"You're asking for death." Brother Tang, realizing what happened, transformed into an angry bird and lunged forward to start a fight.
However, remembering his status, he stopped himself and said to the two behind him, "Finish him off, how dare he insult me? If he dies, it's on me."
Brother Tang had two youths of similar age following him today.
Upon hearing this, the two youths immediately threw their fists at Zhang Liunian.
Zhang Liunian was not one to stand and take a beating. If someone wanted to fight, he was ready.
He quickly assumed a stance, then with a large grab, he accurately seized an incoming fist, twisted it, and threw, causing the attacker to cry out in pain and fall to the ground.
After dealing with the first, the second also arrived. Zhang Liunian directly delivered a flick kick, sending the second flying two meters away.
Brother Tang watched his followers fall within a minute, his face contorted with anger. "You dogs, take this punch!"
As his shout fell, Zhang Liunian directly sent him flying, giving him a free ride and reuniting him with his friend two meters away.
After dealing with the three of them, Zhang Liunian stood up and brushed off the dust. Just then, the gatekeeper arrived.
"The factory director agreed to sell you bricks, come with me quickly. Huh, isn't that Brother Tang?"
As the gatekeeper was speaking, he inadvertently spotted Brother Tang and immediately turned to help him up.
And Brother Tang, after hearing the gatekeeper's words, smiled. So Zhang Liunian was here to buy bricks?
He wouldn't give them, not even if he died.
"Old man, is he here to buy bricks from our factory?" Brother Tang stood up, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.
"Yes, what's wrong?" the gatekeeper asked, puzzled.
"We'd rather throw our bricks away than sell them to him," Brother Tang declared, and Zhang Liunian's heart sank.
It seemed he really was someone from the brick factory, and held some status.
"But the factory director agreed."
"I'm his son, he'll listen to me."
After Brother Tang roared, he looked at Zhang Liunian and smiled, "If you want bricks from my family, you'll have to kill me first."
With that, he led his men into the factory.
The gatekeeper looked from one to the other, then sighed and hung his head.
Zhang Liunian stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, take me inside."
He still hadn't given up, thinking the factory director wouldn't change his mind just because of Brother Tang's words.
The gatekeeper knew he was persistent and, for the sake of the cigarettes, still led him in. Along the way, he kindly reminded him, "He's the factory director's son, and the director dotes on him."
The gatekeeper's words made Zhang Liunian's heart grow heavier, but he said nothing.
It wasn't until they reached the factory director's office that he heard the director personally tell him, "Our factory does not cooperate with individuals, only with formal units."
Brother Tang smirked beside him, "If you want bricks, you can kneel for me, and maybe I'll give you two if I'm in a good mood."
Zhang Liunian simply gave the other a cold glance, understanding that getting bricks from here was almost impossible.
Since that was the case, he saw no need to humble himself further. He turned and left without hesitation.
Brother Tang wanted to say something, but the factory director stopped him.
Walking out of the brick factory, Zhang Liunian pushed his bicycle and pondered, besides the largest kiln in South City, where else could he find private kilns?
His brigade used to have kilns, and the houses in the village were built with bricks produced by the brigade. But that work had stopped two years ago.
He was in urgent need of bricks now. He couldn't go back and ask people to fire kilns, could he?
"Little Aunt, Little Uncle is in trouble, and only you can save him now." Just as Zhang Liunian was thinking about where to find bricks, a voice, both strange and familiar, echoed from behind a wall.
He recognized the owner of the voice even if they turned to ash – it was Qian Fei.
"But what can I do, a mere girl, to save my second brother?" This voice belonged to Qian Xueli.
Wait, Qian Xueli? She married his former partner, Du Ziteng, and Du Ziteng's father had apparently opened a kiln for two years after the reform and opening up. Counting the time, it should be operational.
Moreover, their family was in Du Family Village, next to the county town.
"Little Uncle went to jail, you just need to endure a little."
"How can I, an unmarried girl, go with an old man? Are you crazy?"
"Little Aunt, don't go."
"..."
The two behind the wall ran off. Zhang Liunian did not pursue them; he still had to find the Du family to buy bricks. With this thought, he mounted his bicycle and went to find them.
When he found the kiln, he saw the young Du Ziteng being whipped with a shoe sole by his father.
"You unfilial son, are you trying to anger me to death? I told you to study, but you insisted on being a street loafer and forming gangs. Aren't you trying to go eat bullets?"
Du Ziteng's father, Du Zhan, was so infuriated by his son's recent actions that his face turned red and his neck was thick with rage. He wildly thrashed with the shoe sole.
"Slap, slap, slap..." The stiff shoe sole hit Du Ziteng's back. Just listening to the sound, one could tell it was done with full force.
Zhang Liunian winced just watching, but Du Ziteng, lying on the ground, seemed unaffected and even had the strength to taunt Du Zhan.
"Dad, are you getting old? Why does it feel like a tickle?" Du Ziteng lifted his head, a blade of grass in his mouth, defiant.
"..." This guy's mouth was always sour, a habit he had since childhood.
"Unfilial son, unfilial son." Du Zhan was so angry he could only repeat these three words.
Zhang Liunian felt this would be a prolonged battle and intervened, "Stop hitting him, there's business to attend to."
As soon as Zhang Liunian spoke, Du Zhan immediately stopped and put on his shoes, wiping his hands before happily stepping forward. "Little comrade, are you here to do business with us? How big is the business? Whether it's for steps or courtyard walls, we sell ten or a hundred at a time."
"..." In his previous life, he heard from Du Ziteng that his father's kiln closed down after less than two years. It seemed business was not good now.
Indeed, who in South City didn't know about South City's kilns, and this kiln had stood firm, firmly controlling the entire brick production of South City.
Private kilns like the Du family's, newly established, wouldn't be able to get started without some effort.
"I want to build bricks for two houses, one of eighty square meters and the other of one hundred and twenty square meters. Can you calculate how many bricks are needed, and what price you can offer?"
"Don't worry about the price, two bricks for one yuan, honest dealing. As for how many bricks are needed, that, that I can't calculate. How about this, we'll load three tractors first, and if it's not enough, you can notify me. If there's too much, you can call me to take it back?" Du Zhan was truly showing his sincerity for this deal.
Du Ziteng, sitting on the ground with a blade of grass in his mouth, looked at his father groveling like this with disdain. "Dad, you look too pathetic."
Du Zhan was so choked that he almost couldn't catch his breath. He raised his foot as if to take off his shoe to hit his son, but remembering the guest was present, he restrained himself.
"Alright, we'll do as you say. Send three tractors of bricks first. I'll pay a deposit of two hundred, and we'll settle the difference. What do you say?" Zhang Liunian guessed it wouldn't be enough, so he paid a deposit first.