Volume 2 [388] Investigation
[388] Survey
A pretty girl offered Dog Brother a cigarette, and another girl immediately came over to light it for him. Dog Brother took a puff and pointed at Chen Yang with the finger holding the cigarette, saying, "You're Chen Yang?"
Chen Yang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Brother Gou. I had the honor of having dinner with you and my friends before."
Dog Bro said, "Tell me what it is."
Chen Yang said, "A friend of mine delivered a batch of seafood to the Dongyang branch of Haifeng Group, but they are refusing to pay. I'd like to ask Brother Gou to help me get it back. I promise a generous reward."
Dog Brother said, "Haifeng Group is no ordinary company; it's a key enterprise registered with the central government."
Chen Yang said, "We know, but they can't do whatever they want. My friend won't be able to survive if he loses this money. Please help me, Brother Gou."
Dog said, "I'll give it a try. Let your friend come in."
Chen Yang turned around and opened the door. "Gangzi, Brother Gou wants you to come in."
Sun Gang was a little nervous. Everyone inside was a big shot. He would be scared to death if they stomped their feet. This Brother Gou was really smart. In less than a year, he took advantage of the chaos to take over Song Shiguo's business and then expanded into Dongyang City. This speed was even faster than the national Twelfth Five-Year Plan.
Zhao Qiang suddenly squeezed into the room first, and Chen Yang, who was next to him, could not stop him in time. He could only curse, "Qiang, are you looking for death?" Chen Yang was also concerned about Zhao Qiang. It was extremely dangerous to act recklessly in front of Brother Gou. Someone had done it before, and now he had lost both legs and could only live in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
The entrance was a bit chaotic, and Dog Brother was furious. The two burly men standing next to him immediately moved. They were ready to drag the whole group out and beat them up, of course. Dog Brother had finally managed to have a good mood, and now they had ruined it all.
"Ah ha, quite a few people," Zhao Qiang chuckled, as if to remind Wang Ergou, this opportunistic swindler who rose to power by relying on his father's influence, that he should at least greet them.
Wang Ergou's legs trembled when he heard the familiar voice. His injured leg was often unsteady due to illness, and he would have fallen if he hadn't grabbed the girl's chest next to him. He both longed to hear this voice and was afraid to hear it.
He had high hopes because he had risen to power entirely by relying on this man's influence. If he could sit with this man often, it would be a huge honor in the underworld. But he was also afraid that this man never brought good things when he appeared. The first time he met him, he killed Song Shiguo and his gang. The second time they met, things were alright; he only beat up a few of those who didn't know their place. But the third time, he almost crippled one of Wang Ergou's legs. At that time, countless people died in front of the Golden Pavilion Restaurant. Wang Ergou was lucky to have survived.
Before Wang Ergou could finish the sentence "Master Zhao," he noticed Zhao Qiang giving him a sharp look. Wang Ergou swallowed his words. This Master Zhao definitely didn't want others to know about his relationship with him, especially since there was a beautiful girl behind him, completely different from the one he had seen last time. If he revealed his identity to her, he would probably suffer a terrible fate. Wang Ergou immediately changed his words, "...Find a chair for everyone to sit down."
The two bodyguards nearly strained their backs from the drastic change in their tone, and Chen Yang was also dumbfounded. He didn't react until Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei sat down, then ran behind Zhao Qiang and tugged at his clothes: "Qiang, are you crazy? This is Brother Gou!"
Wang Ergou said with a fawning smile, "Don't be shy with me, everyone. I just love being with you young people. Seeing you makes me so happy. Come on, have some tea."
Sun Gang thought Wang Ergou was being sarcastic, so he slammed his teacup down with a clatter because his hand was shaking. He said in a trembling voice, "Brother Gou, we don't mean anything by it. We just want to ask you to help us collect the debt. We'll definitely reward you handsomely afterwards."
Wang Ergou assumed Zhao Qiang wouldn't handle the matter personally, so he pushed it onto him. He figured it would be foolish not to act now, so without even asking the reason, Wang Ergou patted his chest and said, "No problem, this matter..." Suddenly, Wang Ergou realized something was wrong. Zhao Qiang was blocking Sun Gang and Chen Yang's view, his hand waving repeatedly at him, seemingly telling him to refuse, not accept.
“…I need to think about this.” Wang Ergou immediately changed his mind. The bodyguards didn’t hurt their backs, but Sun Gang and Chen Yang did. Chen Yang was so surprised that he almost dropped his teacup. Luckily, he caught it, but the tea in the cup spilled all over his trouser leg, scalding him so much that he almost cried out.
Zhao Qiang waved his hand frantically at Wang Ergou, as if to say, "Hurry up and leave, you're just getting in the way." Wang Ergou didn't dare disobey. He didn't even bother to put on his clothes, just threw on a bathrobe and led the way out, saying, "I'm going out to pay the bill. You guys stay here and have some fun, so it's on me."
Wang Ergou's men didn't know what had happened, but since their boss had led the way out, how could they dare to stay? One by one, they stood up from the sand and followed Wang Ergou away, leaving behind the bewildered Sun Gang, Chen Yang, and the others.
