Volume One, Chapter Seven: Whoever Softens Again Is a Fool

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Qin Mu had only just been assigned to the steel factory yesterday and did not yet know that the woman selling breakfast at the factory gate was Jiang Weiyue, the very person Song Chuanhe constantly thought about. He was unaware of this, and Song Chuanhe, too indifferent to explain further, coldly gave him the order to leave.

Seeing that Song Chuanhe was unwilling to speak with him, Qin Mu’s curiosity drove him to enter the workshop. The moment he stepped inside, the workers who had been chatting while working suddenly fell silent in unison.

This was because Qin Mu had been assigned to the steel factory as the head of the Quality Inspection Department. Every employee in this department had the authority to critique the work of ordinary laborers. Some inspectors were so meticulous and picky that they might order an entire team or shift to redo their work.

If a rework was ordered, the entire team would suffer. Reworking a task consumed as much time as completing ten normal tasks. Failing to finish the daily quota meant either working overtime or having the entire team’s wages docked for the day.

Since the previous head of the Quality Inspection Department had been transferred, everyone was unfamiliar with the new head, Qin Mu. To avoid being singled out for criticism, the workers chose silence, lowering their visibility to escape his notice.

At that moment, Qin Mu did not notice the sudden hush that fell over the workshop upon his arrival. What piqued his interest was the identity of the person selling breakfast at the factory gate. Why had Song Chuanhe mentioned this vendor? What was the connection to Jiang Weiyue?

Suddenly, Qin Mu wondered: could this breakfast vendor be the new man Jiang Weiyue had found? It was quite possible. Otherwise, why would Song Chuanhe want to punish her so harshly, utterly disregarding their past?

“Comrade, may I ask you something?” Qin Mu approached a middle-aged man who appeared honest and simple.

Upon hearing Qin Mu’s voice and realizing he was standing beside him, the man quickly bowed his head, fearful that any mistake found by the quality inspection head might cause the whole team to work overtime. His trembling voice betrayed his anxiety and panic.

“Of course, Minister Qin,” the man replied cautiously.

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Having served in the military for many years, Qin Mu could easily discern the nervousness and unease in the honest worker’s voice. At first, he couldn’t understand why, but soon it became clear: the worker feared being randomly inspected and found at fault.

Before leaving, the former department head had repeatedly stressed the importance of maintaining production quality. If any problems arose after the products were delivered to clients, rework would be required—and that was far more serious than just overtime for the workers.

He had also been told never to get too friendly with the workers or show them any special favor. This wasn’t because the Quality Inspection Department looked down on ordinary workers, but because close ties made handling issues more complicated and increased the risk of offending someone.

Qin Mu had taken this advice seriously, rarely initiating conversations with the workers and focusing only on his daily duties while adapting to his new environment.

But today, he couldn’t resist any longer. Smiling gently, he said to the worker in front of him, “Don’t be afraid, brother. I’m not here to inspect your work.”

Ironically, this only made the worker more frightened. The previous head had often smiled when failing to find faults but then casually questioned workers to see if they had followed proper procedures at every step. The workers, lacking the education and cunning of the inspectors, were frequently caught out by such questioning.

They had just finally gotten rid of that shrewd former inspector, only to have a new one arrive who seemed just as shrewd.

“Minister Qin, please stop trying to fish for our words,” said another man nearby. “We take every step seriously, and there’s absolutely no negligence.”

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected that even after assuring them, the workers would still suspect him of conducting an inspection. He sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead, replying earnestly, “I swear, I’m really just here to ask about something.”

Seeing Qin Mu’s sincerity, the workers cautiously asked, “Really? You’re not trying to trick us?”

“If I lied, I’d be dishonorable. Brothers and sisters, I’ve heard there’s a breakfast vendor at the factory gate. Do you know who that vendor is?”

The group exchanged glances before confirming their belief that Qin Mu was not lying.

“The breakfast seller is Jiang Weiyue, the eldest daughter of the Lao Jiang family. Minister Qin, I’ll tell you—Jiang Weiyue once had a relationship with our former factory director, and she did something that betrayed him.”

“That didn’t matter much before. She could sell breakfast here, and we could buy it. Although Jiang Weiyue isn’t the best character, her breakfasts were really good.”

“But now, with Director Song in charge, none of us dare buy her breakfast anymore, afraid that the director might see and be displeased.”

Qin Mu had never guessed that the breakfast vendor Song Chuanhe mentioned was actually Jiang Weiyue.

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He had assumed from Song Chuanhe’s tone that the vendor was some new man Jiang Weiyue had taken up with. Moreover, Song Chuanhe must have been aware of the workers’ attitude toward Jiang Weiyue, yet he didn’t stop them. It seemed he truly intended, as he had said, to exact ruthless revenge.

“I see. I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me. I’ll invite you all to dinner another time.”

“Oh Minister Qin, don’t mention dinner. If you just don’t suddenly come inspecting and scaring us, we’d be truly grateful.”

In the factory director’s office, after Qin Mu left, only Song Chuanhe remained in the vast, empty space. Although no one was disturbing him, his mind was restless, filled with thoughts of that damned woman Jiang Weiyue.

He wondered whether Jiang Weiyue had taken his words to heart the previous night.

Thinking this, Song Chuanhe stood and moved to the window. From there, he could overlook the entire scene at the steel factory gate.

The factory operated two shifts: the day shift from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the night shift from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. Workers starting their day shift or finishing the night shift would buy Jiang Weiyue’s breakfast.

Her business had been quite good before, earning her more in a month than a factory worker made.

But now, because of Song Chuanhe, no one dared buy her breakfast. It was already past nine in the morning, yet most of the food Jiang Weiyue had prepared remained unsold, with only a few orders from passing residents.

Today was Monday, and Jiang Weiyue had gone to school, leaving her alone standing under her makeshift tent, looking lonely and pitiful.

Her pitiable appearance reminded him of the helpless moments he had inflicted upon her the night before.

Realizing this, the icy shell around his heart cracked slightly, uncontrollably revealing some warmth.

But when he recalled what she had done to him in the past, the small softness hardened again—harder and colder than before.

He let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh and silently vowed never to soften toward Jiang Weiyue again—if he did, he would consider himself a dog.