Chapter 27: Making trouble
At noon, Su Can returned to the shop for lunch. He had barely started eating when his father received a page. With so much work to handle, the company had issued pagers to all cadres at director level and above. His father called back, and his expression gradually grew grave.
Seeing this, Zeng He asked, "You haven't even had time to finish your lunch properly. There's always something going on at your workplace. What happened?"
"The workers are protesting. They're all from our company. Their wages are two months overdue, and they still haven't been paid. They've blocked the entrance to the compound. I have to go!" Su Licheng hastily grabbed his shoulder bag and left the shop.
Su Can froze for a moment, then slipped out while Zeng He wasn't looking and followed close behind his father, heading toward their home.
Even from a distance, he could see police cars and a crowd packed so tightly around the entrance that there was no way through. Scraps of paper drifted across the ground, bearing slogans written in black pen, such as "Give us justice!"
He could hear wave after wave of shouting from far away. "People from headquarters have come down here! Cadres, officials! They're taking money from municipal construction projects. They say even an electrician makes over [illegible] a month! But those of us from the company itself get no part in the projects, and our wages are still being withheld. What kind of fucking world is this?"
"Once the project payments are settled, they'll get their money and make a fortune, while our wages still won't be guaranteed. Are we supposed to live or not?"
"It must be Zhong Jianjun, Su Licheng, and the others pocketing the money! They've stuffed themselves full and skimmed