"What's going on?" Chen Yang asked.
Sun Gang said, "I was about to ask you the same thing. Have we offended Brother Gou?"
Chen Yang said, "No way, otherwise why would he say he's inviting us to play instead of beating us up?"
Sun Gang said, "That's sarcasm, isn't it? Does he want us to pay his bill?"
Chen Yang said, "Oh dear, that's very possible. I don't have enough money with me today."
Zhao Qiang said nonchalantly, "They already said he was paying the bill, why are you all so scared?"
Chen Yang jumped up and pointed at Zhao Qiang, saying, "It's all your fault! You must have forced your way in, and that's why Brother Gou is angry!"
Sun Gang was also unhappy. "Qiang, I've treated you well, haven't I? How could you do this? Now that Brother Gou is angry, how am I supposed to get along in Dongyang City? Are you still my friend? Why are you just making things worse?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Gangzi, don't misunderstand. Did you see Wang Ergou get angry?"
Chen Yang jumped up and down, saying, "You, you actually called Brother Gou by his name? You want to get us killed?" Chen Yang secretly pointed to the waiters behind him. If they told Brother Gou the truth, then Chen Yang would be in big trouble.
Zhao Qiang said, "It seems I'm really unpopular. Never mind, we'll be going now. You guys continue soaking your feet; someone paid for it anyway."
Zhao Qiang got up and left with Luo Wei. He didn't have time to waste with Sun Gang anymore and wanted to go to the hospital as soon as possible to find out the truth about the employee's poisoning. Sun Gang said to Chen Yang, "Go and find out how much was spent in this private room. If we don't have enough money, we should send someone to deliver it. We can't be seen as trying to dine and dash; we can't afford to lose face like that."
Chen Yang returned shortly after going out, looking surprised, and said, "Strange, strange..."
Sun Gang said, "What's wrong? Don't beat around the bush."
Chen Yang said, "They really settled the bill, even for the private room downstairs. What's going on?"
Sun Gang scratched his head and said, "Could it be that Brother Gou wasn't being sarcastic? Is he really going to invite us?"
Chen Yang said, "But if that's the case, why won't he help you collect the debt?"
Sun Gang said, "Who knows? Anyway, it's not easy to enjoy this once in a while, so let's not waste Brother Gou's good intentions."
Chen Yang said, "Yes, I called Zhao Hai upstairs. This room is much better than the one we booked."
Dongyang Central Hospital is very large. Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei were a bit disoriented after entering, let alone knowing where the president's office was. They finally found a guide in the lobby and asked her where the president's office was. The nurse looked at them suspiciously and asked, "What do you want? What do you need the president's office for?"
Zhao Qiang said, "We're here to discuss business."
The nurse said, "No, our hospital director won't see any pharmaceutical representatives."
Luo Wei said, "We're not in the pharmaceutical business, we just want to ask a few questions."
The nurse said, "The hospital director certainly doesn't have time to answer your questions. If you're sick, please make an appointment and go to the outpatient clinic."
Zhao Qiang said, "We are not sick. We are here to see the hospital director about the poisoning incident involving employees of the Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch."
The nurse became even more wary. "You're reporters, right? We don't know anything about this. Don't ask me anything, and I'm definitely not going to tell you where the dean's office is. Don't get me into trouble. Just leave now, or I'll call security."
Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei were speechless; it seemed impossible to find out. In a fit of anger, Zhao Qiang activated the X-ray vision function of his glasses, searching floor by floor, room by room. Surprisingly, he actually found the dean's office, as there was a sign hanging on his door. Zhao Qiang then pulled Luo Wei upstairs, but after knocking on the dean's office door for a long time, no one answered. Zhao Qiang used his X-ray vision to look inside, but no one was there.
Luo Wei looked dejected: "What happened? We should be at work by now."
Zhao Qiang said, "Forget it, let's go check out the inpatient department."
Luo Wei nodded: "Okay, it's good to see how the workers are doing. Han Qiming said that six people are still receiving treatment, while the rest have recovered and returned to work."
It was half an hour later when they finally found the employee ward of Haifeng Group. Luo Wei was exhausted and covered in sweat, and Zhao Qiang also felt quite tired.
This is a large ward with six people lying inside, but judging from their complexions, they should be fine.
Seeing that everyone was staring at him and Luo Wei, Zhao Qiang said, "Workers, we were sent by the factory to visit you."
An older worker said, "What's the use of just looking at us? How much compensation will we actually receive for lost wages?"
Another worker said, "Yes, what's the use of just paying our medical expenses? How will our wages be calculated during this period?"
Another worker said, "From now on, we must not accept kickbacks for our welfare benefits. This is harmful to both ourselves and others. They are trying to harm us with substandard products."
Zhao Qiang was both amused and exasperated. "Workers, we're here to investigate the truth behind this incident. We hope you can cooperate with us. Once the truth is revealed, all your losses will be recovered. I promise you all that you will receive double your previous daily wage during your hospital stay."
