Chapter 143

"Bullshit!" the young man cursed excitedly. "We bought the liquor from you, so you have to be responsible."

"That's right," another person said. "We bought the liquor from you, and if there's a problem, we look to you. You got the liquor from the distillery, so if there's a problem, you go look for the distillery. What does that have to do with us?"

"Eh?" Zhao Shuili said shamelessly. "I'm a victim too; you saying that is meaningless. If you're going to be so unreasonable, then I have no way to help. I don't have money, but I have one life; do whatever you want."

"Fine, we'll go to the distillery with you." Zhang Kuili knew that it was impossible to get an explanation from Zhao Shuili, but he kept his wits about him and said to the young man, "Go to my house and bring the unopened liquor, so the distillery can't deny it."

People in this era had very weak legal awareness, let alone these farmers who scratched a living from the soil. Whether it was Zhao Shuili or Zhang Kuili, they believed that as long as they insisted the liquor was purchased from the distillery, the distillery had to be responsible.

In their minds, the distillery was big and wealthy, and that little bit of medical expense was just a drop in the bucket. If you don't pay, then I'll make a scene—perfectly interpreting the "I'm poor, so I'm right" mentality.

Last night, Zhou Andong and the others drank until past ten, then chatted over tea until the early hours before dispersing.

When he opened his eyes in the morning, Jian Qiu was naked, sprawled on him like an octopus. Zhou Andong stretched out a hand, felt for a cigarette, and lit it.

The smell of smoke made Jian Qiu's delicate nose wrinkle; her eyelashes fluttered, she slowly opened her eyes, and then opened her mouth to bite Zhou Andong's chest.

"Annoying, smoking first thing in the morning."

Zhou Andong chuckled, one hand rubbing Jian Qiu's smooth back: "It's almost nine o'clock; is it still early?"

Jian Qiu raised her hands high, stretched, then rolled over and sat up, listening intently: "Why is An Jing so quiet?"

Zhou Andong said, "She's been busy recruiting people these past two days; she probably left."

Jian Qiu reached out, took the cigarette from Zhou Andong's mouth, put it in her own, took a puff, and then exhaled the smoke in a practiced manner.

Zhou Andong laughed and snatched the cigarette back: "That's not how you smoke; it's a total waste."

Jian Qiu laughed and rubbed Zhou Andong's face hard: "Get up; how can the factory director be so late for work?"

Zhou Andong pressed the cigarette into the ashtray, then grabbed Jian Qiu and tackled her onto the bed. Amidst Jian Qiu's screams, they messed around for quite a while before getting up.

After getting dressed and leaving the bedroom, the flush on Jian Qiu's face faded. Then she knocked on the north bedroom; no one answered. Opening it, she saw that An Jing had indeed already left.

After washing up, the two went out, and Zhou Andong knocked on the door opposite—this was Gu Bing's dormitory. He had moved over, and Gu Bing had also moved back.

Zhao Jianlong was eating breakfast at a breakfast shop, with Huo Xing sitting opposite him: "How is that piece of land?"

"Just waiting for the city's approval; it shouldn't be a big problem. Besides, the city has been studying developing toward the south of the city, so we can be considered as responding to the call in advance."

Huo Xing picked up a bun and took a bite. "The total price for this land is 23 million. After signing the contract, we pay 30% of the land transfer fee, and the rest must be paid within a year.

Our funds are limited; if we pay the entire land transfer fee, we won't have money for development. So, after signing the contract, we'll mortgage this land for a loan."

Zhao Jianlong nodded: "With my relationship with the Jiang family, the loan won't be a problem."

"Ding-a-ling..."

Huo Xing's mobile phone rang. He picked it up, pressed the answer button, and heard the other person say: "Brother Xing, the mine at Touyu Village has exploded; the villagers are on their way to the Jiangzhou Distillery."

"So fast?" Huo Xing was very surprised; in his mind, without a month, it shouldn't have been a problem.

The other person chuckled: "There was a banquet in Touyu Village, and they were drinking our liquor. They drank at noon and again in the evening; I guess they drank too much. Nine are in serious condition, and six of them are still in a coma."

"Fine, I know." Huo Xing hung up the phone. "The mine we buried has exploded."

Zhao Jianlong's spirits lifted, and he said with irrepressible excitement: "The show is starting; hurry and notify Bangchui and Pan Xing."

Zhao Shuili and Zhang Kuili led a large group of people to the distillery. Old Li, the guard, saw these people coming aggressively from afar and reflexively grabbed the internal phone to call the security department.

"What are you here for?" After hanging up the phone, Old Li ran out and blocked Zhao Shuili, Zhang Kuili, and the others.

"What are we here for?" Zhao Shuili glared. "Your Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor has a problem; many people have been poisoned, and six are still lying in the hospital in a coma. You tell me what we're here for?"

"That's right!" the young man shouted: "You must give us an explanation."

Soon, Yao Jun arrived with the security department personnel: "What's going on?"

"We were poisoned after drinking Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor." Zhao Shuili shouted, stretching his neck. "Hurry and have your leaders come out and give us an explanation."

Seeing that something had happened at the distillery, passersby gathered around. In a few minutes, one or two hundred people had gathered, and more were still running over.

"What happened?"

"Not sure, it seems like Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor poisoned someone."

"No way!"

"I don't believe it either, but look, they've come looking for them."

No one noticed that three or four people in the crowd were holding miniature video recorders, recording everything that was happening.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

"Factory Director, something happened." Wu Cheng knocked on Zhou Andong's office door twice and then burst in.

Zhou Andong was hunched over writing something; he frowned and said: "What happened?"

Wu Cheng caught his breath: "Twenty or thirty people came to the distillery, saying they were poisoned after drinking our Jiangzhou Yugong Liquor, and six are still in a coma in the hospital."

Zhou Andong frowned; he immediately realized that fake liquor had appeared. He stood up and walked out: "Have you notified Secretary Gu?"

"Notified!" Wu Cheng followed behind. "He has already gone over."

"Click, click, click..."

A series of clicking sounds from high heels hitting the ground came from the stairwell, and Jian Qiu appeared at the corner, jogging.

"You know?" Zhou Andong asked.

Jian Qiu nodded: "I came to find you."

"Let's go!" The two walked quickly outside.

At this moment, the entrance was full of people. As soon as Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu approached, a woman's shrill wailing suddenly came from behind the crowd.

"Zhang Kuili, you bastard, you bought fake liquor for my old Yu to drink, and he died, he's already dead. Zhang Kuili, you thousand-knife-slashing wretch, you won't die a good death either."

"Oh my!" Another woman's wailing came. "The Jiangzhou Distillery's liquor killed someone, everyone come and see, this black-hearted distillery..."