Chapter 104: Who Doesn

Today, when they went out, they didn't see the sun; the gloomy sky had been brooding all day, and finally began to drizzle… a light misty rain.

Feeling the dampness drifting on his face, he looked up for a moment, then, determined to finish quickly and get it over with, Wang Yan buried himself in his work.

"Wang Yan… Wang Dashan…"

A shout from nearby drew their attention; both put down their tools, slapped the dust off their hands, and stood up.

The team leader walked up: "You two, stop working and pack up—the foreman wants you."

Wang Dashan asked curiously: "Team leader, do you know why the foreman wants us?"

Glancing at Wang Yan, the team leader said: "Zhao Jiaqing came with a few others and sought out the foreman—I don't know the details, but you'll find out when you get there. Come on, pack up and go quickly, don't keep the foreman waiting. I'm off."

Wang Yan nodded: "Got it, thanks, team leader."

The team leader waved dismissively and walked off without another word.

Wang Dashan glanced at Wang Yan, turned back to pack his things, and called out loudly: "Do you think this is about the card game?"

Of course it is. They couldn't afford that much money, they don't want to give up their house, they can't beat you in a fight—this is the only thing left they might try.

Wang Yan was also crouching on the ground, clattering as he packed: "Why think so much? Just pack up."

Wang Dashan sighed and fell silent, speeding up his movements.

………

The two hurried to the foreman's office; after Wang Dashan caught his breath, Wang Yan knocked firmly on the wooden door: "Bang… bang… bang…"

"Come in…"

Hearing the voice from inside, Wang Yan pushed open the door and stepped in; Wang Dashan followed behind and closed it.

Ignoring Zhao Jiaqing and the others standing nearby, Wang Yan stepped forward: "Foreman, you wanted me?"

The foreman rose with a smile, patted Wang Yan's shoulder: "There you are—no need to be formal, come sit." He gestured for them to take the chairs behind him.

"Thank you, Foreman."

The two thanked him and sat down.

The foreman glared at Zhao Jiaqing and snapped: "What are you standing there for? Go get water…"

"Huh? Oh, oh… water, right away!" Zhao Jiaqing snapped to attention and hurried to the side to pick up the teapot.

Seeing this, the foreman turned and smiled: "How's work going for you two lately?"

Wang Yan nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Foreman—it's going fine."

Wang Dashan beside him also nodded in agreement.

The foreman took the hot water Zhao Jiaqing handed him: "Any problems with daily life? Don't hold back—speak up if you're struggling. You're both good comrades building the nation; the organization won't stand idly by, and I'll help you within my means too."

Before Wang Yan could speak, Wang Dashan quickly said: "No problems at all, Foreman, rest assured."

The foreman nodded with a smile, then turned his gaze to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan said: "Thank you, Foreman—life's fine, everything's good." As he spoke, he took the cup of water Zhao Jiaqing offered.

"Good, good," the foreman glanced at Zhao Jiaqing's back, sipped water: "Zhao Jiaqing and the others told me everything…"

After a pause, he looked at Wang Yan and continued: "I think we can discuss this calmly. None of you are easy off, and it's not necessary for Zhao Jiaqing and the others to sell their house to pay off the debt. If we pursue this legally, you'll definitely be charged with gambling in a group—it's not worth escalating. Let's sit down and talk this through properly. It benefits you, me, and all the workers on this section. What do you think, Wang Yan?"

He didn't flex his authority or issue orders, because that wouldn't work—Zhao Jiaqing didn't have that kind of clout. Sure, he was a leader, but how many leaders get beaten? Does hitting a leader hurt less? He knew Zhao Jiaqing had hired people to attack Wang Yan; just by looking at Zhao Jiaqing's group, he could tell—if Wang Yan got angry, he himself couldn't handle the fallout.

Hearing this, Wang Dashan secretly tugged Wang Yan's sleeve and gave him a pleading look. The boss had spoken—he thought they should just let it go. Knowing how much Wang Yan had bought for lunch, he knew Wang Yan must've won big. Just drop the bicycle demand—it's enough already.

Wang Yan glanced at Wang Dashan's blinking eyes, then turned back to the foreman: "What do you think should be done?"

The foreman paused: "Debts must be repaid—that's natural. But we see each other every day, so there's some face involved. Why not have them raise as much as they can—whatever they can scrape together…"

Seeing Wang Yan stare fixedly at him, the foreman felt uneasy. After all, Zhao Jiaqing and the others were scum—they lost, refused to pay, and now came crying to him. If Wang Yan hadn't been so fierce, who knew what might've happened. Now they came to him to mediate? That's outright bullying.

