Chapter 28: Shutting Down Your Factory

At this moment, an ordinary policeman stood before Chai Jin, acting as if he were about to call someone from the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission to deal with him. This left Chai Jin with a profound sense of helplessness. Once a man of considerable stature, he now seemed utterly shallow to Chai Jin.

He no longer felt like wasting time. Without a word, he turned around, locked his house, and spoke with the utmost indifference, "As for compensation, there won't be a single cent. And you, Liu Jun—I hadn't intended to pursue what happened that night."

"But since you want to make an issue of it, very well. Over the next few days, I'll make sure to settle this account with you properly."

With that, he brushed past the group.

Wang Wenjun, seeing how Chai Jin didn't take him seriously in the least, was furious and grabbed Chai Jin's arm. "You're coming with me to the station right now. Your behavior is absolutely appalling!"

Chai Jin shook off his hand. "If you want to arrest me, then please show me the proper legal documents."

"Besides, just because you stand here and say you're a policeman, am I supposed to believe you?"

"If I claimed to be your commissioner, would anyone believe me?"

Wang Wenjun instinctively reached for his pocket, only to realize he'd left home in a hurry and hadn't brought his credentials. Knowing full well what he was up to, he hadn't dared wear his police uniform, so for the moment, he truly couldn't prove his identity.

His face darkened. "Fine, you want proof? I'll go get it and bring it right back for you!"

Chai Jin pushed him aside. "Don't block my way, thank you."

"And remember, bring your credentials next time you talk to me. I'll be waiting for you at the distillery."

Without so much as a backward glance, he headed for the distillery.

Seeing Chai Jin's attitude, Liu Fengxian grew timid as well. After all, this family was now the wealthiest in the village.

She muttered, "Nephew, is this really okay? It looks like this family has no intention of paying. Don't let our Liu Jun get dragged into this."

Wang Wenjun, bristling with anger, barked, "Lawless ruffians! Scum of the village!"

"For the sake of the other villagers, I must get rid of this cancer from our community!"

"You wait—I’ll bring officers from the station here!"

He stomped off furiously, hands behind his back.

…

Inside the distillery.

Li Zheng and Yao Shunnian were deeply astonished by what they saw.

Due to the restructuring, all the major factories in the county were struggling. Workers were dispirited, orders were sluggish, and the vibrant days of production were a thing of the past. In such a bleak climate, they never expected to find a thriving factory in this obscure little village.

The workers were full of energy, the plant was bustling yet orderly, and every department ran with efficient precision. Even the queue of buyers waiting outside left them amazed.

There hadn't been such lively scenes at any factory in Yuanli County for four or five years.

In the office, Yao Shunnian was in excellent spirits, smiling as he said, "Little Chai, seeing is believing. The whole county is talking about your factory now."

"Your colleagues at the State-Owned Assets Commission are using you as the benchmark for reform. You’ve set a fine example for all the private entrepreneurs."

Chai Jin replied graciously, "Our success is inseparable from the support of the county leaders. Without your approval and this favorable environment, even if we had the skills of the Monkey King himself, we wouldn’t have accomplished anything."

His words put Yao Shunnian in an even better mood.

Li Zheng suddenly recalled the scene from over ten days ago, when Chai Jin came to him with documents in hand. He smiled, "If you’d come to me with cigarettes and liquor like everyone else, even if I recognized you at the restaurant, I’d have turned and left without a second thought."

"Little Chai, did you really think the rice noodles at the restaurant next to our office were that delicious?"

After all, as a bank manager, he could be fooled at first, but upon reflection, he realized why Chai Jin had appeared there.

He left it unsaid.

Chai Jin didn’t try to hide it and smiled, "What could I do? The Assets Commission had already given its nod. After we took over the county distillery, we had confidence we could build a business with annual sales exceeding ten million, perhaps even tens of millions."

"That would create many jobs for the county, but we had no money—so we had to keep showing up in front of you, hoping you’d remember our faces."

Li Zheng laughed heartily. "You’re quite persistent, aren’t you?"

"Good thing you didn’t give up. You showed me something different."

"But…"

On hearing the word "but," Yao Shunnian cut in. "Old Li, in your system, things still have to follow procedure."

"Improving the lives of ordinary people—given the current situation, private entrepreneurs are bound to become a backbone of our economy."

"The county has been discussing this and wants to talk with you about it. Every rule has its exceptions; you can’t just apply the same measure across the board."

As county magistrate, Yao Shunnian was well aware of the situation. More people were being laid off, and his own doorstep was worn thin by those seeking connections—many of whom were former factory executives.

They had their ways, but what about ordinary folks? After they lost their jobs, what were they supposed to do? This was a chronic problem—only if banks provided funding to nurture the private market could it be resolved.

Yao Shunnian then took on the role of persuader, and Chai Jin knew it was best to remain quiet at this point.

Li Zheng’s attitude began to shift. He gave them an answer: He would still need to report to his superiors and see their reaction.

He also promised that as long as the response was not a clear rejection, he would authorize a loan for Daoxiang Distillery.

As the conversation continued, Zhang Aiming suddenly rushed in.

"Leaders, may I interrupt for a moment?"

Yao Shunnian smiled, "No need to stand on ceremony. It’s getting late, Old Li, let’s get back to the county."

"Alright, Little Chai, I’ll contact you once I have news." Li Zheng rose to his feet.

Chai Jin replied humbly, "Thank you, leaders. Allow me to see you out."

Zhang Aiming tried to pull Chai Jin aside, but the others continued their conversation as they headed out, leaving him anxiously behind.

Outside the factory gates.

Wang Wenjun had indeed changed into a police uniform and returned. Two others accompanied him, also in uniforms—though anyone with a discerning eye could tell these were not standard police attire, but rather security guard uniforms.

With these "uniformed" men backing them, Liu Fengxian and her nephew grew bold. Standing at the factory entrance, they shouted abuse: "Murder is a crime! The killer must be severely punished!"

"If we don’t get justice, we’ll die right here at your factory gates!"

Many of the merchants waiting in line to pick up goods looked on, wondering what was happening.

Seeing the time was right, Wang Wenjun grabbed a megaphone and shouted to the merchants, "Clear out, everyone! There’s a murderer at the distillery. Orders from above—we must seal the place for investigation!"