Chapter 60: Is it a knife, a shield, or a shit-stained mop?

When work started in the afternoon, Chu Zhongxin and Wang Lei did not return either.

Ning Weidong was not surprised; this so-called investigation team was nothing more than a token gesture.

The main purpose was to keep things from looking too ugly for the Red Star Factory, and if any problems were truly uncovered in the end, it could be framed as a self-inspection and self-correction, leaving some room for maneuver.

As for the specifics of how the investigation would be conducted, it would still be led by Public Security.

Additionally, those two people from the Technical Section didn't come either, so for the whole afternoon, it was just Ning Weidong and Lu Zhou staring at each other.

Until five o'clock in the evening, when it was time to get off work.

Ning Weidong didn't stay a moment longer and went straight home after work.

Since he had been transferred out of the West Gate and joined the investigation team, he didn't need to go punch the clock anymore; he could just grab his bike from the shed and leave.

Just as he reached the South Gate of the factory, he was called out by Wu Bingzhong: "Weidong! Weidong!"

"Oh, Old Wu," Ning Weidong smiled and stopped: "What time is it, and you're still not off work?"

Wu Bingzhong hurried forward two steps, reached Ning Weidong, and said in a low voice: "Weidong, I heard you've been transferred into the building."

The so-called "in the building" referred to the Factory Office Building, which was also the workers' nickname for the cadres who sat in offices.

Ning Weidong laughed: "I'm just borrowed temporarily to run errands and do odd jobs for others; I have to go back when it's done."

"How could that be?" Wu Bingzhong never expected that a blockhead like Ning Weidong could be transferred into the building.

He heard the news at noon today and couldn't believe it for half the day, thinking it was a joke.

It wasn't until his "superiors" found him and asked him to go find Ning Weidong to understand the situation with the investigation team that Wu Bingzhong finally believed it.

He still couldn't figure out why Ning Weidong had joined the investigation team, but no matter how much he couldn't understand it, he had to get the job done.

Wu Bingzhong said with a grin: "Weidong, let me ask you something."

Ning Weidong knew what he wanted to ask and said straightforwardly: "You want to ask about the investigation team?"

Wu Bingzhong nodded hurriedly, looked left and right, and whispered: "Everyone in the factory is talking about this now. How is it? Any progress?"

Ning Weidong said with difficulty: "This... Brother Wu, it's not that I won't tell you, it's really... yesterday Section Chief Li specifically instructed me to keep my mouth shut and not go around talking nonsense. Please don't make it hard for me."

"This..." Wu Bingzhong's mouth twitched; since Ning Weidong had brought up Section Chief Li, he didn't know what else to say.

In fact, it wasn't that Ning Weidong couldn't reveal some information, it was just that Wu Bingzhong didn't know how to conduct himself and was too annoying.

He always wanted to get things for free and was never satisfied with taking small advantages.

Last time he asked Ning Weidong to keep an eye on the West Gate, and this time it was the same.

"Well... Brother Wu, I have something to do, so I'll be off first. See you later." Ning Weidong rode out of the gate, pedaled hard twice, and was already gone.

Wu Bingzhong hadn't asked anything and felt depressed. He spat and muttered: "Stinking chamber pot, you're really putting on airs, what the hell..."

He didn't think there was anything wrong with how he did things; instead, he felt that Ning Weidong had just gotten lucky and turned his back on him after being transferred into the building.

Last time he looked for Ning Weidong, he had even given him fifty yuan for nothing.

He was also very troubled; his superiors knew his relationship with Ning Weidong and wanted to use him as a line to continue exploiting Ning Weidong.

Since he couldn't ask anything, he wouldn't be able to report back.

Wu Bingzhong rolled his eyes and muttered to himself: "Damn it, the world doesn't stop turning just because you're gone! You're not the only one on the investigation team."

Ning Weidong rode all the way home. It was the first time he had gotten off work at five o'clock; Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen's workplaces were both near Xicheng, so Ning Weidong was actually the last one to arrive home.

