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墨書 Inktalez
Song Pearl bought a bowl of porridge and an egg at Helper this morning, but there wasn't a single grain of rice in the spoonful of watery porridge.
"Is this just rice soaked in water?" Song Pearl wasn't very picky, but even she had an opinion about the porridge being thinner than the water used to wash pots.
"Hey, there's nothing we can do about it. When Half Spoon checked out yesterday, he was short three dollars. Our Helper isn't meant to be profitable, but we can't take a loss either, so that three dollars came out of this morning's rice porridge..."
The vendor explained with a grin.
"You made a mistake with the money and now we have to suffer for it?" several workers shouted together. "When Night Shift Supervisor comes to buy food later, will you serve him like this too?"
"Of course, it's all the same. Look, the pot is like this," the vendor stirred the murky water in the pot with a spoon.
Song Pearl silently took her food and stepped outside, hoping not to run into anyone who had been behind her in line yesterday. She remembered that because she smiled yesterday, the vegetable vendor didn't charge her the three dollars.
After finishing her simple breakfast, Song Pearl arrived at Inspection Station. The young man who had worked the night shift had already changed out of his uniform and was carrying it in a bag, preparing to leave.
"You’re here early?" The young man greeted Song Pearl when he saw her.
"Yes, I’ve eaten. Just waiting for something to do," Song Pearl replied.
"Every morning our department has a morning meeting. Let’s go together!" The young man introduced himself, "My name is Wang Shuzhi, I live in a nearby town."
"Oh," Song Pearl nodded, "I’m Song Pearl, I came over yesterday."
"I already knew that; I heard from the supervisor," Wang Shuzhi said with a smile.
The two chatted as they walked towards the office area.
"Our Quality Department is in the office on the east side of the company. You went there when you reported yesterday, right?"
"No, the supervisor took me to Inspection Station."
"That might be because Minister Liu didn’t come yesterday. Our Quality Department’s previous Minister Su resigned to go home and trade stocks; now the current Minister is Liu, but he’s just acting as Minister."
"Oh," Song Pearl thought, aside from smiling, the most she could manage was "oh," as everything around her felt unfamiliar, and she needed time to digest what others were saying.
When Wang Shuzhi reached the office door and saw the lights still on, he quickly walked a few steps and leaned against the window to take a look inside.
"Wow, what's going on with the director?"
Wang Shuzhi only took a glance before heading to the door and pushing it open. Song Pearl, unsure of what was happening, followed him into the office.
The air in the office felt stiflingly cold, as if the heater had gone out. On the sofa sat Ban Chengdong, nursing a cup of water with a bruised face.
Hearing someone enter, Ban Chengdong looked up.
Song Pearl noticed that the cat paw prints on his forehead were gone, but there were several scratches on his face.
"I didn't hear any commotion at the front door last night. Who did you get into a fight with?" Wang Shuzhi asked with a click of his tongue.
"Don't mention it," Ban Chengdong sighed deeply. "What bad luck! Last night I fell into a well and nearly lost my life! Luckily, when I was patrolling, I had a piece of iron in my hand. When I fell into the well, I managed to brace myself against the wall; otherwise, I would have died instantly. It took me over two hours to climb out."
"How could you fall into a well? That's too dangerous!" Wang Shuzhi said, concerned as he walked over to check Ban Chengdong's injuries. "Are you okay?"
"It's nothing serious, just sprained my ankle and bumped my leg," Ban Chengdong replied while pressing his hand against his waist. "Thank goodness I had that piece of iron..."
Although Song Pearl's few words had upset him, Ban Chengdong still carried that piece of iron on his shoulder while patrolling.
It wasn't his first time on duty; he knew better than anyone else. But for some reason, when he reached the newly constructed Six Workshop, it felt as if something was summoning him, and his legs moved uncontrollably toward the newly dug well. He stepped right in...
In a flurry of panic, he managed to raise the iron above his head just in time to stop himself from falling further down against the uneven walls of the well.
Ban Chengdong gripped the bar tightly, feeling his heart race. Without that moment of relief, he would have fallen without injury but ended up disabled.
Although the well was not properly dug and there was no water, it was so cold that staying out here for a night would surely lead to freezing to death.
"Fortunately, we escaped without any danger!" Wang Shuzhi said. "The bus should be here soon; I'll go call someone from the infirmary!"
"No need," the homeroom teacher interrupted, recalling the girl with sunglasses who had come with Song Pearl yesterday. He felt she was unreliable. "Help me to the bus; I'll go to the County Town hospital for another check."
Wang Shuzhi went over to support Ban Chengdong, but after several attempts, he still couldn't stand up. Seeing this, Song Pearl also came over to help.
"You won't be much help!" Wang Shuzhi said to Song Pearl. "The Quality Department should be having a meeting now; go call someone else to help."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Song Pearl left the office and looked up to see the person who resembled a certain figure from yesterday passing by the door. This person was easy to remember—dark-skinned with distinctive features, walking with a commanding presence and looking quite formidable.
"Hey, that person!" Song Pearl called out.
The person, who had been looking down while walking, turned their sharp, slender eyes toward Song Pearl and asked, "Did you call me?"
"Could you please come over and help?" Song Pearl quickly replied.
The person approached with a questioning look and exclaimed upon seeing the office, "Old Ban, what happened? Did someone get into a fight during the night shift?"
"Don't mention it; it's all because of your New Workshop... Hurry and help me up!"
As Wang Shuzhi and the other person helped Ban Chengdong out of the office, he said to Song Pearl, "You should go to the meeting; everyone should be arriving by now!"
"Oh," Song Pearl replied and quickly walked toward the Quality Department as directed by Wang Shuzhi, arriving at the office marked with the Quality Department sign.
The door to the Quality Department was closed. Song Pearl pushed it slightly, and someone inside pulled it open. She hurried in as the door closed behind her.
The narrow office was filled with people. The speaker at the head of the table stopped talking upon seeing Song Pearl enter, displaying an annoyed expression on his face.
"Newcomer, please pay attention next time; don't be late for meetings," he said.
"Oh."
Song Pearl glanced around at the people nearby, some were fat, some were thin, and most were men. The only female employees were Gao Xiaoxia and a fair-skinned middle-aged woman.
The two of them were sitting close to Minister's desk, and since Song Pearl arrived late, she had no choice but to stand at the door.
"Since we have new colleagues joining us today, I will reiterate the company's discipline and our department's responsibilities..." Minister Liu lowered his eyelids. "Is there someone still missing?"
"Wang Shuzhi has something going on over there," Song Pearl quickly replied upon hearing Minister Liu's question.
Minister Liu shot a glare at Song Pearl. "Missing the morning meeting without reason incurs a fine of fifty. Please send the penalty notice to the finance department later."
"Yes, Minister," Gao Xiaoxia, who was sitting closest to Minister, readily agreed.
"He went to help that..." Song Pearl wanted to explain further, but someone next to her tugged at her sleeve. She looked down, and the person beside her shook their head, signaling her not to speak anymore.
Song Pearl had no choice but to keep quiet, lowering her head as she continued to listen to Minister Liu speak.
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