Chapter 111: Living with Integrity
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After Liu Xingyu finished speaking, Jiang Fan picked up the thread. “Where did the girl you personally recruited go?”
Seeing Jiang Fan’s dark, livid expression, Liu Xingyu answered timidly, “She resigned six months ago. I heard she works at a hair salon nearby, but I don’t know which one.”
“That bastard. I was going to find some excuse to deal with you, but now I see that scum like you doesn’t deserve an excuse at all.”
Jiang Fan slammed his fist into the grass, then rose angrily and strode toward the factory gate, asking where Gou Biao was now.
When Liu Xingyu saw that Jiang Fan had punched a deep hole into the lawn, he dared not say another word. He merely covered his face in shame and sobbed quietly.
Jiang Fan asked the two security guards on duty at the gate where Gou Biao had gone. One guard pretended not to know and shook his head, while the other secretly pointed outside, indicating that Gou Biao had left the factory.
Burning with rage, Jiang Fan pulled some money from his pocket. From among the small bills wrapped around several ten-yuan notes, he found a fifty-cent piece, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it to the guard who had concealed Gou Biao’s whereabouts.
“Go buy me a meal of stir-fried pork with green peppers, plus ten fried eggs.”
Fifty cents was not even enough for a bowl of fried rice noodles. Realizing that Jiang Fan was deliberately making trouble by ordering him to buy a meal and ten fried eggs for that amount, the guard miserably picked up the money from the ground.
“Assistant Manager Jiang, I’ve never offended you!”
Jiang Fan kicked him in the stomach and shouted, “You haven’t offended me, but you’re that bastard Gou’s lackey. You still dare to stand there babbling at me? Today, I’m going to make things difficult for you.
“Just for those two foolish remarks you made, this is all the money you’re getting. You have to bring the food back for me, and buy a pack of Sanwu cigarettes as compensation for the saliva you’ve wasted. What are you waiting for? Go! Keep whining, and I’ll add even more to the order.”
Hearing that a pack of Sanwu cigarettes had been added, the guard dared not say another word. He quickly turned and headed toward the dormitory building.
Jiang Fan chased after him and kicked him again from behind.
“I told you to buy things. Why are you heading into the factory? Are you treating my words as if they were nothing?”
The guard, knocked to the ground, got up and explained, “I don’t have that much money on me. I’m going back to the dormitory to borrow some from my colleagues.”
After hearing his explanation, Jiang Fan impatiently waved him away.
“Get lost. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Jiang Fan returned to the guard who had secretly tipped him off earlier and asked in a mild voice, “You can speak freely now. How long ago did that bastard Gou Biao leave?”
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The guard replied, “Only about ten minutes ago. Earlier, I went to the restroom and saw him hiding beneath the packaging department, secretly watching you talk with Manager Liu. He watched for a while, then suddenly hurried away. I don’t know why.”
Jiang Fan picked up the guard’s identification badge and glanced at it before patting him on the shoulder.
“Liu Zhengjun. I’ll remember that. Thanks for telling me all this. From the way you speak, it sounds as though we’re from the same hometown.”
Liu Zhengjun answered honestly, “I’m from Nanchong in Sichuan. You can call me Ox Boy. That’s the nickname my grandfather gave me. All my close friends call me that. It feels especially familiar.”
Meeting a fellow townsman in a distant place, Jiang Fan replied warmly, “A fellow townsman—and we seem to get along well. But I’m going to find that bastard, and I don’t have time to chat. Once I’m done, I’ll buy you a meal.”
Liu Zhengjun asked casually, “Are you looking for Gou Biao because something happened?”
At the mention of Gou Biao, Jiang Fan ground his teeth in hatred.
“I’ve just learned that bastard did something even more disgusting to a down-and-out drifter. As long as he remains at liberty for even one more minute, I can’t bear it. I need to find him quickly. This time, I’m not going to let him off with a simple beating.”
Liu Zhengjun had heard a few rumors about Gou Biao’s conduct. But knowing how hard-won his job was, he had avoided trouble and never looked into the matter too closely.
He also knew that Jiang Fan had never behaved submissively since joining the factory. He was constantly making trouble for the owner’s favorites, always because of matters involving the ordinary workers.
Learning that Jiang Fan was once again going after Gou Biao on someone else’s behalf awakened Liu Zhengjun’s sense of justice. He volunteered at once.
“Wait here. I’ll find someone to cover my shift, then I’ll help you look for him.”
Liu Zhengjun’s words left Jiang Fan stunned. He asked suspiciously, “You work under Gou Biao. Won’t going with me to find him just bring trouble on yourself?”
“A man like him, who recognizes neither family nor loyalty and cares only about money? I’d never join him in his schemes. If it weren’t for my younger sister pulling strings and even paying the five-hundred-yuan introduction fee for me, I would never have come to work at this factory. Earlier, I wouldn’t have hesitated to tell you where Gou Biao had gone.
“You never worry about your own gains or losses. You’ve done so much for the people at this factory, even standing up to the owner for more than a dozen of your colleagues’ jobs. I knew about some of Gou Biao’s disgusting behavior, yet I was too afraid to say anything. Thinking about it now, I’m truly ashamed.
“From what you just said, I suspect Gou Biao overheard your conversation with Manager Liu. That must be why he became so nervous and hurried out of the factory. Whether he’ll come back anytime soon is hard to say.
“You need someone to help you search, and someone familiar with him would make the search easier. I’ll go with you. If he really fires me over this, he’ll have to return my introduction fee. Otherwise, we’ll settle it with our fists.”
After saying this, Liu Zhengjun ostentatiously rolled up his sleeves, bent his arm, and displayed his powerful triangular deltoid.
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Jiang Fan smiled faintly.
“Forget it. That bastard has some connections in the factory. It’s better not to drag you into this.”
Seeing that Jiang Fan was about to leave, Liu Zhengjun grabbed him.
“It’s all right. Whatever pride I had from my days as a soldier has already been worn smooth by reality. Drifting from place to place, I haven’t done a single meaningful thing.
“For the sake of this wretched job, I’ve had to flatter people like Gou Biao against my conscience. I’ve lived a miserable enough life. Let me play the hero just this once. At worst, I’ll be fired. A person still needs a little backbone to live with some dignity.”
Liu Zhengjun’s words moved Jiang Fan. He affectionately pounded him once on the chest.
“Then hurry up and find someone to cover your shift. I’ll wait here.”
The two of them searched all around Dafeng but found no sign of him.
After hesitating for a while, Liu Zhengjun asked, “Assistant Manager Jiang, if you ask Manager Liu where the women rent their rooms, do you think he’ll tell you?”
Jiang Fan shook his head.
“Forget it. She must be suffering too. This is a matter between men—why make things difficult for a woman?”
Unable to find anyone nearby, Jiang Fan decided to check the First Village, where rented rooms were most densely concentrated.
From a distance, he saw Zhang Xiaoye and Zhang Chungeng sitting outside the entrance of a dumpling shop.
Zhang Xiaoye was speaking with a radiant smile, while Zhang Chungeng wore a simple, bewildered expression and did nothing but nod and shake his head.
Whatever she had said, Zhang Xiaoye suddenly burst into loud laughter and slapped Zhang Chungeng on the shoulder.
Zhang Chungeng did not dodge. He merely looked at Zhang Xiaoye and grinned foolishly.
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