After offering a few words of comfort to her distraught mother, Emily Jennings followed William Carter out the door. William Carter got on his bicycle, and Emily Jennings hesitated for a moment before hopping onto the back seat. This was the spot her younger sister used to sit, but today it was her turn, and she couldn’t quite describe how she felt about it.

William Carter, however, didn’t think much of it. He quickly rode out of the factory’s residential area, not wanting to linger and attract more attention to himself and Emily Jennings walking together.

“We need to find Henry Goodwin and George Grant.” Stopping the bicycle at the head of Danfeng Bridge, William Carter thought for a while before saying, “Although it seems best not to make this matter bigger, things have already reached this point. No one else can help us. Henry Goodwin is the Party Secretary of Factory 195 and Uncle Zhen’s superior. We have to go to him and ask him to look into the situation. I also figure that by now, he should know that Uncle Zhen has been taken away for investigation.”

“But…” Emily Jennings bit her lip, her delicate brows furrowed, her face pale. “But with this kind of thing spreading like wildfire, even if my dad comes out later, how will he be able to keep his footing at the factory?”

“Emily Jennings, now isn’t the time to worry about that. As long as we can clear up Uncle Zhen’s situation as quickly as possible, we can most effectively quash the rumors. You know news like this can’t be kept secret. I bet in two or three days at most, everyone in the factory will know.”

William Carter crossed his arms, his fingers gently stroking the stubble on his chin.

“I can’t say for sure whether Frank Brooks is taking the opportunity to kick Uncle Zhen while he’s down, but it’s a fact that Uncle Zhen and Frank Brooks don’t get along. So our only option is to go to Mark Goodwin, have him look into the situation, and have him put pressure on the disciplinary committee to give a clear explanation and timeline. After all, Uncle Zhen is the deputy director of Factory 195, and his work is important. It’s impossible for him to cooperate with their investigation indefinitely. Of course, as long as it doesn’t interfere with his main duties, Uncle Zhen can certainly cooperate with their work.”

Chapter Five: Sisters

Mark Goodwin’s home was also in Area A, Section 2, but he had much more seniority. When he was serving as deputy director, James Jennings was only a deputy workshop director, so his residence was in one of the earliest batches of courtyard houses, quite far from James Jennings’s small courtyard.

When William Carter and Emily Jennings arrived at Mark Goodwin’s home and saw him standing by the window watering his plants with a solemn expression, William Carter knew that Mark Goodwin was already aware of the situation.

“I’ve already reported the relevant issues to my superiors through proper channels. The factory will hold a Party committee meeting this afternoon to discuss the situation. This is my responsibility. Xiaojie, go back and tell your mother that I, Mark Goodwin, as the Party Secretary of Factory 195, will fulfill my duty. I trust Old Zhen. If he’s done nothing wrong, I will make sure he gets justice. If he really has made mistakes, then within the bounds of principle, I’ll do everything I can to help him.”

When Emily Jennings and William Carter explained their purpose for coming, William Carter noticed a flash of surprise in Mark Goodwin’s eyes. Clearly, he hadn’t expected two inexperienced youngsters to come to him, and their calm, reasonable, and well-argued words left him with no room to refuse.

Mark Goodwin truly lived up to his reputation as an old hand at Factory 195—his words were forceful yet watertight. William Carter knew that if things continued on their original course, it wouldn’t affect Mark Goodwin much, but James Jennings would never have another chance to turn things around at Factory 195. He needed to give the other man a reminder.

“Uncle Gu, as far as I know, this time it’s the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection investigating Uncle Zhen. What kind of case requires the CCDI to get involved? Is it really as simple as Uncle Zhen accepting a few pieces of jewelry and some cash from someone? Uncle Zhen is, at most, a department-level cadre. By rights, that’s not enough to warrant the CCDI’s attention, is it? Is there something else going on here?”

William Carter believed that the shrewd and experienced Mark Goodwin couldn’t possibly be unaware of what this investigation into James Jennings really meant.

Factory 195 had been underperforming for the past two years. The country’s attempts at reforming state-owned enterprises, the decentralization of authority to enterprises, and the rise of the factory director responsibility system had all directly shaken up the power structure within the factory.

If David Lane had truly been a capable leader, it might have been fine, but in reality, David Lane hadn’t managed to pull Factory 195 out of its financial troubles. On the contrary, under his leadership, the factory became even more chaotic, and after he became Party Secretary, he was even more arbitrary and domineering than Mark Goodwin, with the added flaw of greed.

This became most apparent after Factory 195 was granted a stock market listing to help resolve its financial crisis. Ultimately, it led directly to the collective downfall of the factory’s leadership and plunged this once-glorious large enterprise into a decade-long slump. It wasn’t until China’s large aircraft project was restarted that Factory 195 gradually emerged from its difficulties.

A storm of emotions surged in Mark Goodwin’s heart. Through his reading glasses, he carefully observed the young man before him. Was this Richard Carter’s youngest son?

George Grant had mentioned him, but Frank Brooks said the university reported that this guy had strong tendencies toward liberalization, so he overturned his original decision to let the young man join the factory’s administration, which made George Grant quite unhappy.

But as for other issues, Mark Goodwin could tolerate them all—except for this one. On this point, Mark Goodwin would never compromise.