Chapter 24

"Third Grandpa, you have something to discuss, right?" Li Qiang really didn't want to beat around the bush with him.

"Qiangzi, I indeed have a matter I'd like to trouble you with—those two relatives of your brother's family who got jobs at Yagangchang, that was your doing, right?"

"Yeah, Yagangchang gave me two slots; I didn't need them, so I gave them to my sister-in-law, who brought her nephew and niece from her natal family to the factory." Li Qiang didn't deny it.

"Then getting them housing was also your doing?"

"They just arrived and had nowhere to live; they couldn't stay at my brother's place—it's not spacious, and staying at mine would be inconvenient—so I asked Li, the logistics section chief, for help and got them two rooms." Li Qiang hid nothing; there was nothing to hide anyway.

"Qiangzi, do you still have any slots left?"

"None." Even if Li Qiang had any, he wouldn't say so; he knew Yan Butgui's character too well.

"Could you talk to the factory leaders and get Xie Cheng into Yagangchang? You know my family's situation—I'm the sole breadwinner for six people, and now the kids are grown; just buying food is becoming unaffordable." Yan Butgui started playing the pity card.

Li Qiang heard Yan Butgui's words and thought to himself: We've only just begun; when the natural disasters hit in a couple years, you'll know what it means to go hungry.

"Third Grandpa, if you'd told me earlier, I could have tried; today the leaders just had a meeting, no one's allowed to pull strings or use back doors—I'm willing but unable." Li Qiang said it as if it were true.

"So there's no other way?" Yan Butgui asked, unwilling to give up.

"It's not that there's no way at all; other factory leaders might still have slots. If you're willing to pay, I can ask who'd be willing to sell."

"Don't know how much a slot costs?"

"At least five hundred; I hear they've been bid up to six hundred on the black market, but there's a price and no market."

"Qiangzi, Third Grandpa really doesn't have that much money—could you ask if a lower price would work?"

"Then it depends on how much lower—Third Grandpa, how much are you planning to pay?"

"One hundred, not two hundred—Third Grandpa can at most come up with two hundred." Yan Butgui held up two fingers.

"Third Grandpa, better forget it—no one's sure to sell for five hundred; if you offered two hundred, would you sell?"

"Qiangzi, just help Third Grandpa anyway—since he got that slot for free, selling it for a hundred would be pure profit."

"Third Grandpa, that's not how it works—why wouldn't they sell for five hundred but sell for two hundred? I'm telling you, if you go to the black market and shout that you have a Yagangchang work quota, six hundred bucks each, you'll see if anyone rushes to buy from you." Li Qiang was truly defeated by Yan Butgui's logic; in his view, since the quota cost them nothing, they should just give it away for free.

"If I had a quota, I wouldn't need to come beg you, hearing you say that."

"Third Grandpa, I really can't help with this—sorry."

"Alright then, rest up—I'm heading home." Yan Butgui headed back home, carrying two small salted fish.

"What did Qiangzi say?" Third Grandma saw Yan Butgui return and asked.

"No luck," Yan Butgui sighed.

"Then why did you bring the salted fish back?" Third Grandma asked.

"Given what you're saying, since he won't do me this favor, why should I give him the salted fish?" Yan Butgui said, justified.

"Fine, fine, do as you like." Third Grandma was also speechless toward Yan Butgui.

"Dongxu, guess what I saw when I came back from the toilet just now?" Jia Zhangshi said mysteriously.

"What did you see?" Jia Dongxu saw Jia Zhangshi's expression, and his curiosity was piqued.

"Old Yan West came back from the back yard carrying two salted fish."

"So what? How do you know it's salted fish?" Jia Dongxu said indifferently.

"From the way they cure their salted fish, you can smell the fishiness from eight zhang away—if it's not salted fish, what is it?"

"That's nothing special," Jia Dongxu said, not grasping Jia Zhangshi's point.

"Think about it—with Old Yan West's miserly nature, he wouldn't just haul out salted fish from the back yard for no reason."

"So what are you implying?"

"He must have been going to give a gift, but they didn't accept it." Jia Zhangshi wore an expression of "I know everything."

"Who was he giving a gift to? Besides, who gives two salted fish as a gift?" Jia Dongxu didn't really agree with Jia Zhangshi's claim.

"You little idiot, who else in the back yard would he give a gift to—either Li Qiang or Li Bin. Don't forget Li Bin's two relatives started work at Yagangchang today and even got housing. Do you think Old Yan West wouldn't be moved? You've lived in this Siheyuan for years—have you ever seen anyone drink even a sip of water from Old Yan West? For him to produce two salted fish as a gift is already unprecedented. You might think two salted fish are nothing, but in Old Yan West's eyes, those two salted fish are no different from two small yellow croakers." Whether or not, it's Jia Zhangshi who understands Yan Butgui.

"If it were me, even if Old Yan West gave me two salted fish as a gift, I wouldn't do anything for him—I've never seen such a miser." Jia Dongxu said disdainfully.

"So that's why he brought the salted fish back." Jia Zhangshi said, laughing.

"Dongxu, why don't you try bringing two bottles of wine tomorrow evening? Maybe then Huai Ru's getting into the factory will work out." Jia Zhangshi whispered.

"Mom, I don't even know who to give it to—how am I supposed to present it?"

"You're stupid—it's definitely for Li Qiang. He's the chief of the Security Section; his word carries more weight than Li Bin's. Li Bin's just a cook; I reckon his two relatives got into Yagangchang only thanks to Li Qiang's help."

"But I don't have much rapport with Li Qiang—we just nod when we meet. Even if I gave him something, he might not accept it." Jia Dongxu still had some self-awareness.

"Or you could try seeing Yi Zhonghai—he's an old worker at the factory, now a senior technician; have him talk to Li Qiang, and Li Qiang might give him face."

"That works too."

"Then go find Yi Zhonghai and ask now, lest you lose sleep over it." Jia Zhangshi urged.

"Okay."

"Master, aren't you asleep yet?" Jia Dongxu knocked on Yi Zhonghai's door and asked.

"It's Dongxu, and I'm not asleep yet—come in." First Grandma opened the door and let Jia Dongxu in.

"Dongxu, what's the matter coming over this late?" Yi Zhonghai, half-reclined in bed, asked Jia Dongxu.

"Master, tonight my mom said on her way back from the toilet she saw Old Yan West returning from the back yard carrying two salted fish."

"Dongxu, just live your own life well—no need to worry about others' affairs." Yi Zhonghai adopted the air of a mother teaching her son.

"Master, you've misunderstood." Jia Dongxu repeated to Yi Zhonghai the guess he and his mother had made at home.

"If I may say, Dongxu's right—you could go ask Li Qiang to help Dongxu out; it's truly tough for Dongxu to support a family of four on his own. If Huai Ru could get into Yagangchang, their lives wouldn't be so hard." First Grandma really sympathized with Jia Dongxu, but she had no idea what Yi Zhonghai was thinking.

"Alright, I'll ask for you tomorrow." Yi Zhonghai could only agree for now.

"Fine, then rest, Master—I'm heading back." Jia Dongxu, seeing Yi Zhonghai agree, didn't linger.