Chapter 83.2 Life has its ups and downs, but you bring sweetness.

“If the company is facing temporary financial difficulties but it’s just a momentary problem, can you clearly tell us how long we need to hold on? If it’s only one or two months, then we can tighten our belts together and support the company. We will inform those employees who are genuinely facing difficulties about the real situation and let them make their own choices. If they urgently need money and can’t wait, they can look for other jobs first.”

“If the company really can’t make it… then we will all start applying for new jobs as soon as possible.”

With this attitude, it was clear that the workers had softened significantly and were heading in a positive direction that no one had anticipated.

However, Ji Lin remained cautious. The inherent resistance from the employees and his father’s past experiences made him feel uneasy. He still felt that these worker representatives were planning something, using this approach to numb their nerves. He pursed his lips and said, “This is the first matter you want to discuss. What about the second one?”

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“Mbl plnsde xyvvla kp vbyv ol nyxl blal vs al-pktd zycsa nsdvaynvp okvb vbl nsxrydu.” Mbl xkeezl-ytle xyd zssjle pkdnlalzu yv Uyk Ykdt yde Kk Nkd. “El jdso vbyv vbl zycsa nsdvaynvp sq vbl nsxrydu olal yzz elpvasule, cwv vbl vos bwdeale sa ps lxrzsullp byhl ekpnwpple kv, yde lhlausdl kp okzzkdt vs al-pktd zycsa nsdvaynvp okvb vbl nsxrydu vs nsxrzlvl vbl cynjwr rasnlpp. Gzvbswtb vbl nsxrydu’p nsdvaynv hlapksdp yal tsdl, ol pvkzz byhl vbl saktkdyz nsrklp.”

Gv vbkp xsxldv, yp kq alnyzzkdt psxlvbkdt, bl tzydnle yv Kk Nkd ytykd yde pyke, “Rd vbyv nypl, ol pvkzz dlle vs vaswczl y zyoula. El nyd rashkel vbl saktkdyz nsrklp vs vbl nsxrydu, yde Ya. Uyk nyd byhl vbl zyoula ralryal yd keldvknyz hlapksd. Xdnl ol yzz al-pktd, kv pbswze cl pwqqknkldv.”

Gqvla vbl svbla ryavu qkdkpble prlyjkdt, bl zssjle yv vbl uswdt xyd dlmv vs bkx, obs kxxlekyvlzu srldle vbl cyt bl oyp nyaaukdt yde bydele y rkzl sq esnwxldvp vs Kk Nkd. “Xhla vbl rypv qlo eyup, ol yzps blze xllvkdtp yde vssj y hsvl. Mbld ol nszzlnvle vbl zycsa nsdvaynvp vbyv lhlausdl bye pyhle kdekhkewyzzu. El nyd tkhl vblx vs vbl nsxrydu qkapv, yde vbl zyoula nyd pvyav ralryakdt.”

Rq vblal oyp pvkzz y rsppkckzkvu sq vbl osajlap wpkdt alnsdnkzkyvksd yp y twkpl vs elnlkhl vbl nsxrydu’p vawpv ewakdt vbl kdkvkyz ekpnwppksd sq vbl rzyd, vbkp ynvksd dso nsxrzlvlzu elxsdpvayvle vbl yvvkvwel sq vblpl osajlap.

Ji Lin took the documents, flipped through them, and confirmed with Cai Ming. These were indeed the genuine labor contracts from before. By handing over these original copies to the company, they were completely giving up on the path of claiming double wages due to the absence of labor contracts.

“And regarding the unpaid wages that are currently delayed, we don’t want the company to incur any more losses or fines. We just want to receive what we are owed,” the middle-aged man said, taking out another document and handing it to Ji Lin.

It was a handwritten agreement, with about a hundred names signed in a crooked manner at the bottom.

Bai Duan Duan leaned over to take a look and finally understood the content of this agreement.

It was a joint statement from all employees, issued by the labor union, clearly stating that after discussions within the union, all employees agreed to the company’s decision to delay wage payment and waived any claims for economic compensation caused by it.

It was an extremely simple declaration, with just a few sentences, followed by the labor union’s seal and the signatures of all employees. Due to the large number of signatures, even this page couldn’t fit them all. Ji Lin flipped the page over and discovered that the back was also densely packed with signatures in different handwriting styles.

Ji Lin, Bai Duan Duan, and Cai Ming had been on high alert, even waiting for the worker representatives to set a trap for them with hesitation. However, no matter how much they anticipated, they never expected to receive this kind of outcome.

These worker representatives didn’t give Ji Lin a chance to intervene at all. They voluntarily and honestly revealed all their cards—they had no intention of holding the company accountable.

