Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

No black factory!

Then that means either Tang Bohu's friend's investigation was wrong, or the information is outdated!

Upon receiving this news, Zhou Maoxue appeared somewhat lost and dejected, looking quite devastated.

So what have I been doing in this broken factory for the past few days! What's the point!

Teaching people, working to earn money?!

Just as he was spacing out, the owner arrived with the Dongda inspection team.

The young man in charge of recording glanced a few times at the four scholars who were simultaneously dazed.

He looked at the portly owner and said in a cold tone, "What's the matter with these people? Is your factory tricking fools and the mentally challenged into working for free?"

"No! We didn't!"

"No, we didn't ~" The inspection team member said sarcastically, "Don't think I can't tell just because you cleaned them up. Honestly, what's the deal with these simpletons?"

The portly owner was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly squatted down and poked Zhou Maoxue twice, urgently saying, "What are you spacing out for! Did something happen at home? Or is there something difficult in your life? Tell me, let's get things done first and then come back to work!"

Zhou Maoxue looked at the members of the inspection team, his face twitching fiercely.

He looked at the portly owner again, only to see him with a concerned expression.

"Are you feeling unwell? If you're not feeling well, go back and rest. Don't force yourself to work. I'll give you paid leave."

In a daze, Zhou Maoxue nodded and said woodenly, "It's nothing, thank you, Owner."

The portly owner hurriedly ingratiated himself with the inspection team, fawningly saying, "You see, they're really not fools."

"Okay, you pass. Now take us to the cafeteria to have a look."

"Please, this way, please..."

Watching the portly owner's obsequious demeanor, Zhou Maoxue's heart had sunk to the bottom.

Given the current situation, it must be as the workers said.

Dongjiao University is not only not helping black factories, but is also vigorously cracking down on them.

It seems that he completely misunderstood.

He really isn't a fool...

He is the number one idiot in the world!

He came full of enthusiasm, thinking he was fighting against the black forces, and acted selflessly.

In the end, he discovered that he was just shadowboxing, putting on a perfect show... with three equally stupid accomplices beside him.

Thinking of this, Zhou Maoxue looked at the other three.

The three scholars quickly turned their heads away in shame, avoiding eye contact.

Fortunately... everyone was equally embarrassed.

At lunchtime, the four gathered in the cafeteria.

Humans are extremely adaptable animals. After so long, the four had already instinctively run to the cafeteria as soon as they heard the lunch break whistle.

As for dignity, to hell with dignity.

When the four of them had spent three days in the factory, taking showers naked with the other workers, that bit of scholarly dignity had been thrown to the winds.

Running to the cafeteria as quickly as possible meant getting more meat and eating something hot.

The later you went, the worse and colder the food was. Only fools would go to the cafeteria slowly.

The four sat around a table, the atmosphere somewhat strange.

Zhou Maoxue took two small bites of his steamed bun and finally couldn't help but say, "I'm going to leave."

"Me too."

"Let's go back and pack our things tonight."

Once the topic was opened, the others immediately followed suit.

The arrival of the inspection team today had really caused a major psychological blow.

Before they came, they could still comfort themselves by saying that the factory was good at disguising itself.

But now that they had seen it with their own eyes, what other problems could there be?

"Then what about our wages? Did we work for nothing?"

Zhou Maoxue's chest tightened. He wanted to curse, but he finally held back.

Wages? Those two coppers were not even worth a fart in his eyes!

But thinking that it was the first money he had earned through hard work in his life, he was unwilling to give it up.

After careful consideration, he said, "However many days we worked, we should be paid for that many days. Our factory has good benefits, so it should be easy to talk to."

"That's right... Why don't we go find the owner after lunch and say we're quitting?"

"Never mind, let's finish the last day. After eating, I have to go back and prepare my lessons. Those workers are waiting for class."

"Brother Zhou, what do you say?"

Zhou Maoxue smiled bitterly and looked down at the short shirt on his body.

He hadn't worn his original elegant silk white robe for a long time. Instead, he wore this short shirt every day.

Over the past few days, he had gradually forgotten what it felt like to wear silk. Instead, he found this short shirt more convenient.

Many of the workers in the dormitory, even the dormitory building, had become very familiar with him.

Sometimes, when he returned to the dormitory after work, someone would bring him one or two eggs or some fruit.

Some even generously bought him some pig's head meat outside...

A group of workers would sit around him, watching him eat and talk, their eyes shining with a desire for knowledge, drool dripping from their mouths.

It must be said that this was a rare highlight in a day of boredom and fatigue.

Although Zhou Maoxue occasionally still held the airs of a scholar, he had to admit in his heart that these country bumpkins had brought him an unusually warm feeling.

This was something that those 'upper class' friends had never given him.

Now that he had become accustomed to lecturing the workers, suddenly withdrawing was indeed inappropriate, and he felt a bit reluctant.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Maoxue said, "Let's go prepare the lessons first, and resign tomorrow."

......

When the afternoon quitting whistle sounded, the four scholars returned to the dormitory with light steps.

Although the thought of leaving that group of country bumpkins weighed heavily on their minds, returning to the colorful world was even more gratifying.

As soon as he returned to the dormitory, Zhou Maoxue immediately fetched a basin of water.

He used a towel to wipe his whole body clean.

Then he began to pack his bags and put on the clothes he had worn when he first entered the factory.

Wearing the long robe again, Zhou Maoxue was obviously more elegant and confident.

The other three also did the same.

When the four had changed their clothes, they stood in place and looked at each other, all smiling.

"I almost didn't recognize you after you changed your clothes."

"I don't feel comfortable wearing this. I feel like this outfit restricts my movements when I'm working."

After teasing each other for a while, Zhou Maoxue pondered, "Everyone, we have been in the factory for so long without any results. What should we do next?"

As soon as he said this, the three looked at each other. The joy of putting on the long robe had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The four sat at the small table in the room. After a while, someone finally spoke.

"I think... I'll go home."

"Yes, I feel very tired after tossing around for so long. I don't even know what I'm doing."

"That's right, it seems like there's no reason to continue fighting. If our factory didn't have Dongjiao University, wouldn't it have become a black factory? If there were no Dongjiao University, then there would be no convenient tools, wouldn't the black factory be even blacker?"

"Brother Zhou, I know you have high aspirations, but I feel like what we're doing is meaningless. If we didn't pass the imperial examination, then we didn't pass. I've accepted it after so long... Even the knowledge of Dongjiao University is not simple when preparing lessons every day."

The three spoke one after another, and finally their eyes focused on Zhou Maoxue.

Zhou Maoxue's expression was unusually bitter. After working so hard for so long, he was still unsuccessful...

"Alright, I plan to go home and retake the exam next year. I don't think the Xingsheng Society can continue to operate. Let's return the money to Brother Tang and go our separate ways."

.......