Chapter 99: Submission

Looking at the few young rascals glaring at him fiercely, Li Xian took a deep breath and remained silent.

In this world, there are two kinds of people you shouldn't mess with: crafty old folks and impulsive young people. This is not something learned from books but rather Li Xian's own realization.

Crafty old folks need no further explanation. Just consider figures like Zheng Weishi from the retired workers' home—his manipulative tactics, honed by years of experience and understanding of human nature, are quite terrifying.

Li Xian, relying on his grasp of historical trends, could get a nod of respect from such individuals. However, in terms of social skills and handling matters, the old man was far superior.

Sometimes, he even suspected that officials retire at around sixty not because their physical or mental capacities decline but because their accumulated experience, cunning, and patience have reached a peak that could wreak too much havoc if left within the system, requiring regular cleaning out.

Impulsive young people are even more dangerous.

When Li Xian was still a teenager in middle school, he witnessed an incident where a local big shot's BMW hit a girl crossing the road on a bicycle. The big shot, seeing his car scratched, slapped the girl twice.

This action infuriated the boy classmates who were nearby—almost causing the big shot to be beaten to death by a group of enraged middle schoolers.

At sixteen or seventeen, impulsive behavior knows no bounds.

Taking one last look at the kid with the cigarette glaring at him, Li Xian said nothing and turned back to the factory.

"Chicken shit," the young men laughed behind him.

Back at the factory, Li Xian didn't go to his office but went straight to the cargo area. There, ten or so truck drivers were waiting to load bleach and other production materials for an overnight trip to Beilin.

A few minutes later.

"Look at my brother! What are you looking at! What are you looking at!"

The sounds of slaps rang out at the dark factory gate.

Zhou Yong pinned the kid named Er Luzi against the wall, delivering a series of slaps to his face. Er Luzi, a mechanic who had also driven large trucks, had a lot of strength. After a dozen slaps, Er Luzi's mouth was split open.

Yet, despite the pain, he still glared at Zhou Yong with hatred.

Nearby, the other boys had all knelt down, covered in snow.

"Damn it! If you don't kill me today, I'll make sure to ruin you sooner or later!" Amidst the sobs of his companions, Er Luzi glared at Zhou Yong and spat.

Li Xian's heart tightened.

He stepped forward, grabbing Zhou Yong, who had just kicked Er Luzi, and squatted down in front of the snow-covered Er Luzi.

"Do you know why you're being beaten?"

The kid looked back fiercely but remained silent.

"Sua, you guys have bullied her before, right?"

At the mention of this name, the kid showed a hint of confusion, looking at Li Xian.

Seeing the lack of recognition, Li Xian tapped his head, "The little mute."

Er Luzi's eyes widened in realization, "Damn, so it's that little girl. Damn it, that girl will get what's coming to her soon…"

Bang!

Before he could finish, a sharp pain struck his nose, and warm blood began to flow.

Li Xian's face remained stern. "If you dare touch her again, you won't even be able to find a place to cry, do you believe it?"

"Damn it! I still stand by what I said—if you don't kill me today, I'll remember this grudge!"

Seeing the anger in his eyes, Li Xian felt a headache coming on. He realized he had encountered a tough opponent.

He initially thought a good beating would make the kid afraid, but it seemed that Er Luzi was a tough nut—unyielding and unbreakable.

Just as Li Xian was stuck in this predicament, the roar of engines was heard from outside. Several blue trucks, loaded with timber, arrived at the factory gate.

The gate was immediately illuminated by the headlights.

Li Xian shielded his eyes with his hand.

"Brother, what's going on?"

Soon, the people from the trucks came down. As Li Xian adjusted to the light, he saw Xu Bing and Zhou Jun, along with Old Zhou, approaching.

Seeing the trucks full of timber, Li Xian realized that Xu Bing had successfully organized the transport and had begun shipping the wood from the mountains.

Hearing Xu Bing's inquiry, Li Xian sighed and briefly explained the situation with the young troublemakers.

As he spoke, Er Luzi continued cursing.

At that moment, a person emerged from behind Xu Bing. Wearing a felt hat and a thick scarf covering his face, Li Xian couldn't make out his features.

Without saying a word, the person walked over to the troublemakers, pointed at Er Luzi, and asked, "Where does he live?"

No one responded.

The person, seeing no reply, said, "Those who answer the question can leave now."

"Postal Alley…" someone answered shakily.

"Who else is at home?"

"His mother ran away; he has a father and a grandmother at home."

"Leave."

The person waved at the two who answered, and they fled in a hurry.

Under the curious eyes of everyone, the person went back to the truck, took out a handle for starting the engine, and approached Er Luzi.

"Still not convinced?"

"Damn you…"

Bang!

A loud crack of a bone breaking accompanied Er Luzi's scream.

"Are you convinced now?"

The person squatted in front of Er Luzi again and asked.

Er Luzi, writhing in pain on the ground, was about to curse again when the handle was raised high and smashed down once more.

Crack!

"I'll never dare again!"

After two more strikes, Er Luzi finally relented.

Satisfied, the person nodded and waved at the troublemakers, "Get out."

Watching the group help Er Luzi away, the person finally removed the scarf and looked at Li Xian.

"Wang Baoguan?"

Seeing the bearded face, Li Xian was stunned.

...

In the factory yard, twelve trucks full of raw timber were being unloaded by workers.

Li Xian marveled at the neatly stacked logs, each a four-meter segment too thick to be embraced by a single person.

Welfare, indeed.

Beside him, Xu Bing was recounting the recent experiences. Although he had Xu Chaoyang's order, handling the timber was not smooth. The winter forestry bureau was like a battlefield, with various forces like the local forestry and timber dealers crowding the forest farms.

Competing interests and complicated situations led to significant delays. Originally, the timber was supposed to be transported four days ago, but due to high demand, Xu Bing's group nearly faced severe losses.

Listening to Xu Bing's account, Li Xian nodded deeply, understanding that timber dealing was not simple; otherwise, someone like Xu Bing wouldn't have been involved.

Looking at Wang Baoguan, who was working on the truck, Li Xian tilted his chin, "What's the story? How did he end up here?"

Xu Bing didn't immediately answer but glanced at Wang Baoguan to ensure he wasn't watching. Then, quietly, he whispered in Li Xian's ear, "His wife ran away, and he needs money to find her."

Seeing Li Xian's puzzled expression, Xu Bing nodded, "When his wife ran away, she took their child with her."