Chapter 61: Chapter 55: The Strike Hard Campaign Protected Him
Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen to continue cooking. The security department of a large, state-owned factory in those days was a far cry from the gate-watching security guards of later generations.
Luo Weidong and the officers of the security department were armed. They were also known as economic police, under the dual management of the Public Security Bureau and the factory itself. They were responsible for handling security incidents within the factory and its residential areas, such as theft and brawls. Only major cases were handed over to the Public Security Bureau.
During the "Strike Hard" campaigns of the past couple of years, the textile factory’s security department had handled numerous security incidents and had even been designated an "Advanced Unit."
Once they got their hands on a hooligan like Wang the Pockmarked, who was known for his petty crimes, they’d have him confessing everything in a heartbeat.
"I still don’t get it. Doesn’t Wang the Pockmarked know you’re the one who opened this place? How could he have the guts?" Zhou Jie asked, a crucian carp in hand and a baffled look on his face.
"Exactly. I could take on ten of those little punks," Zhou Hai added with a good-natured grin as he sat behind the stove, feeding the fire.
The Zhou Family had many sons, each one more powerfully built than the last. They didn’t go looking for trouble, but when it found them, they never hesitated to strike. They were also incredibly united and fiercely protective of their own, so few people had dared to provoke them since their fathers’ generation.
By the time it came to Zhou Yan’s generation, he had six older cousins on his father’s side: three were butchers, two were soldiers, and one was studying martial arts on Mount Emei. As a result, Zhou Yan had never once been bullied at school.
It was only after he joined the textile factory cafeteria that he tasted a bit of hardship.
That kind of workplace suppression was often a silent, invisible killer.
"Maybe Wang the Pockmarked thought the ’Strike Hard’ campaign would protect him," Zhou Yan said with a chuckle.
Plant a cockroach, cause a scene, and even if you don’t manage to extort any money, you can still aggravate the owner and damage the restaurant’s reputation.
It was a despicable tactic, but an effective one.
Wang the Pockmarked likely never expected Mrs. Zhao to be so fiery. She just grabbed a knife and swung, not even bothering to argue about whether the cockroach was from the restaurant or not.
Arguing over a detail like that was an easy way to fall into the trap of having to prove your own innocence.
Zhou Yan felt that Mrs. Zhao possessed a great, practical wisdom.
Of course, he probably hadn’t counted on the restaurant having two heavy hitters like Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie, either. He just ended up with a sound beating for his troubles.
Zhou Yan had gotten on good terms with the security department beforehand precisely to guard against this sort of thing.
Sending Zhou Momo, his little policewoman-in-training, to call for reinforcements was also part of the plan. When the little girl explained what happened in her tiny, child-like voice, she sounded so pitiful that Luo Weidong immediately saw the restaurant as the victim.
Everything that followed was a matter of course.
’My gut tells me someone put Wang the Pockmarked up to this,’ Zhou Yan thought. ’Now it’s just a matter of seeing how tight-lipped he is.’
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai mulled over Zhou Yan’s words for a moment, and then they both chuckled.
"That’s for sure. If it wasn’t for the ’Strike Hard’ campaign, I would’ve beaten the shit out of them," Zhou Jie agreed wholeheartedly.
"If he ever dares to pull a stunt like this again, I’ll go stake out his house," Zhou Hai laughed.
While Zhou Yan and the others chatted in the back kitchen, Mrs. Zhao was out front, beaming as she prepared Kneeling Beef for the customers.
Everything seemed the same, but when the workers called out to Mrs. Zhao, there was a clear, newfound respect in their voices.
Only after the workers had gone back to their shifts did Zhou Yan and his family start to eat their own lunch.
"Fourth Auntie, you told us not to fight, so why did you charge in with a knife? Weren’t you scared?" Zhou Jie couldn’t help but ask as he held his rice bowl.
Zhou Yan and the others also turned to look at Mrs. Zhao.
"Scared of what? When I was winning first place in target practice as part of the militia, those little punks were still playing in the mud," Mrs. Zhao said nonchalantly. "When business is good, you’re bound to get jealous people coming to make trouble. You have to hurt them bad the first time, so others won’t dare try a second."
"In the words of the great man, ’Throw one punch to prevent a hundred from coming.’"
"I knew you were in the women’s militia, Fourth Auntie, but you actually took first place in target practice?" Zhao Hong asked in amazement.
