Chapter 63: A Small Incident Becomes a Great Calamity

The explosion in the workshop drew the attention of dozens of newly hired temporary workers—Ma Lei, Yang Zili, Monkey, Big Hat, Liu Yang, and others. When they saw Director Li and Supervisor Zhang lying on the ground, they were so stunned that none could utter a word.

“Hurry! Save them!” The overweight security guard spotted Liu Changsheng’s figure amidst the rubble and quickly called several others to help carry him out. Upon discovering he was still breathing, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Old Yu was also carried out at that moment, his unconscious state suggesting he was gravely injured.

Family members and employees nearby, seeing that the collapsed factory no longer posed an immediate threat, formed a team of over ten brave souls. Using shovels and hoes, they cleared a path and rushed into the deepest part of the ruins.

One after another, the repair workers were brought out. Fortunately, most were unharmed, suffering only minor injuries. The worst were a few broken fingers.

Medical staff from the Hengshui Distillery finally arrived. Under the directions of the leaders, they administered simple bandages for the lightly injured, while the severely wounded were sent straight to the nearby hospital.

There weren’t many seriously injured—besides Old Yu and Liu Changsheng, only Li Dawei and Supervisor Zhang were in critical condition.

The others, after simple treatment, were able to recover their composure.

A mysterious leader questioned a skinny repair worker who had escaped unscathed, “What happened in the workshop? Why did it suddenly explode? Why were those outside hurt while those inside were fine?”

The worker stammered, unsure how to answer. But seeing the leader’s anger mounting, he finally spoke, his face full of distress, “All I know is, just before the explosion, Liu Changsheng handed Old Yu a cigarette. Zhang Li objected, and there was a dispute. But Liu Changsheng, being the team leader, ignored him. The cigarette was lit, and then the explosion happened.”

“So, the cause of the explosion was Liu Changsheng violating regulations by smoking in the workshop?” The mysterious leader’s eyes widened in shock.

That damned Liu Changsheng! He’d overlooked his usual disregard for rules out of consideration for Supervisor Zhang, but smoking in a strictly forbidden area? Was he courting disaster?

Didn’t Liu Changsheng know the workshop was filled with volatile alcohol fumes and flammable, explosive materials?

“I don’t know, but three seconds after the cigarette was lit, I saw sparks. Something felt wrong, so I hid with the others,” the skinny worker answered anxiously.

Admitting more would ruin Liu Changsheng’s life.

“Zhang Li, tell us what happened,” the leader turned to a burly, honest-looking middle-aged man whose face was streaked with blood.

“It was Liu Changsheng lighting the cigarette that caused the explosion. I saw him throw the match into the discarded mash. I wanted to stomp it out immediately, but before I could, there was a boom and I lost consciousness,” Zhang Li replied, unconcerned about Liu Changsheng’s fate. He spoke only the truth—after all, Liu Changsheng had bullied him before; he wasn’t about to add insult to injury.

The leader was so distraught upon hearing this that he could hardly speak.

Seeing the burly security captain rushing over, he called out, “Go tell the recruiters at the gate to stop hiring temporary workers immediately. No more formal employees either.”

With such a major incident in the factory, hiring new people would only cause more chaos. It was best to pause recruitment for now.

“Yes!” The security captain ran off toward the gate.

The leader, seeing many new temporary workers still milling about, shouted with a darkened face, “Disperse! Go home and wait for notice. If you’re not contacted within three days, don’t come back.”

“Did you hear me?” When his words failed to have the desired effect, he roared, causing all the onlookers to scatter.

Ma Lei, Yang Zili, Monkey, Big Hat, Liu Yang, and a dozen other young men from Nitrite Village discussed among themselves and then left Hengshui Distillery on their bicycles.

They weren’t fools. Waiting three days for news would likely yield nothing.

Director Li and Supervisor Zhang’s fate was uncertain.

And Old Yu, the veteran repairman.

If he died, the distillery would likely be unable to resume normal operations.

This wasn’t mere speculation. In previous group chats, they’d learned that Old Yu was the only person at Hengshui Distillery who could “fix” the bottling equipment.

The reason the staff said so was that after Liu Xing left the distillery last time, Old Yu and his apprentices dismantled most of the bottling pipelines. More than half had yet to be reassembled!

