The neighbors returned to the Ziguang Car Factory and told Chen Zikun what had happened. Chen Zikun immediately became angry: "This Yu Deshun, he has no shame!"

  Xue Ping Shun sighed: "We're not afraid of soft or hard, but we're afraid he'll stir up trouble and won't let us live in peace. If this goes on for half a month, our lives will be unbearable."

  The neighbors also said: "Yes, the public toilets on the street have not been cleaned for days, and the feces are piled up like mountains. There is no place to step in the toilet."

  Chen Zikong said, "It's just a small misunderstanding. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it either. But since Mr. Yu doesn't want to back down, I'll have to accompany him. Please ask the neighbors and elders to bear witness, this matter is not my fault."

  That street neighbor was over fifty years old and was also a reasonable person, who had been dissatisfied with the behavior of the toilet association for some time. Upon hearing Chen Zikong's words, he said: "That's natural, but in the end, no one cleaning up the feces isn't a big deal. Old Xue, why don't we neighbors jointly petition the police station to send someone to take charge?"

  Xue Pingshun sighed and said, "I've been a patrol officer for over a decade, and I still don't understand this matter. No one is willing to take care of this kind of thing. Moreover, Yu Deshun and Ma Xun have connections, and jointly petitioning is useless."

  The neighbors also sighed and shook their heads: "It's really a decline in social morality. In the Guangxu years, these toilet cleaners knew to be grateful for the water they drank, not only did they not collect monthly fees, but also brought local specialties as gifts during festivals. Now it's the Republic of China era, but things have gotten worse and worse. They collect monthly fees but don't do their job, frequently asking for drinking money, and take time off on snowy, rainy or windy days. If the residents are slightly dissatisfied, they either intentionally make your home overflow with sewage or slack off and don't work. What kind of toilet cleaners are these? Clearly a bunch of rascals."

  Hearing this, Chen Zikun couldn't help but feel indignant and slammed his fist on the table: "They're going against me! They don't do their job properly, from now on they might as well not work at all. It's just shoveling shit, who do they think they are, trying to take advantage of me? Dream on!"

  Xue Pingshun was shocked: "Dakuizi, aren't you going to change your ways?"

  Chen Zikun smiled and said: "Different industries are like different mountains. Of course, I don't want to change industries, but I have a way to deal with him."

  After sending away the neighbors, Xue Ping Shun asked him again: "What's the good way after all?"

  Chen Zikong smiled mysteriously and said, "Call Wang Dongliang over."

  Wang Dongliang is a peasant from Changxin Village in the suburbs of Beijing. He has no family and lives alone, spending his nights at the Ziguang Vehicle Factory. He is honest, diligent, and hardworking. In his free time, he sweeps the floor and wipes down cars. Xue Pingshun thinks he is simple and sincere, so he entrusts him with various small tasks such as purchasing supplies. Apart from driving, Wang Dongliang also serves as a handyman at the vehicle factory.

  It's said that the big boss has summoned, Wang Dongliang hurriedly came, Chen Zikun invited him to sit down, chatted about some family affairs, and understood the living conditions of the peasants in Changxin Village. Wang Dongliang spoke freely, describing the hardships of the landless farmers in detail.

  "Beam, if I want to recruit a few people to shovel manure, provide them with food and accommodation but no salary, and let them sell the shoveled manure themselves, do you think it's feasible?" Chen Zikun put forward his own idea.

  Wang Dongliang thought for a while before saying, "I think it's reliable. For poor people to find a job in the city that doesn't rely on begging is a rare opportunity that can't be found even with a lantern."

  Chen Zikun slapped his thigh: "It's settled then, you go back to the countryside to recruit people, no need for many, five or six will do, don't want those who are cunning and lazy, want those who are loyal, honest and healthy."

  "When will it be done?"

  "Go now."

  Send Wang Tongliang back to Changxin store to recruit soldiers and buy horses, Chen Zikun also asked Xue Pingshun to go and make a set of tools for cleaning up dung, long-handled dung spoon, broom, thorn-branch woven dung basket, these are all common things on the miscellaneous goods stall, very cheap, but Chen Zikun thinks this kind of dung basket has no lid, it is easy to spill and contaminate the streets during transportation, decides to modify it, asks the carpenter to make a lid, and also gets several pieces of rain cloth to pad underneath, so that the dung water will not overflow.

  The big cart for pulling manure had also been arranged, two mule carts with iron-plated wooden compartments and covers with hasps, even if the cart were to overturn, it would not leak.

  The next day, Wang Kuangliang brought back twelve men from the countryside. The courtyard was filled with over a dozen dark-skinned and rugged-looking farmers, who stared intently at Chen Zikun and Xue Pingshun.

  Wang Dongliang said with embarrassment: "As soon as I mention hiring, they all come. Boss, take a look and pick the ones you like, send away those who are not good."

  Chen Zikong said: "Since you've come, why go back? Let the kitchen start a fire and stew some pork head meat to entertain our brothers!"

  An hour later, the farm workers were all sitting stiffly at the dinner table, with white steamed buns and oily braised pork head on the table. In the countryside, they couldn't even eat such a good meal throughout the year. Everyone's appetite was almost bursting out of their throats, but since the boss didn't speak up, they all maintained their composure, swallowing their saliva and waiting.

  "Brothers, I'm also a farmer by birth, nothing more to say, eat well and drink well!" With Chen Zikun's order, the twelve men started eating like a whirlwind, filling the room with smacking sounds. If someone passed by the door without knowing, they might think there were pigs being raised inside.

  Chen Zikun called Wang Dongliang over and said: "After dinner, take them to the clothing store, each person gets a set of clothes to wear, doesn't have to be new, but must be clean, colors should be uniform, then take them to Huaqing Pool for a bath, got it?"

