Chapter 52: Turning Swords into Plowshares

When Lu Fan saw Ding Mao Cai again, he was carelessly thrown beside the guardroom. He wore only a pair of shorts, his body tightly bound with a long hemp rope—first his hands were tied, then the rope was wound several times around his torso before binding his feet. The thick flesh on his body was marked with deep indentations.

His face was bruised and swollen, his body covered with patches of contusion.

A white plastic bucket filled with gasoline was placed nearby as evidence.

The man looked miserable, yet he was sleeping soundly, snoring loudly.

Lu Fan curiously asked, “Where are his clothes?”

“They stripped him last night,” one of the women replied.

“You didn’t do anything else to him, did you?”

“Pfft! Factory director, just look at him—he’s disgusting. What else could we have done? We’re not like you, a pale-faced pretty boy with delicate skin.”

“Ahem, sister, please show some respect. I am your factory director.”

“Heh heh heh, Director, you don’t know—this old scoundrel is a donkey by nature. Several sisters here were taken advantage of by him before. He thought that having two bribes meant he could not control his lust. Last night, we gave him a good humiliation.”

“Uh, sister, please stop. Wake him up, give him his clothes and untie the ropes.”

“Bai Lu, you and Auntie should go home. Don’t stain your eyes and ears here.”

“Tut!” Liu Yue’e spat, hooking Bai Lu’s arm as they walked away.

A female security guard approached and untied the hemp rope, then slapped Ding Mao Cai twice across the face.

Seeing he was still groggy, another woman fetched a basin of water from the faucet and doused him.

“Who—ah!”

“Boss Ding, you sure sleep well in my factory!”

Ding Mao Cai hadn’t closed his eyes for days and nights. Although this sleep was rough, his spirits were surprisingly high.

Recalling the events of yesterday, he felt both fear and relief.

Fortunately, he had not set fire to the place; otherwise, he would surely be behind bars.

“Boss Lu, I admit defeat. Yesterday’s incident happened because I drank too much and lost my head. But luckily, no great disaster occurred.”

“Put on your clothes and tidy yourself up. We’ll talk later.”

Lu Fan gathered the four women and asked, “Who caught old Ding? I promised a reward of a thousand yuan for catching anyone sneaking in at night. I keep my word.”

“Director, I found him first, then the four of us caught him together.”

Lu Fan paused, then smiled. “Then the reward is yours to split. But didn’t I arrange shifts for you—two during the day, two at night?”

“Heh heh heh, we know the factory’s been busy lately, and the people are quite mixed. We all wanted to be on duty here, hoping to catch a thief. Didn’t expect to catch an arsonist.”

“Oh, eager to make a merit, understandable! But we don’t encourage overtime here.”

“Understood, understood. We’re all from this village. If there’s something during the day, we go home to handle it. At night, if nothing’s going on, we come here to play cards and liven things up—it’s nice.”

Another woman laughed, “The nights are long in summer; after tending to the men at home, there’s nothing else to do.”

Another chimed in, “Your man doesn’t need tending; a squeeze of the legs is all it takes.”

Lu Fan waved his hand, putting a stop to their raucous talk. He pulled a thousand yuan from his pocket and handed it to one of them.

“Go sign for the reward at the office, then send someone to the printing department to print a notice about the reward. Make sure it explains the situation clearly and post it on that wall. That will be our bulletin board. If printing costs anything, come to me for reimbursement.”

“Got it, Director. We like working with someone as generous as you! That old Ding, bah!”

“All right, get back to work. Leave two here; the rest can go home and rest.”

After sending them off, old Ding had already dressed and washed his face at the faucet, his hair neatly parted again.

Lu Fan dragged two stools from the guardroom to the warehouse entrance, then handed one to him.

“Old Ding, sit down. You came here at midnight carrying gasoline. Looks like you had the whole plan figured out.”

“That’s right. I set my sights on this place and used some tricks. But the root cause is your factory’s poor management—you can’t keep it running.”

“If you hadn’t squeezed this batch of goods or had sufficient funds, I wouldn’t even have had the chance.”

“The real cause isn’t me, but your own greed. Your unscrupulous business practices have ruined this factory.”

“If you want to blame someone, don’t blame me. Am I right?”

Ding Mao Cai sat silently opposite him.

“Think about it. If I hadn’t taken over your factory, how long could you have lasted? A month? Three months? Six? Probably not. You were already sinking deep into the mire. I pulled you up, and this is how you repay me!”

“Last night, you came with that gasoline bucket and were caught red-handed. There's eyewitness and physical evidence. I don’t have to try hard. Turn you over to the police, and you’re a textbook case of attempted arson.”

“Do you know the punishment for attempted arson? For cases without severe consequences, it’s three to ten years in prison!”

“I didn’t light it,” Ding Mao Cai muttered.

“Then what if I lit it myself and then put it out? The gasoline was yours—you bought it somewhere that can be traced. You’re still in my factory now, and I’m not restricting your freedom. When the police come, who do you think they’ll believe, you or me?”

Cold sweat began to bead on Ding Mao Cai’s forehead.

“I know you’re angry, but you need to weigh the consequences of acting on impulse. If you really set the fire, I’d just lose a batch of goods. I’d use that as an excuse to hold back payments to you and others, let them come to your home to collect debts, and you’d lose your freedom. Isn’t that right?”

“Don’t try to trick me. I come from a family of police officers—I’m good at dealing with thugs and ruffians.”

Ding Mao Cai’s expression shifted repeatedly until it gradually calmed.

He said listlessly, “I admit defeat. Do whatever you want with me.”

Lu Fan shook his head. “You still don’t understand me. I never do things that harm others without benefit. I like making friends. Whatever happens, why not sit down, have some tea, and talk it out? Why must it come to blows?”

“If Boss Ding has thought it through and resolved his grudges, I’ll have someone take you home.”

Ding Mao Cai stared at Lu Fan for a moment before standing up.

“Meeting you, Boss Lu, has been an eye-opener. I’ve never met someone so shameless. Since you don’t plan to press charges, I’ve completely made up my mind. From today on, our grievances are settled—let’s consider it a business transaction.”

“I wouldn’t dare be your friend,” Lu Fan replied.

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