Chapter 24: Taking Ruthless Action

Xu Yuexin's words hit the crux, and Jia Jinhua thought for a moment before replying.

"You ask the school."

"They transferred your father's file over, and I received it."

Jia Jinhua said with a dark face, lowered her head and continued knitting the sweater.

"Since you obey the school so well, fine, the school has now issued a file‑transfer notice; you immediately transfer my father's file away."

Xu Yuexin slapped the document stamped with a bright red seal onto the table and said authoritatively.

This young fellow is not easy to deal with.

Jia Jinhua's flesh trembled, she threw the half‑knitted sweater onto the table, widened her eyes and showed her fierce, demonic face: "I said no, and that's final!"

"Go back and think carefully where you went wrong; come back when you understand!"

As the person in charge of the street factory's file room, Jia Jinhua had set a rule.

To request a file transfer, you must first produce two large bags of malt‑milk essence; no one may break this rule.

For someone like Xu Yuexin standing here, whose family has a stable income from a university teacher, you have to double it and bring four bags.

Xu Yuexin lowered his face, and his previously indifferent expression turned serious.

"The state values researchers, issuing policies to restore their jobs and backpay wages, yet you are opposing it."

"The state's policy is ruined by people like you!"

Xu Yuexin pointed at Jia Jinhua, stared angrily, and spoke righteously.

"Don't give me those roundabout excuses, and don't label me!"

Jia Jinhua, aware she was in the wrong, after being called out, leapt like thunder and said, "The file room is under my control; if I say no, that's final!"

"Even if you claim to break the heavens, I still won't let you take the file!"

Xu Yuexin smiled contemptiously.

"Just because you? What kind of scallion are you?"

Xu Yuexin said coldly, "With state policy behind it, taking the file is a matter of course."

"Don't think this worm of yours can keep raging for long."

After speaking, Xu Yuexin slammed the table hard, and the Ink Bottle and Thermos Cup jumped up from the shock.

Jia Jinhua went mad with anger.

Since she has been in charge of the file room, only people who need something have asked her; no one dares speak to her like that.

"You say who is the worm!"

Jia Jinhua let out a howl, grabbed the Ink Bottle from the table, and hurled it at Xu Yuexin.

Xu Yuexin, quick‑eyed and swift‑handed, tilted his head slightly to dodge the Ink Bottle, then grabbed the cup and hurled it hard at Jia Jinhua.

The Thermos Cup struck Jia Jinhua's forehead with pinpoint accuracy, instantly swelling into a large bluish‑purple lump.

Jia Jinhua trembled in pain, squatted on the ground and wailed, "Murder! This is terrible! Someone's trying to kill me!"

In the courtyard, the aunties who were working heard the huge commotion, dropped their tasks and rushed to the file room, blocking the tiny room so tightly that water couldn't flow through, and knocked the Thermos Flask on the floor over.

"Jinhua, what's wrong?"

"Why did it turn into a fight?"

Several women ran forward to help Jia Jinhua up, their faces filled with panic.

Jia Jinhua held her forehead, her face twisted in extreme pain, and bitterly pointed at Xu Yuexin: "He smashed my head with the cup."

The onlooking aunties were suddenly in an uproar.

"Oh dear, look how clean he cleaned up, yet he still resorted to hitting someone."

"Quick, call Fugui over!"

"You go call the Factory Director."

"The Factory Director is at a street meeting."

"Then go to the street to find him and say that an outsider came to our factory and started a fight!"

The aunties chattered, assigning tasks to find Jia Jinhua's son and the Factory Director. The remaining few, who were close to Jia Jinhua, blocked the file room to prevent Xu Yuexin from leaving.

Xu Yuexin hadn't planned to leave anyway.

He came today to resolve his father's file issue, and he won't leave until he gets the file.

Amid the crow‑like noisy crowd, Xu Yuexin kept his hands behind his back, his tall figure standing straight and his expression extremely stern.

Soon, a drunken voice echoed from Da Zayuan: "Who... who hit my mom?"

