Chapter 10: Chief Zhou Is in Trouble! Chen Dazhu and His Son Block the Door

"Fifty cents?!" Chief Zhou nearly leapt off the bench, his brows knotting tightly, his voice rising in disbelief.

"Old Li! That’s cutting the price too much! Even the recycling station offers eighty cents. Sure, what I’ve got is offcuts, but the purity isn’t bad! This price… no, it won’t do, far too low. I’d rather let it rust at home than sell it off so cheaply! That’s not just a loss—it’s like cutting my own flesh!"

He waved his hands repeatedly, his face twisted with pain and reluctance, feeling Li Junsheng was taking advantage of his predicament.

He’d hoped Li Junsheng could really help him solve the problem, but this price was outrageous! Even the contact on the black market had offered him ninety cents!

Li Junsheng didn’t rush to argue. Instead, he smiled understandingly, even a little humbly. Leaning in, he lowered his voice, "Chief, don’t be rash—hear me out. Fifty cents is a bit low, I admit, but you can’t just look at the difference on the surface."

Chief Zhou frowned, eyeing Li Junsheng, but decided to see what he would say.

Li Junsheng held up two fingers.

"First, if you go to the recycling station, they only pay scrap copper rates—eighty cents at best. You’d have to handle the transport, the counting, the weighing. Not just a hassle, but it draws attention. If someone starts asking why the chief’s house is always sending out scrap… right?"

"My fifty cents is all-inclusive: I take everything, handle the transport, shoulder all the risks. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Once the goods are out the door, they have nothing to do with you—clean, safe, worry-free. Isn’t that peace of mind worth the thirty cent difference?"

The words "draws attention," "someone asking," and "risk" made Zhou’s eyes flicker, his furrowed brow easing slightly, though he stayed silent.

After all, these things had cost him nothing to take from the factory—anything he could sell was pure profit. It wasn’t worth risking so much for a bit of extra cash.

He wasn’t about to give his answer yet, waiting to see what else Li Junsheng would offer.

Noticing the subtle change in Zhou’s expression, Li Junsheng pressed on, raising his second finger.

"Second, this fifty cents isn’t a one-off deal. I may not be a big shot, but I’m determined to do things properly. Consider today my pledge of loyalty to you, Chief—a way to build trust and test the waters."

"As long as this cooperation goes smoothly, if you have other similar items—well, offcuts the factory doesn’t need, or things that just take up space, or anything else that needs discreet handling—we could work together long-term! And the price, I promise, will never let you lose out. It’ll be better than you trying to sell scrap on your own, and just as safe and worry-free."

Chief Zhou fell silent.

He looked again at the man before him—usually quiet, diligent, and seemingly honest at the factory. Fifty cents hurt, but the worry-free, risk-free arrangement was exactly what he needed.

More importantly, the promise of a long-term partnership was too tempting. The factory sometimes had extra, written-off items, or gray-area "losses" that were risky to handle personally and hard to trust to outsiders.

If someone like Li Junsheng—someone he knew, who seemed reliable and was willing to shoulder the risk—could take these things off his hands regularly, it would be a massive weight lifted.

Such steady, long-term benefits were worth far more than a few crates’ difference in price.

Seeing that Zhou was wavering, Li Junsheng added a final touch, his tone sincere, almost confiding:

"Chief Zhou, think of it as solving an accumulation problem for the factory, and at the same time, giving an old worker who’s just left a way to make a living. This fifty cents is not just today’s price—it’s a price of good faith for future deals as well."

"You have my word, Chief—I’m a man of principles. Whatever’s yours, you’ll get every cent."

Chief Zhou drew a deep breath.

He tapped the armrest of the bench for a moment before finally smiling, pointing at Li Junsheng, "Well, Old Li! I really underestimated you back at the factory!"

"Alright! For your words, your understanding, and for your willingness to take on the risk… fifty cents it is! Just get the goods out of here as soon as possible!"

He stood, walked over to the pile of boxes, and patted them. "But, Old Li, let’s be clear about one thing…"

"Don’t worry, Chief!" Li Junsheng immediately replied, solemnly, "Only you and I know, heaven and earth are witness. I know the rules—there will never be any trouble for you! If you have more good stock in the future, I hope you’ll think of me."

"Ha! Well said!" Chief Zhou’s worries finally eased, his smile now genuine. "So when will you have the stuff taken away?"

"No rush. It’s not safe to move it during the day. I’ll send a truck tonight." Li Junsheng answered readily, feeling a weight lift from his heart.

The first step was done!

Chief Zhou had about fifteen hundred jin of material.

After handing over seven hundred and fifty yuan, Li Junsheng planned to head home, get changed, have lunch, and then go to the black market. It wouldn’t do to go straight to the black market after leaving the Chief’s house—if someone saw, it could spell trouble.

Though he’d told Chief Zhou he had contacts, in truth, he still needed to find a buyer.

He wasn’t worried about giving all the money to Zhou up front—the goods were still at Zhou’s house.

He had just reached his own doorway, key in hand, when someone called out from behind.

"Hey, Old Li! Where did you go? Aren’t you going to the factory today?"

Li Junsheng turned to see Chen Dazhu and his son, Chen Zhiyuan.

These two were really impatient! Barely a day had passed, and they couldn’t even stay at home—they’d come straight over to check on things.

Asking if he needed to go to the factory today was their way of probing whether he’d managed to get the papers done.

"Just got back from the factory," Li Junsheng replied calmly.

This left Chen Dazhu uncertain—had Li Junsheng managed to get the paperwork done, or not? He wouldn’t say directly—could he be thinking of backing out?

Just then, Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua came to the door and saw the Chens.