…

Nitrite Village.

By the riverside, amidst the grass.

Liu Xing was sitting in the pasture as usual, tending his cattle.

Suddenly, from the country road to his right, Guazi’s sweet, doughy voice called out, “Brother, brother! Dad’s back. He’s looking for you—said to come home early.”

“Got it,” Liu Xing replied, waving to Guazi. He led the black calf toward their home at the foot of Stone Ox Mountain.

On the way, he met up with Guazi. The siblings walked together, chatting and laughing.

Before they reached the grain drying yard, Ma Lei’s voice called from behind, “Liu Xing, wait up! I need to talk to you.”

“Yeah! Something big has happened. Your uncle Liu Changsheng was injured at Hengshui Distillery, and it’s uncertain if he’ll survive!” Yang Zili chimed in, his tone anxious and resigned.

Had Liu Changsheng not been hurt, their group could have secured stable jobs at the distillery. But now, everything was gone—utter misfortune.

Liu Xing was momentarily stunned by their words, then smiled, “What does Liu Changsheng’s injury have to do with me? You know the real story.”

“Brother, it’s not just an injury—he’s gravely wounded, bloodied and battered!” Ma Lei, riding his bicycle, spoke with lingering fear.

“Ah?” Liu Xing was genuinely surprised this time.

To him, Liu Changsheng was a robust man—how could he be so seriously hurt all of a sudden?

Seeing Liu Xing’s expression change, Ma Lei quickly recounted the events of the morning explosion at Hengshui Distillery. Yang Zili, Monkey, Liu Yang, and Big Hat added details as needed.

Liu Xing listened carefully. Once he understood, he shook his head.

This had nothing to do with him. The explosion was entirely due to Liu Changsheng’s violation—smoking in the workshop.

As for the modifications he’d made to the membrane filtration process, they couldn’t possibly have caused an explosion.

He had no intention of harming Liu Changsheng or Li Dawei—he only wanted to teach them a lesson. The worst that could have happened was increased leakage in the bottling equipment, nothing more.

Now that things had turned out this way, he was honestly caught off guard.

Ma Lei, seeing Liu Xing in a daze, exchanged a glance with Yang Zili and quickly rode away.

Liu Yang, Big Hat, and Monkey followed suit, not lingering.

“Brother, should we tell Dad about this?” Guazi asked, tilting her small head.

“Yes, let’s go,” Liu Xing replied, holding Guazi’s hand and leading the black calf toward the grain yard.

At the gate, Liu Dazhao was studying the iron plow Liu Xing had made. When he saw Liu Xing return, he said eagerly, “You really did it! You said you’d make me an iron plow, and you actually did. Judging by the mud stains, you’ve already tested it?”

“Pretty much,” Liu Xing replied with a smile.

“Give me the black calf—I want to try it too. This plow looks mighty impressive,” Liu Dazhao beckoned.

“Dad, let’s leave the plow for now. I need to tell you something,” Liu Xing said quietly.

“Go on,” Liu Dazhao looked at him expectantly.

“Just now, Ma Lei came back and told me that Liu Changsheng caused a massive explosion at the distillery by violating regulations and smoking in the workshop, seriously injuring himself, Director Li, and others,” Liu Xing succinctly explained.

His words contained three key points:

First, Liu Changsheng was likely to die.

Second, even if he survived, having caused such huge losses by smoking, his future would be bleak.

Third, even if neither of the above occurred, Liu Changsheng’s life was ruined—utterly ruined.

Liu Dazhao, no fool himself, was first stunned, then anxious. He reached for a cigarette to steady his nerves, but remembering that Liu Changsheng’s mistake was due to smoking, quickly put it away.

“Dad, better inform third uncle, fifth uncle, sixth aunt, and the others. As for what to do next, that’s up to you all,” Liu Xing advised.

“Right! We need to let Old Three and Old Five know,” Liu Dazhao replied, hurrying off.

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Thank you to That Touch of Romance XY for the five hundred Starting Point coins, Black Wind Pass Tian Ge for two hundred, and DND Le for another five hundred. Thanks to everyone for your unwavering support with recommendation votes.