He forced himself to finish: "What do you say… is that acceptable?"

Wang Yan glanced at Zhao Jiaqing and the others, who were holding their breath, then smiled: "Since the foreman has spoken, what can I say? Fine—they pay five thousand, and the matter's closed."

He'd expected this outcome. Facing a creditor as fierce as him, their options were limited: either go all-in and kill him outright, or pay up. Reporting the gambling wouldn't land them in execution—no matter how long they were detained, they'd eventually get out. They weren't stupid. And he had no intention of driving them to ruin—might as well give them a break.

"Foreman, we…" Zhao Jiaqing blurted out, alarmed. Even five hundred would be a stretch—where would they get five thousand?

The foreman's smile froze, then he snapped: "Shut up! Wang Yan's already given you so much—what more do you want? Do you even respect me as your foreman? Hmm?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Yan beside him. Seeing Wang Yan quietly drinking water, not even looking at him, he knew his attempt to sway him was wasted.

He forced a smile back on his face and looked squarely at Wang Yan: "Fine, five thousand it is. But could you give them a little more time? You know their situation. How about… one week? They'll pay you five thousand, not a cent less, in one week."

Wang Yan nodded: "Alright, agreed."

"Good. You two have been working hard lately—go home early today, it won't count as leaving early."

"Thank you, Foreman—we'll be going then…" Wang Yan rose politely.

The foreman waved dismissively and smiled: "Go on, rest well."

Outside the door, Wang Dashan grinned, walking briskly: "Looks like it's settled. I'm telling you, Wang Yan, don't be so reckless next time. Thank goodness the foreman stepped in to mediate—we really owe him. If Zhao Jiaqing and the others had gone crazy and attacked you, what if something bad happened?"

The foreman?

If the foreman hadn't taken money, Wang Yan would've eaten the railway tracks. What right did Zhao Jiaqing and the others have to bring the foreman into this? All that talk about unity and avoiding disruption—nonsense. They'd probably still lose their house. With Wang Yan this fierce, even the foreman dared to hint at him—let alone Zhao Jiaqing and the others, who were nothing. The foreman had them firmly under control.

Wang Yan laughed boastfully: "Forget it—what are those guys? Go crazy? I'll let them have three moves."

"But you made a lot of money this time, right? Five thousand from Liu Jinhu, now another five thousand—you're a ten-thousand-yuan household already. But… are you really going to take Liu Jinhu's money?"

"You're just worrying for nothing," Wang Yan chuckled. "Think about it—if Liu Jinhu really wanted to cause trouble, would Zhao Jiaqing and the others have come to the foreman? Don't think about it—let's go. I'm already hungry thinking about all that meat—go home and tell your wife to cook."

Wang Dashan realized it made sense, rubbed his stomach, and chuckled as he hurried after him.

………

Luo Yuzhu wrapped up a tea egg and handed it over, taking the money in her other hand: "Four mao—perfect."

"Dad…"

"Ah, hahaha!" Wang Dashan beamed, picking up Wang Xu, who ran over clutching an apple, and patted his backside: "Say hello."

"Uncle, hello," Wang Xu greeted Wang Yan beside him.

Wang Yan chuckled and ruffled his head: "Good, you too." Looking at this sturdy, lively boy, Wang Yan pictured him grown up—hmm… more mature?

"Why are you two back so early?"

Luo Yuzhu looked at the two, stepped closer past her little tricycle, and asked curiously.

Wang Dashan glanced at Wang Yan beside him and said: "The foreman told us to head home early, get some good rest. Enough talk—let's go inside. Wang Yan's been complaining all the way; he's hungry too. Let's pack up."

Luo Yuzhu didn't press further and turned to start packing up.

Adults get hungry too—just better at holding back. With no customers earlier, she'd idly flipped through the things Wang Yan had bought. Honestly, even wedding banquets weren't this lavish; she'd already planned every dish.

"Get down first—Dad'll help Mom."

After setting down Wang Xu, Wang Dashan helped Luo Yuzhu hurriedly pack up the stall.

Wang Yan rode the tricycle, laughing and chatting with Wang Dashan's family of three as they returned to their small house by the railway.

Back home, letting the child play on his own, the three sat on small stools together, picking vegetables and chatting idly.

