Chapter 9#
Qiming Manufacturing Plant#
Quite a few people came out on the second floor. Some were re-wrapping the connections near their dormitories with tape, while others were cursing. Workers from other buildings came out to watch the commotion, making a lot of noise. The creepy feeling Chen Ziqing had was dispersed just like that, and he wanted to run into the lively crowd immediately.
Sun Chengzhi suddenly stuck out his foot to block him. Caught off guard, he was about to fall, just like when he missed a step going down the stairs in the morning, but a hand steadied him.
Only this time, unlike in the morning when he didn’t see which worker it was, he saw clearly. He grabbed that hand to steady himself: “Many thanks, Technician Zong.”
Zong Huaitang didn’t tease him for his slow reaction, nor did he lecture the person who stuck out his foot. He walked away as if it had nothing to do with him.
Chen Ziqing frowned and glared at Sun Chengzhi, who was very unhappy that his attempt failed: “Sun the Second, why did you trip me?”
Sun Chengzhi was shameless: “Which eye of yours saw me trip you?”
Chen Ziqing looked at Zhong Ming who was present. The other party didn’t testify for him and even turned his head away. Disappointment showed in his eyes and could be heard in his tone: “Master Zhong.”
Zhong Ming’s gaze silently moved to his face.
Chen Ziqing bit the corner of his mouth and pleaded in a low voice: “The misunderstanding has been cleared up. I harmed you once, and your second junior brother harmed me once to avenge you. Can we call it even?”
Zhong Ming’s face felt hot: “Mm.”
“It’s good that you agree with my point of view.” Chen Ziqing nodded. He held his head high and said seriously, “Then please do ideological work on your second junior brother. If you don’t, it will be very difficult for me.”
Sun Chengzhi was about to curse, but Zhong Ming covered his mouth from behind and said to Chen Ziqing: “You go back.”
“Alright, wish you two sweet dreams tonight. See you tomorrow.” Chen Ziqing smiled and left. Sun Chengzhi made a throat-slitting gesture at him.
Seeing Chen Ziqing ignore the provocation, Sun Chengzhi was a bit stunned. He pulled the hand off his mouth and panted heavily: “Senior brother, I thought about it, and I feel that the subsequent incidents were still done by that guy Xiang Ning. What he said sounded plausible at first, but look at him, does he look weak like someone with a broken head? And besides him, who else could do such a dirty thing?”
Zhong Ming returned to the dormitory without a word. Several roommates were gathered outside chatting about the power outage in the corridor. He washed his face with cold water, took out the thermos from under the table, opened it, and poured hot water into another basin.
Sun Chengzhi sat on the edge of the bed, took off his shoes, and smelled them to see if they stank, hearing his senior brother say: “Don’t go looking for trouble with people anymore.”
He pretended not to hear.
“Sun the Second.” Zhong Ming said sternly, “We agreed.”
Sun Chengzhi threw away his shoes carelessly: “I know, I know.”
Zhong Ming took the basin to the corner.
Sun Chengzhi curled his lips. What’s a bachelor washing his butt for? No wife to reward him with a little red flower.
“I believe Xiang Ning. Don’t worry about the wire pulling anymore; something’s not right.” Zhong Ming finished washing and got up. “Can’t say specifically, let’s observe for a few days.”
Sun Chengzhi kicked his shoes away. Senior brother completely lost suspicion of Xiang Ning and even believed him. Damn! Senior brother actually believed that sycophant with a long criminal record and impure thoughts about Zhong Gu.
Seeing him walking out in his socks, Zhong Ming shouted: “What do you look like? Put your shoes on!”
“My shoes stink,” Sun Chengzhi said.
“Wear mine.” Zhong Ming casually threw a pair of shoes to him.
Sun Chengzhi patted the dust off the socks on his soles. He wore the same shoe size as his senior brother. That night he went to scare Xiang Ning, he wore his senior brother’s shoes.
At that time, he grabbed the windowsill and jumped downstairs. The heel of one shoe came off a bit and got dirt inside, which he didn’t even have time to dump out. Thinking about it now was really frustrating. If it weren’t for his senior brother, he wouldn’t be afraid of anything.
Sun Chengzhi went out with a flashlight. He wasn’t done with Xiang Ning.
.
Regarding the damage to the main line interface in the east corridor on the second floor of Building 9, the factory asked the labor union to write a report. This task fell on Chen Ziqing. Holding a brush, he hadn’t written a single word for half a day.
Zhong Gu ground ink for him: “The theme is admitting mistakes when you make them, standing straight when being punished. Daring to act and take responsibility will give a chance to turn over a new leaf. That’s enough, no need to be too complex.”
Chen Ziqing was worried to death. Complex? If he said he couldn’t think of anything and didn’t know how to write, Zhong Gu probably wouldn’t believe him.
The original owner actively took on tasks when he was alive, never missing an opportunity to show himself. Chen Ziqing really didn’t know what to say. He had put on the other person’s skin, why wasn’t the brush calligraphy passed on to him as well?