In fact, quite the opposite, they wanted to stand by the company’s side and accompany it through the difficult times.

Ji Lin looked at the declaration in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then lifted his head. His eyes showed genuine confusion and bewilderment. Bai Duan Duan heard him ask why.

Yes, why? Even if they had a guilty conscience about not accusing the company of lacking written labor contracts and claiming double wages, the fact remained that the company had delayed the payment of this month’s wages, which was a genuine act of withholding. These workers could have demanded immediate payment from the company and a certain amount of compensation.

However, at this moment, they unanimously agreed to waive their statutory rights and even handed over the signed and stamped declaration as well as the original labor contracts to the company. These should have been their trump cards held in their own hands.

Why? Not to mention Ji Lin, even Bai Duan Duan and Cai Ming had perplexed expressions on their faces.

“Why? Because the company and the boss have been good to us,” answered the representative, an elderly aunt. She smiled, and Bai Duan Duan then noticed that despite her difficult appearance, this aunt’s voice was loud and she spoke openly and straightforwardly. “Mr. Cai, you might not know me. I’m Liu Meijuan from the logistics department. I’ve been with the company since its third year. I guess I’m considered a long-term employee, but we’re not in the business department, so we don’t appear in the limelight much. The company has grown bigger over time, and you probably can’t recognize everyone.”

Liu Meijuan paused for a moment and continued, “You see, I have a daughter who got married two years ago, and things were going well. But I wasn’t in good health myself. After my daughter’s marriage, I was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had to undergo surgery, hospitalization, and chemotherapy. I followed the procedures and took leave with the help of the HR department, but because of my poor health, I exhausted the one-year medical leave period. According to the law, in such a situation, after the designated medical leave period, if a person still can’t return to their original job due to illness, the labor contract can be terminated, and there’s no need to keep a burden like me, who is sick.”

She sighed, her eyes slightly red. “My husband and I were worried about how to negotiate with the company, whether it was possible to keep the contract and continue with the medical insurance. I was willing to pay for the insurance myself, and they wouldn’t need to pay my salary anymore. I would just maintain my affiliation with the company, mainly to have medical insurance so that I could still benefit from high coverage for future treatments. Our family’s financial situation is average, and we’ve never bought private insurance. We relied on the medical insurance…”

“As a result, when I applied, the HR department said they would forward it to Mr. Cai for a final decision. And in the end, Mr. Cai not only didn’t ask me to pay for my own medical insurance, but he also didn’t terminate my labor contract. He agreed to continue paying me the minimum basic wage and just told me to focus on my treatment and not worry about anything else. He said the company can handle it, and my little money doesn’t make a difference…”

Liu Meijuan’s voice, which had been loud and clear, choked up as she reached this point. “For you, Mr. Cai, it was surely a small matter, and I doubt you even remember it or have long forgotten about me. But I’ve always remembered. When I was so sick that year, my husband and I thought we wouldn’t make it through, but the company didn’t give up on me. They supported me all along. I took an additional year off, and it wasn’t until this year that my condition stabilized, and I returned to the company.”

Cai Ming couldn’t feign his expression. Over these years, he had indeed been overwhelmed with countless tasks and responsibilities. While this was a big deal for Liu Meijuan, it was just a casual act of help in his daily routine. He genuinely had no recollection, and now, as he listened, it felt like he was hearing someone else’s story, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

However, unexpectedly, it was this everyday act of kindness that Cai Ming himself didn’t remember that Liu Meijuan firmly held in her heart. She sniffled and continued righteously, “When I encountered difficulties before, the company didn’t abandon me. Now that the company is facing difficulties and experiencing cash flow problems, I won’t abandon the company either. Although I’m not knowledgeable about business matters, I’ve been an employee of the company for a long time, and everyone calls me ‘Sister Liu’ out of respect. So, what I say carries some weight. This time, I finally have the opportunity to repay the company. When the incident happened initially, I used my previous connections to calm everyone’s emotions. It can be considered as contributing to the company. When a company faces such difficulties, the first thing we should do is not panic. If emotions become unstable, it will shake the morale.”

After the aunt finished speaking, she smiled gratefully at Cai Ming. “In short, Mr. Cai, thank you for what you did back then. You probably don’t remember.”

The middle-aged man in the lead also spoke up, “Mr. Cai probably doesn’t remember me either.” He smiled, “I was one of the beneficiaries of the company’s ‘lifelong education program.'”

When he said this, Cai Ming finally had a sudden realization on his face. “You’re Zeng Yiyang!”

The man across from him nodded, a bit embarrassed. “Yes, Mr. Cai. I didn’t expect you to remember me.”