“Yang Dezhen, you’ve damned me! You’ve caused me so much trouble! Liquidated damages are 200,000 yuan, 200,000! We only earn 200,000 yuan in half a year! Do you have 200,000 yuan in your factory?!” Director Wu roared, kicking Yang Dezhen, who crumpled to the ground. He then remembered that the duck meat factory had only opened a little over a year ago and had barely broken even. They had just begun to turn a profit, enough to cover employee wages, thanks to the food factory’s orders. Now, they faced a devastating 200,000 yuan in liquidated damages. If they couldn’t pay, it would be a catastrophe. Director Wu glared at Yang Dezhen, with a murderous glint in his eyes.
Just then, Old Mrs. Yang, Yang Dezhen’s mother, burst into the office, sobbing uncontrollably. “Dezhen, Dezhen, something’s happened to your son! He’s been arrested! Wuwuwu…” Her cries were heartbreaking. They had clearly struck a formidable opponent this time.
“What’s going on?!” Yang Dezhen scrambled to his feet, anxiety seizing him at the news concerning his precious son.
Old Mrs. Yang continued to wail. “I took him to the county today, and he saw a little girl eating a new kind of food. Xiaobao wanted to eat it, so he asked the girl where she bought it. The girl wouldn’t tell him, so Xiaobao pushed her, and she hit her head and had to go to the hospital!”
Yang Dezhen breathed a sigh of relief. “Just pay some money for the medical expenses.”
But Old Mrs. Yang wailed even louder. “It’s not that simple! Her father is a county cadre, so he insisted on sending Xiaobao to the police for education!”
“Our little baby is so small! How can he go to a place like that? He’ll be terrified!” Yang Dezhen cried. “A cadre? What kind of cadre?”
“Her father seems to be a deputy director. I don’t know what kind of director,” Old Mrs. Yang sniffled.
Yang Dezhen’s heart plummeted. A county deputy director, no matter the department, outranked him significantly. Director Wu, overhearing, scoffed at Yang Dezhen. “This matter isn’t over. It was all your idea. When the trouble reaches the top, it will be all your responsibility. Get out of here!”
Yang Dezhen’s scalp tingled with dread. So many disasters striking at once, he was utterly disoriented, wishing for death. As Old Mrs. Yang left the factory, she looked at Head Director Wu, a puzzled expression on her tear-streaked face. “What’s going on? Head Director Wu always liked you. Why is he so angry with you today?”
Yang Dezhen, seething with rage, snapped at his mother. “Shut up, you old hag! If you hadn’t taught Xiaobao to be so unreasonable, he wouldn’t have made such a huge mistake! If that family is as powerful as they seem, Xiaobao is doomed this time!” Not to mention Xiaobao, their entire family might be ruined.
Yang Dezhen followed his mother to the county police station. Things were far more complicated than his mother had made them out to be. The truth was, his mother had taken Xiaobao to see a girl eating braised duck. Xiaobao had then demanded it. When his mother, unwilling to buy it, tried to snatch it from the girl, the girl than had fallen, hitting her head on a rock. It was the braised duck again! Yang Dezhen felt an intense, inexplicable animosity towards anything related to braised duck.
“Brother,” Yang Dezhen pleaded, humbling himself for the first time in his life, “I apologize for my son’s ignorance. I will definitely pay all your daughter’s medical expenses. Just let my son go. He is still young and ignorant, please!” He felt utterly humiliated, his face burning with shame.
“So You are trying to say that he can can hurt my daughter just because he is ‘not sensible’?” the girl’s father retorted, his face contorted with anger. “This matter will never end without a proper punishment !”
Old Mrs. Yang, however, launched into one of her customary fits. In the village, she often used her outrageous behavior to torment others, usually getting her way in the end. She threw herself onto the ground, rolling around. “My grandson is still young and underage! If he does something wrong, he’s not responsible! If any of you dare to catch my grandson, I’ll kill you!”
Seeing this, Yang Xiaobao, mimicking his grandmother, also lay down and began rolling, wailing, “I am young and underage! I am not responsible for anything I do wrong! If any of you dare to catch me, I will beat you!” And hadn’t the pretty sister told him before that he should just grab what he wanted? That’s what a powerful kid should do. Yang Xiaobao felt entirely justified.
The parents of the girl with the smashed head watched, their faces dark with fury. The police officers, observing the scene, swiftly intervened. Looking at Old Mrs. Yang, one officer declared, “That little girl was pushed down by you and your grandson. Your grandson is a minor, but you are not. Come on, hurry up and arrest this old woman!”
Old Mrs. Yang panicked instantly. She scrambled upright, staring wide-eyed at the approaching police officers. Suddenly frantic, she began to flail, scratching wildly and unreasonably. However, she was an old woman, and the police officers were strong. Within seconds, she was subdued and arrested.
Yang Xiaobao, terrified at the sight of his grandmother being apprehended, stopped his rolling and howling. He clamped his mouth shut, tears welling in his eyes as he watched his grandma being led away. “Let me go! Don’t arrest me! I’m an old lady, you can’t disrespect the elderly!” Old Mrs. Yang wailed as several police officers took her away. She only ceased her struggle when she was finally locked behind iron bars, sitting resignedly, her eyes filled with tears. Yang Xiaobao, at that moment, truly understood fear.
Yang Dezhen, witnessing the police officer’s respectful demeanor towards the girl’s father, knew that things were far from simple. Looking at his precious son, he felt genuine fear for the first time.
In the end, Yang Dezhen’s mother was arrested, his son was apprehended and reprimanded, and he was forced to pay compensation. On the surface, the matter was concluded. But behind the scenes, consequences lingered. Yang Dezhen returned to the village, a cowering shadow of his former arrogant self. His previous haughtiness and unreasonableness had vanished; he was a completely different person. The new Director Wu was summarily fired and had a black mark on his record, facing the punishment he deserved. Yang Dezhen, though not fired, was also blacklisted; no one would dare to employ such a troubled individual now on.
The previous Director Yang was reinstated. This time, he personally visited Director Sun and Xu Ying, bearing gifts, to offer his sincere apologies. The factory simply could not afford the 200,000 yuan in liquidated damages, and neither could the superiors. Director Yang was left to clean up the mess. This was also Director Yang’s first visit to the food factory. Upon entering and seeing its immense scale, he was genuinely shocked. No wonder the food factory required so many goods; how much did it cost to feed so many people each month?
“Director, Director Yang is here,” Secretary Zhang reminded him.
When Director Sun heard of his arrival, he felt a surge of disgust. If only that incompetent man hadn’t mismanaged his position, Director Wu wouldn’t have come in and wreaked such havoc. If it weren’t for Xiao Xu’s capabilities, his own reputation, just as he was about to retire, would have been utterly ruined. “Hmph, let him wait for a while. We’ll talk later. You go and call Xiao Xu first. Xiao Xu brought this person here in the first place. Let Xiao Xu handle it.” Director Sun was determined not to be the bad guy.
Secretary Zhang’s mouth twitched. What a truly “good” factory manager! Their Xiao Xu was so pitiful! Reluctantly, Secretary Zhang went to Xiao Xu, secretly spilling the beans. “Director Sun wants you to deal with Director Yang. Just go along with it and don’t offend anyone.”