Chapter 12: Cooperation

"We don't have any good tea here~" An Ning brewed a pot of tea, then took a plate and served some melon seeds and peanuts from the cabinet nearby.

It was clear that Wang Jingsheng was living well, which was one of the reasons Ning Weidong had come to find him.

"You two chat~" An Ning played the role of the hostess, offered some hospitality, and then took the initiative to return to the inner room.

Throughout the whole time, Wang Jingsheng just sat there with a silly grin, barely saying a word.

Once An Ning returned to the inner room, Ning Weidong teased, "Not bad~ you managed to snag such a beautiful wife, kid."

Wang Jingsheng was tickled pink, his face full of pride.

Ning Weidong offered a couple of compliments, stopped while he was ahead, and turned the conversation to how things had been over the past few years.

Ning Weidong sipped his tea and cracked open a peanut: "By the way, Old Wang, what are you doing these days?"

Back then, Wang Jingsheng had stubbornly refused to go down to the countryside; he was a typical laggard, so there was certainly no hope of a job assignment.

At the mention of this, Wang Jingsheng pursed his lips, his interest waning, and he slapped his thigh: "What could I be doing? Just muddling through the days~ How about you? Where did you get assigned after coming back?"

Ning Weidong heard his reluctance to open up and guessed there must be something fishy going on.

Looking at the furnishings and utensils in the house, Wang Jingsheng's living conditions weren't bad; without a proper job, where did the money come from?

It was easy to guess; nine times out of ten, it wasn't through legitimate means.

Ning Weidong had an idea in his mind, but he didn't press the issue, answering: "I was assigned to the Red Star Steel Factory."

Wang Jingsheng raised his voice slightly: "That's a good unit!"

Ning Weidong said: "Psh~ what's good about it? It's just a Big Collective, twenty-some yuan a month."

Wang Jingsheng said: "Damn, you're still not satisfied? Do you know what the situation is like outside right now? For this job of yours, not to mention anything else, a thousand yuan wouldn't even hit the floor."

Ning Weidong shook his head with a smile: "It's not that exaggerated."

Wang Jingsheng said: "Right, how did you manage to get into the Red Star Factory? Don't tell me you were just lucky enough to be assigned there."

This was exactly what Ning Weidong had been waiting for, so he said nonchalantly: "My older brother handled it for me."

"Brother Weiguo?" Wang Jingsheng was slightly surprised; they hadn't been in touch much over the years, and he wasn't clear on the Ning Family's situation: "Brother Weiguo has real ability!"

Ning Weidong said dismissively: "What ability~ he's just a small Section Chief at the Mechanical Bureau..."

In reality, he was deliberately exposing his background; first, he had a formal job with a monthly salary of nearly twenty yuan, and second, Ning Weiguo was a Section Chief at the Mechanical Bureau.

With these two things as endorsements, it would be easier to say what needed to be said next.

Sure enough, Wang Jingsheng's expression shifted slightly the moment he heard that.

Don't let Ning Weidong's casual tone fool you; there was even a hint of disdain in his voice.

But in Wang Jingsheng's eyes, this Section Chief position of Ning Weiguo's was no simple matter; given the current situation, being able to secure Ning Weidong a position at the Red Star Steel Factory was not something an ordinary Section Chief could pull off.

Ning Weidong took a sip of water and switched to another topic.

It was obvious that Wang Jingsheng's attitude had become a bit more warm and attentive.

The two chatted warmly for nearly half an hour, and feeling the time was right, Ning Weidong finally got to the point: "Old Wang, about that matter with Brother Qi..."

At the mention of this, Wang Jingsheng's face changed; he didn't know what Ning Weidong was getting at.

He feared this hot-headed Ning Weidong most of all, worrying that for the sake of so-called brotherhood, he would want to take revenge for Qi Jiazui.

If he had come to him because of that, it would be a huge problem.

Not knowing what Ning Weidong meant, Wang Jingsheng didn't know how to respond.

Ning Weidong, meanwhile, put on an act, his face full of sorrow: "Brother Qi died so miserably! It's hateful that I wasn't home at the time."

Wang Jingsheng's mouth twitched, and he kept his mouth shut to listen.

However, Ning Weidong suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, those things Brother Qi had in his hands..." Wang Jingsheng blinked, and in an instant, he had a sudden realization.

So he had misunderstood; Ning Weidong was here for that!

He couldn't help but feel his heart race.

Back then, they had followed Qi Jiazui in causing trouble, and they had certainly managed to get their hands on all sorts of things.

Once, they raided the home of an old Capitalist, and from the Cellar alone, they dug up over twenty watches, not to mention silver dollars, gold bars, and various calligraphy, paintings, and antiques.

But they were young at the time and didn't understand any of it; after dividing the loot, they sold it off immediately, having no concept of the value—it was free money anyway, so who cared if it was three or five yuan?

The original owner was just like that, muddled all day long, never once thinking about the future.

Wang Jingsheng was relatively shrewd and had managed to save some things.

Otherwise, given his situation, it would have been impossible for him to live this comfortably.

At the same time, he also knew that Qi Jiazui had quite a few good things.

But where those things were hidden had become a mystery following Qi Jiazui's death.

It wasn't that no one had looked; after Qi Jiazui died, several people close to him who knew some of the inside story had searched, including Wang Jingsheng, who had participated, but in the end, it was all a waste of effort.

Today, Ning Weidong bringing up the old matter again couldn't help but stir his heart—could it be that Ning Weidong knew some clues? Once this thought arose, Wang Jingsheng felt it was increasingly likely, the biggest reason being that Ning Weidong lived close to Qi Jiazui; there were things others might not have discovered that Ning Weidong might have.

"Do you know where those things are hidden?" Wang Jingsheng leaned his head right up to Ning Weidong's, his spit nearly spraying onto his face as he spoke.

Ning Weidong hurriedly leaned back and said with a smile: "Look at you, why so excited~"

Wang Jingsheng came to his senses, knowing he had overreacted, and gave a sheepish smile, but then, on second thought, he decided not to be coy anymore.

He said calmly: "Dongzi, between us brothers, let's not speak in riddles. Isn't this the very reason you came to find me today?"

To his surprise, Ning Weidong shook his head: "Actually, no!"

Wang Jingsheng was stunned; he had been so certain, could he have guessed wrong? As if it were the natural course of things, Ning Weidong said: "I actually came to ask for your help!"

Wang Jingsheng blinked; he had been through the wringer these past few years, and though he wasn't old, he was an old hand in the world.

He couldn't help but take a deep look at the childhood friend sitting before him.

He wasn't the same Wang Jingsheng he used to be, and the person in front of him was no longer the hot-head of the past.

Wang Jingsheng pursed his lips and asked: "What kind of help?"

Ning Weidong didn't waste words, speaking concisely: "Borrow money, one hundred."

Wang Jingsheng frowned; he had not expected that this was what Ning Weidong meant by helping.

Although one hundred yuan was not a small amount, it was not too much either.

And the reason Ning Weidong did this was not because he truly needed this one hundred yuan.

It was to make everything seem reasonable.

A friend who had not been in contact for several years suddenly reached out and delivered a massive benefit to one's doorstep; in such a situation, who wouldn't feel suspicious?

What exactly was going on? Was there an ulterior motive? Was there some other purpose?

This kind of suspicion could not be cleared up just by explaining it with words.

Ning Weidong simply gave an answer: stop guessing blindly, I just want to borrow money from you.

He then added, "I have some business outside that I don't want my eldest brother to know about; if he finds out, he'll nag me again..."

Wang Jingsheng clicked his tongue twice, thinking to himself that it was all clear now.

(End of this chapter)