afraid he would not make it in, he came to Lu Dade hoping to use the relationship for a little backdoor help.
“I’m afraid that won’t work. The factory manager won’t agree,” Lu Dade told him truthfully.
Xiao Ma froze. “Why?”
Lu Dade sighed. “Do you remember when you told me about the Du brothers’ shipment? Later, you asked why you had given me the information but we never did anything. After that, I went and asked the factory manager.”
The moment the matter came up, Xiao Ma felt guilty. Wang Cheng had been right. He had indeed taken money from the Du brothers. When nothing happened afterward, they assumed he had pretended to cooperate while never passing the information to Lu Dade, so they deliberately docked half a month of his wages. Xiao Ma had been heartbroken over the money but had no way to complain. The only reason he dared come to Lu Dade now was because he assumed Lu Dade still did not know the truth. Otherwise, his uncle should have confronted him long ago.
“What did your factory manager say?” Xiao Ma swallowed, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
“The factory manager specifically told me that if you ever wanted to work here, we must not hire you. He didn’t tell me why. He only gave me that instruction.”
Wang Cheng had never actually said any such thing. He certainly would not have hired Xiao Ma, though. Anyone capable of taking money to help the Du brothers cover up the truth had long since fed his conscience to the dogs. Hiring someone like that would only invite disaster. Lu Dade lied because he did not want a falling-out among relatives, and Xiao Ma was petty by nature, the kind of person who refused to admit fault even when he had clearly done wrong. In any case, the factory manager did not come by very often and was unlikely ever to cross paths with Xiao Ma. Lu Dade would apologize to Wang Cheng later.
“That’s discrimination!” Xiao Ma exploded. “He’s only the manager of some little factory. What’s so impressive about him? What a snob, looking down on people like that! Uncle Lu, someone like that isn’t worth working yourself to death for. He gets all the benefits while you do the work.”
“Don’t get angry. How about I go ask the factory manager again and find out exactly why he refuses to let you work here? What do you think?” Lu Dade asked with false concern.
Xiao Ma’s expression changed slightly. “No need, Uncle Lu. If he doesn’t want to hire me, then there’s no point going in anyway. Who knows how he’d make things difficult for me afterward. It’s not as if this is the only factory I can work at. But before I go, let me give you one piece of advice. A manager like that really isn’t worth your loyalty. You should go back to work. I’m leaving.”
Lu Dade watched him go, thoroughly disappointed. Did Xiao Ma really think he could not hear the attempt to drive a wedge between him and the factory manager? The man knew perfectly well he had done something wrong, yet before leaving he still had to pull something like this. Lu Dade and his wife had treated him so well in the past, only to discover they had been feeding an ungrateful wolf. Still, resolving the problem with this younger relative so easily put Lu Dade in an excellent mood. When he got home, he told his wife what had happened, and the two decided they would no longer associate with that branch of the family.