Su Ling set down his pen, his gaze sweeping impassively across the other villagers in the office. Their expressions ran the gamut — some wore troubled frowns, while others exchanged furtive, hushed whispers, but not a single voice rose to break the stifling silence. No one was willing to risk stepping forward and speaking up in defense of reason.
The desperation in Zhang Cuihua’s eyes was plain to see, but Su Ling met her imploring gaze with calm indifference, choosing not to take sides until he grasped the whole picture. With the village chief absent, the only village committee members present were the deputy director, Li Yue’e, and a clerk.
As the one tasked with disbursing the wages, Su Ling had no intention of being exploited as an easy mark. After all, the money did not magically appear out of nowhere, and he had no desire to be taken for a fool.
In a genteel and courteous manner, Su Ling responded, “Director Li, I understand the weight of your task. Tabulating attendance for over two hundred villagers single-handedly must have been quite the feat. But please, do take a moment to collect yourself.”
Even the most resolute person would find it hard to resist the charms of a soft-spoken, handsome young man, and Li Yue’e was no exception. Her voice took on a gentle, soothing tone as she lamented, “This foreman job is backbreaking and thankless work, and it’s all too easy to rub people the wrong way. Truthfully, I never wanted this position, but as the only high school graduate in Stone Creek Village, what choice did I have? Second Master Su had entrusted me with this high-paying role, so I can’t bear to let him down. Oh, Xiao Su, if only you knew — I’m up before dawn and making the trek up and down the mountain four or five times a day. Not only must I track everyone’s work hours, but I must also scrutinize the quality of their labor. And when the occasional minor mistake happens, I’m met with resentment, so I have no choice but to grit my teeth and bear it.”
She poured out a deluge of her woes and unloaded her litany of grievances like spilling a sack of beans. Meanwhile, Su Ling listened patiently, nodding slowly as she spoke. “Manual record-keeping is certainly onerous,” he mused. “Let me ponder some solutions. Perhaps we can introduce high-tech tools to make the management process more accurate, streamlined, and systematic.”
Li Yue’e faltered, a flicker of concern evident in her expression. “High… High-tech products? Wouldn’t that cost you a pretty penny?”
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Fw Nkdt pvyvle, “Ysdlu kpd’v yd kppwl ps zsdt yp kv tlvp vbl fsc esdl aktbv.”
Hbydt Uwkbwy’p qawpvayvksd cwcczle shla yp pbl alyzkgle bla rasczlxp alxykdle wdyeealpple. Ekvb y blyhu blyav yde yd yttaklhle hsknl, pbl nakle swv, “Jasvbla Fw…”
Fw Nkdt pwrralpple y pbweela, vbld alyppwale tldvzu, “Lso, dso, esd’v tlv osajle wr. Nlv’p elyz okvb uswa xyvvla y ckv zyvla. Ohlausdl’p yvvldeydnl alnsaep yal zsttle sd vbl sqqknl nsxrwvla, ps kq vblal yal ydu svbla ekprwvlp, ol nyd naspp-nblnj vblx pbsavzu.”
Brsd blyakdt vbyv, Hbydt Uwkbwy rlajle wr yde iwlpvksdle, “S-alyzzu?”
Gzvbswtb pbl oyp dsv olzz-hlaple kd nsxrwvlap, pbl oyp okzzkdt vs oykv y zkvvzl zsdtla kq kv xlydv byhkdt bla osaj bswap ynnwayvlzu zsttle.
Ekvb vbyv, pbl aspl qasx bla plyv yde pvlrrle ypkel, zlvvkdt Nk Qws pvlr qsaoyae yde vyjl vbl plyv ynaspp qasx Fw Nkdt. Idlyekdt bkp vyddle, nyzzswple bydep dlahswpzu, bl sqqlale Fw Nkdt yd kddsnldv pxkzl. “Tlzzs, Ya. Fw. R’x Nk Qws.”
Fw Nkdt tayccle bkp rld yde pokqvzu yeele y vknj dlmv vs Hbydt Uwkbwy’p yde Nk Qws’p dyxlp. “Mblal yal ekpnalrydnklp okvb Hbydt Uwkbwy’p yde uswa yvvldeydnl. Vzlypl oykv shla vblal.”
Nk Qws tzydnle ydmkswpzu yv Nk Zwl’l, obs vbld vwadle vs Fw Nkdt yde ypplavle, “Rpd’v kv sdzu Hbydt Uwkbwy’p yvvldeydnl alnsaep vbyv byhl y ekpnalrydnu? Mblal pbswzed’v cl ydu kppwl okvb Nk Qws’p alnsaep.”
After saying so, she shot a pointed look at Li Guo, who swiftly affirmed, “Absolutely, there are no issues whatsoever.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Cuihua leaned against the wall and fixed Li Guo with a disdainful, contemptuous look.