The six workers happily got off the bed and surrounded Zhao Qiang, saying, "Really? Who are you? We don't know you. You're not here to fool us, are you?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you think I'm being silly? But since the situation isn't clear, we won't get the money, so please tell me the details of what happened."
(Thanks to Ice River on n Line, 〓Black Angel〓, Zhao Dami, and Leng Yan for their monthly ticket support)
(Thanks to He Xuren for the 200-coin reward, and thanks to Guihua Xiaoshuo and Mo Cheng Gui for the coin rewards.)
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Volume 2 [389] Diarrhea
[389] Diarrhea
One worker said, "What's there to say? It's very simple. The factory had seafood, we ate it, then we got diarrhea and vomited, and then we were hospitalized."
Another worker said, "I smelled something was off about the seafood, but it would be a waste to throw it away, so I ate it anyway. I should have known better than to eat it. Are all those people in the factory's logistics department just sitting around doing nothing? How could they do something like this?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Everyone, don't rush. Take turns speaking. Just answer whatever I ask, okay?"
The six finally quieted down, and Zhao Qiang asked, "What kind of seafood did you all get, and how much?"
The older workers said, "Ten catties of fish, one catty of crab, and six catties of clams. We used to eat fish and clams often, except for crabs. We would never be allergic to them. Besides, an allergy wouldn't affect so many people."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Were the crabs dead when they reached you?"
One worker recalled for a moment and said, "It doesn't seem to be dead. I remember being pinched by it once. Look, the wound hasn't disappeared yet." The worker didn't seem to be lying, and besides, he had no reason to speak well of the supplier.
Zhao Qiang asked, "So you think the problem lies with that seafood?"
One of the workers said, "I think it's fish; the fish meat isn't very fresh."
Another worker said, "I think they were clams. When we took them home to clean them, some of them had already opened their mouths, but after we cooked them, some of them didn't open their mouths at all. Those were completely dead."
Another worker said, "If it's a clam, then why did this happen to us even though we didn't eat any clams that day?"
Zhao Qiang asked, "Try to recall what you ate together back then?"
The six workers exchanged opinions and then said, "The crabs, because we all know that those things can't be kept overnight, so we steamed them that day. Who wouldn't want to eat them after they're steamed? So we all ate them together. But those crabs were clearly alive at the time, so it shouldn't be the cause, right? Eating live crabs can cause vomiting and diarrhea, I've never heard of that before."
Zhao Qiang knew he wouldn't get any more information by asking, so he went to the doctor's office to check the medical records and then ask the attending physician about the situation. However, he didn't have any identification, so he was afraid he wouldn't get any useful information that way. But he still wanted to try. Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei went into the doctor's office, but there was no one there.
With no other option, Zhao Qiang and Luo Wei had to back out. Zhao Qiang smiled at Luo Wei and said, "Keep an eye on people while I look for the medical records."
Luo Wei looked around nervously: "Okay, hurry up, I'm afraid someone will come." She felt like a thief.
Zhao Qiang glanced at the medical record cabinet with his X-ray vision, then pulled out the medical records of the six people. He quickly flipped through them, copying each record into his mind. Judging from the medical records, it seemed to be just simple food poisoning. These doctors couldn't find any more complicated reasons, and the treatment plan they adopted was the most conservative one. Although the effect was slower and the cost was higher, it would never allow anyone to find any problems.
The only questionable aspect of the six patients' medical records is their initial diagnosis upon admission. All six underwent stool tests, but the results showed no common pathogens. The initial treatment involved intravenous saline solution, but the condition did not improve. It was only after a second stool test that pathogens were detected, confirming food poisoning. Common treatments were then administered. If it were a testing error, the results for all six patients would not have been consistent.
Zhao Qiang put the medical record back and left the office. Luo Wei asked anxiously, "How is it? What does the medical record say? Is it food poisoning?"
Zhao Qiang nodded. "However, the initial stool test results for the six individuals did not show any signs of food poisoning."
Luo Wei asked, puzzled, "What's going on?"
Zhao Qiang said, "We are not experts in this field, so it's hard to say. I guess Sun Gang mentioned that the hospital didn't say it was seafood poisoning at first because the test results were unclear and the hospital didn't dare to draw any conclusions. But the second test confirmed food poisoning, so Han Qiming made a claim for compensation against Sun Gang based on that."
Luo Wei bit her lip and said, "I feel like this is getting more and more complicated. The six workers only steamed and ate live crabs. Could there be something wrong with the live crabs?"
Zhao Qiang was somewhat annoyed: "The key issue is that we don't have any samples for testing."
Luo Wei said, "Just call Sun Gang and ask where he gets his goods from, then we can go to the source."
Zhao Qiang's eyes lit up: "That's right, you're so smart."
Luo Wei nestled shyly against Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang called Sun Gang, but it took a long time to get through. It was noisy on the other end. Zhao Qiang said loudly, "Sun Gang, where did you get the live crabs you sold to Haifeng Group's Dongyang branch? We want to go and see."
Sun Gang's voice sounded weak and feeble: "What are you looking at? I'm about to die."
Zhao Qiang was startled: "What's wrong? Is Wang Ergou going back to cause trouble for you?"