Chapter Seventeen: Iron Will and Red Makeup

Lin Tang remained silent for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh and patting Cheng Qing's hand: "Thank you for telling me all this, Manqing. But your situation... is also difficult. You must take care of your safety in the future. Ah Qing, if you want to leave, I can still have Chen Kan send you away from Jiangcheng."

Cheng Qing's fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of her cheongsam, a tear rolling down her eyelashes and landing on Lin Tang's hand, burning her heart. "Sister Lin, I...I can't leave." Her voice was as soft as a willow leaf falling on water. "Sister, you and Bai Mu are a match made in heaven. You can divorce your husband and leave with Brother Bai Mu, but in my heart...there's also Mr. Qiao..."

Lin Tang was stunned. Her throat felt like it was stuffed with a wad of water-soaked cotton. She wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Looking at Cheng Qing's tear-streaked face, she suddenly remembered when she was little, Gu Manqing, with her braided hair, would chase after her with a string of candied hawthorns, calling out, "Sister Tang, wait for me!" The sunlight shone on her face, making her eyes shine like stars. But now, the person in front of her, though still the same face, looked like a crumpled old newspaper, carrying an indescribable grievance and stubbornness, making her feel as if a heavy stone was pressing on her heart.

“Manqing…” Lin Tang reached out to touch her face, but Cheng Qing suddenly smiled, wiped her tears with her sleeve, stood up and straightened her skirt: “Sister Lin, I should go back, otherwise Mr. Qiao will come looking for me.” She picked up the wicker basket at her feet, walked to the door, and then turned back to remind her, “You must be careful about the factory. Mr. Qiao, that Mr. Sato, is ruthless.”

"Jintang?" Chen Kan's voice came from the doorway. He was wearing a dark blue long gown with oil stains on the cuffs and holding a stack of account books. Seeing Lin Tang standing by the window, he walked over and followed her gaze. "Did Cheng Qing come looking for you just now?"

Lin Tang didn't turn around, but said, "She told me that Qiao Yuan has been getting close to Sato recently, and that the Japanese want this land, so she warned me to be careful."

Chen Kan spoke gently, yet subtly, "The Japanese want a puppet, and Qiao Yuan is their mouthpiece and choice. This land is where they want their sailors to land. In the end, although this land is in your name now, neither the Japanese nor Qiao Yuan will let it go. We've created so much public opinion in Jiangcheng that they dare not touch us here. Last time, they even tried to lure us out to sea to deal with us. The current situation is still far too dangerous."

Lin Tang remained silent.

"Jintang, you and I both know that Jiangcheng is a gladiatorial arena, with various forces eyeing it covetously. Qiao Yuan has achieved everything he has today because he is ruthless and vicious, but he has eliminated the forces of Golden Tiger and others, and now he is all-powerful. However, you used to manage his business on the surface. Now that you are gone, and I am keeping an eye on the Chamber of Commerce, what do you think he will think? Will he seek cooperation with the Japanese?"

Lin Tang said, "So I need to hurry up with the divorce between Qiao Yuan and me. Chen Kan, how's your relationship with them going?"

Chen Kan smiled and said, "Don't worry, our family has already contacted the central government, and I expect there will be a court ruling soon."

...

When Cheng Qing returned to the Qiao residence, it was already dusk. As soon as she entered the gate, she heard a rough, hoarse cursing voice coming from the living room. She walked over in her high heels and saw Qiangzi sitting on the sofa with several of his brothers. The ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of smoke.

"Madam!" Qiangzi saw her and quickly stood up, wiping his hands on his trouser legs. "We've been looking for Brother Qiao for half an hour!"

Cheng Qing walked over with a smile, picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and handed it to him: "Qiangzi, what's the rush? Brother Qiao went to the docks and will be back later." She sat down on the sofa, tapping the teacup lightly with her fingertips, "Did that kid Chen Kan upset you again?"

Qiangzi slapped his thigh and cursed, "That's right! That bastard shut down our casino in the south of the city, cutting off our livelihood!" He leaned closer and whispered, "Madam, could you talk to Brother Qiao and ask him to teach that kid a lesson?"

Cheng Qing laughed, took a handkerchief from her bag, and wiped her mouth. "Color? Of course we should give it." She looked up at Qiangzi, her eyes flashing with malice. "His factory just opened today, shouldn't we give them a 'big gift'?"

Qiangzi's eyes lit up: "Does the concubine have an idea?"

Cheng Qing took a sip of tea and said slowly, "I heard that all the machines in the factory use electricity. What if there's a sudden power outage..." She smiled and didn't finish her sentence, but Qiangzi already understood. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Don't worry, Madam, I'll take care of this!"

Cheng Qing watched his hurried departure, a smile on her lips like a poppy blooming in a gutter. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and her face was reflected in the tea, a look of indescribable ferocity on her lips.

...

At that moment, the lights in the workshop of Huimin Textile Factory suddenly went out, and the roaring machines in the factory suddenly stopped, plunging the entire space into a deathly silence.

