Xia Yuqing was already stunned by the scene before her. After a moment of silence, she realized that the person who had arrived was none other than her husband, Song Qiao. Her heart was filled with both joy and worry, and she quickly called out, "Song Qiao, stop right now." Disregarding her own injured hand, she rushed forward and embraced her enraged husband.
Although society in the 1990s was not as developed as in foreign countries, the legal system was already quite robust. Originally, she would have had to bear a huge amount of compensation for damaging the machine. Now that Song Qiao had also assaulted someone, this matter was unlikely to end well.
"You useless man, all brains and no brawn." "With you causing this mess, how are we going to compensate them?" Xia Yuqing's voice was full of grievance and blame. Her husband was far too impulsive. Seeing Director Li's pained expression, it was likely he had sustained a minor injury.
For the first time, Song Qiao did not blindly obey his wife. He forcefully broke free from Xia Yuqing's arms, charged forward, grabbed Director Li by the collar, and lifted him up. At this moment, Director Li's face was disheveled, his forehead was swollen and red, two of his teeth were loose, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Apologize to my wife!" Song Qiao stared at him fiercely, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. The sounds of the fierce struggle had already attracted many factory workers, who gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Upon seeing his factory workers arrive, Director Li immediately became arrogant again. "You dare to hit me? If you don't give me satisfactory compensation today, I will definitely make you regret it."
"Slap!" Without further ado, Song Qiao delivered another slap to his face. "Quick, someone, kick him out," Director Li commanded the workers beside him, gritting his teeth. The crowd looked at each other, but no one stepped forward to stop Song Qiao. Anyone with eyes could see that Song Qiao was clearly furious, looking like he could kill anyone who stood in his way. Moreover, Xia Yuqing was well-liked in the factory, while Director Li usually looked down on people, treating them as less than human. Many had cursed him behind his back. Now that Xia Yuqing had been bullied by him, people subconsciously sided with her.
"Slap!" Song Qiao again spoke no unnecessary words and slapped Director Li's face. His voice grew even colder, "I'll say it one more time, apologize to my wife immediately!"
Director Li winced in pain and glared resentfully at the surrounding people. He roared, "What are you all standing there for? Can't you understand what I'm saying? If you don't teach this brat a lesson today, you can all pack your bags and leave tomorrow!"
"Slap."
"Whoever teaches this kid a lesson, I'll give them a raise next month."
"Slap."
Song Qiao slapped his face again. This time, the force was even greater, and Director Li let out a pig-like scream. The workshop director nearby hesitated for a moment, then quietly pulled the stunned Xia Yuqing aside and advised her, "Yuqing, let your husband teach him a lesson, but don't go too far. If something serious happens and the police get involved, the consequences will be severe."
Xia Yuqing finally snapped out of her shock and quickly grabbed Song Qiao, saying, "Song Qiao, quickly let Director Li go. I was also at fault in this matter."
"I'll say this one last time: apologize to my wife." Song Qiao did not respond. He just stared intently at Director Li, speaking each word with icy coldness!
"You, you..."
"I'm sorry." Seeing Song Qiao raise his hand to slap him again, Director Li immediately became compliant.
Only then did Song Qiao release his collar, snorted coldly, and stopped paying attention to him. He walked over to Xia Yuqing and tenderly examined her injuries. As soon as he entered the room, Song Qiao had first noticed Xia Yuqing's hands. Fortunately, they were only superficial wounds and no bones were broken. That's why he chose to teach the Li surname a lesson first, as his wife must have hated him immensely. Furthermore, he did this to let everyone in the factory know that his wife, Song Qiao, was not to be trifled with.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the hospital to get it bandaged." With that, he took his wife's arm and prepared to leave without further ado.
"Wait a moment." A middle-aged man's voice came from the doorway. It was the factory owner, Wang Fugui. He had just received a call from a worker about someone causing trouble at the factory and had rushed over by car.
"Boss, you're finally here." Director Li rushed over as soon as he saw the boss, wailing with tears and snot. "This morning, Xia Yuqing accidentally damaged the factory's machinery due to negligence. I asked her to pay for it, but she instead offered to spend a night with me as compensation." "Of course, I refused, and then her husband came and started hitting me." His voice was laced with deep grievance, as if he were about to burst into tears.
"You're talking nonsense! You were bullying my wife first, and now you dare to twist the story around." Song Qiao was furious upon hearing this. Not only was Director Li exaggerating, but he was also smearing his wife's name. It seemed that the beating he received today had not taught him a lesson!
Factory Director Wang frowned and said, "I don't care about what happened later between you. Whoever broke the factory's machine must pay for it." He then looked at Xia Yuqing and Song Qiao. He added, "As for what happened afterward, I will investigate personally and give you an explanation."
Xia Yuqing's body trembled upon hearing this. That was a full twelve thousand yuan, an amount she couldn't possibly produce even if her life were at stake. She quickly pleaded with the factory director, "Boss, we... we don't have that much money at home right now. Could we..."
"I'll pay the money," Song Qiao interrupted Xia Yuqing. Then, in front of everyone, he took out the income from his shop over the past few days from his wallet. It was over ten thousand yuan. He had been carrying this money with him for the past two days, originally intending to deposit it when he had the chance, but now it had come in handy. He neatly counted out twelve thousand yuan and handed it to Factory Director Wang, then took Xia Yuqing's hand to leave.
The workers who had gathered around were staring with wide eyes. Twelve thousand yuan was more than they earned in a year of hard work in the factory. Yet, Song Qiao had produced it so casually without batting an eye. People said Xia Yuqing's husband was a gambling degenerate who neglected his responsibilities, but it seemed the rumors might be mistaken. His domineering presence and generosity alone were likely beyond that of an ordinary person.
Factory Director Wang was also surprised that Song Qiao was willing to compensate for his machine at the original price. He couldn't say anything more and stepped aside, allowing the couple to leave.