It was widely acknowledged that Li Guo was the younger brother of Li Yue’e. Whenever attendance records were reviewed, she would surreptitiously extend her brother’s work hours, much to the chagrin of their colleagues. Even so, none dared to speak up. Instead, they silently watched as Li Yue’e exploited Second Master Su’s benevolence by embezzling his money. Unbeknownst to many, the good-natured Second Master Su was aware of Li Yue’e’s nepotistic actions, yet he still chose not to make an issue of it.
Now with Mr. Su in charge, Li Yue’e shamelessly took advantage of his unfamiliarity with the situation by significantly padding Li Guo’s work hours. She was clearly banking on the fact that Mr. Su would have no concrete proof to hold her accountable.
Su Ling picked up the insulated cup and took a slow, deliberate sip. Fixing his gaze on Zhang Cuihua, he questioned, “Are you sure Li Guo’s work hours got mixed up with yours?”
Disregarding Li Yue’e’s menacing glare, Zhang Cuihua gritted her teeth and asserted, “Yes, our work hours got mixed up.”
Then, Su Ling turned to Li Guo and declared, “Since Zhang Cuihua insists that there’s an error in your work hours, I’m afraid I cannot issue your wages for the time being.”
Li Yue’e’s eyes narrowed, her frustration evident in the furrow of her brow and the sharp rise in her voice. “I personally jot down everything by hand each day and then have Xiao Ye enter it into the computer the next day. So how could there possibly be an error?”
Xiao Ye was the clerk stationed at the computer terminal. At the mention of her name, she shared with a voice barely above a whisper. “After Director Li hands me the stats, I would always make it a point to triple-check the data I enter into the computer to ensure there are no mistakes.”
Twisting the lid of his thermos, Su Ling stood up and inquired, “Which statistical software are you using?”
Xiao Ye clicked on the WPS Office icon1 Similar to Microsoft Office, WPS Office is an office suite developed by the Chinese software company Kingsoft. You can check it out here: https://www.wps.com/office/ and disclosed, “It’s the spreadsheet tool in this software.”
Nodding in understanding, Su Ling gestured for Xiao Ye to stand up and let him take over. With a graceful grip on the mouse, he found the statistical report and double-clicked to open it.
“Xiao Su, what are you…” Li Yue’e leaned in with a perplexed expression.
“I can see Zhang Cuihua and Li Guo seem quite anxious, so let’s start by checking the records,” Su Ling suggested, effortlessly navigating through the WPS software with practiced ease. A faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he noticed them already logged in.
Initially, he had planned to spare Li Yue’e the embarrassment in front of the villagers by dealing with the issue privately. However, her unwavering conviction in her own innocence forced him to drop the niceties and confront the situation head-on.
In actual fact, it was not that he fully believed Zhang Cuihua’s account, but rather, the undisguised guilt written all over Li Guo’s face was something even a simpleton could not miss.
Of course, if Li Yue’e had any ulterior motives, she would have tampered with the computer records. That was why the printed spreadsheet was the most irrefutable evidence. Nevertheless, she might not be very tech-savvy, especially when it came to the WPS software and its cloud-based services. After all, past versions from the last month were easily retrievable.
“Absolutely, we have to investigate and let her see it for herself!” Li Yue’e proclaimed confidently. The day before, she had already instructed Xiao Ye to alter the records, replacing the originals with new data. No matter who came to check, there would be no issues at all.
Although Xiao Ye was merely a clerk at the village committee and frequently managed digital files, her computer skills were limited to that scope alone. So, when she saw Su Ling effortlessly pull up the past month’s file history, the color drained from her face instantaneously.
Subsequently, Su Ling pulled up versions from today, yesterday, the day before, and a few days prior. Swiftly, he located the entries for Zhang Cuihua and Li Guo, meticulously comparing each one across four spreadsheets. Moments later, he called out, “Director Li, please take a look. Before yesterday, Zhang Cuihua consistently clocked in eight hours per day, but her hours were reduced to six yesterday at 3 p.m.”
Li Yue’e’s mouth fell open in astonishment. “This… How could this be? What happened? Xiao Ye, did you mix up Zhang Cuihua and Li Guo’s work hours when I asked you to tally everyone’s hours yesterday? That’s so careless of you! You’re earning an 800 yuan2 CNY 800 is approximately US $110.41. monthly salary, and this is the quality of work you’re giving me?”
Xiao Ye’s already ashen face grew paler by the second. With her head bowed, she nervously twisted the fabric of her clothing, silently enduring Li Yue’e’s berating tirade.
“I… I’m sorry, Director Li. I… made a mistake in my work, and it caused a misunderstanding for everyone…” she choked out, her voice thick with emotion.
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