Baldy Li yawned, lay down on the bed, and started snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow. Song Gang continued earnestly reading both his own corrected story and Writer Liu's new work. The corrections and critique made him feel confused and disappointed, particularly the critique in which Liu essentially undermined Song Gangs entire story, although it was true that Liu did add a few words of encouragement at the end. Song Gang believed that Writer Liu was trying to give him a sort of bitter medicine and was grateful that he had taken the time to write out his corrections and critiques. He therefore felt that he should repay the debt by writing out some comments of his own on the blank page at the end of Writer Liu's manuscript. He started diligently writing, first offering a few words of praise and then pointing out several of the work's shortcomings. Unlike Writer Liu's, Song Gang's critique was not a mess of crossed-out errors and corrections; rather, he first wrote out a draft, corrected it several times, and then carefully copied it onto the final page of Writer Liu's manuscript.
When he got off work the next day, Song Gang returned Writer Liu's new story to him. Writer Liu sat in his chair with his legs crossed, smiling as he waited to hear Song Gang sing his praises. The last thing he expected to hear, therefore, was Song Gang telling him, "All of my comments appear on the final page."
Writer Liu's expression immediately changed, and he hurriedly turned to the last page of his work, where he did indeed find Song Gang's critique. Absolutely furious, Writer Liu jumped up from his chair, pounded the table, and pointed his finger at Song Gang's nose, roaring, "You, you, you … How dare you break earth over the mighty?"
Writer Liu was so furious he started sputtering. But Song Gang merely stood there in dumbfounded silence, completely baffled by Writer Liu's anger. He hemmed and hawed, then asked, "Breaking what earth?"
Writer Liu took his story, turned to the last page, and asked, "This— what is this?"
Song Gang uneasily replied, "These are my comments."
Writer Liu was so furious he flung his story to the floor, but he immediately regretted it and quickly picked it up again. While caressing his manuscript, he continued shouting at Song Gang, "You, how dare you scribble on my text?"
Finally understanding why Writer Liu was so angry, Song Gang became unhappy himself. He said, "You also scribbled on mine."
Writer Liu heard this with astonishment and became even more furious, pounding his desk and shouting, "Who are you? And who am I? What is your manuscript? You should be flattered if I were to even deign to piss and crap on your manuscript, you motherfucker!"
Hearing this, Song Gang also became furious. He walked forward a few steps and pointed at Writer Liu, saying, "You leave my mother out of this, because if you curse my mother, I'll …"
"You'll what?" Writer Liu raised his fist, but realizing that Song Gang was half a head taller than he, he immediately lowered it again.
Song Gang hesitated, then said, "I'll beat the crap out of you!"
Writer Liu roared back, "Nonsense!"
For Song Gang, who was normally so respectful toward him, to speak of beating up Writer Liu made Liu so furious that he picked up a bottle of ink from his desk and flung it at him. The red ink splattered all over Song Gang's glasses, his face, as well as his clothes. Song Gang took off his ink-covered glasses and placed them in his pocket, then rushed at Liu with both hands extended as if about to put him in a chokehold. The rest of the people in the factory's supplies and marketing section rushed up and pulled Song Gang away. Writer Liu then took the opportunity to retreat to a corner of the room and barked out to his workers, "Arrest him!"
Several of Liu's workers pushed Song Gang back to his workshop. Song Gang, his face bright red, sat down on a long bench as rivulets of ink ran down his face and torso. The workers from Liu's office sat next to him and tried to comfort him, while the workers in Song Gang's own workshop crowded around to hear what had happened. Liu's employees recounted to Song Gang's workshop artisans the fight between Song Gang and Writer Liu. Someone asked what the source of the conflict was, whereupon the supplies and marketing people admitted confusion. Shaking their heads, they said, "We can't begin to understand the affairs of literati like them."
