Chapter 20: Retribution

In the evening, Jia Dongxu went to bring Jia Zhangshi back home. However, her face was pale, her eyes sunken, clearly showing the hardships she had endured at the steel rolling mill.

Lin Shaowen deliberately pretended to pass by. As expected, Jia Zhangshi appeared promptly at the doorstep, her gaze filled with hatred, as if she wanted to bite him.

“Well, well, isn’t this Aunt Jia? You’re out and about, huh?”

“You little bastard, you deserve a miserable death.”

Jia Zhangshi roared angrily, and the residents of the courtyard immediately came out to watch the commotion.

“Deserve a miserable death, huh?” Lin Shaowen dragged out his tone as he glanced at the photo hanging on the wall inside the Jia household.

“Ouch!”

Many onlookers felt a sharp pang of discomfort.

Though Lin Shaowen said nothing explicitly, it seemed as if he had said everything.

“You bastard, I’ll take you on…”

Jia Zhangshi snarled fiercely and lunged forward, but this time Lin Shaowen didn’t dodge or evade; he stood his ground.

“Come on, hit me. Better if you leave me with a scratch,” Lin Shaowen leisurely lit a cigarette. “Then it won’t be just five hundred yuan to settle the matter…”

That last remark acted like a spell, stopping Jia Zhangshi in her tracks.

She knew very well that although Yi Zhonghai had lent money to both Shazhu and Jia Dongxu, they had to issue IOUs, three hundred yuan each. Yi Zhonghai hadn’t specified when they had to repay, but with the IOUs in his hands, if things really escalated, they couldn’t just refuse to pay.

“You bastard, you deserve to die… you deserve it…” Jia Zhangshi fumed helplessly.

“The one who deserved to die already died, didn’t he?” Lin Shaowen smiled.

“Tsk!”

The crowd watching felt a mixture of amusement and discomfort.

Why did every time Lin Shaowen spoke, their thoughts always drifted to Old Jia?

“I’ll take you on…”

Jia Zhangshi, truly losing her temper, suddenly charged at Lin Shaowen.

Seeing this, Lin Shaowen slightly dodged, and Jia Zhangshi crashed straight into the doorway.

“Ouch! Aunt Jia, what are you doing?”

With a cry of pain, a slick young man rolled on the ground after being knocked down.

“Xu Damao, don’t you know how to dodge?” Jia Zhangshi scolded angrily.

“Aunt Jia, you hit me and still think you’re right? Boss, come out and settle this…”

Xu Damao sat on the ground yelling loudly.

Lin Shaowen shook his head at the scene.

Xu Damao looked cunning but was actually tightly controlled by Yi Zhonghai.

Asking Yi Zhonghai to judge the matter was like asking the dead for a prescription—just courting death.

Sure enough,

Yi Zhonghai came out and dismissed Xu Damao with a few words.

Xu Damao, helpless, passed by Lin Shaowen and shook his hand.

“Hello, Doctor Lin. I’m Xu Damao, the projectionist at the factory.”

“Xu, I know you,” Lin Shaowen handed him a cigarette and then passed another to Yan Bugui, who was standing beside him. “The factory speaks highly of you, saying your projection skills are excellent.”

“Brother, I’m not bragging, but as for projection skills, I dare say I’m second best. No one in the whole city dares claim first place…” Xu Damao was pleased; he thought Lin Shaowen had a good eye.

“Is that so?” Lin Shaowen smiled. “I’m also interested in your trips to the countryside to show films. We should talk sometime…”

“Don’t wait for ‘sometime’—how about today?” Xu Damao grabbed Lin Shaowen’s hand and said loudly, “Doctor Lin, you’ve got an eye for talent. I just happened to bring a chicken; let’s have a drink.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Lin Shaowen shyly replied.

“No need to be shy. If you need anything at the factory, just call my name,” Xu Damao insisted, dragging Lin Shaowen to the backyard.

Yi Zhonghai and the others wore dark expressions.

Xu Damao was already a troublemaker, but over the years, his attention had been fixed on Shazhu, so nothing major happened. But if the two of them teamed up, the courtyard might be turned upside down.

That night,

Lin Shaowen and Xu Damao chatted happily, both slightly tipsy.

Many people were gnashing their teeth in envy. How could Lin Shaowen extort so much money from them and still enjoy daily feasts and drinks? It was deeply unfair.

But their grievances didn’t last long. Punishments from both the factory and the neighborhood committee were announced simultaneously.

“Yi Zhonghai, Level 8 fitter from Workshop One, for misjudging right and wrong and falsely accusing the innocent, is punished to clean toilets for one week and given a minor demerit.”

“Liu Haizhong, Level 7 fitter from Workshop Four…”

“He Yuzhu, cook in the canteen…”

The loudspeaker announced that Yi Zhonghai’s gang was all assigned to toilet cleaning. Since the factory was busy, Level 8 fitters were top technicians and indispensable, so they couldn’t be kept cleaning toilets indefinitely.

Shazhu was also an essential member of the small kitchen, so the factory was lenient with them. They had originally considered docking wages but gave up after hearing they compensated Lin Shaowen; they didn’t want to push people to the brink.

Yan Bugui was ordered by the school to make a self-criticism before all the school leaders, humiliating him.

The crowd thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, the neighborhood committee issued a notice as well.

Yi Zhonghai and others were assigned to street cleaning for half a month, and this time Jia Zhangshi was included.

Jia Zhangshi wasn’t a factory worker, so the factory had no authority to punish her, but the neighborhood committee didn’t let her off.

Street cleaning was tough work, starting every day before dawn at four o’clock.

They had to finish before everyone went to work, and inspectors would check cleanliness; failure would extend the punishment.

...

The next morning, Lin Shaowen happened to see them returning with brooms.

“Well, the busy little bees are back?”

“Lin Shaowen, shut up!” Shazhu raised his broom and scolded angrily.

“What’s wrong? Doctor Lin praised you, and you’re still complaining?”

Xu Damao appeared as well. He and Shazhu were arch-rivals.

“Brother Xu, don’t say that. Laborers deserve respect,” Lin Shaowen said seriously. “Besides, Shazhu even cleans the factory toilets. If you have time, go check it out—the floor is as clean as if it’s been licked.”

*Pfft!*

The onlookers burst into laughter, but as they laughed, a wave of disgust followed.

“Doctor Lin, no need to gross us out early in the morning.”

“Yeah, what about breakfast now?”

“Doctor Lin, did Shazhu really lick the toilets?”

Many residents from the courtyard gathered, some not working at the steel mill and unfamiliar with recent events, only knowing Yi Zhonghai and the gang had been punished to clean toilets.

“Get lost, mind your own business!” Shazhu shouted furiously.

“I think he must have, otherwise how could it be so clean?” Lin Shaowen replied uncertainly.

“Haha, I have to see that for myself today,” Xu Damao laughed gleefully.

Didn’t he see Shazhu’s eyes turning red with rage?

“Alright, everyone go to work,” Yi Zhonghai dispersed the crowd.

He was over fifty years old, waking at four in the morning and working until five in the evening. He truly lacked the energy to deal with Lin Shaowen personally, but he wasn’t about to let him off. He was waiting for the chance to crush Lin Shaowen.

Shazhu and Jia Dongxu saw Xu Damao pushing his bicycle with his arm around Lin Shaowen’s shoulder and nearly burst with anger. Those two scoundrels teaming up—how could they expect any peace?