Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 204: Pointing at the Mulberry Tree but Cursing the Locust Tree

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Pointing at the Mulberry Tree but Cursing the Locust Tree

The middle-aged woman looked like she could swallow Chen Ningxi whole, but facing the woman’s dominance didn’t make Ning Xi feel afraid; rather, she felt more confident.

Someone who was emotionally unstable and easily irritable was bound to show flaws.

So, someone at her level wouldn’t make Chen Ningxi spend too much effort.

She smiled sweetly and spoke slowly, "Sister-in-law, we’re all waiting for you."

The woman froze, her attempt at causing a scene was instantly dismantled by Chen Ningxi, "...Waiting for me? For what?"

Chen Ningxi said, "Sister-in-law, didn’t I say on the phone, since you’re the legal representative of the brick factory, we need you here for the inspection."

Xiong Chengbin, seeing Chen Ningxi’s cheerful demeanor toward his wife, threw his cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his shoe, saying in a double entendre, "What do you know, woman."

Zhao Zhengyu said, "What kind of attitude is this? Speak more civilly."

Xiong Chengbin sniffed and frowned, "Why the hell did you even answer the phone? What do you know."

With outsiders present, the woman flushed with anger but didn’t back down, "Who are you talking to, huh? If my phone rings and I don’t pick it up, what’s the point of having spent eight thousand on a phone? Should I just leave it there to make noises, or maybe put it on a board and worship it?"

Xiong Chengbin cursed again and lunged at the woman, but was immediately restrained by the keen onlookers.

"What are you doing, what are you doing?" Zhao Zhengyu pulled Xiong Chengbin’s arm back, "Even with police here, you’re going to fight?"

Chen Ningxi also held the woman back, "Sister-in-law, it’s not a big deal, calm down."

The inspection was delayed for half an hour due to the couple’s bickering; only when they calmed down did the formal inspection begin.

Tian Quan headed toward the meter box. Chen Ningxi said, "Let’s go check the meter now, come along."

Xiong Chengbin, still fuming, turned his head indifferently, "I’m not going."

The young policeman, Yu Yanchuan, said, "Are you sure you don’t want to go? You can’t claim you didn’t see anything if power issues arise."

Chen Ningxi observed his expression, noting something calculating behind it. He pressed his lips tightly and nodded, "Let’s go."

The group marched in a line toward the meter box, with Chen Ningxi chatting with the woman along the way.

"Sister-in-law, how many years has this brick factory been running?"

The woman, named Fan Xia, replied, "Seven or eight years."

Liu Shaojun, walking closer to them, listened more intently.

Chen Ningxi said, "That’s not a short time. The factory must be doing well, right?"

Fan Xia was about to answer when someone behind them coughed, "Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

Fan Xia immediately understood and with a smile said, "It’s hard to do business now, not many orders. You might say we earn a profit, but whatever we make goes into raw materials, labor, transportation, and utility fees. You tell me, what business doesn’t cost money, plus taxes—we just barely make ends meet for our family of three. It’s painstaking work; you can count on it. It’s better not to start a business on your own—better off like you guys, with good electricity benefits and stable jobs, so envious."

Crying poverty was a tactic to imply the brick factory wasn’t profitable, using less energy. But from Fan Xia’s words earlier, Chen Ningxi felt she wasn’t as simple as she appeared; this woman clearly had awareness, and the earlier quarrel was meant to disrupt the inspection’s rhythm.

So, with that in mind, Chen Ningxi didn’t believe the brick factory was without its secrets.

Chen Ningxi asked, "How many kilns are producing bricks now? I saw four chimneys, should there be four kilns?"

Fan Xia said, "When the brick factory was built, it was indeed planned for four kilns, but the ones we bought were second-hand, and they often break down. When the kilns break, efficiency drops, and gradually we stopped using two of them.

Now only two are operational, but the kilns are severely outdated, breaking down frequently. When they do, we have to get someone to fix them—the manufacturer is down south, so sending them there and back takes nearly half a month."

Following her explanation, Chen Ningxi said, "So there’s only one kiln running normally?"

Fan Xia smiled with crow’s feet deepening, "Exactly, just one kiln is operational."

Chen Ningxi said, "Kilns for bricks, machines for pressing, and large blowers for drying; they sure consume a lot of electricity."

Hearing this, Fan Xia immediately denied, "Not much, barely any electricity use. A single kiln for bricks doesn’t use much at all."

This was a denial.

Chen Ningxi asked, "Ever calculated how much electricity these machines consume daily?"

Fan Xia shook her head with a smile, "Who keeps track of that? Besides, we don’t understand these things. The machines are there to use. We pay the electricity bill on time every month, and we’ve never missed it."

Passing by the brick plant, looking through the door seams, there were at least twenty people inside.

Chen Ningxi asked, "How many workers does one kiln require?"

Fan Xia blinked, "...Six. Then she thought about the other workers in the factory—now they couldn’t hide them—and circled back with her words, saying, "Your brother-in-law is quite generous; he hires all the local villagers, young and old. Older folk aren’t wanted for work outside, so he brings them in. Normally, six people can run a kiln, but to employ more village labor, he hired extra hands for odd jobs."

Chen Ningxi asked, "So how many workers are in the brick factory now?"

Fan Xia laughed, "I don’t really know the exact number. Sometimes when there’s an order rush, we hire more, equating to resting workers but not the kilns. Some are temporary workers, just clocking in hours, so it’s really indefinite."

She avoided giving a concrete number, and as Chen Ningxi approached the kiln, she abruptly strode there in long strides.

Fan Xia was unprepared, seeing out of the corner of her eye that Chen Ningxi had already crossed through the archway.

"Hey..." She nudged Xiong Chengbin, "She’s heading that way, go quickly."

Chen Ningxi entered the brick factory. It used electric machines to press bricks; presently, only one production line was in operation.

She reached the second production line, where a large puddle of water lay. Her black lambskin shoes soaked in the water, she touched the belts, still warm. She checked the other two production lines, finding the belts left with warmth. Thus, it was false that only one line was in use. The electricity consumption from these four lines alone didn’t match their usually reported fees.

Chen Ningxi asked, "Sister-in-law, were these production lines not on today?"

Fan Xia looked at Xiong Chengbin, "Not... on?"

Xiong Chengbin said, "No, definitely not."

Chen Ningxi walked over to the end, examining the equipment’s power labels and called Liu Shaojun over, "Liu Shaojun, come help with the calculations."