Chapter 454: Dismissal
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ah Zhuang stared at the paper in his hands, his eyes lingering on the signature at the bottom. It was unmistakably his uncle’s name. His mind buzzed, and he slumped onto a wooden stool, his body trembling slightly as the paper slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.
He couldn’t believe it. His secret had been exposed.
Gu Zi spoke up, intending to recount the entire incident in front of the village chief. “My mother asked me to deliver some meat to Aunt Yang at the boiler room that morning. When I arrived, I saw Ah Zhuang adding something to the water. I was afraid that my word alone wouldn’t be enough evidence, so I didn’t confront him immediately.
“Instead, I tricked Ah Zhuang into drinking a ladle of it himself, which is why he had a stomach upset that day… I dumped the rest of the tainted water, but not before filling a bottle for testing.
“We found Ah Zhuang’s uncle in town, and he confirmed that Ah Zhuang had bought laxative powder from his pharmacy. The test results matched the ingredients of the powder.
“Ah Zhuang, your uncle clearly explained what you did after buying the powder. We’re running a pig farm here, not a place for those with ill intentions. Keeping you here is not a wise decision, for us or for you.”
Ah Zhuang listened to the detailed account, barely having time to recover from the shock. He stood up from the stool, his lips trembling as he apologized to Su Shen and Gu Zi. “Brother Shen, Sister-in-law, I was wrong. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Please don’t fire me. I have a family to support. I really need this job!”
Su Ming finally understood what had happened. He was appalled by Ah Zhuang’s malicious intent. “Ah Zhuang, you’re foolish and reckless. You held a grudge against Aunt Yang for taking a part-time job and tried to drive her away by jeopardizing the health of your colleagues at the pig farm. No one can feel safe with someone like you around.
“Have you ever thought about how good a job at the pig farm is? Many people from several villages, even from the town, would love to work at Su Shen’s pig farm, but they don’t have the opportunity. You, on the other hand, don’t appreciate what you have. You’re always thinking about trivial things and consider yourself a senior employee, yet you don’t know your place.
“Remember how poor your family was? Since you started working at the pig farm, your family has been able to upgrade from a small, shabby house to a three-room flat. If you had more land, you could have built five or six flats by now.
“You seem to have forgotten all about the kindness the Su family has shown you. All you think about is how to take advantage of the farm… ” Su Ming was deeply disappointed with such ungrateful people.
It was unclear whether it was due to shame or resentment, or simply the result of his naturally pale complexion, but at this moment, Ah Zhuang’s face was flushed a deep red, a hue so intense it bordered on chilling. He did not directly respond to Su Ming’s words, but instead pleaded relentlessly with Su Shen, “Brother Shen, I truly realize my mistake. Please, for the sake of all the time I’ve spent working in the factory, don’t fire me…”
For a long time, Su Shen maintained his silence, not even bothering to lift his eyelids. Only when Ah Zhuang had exhausted his pleas did he finally speak, “I regret to inform you, you’re fired. There’s not much else to say. Take care of yourself. Let’s go.”
Su Shen bid farewell to the village chief and, with Gu Zi and the others, left the village office. Seeing that there was no hope left, Ah Zhuang finally lifted his heavy feet and began the walk home.
Ah Zhuang was consumed by many thoughts, particularly wondering, why had things turned out this way?
Halfway home, Mrs. Wang came out to inquire about the news. From a distance, she saw him, looking lost and desolate, like a wandering spirit. After some thought, she decided not to approach him.
Seeing his unfortunate state, she didn’t want to risk bad luck. As long as he didn’t plan to cause her trouble, that was enough.
Mrs. Wang, with her son Yuan Yuan, turned to go back home. On the way, they saw a black sedan heading in the direction of the Su family’s house. The woman in the passenger seat had a radiant smile, which stirred a pang of jealousy in Mrs. Wang.
She felt that in her youth, her looks were no less than Gu Zi’s, yet she had not been fortunate enough to meet a good man like Su Shen. It felt incredibly unfair.
She couldn’t help but recall her days with her ex-husband. The man had fallen into drug addiction, was lazy and had an unstable temper. Although he had never physically abused her, she knew that was only because she knew how to appease him.
She couldn’t stand those days and wanted a divorce, but the man threatened her, saying if she dared to divorce him, he would kill her entire family…