Taking on all twenty-one.

In my heart, I thought that although I bore some responsibility for the bathtub accident just now, with so many people lifting that massive tub together, everyone should share the blame. Now, with Huang Daqiang trying to pin it all on me, it was clear he wanted me to take the fall alone.

I said, “Brother Huang, we were all lifting it together. Why are you blaming only me?”

Huang Daqiang retorted angrily, “Li Shuifeng, you were distracted while carrying the tub, which is why it got damaged. Of course it’s all your fault!”

Lin Tietou stepped in to defend me, “Brother Huang, you can’t just blame Ah Feng for this. We all lifted it together. The responsibility is on all of us.”

Huang Daqiang exploded, “Tietou, you idiot, do you know what time it is? You still want to defend him? If you don’t want your wages, fine, but the rest of us need money to feed our families.”

Because the bathtub was broken, everyone was worried their wages would be docked. Huang Daqiang wanted me as a scapegoat, and the others supported him. Lin Tietou, for defending me, soon became the target of everyone’s anger. Facing the group’s accusations and fearing for his own wages, he dared not speak up for me any longer.

I sneered, “Brother Huang, we’re not fools. You’re afraid of losing money and want me to take the blame—I have nothing to say to that. But don’t push me too far. At the very least, you owe me something in return, don’t you?”

Huang Daqiang asked, “What do you mean by that?”

I replied, “It’s simple. You all want to keep your wages, pin the blame on me, and make me take the fall. It’s not that easy. Either we all get docked, or you give me something in return for taking the blame.”

Huang Daqiang snapped, “You wish! You’ll take the fall whether you want to or not. We’ll all say it was your fault!” He shot a look at Lin Tietou and added, “Tietou, if you keep defending him, you’ll share the blame.”

His intention was clear: if Lin Tietou kept defending me, both of us would be made scapegoats.

Lin Tietou protested, “Brother Huang, you’re setting Ah Feng up.”

I patted Lin Tietou’s shoulder and said, “Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but don’t argue for me anymore.” Then I turned to Huang Daqiang and the rest: “You want to keep your wages and have me take the blame, but this is too much for me alone. If you don’t believe me, just wait until Boss Xu arrives and see if he buys your story.”

As we argued, Xu Qingyun hurried over, his face showing he’d already been tipped off. With something this serious, everyone was worried about losing wages, so someone must have warned him in advance to win favor.

When Xu Qingyun arrived, his face was thunderous with anger. He roared at Huang Daqiang, “You idiot! Is this how you take responsibility? Did you forget my instructions, or did you just ignore everything I said?”

Huang Daqiang pointed at me and said, “Brother Xu, it was his carelessness that broke it.” Xu Qingyun slapped him across the face and cursed, “Damn it, do you think I’m an idiot? Are you all dead? Was he working alone?”

Clutching his cheek, Huang Daqiang said cautiously, “Brother Xu, the damage is minor. Maybe we can patch it up and no one will notice…”

Xu Qingyun kicked him and shouted, “Fool! You think people are blind? This tub is imported—costs over one and a half million! Even if I docked all your wages, it wouldn’t cover it.”

Huang Daqiang turned pale with fright and stammered, “Brother Xu, then what should we do?”

Xu Qingyun, face dark as thunderclouds, barked, “How should I know! If