Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

In the dimly lit, smoke-filled private room, Lao Chengxi and Zheng Tufu slumped on opposite ends of the sofa, chatting idly.

"Old Xi, you're yawning all morning. Tell me, were you busy working on new stuff again last night?" Zheng Zhongyi immediately started making lewd remarks when he saw Lao Chengxi dozing in the leather sofa.

"It's a newbie, it took some effort."

Knowing what to say in front of whom is Lao Chengxi's basic practice. He doesn't mind exposing his evil to Zheng the Butcher. This doesn't mean the two are really like-minded, but rather that Lao Chengxi is doing it on purpose. One of his methods of managing subordinates is to be more evil than the evil person in order to maintain control.

"Haha! Once you've trained me properly, let me have a taste?" Butcher Zheng rubbed his greasy, fat head, his smile becoming even more lewd.

"That won't do!" Lao Chengxi flicked his cigarette ash and continued, "If you want it done, go find Hongjuan to arrange it."

"That woman's really cunning now! Last time she swindled me out of two gold chains, and I didn't even get to touch a single hair on her head!" Butcher Zheng slapped his thigh in anger. "Hmph! I can at least throw my money into the water and hear a splash!"

Lao Chengxi smiled faintly and replied, "When it comes to charming girls, you should learn from our Captain Qin. I heard he snatched several girls from Hongjuan last month!"

Upon hearing this, Butcher Zheng immediately spat out a mouthful of phlegm and cursed through gritted teeth, "That guy only knows how to play around with women! How many times have we asked him to resume operations at the mine? He keeps putting it off. It's just a dead person, but he's making it sound like his own father has died!"

Zheng the Butcher and Qin Laishun disliked each other from the very beginning, which was the fundamental reason why Lao Chengxi felt at ease letting these two manage the Chengxi Mine. The fiercer the two fought, the more secure Lao Chengxi's position would be.

This is the second principle of "Lowry's management"—the art of checks and balances.

"When he arrives later, you two should make things clear to each other. The money we've already spent is real money; we can't let it go to waste because of a few reports. Money can be spent, but we can't leave this matter unresolved..."

It's rare for Lao Chengxi to say so much at once. It seems that the mine shutdown really hit a nerve with him. Now that the road has been repaired and the mining equipment has been purchased, if the project fails, the losses will be huge.

"Damn it, just thinking about it makes me furious! That short-lived cousin of Qin Laishun! We've paid the fines, bribed the higher-ups, that's enough to give that bastard face, right? Look at him, he can't even hold a few hoe-wielding men back! I don't know what else he can do!"

Butcher Zheng slammed his teacup down, the burly man glaring and cursing, "We shouldn't have had to pay this money! That hothead killed himself by showing off, what does it have to do with us? That bastard Qin Laishun! He's obviously siding with outsiders, taking our money while pretending to be a saint, a son of a bitch who eats our food and betrays us!"

Zheng the Butcher's eyes grew redder with each curse, as if he wanted to devour Qin Laishun alive. Back when Qin Laishun hadn't joined the team, Zheng Zhongyi was the team's second-in-command. Now that they were in the mining business, his influence had been diluted, so naturally he was full of resentment.

At this moment, Lao Chengxi was able to sit still. He picked up his blue-and-white porcelain teacup, blew on the tea foam, and said, "This can't be entirely blamed on him. Mountain people are stubborn; they won't let trouble pass without losing money. But now we need to resume work and production immediately; there can't be a moment's delay!"

Lao Chengxi appeared to be trying to smooth things over, but in reality, he was stirring up trouble and trying to put pressure on Qin Laishun. He didn't need to lift a finger; he had to get Zheng the butcher to cause trouble.

Sure enough, upon hearing his boss's words, Butcher Zheng's round face turned a deep purplish-red. He slammed his hand on the sofa and yelled, "I don't care about the money! Slaughtering a couple more litters of piglets will settle the bill! I fucking hate that bastard Qin Laishun! I should have let him do that fire. Now look what's happened, he's pushing all the dirty work onto me, while he runs around the village acting all high and mighty. He's like a hypocrite!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door to the private room was kicked open with a loud bang.

Qin Laishun, heavily pregnant, stood at the door and retorted, "I was wondering who was slaughtering a pig so early in the morning, making such a racket that the whole street couldn't have peace. Turns out it's you, the butcher, yelling all the time!"

"Who are you calling a prostitute? Say it again, you son of a bitch! I'll kill you..."

Zheng the butcher grabbed an ashtray to smash it, but Lao Chengxi grabbed him, giving Qin Laishun an opportunity. He pointed at Zheng Zhongyi's nose and cursed, "Zheng the bald! You're a fucking pig! The man's dead and you're still spouting nonsense! Don't you have any idea why the mine was shut down?"

"Bullshit!" Zheng the Butcher was about to retort when Qin Laishun, his belly protruding, took another step forward: "It's all your doing! Why didn't you think about the consequences when you burned the forest? Now you're putting all the blame on me! If it weren't for your reckless actions, would the company have been investigated? Would the mine have been shut down? Would my cousin have fallen into the pit?"

Butcher Zheng was so angry he was panting heavily, unable to utter a word. When it came to witty banter, he was no match for Qin Laishun.

Seeing that he couldn't win the argument, Butcher Zheng simply rolled up his sleeves and prepared to fight. The two fat men were of similar size and neither was afraid of the other, so they started wrestling right in front of Lao Chengxi.

"If I don't skin you alive today, I'll change my surname to yours!"

"Come on! Let's see who lies down and calls me 'Dad' first!"

……

The two fought fiercely, and it looked like things were about to escalate into a major incident. That's when Lao Chengxi made his dazzling entrance.

He darted between the two men, grabbed their waists with one hand and their hips with the other, and instantly pushed the two fat men back onto the sofa.

Zheng the Butcher had sparred with the Lao brothers before and knew their strength, so he immediately became obedient. Qin Laishun, on the other hand, was still struggling, his eyes rolling back as Lao Chengxi's iron-like arms tightened around him, and it took him a while before he had to beg for mercy.

"Ouch... Lao west... my back... I just strained it while running back to work the other day... please be gentle!"

Seeing Qin Laishun's discomfiture, Butcher Zheng chuckled and slapped his thigh with glee. "I say, Secretary Qin, if you were this tough in the village, who would dare report us? The mine would have been back in operation long ago!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Laishun's temper flared up instantly. Just as he was about to explode, Lao Chengxi waved his hand: "Two old brothers, if you want to fight, wait until you have the money. Then there will be banknotes all over the ground, and you can throw money at each other if you want, okay?"

See how well the boss speaks? First, he offers a way out, then he paints a rosy picture, and finally he throws in a joke, instantly dissipating half the tension.