Chapter 14 A Dog Deserves the Stick

“Gunpowder? What gunpowder are you talking about?”
“How can you still speak so ambiguously at a time like this?”
Chai Jin’s face was calm, like a deep, unfathomable pool.
At this moment, his gaze was fixed on the factory gate.
At the entrance, many workers had just finished their shift. Among them, a woman was cheerfully greeting people everywhere.
Beside her was a young man, equally sociable and well-liked.
Chai Jin didn’t answer Zhang Aiming’s question; he merely uttered lightly, “Uncle Zhang, tell me, how wicked can a person truly become?”
“Wicked?” Zhang Aiming followed Chai Jin’s gaze in confusion.
But the people below had already dispersed, and the factory gate was empty.
He turned back, puzzled, to look at Chai Jin.
Just then, Chai Jin turned and said, “It’s nothing.”
A chill swept over Zhang Aiming, as if he had been plunged into an icy cellar.
Especially when he caught the corner of Chai Jin’s eyes, he felt as if his soul were shaken.
The light in those eyes was like that of a monarch who gazed down upon the world.
Utterly indifferent.
Not until Chai Jin left did Zhang Aiming snap out of it.
He took a deep breath, “How did the son of Chai Mingguo become like this?”
...
The “gunpowder” Chai Jin spoke of was the Municipal Lighter Factory.
Wei Jiaochang took Chai Jin’s words very seriously.
While Chai Jin and his people were busy packing bottled wine, the Municipal Lighter Factory was bustling with activity.
In just one day, all the new packaging was completed.
This was a crucial moment for everyone at the factory whose livelihoods depended on it.
Wei Jiaochang, opting for bold action, directly announced to distributors: goods could be taken on credit.
He also introduced many incentive policies.
There was no time to be cautious—several entrepreneurs had already begun negotiations.
He had to produce a beautiful sales report.
He needed to show them confidence, prove that the Lighter Factory was not in decline.
The factory worked overtime through the night.
By the morning of the third day, boxes of lighters bearing the “Little Li Bai Wine” label were shipped out.
That day, the market remained silent.
On the fourth day.
Inside a night snack town in Yuanli County.
A drunkard, drinking and boasting, reached the height of his tale and decided to light a cigarette for added enjoyment.
He placed the cigarette on his lips and patted his pocket.

“Forgot my lighter?”
Unwillingly, he got up and went to the nearby convenience store to buy one.
After lighting his cigarette, he left the lighter on the table and continued spinning his yarn about conquering outer space.
His companion also used the lighter to light a cigarette.
Afterwards, the would-be space conqueror’s eyes fell upon the lighter.
He muttered curiously, “Hey, this lighter is interesting, there’s a Li Bai on it.”
“A sip for pleasure, Little Li Bai Wine? This lighter can be used to get fifty cents off a purchase of Little Li Bai Wine?”
“Brothers, have you ever heard of Little Li Bai Wine?”
Those fond of drinking are always eager to try new brands when they see them.
That’s why the Daoxiang Distillery declined; they lacked innovative thinking and didn’t understand the concept of old wine in new bottles.
“Little Li Bai Wine? Never heard of it.”
“How about we try something new and check it out?”
“Sure, today’s wine tastes like pure alcohol, it’s drying out my throat. I’ll go buy some.”
One of them, curiosity piqued, walked to the convenience store.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man.
When asked, the shopkeeper was troubled—he didn’t have that wine.
The drunkard, annoyed, cursed as he left, “No Little Li Bai Wine? What kind of shop are you running? Might as well close down.”
After they left, the middle-aged shopkeeper scratched his head, “What is this Little Li Bai Wine anyway? Why have I never heard of it?”
“Today’s already the twentieth person to ask.”
The same thing happened across many places in Yuanli County that night.
On the fifth day, the market began to ferment further because of these lighters.
During these days, the factory was also at a critical juncture.
Tomorrow, wages were due.
Somebody started gossiping, suddenly spreading the rumor that the factory was already empty, and there would definitely be no wages tomorrow.
Rumors are deadly.
All day, workers whispered among themselves, until finally they began blocking Zhang Aiming’s office.
Zhang Aiming was overwhelmed and miserable.
It took great effort to calm the workers’ nerves.
Chai Jin had also been particularly busy these past days.
Only Liu Qingwen knew his whereabouts—he was running around all the distilleries in Yuanli County every day.
Liu Qingwen thought he was conducting market research.
People in the distilleries had seen him, thinking he was just another factory worker.
So, on the fifth day, when he entered, he was stopped by a young man with a soda.
That was Liu Jun, the one Chai Jin had beaten in the fields.
And the middle-aged woman and the young man seen in the office a few nights ago—

They were Liu Fengxian and Liu Jun, aunt and nephew.
After being beaten by Chai Jin, Liu Jun had lingered around him several times, hoping for a chance to get even.
But Chai Jin was so busy, rarely seen, and eventually Liu Jun himself entered the distillery.
So revenge was put on hold.
Today, unexpectedly running into him at the factory, would Liu Jun let him go?
Biting the straw of his soda, he sneered, “Chai Jin, don’t tell me you’ve joined the distillery too?”
Chai Jin gave him an indifferent glance, not interested in banter.
He replied, “So what if I have?”
Liu Jun burst out laughing, “What department? Maybe I can look after you, we’re both from the same village.”
Chai Jin’s face was frosty as he walked toward the office, ignoring him.
Liu Jun wouldn’t let it go, quickly following behind, “I’m talking to you!”
“Are you mute?”
Chai Jin, already ahead, suddenly stopped, sighing helplessly.
Without a word, he walked to the side, picked up a wooden stick, and headed toward Liu Jun.
Liu Jun froze for a moment.
As if suddenly realizing something, he dropped his soda and ran off.
“Chai Jin, you bastard, you dare lay a hand on me in the factory!”
“Don’t let me see you in the workshop again, or I’ll kill you!”
His words sounded fierce, but his legs fled faster than anyone’s, and soon he was gone.
Bang.
Chai Jin tossed the stick aside, looking as if he had just driven off a rabid dog barking at him.
Shortly after entering the office, Liu Qingwen came storming in, furious.
“Jin, did you just have a fight with Liu Jun, that scoundrel?”
“Those two are stirring up trouble everywhere. Should I go give them a piece of my mind?”
Chai Jin was organizing a list, the result of his days running around the distilleries.
He looked up calmly and said, “If a dog barks at you, and you bark back, wouldn’t you be a dog too?”
“Do what a person should do—just drive them off with a stick.”
Liu Qingwen scratched his head, “That actually makes some sense.”
“Forget it, I’ll drag him to the restroom and teach him a lesson later.”
“Jin, will the factory be able to pay wages tomorrow?”
“There are a few people secretly stirring up trouble, planning to cause a scene. Aren’t you worried at all? How can you be so confident?”