"Yesterday Dashan told me you played cards with Zhao Jiaqing and the others. Seeing all the stuff you bought, you must've won big—no trouble, right?"

It wasn't strange for Luo Yuzhu to think of this—putting herself in their shoes, it was human nature. Besides, her own father was a lifelong gambler; she'd heard stories of men who jumped walls in desperation, gambling everything on a last-ditch gamble.

Wang Yan smiled: "What trouble? If I lose, I accept it. Nothing happened."

Worried Luo Yuzhu would keep probing and find out about the crowd that ambushed them at noon, Wang Dashan quickly changed the subject: "He handled it all—no issues. By the way, how was today's business?"

Luo Yuzhu glanced at Wang Dashan—she knew him well, and he wasn't good at lying. Seeing his uneasy expression, she knew something was off. Assuming Wang Yan's presence made it inconvenient to speak, she dropped the matter and turned to the business she most wanted to discuss.

"Not good. Our spot's too small, not enough foot traffic at the station. We work all day and sell little. Dashan, I still think city business is easier. Don't you agree, Wang Yan?"

Wang Yan knew the truth—the station's foot traffic really wasn't high—but there were only a few stalls out there, and Luo Yuzhu still made decent money. Honestly, she easily cleared dozens of yuan a day. The problem was, she had too many ideas, trapped at this station stall with nowhere to put them.

Before he could speak, Wang Dashan stopped what he was doing and said: "Yuzhu… I think we should wait a bit longer. Let's wait until the boy's older—it's not urgent."

She knew it would be this. Luo Yuzhu rolled her eyes and turned for support: "Wang Yan, what do you think?"

This was their marital matter. Even talking privately with Wang Dashan was already overstepping—though they were close. If he now openly sided with Luo Yuzhu, what would he become?

Wang Yan nodded: "There's some truth to that. Making money should be done early—opportunities are limited. Doing business in the city is a good idea. The country's pushing major reforms; chances exist everywhere. If you wait too long, every field will be crowded, and making big money will be hard."

Luo Yuzhu beamed with approval. Wang Dashan's face darkened—he couldn't even stop her, and now this brat was egging her on?

Before Luo Yuzhu could speak, Wang Yan shifted tone: "But the child's situation is genuinely hard to solve. If you run a business in town, carrying the child around is inconvenient and risks neglect. Besides, whether your business succeeds is uncertain. He works on the railway—stable income, a real safety net. He can't easily quit. The child's still so young, needs constant care, and there are no elders to help. It's not easy…"

Wang Yan shook his head, sighing…

All that talk was useless—better left unsaid. Luo Yuzhu shot him an irritated look and called out: "Enough, enough—stop talking. You two hurry up. My son's so hungry he's drooping. Isn't that right, son?"

Wang Xu, who'd been rolling around bored on the bed, sat up suddenly: "Yeah, I'm hungry. Hurry up and cook!"

"You little rascal—I heard from your mom you've been snacking nonstop all afternoon, and now you're hungry?"

Wang Xu grinned, didn't answer, and kept rolling, pretending he hadn't heard.

Watching the happy family of three, Wang Yan smiled and bent to pick vegetables.

Zhao Jiaqing had been put in his place and had no money left to go out. So he wouldn't come over to pressure Wang Dashan into covering shifts. As long as he didn't cause trouble, Wang Dashan wouldn't die. That meant Luo Yuzhu wouldn't resume her past relationship with Chen Jianghe—and thus Yang Xue, this good girl, would keep chasing Chen Jianghe, and that would be settled.

The only possible issue might be Yang Xue's pride and possessiveness—traits bred by her wealthy upbringing and lifelong ease—which could cause friction in their life together. But Wang Yan believed Chen Jianghe wasn't a pushover; he'd traveled far and wide, and he'd handle this.

As for Luo Yuzhu and Chen Jianghe's deep love for each other, he could only say sorry. Life holds so many regrets; unrequited love is a problem, but not a big one—who doesn't have someone in their heart?

Besides, Chen Jianghe had already seen Luo Yuzhu's happy life—he was prepared. Yang Xue had likely met him too, and she'd already been moved by his wit, honesty, and depth.

After dinner, Wang Yan, full and satisfied, took his leave and went home.

A light rain still fell, the sky gray and visibility low, no streetlights to brighten the way. Wang Yan walked steadily along the road, returning to his two-story house.

He boiled water, washed up, read a bit, then lay down and fell asleep.