  "Boss, you're really a good person!" Wang Dongliang's eyes welled up with tears.

  Chen Zikun smiled and patted Wang Gangliang's shoulder: "Follow me, good days are ahead."

  The new comrades ate their fill, changed into new clothes and took a bath. When they returned to the Ziguang Vehicle Factory, it was already dusk. Xue Ping invited them to stay overnight but didn't arrange any work for them, which made everyone feel somewhat uneasy.

  On the second day, they continued to indulge in good food and drink while serving this group of people. Everyone became even more anxious and went to ask Wang Cunliang: "Boss, what's going on? We can't just keep eating and drinking for free, it doesn't feel right."

  Wang Dongliang ran to ask Chen Zikun, but Chen Zikun just smiled and said: "Nothing's wrong, take a rest first."

  Several days have passed, and in all aspects, people can remain calm, but the residents of Shi Da Street cannot hold on anymore. The public toilets at every corner are filled to capacity, not to mention that it's hard to squat down, even the doors can't be opened. There is no other way but to solve the problem on the spot. After several days, the alleys are filled with a foul smell and become unbearable. Even the wealthy families are not much better off, their toilets are also overflowing. Fortunately, it's still not summer yet, otherwise, the breeding of mosquitoes would be even more terrifying.

  The residents couldn't hold on any longer, so they entrusted a respected person in the neighborhood to go to the municipal office to reflect the situation and also collected some money to beg Yu Dequan to start work at the fertilizer plant.

  Yu De Shun sat in a rattan chair, holding his newly bought purple sand teapot and sipping tea with a gurgling sound. He looked up at the sky, shook his head and sighed: "It's not that I don't want to start work, but there's an unspeakable secret. Someone has even invited the great heroes of the north and south, and they insist on occupying my toilet. I have no choice but to yield."

  The neighbors had already suffered a lot from Yu De's arrogance, and now seeing his smug face made them even angrier. However, thinking of the filthy water flowing all over the street, they could only swallow their anger and force a smile: "Mr. Yu, you're joking, right? We've all asked around, those young guys at the cart factory really didn't mean to steal your business, it was just a misunderstanding."

  "It's not going to work if there's a misunderstanding." Yu De Shun heavily put the teapot on the table, and then thought of Ma Xun Guan's reminder, pretending to be serious: "It's dirty and tiring, what am I doing it for? It's just for a bowl of rice, the young masters think highly of me, if I'm too pretentious, it won't be suitable. How about this, if you guys can't stand it anymore, go to the police station and report Chen, as long as he goes in, I'll immediately send someone to start work."

  The neighbors all looked at each other in dismay, thinking it was a difficult situation. What's going on? The car factory is doing well and not disturbing the peace or causing trouble. Why are we reporting them? It doesn't make sense.

  The words didn't work, the neighbors had to come back, and those who went to the Municipal Bureau also came back, saying that Shuntian Prefecture didn't have any regulations for managing the removal of feces, such a small matter, it's better for the neighborhood to solve it by itself.

  The Shi'er Ma Street is located inside the Xuanwu Gate, where all the residents are old Beijingers. Although most of them are ordinary people, there are also some with status and prestige. In a few days, the street was filled with feces and urine everywhere. As a virtuous scholar-official, how could you not take care of this? However, as for that one latrine cleaner, you really didn't treat him right. He simply didn't want to do it, and you couldn't put him in jail, there's no such law.

  No choice but to go find Ziguang Chechang, speak kindly and try to mediate a reconciliation between the two families.

  Xue Ping Shun stepped forward and said: "Because of our fault, we have caused trouble to the neighbors, it's our mistake. I apologize to everyone on behalf of our Purple Light Car Factory. We are all men of our word and will not implicate anyone else in this matter. This incident will definitely be settled."

  What he said was sincere, compared to Yu De Shun, it's simply worlds apart. The neighbors all thought it was as clear as a mirror, this matter can't be blamed on others, and they could only sigh and leave.

  ……

  Look at the fire timing is almost done, Yu De Shun said with a smile to his wife: "See that? This is how you deal with these people."

  The wife said: "Be careful when you move the stone, lest it hits your own foot."

  Yu De Shun said: "With Fifth Master backing me up, I'm not afraid of anything. Fifth Master has already made arrangements, just wait and see."

  Just as the residents of Dashilan Street were at a loss, a team of sanitation workers with brand new faces appeared in everyone's field of vision. Unlike the old night soil collectors, they all wore uniform black cotton-padded jackets with a blue cloth sewn on their chests embroidered with two characters "baojie" (cleanliness), wearing fur hats and cotton masks covering their mouths, holding uniform shovels and buckets, making everything look fresh and new.

  These sanitation workers are particularly diligent, not afraid of dirt or fatigue. One group is responsible for cleaning the official toilets in the alleys, while another group goes to residential homes to clean up excrement. In the past, night soil collectors would often eat and drink on the job, and if they were slightly dissatisfied, they would intentionally spill feces and urine, making a mess of people's homes. However, this new group not only works efficiently but also sprinkles quicklime after finishing their work and sprays disinfectant, which is said to be imported from foreign hospitals, capable of killing bacteria.

  The strangest thing is that they don't charge money.

  No charge! No charge! All the neighbors were stunned, and after inquiring, it turned out that these people were hired by the Ziguang Car Factory. Everyone finally understood, one by one, they raised their thumbs: "Righteous! Refined! Generous!"

  In less than an hour, the few dirty alleys abandoned by Yu De Shun were swept clean. By the time the people from the toilet factory heard the news and rushed over, all the public toilets in the alley had been emptied, and even the corners of the streets and alleys had been swept clean. Everywhere was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

  This time Yu De Shun was stunned.