Song Gang sat there without saying a word, unable to understand why the normally sophisticated and urbane Writer Liu had been cursing him out like a shrew, using language even coarser than a peasant's. Song Gang burned with righteous indignation, wondering where Writer Liu got off talking to him like this. The people gathered around him had dispersed, and Song Gang walked over to the public fountain to wash the red ink off his face and glasses. After the red stain had been washed off, Song Gang's complexion became pale with fury. With this pale, furious face he returned to his workstation, and that afternoon when he got off work, it was with the same pale, furious face that he returned home.
When Baldy Li got home, he saw Song Gang sitting at the table, stewing. Noticing the red ink splattered across Song Gangs clothing like markings on a map, Baldy Li asked what had happened. Song Gang told him everything, and when he finished, Baldy Li didn't say a word but instead turned on his heels and walked out the door. He knew which alley Writer Liu lived in, and stalked off to teach the pretentious asshole a lesson.
The moment he reached the main street Baldy Li ran into Writer Liu, who was just emerging from his alley. Liu was carrying a soy sauce bottle, which he was on his way to refill at his wife's behest. Baldy Li stopped and called out to Liu, "Hey, little guy, come here."
Writer Liu felt that this voice sounded very familiar, and he turned to see Baldy Li standing there cockily waving at him from across the street. Liu was reminded of how, when they were young, Victory Zhao would often have Sun Wei call out to Baldy Li like this whenever they wanted to give him a taste of their leg-sweeping kicks. But now it was Baldy Li who was calling out to him. Aware that Baldy Li was hailing him because of the matter with Song Gang, Writer Liu hesitated for a moment but then crossed the street with his soy sauce bottle and walked right up to him.
Baldy Li gestured angrily at him and cursed, "You son of a bitch, how dare you splatter ink all over my brother, Song Gang? You fucking bastard!"
Writer Liu sputtered. Whereas earlier he had backed away from a fight with Song Gang on account of the fact that Song Gang was half a head taller than he, Baldy Li was half a head shorter, so Writer Liu felt he had nothing to worry about. He wanted to curse out Baldy Li instead but saw that a group of onlookers had gathered and therefore decided it would be better to preserve his dignity. He coldly replied, "Please watch your mouth."
Baldy Li snorted. With his left hand he grabbed Liu by the collar, and curling his right into a fist, he snarled, "I do indeed have a foul mouth, and I plan to foul up your clean face."
Baldy Li's bluster made Writer Liu quake a little. Liu realized that although Baldy Li was half a head shorter, he nevertheless looked extraordinarily strong. He struggled to free himself from Baldy Li's grip, attempting to maintain his writerly dignity in front of the assembled crowd. While weakly swatting at the hand with which Baldy Li was holding him by the collar, hoping that he would let go of his own accord, Writer Liu said primly, "I am an intellectual, and I won't get entangled with the likes of you."
"Well, I especially like beating up intellectuals."
Writer Liu had not even finished speaking when Baldy Li started punching him one, two, three, four times with his right fist, punching him so hard that Writer Liu's head snapped back and forth. Baldy Li followed up his advantage with punches five, six, seven, eight until Writer Liu's entire body swayed as he fell to his knees. Baldy Li pulled Liu back to his feet and then pounded him four times in the face. The soy sauce bottle in Liu's hand fell to the ground and shattered. Liu seemed to have passed out, but Baldy Li held him up while continuing to pound his face like a punching bag. Writer Liu's eyes swelled to narrow slits, and his nose began spurting blood. In all, Baldy Li punched Writer Liu twenty-eight times, leaving him looking as if he had barely survived a car wreck. Finally Baldy Li's left hand, with which he was holding Liu up, began to tire, and when he released his grip, Writer Liu collapsed like a sack of sand. Baldy Li quickly grabbed Liu's clothing from behind and, as Writer Liu fell to his knees, Baldy Li continued to hold his collar, not letting him topple over. Baldy Li laughed as he announced to the assembled crowd, "And this is what is known as an intellectual."