nycdaug Chapter 163: Handcuff him away!
Chapter 163: Handcuff him away!
Although Li Mu felt disdain for Manager Liu's greed, he still smiled and said, "Thank you very much, Manager Liu. I will need your help in the future."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Mu and Brother Gao left the municipal canteen together.
After the man left, Chef Sun's expression changed, and he yelled, "Who the hell is this guy! Manager Liu, how could you accept his bribe! Have you forgotten our agreement?"
Manager Liu looked at Head Chef Sun and sneered, "Agreement? What agreement? I don't remember. All I know is that if I offend Brother Gao, I'll lose my job. You got yourself into this mess, so figure out how to resolve it!"
Upon hearing this, Chef Sun immediately became anxious: "Manager Liu, how can you say that? We're all in the same boat! You have to help me!"
Manager Liu curled his lip: "Help you? Why should I help you? Don't think I don't know what you've been doing. Humph, I advise you to settle down and stop thinking about those crooked ways, otherwise, you'll get into trouble sooner or later!"
Chef Sun was angered and embarrassed after being rebuked by Manager Liu.
"You cunning Liu! Why didn't you say these things when you were taking my bribes? Now you're acting all high and mighty! Do you believe I'll expose all your secrets and make sure you suffer the consequences!"
Manager Liu wasn't afraid of him: "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing! If it all comes out, we're both finished! You'd better watch yourself!"
With shared interests at stake, both men, though harboring resentment, dared not escalate the situation and had no choice but to compromise and temporarily let the matter drop.
After Li Mu and Brother Gao left the municipal canteen, Li Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief and treated him to a meal at the Lakeside Hotel, toasting him with a glass.
"Brother Gao, I really owe you a lot this time, otherwise my business would have been impossible to continue," Li Mu said gratefully.
Brother Gao waved his hand: "Muzi, what are you saying? We're all from the same village, so we'll help each other out if we can. But you have to be careful. In the business world, you can't see into someone's heart. There are all kinds of people. You'll have to be more careful in the future."
Li Mu nodded: "Yes, I understand, Brother Gao. This incident has taught me a lot, and I will be more careful in the future."
The two chatted as they ate, and afterwards, Li Mu escorted Brother Gao home.
Before parting, Brother Gao gave him another piece of advice: "Muzi, when you get back, check your goods carefully to make sure they're of good quality and don't let anyone find fault with them again. Also, keep an eye on the people at the municipal canteen; don't let them cause you any more trouble."
Li Mu agreed to all of them, and for the next month, the municipal canteens did not deliberately make things difficult for them. Every delivery was successfully inspected and no goods were returned.
Li Mu thought the matter was finally over and he could focus on his business.
However, what he didn't expect was that this was just the calm before the storm.
One month later, Li Mu, as usual, had Da Zhuang drive the car to deliver goods to the municipal canteen.
Upon arrival, they found the municipal canteen closed, with a notice posted at the entrance stating that it was temporarily suspending deliveries due to internal renovations.
Li Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
He quickly took out his phone to call Manager Liu, but found that the phone was already switched off.
He then tried calling Chef Sun, but the call still couldn't be connected.
Can't get through on the phone? What's wrong?
Da Zhuang said, "Brother Mu, has the municipal canteen run away?"
Li Mu frowned, feeling uneasy, but he still comforted Dazhuang, saying, "It shouldn't be. They're the municipal government's canteen, how could they run away? Maybe they're really undergoing renovations. Let's wait and see."
The two waited outside the municipal canteen for over an hour, but no one came to open it. Li Mu grew increasingly uneasy and decided to go to the municipal government to inquire about the situation.
He arrived at the entrance of the municipal government building and asked an old gatekeeper. He learned that the municipal canteen was indeed undergoing internal renovations, but the old man did not know exactly when the renovations would be completed.
Hearing this, Li Mu breathed a slight sigh of relief; as long as they hadn't run away, that was good. He thanked the old man and went back with Da Zhuang.
As soon as I arrived at the village entrance, I saw three police cars parked there, blocking the entrance to the village. The people of Lijia Village were gathered on the roadside, pointing and talking, not knowing what had happened.
Li Mu quickly parked the car and got out to inquire about the situation.
A villager saw him and rushed over, saying in a panic, "Muzi, something terrible has happened! The police have surrounded our village and say they're going to arrest people!"
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's head buzzed, and he secretly thought to himself, "Is this because of the municipal canteen?"
He quickly asked, "Who are you arresting? Why are you arresting them?"
The villagers shook their heads: "I don't know, the police didn't say, but judging from their appearance, it seems quite serious."
Li Mu didn't have time to think and quickly ran towards the village.
When he arrived at the village entrance, he saw several policemen standing there, along with several people in uniform, who appeared to be municipal government staff. Jiang Xuefen and Li Guozhang were also there.
He quickly stepped forward: "Mom and Dad, what are you doing here?"
When Jiang Xuefen saw Li Mu, her expression was somewhat complicated. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then she didn't.
"You're Li Mu?"
A policeman looked at him and asked.
Li Mu nodded: "Yes, I am Li Mu. May I ask what's the matter?"
The police showed their arrest warrant: "Li Mu, you are suspected of supplying substandard agricultural products to the municipal canteen, causing food poisoning. Please come with us now."
"What?! Food poisoning? How is that possible?!"
Li Mu was shocked: "Our agricultural products have all undergone strict inspections, how could they be poisonous?! You must have made a mistake!"
The police officer looked at him expressionlessly: "Is there some mistake? Come with us and we'll find out. Please."
"Comrade! This is all a misunderstanding!"
Jiang Xuefen suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the policeman's arm, and urgently explained, "Officer, you must have made a mistake!"
My son is an honest man; he would never do such a thing! Someone must have framed him!
“Everyone in our village eats the vegetables he grows, and there has never been a problem. How could anyone get food poisoning? You really need to investigate this thoroughly!”
Upon hearing the news, Li Jianjun and Tian Xiaohu squeezed into the crowd. When they saw their elder brother being taken away by the police, they became anxious and blocked people from leaving.
"How could you slander my brother! He wouldn't even dare kill a chicken, how could he possibly harm anyone! Someone must have framed him! You can't take him away!"
The police officers, obstructed in their duties, immediately turned serious: "We are acting in accordance with the law. Please do not obstruct official business! If you continue, we will arrest you all!"
Li Jianjun's eyes reddened, and he wanted to rush forward, but Tian Xiaohu held him back.
"Jianjun, calm down! Don't be impulsive!"
Tian Xiaohu knew that a head-on confrontation wouldn't solve the problem at this point; he had to find a solution.
He glanced at Jiang Xuefen and Li Guozhang beside him, and whispered to Li Jianjun, "You stay here and watch over things, don't let Brother Mu suffer any losses. I'll go find the village chief and ask him to think of a solution."