I bought a prison in the United States.

As Lingo walked out of his office, he ran into Hamon in the hallway.

The acting warden was leaning against the wall with a cup of coffee in his hand, seemingly waiting for him.

"What are your plans to do with those three people?"

Harmon seemed to be able to read Ringo's mind.

Will they come today?

Lin Ge asked.

"Thompson and Bowers said they would come in the morning to return the uniform, but Hobbs won't even answer the phone."

"Hamon replied."

Ringo nodded:

"Understood. Could you please compile the prison's financial statements for the past five years? I need to check how much balance is left in the correctional center's account in a bit."

"...Boss, you don't actually have as much money in your pocket as I do, do you?"

"Harmon joked."

"..."

Lin Ge glanced at the talkative acting warden with a slightly resentful look.

Harmon didn't press further, but simply took a sip of his coffee and looked at him with a "good luck" expression.

Lin Ge turned and walked towards the cell block. He wanted to see how the press was being repaired and hoped that the draftsman wouldn't disappoint him.

……

Craig was squatting next to the stamping machine, holding a wrench he had pulled out of the factory toolbox.

Randy squatted down next to him, holding a metal box full of screws and washers, like a nurse in an operating room, earnestly handing over tools.

As Lingo approached, he saw that the outer casing of the stamping machine had been disassembled, revealing the complex hydraulic system and gear set inside.

Craig's hands were covered in black grease, but he moved very steadily, carefully inspecting each part before disassembling it.

"How's the progress? When will it be fixed?"

"That's about it."

Craig put down the wrench, turned around and looked at him:

"However, I need more parts. The hydraulic lines have three cracks, all the seals are worn out, and the lubricating oil in the gearbox has solidified into lumps."

"This machine hasn't been properly maintained for at least five years."

Lin Ge squatted down and looked inside the machine.

The parts were covered with a thick layer of grease, and in some places, rust was even visible.

He didn't understand mechanics, but he could tell that the machine was terminally ill.

"How much money do you need?" Lin Ge asked directly.

Craig thought for a moment and said:

"The parts cost about eighty or ninety dollars, but there's a problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Some parts are no longer available on the market. This machine is a 1974 model, and the manufacturer stopped production a long time ago."

As Craig spoke, he saw Ringo's brows furrow, but the corners of his mouth turned up slightly:

"But I can do it myself. The factory has lathes and milling machines, although they are old, but they are enough."

Seeing the excitement on his face, the kind of excitement that comes with an engineer facing a technical challenge he excels at, Lin Ge felt a little more at ease.

"How much longer do you need?"

"I guarantee I'll be able to move by tomorrow morning."

Craig spoke with a very confident tone and look in his eyes.

Lingo stood up:

"Okay, Randy, you'll help him out. Do a good job, and I'll put it in the report."

Randy nodded vigorously, a radiance on his thin face that only appeared when he was needed.

Ringo turned to leave, but Craig called him back:

"Mr. Chen, have you found out anything about that batch of fabric?"

"We're investigating. What, are you concerned about this?"

Ringo stopped and looked at Craig with some confusion.

"I don't mean to meddle, but if that batch of fabric is really defective, the work clothes made from it will come undone after only a few wears."

Craig wiped the grease off his hands and said:

"If the state corrections department finds quality issues, the order is completely lost."

Lin Ge stared at him intently and asked:

"Were you this meticulous when you were at Lockheed?"

Craig was silent for a moment, then said:

"When I was at Lockheed, every drawing I made had to go through at least three rounds of review."

"If there's a problem with my blueprints, the plane might crash; I can't break that habit."

Lin Ge didn't say anything more.

As he walked out of the factory, his opinion of Craig rose even higher.

A person who has high standards for their work is an invaluable asset, even in prison.

……

At 11 a.m., Ringo was in his office studying McLean County’s financial statements for the past three years when there was a knock on the door.

Harmon leaned half his body in:

"Thompson and Bowles are here, waiting for you in the locker room."

Lin Ge closed the folder and walked out of the office.

The atmosphere in the locker room was more somber than he had expected.

Two men sat on a bench with stacks of neatly made uniforms in front of them.

The man named Thompson was about forty years old, with a thin face and neatly combed dark brown hair, looking like a bank clerk.

The uniform in front of him was folded neatly, as if it had just been picked up from the dry cleaners.

Bowers, on the other hand, is a completely different style.

He was in his early thirties, as strong as a wall, with a thick beard, and was staring at his boots with a very awkward expression on his face.

Lin Ge walked in, sat down on the bench opposite the two, and calmly said:

"I have received your resignation letters, but I haven't submitted them yet. I would like to speak with you in person."

Thompson looked up. The acting warden had spoken to them earlier, saying the other party was easy to talk to, but he hadn't expected him to be so young.

He looked at the new boss with a professional smile on his face:

"Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, but I've already found a new job. This isn't directed at you personally..."

"Mr. Thompson, I'm not here to ask you to stay."

Lin Ge interrupted him, his expression businesslike:

"You signed a contract, and it clearly states that you need to give two weeks' notice before resigning."

"You only notified us the day before yesterday that you were leaving today, and you were absent from work for two days in between. According to the contract, your salary for the past two weeks will be deducted."

Thompson's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered:

"I understand."

Lingo leaned against the wall, arms crossed:

Can I ask you a question?

"What's the problem?"

Lin Ge asked:

Why are you in such a hurry to leave?

Thompson's smile vanished completely. He sighed and then said:

"I've been working in the prison system for seven years, Mr. Chen."

"In seven years, my salary has increased by less than two thousand yuan, benefits have been decreasing, and the pressure has been increasing."

"My wife had surgery last year, and health insurance only covered less than half of it. I still owe more than $30,000 in medical bills."

"I heard you gave Coffey and the others, as well as Mrs. Martha, a raise?"

"It's such a pity. If you had come a week or two earlier, I probably wouldn't have resigned, but now I can't quit this job."

His voice was calm, but Lin Ge could hear the weariness that had been suppressed for a long time.

Thompson continued:

"My new job is at a security company in Tulsa. The starting salary is 40 percent higher than what I earned as a prison guard, and it comes with full health insurance."

"I don't mean to disrespect you, but I have to support my family."

Lin Ge nodded; he understood the other person's predicament.

This isn't just a problem with this prison; it's a problem with the whole system.

The real tragedy is that a prison guard worked for seven years and his salary wasn't even enough to cover his wife's medical expenses.