The aunties looked toward the source, automatically clearing a path. A drunken man staggered in, rushed to the pained Jia Jinhua, and stared in disbelief at the large lump on her mother's head.

In Ma Fugui's memory, his mother never lost when she clashed with people; she was adept at brawling, rolling, and hitting—who made her suffer such a loss?

"Mom, who beat you into this!"

Ma Fugui said with a terrified face, looking around the room.

The person who had just informed him spoke unclearly, only saying Jia Jinhua was beaten, without naming the assailant.

Among the aunties present, a few had grudges against Jia Jinhua, so he couldn't be sure who was involved this time.

"It was that man."

Jia Jinhua pointed at Xu Yuexin and said angrily.

Hiss...

Ma Fugui saw Xu Yuexin's tall, robust build, silently inhaled a cold gasp, and his drunkenness was startled awake.

Ma Fugui had already thought this unfamiliar youngster was hard to deal with, and it turned out to be him...

"You dared to hit my mom, right?"

Ma Fugui forced himself, looked at Xu Yuexin, and walked toward the fallen Thermos Flask.

Xu Yuexin remained indifferent, staring intently at Ma Fugui's every move.

Just as he picked up the thermos and rushed forward, Xu Yuexin sprang forward in a single arrow‑step, seized the thermos effortlessly, snatched it, and slammed it onto Ma Fugui's head.

"My mother!"

Ma Fugui had intended to smash Xu Yuexin with the thermos, but before he could take two steps, his head received a hard blow, and amid the cracking sound of the thermos liner, he was knocked unconscious to the ground.

Jia Jinhua, seeing her son on the ground, let out a heart‑rending scream, lunged forward and lifted him: "Fugui!"

"Wake up!"

"What's going on, who is fighting!"

At that moment, an irritated voice came from outside, and a lean, efficient middle‑aged man in a leather jacket entered the archive room.

Jia Jinhua staggered forward, pointing at Xu Yuexin while sobbing uncontrollably: "Factory Director, look at this thug—he's beaten me and my son."

"You have to stand up for us!"

Ma Fugui, roused from unconsciousness by the crying, weakly muttered upon seeing Guan Factory Director: "Leader, that person hit me with a thermos... my head."

Guan Factory Director glanced at the large lump on Jia Jinhua's forehead and the bloodstain on Ma Fugui's head, his brows furrowing.

The two were badly injured.

Jia Jinhua often used her authority to make things difficult for others and had been warned herself several times. Her son Ma Fugui, needless to say, was a notorious drunk in the area.

The mother and son had truly met a tough nut today.

"Who are you, what are you doing in the factory, and why did a fight break out?"

Guan Factory Director's face turned ashen; after examining the mother and son, he turned his gaze to Xu Yuexin.

He could see that the young man before him was no ordinary fellow.

A Shanghai Sea brand watch, triple‑stitched leather shoes, a Definite Good shirt—his spirit radiant and his gaze compelling.

And somehow he felt that he had seen him before, as if he were familiar.

Guan Factory Director thought the matter should be handled cautiously to prevent the situation from escalating beyond control.

"Factory Director, he just now…"

As Guan Factory Director scrutinized Xu Yuexin, Jia Jinhua's eyes darted around; now she was about to pull out a pre‑fabricated excuse to exonerate herself.

Xu Yuexin gave Guan Factory Director a cool glance and cut off Jia Jinhua.

"My name is Xu Yuexin, I'm here to move my father Xu Qiang's files."

"As for why the fight broke out, you might as well ask Jia Jinhua and her son."

Xu Yuexin spread his hands and said, "Let them tell you how that Ink Bottle ended up on the ground, and who first picked up the thermos to smash someone."

"What did Jia Jinhua do and say before she tried to smash someone? And what was her attitude when my father came to handle the files before?"

Xu Yuexin had previously encountered many short essays online and had summarized a way to crack them.

He found that any deliberately vague, glossed‑over point was a sign the writer was at a loss, so questioning those gaps was bound to be effective.

A pointed, incisive interrogation is more powerful than a long‑winded explanation.

Today, he truly put the theory into practice.

(End of chapter)