"I was a dead shot. A few years back, before we had to turn in our rifles, I could take a stroll in the mountains and bag a rabbit or a pheasant easy. I even helped the men hunt a wild boar once." A touch of pride graced Mrs. Zhao’s face as she talked about her shooting days.
"No wonder everyone in the village calls you the Iron Maiden, Fourth Auntie," Zhou Jie said, the pieces clicking into place.
"That’s all in the past. Let’s not dwell on it. Eat," Mrs. Zhao said with a laugh. "Look at Momo, she’s eating with such gusto she hasn’t said a single word."
Everyone looked at Zhou Momo, her head buried in her bowl as she shoveled rice into her mouth, and they all laughed.
Zhou Yan put two spare ribs into her bowl. The little one had been a big help today.
"Fank oo, Bwother," Zhou Momo mumbled, her mouth full of rice, as she grabbed a rib with her small, greasy hand.
"You’re welcome. Eat slowly," Zhou Yan chuckled.
After lunch, Zhou Yan wrote out a list.
Mrs. Zhao was still fretting over the table she’d hacked a gash into.
"I’ll have a carpenter come fix it tomorrow. Besides the cost of the food, I also charged them five yuan for damages to the table," Zhou Yan said with a smile, walking over to her.
"Four hooligans who probably couldn’t scrape together eighty cents between them. What are the odds they’ll pay up?" Mrs. Zhao sighed, stroking the gash. "But we still need to get someone to patch it and give it a coat of varnish. Otherwise, oil and water will seep in, and the wood will be rotten in no time."
"Will do," Zhou Yan replied with a smile. He took the handwritten list, headed out the door, and turned into the security department office next door.
Director Luo was off interrogating the suspects and wasn’t in his office.
However, he had already spoken to Wu, the officer on duty. Seeing Zhou Yan at the door, Wu greeted him with a smile. "Zhou Yan, you can just leave the list on Director Luo’s desk."
"Alright." Zhou Yan came in, placed the list on Luo Weidong’s desk, and asked casually, "Hey, Wu, are they still interrogating them?"
"These punks don’t have the guts for major crimes, but they’ve done their fair share of petty stuff. Director Luo has his men interrogating them separately right now. It’ll probably take all afternoon," Wu said with a smile. "But don’t you worry. We just searched them, and they had a few dozen yuan on them—enough to cover your damages. It just has to go through official channels, so it won’t be quick."
"Alright, I’ll let you get back to it then. Don’t want to be a bother." Zhou Yan pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed two to him, and turned to leave.
He didn’t smoke himself, but he always kept a pack of Yuxi cigarettes on him. Offering a smoke was a quick way to build rapport between men.
Xia Yao had given the cigarettes to Comrade Zhou, but Zhou Yan’s mother wouldn’t let his father smoke, so they’d been passed on to him.
This brand was hard to buy without the right permits, so he hadn’t sold them, saving them for building connections instead.
He’d already written off the cost of the meal as a loss, and the only reason he’d made the list was to help Wang the Pockmarked and his cronies get a heavier sentence. He was naturally thrilled to find out he’d actually get the money back.
Including the damaged table, the total came to twelve yuan and sixty cents. Anyone would feel the sting of losing that much.
’Still, the fact that those hooligans had several dozen yuan on them confirms my suspicion. Someone almost certainly paid them to stir up trouble.’
’Either Wang Defa or Huang Fusheng. Their interests are at stake, so it’s not a hard guess.’
’Wang the Fifth can’t even keep his noodle stall afloat anymore. He wouldn’t have tens of yuan to hire people to cause problems for me.’
’Zhou Yan is a stand-up guy,’ Wu thought. He tucked one cigarette behind his ear, pulled out a match to light the other, and blew out a smoke ring. Looking at the cigarette in his hand, he nodded. ’This is definitely way better than a Hongmei!’
...
After lunch, Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai headed home. Zhou Yan set out on his bicycle, taking a quick glance at his system panel as he went:
[Side Quest: Kneeling Beef Legacy. Apprentice: Zhou Jie. Progress: 2/3]
[Main Quest: Dominator Textile Factory. Progress: 552/1000]
The Dominator Textile Factory quest was more than halfway complete. Today’s growth had been substantial; the factory director’s endorsement had clearly paid off.
The Kneeling Beef Legacy quest was progressing steadily and should be completed by tomorrow.
"Boss Gao, send another twenty crucian carp over to the shop for me." Zhou Yan parked his bike in front of the fish stall and called out to a bearded young man dozing in a bamboo chair.
