Stunning Dragon Wife
Chapter 499 - 498 Bankruptcy

Chapter 499: Chapter 498 Bankruptcy

"Everybody stop making a fuss, let Factory Director Sun rest for now, if anyone has something to say, we can find a place to sit down and talk it out properly," Jiang Man said with a panicked expression.

But the workers were not buying it.

"Talk my ass, don’t think we’re clueless—we already know that the county had a meeting this morning, planning to let our Hui Nong Pharmaceutical Factory go bankrupt. And this time, they won’t even compensate for our injuries, just merely covering the medical expenses, isn’t that bullshit?"

"Exactly, you can’t leave, we’re going to clear things up here today. Once you step out that door, you’ll definitely deny everything," one worker said.

"Right, right, we’re all workers in our forties and fifties, we’ve dedicated the prime of our lives to the pharmaceutical factory, and now they’re laying us off—isn’t that just pushing us to our deaths?"

"No way, they must compensate us for our work-related injuries, and there needs to be a solution for our resettlement," another insisted.

The crowd was clamoring, each person speaking their mind, and Jiang Man was exhausted from trying to respond to all of them.

Now, all the other responsible people from the county were hiding, leaving her alone to clean up this mess. Facing these agitated workers, she simply couldn’t cope.

For a moment, she felt rather hopeless.

"I can understand how you all feel, but is making a scene going to solve anything?" she implored.

Suddenly, a voice came from one side.

The crowd turned their heads and there was Zhang Xiaoshan, striding swiftly towards them.

"Little Shan."

Upon seeing Zhang Xiaoshan, Jiang Man, who was always so strong, burst into tears of grievance and began sobbing, covering her face.

She didn’t know when it began, but she had started to rely on Zhang Xiaoshan from the bottom of her heart.

In front of Zhang Xiaoshan, she could let go of the armor of feigned strength and comfortably be a vulnerable woman.

Zhang Xiaoshan pushed through the crowd and stood in front of Jiang Man to protect her.

Jiang Man immediately grabbed Zhang Xiaoshan’s arm anxiously, and felt much more at ease.

"Kid, who the hell are you?" one of the workers demanded.

"Who cares who he is, he looks like he’s in cahoots with this lady vice-chair, let’s beat him up," another suggested.

"Let’s give the county people a piece of our mind," someone else chimed in.

A few of the younger men started crowding in on Zhang Xiaoshan.

The fury of the crowd was not easily subdued.

These workers had been pushed to their limit, their very livelihood was at stake, and they certainly wouldn’t recognize kin.

Zhang Xiaoshan was also furious, a group of men ganging up on a woman.

Wasn’t this just asking for a beating?

Just as the conflict was about to erupt.

"Don’t throw punches!

The door to the ward swung open, and Sun Dazhi’s voice came through.

Sun Youyou and Zhou Huifen, one on each side, were helping Sun Dazhi stand at the doorway looking out at the crowd.

Sun Dazhi’s health had improved somewhat by then, but he still appeared quite ill.

"Big Brother Shan," Sun Youyou called out sweetly to Zhang Xiaoshan, but her expression soured slightly as her gaze flicked over Jiang Man holding onto Zhang Xiaoshan’s arm.

She bit her lip, seeming aggrieved.

But in such a situation, Zhang Xiaoshan was hardly in a position to notice these details.

"Factory Director Sun, you, you’re able to get out of bed?"

Upon seeing Sun Dazhi, the workers’ emotions cooled down considerably.

Sun Dazhi was the deputy director of Hui Nong Pharmaceutical Factory. After the director took early retirement due to illness half a year ago, no one had been willing to take over the mess, so Sun Dazhi became the person in charge. He was approachable, came from the ranks of front-line workers, and many in the factory were either his old colleagues or apprentices he had personally trained, so he was much beloved by everyone.

"Uncle Sun, you just had surgery, you should go back to bed and rest," Zhang Xiaoshan advised Sun Dazhi.

Sun Dazhi waved his hand and said.

"I know my own body, I can still handle it."

He then grabbed Zhang Xiaoshan’s hand and addressed the crowd.

"Folks, this young man is an outstanding student of my wife and also the man who saved my life. If not for him today, I would’ve crossed the threshold into the netherworld. Moreover, he has nothing to do with the county authorities. If you give him trouble, it’s like slapping my old face," he explained.

Hearing this, the workers’ attitude changed immediately.

"No, we’re sorry, we didn’t know you were Factory Director Sun’s lifesaver, we apologize," they said.

The once intense conflict suddenly eased.

Then Sun Dazhi continued to speak to Zhang Xiaoshan.

"Little Shan, don’t hold it against the workers. There are some issues here you’re not aware of," he said.

"Our Hui Nong Pharmaceutical Factory is an old establishment of over thirty years, a public industry of the county. In previous years, we’ve made quite a lot of money for the county, but in recent years, due to poor transportation and outdated equipment in the factory, our performance has declined," he explained.

"For the past year, salaries have been frequently delayed. The previous director was forced into early retirement, and that old storeroom which collapsed should have been refurbished a long time ago, but due to lack of funds, it ended in tragedy."

"The county has been hinting at letting the pharmaceutical factory go bankrupt for a while now, but the workers disagreed. After this incident, the county’s resolve for bankruptcy has strengthened."

"I heard that the main leaders had a meeting this morning and plan, after covering this accident’s medical expenses, to let the factory go bankrupt directly, without even offering severance pay. You tell me, can the workers be without grievances?"

Immediately, a group of workers nearby nodded in agreement.

A man in his fifties, with tears in his eyes, said,

"I started working here right after graduating from technical school at seventeen. Back then, the county was quite poor; there weren’t many ways to make money. We pharmaceutical factory workers slaved day and night. I’ve spent half my life toiling for this place, and now they want to push us out, shatter our livelihoods—tell me, is that justice?"

"Yeah, my son’s wedding is all set, he’s about to get married, and both my son and I are workers. If both of us lose our jobs, do we even have a way to survive?" another questioned, voice choking with emotion.

Then, a woman sobbed,

"My husband had his leg crushed, and the county only covered the medical expenses, not a penny in compensation. We’re both over fifty—how are we supposed to live from now on?"

Zhang Xiaoshan’s anger turned into sympathy.

If it’s all true, no wonder the workers were so stirred up.

"Sister Man, are they telling the truth?"

He looked toward Jiang Man.