Zhong Gu came back after helping colleagues cut the red paper to be used as banners for the sports meeting, patting the paper scraps off her clothes and asking: “Xiang Ning, have you finished writing?”
Chen Ziqing frowned uncomfortably: “I’m dizzy.”
Zhong Gu got anxious: “I told you to go for a check-up but you didn’t go!” She hurriedly took the brush from his hand. “I’ll write this. Although it’s not as good as yours, it will pass. You go to the hospital for a check-up quickly.”
“No, I won’t write for now. I’ll accompany you to the hospital.” Zhong Gu changed her mind again and dragged him out of the office in a hurry.
Chen Ziqing quickly refused: “I can go by myself. You write the report; Section Chief Li is waiting. Don’t delay serious business because of me.”
Zhong Gu wanted to insist, but Chen Ziqing held her hand and squeezed it: “Thank you for your hard work.” My savior.
.
Chen Ziqing went to the hospital. The doctor examined his injury and found that the wound was healing at an astonishing speed.
The scene was very subtle for a moment.
The doctor seemed to wake up from a dream. He leaned close to Chen Ziqing and stammered: “Master, did, did you have some miraculous encounter?”
Chen Ziqing’s face showed only confusion.
The doctor and he looked at each other. The doctor explained from a medical perspective how unreasonable the speed of his recovery was, unheard of and unseen before.
Chen Ziqing rubbed his face with both hands: “Maybe… touched by the mountain god.”
The doctor shut his mouth.
Chen Ziqing seemed to realize the seriousness of the matter belatedly. He was somewhat at a loss: “Please don’t tell anyone about my situation. I just want to be an ordinary person. My whole life is to be dedicated to the manufacturing plant.”
The doctor pondered for a moment: “I’ll bandage you up this time. Come back next week to register with me.”
“Okay, I will definitely come.” Chen Ziqing dealt with the doctor and went to get medicine while touching the new gauze on his head. He ran into Sun Chengzhi in the hallway.
Sun Chengzhi’s unnatural walking in the past two days wasn’t because he was whipped by his parents, but because he scraped a large piece of flesh off his knee while jumping off the building. This time he came to the hospital to find his cousin to change the dressing. He had to come; it was a death order from his cousin.
“Yo, Master Xiang, what a coincidence.” Sun Chengzhi blocked Chen Ziqing, not letting him leave.
Chen Ziqing said in a moderate volume: “Are you going to hit me?”
Sun Chengzhi was dumbfounded: “Did I touch you? You say that just like that? Trying to frame me?”
“Then I misunderstood you.” Chen Ziqing followed the flow and smiled at him. “I’m going back to the dormitory. What about you? Going back? If so, let’s go together.”
“Who’s going with you.” Sun Chengzhi was disgusted. He bumped his shoulder and walked away.
Chen Ziqing said behind Sun Chengzhi’s back: “You really only went to my dormitory and didn’t use the method I used against your senior brother on me?”
“Use it on your grandma!” Sun Chengzhi turned back and spat at him twice.
They didn’t trust each other, so there was nothing to talk about.
After leaving the hospital, Chen Ziqing went to complete the lunch break poem check-in. Weekends were no exception because the original owner only went home for the New Year throughout the year and stayed in the factory at other times.
Moreover, the sports meeting was coming soon, which was suffocating just thinking about it. Chen Ziqing was annoyed and didn’t want to greet people, so he took a remote path to the factory building.
Sun Chengzhi followed behind. He wanted to see what Master Xiang, who was praised by the factory, was up to.
As a result, he witnessed the “poet’s” perseverance.
Isn’t this the other party’s skill for showing off? Why look like he’s going to his death?
Sun Chengzhi suspected there was something else going on. He squatted and waited for a long time but got nothing. Angrily rolling his eyes, he left.
Chen Ziqing didn’t notice Sun Chengzhi’s tracks. He had a headache. The mission target appeared and disappeared in just a few hours, and now he couldn’t figure it out at all. At this time when the wind wasn’t right and the food wasn’t tasty, besides complying with the annotations, he also had to write an apology letter to Zong Huaitang.
Two copies, one of which had to be two pages long.
Chen Ziqing muddled through the poem and took out the pale yellow letter paper sandwiched in the poetry collection. He blew on the letter paper, spread it on the poetry notebook, and tried to write the apology letter, reading each word as he wrote.
“Respected…”
No, Zong Huaitang was only six years older than the original owner, and his position wasn’t much higher. Using honorifics wasn’t quite appropriate.
Chen Ziqing crossed out those words and started a new line: A Letter to Technician Zong.
He wrote the apology letter until dark. Chen Ziqing walked towards the dormitory with a hungry stomach. The cafeteria was closed for today and tomorrow, so workers staying in the factory had to solve their own three meals a day. He had a small stove hidden by the original owner and could cook noodles with two poached eggs.
Thinking about his noodles and eggs, Chen Ziqing bumped into several young workers sitting on bicycles surrounding someone. He shouted casually: “What are you doing?”
The workers, seemingly guilty, rode their bicycles and slipped away like flying.