Outside the window, the steam dissipated.

The female workers' screams rose and fell, interspersed with the foreman's shouts: "The power's out! Check the lines quickly!"

Lin Tang was startled and immediately ran towards the workshop.

"Watch out!" Chen Kan shouted from the backstage.

"Everyone, stay still and don't wander off!" she raised her voice, focusing the flashlight beam on Old Zhang's face. "What's going on?"

Old Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead, clutching a broken wire in his hand. The plastic sheath was cut open, exposing the copper wires, the cut as clean as if made with a sharp blade: "Miss Lin, the main line has been cut!"

Old Zhang shook his head: "Everyone was busy just now, and no one noticed the power distribution room."

"Connect the backup line first, let the female workers go back to their dormitories to rest, provide meals, and pay double wages." Lin Tang turned to the managers who had gathered around and instructed them, "Tell everyone that it was not an accident, but someone deliberately sabotaged the operation, but we are not afraid, and we will start work as usual tomorrow."

Her voice carried through the darkness like a stabilizing force. The exclamations from the female workers gradually subsided, and someone whispered, "If Miss Lin says it's alright, then it's alright."

Chen Kan caught up from behind, his flashlight beam sweeping across the section of wire, and his brows immediately furrowed: "Is it Qiao Yuan?"

A chill ran through Lin Tang's heart like a tidal wave. But she quickly composed herself and turned to Chen Kan, saying, "Call the police!"

Chen Kan asked, "Do you think it will be useful?"

Lin Tang's tone was firm and unwavering: "Even if it's useless, we must let everyone know that if anyone dares to touch our factory, we will not let it go."

She turned and walked towards the female workers, the light from her flashlight softening slightly. "Don't be afraid, everyone. The backup line will be ready soon. You'll still get paid for today, and we'll add two extra dishes for you tonight."

After settling the factory, Lin Tang had someone re-check the wiring, and then went to the police station with Chen Kan.

The two walked towards the intersection.

The street wind carried the smell of coal smoke, and Lin Tang wrapped her coat tighter around herself, her gaze sweeping over the Japanese military police post at the street corner. Two Japanese soldiers, rifles at the ready and bayonets gleaming coldly, were watching the passersby.

Chen Kan followed her gaze and lowered his voice: "Sato's men have recently set up a lot of hidden posts in Jiangcheng."

Lin Tang nodded, but didn't stop walking: "The more they are like this, the more we need to let them know that we are not pushovers."

...

A dim streetlamp hung above the police station’s entrance, its glass cover covered with a layer of dust, the light filtering down and casting a blurry circle on the ground.

"Miss Lin, Mr. Chen." Old Zhang, the doorman, poked his head out of the reception room. Seeing that it was them, he quickly took out his key and opened the door. "Chief Wang is in his office. He said he's been waiting for you for ages."

Lin Tang nodded, her steps unwavering. Several pieces of plaster had peeled off the walls of the corridor, revealing the dark brown bricks beneath. A broken spittoon sat against the wall, emanating a sour, rotten smell.

Chen Kan wrinkled his nose and covered his mouth and nose with his hand, only to see Lin Tang already standing at the door of the sheriff's office. Just as she was about to knock, Sheriff Wang's voice came from inside: "Come in."

Pushing open the door, a cloud of smoke rushed out. Sergeant Wang sat behind his desk, his large frame sunken into the wicker chair, a cigarette between his fingers, ash falling into the teacup in front of him, staining half the water black.

He glanced at Lin Tang, then at Chen Kan, and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray: "I heard your factory had their power lines cut?"

Lin Tang took the broken wire out of her bag and placed it on his desk: "Chief Wang, take a look at this cut."

Chief Inspector Wang picked up the wire, squinted at it, and then scratched the copper wire with his fingernail. "It was freshly cut, done with an electrician's knife. The technique was quite professional." He looked up at Lin Tang. "Ms. Lin, who do you suspect did this?"

“Qiao Yuan,” Chen Kan blurted out. Seeing Lin Tang looking at him, he added, “We’ve been having some unpleasantness lately, so it’s normal for him to send people to cause trouble.”

Chief Inspector Wang laughed, his lips bulging into two mounds: "Young Master Chen, Mr. Qiao is the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. Your Chen family and the Qiao family have always kept to themselves, so why make things so tense?"

Lin Tang tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her voice icy: "Chief Wang, I don't care who he is, damaging a factory is illegal. If you don't investigate, I'll publish this in the Jiangcheng Daily tomorrow so everyone can see how the police in Jiangcheng protect businessmen."

Chief Inspector Wang's smile froze on his face. He stared at Lin Tang for a long time before sighing, "Miss Lin, your temper is still the same as before. Fine, I'll send someone to investigate, but let me make this clear: if there's no evidence, there's nothing I can do."

Lin Tang stood up and reached out to retrieve the power cord from the table. "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Wang." She turned to leave but then stopped. "By the way, if Mr. Qiao asks, just tell him that I, Lin Tang, am not afraid of trouble."