Chen Lishu paid no mind to someone like him who would use his position to exact personal revenge. She scoffed, "You know that was before the reforms. If I recall correctly, the national policy now encourages private businesses. People like us are accumulating experience for the country."
Chen Lishu paused before continuing, "I've been honestly following the policy. You were the one who issued my business license before. If you think the prices in my shop are too high, you can conduct an investigation. Your staff heard it at the time; customers said that pants sold for twenty yuan in the south were only eighteen yuan here."
Sun Zhiqiang glanced at the staff member beside him, who nodded at him.
"You're the one who hired workers, pushing capitalism, aren't you?"
Wang Aixiang quickly explained, "There's no employment relationship between my sister and me. I just help out at the shop."
Sun Zhiqiang was furious. "Do I have to send all of you to the police station before you'll tell the truth? I'll give you one last chance. If you don't talk, you'll be fined five thousand yuan, and your business license will be confiscated."
A fine of five thousand yuan and the confiscation of her business license! Wang Aixiang gasped and quickly looked at Chen Lishu.
Chen Lishu, however, looked at Sun Zhiqiang with a half-smile, "You say five thousand, and it's five thousand? Aren't government employees supposed to operate according to regulations? I'd like to know which rule explicitly states what crime warrants a five-thousand-yuan fine and the revocation of a business license?"
Sun Zhiqiang hadn't expected Chen Lishu to dare to retort. He blinked and stubbornly said, "What regulations? Let me tell you, when things reach me, I am the regulation. Just as I can issue you a business license, I can also take it back."
Upon hearing his words, Chen Lishu stood up without a word, pulling Wang Aixiang with her as she walked towards the exit.
Sun Zhiqiang asked, confused, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find your superiors and have you repeat what you just said to them. If they agree with your viewpoint, then I'll go to your bureau chief. If the Administration for Industry and Commerce continues to treat us private business owners with such an unfriendly attitude, I can go to the city, or to the province. I believe there will always be someone to speak up for us disadvantaged groups."
Chen Lishu knew that the two accusations Sun Zhiqiang had leveled against her—speculation and profiteering, and hiring workers—were ambiguous matters that could be argued. Why else would anyone open a shop if not for profit? As for hiring workers, with so many shops, there were bound to be times when one needed help. Were they all to be condemned?
This Sun Zhiqiang, demanding five thousand yuan and threatening to revoke her license the moment he spoke, truly took her for a naive girl easily fooled.
"Hey, can't I even criticize you a little, young lady?"
Seeing her about to leave, Sun Zhiqiang panicked and reached out to grab Chen Lishu's arm, only to be slapped away unceremoniously by Chen Lishu.
"If you have something to say, say it. Why are you getting physical?"
Sun Ling, who had been eavesdropping outside, saw Chen Lishu's arrogance and angrily pushed the door open. She pointed at Chen Lishu and said, "Chen Lishu, what are you so proud of? A student stooping so low to become a small vendor. Do you really think the Administration for Industry and Commerce is your family's business, that you can come and go as you please?"
Chen Lishu wasn't surprised to see Sun Ling at the doorway. She looked at her and sneered, "How could the Administration for Industry and Commerce be my family's business? You and your father are managing it quite well."
Sun Ling was unfazed by Chen Lishu revealing their relationship. Believing she had found a fatal flaw in Chen Lishu by engaging in private business, her gaze towards Chen Lishu was filled with contempt and a disdain that she wanted nothing to do with her.
"What do you think the school would do if they knew you were doing such lowly work? Would they expel you immediately?"
Chen Lishu thought for a moment and shook her head, "Probably not. After all, if a贱人 like you is still in school, what am I, who's in a 'jianye' (a pun on 'jian' meaning both 'base' and 'business'), compared to that?"
"You bitch, how dare you curse me?" Sun Ling was furious. She suddenly raised her hand and swung it unceremoniously towards Chen Lishu's face.
Chen Lishu was not one to passively accept a blow. As Sun Ling's hand came towards her, she quickly blocked with her left hand and simultaneously shoved her hard with her right, causing her to stumble.
Seeing his daughter being bullied right before his eyes, Sun Zhiqiang's anger flared. He turned to his subordinates and said, "This is outrageous! You dare to lay hands on someone in my office? You two, quickly restrain her. Xiao Zhao, hurry to the Public Security Bureau to call for backup."
...
Lin Qi, following Chen Lishu's instructions, turned and walked briskly towards the street corner, then began to 'notify' one shop after another.
"Bad news! The Administration for Industry and Commerce seems to be targeting us private business owners! The owner of 'Shuse' Clothing Store has already been taken away for speculation and profiteering, and they're going to conduct a thorough investigation!"
"What? A thorough investigation?" Hearing the commotion, the shop owners' faces turned ashen. Some even felt their legs go weak and collapsed onto the ground.
"What a wasteful woman! I told you not to open a shop. Now look, it's happening again. Get ready for your husband to go to jail."
"Damn these sons of bitches! They were the ones who invited us to get business licenses before. What do we do now? Should we run?"
"Run? You can't run forever. What about our wives and children at home? We can only accept our fate. We shouldn't have been so easily swayed back then."
"..."
Soon, all the vendors on the street gathered together, chattering and discussing. It was a critical moment of 'life and death,' and no one cared about keeping their shops open.
Listening to everyone's discussions, Lin Qi thought for a moment and said, "Thinking about other things is useless now. The most important thing is how to protect ourselves, and we cannot just wait for death. We must unite and take the initiative."
Someone impatiently scratched their head, "We're just fish on a chopping board. How can we take the initiative?"
Lin Qi continued, "We private business owners are inherently a disadvantaged group. Anyone who could have a stable job, not worry about supporting their family, wouldn't be forced to do this petty vending that outsiders look down upon. Therefore, we should stick together. Today, 'Shuse' Clothing Store is an example. Just because someone reported her for speculation and profiteering, the Administration for Industry and Commerce took her away without asking any questions. Everyone has seen the business situation in her shop. You tell me, are pants bought for sixteen yuan and transported from the south, then sold for eighteen, expensive?"
Immediately, someone shook their head, "That's really not expensive."
At first, everyone secretly thought that the 'Shuse' Clothing Store must be making exorbitant profits. However, after seeing that the number of customers entering their shop was not even as many as their own, their envious thoughts gradually faded. Now, hearing Lin Qi lay everything bare, everyone felt that the clothing store wasn't as profitable as their own businesses.
Then they thought again. If a shop with less-than-ideal management was targeted by the Administration for Industry and Commerce, could they escape?
Seeing that everyone was deep in thought, Lin Qi seized the moment to say, "Therefore, it's better to be safe than sorry. We're paying rent, utilities, and still holding a worthless business license that can be used to threaten us at any time. What's the point? It's better to go back to being street vendors like before. At least then we wouldn't have to bear such great risks."
Suddenly, someone in the crowd chimed in, "Yes, let's take our business licenses to the Administration for Industry and Commerce right now and tell them we don't want this damn piece of paper anymore."
Lin Qi looked at the excited man in the crowd and wanted to hug him and call him brother.