Chapter 271 - 210: Want Work, Not Trouble
Lin Zhiyin watched Zhao Wendong’s antics, a smile on her face as she played along.
"Yes, it seems we’ve run into an ungrateful wretch. Why don’t we give the spot to someone else? I think Granny Liu’s granddaughter, Zhao Baolian, is quite nice."
"Right, right, you’re absolutely right. Let’s go, wife. We’re off to Granny Liu’s."
As Zhao Wendong spoke, he made a move to get off the kang, but he found his clothes being pulled tight. Zhao Weiguo had heard everything crystal clear: Zhao Wendong had said he’d gotten a spot at the silk factory. Now, hearing that Wendong was about to leave, he panicked, even though he knew he was just being teased.
"Dongzi, don’t go, don’t go! Are you serious? Did you really get Xiaoyan a spot at the silk factory? Can Xiaoyan really go to the city and become a worker?"
Zhao Weiguo’s voice trembled as he spoke. It was the first time Zhao Wendong had ever seen him lose his composure like this. This was an iron-willed man who, in his youth, had left his wife and children to follow the army into a neighboring country, pushing nothing but a wheelbarrow. Yet now, faced with this pivotal moment in his daughter’s life, he couldn’t help but show a father’s vulnerability.
"What spot for Xiaoyan? You didn’t even thank me, and you tried to scare me. It’s gone. It’s already gone. I’m going to Granny Liu’s to let Zhao Baolian go to the city."
"No, Dongzi, don’t go! I was just messing with you."
Zhao Weiguo was genuinely panicked now, his face a mask of anxiety. He reached out with both hands and grabbed Zhao Wendong, practically hugging him, terrified that he might actually leave. Seeing this, Zhao the Fourth quickly changed his tune to help out. He couldn’t bear the responsibility for having joked away a worker’s position.
"Dongzi, we were just kidding around with you. After you helped Uncle Weiguo out so much, how could he possibly not thank you?"
"Right, right! Thank you, Dongzi! Uncle Weiguo thanks you!"
Zhao Wendong was just teasing them, so he sat back down on the kang. He tilted his head back, looking smug.
"Alright, then. Seeing as you’re all so sincere, I suppose we can let Xiaoyan go to the city after all."
"She can really go to the city to be a worker? And at the Number Two Silk Factory?"
Zhao Weiguo asked for confirmation, still finding it hard to believe. He wasn’t an ignorant man. The silk factory was a pillar of the regional economy and one of the few enterprises that could earn foreign currency through exports. He knew all too well how prestigious the factory was and just how difficult it was to get a job there.
"Mhm, it’s real. She’ll start work after the New Year. Go on home and tell Xiaoyan to relax and wait."
"Aiya, Dongzi... how... how can this old uncle ever thank you enough!"
Zhao Weiguo wrung his hands, his face flush with excitement. The others in the room listened in, their expressions turning to shock. The few production team members, in particular, were dumbfounded. What had they just heard? Zhao Wendong got Zhao Xiaoyan a job as a city worker?!!
"Dongzi, you’re so fucking awesome..."
Before Liu Xiufen could finish, the door to the team office was violently thrown open from the outside with a loud SLAM. Zhao the Fourth’s brow furrowed. He was just about to scold the intruder when he saw Zhao Sanwa—who had gone with Zhao Ergou and Niu Yuesheng to find Zhao Damei—run in, his face fraught with panic.
"Brother San, quick, go save my brother and sister!"
Zhao Wendong shot to his feet, grabbed the boy, and dashed outside. Zhao Weiguo and the others scrambled to put on their shoes, get off the kang, and run after them. Zhao Weiguo glanced at Zhao the Fourth.
"Fourth, someone has to stay at the team office. You head back and keep an eye on things. It looks like something’s happened with Zhao Damei. Xiufen and I will go take a look."
"Yeah, okay."
Zhao the Fourth stopped in his tracks, turned, and went back into the team office.
By the door, Niu Yuesheng’s large truck was already running and waiting. In the truck bed, Zhao Wenjun, Zhao Wenwu, and Jin Xiuying were gathered, each armed with hunting tools. Zhao Wendong grabbed his Type 56 carbine and, after a moment’s thought, turned to Zhao Weiguo who had caught up.
"Uncle Weiguo, you get in the cab."
With that, he tossed Sanwazi into the cab and climbed in after him. He still hadn’t asked what exactly had happened; there would be time to figure that out on the road. As soon as everyone was on board, Niu Yuesheng slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the big truck tore off toward the Li Village Production Team.
"Brother Niu, what’s going on?"
Zhao Wendong had specifically climbed into the cab and called Zhao Weiguo in so they could get the story straight. Niu Yuesheng gripped the steering wheel, his eyes locked on the road ahead and the accelerator pressed to the floor, as he recounted what he knew.
"Er Gou and Sanwa went to their eldest sister’s house. Not long after, Sanwa came running out, saying his sister and brother were in danger. I brought him straight back to find you."
Zhao Wendong nodded and looked at Zhao Sanwa. "Sanwazi, take your time and tell Brother San exactly what happened."
Zhao Sanwa wiped his nose with a shiny, greasy sleeve. He spoke quickly, but his words were clear.
"My brother and I went to see our sister. She just had a baby and is still in her confinement period. My brother said our sister was starving to death, so he started arguing with them. They were going to beat up my brother. I saw there were a lot of them, so I ran."
Zhao Wendong’s memory of Zhao Damei was of a tall girl with a bit of baby fat and large eyes, though he’d forgotten the finer details of her appearance. He turned his gaze to Zhao Weiguo. Eager for a chance to repay Zhao Wendong, Zhao Weiguo immediately seized the opportunity to offer a plan.
"Wendong, you’ve got a big reputation now. Let’s find Li Daya first. He’s the production team leader. We’ll have him come with us to mediate so we don’t get the short end of the stick. First, we get our people back. We can deal with the rest later."
Zhao Weiguo clearly knew more about the situation than Zhao Wendong did, so Zhao Wendong nodded in agreement with his plan. The truck sped all the way to the Li Village Production Team. Spotting a villager on the road, the truck SCREECHED to a halt right beside him. Zhao Wendong leaped from the vehicle, grabbed the man by the collar, and shoved him into the cab.