Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

"Yes, Lao Sun has been working in procurement at the bureau for over ten years and has a lot of experience. It might just be a momentary oversight. I think we should install the equipment first and deal with these minor issues gradually once the project is stable."

"A minor issue?" Cheng Shuhai's gaze swept coldly over everyone present. "Today, we can tolerate a ton less sheet metal. Tomorrow, can we tolerate a single motor being missing? The day after tomorrow, can we tolerate someone selling our core formula for money?"

"Let me tell you, the country entrusted us with such an important project, not so we could just muddle through and do it 'let's get started first'! Every penny and every item that leaves this project must be clean and honest! Anyone who dares to embezzle will have their hands chopped off!"

Cheng Shuhai's words were powerful and resounding, silencing all those who advocated for "leniency".

The audit team moved in quickly.

Qin Huairu's investigation is still ongoing.

She followed the flow of funds for the purchase of sheet metal and investigated further. She discovered that Section Chief Sun and the two transfer officers who had been punished for stealing and selling steel were actually card-playing buddies and often drank together.

One person was in charge of allocation, another was in charge of procurement; one tampered with the transportation process, and the other manipulated the warehousing process.

A well-organized corruption chain, exploiting loopholes in procedures at different stages to embezzle state resources, gradually came to light before Qin Huairu.

What they stole was far more than just dozens of steel bars and a ton of sheet metal. Preliminary estimates suggest that in less than two months since the project started, this small gang has used various means to embezzle hundreds of thousands of yuan worth of material price differences!

When Qin Huairu handed over the final investigation report and all the evidence to Old Zhao.

Even the old man, who was used to seeing all kinds of storms, was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time.

He looked at the girl in front of him, who was only a few years older than his granddaughter, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration.

"Good, good!" Old Zhao said twice. "Huai Ru, you've done a great service this time! I'll submit the report to the Discipline Inspection Commission right away!"

He immediately made a decision: "From today onwards, you will be in charge of developing the financial systems for all new factories! I want you to carry this meticulous spirit into every factory and every set of accounts!"

Qin Huairu showed no sign of pride; she simply calmly made a request.

"Mr. Zhao, I have only one request. We must write a clause in the project charter, in the most prominent red letters: No one, including Consultant Cheng and myself, may directly modify or interfere with the original financial accounts for any reason. All account adjustments must be verifiable and have a process to follow."

"I support it!" Cheng Shuhai declared on the spot. "From now on, the finance, purchasing, and warehousing departments of all new factories must be completely independent and mutually supervised. Anyone who wants to circumvent the system can do so. First, write a report, sign your name, and explain your reasons. This report will be permanently archived as a top-level file!"

This regulation is tantamount to hanging a Damocles' sword over the heads of all those in key positions.

The accounting issues have been temporarily resolved.

But the missing equipment blueprints remained like a thorn in Cheng Shuhai's heart.

Late that night, after finishing his work, he returned alone to his empty office.

He habitually reached for a cup of tea to pour himself.

But when he walked up to the desk, he froze.

On the table, a small, folded piece of paper had appeared out of nowhere.

There was only one line of crooked, pencil-written words.

"Can you control the accounts and keep everyone's eyes peeled?"

That provocative note made Cheng Shuhai realize that the enemy lurking in the shadows hadn't stopped after the corruption case was exposed. On the contrary, they seemed to be mocking him, implying that even if he could plug the financial loopholes, he couldn't prevent all conspiracies.

Cheng Shuhai didn't make a sound; he simply put the note away quietly.

He knew the other party was waiting for him to make a mistake. The more this was the case, the calmer he needed to remain.

In the days that followed, the construction of the new factory entered its final sprint stage.

Under Cheng Shuhai's personal guidance, the German sealing machine, which had no blueprints, was successfully installed and debugged. When the machine started running smoothly and precisely pressed the can lids onto the cans, all the technicians present burst into enthusiastic applause.

Their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at Cheng Shuhai. This man was practically an omnipotent god.

Cheng Shuhai spent almost all his time on the construction site.

Early in the morning, before dawn, he had already driven his Jeep out the door. Late at night, when the entire city of Beijing was asleep, the light in his office was still on.

He personally oversaw the mixing ratio of each batch of cement, personally inspected the laying of each circuit, and personally supervised the installation of each piece of equipment.

Chen Xueru and Qin Huairu felt sorry for him, so they took turns delivering meals to the construction site every day, keeping track of the time.

"Shuhai, look at you! Your eyes are bloodshot, and you've lost so much weight." Chen Xueru opened the lunchbox and said with concern, "You have so many people under you, why do you insist on supervising everything yourself? What if you collapse from exhaustion?"

"Yes, brother," Qin Huairu also advised, "You're the chief advisor now, responsible for overseeing the overall direction. Leave these specific details to the people below."

Cheng Shuhai shook his head as he ate his meal in large mouthfuls.

"No." He swallowed a mouthful of rice and said, "This is a critical time. Especially the first batch of exported products, there can be absolutely no mistakes. This batch of goods is not only related to whether we can complete the order on time, but also to whether the Soviet side is willing to give us the subsequent batch of more advanced equipment and raw materials readily."

He knew in his heart that the pair of eyes in the shadows were also watching this first batch of goods. This would be their decisive battle.

Half a month later, the newly established "State-owned Sijiucheng No. 2 Food Factory" officially entered the trial production stage.

On the brand-new production line, workers dressed in uniform white work clothes were busy with a mix of tension and excitement.

Cheng Shuhai stood at the end of the production line, like a strict examiner, personally inspecting each can of braised pork that had just come off the line.

Check if the can is smooth, if the label is affixed correctly, and if the seal is flat.