Lin Chuxia paid her no heed and said to Yuan Bao, “Continue.”
Yuan Bao sniffed two more from the security department, and when it got to Chen Chunhua, it began barking wildly.
Chen Chunhua’s face turned pale, “Get away, get away, stay away from me, someone take this dog away, I’m terrified of dogs, get out…”
Not only did Yuan Bao not leave, but it also lunged forward to tear at her clothes.
Chen Chunhua couldn’t help screaming, but at that moment, no one had the time to care about her as Yuan Bao swiftly tore her clothes and something fell out.
Ma Yingzi stepped forward to take a look, “Mr. Lin, these are our seasoning packets.”
Then she peered inside Chen Chunhua’s clothes, which were filled with fine seasoning powder.
No wonder the seasoning packets couldn’t be found; she had actually filled her clothes with them.
And they were wrapped in plastic bags, hidden under her clothes. Chen Chunhua was already on the plump side, and she was wearing a jacket today, which made it even easier to conceal things.
Yuan Bao had found what Lin Chuxia wanted, tail wagging, it barked twice at Lin Chuxia.
Lin Chuxia waved at it, and it scuttled happily over to her, tongue out, gazing at her with eyes that begged for praise and commendation.
Lin Chuxia suspected that Yuan Bao would be smart enough to help find the items if Chen Chunhua had them on her or nearby.
It turned out to be smarter than she had imagined.
Dazed for a moment, Little Yuanbao couldn’t wait any longer and nudged Lin Chuxia’s hand with its head while making snorting noises from its nostrils.
Lin Chuxia burst into laughter and vigorously rubbed its head, “Yuan Bao, you’re truly amazing.”
With the evidence laid out in front of her, Chen Chunhua’s commanding demeanor was gone. Her eyes seemed to spit fire as she glared fiercely at Ma Yingzi.
“Are you satisfied now, huh? Are you satisfied?”
Ma Yingzi was confused when Lin Chuxia signaled Sun Liangdong with her eyes, “Go report to the police.”
“Don’t, please,” Chen Chunhua yelled out, “Mr. Lin, I was wrong, please forgive me this once. I was just being foolish.”
“Just being foolish? If I’m not mistaken, this is the second time you’ve stolen from the factory. Wasn’t the first time enough for you?”
Chen Chunhua no longer dared to argue, “It really was just foolishness. That person gave me 20 yuan to sneak a pack of the factory’s seasoning packets. I thought that with so many packets in the factory, one less wouldn’t matter. Mr. Lin, I truly know my mistake. I’m willing to return the 20 yuan to the factory. Please spare me this one time.”
“Do you think the factory is short of your 20 yuan? Chen Chunhua, you actually know everything, yet you still do this. Are you not satisfied with your job at the Bun Shop?”
Some time ago, after improvements were made to the cooked food at the Old Food Factory, the Bun Shop purchased some to let everyone try. Chen Chunhua appeared righteously indignant at the time; who would have thought that she was the mastermind behind the trouble.
She clearly knew the consequences of losing seasoning packets, yet she stole them once again for the food factory. Was it really just for 20 yuan?
“I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t want to. I thought giving them two packets of seasoning would be enough, but they kept asking me for more. If I didn’t agree, they threatened to expose the situation. I didn’t want this…”
“What about the first time? No one forced you the first time.”
Ma Yingzi, realizing she stole factory seasoning packets for a mere 20 yuan, regretted failing to see through such a person introduced to Lin Chuxia.
“Shut up.”
Chen Chunhua suddenly shouted, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Ma Yingzi.
“What right do you have to criticize me? If you say I was forced, then it was you who forced me.”
“You knew I didn’t like working at the Bun Shop, but you wouldn’t help me speak to Mr. Lin. How did you introduce the job to me in the first place? You said we’d work together, but look at what happened. You’re over there in the courtyard earning a high salary every month, and you threw me into the Bun Shop and didn’t care. I asked you to put in a good word with the boss so I could be transferred over, and you made all sorts of excuses, saying it was for my good. In reality, you’re just afraid I’d earn more than you.”
“In the end, you’re just selfish. If you didn’t want to deal with me, you could’ve just said so from the start, not even bother introducing me to the job. On the surface, you act kind and friendly, better than anyone. But what about really?”
“Don’t you remember what it was like when you first came here? Besides me, who would bother with a country girl like you? An ungrateful wretch, a white-eyed wolf…”
Ma Yingzi listened to the accusations and unbelievably took a step back, finally looking at Lin Chuxia in a daze…
…
Chen Chunhua was taken away by the public security. Stealing seasoning packets was indeed not a major crime, for at the time, awareness of intellectual property rights wasn’t that strong; it wasn’t actual money and its value couldn’t be quantified.
This is also why, in these times, some factory security departments had the authority to handle theft of factory property.
If the security department’s authority seemed extensive, it was also due to the imperfections of the legal system.
Either way, Chen Chunhua certainly wouldn’t continue to work at the Bun Shop.
This served as a warning for Lin Chuxia and her team, prompting Su Wensong to strengthen management in the Food Factory.
Moreover, Lin Chuxia discussed their next steps of the plan with Su Wensong.
There was still some empty space in the Food Factory, and Lin Chuxia planned to bring in machinery for making beef sauce.
It wasn’t for no reason; Lin Chuxia learned that Ancheng County’s Food Factory mainly produced meat sauce.
They had to ensure their theft of Xiyang’s seasoning packets wasn’t in vain. Even though Chen Chunhua was incarcerated, the Food Factory hadn’t learned their lesson.
Even if Chen Chunhua revealed her contact person inside, the Food Factory could simply put the blame on that individual, claiming it to be a personal act.
Life and work were full of uncertainties, and going with the flow was the best way to avoid being swayed by fluctuations.
This was also why she suspected the seasoning packet issue was linked to Chen Chunhua and yet chose to act accordingly.
If they could find the mastermind and strike back at the Food Factory, that would be ideal. Without concrete evidence to hit back at the Food Factory, she wouldn’t accuse others of incompetence.
If this path was blocked, then they would find another way.
In the world of adults, there is only selection, not education. Like eating, the more hardships one withstands, the more one grows.
She wasn’t going to expect to do everything perfectly just because she had been reborn once, to not afford any mistakes.
Even after being reborn, she was still a person of flesh and blood, not an immortal.
Moreover, aren’t challenges and competition the meaning of life?
When Su Wensong heard Lin Chuxia’s proposal, he knew her purpose, and his hands involuntarily clenched.
In the end, as the head of the Food Factory, it was his oversight that such a thing had occurred.
He had also thought about finding the person who stole the seasoning packets and following the trail to deal a blow to the Old Food Factory. Little did he expect to only send Chen Chunhua to the police station, leaving the Old Food Factory virtually unscathed.
For this reason, he even specifically sought out Sun Hao, thinking that even if it meant leveraging relationships, they couldn’t let the Old Food Factory get away easily.
But Sun Hao told him that without evidence, indeed, there was nothing he could do.
The frustration was stuck in his chest, not going up or down, and Su Wensong had been stewing over it for several days. Unexpectedly, Mr. Lin had already found a new and imaginative way to strike back and seek revenge against the Old Food Factory.