Chapter 1562

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

Wang Erhai flipped through his contact list and called the villagers of Shanggou Village one by one.

Regardless of whether they still lived in Shanggou Village or not, he called each household to give them a heads-up.

"Uncle Alin, this is Erhai. I had a daughter. We're holding the full moon banquet on the 10th of next month. Do you have time to come?... Alright, alright. I'll reserve seats for you and your family then. Roughly how many of you will be coming...?"

"Uncle Shouguo, my daughter's full moon banquet is on the 10th of next month... at the Huangsheng Hotel... just come for dinner... when you come, a parking spot will definitely be reserved for you..."

Wang Erhai called every household in Shanggou Village to notify them, and the villagers almost all gave him face, saying they would show up when the time came.

After all, Wang Erhai was doing so well in the county town now; if their own sons working outside hit a dead end, they might be able to come back to the county town and ask Wang Erhai for connections to secure a decent job.

It was 2018, still considered an economic upswing period.

Nationwide, everything was thriving; real estate, in particular, had entered its final frenzy, with prices changing practically by the day.

Back then, everyone had a light in their eyes and faith in their hearts; no one could have imagined that this would be the last moment of glory for that era. Once 2019 arrived and that plague broke out, there was no going back.

So at that time, the young people from the village who had gone to big cities to work — almost none of them would return to the county town to find jobs.

Even taking the civil service exam wasn't the first choice for young people; everyone was determined to go to big cities, join big companies, yearning for million-yuan annual salaries, buying houses and cars, settling down in the city — not taking the civil service exam for a dead-end salary of two or three thousand.

Stability meant no risk, but it also meant no future.

During an economic upswing, everyone was confident, and everyone sneered at the pursuit of stability.

Unlike now, with the global economy in decline, and before the AI revolution makes a substantive leap, most people have to tighten their belts to get by, so seeking stability has become the optimal choice.

Today, graduates from key universities crushing each other to compete for a grassroots civil service post in a remote county town is already a commonplace occurrence; if you turned the clock back to 2018, that would be simply inconceivable!

After Wang Erhai finished calling the Shangou villagers, he naturally couldn't skip calling his own relatives.

He placed a call to his eldest uncle, Wang Zhangtian:

"Uncle, I had a daughter. We're holding the full moon banquet on the 10th of next month. Will you have time to come?"

Wang Zhangtian on the other end of the line was clearly displeased upon hearing this:

"Your eldest brother had a son and didn't even hold a full moon banquet. Why are you holding one for a daughter?"

Wang Erhai was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

To speak honestly, he didn't like hearing these words. What was wrong with having a daughter? He thought a daughter was just fine.

However, out of respect for his elder relatives, Wang Erhai didn't argue with Wang Zhangtian.

He only said:

"Uncle, we'll hold the full moon banquet at the Huangsheng Hotel then. For that dinner, if you have time, come by; if not, not coming is fine too."

To tell the truth, Wang Erhai actually didn't want to invite Wang Zhangtian's family over.

Last time, when Wang Yaohua and Li Yuncui got married, they made a complete mess of things, and on top of that, they borrowed quite a sum from Wang Dashan — money Wang Yaohua probably still hasn't paid back to this day!

And he doesn't have the ability to pay it back either!

After all, even the wedding was done on loans!

He didn't like dealing with someone so ungrounded.

"Look at what you're saying. We're relatives — how could we not go?" Wang Zhangtian said just that, adding, "Rest assured. I'll bring Yaohua along then. We'll definitely give you enough face!"

"Good, good. Then thank you, Uncle." Wang Erhai replied politely and courteously. "Nothing else, so I'll hang up now."

But Wang Zhangtian hurriedly said at this point:

"Wait a moment. Your eldest aunt has something she wants to tell you!"

"What is it?" Wang Erhai's heart skipped a beat; he had a vague premonition it wasn't anything good.

Sure enough!

Eldest Aunt Zhao Lifen took the phone and spoke in an enthusiastic tone:

"Erhai, it's not really a big deal. Last time the marriage fell through — forget it — and then a death happened. It hit Yaohua pretty hard. He's been hiding at home ever since, hasn't gone out to work again. I was thinking, aren't you a boss in the county town? Why don't you bring Yaohua along? He's family, after all. Just arrange some manager or supervisor position for him!"

The way Zhao Lifen put it, it sounded like anyone could be a manager or supervisor!

Wang Erhai naturally declined politely:

"Eldest Aunt, it's not that I don't want to arrange it. I don't have that authority. You don't know — in the company, I'm just a wage slave myself. And recently I was even demoted. Now I'm just a manager-level employee..."

Zhao Lifen hastily cut off Wang Erhai's words:

"Then just hire Yaohua as a regular employee first. Pay his five insurances and one fund. A monthly take-home of eight to ten thousand is fine. No need for more. Just do us a favor. Yaohua is your cousin! Now that you've made it, you can't forget your own relatives!"

Wang Erhai's heart was already in turmoil. Before, he and Wang Dashan had indeed brought Wang Yaohua in to work together!

Back then, Wang Dashan and Wang Erhai, the two brothers, had started Shanhai Real Estate in Guangzhou, doing real estate brokerage. Business was going well, but then they brought Wang Yaohua in, and he actually secretly betrayed them! It nearly ruined Shanhai Real Estate!

As the saying goes: once bitten by a snake, you fear a rope for ten years!

Asking Wang Erhai to hire Wang Yaohua again — impossible!

Not to mention hiring him as a formal employee; even hiring him as a gatekeeper or security guard, Wang Erhai wouldn't give Wang Yaohua that chance!

Because he really couldn't be sure — who knew when Wang Yaohua might stir up a huge mess for him!

"I'm afraid I can't do that. My own take-home is only seven or eight thousand. Eldest Aunt, don't overestimate me. I'm not doing well at all right now. Why don't you let Cousin go find another job? My abilities are limited. I really can't help you!"

Zhao Lifen's face showed displeasure: "Heh, so that's how it is..." But she held back from exploding, and continued shamelessly pleading, "Then why don't you put in a word with your eldest brother? Your eldest sister-in-law runs a company, doesn't she? Let her arrange something!"

Wang Erhai asked her:

"Have you called my eldest brother and sister-in-law?"

"No, can't get through. Maybe they changed their numbers." Zhao Lifen laughed dryly.

In truth, Du Xiaojuan had long since blocked their whole family's numbers. Not only did she block them, she even snatched Wang Dashan's phone and helped him block their whole family too.

As for the money Wang Dashan had lent Wang Yaohua before, she hadn't thought of getting it back either, just treating it as feeding a dog.

Hearing Zhao Lifen's words, Wang Erhai immediately guessed a thing or two, then said:

"Is that so... Eldest Sister-in-law sold her company too, you still don't know about this matter?"

"Ah? No way, how could she sell a perfectly good company?" Zhao Lifen was surprised.

Wang Erhai put it in the worst way:

"What other reason could there be, couldn't keep it going anymore."