Chapter 23: Where Does the Audacity Come From!

Chai Fang’s eyes grew misty with tears. She had no idea her younger brother carried memories of a previous life. She nodded and said, “She came today, had a child over there.”

“And then?” Chai Jin’s voice carried a dangerous edge.

“She said she’s not doing well. Apparently, she heard somewhere that you leased the distillery and made a lot of money.”

“She wants you to give them ten thousand yuan to buy a house.”

“Dad refused, said the money was yours. So they started arguing, and even smashed the sewing machine at home.”

“She said it was her dowry.”

Chai Fang watched as the coldness in Chai Jin grew sharper. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened half a month ago, when he broke someone’s leg without a word. She grew hesitant to continue.

“Don’t worry, little brother. Dad said we don’t need to do anything. They’ll handle it themselves.”

Chai Jin was silent for a long time. Strangely, he showed no sign of anger.

He asked, “Will she come again?”

Chai Fang nodded. “She said she’ll come to you, not to Dad anymore.”

“Xiaojin, after all, she is the woman who gave birth to us…”

“Does she deserve to be called mother?” Chai Jin interrupted coldly.

Chai Fang wanted to say more, but Chai Jin cut her off again. “Dad only listens to you, so when he comes home, talk to him. Tell him not to keep running around—just go work at the factory.”

“When I leave, you and Dad will have to take over the factory.”

“And move into the factory to live. At least the gatekeeper can keep out those shameless people who want to disturb your lives.”

“I’ll head to the factory now.”

“Alright.” Chai Fang responded softly.

Now, everyone in the village knew her brother owned the distillery, and that their family had made a lot of money. She once thought that, after people found out, their life in the village would improve. But envy was everywhere.

People smiled to their faces, but cursed them behind their backs.

What was wrong with these people?

Did our family do something wrong?

When we were poor and in debt, it was understandable that people looked down on us and pressured us.

But now we owe no one—why do they still curse us?

This kind-hearted girl was not yet twenty, and she simply couldn’t understand why things were this way.

Maybe moving into the factory was the best choice.

Chai Fang did not refuse.

But then, as if remembering something, she hurried to catch up with her brother.

“Xiaojin, there’s something you should be careful about.”

“What is it?”

Chai Fang glanced at the tightly closed door of the Liu family next door.

She warned, “Liu Fengxian and Liu Jun have been discharged from the hospital.”

“I heard they found a distant relative who works at the county police station, and brought him cigarettes as a gift. I don’t know what they’re up to.”

“I’m worried they’re planning something against you.”

“County police?”

“Yes. I heard from the factory director that a few days ago, the Liu family held a big birthday banquet, and that relative came for the feast.”

“After hearing about what happened to the Liu aunt and nephew, he even slammed the table in anger during the banquet. The director’s been worried about you, since you haven’t been around lately.”

Chai Jin fell silent for a moment. “I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

With that, Chai Jin left home.

When he returned to the factory, he specifically asked Zhang Aiming about the Liu family’s business.

Zhang Aiming was also a villager. As factory manager, many people tried to curry favor with him, so he had access to a lot of village gossip.

After verifying the relative’s identity, Chai Jin dismissed the matter.

Just an ordinary policeman at the county station—nothing more.

He then went on to ask about the various affairs of the factory.

Since the new workers Chai Jin had recruited arrived, the shortage in supply had eased somewhat.

And the reputation of Xiao Li Liquor had truly taken off.

Once word of mouth spreads, it moves much faster than any advertisement.

Even small shop owners from neighboring counties began to seek them out.

So the pressure on production eased for only a few days.

Before long, lines of tricycles once again formed a long queue outside the factory.

An interesting phenomenon also began to appear.

There were originally four or five positions at the warehouse.

But now, the finished liquor never even made it into storage.

So those four or five workers were reassigned elsewhere.

The most urgent matter was still hiring more people.

After all his recent efforts, Chai Jin had managed to recruit only a few dozen.

A distillery is different from other factories.

Every batch of liquor involves a series of complex steps: pressing the mash, fermenting, distilling, blending, cellaring, and more.

If any of these steps goes wrong, the flavor of the whole batch changes. Chai Jin had exceptionally high standards for quality control. Even the slightest flaw in taste meant he would never allow the workers to bottle the batch for sale.

He’d rather slow things down than sacrifice flavor or reputation.

So he set strict standards for carefulness in his workers.

Finding people was easy. Shout once in the village, and countless farmers would flock to work in the factory.

The problem was that they didn’t meet his requirements.

Chai Jin paced back and forth in his office for a long time before asking, “How many distilleries in our county haven’t yet restructured or been leased out?”

Zhang Aiming paused in surprise, then hesitantly looked up. “Are you thinking of opening a branch?”

Chai Jin nodded. “Right now, it’s the only way to meet market demand.”

“Uncle Zhang, what do you think?”

After a long silence, Zhang Aiming said, “If you really want to contract a distillery, I think you could try the county distillery.”

“That place has been shut down for nearly a month, with over five hundred workers waiting for work.”

“But the question is, where do we get the money?”

The cost to lease a factory with over five hundred employees would be high.

Not to mention, a county-level operation was far more complicated than their village enterprise.

Chai Jin understood Zhang Aiming’s concerns.

But those weren’t his concerns. Connections were built through legwork, and goodwill was cultivated over drinks.

He simply said, “If we take over the county distillery, the pressure on your shoulders will be immense.”

“Because production and packaging will all have to be standardized. Can you handle that pressure?”

Zhang Aiming smiled. “Xiaojin, are you doubting my ability?”

“Don’t forget, when the village distillery first started, we had three or four hundred workers too. I just had to manage both production and the market, and that stretched me thin.”

“If I only have to manage production, I don’t see a problem.”

Chai Jin thought it over—maybe he had worried too much.

The recipe at the factory had been passed down in Zhang Aiming’s family for generations, and they had never changed the flavor.

With Zhang Aiming at the helm, there was no need to worry about quality.

“So all I need to do is find you someone to handle the market, and we’ll be fine?”

Zhang Aiming nodded with confidence. “Rest assured, this old man isn’t bragging. In Yuanli County, among all the master distillers, which of them doesn’t show me respect?”

“Who doesn’t admire the recipe handed down in my family?”

“If you let them use this recipe, they would be thrilled.”

“That’s true.”