Fire at the Dyeing Factory

Ding Ding had truly never expected to wake up and find that his underwear had gone missing.

His mind was still foggy from sleep. Only after washing his face did he realize what had happened.

The fool didn't want him to leave.

Comfortable surroundings could indeed lull a person into staying, but a whole heap of sordid messes outside still waited for someone to clean them up.

After eating three stone-cold steamed buns, Ding Ding sighed.

Having no underwear certainly couldn't stop him, but leaving without a word really wouldn't be right.

After thinking it over, Ding Ding decided to visit Flower Nursery.

His phone rang just as he parked outside the nursery.

People were loading goods up ahead. The money trees took two people to carry, and the workers had to make several trips back and forth.

Ding Ding watched carefully, only breathing a sigh of relief once he was sure the fool wasn't among them.

"Hello, this is the Chengdong District Fire Brigade. Is the Ding Sheng Dyeing Factory registered under your name?"

The voice on the other end was brisk and businesslike, with a clamor of voices in the background.

Ding Ding froze. "Didn't you already do a fire inspection in the first half of the year?"

"No, there's been a fire here. You need to come over."

"..."

With the dyeing factory operating, it naturally couldn't just handle their own business. There should have been fabric from several foreign trade companies being processed there at the moment.

Ding Ding frowned and asked, "Has anyone been hurt or killed?"

"The fire is under control. Our preliminary assessment is that aging wiring started a fire in the warehouse. Fortunately, it was discovered early, and there were no casualties.

"But the losses are considerable. Come over as soon as possible to deal with things. We need your cooperation with the investigation and the assessment of the losses."

After hanging up, Ding Ding slammed his hand against the steering wheel. The loud blare of the horn made the people loading goods glance over.

When it rained, it poured.

Li Hao was too cautious a man to risk hiring someone to commit arson. This time, it might really have been a coincidence.

Ding Ding took a deep breath, counted five hundred yuan out of his wallet and tucked it away, then headed straight for Flower Nursery.

"You can't go in! You can't go in!" Someone came over to stop him. "What are you here for?"

Already preoccupied with the fire at the dyeing factory, Ding Ding grew irritated at being stopped.

"I'm looking for Bai Congming," Ding Ding said, his expression growing colder. "Is he here?"

The man looked Ding Ding up and down. Seeing that his suit, though somewhat wrinkled, was made of good fabric, his eyes flickered.

"He's working. Our rules say he can't come out until his shift is over."

"..."

Ding Ding took out a hundred yuan and handed it over. "Then let me in."

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" The man chuckled and plucked the money from Ding Ding's hand. "But we really don't allow outsiders in. Whatever you need, just tell me. I'm his team leader."

The man's greed told Ding Ding he couldn't be trusted, but he really didn't have time to waste here.

"Just tell him to wait for me at home."

Even Ding Ding found his own words a little strange once he had said them. "My name is Ding Ding."

"Sure," the man agreed at once. "Don't worry. Leave it to me!"

Ding Ding stared at him for a while, then nodded expressionlessly, turned, got into his car, and sped away.

The man who had taken the money watched the car disappear into the distance, then pulled the banknote from his pocket and squinted at it against the sun to check whether it was genuine.

A coworker called from behind him, "Wang Lao'er! Slacking off again!"

Wang Lao'er wiped the toothy grin off his face, put the money away, and went back to moving goods.

Someone beside him leaned over to ask, "Who was that? Was he here for you?"

"A relative," Wang Lao'er said. "Said he'd take me to a fancy restaurant. I told him I had work and didn't have time, so he shoved some money at me to get myself a meal."

"Wow! You've even got a respectable relative like that! You've got to treat us!"

"Get lost, all of you!"

Wang Lao'er cursed with a laugh. After a few filthy remarks, he asked with an air of casualness.

"Hey, do we have someone called Bai Congming here? Who is he?"

"Never heard of him!"

"No idea... Why are you asking about him?"

Wang Lao'er waved a hand. "Just asking. Shaxian Hotel at noon! My treat!"

"..."

Ding Ding saw the black smoke when he was still three or four kilometers from the dyeing factory.

Closer in, the air was thick with a scorched smell, mingled with the distinctive pungency of burning chemical dyes.

Ding Ding's heart sank. The firefighter had said the fire started in the warehouse. If it had produced this smell, the dyeing workshop was already gone.

Closer still, the street was in chaos: fire engines, crowds of onlookers, hurried reporters, and workers evacuated from the factory, gathered in twos and threes by the roadside.

Li Hao was the first to spot Ding Ding's car.

With such a spectacular disaster to enjoy, how could he not come in person to gloat?

"Well, well, your boss Ding is here!"

The workers who had escaped the flames stood where they were, indignant, waiting for Ding Ding to give them an explanation.

The factory manager had run off, three or four months of wages had gone unpaid, and now there had been a fire. What they were going to do from here was anyone's guess.

Ding Ding got out of the car to face the jackals alone.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked first.

Those who had stayed on to work at a time like this were all honest people. They couldn't find anything harsh to say and merely shook their heads in silence.

"As long as everyone's all right." Ding Ding lifted the corners of his mouth, forcing a faint smile.

"Take the next few days off. Thank you all for your hard work during this time. By this weekend at the latest, I'll settle all your wages and allowances."

Whether the workers believed him or not, they looked at one another, unable to think of any other option, and could only agree.

"B-boss..."

A thin, frail woman seized Ding Ding's arm. Her grip was strong, but her voice was extremely quiet, as though she had little confidence.

"Could you... could you pay me first... My husband's in the hospital... Yesterday they said if we didn't pay... if we didn't pay, they'd stop his medication..."

The woman began to sob as she spoke, moving everyone present.

Ding Ding glanced at the camera pointed at him a short distance away and patted the woman's shoulder reassuringly.

"The company isn't doing well right now, but rest assured, I won't short any of you a single cent of your wages."

It wasn't entirely for show. Ding Ding spoke clearly, his words firm and ringing.

"I said before this weekend because I've sold my house. The buyer will transfer the payment to me this week."

Watching the mighty fall from their pedestal was a spectacle the public never tired of.

Sensing a sensational story, the media surged over and, together with the onlookers, surrounded Ding Ding in tightly packed ranks.

"As for your family member's situation..." Ding Ding considered for a moment. "How about this? I've driven this car for a few years. If anyone here doesn't mind that, make me an offer. Pay me, and it's yours."

As he spoke, Ding Ding opened the car door and hauled out the large bag inside.

"These are all my worldly possessions. I won't take them out and embarrass myself."

His heartfelt words left the woman feeling embarrassed instead.

"No... no... I... I'll beg the hospital... to give us a few more days..."

Ding Ding lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "...I'm the one who owes you. I'm sorry."