Chapter 20: Coming to Wreck My Factory?

Chai Jin suddenly remembered how odd his sister had acted that day, and asked, “Yes, what about it?”

Zhang Aiming took a deep breath. “Last night, after work, it was late, so I took a shortcut home.”

“Halfway there, I saw a girl running through the fields.”

“Behind her were Liu Jun and your neighbor Liu Fengxian, cursing loudly.”

“I wondered if your sister was being bullied by them, so I tried to catch up, but I couldn’t keep pace with those two.”

“Of course, I’m not certain it was your sister—it was dark, and I couldn’t see clearly.”

As soon as Chai Jin heard this, his face darkened to a terrifying degree.

A murderous aura radiated from him.

But he managed to restrain himself.

His voice, fathomless as the ocean, was calm: “I understand. Go outside and announce the dismissal list.”

Zhang Aiming, seeing Chai Jin like a volcano about to erupt, cautioned, “Don’t be rash. I’m not sure, either.”

He took the list and left the office.

About ten minutes later, Chai Fang arrived.

It had been agreed just yesterday that she would no longer work in the fields, but stay in the factory instead.

The events of the previous night had frightened the girl badly.

Naturally timid, she dared not look up at Chai Jin after entering.

She simply went to deal with the stack of financial papers that required attention.

From the other side, Chai Jin, still grim-faced, asked coldly, “Sister, did something happen to you on your way home last night?”

“N-no,” Chai Fang stammered, tears brimming in her eyes but refusing to fall, afraid that her brother’s impulsiveness would lead to disaster.

“Did something or didn’t it?” Chai Jin pressed, his tone harder.

Chai Fang was startled.

This time, she couldn’t hold back—tears the size of beans rolled down her cheeks.

She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.

Chai Jin lit a cigarette, his heart aching. “Did you run into Liu Fengxian and her nephew?”

Knowing she could hide it no longer, Chai Fang nodded, her delicate face half-hidden by her hair.

“Yes. I was catching eels, and they happened to pass by.”

“They cursed at me a few times.”

“That’s all? When Liu Fengxian cursed you before, you never reacted like this.”

“If you still consider me your brother, then tell me exactly what happened last night!”

Chai Fang’s defenses collapsed bit by bit.

Faced with Chai Jin’s questioning, she had no choice but to recount the events of the previous evening.

Chai Jin said nothing throughout.

When she finished, he rose in silence. “Stay here in the office. Don’t come out.”

“Xiao Jin…”

“Stay put!”

Chai Jin brooked no argument. He walked to the side and picked up a mop.

He braced it against his knee.

Crack.

The mop broke in two. He tossed aside the end with the rag and gripped the wooden handle, striding out.

As he left, he locked the office door.

Chai Fang burst into tears, leaping up and calling after him.

But Chai Jin didn’t say a word or look back.

By now, dozens of people outside were growing restless.

The dismissal list had been posted.

Who wanted to be fired from the factory?

Liu Fengxian, as usual, took the lead, hurling abuse at Zhang Aiming on the platform.

“Damn you, capitalist! How are we supposed to live?”

“We worked so hard, treated this factory like our own home, and you just fire us like that!”

“You owe us a proper explanation!”

Liu Jun couldn’t accept it either. Just yesterday, he’d been showing off in front of Wang Xiaoli.

And now, in a matter of days, he’d been cut down to size.

How could he bear it?

He climbed somewhere high and shouted, “I want compensation! For emotional damages!”

“If you don’t, we’ll smash the factory, make a scene, and bring the authorities down on you crooked businessmen!”

“That’s right, pay us! Pay us!”

The twenty-some people who’d been dismissed were united in their outrage, determined to make trouble.

Those who hadn’t been fired all looked at them with contempt.

After working together for over a month, everyone knew this group were the laziest, always first to claim benefits, but hiding whenever trouble came.

Firing them was no mistake.

But the dismissed were too agitated for anyone to confront them directly.

Zhang Aiming stood on the platform with a loudspeaker, shouting in vain.

Just as the situation teetered on the edge of chaos—

Chai Jin charged in, gripping his wooden stick.

His eyes burned with a fury so intense it seemed blood might seep from them. He rushed to where Liu Jun stood, high above.

He swung the stick at Liu Jun’s leg.

Crack!

The stick snapped in two.

Liu Jun, completely unprepared, was struck so hard he collapsed to the ground.

The shouting crowd fell into sudden silence, everyone staring at Chai Jin as if he were a demon.

Chai Jin didn’t stop after breaking the stick. Without a word, he walked over, picked up a brick, and smashed it against Liu Jun’s forehead.

Blood instantly streamed down Liu Jun’s face.

When he realized it was Chai Jin who had attacked, rage overwhelmed him.

He tried to get up and fight back.

But as soon as he rose, he collapsed again—his leg had been broken by Chai Jin’s blow.

“Chai Jin, you just hit my nephew! I’ll beat you to death, you bastard!”

Liu Fengxian, shrewish as ever, had snapped out of her shock.

She shoved through the crowd and swung at Chai Jin.

When they were children, Liu Fengxian would lure the siblings into corners and slap them just like this.

Back then, he was too small to fight back, so he endured.

But now he was grown. Would he still tolerate it?

Before Liu Fengxian could get close, Chai Jin kicked her in the stomach with all his strength.

He strode forward, seized her face with one hand, and slapped her round, piggish cheeks with the other.

Liu Fengxian fought him wildly, but Chai Jin refused to let go.

One slap followed another.

The crack of his hand echoed among the crowd.

The more Liu Fengxian cursed, the harder Chai Jin struck.

Each blow seemed to land on the hearts of everyone watching; those who had threatened to smash the factory fell utterly silent.

They stared at Chai Jin in terror.

No one could tell how many slaps Liu Fengxian endured before her venomous mouth finally shut.

But still, Chai Jin’s hand did not stop.

Zhang Aiming finally came to his senses, ran over, and grabbed Chai Jin.

“Xiao Jin, that’s enough, you’ll kill her! It’s not worth it, let it go.”

A few workers hurried over to help pull him back.

Only then did Chai Jin release Liu Fengxian.

He swept a cold gaze over the twenty-some troublemakers.

His voice was icy: “Let’s see which of you dares lay a hand on my factory today.”