Only then did Chen Ziqing see clearly who they were surrounding. He couldn’t help but walk over quickly, surprised: “Little Ma, aren’t you at home? Why did you come to the factory?”
Ma Qiangqiang clutched the cloth bag in his hand: “I’m delivering soy sauce duck to someone.”
Soy sauce duck? Chen Ziqing swallowed: “Where is it?”
“Gave it to them.” Ma Qiangqiang was suspicious. “Brother, I heard a gurgling sound coming up to the kettle lid. Is your stomach growling?”
Chen Ziqing coughed twice: “Don’t mind it, just let it growl.”
“It really is your stomach growling. Let me see if I have any soy sauce duck left.” Ma Qiangqiang dug into the cloth bag, and Chen Ziqing looked on with expectation.
“I remember I only brought two soy sauce ducks, and I gave them both away.” Ma Qiangqiang said dully, “They want two every weekend. I didn’t bring extra. None left.”
“If there’s none, then there’s none.” Chen Ziqing smiled. “Little Ma, you’re quite something, doing business every weekend.”
Ma Qiangqiang’s eyes drifted.
Chen Ziqing realized something: “They didn’t pay you?”
Ma Qiangqiang didn’t look at him.
Chen Ziqing pulled Ma Qiangqiang to the road, stopped under a street lamp, and observed his expression: “Did they not pay this time, or do they never pay?”
Ma Qiangqiang mumbled: “Never.”
Chen Ziqing frowned and said seriously: “Tell me the names of those people. I’ll go find them right now.”
Ma Qiangqiang panicked: “No, don’t, Brother, don’t look for them. I don’t want it anymore.”
Chen Ziqing hesitated to speak: “They are bullying you.”
Ma Qiangqiang grinned: “It’s my fault. Otherwise, why don’t they bully others, only me?”
Chen Ziqing inhaled: “Why do you think that?”
Ma Qiangqiang was dazed: “Is it wrong?”
Chen Ziqing pinched his fleshy face: “Of course it’s wrong.”
Ma Qiangqiang smiled simply: “Oh… so it’s wrong…”
“In the future, either don’t bring it to them, or collect tickets and money as you should.” Chen Ziqing was here to do a mission and shouldn’t meddle in other people’s business or interfere with the fate of people other than the target, but he still gave advice based on personal experience. “Kind people get bullied. If you are tougher, no one will dare to take advantage of you.”
Ma Qiangqiang squatted down to tie his loose shoelaces, muttering: “My dad named me with two ‘Qiang’s (strong). One is for being tough, the other is for being powerful. He hoped I would be that kind of person, but I failed.”
Chen Ziqing said: “Then work hard towards this goal.”
Ma Qiangqiang squatted and didn’t get up. He smoothed out Chen Ziqing’s pant leg that wasn’t properly placed: “Too difficult.”
“Take it slowly. No one knows how to do it from birth.” Chen Ziqing said generously, “I am your team leader. You can come to me for things outside of work too. I will protect you.”
Ma Qiangqiang stammered: “But, but you are also very weak.”
Chen Ziqing swallowed a mouthful of bitter old blood, powerless to refute. This child is honest.
“I have Section Chief Li above me. He is my backer. I have a backer, which is equivalent to you having a backer.”
Ma Qiangqiang was confused and didn’t know if he understood the implications. All he cared about was: “Brother, let me carry the poetry collection. It’s quite heavy.”
So Chen Ziqing let him carry the poetry collection.
.
For the next few nights, power outages occurred on both the east and west main lines of the second-floor corridor. Everyone in the factory knew about it.
This night was no exception.
At the stairwell on the second floor, Chen Ziqing was carrying two apology letters, ready to go downstairs to give them to Zong Huaitang. He reached out to touch the wire hanging by the wall.
The moment he touched it, it felt like he was burned. Chen Ziqing jerked his hand back.
The wire was fine; why did he feel a burning sensation?
Chen Ziqing rubbed his fingers. Waves of burning pain attacked him; he might get blisters. He wanted to turn back to find cold water to rinse it, but footsteps coming up the stairs accompanied by voices came from downstairs.
“Comrade, what did you say! The power in the corridor is out again?”
“Yes, it must be that guy again. He pulled our corridor wires apart again!”
“It seems the factory’s ideological education is still not thorough enough. Some people’s awareness is just not high.”
“We must find a way to drag this wire-destroying guy out of the dormitory building!”
“That’s right! Then we’ll drag him onto the stage. In front of everyone in the factory, we’ll see if he blushes then!”
Chen Ziqing’s first reaction was that he seemed to have heard this somewhere.
A few seconds later, his whole body shook. Aren’t these A and B from the mission board!
He had forgotten about the two people.
“So it wasn’t A and B hiding it.” Chen Ziqing leaned against the wall with weak legs and murmured, “It’s just that the plot hadn’t reached that point yet.”
Now it finally has.
Two workers came upstairs and greeted him politely: “Hello, Master Xiang.”
Chen Ziqing forced himself to be calm: “Hello, hello to you, all good.”
He looked down at his red, hot, and unbearable fingers. Could it be that the previous power outages didn’t count, and the mission only officially started now?