The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

"it is good."

Master Liu gave his daughter one last deep look, his eyes filled with instructions, ruthlessness, and a hint of weariness that was hard to detect.

He turned around abruptly, his face instantly reverting to that humble and submissive expression. He straightened his back a bit and walked towards the dark-faced patrolman, his steps even carrying a deliberate sway.

"Boss, everything's been arranged. Let's go, don't keep you guys from getting things done."

He walked up to the dark-faced inspector and bowed slightly.

The dark-faced patrolman glanced at him, said nothing, and simply tilted his head toward the courtyard gate.

Two young patrol officers immediately stepped forward. Although they did not directly grab him, they stood close to Liu Siye on the left and right, sandwiching him between them, and escorted him outside.

The three figures quickly disappeared outside the open gates of the car factory, leaving only a few figures peeking and pointing on the street outside.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

The drivers who had been peering out from a distance, pretending to tidy up their vehicles, all stopped what they were doing, as if frozen in place. A mixture of surprise, fear, bewilderment, and a barely perceptible hint of schadenfreude clung to their faces.

Whispers spread like ripples from a stone thrown into stagnant water.

"Good heavens... Fourth Master has been taken away..."

"Zhao San reported it? His leg isn't..."

"Oh no, this car factory is about to undergo a major upheaval..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Tiger Girl might hear you..."

Tiger Girl was still standing stiffly under the old locust tree, her back to everyone, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The moment her father's figure disappeared through the gate, it felt as if all her strength had been drained away, and immense fear and helplessness overwhelmed her like a cold tide.

But just a few breaths later, she took a deep breath, raised her hand and fiercely wiped away the tears on her face. When she turned around, her originally pale round face was now covered with an icy fierceness, and her wide-open eyes burned with anger and a kind of almost crazy ruthlessness, like a mother beast driven to the brink of despair.

She rushed to the center of the courtyard, hands on her hips, her shrill voice like a poisoned knife, instantly piercing the deathly silence and whispers in the yard:

"What are you looking at! What are you all looking at! You're all tired of living! Everyone who's supposed to be out there driving, get out there and get some fares! Not a penny less in your share of the fares! Anyone who dares to slack off, cheat, or gossip behind my back, if I hear even a single word of it..."

Her fierce gaze swept across the faces of every driver like a whip, her fingers almost poking the nose of the driver closest to her.

"Get the hell out of here! The factory and the company don't need a spineless coward like you! Did you hear me?! Are you all deaf?!"

Her last cry was almost a scream, echoing in the empty courtyard.

The drivers were startled by her sudden outburst, and their whispers ceased abruptly.

Faced with Tiger Girl's fiery eyes and undisguised ferocity, no one dared to provoke her.

After a brief silence, the rickshaw pullers, like sheep being driven by a whip, hurriedly lowered their heads, frantically picked up their rickshaws, and pushed and pulled them silently and quickly surged toward the gate of the rickshaw depot.

The creaking of wheels rolling over the frozen ground began again, more chaotic and urgent than in the early morning, and soon disappeared into the rising sounds of the city outside the door.

In the blink of an eye, only Tiger Girl remained in the vast factory yard.

She stood alone on the cold flagstones, surrounded by scattered hay and cart tracks. The fierce and defiant spirit she had just mustered receded like the tide, replaced by a profound emptiness and fear that gripped her once more.

At nine o'clock in the morning, in front of the slightly dilapidated gatehouse of the Xisi North Police Station, the chilly air carried the desolation of early winter.

Liu Jiaxiang, dressed in a crisp black police uniform, his shoulder insignia gleaming coldly in the morning light, steadily stepped onto the stone steps.

The patrol officer standing guard at the gate stood ramrod straight, his right hand swiftly raised, drawing a clean arc along the brim of his hat, his voice deliberately loud.

"Hello, Director."

Liu Jiaxiang did not stop walking, but only nodded slightly, his jawline tightening for a moment.

The patrolman then lowered his voice, with a barely perceptible hint of ingratiation:

"Chief, the daughter of Liu Siye from the Renhe Automobile Factory has been waiting for you at the station for half a day, begging to see you."

Liu Jiaxiang let out a barely audible hum in response, and his figure had already passed through the doorway and stepped into the empty courtyard.

The blue brick floor was swept clean, but traces of night dew remained. The doors and windows of several offices were tightly closed, exuding a cold and bureaucratic atmosphere.

As soon as Liu Jiaxiang entered the office, Hu Niu, who had been fidgeting on the bench against the wall, suddenly jumped up as if pricked by a needle.

Her round face was now completely pale, her lips were pressed together and turned white, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Even her brand-new floral jacket could not hide the slight trembling of her body.

Tiger Girl rushed to Liu Jiaxiang, her hands pressed tightly to her sides, and awkwardly but forcefully bent over, performing a near ninety-degree bow. Her voice was dry and strained:

"I...I've met Director Liu."

Liu Jiaxiang glanced at Hu Niu before speaking, his voice low but carrying an invisible pressure:

"Why are you here?"

Tiger Girl seemed to have had her last bit of strength drained away by those words; her shoulders slumped, and her voice was filled with suppressed sobs and urgency:

"Chief Liu, something's happened! My dad... my dad's been taken away by the police station."

She gripped the hem of her dress tightly with both hands, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Liu Jiaxiang pretended to frown, a few shallow lines appearing on his forehead, his sharp gaze fixed on Hu Niu's face.

"Come on, let's talk in my office."

Tiger Girl nodded hurriedly and followed Liu Jiaxiang step by step through the narrow passage connecting the outer room and into the director's office.

The furnishings here are simple: a desk, two hardwood chairs, a filing cabinet, and the air is filled with the smell of fresh paint and ink.

Liu Jiaxiang sat back in the main seat and gestured for Hu Niu to sit in the chair opposite him.

Tiger Girl only dared to stand close to the edge of the chair, her body taut as if she were ready to kneel down at any moment.

"What exactly happened?"

Liu Jiaxiang's voice returned to its usual calm, and his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the clean tabletop, making a soft, rhythmic sound, like the second hand measuring people's hearts.

Tiger Girl took a deep breath, her voice still heavy with shock:

"It was...it was early this morning, just as dawn was breaking, my dad was drinking his porridge when the police barged in. There were three of them, the one in the lead was a dark-faced patrol officer, he looked menacing."

"They...they pulled out an official document and said my father hired thugs to injure someone, breaking the leg of a driver named Zhao San, and...they also said my father abducted Zhao San's wife and children! They took my father away on the spot! They didn't even let him say a word, Chief Liu!"