In a chaotic world of infrastructure development, a woman's path to survival after being reborn

Looking at the line of people kneeling below, Su Li said nothing, but instead ordered the soldiers to bring everyone from the base, including Aunt Wang and the others.

Soon, everyone from the base was brought in, and they looked at the person kneeling on the ground with great confusion.

The others were puzzled, but Aunt Wang and the others understood immediately upon seeing the person. They asked, "Madam, is this the thief who stole the seeds?"

Thieves? The others were incredulous upon hearing this, staring at their companion kneeling on the ground with his head down and remaining silent, and said, "How did they become thieves?"

Even before Aunt Wang and the others asked, Su Li nodded and said, "They are the thieves who stole the grain seeds, and they even acted as a gang, protecting each other."

With their suspicions confirmed, Aunt Wang and the others stared at the people kneeling on the ground and questioned, "Why did you do this? Base, Madam has never mistreated you in the slightest."

Even after being caught, the people kneeling on the ground regretted their actions. Now, upon hearing Aunt Wang's words, they tearfully replied, "We were blinded by greed and made a mistake. We know we were wrong. Can you give us another chance?"

They admitted their mistakes quickly and seemed sincere, but neither Su Li nor Aunt Wang softened their hearts because of it.

"Where did you hide the grain seeds?" Su Li asked in a cold tone.

Su Li's tone was too cold, completely lacking her usual friendliness. The people kneeling on the ground realized this, and their bodies trembled even more violently. They dared not lie anymore and hurriedly revealed their hiding place.

After learning the hiding place, Mo Bei led his soldiers to search for it, and soon they returned with the hidden grain.

Looking at the several sacks of grain seeds in front of her, Su Li's expression grew even colder. She turned to Aunt Wang and the others and said, "Check whether these grain seeds match the records in the ledger."

Aunt Wang and the others had already begun preparations. Upon receiving Su Li's instructions, they immediately stepped forward and, without needing any help, began to inspect the grain with their tools. After a while, they confirmed, "Madam, the grain is all here, not a penny more, not a penny less."

Hearing this, Su Li nodded, then ordered the soldiers, "Take everyone away and deal with them according to the rules. Show no leniency."

Su Li's sudden order stunned and surprised everyone, especially those kneeling on the ground, who panicked and kept begging for mercy.

"Madam, we were truly confused for a moment, it wasn't intentional. We've already found the grain seeds, could you please forgive us this time?"

The cries were so loud that they drew everyone's attention. Su Li looked at the group of people weeping and wailing before her, and coldly snorted, "It wasn't intentional, just a moment of confusion. If we hadn't discovered you today and hadn't sealed off the base, would you have returned the grain seeds you took out?"

The question left the person kneeling on the ground speechless. Upon hearing Su Li's cold snort, the person stiffened and, after a long pause, forced himself to say, "We will return it. We only did it because we were out of our minds."

Su Li didn't believe a word of this. She snorted and said, "You'll pay me back? You're out of your mind. You're just trying to fool me."

"Do you know why I came to interrogate you again after a night? It's because I wanted to see if you would come forward and confess. But you didn't. You were still clinging to wishful thinking and still thought you wouldn't be discovered."

The fig leaf was torn off, and the people kneeling on the ground blushed with shame, as if they had lost all their strength. They were now completely obedient and dared not utter another sound.

Seeing that the man had stopped struggling, the soldiers quickly took him away, giving them no chance to react.

The person was taken away, but that doesn't mean the matter is over.

The punishment for the seed thief was carried out in front of everyone in the base. This was Su Li's intention; she wanted to use this as a warning to everyone in the base and also as a way to make an example of them.

"What do you all think of this punishment? Is there any unfairness in it?" Su Li suddenly looked at everyone present and asked.

At this moment, Su Li had shed her gentle appearance, replaced by an extremely cold tone, as if she had become a completely different person. This Su Li made people feel somewhat uneasy.

"No, this is a fair way to handle things. They deserved what they got." Everyone present, including Aunt Wang, nodded in agreement.

Hearing everyone's answers, Su Li's expression softened slightly, but she still solemnly reminded them, "Don't try to take any seeds or anything from the base, or you'll know the consequences."

"People must learn to be content. Discontent will only lead to the abyss. Their fate today is a warning to everyone present. If anyone acts in this way again in the future, things will not be so simple."

……

After giving a speech, the people at the base dispersed to their respective jobs, and they could go home normally when it was time to finish work.

Everyone else at the base had left, but Aunt Wang and the others stayed.

"Madam, this was our negligence. We failed to discover the problem in time and almost caused a disaster. Please punish us; we promise we will have no complaints," Aunt Wang and the others said guiltily.

Hearing this, Su Li sighed and said, "The incident has already happened, but fortunately it didn't escalate into a major disaster. The aunties reacted quickly enough to prevent anyone from escaping, so their good deeds and bad deeds cancel each other out. I'll let it go this time, but if such a situation occurs again, I will definitely hold them accountable."

Hearing Su Li's sigh, Aunt Wang and the others felt even more guilty and said repeatedly, "This time it was our fault. Madam, please punish us. Otherwise, we won't have peace of mind."

Seeing that the guilt on Aunt Wang's and the others' faces was becoming more and more obvious, Su Li said, "People's hearts are unpredictable, and no one can be on guard all the time. It's okay that this happened this time. Just learn from the experience. Aunts don't need to feel guilty all the time."

"With the army about to return to the city, there are still many things to deal with. Aunts, you must also cheer up. There are still many things waiting for you. Don't be intimidated by this current difficulty."

Su Li spoke those words very solemnly, and Aunt Wang and the others could sense that. So they said seriously, "Don't worry, Madam, we will be more careful in the future and not give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of us."

Su Li noticed the determination of Aunt Wang and the others, and naturally trusted them. However, this incident also reminded Su Li that the base's oversight mechanism needed further improvement. It couldn't rely solely on Aunt Wang and the others' supervision; she needed to enable everyone to achieve self-supervision and self-management.