"Uncle Chen, Zhiyuan, what brings you here?"

Chen Dazhu, quick on his feet, smiled at the two, "We just happened to be passing by, thought we’d pay a visit."

"Come in, don’t just stand at the door!" Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua stepped aside to let them enter.

Li Junsheng followed, sensing a good show was about to begin.

At that moment, Ma Yulian was fussing over her newly permed hair in front of the mirror. Seeing the Chens arrive without warning made her instantly uneasy.

"Oh, Old Chen, what brings you two here at this hour?"

She pushed past Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua and stood before Chen Dazhu, frantically signaling him with her eyes.

Chen Dazhu couldn’t decipher her meaning—was she worried the paperwork hadn’t gone through, or that Li Junsheng was refusing to cooperate after sobering up?

Li Guojun picked up the conversation, "Mom, Uncle Chen and Zhiyuan were just passing by and dropped in."

Chen Dazhu nodded and, lifting his bag, asked, "Yulian, where should I put these?"

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua, kept in the dark by Ma Yulian, exchanged a puzzled glance.

Did Uncle Chen really drop by by chance? Then why bring so many things? He must have bought them on purpose.

"Uncle Chen, you didn’t have to bring so much!" Li Guojun probed.

Chen Dazhu only smiled, saying nothing.

Ma Yulian quickly tried to cover up the real reason for the visit, not wanting her eldest son to find out and cause a scene.

"Uncle Chen is a considerate man—he never visits empty-handed!"

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua looked unconvinced. Seeing this, Ma Yulian’s heart pounded with anxiety and she gritted her teeth in frustration at Li Junsheng’s inefficiency. If only he’d gotten the paperwork done yesterday, she wouldn’t have to go to such lengths today.

Noticing everyone’s conflicting thoughts, especially Ma Yulian’s effort to hide the truth from her son, Li Junsheng felt secretly delighted.

So Ma Yulian could be afraid too!

He was dying to see what the scene would be like when her eldest son found out she was siding with outsiders.

"Old Li, do you have to go back to the factory this afternoon? If not, want to have a couple of drinks together?" Chen Dazhu hinted, trying to see if the paperwork had been handled.

If the paperwork had come through, Li wouldn’t need to go to the factory, and would surely agree to drinks.

He paused, then added with a smile, "You’re not young anymore, why keep working so hard?"

He was reminding Li Junsheng—now that you’ve been paid, get on with it and don’t cling to the factory job.

Li understood the meaning perfectly, but he wanted to watch Chen Dazhu squirm, unable to read his mind.

"Heh, I don’t think I’m that old—fifty is the prime of my life. Besides, my job at the machinery factory is too good to give up just like that."

Chen Dazhu looked at Li Junsheng, truly unable to figure him out.

Was he really thinking of backing out?

So Chen Dazhu switched to flattery, playing the amiable old friend, all smiles but sharp underneath.

"You’re right, but you’ve worked hard your whole life—shouldn’t you enjoy yourself, retire early? If you just keep working forever, what’s the point? Sometimes it’s best to let things go."

What a sly fox—honeyed words masking sharp intentions, all in the name of Li Junsheng’s own good, but really seeking advantage for his own son.

Li Guojun looked at Chen Dazhu, then at his own father.

Something felt off! Uncle Chen brought gifts, sure, but why was he being so polite with his father? It was as if he was talking to a superior.

"Uncle Chen, did you come here for something? I can’t figure out what you and my dad are talking about," Li Guojun asked bluntly.

Chen Dazhu denied it with a smile, "What could I possibly need? I’m just telling your dad not to work so hard!"

Li Guojun snorted, "Uncle Chen, I can’t agree with you there. What if my dad’s hard work pays off for his children and grandchildren?"

He could really justify living off his parents!

Ma Yulian coughed, trying to send Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua out so she could speak openly with Li Junsheng.

"Guojun, let me get you some meat coupons. Take your wife and buy some meat for Uncle Chen—let them stay for lunch."

She handed the coupons to Li Guojun, but he was reluctant to go.

He felt there was something going on between Uncle Chen and his father. Even his mother seemed strange, answering for Uncle Chen whenever he was silent.

With all the gifts Uncle Chen brought, he surely wanted something from his father.

No, he had to get to the bottom of Uncle Chen’s visit.

With that thought, he tossed the meat coupons to his wife.

"Xiuhua, you take the coupons and buy the meat yourself."

Ma Yulian hurriedly urged him to leave, desperate to get him out of the house.

"She can’t manage by herself. Besides the meat, pick up some side dishes for drinks, too. Xiuhua doesn’t know much about that!"

Sensing her mother-in-law’s eagerness to send her and her husband away, Wang Xiuhua also grew suspicious.

She sided with Li Guojun. "Mother, Guojun is right—I can manage on my own. You all stay here and keep Uncle Chen company."

She patted her husband’s hand and gave him a look, thinking that if Uncle Chen needed a favor from her father-in-law, maybe they could get some money out of him.

She could not have known that not only would they get nothing from the Chens, but the coveted factory job would be snatched away by them instead.

With Li Guojun refusing to leave, Ma Yulian and Chen Dazhu fell silent.

It was impossible to bring up the paperwork in front of him.

Why was it taking so long—what step was holding things up?

Chen Dazhu was dying to know.

And so was Chen Zhiyuan. Yesterday, he’d already bragged to everyone that he’d soon be working at the big factory—if he didn’t get the job, he’d be a laughingstock.

Impetuous and eager to show off, Chen Zhiyuan couldn’t hold back any longer. He blurted out, right in front of Li Guojun,

"Uncle Li, stop beating around the bush—just tell us, is the paperwork for the job transfer done or not? I’m dying here!"