Looking at the calendar, it was already March, but the weather in Beijing hadn't warmed up at all. It started to get cloudy in the afternoon, and by the time evening came, around the time people got off work, snowflakes began to drift down sparsely.

As soon as Ning Weidong pushed his bicycle into the gate of the Dazayuan, he saw six or seven half-grown children, led by Ning Lei, running out like a gust of wind.

Seeing Ning Weidong, Ning Lei called out "Third Uncle," but didn't stop.

"It's almost time to eat, and you're still running out," Ning Weidong shouted.

Ning Lei replied "I'll be right back" and ran off with the group of children without even turning his head.

Ning Weidong didn't pay any attention to it; if this kid came back late, his mother would deal with him.

He entered the courtyard, propped up his bicycle, and happened to hear Wang Yuzhen calling from the Upper Room: "Xiao Lei, time to eat!"

Ning Weidong lifted the door curtain and went in, saying with a smile: "Sister-in-law, stop calling. I just saw Xiao Lei run out with a bunch of kids."

Wang Yuzhen complained, "This child," put the bowls and chopsticks in her hand on the table, and added: "You hurry up and wash your hands, let's eat."

Ning Weidong agreed, shouted "Brother, time to eat" toward the inner room, rolled up his sleeves, and took a basin to get water to wash his hands.

When the three of them sat down, Ning Weidong grabbed a steaming big white steamed bun: "Sister-in-law, what's the occasion today? Steaming big white buns." As he said this, he broke one open: "Whoa, it's even stuffed with bean paste."

Wang Yuzhen had stewed cabbage with frozen tofu; she had placed a magazine on the table and set the clay pot directly on it.

"Sister-in-law, did you set aside Xiao Lei's portion of the dish?" Ning Weidong asked while eating a bite of the bun.

Wang Yuzhen said irritably: "Set aside what? He runs out to play right at mealtime; he should just come back and eat leftovers."

Ning Weidong said with a grin: "Fine, you really are his biological mother." As he spoke, he got up to go to the kitchen to get a bowl, came back out, scooped a bowl of food for Ning Lei, and set it aside.

He then said: "By the way, sister-in-law, let me ask you about someone. You have a cousin named Chu Zhongxin who works at the Public Security Bureau?"

Wang Yuzhen nodded, surprised: "How do you know him?"

Ning Weidong explained the situation from the day.

After listening, Wang Yuzhen couldn't help but complain: "That guy, he's always so unreliable." She then turned serious: "Weidong, it's good that you're keeping your guard up. Chu Zhongxin is indeed my cousin, from my second aunt's side."

Ning Weidong said "Hmm" and added: "Then I'm relieved." He took a bite of the red bean bun and continued: "This morning, I went with Brother Chu to Liu Xinwen and Wang Hong's homes to understand the situation. I'm afraid this accident isn't simple..."

Having nothing to hide from Ning Weiguo and his wife, Ning Weidong laid out the day's situation and some of his speculations.

Ning Weiguo's pace of chewing the bun slowed down, and his brain began to think rapidly.

He said in a deep voice: "It seems the situation at the Red Star Factory is very serious!"

Ning Weidong looked at him and then at Wang Yuzhen: "Brother, sister-in-law... was sending Brother Chu over this time meant to take the opportunity to expose things, or..."

Ning Weidong's concern was not without reason.

Chu Zhongxin's background was quite intriguing; why was it him out of so many people? If it were an ordinary person, this so-called accident investigation team would just be a facade.

But in the hands of Chu Zhongxin, he brings his own resources, which allows him to play a key role in this position.

The room for maneuvering is very large; to a certain extent, at least for this period of time, Chu Zhongxin's position is enough to hold the two major factions within the Manager, represented by Li Weibing and Wang Guoqiang.

As for Ning Weidong, he needs to figure out the role he plays under Chu Zhongxin.

Is he a blade, a shield, or a mop stained with shit.

(End of this chapter)