Chapter 45: Unexpected! Your Uncle Is a Section Chief?

While Li Junsheng was having a meal with his daughter and Tang Liang, Ma Yulian had hurried over to Chen Dazhu’s house.

Chen Dazhu was eating when he saw Ma Yulian arrive, fuming with anger, and quickly invited her to join him. After drinking two bowls of porridge and eating a large steamed bun at Chen Dazhu’s table, Ma Yulian finally began to calm down.

She told Chen Dazhu about the recent events at home. It was bad enough that Li Junsheng wanted to divide the family, but her eldest son and daughter-in-law didn’t care whether she was hungry or not, making their own food and eating alone in their room. What infuriated her most was that Li Junsheng even took an outsider to dine at a restaurant, something Ma Yulian simply couldn’t tolerate, and she vented her grievances to Chen Dazhu for quite some time.

Chen Dazhu was also in a foul mood, as his money had been divided among Li Junsheng’s children. Now, Li Junsheng was even using his money to eat out! Ma Yulian, however, was too preoccupied to notice Chen Dazhu’s displeasure.

Suddenly, she paused and changed the subject to her younger brother. “By the way, now that Zhiyuan works at the machinery factory, I need you to ask him something for me.”

“What is it?” Chen Dazhu eyed Ma Yulian warily, worried she’d ask for something outrageous.

Ma Yulian explained that her brother had a friend who ran a scrap recycling center and had some money. This friend wanted to use Li Junsheng’s connections to buy scrap from the machinery factory at a low price. Now that Li Junsheng’s job had gone to Chen Zhiyuan, she could only ask for her brother’s sake.

Chen Dazhu was surprised; he hadn’t realized Ma Yulian’s brother had such connections. After listening, Chen Dazhu stroked his chin, weighing the pros and cons.

“The factory’s scrap, even if it’s waste, is still valuable. The iron and copper, once processed by the recycling center, can bring in a high price. That fellow at the recycling center has his eye on the valuable scrap and wants to make a big profit. If we act as intermediaries, we can negotiate a higher price and earn a cut from the difference.”

There was no shortage of scrap material at the machinery factory. Chen Dazhu sensed a huge business opportunity in Ma Yulian’s proposal. If it worked out, he and his son could make money without even leaving home.

With this in mind, Chen Dazhu reassured Ma Yulian, “Alright, I’ll go to the machinery factory to find Zhiyuan in a bit. We can’t let your brother’s matter drag on. If it works out, I’ll make sure to handle it for your brother. Since you’ve asked me, I won’t let you down.”

Ma Yulian was so moved she could barely think straight. She threw herself into Chen Dazhu’s arms.

“Old Chen, you’re the only one who treats me well. Li Junsheng and my children—none of them care about me. You have no idea how much I’ve suffered at home these days. My eldest and his wife only care about money, not about people!”

Chen Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly took five yuan from his jacket pocket and handed it to Ma Yulian.

After all, if you can’t bear to part with the bait, you’ll never catch the wolf.

“Take this five yuan and use it for now. I don’t have any more at the moment, but once your brother’s matter is settled and we make some profit, money will no longer be a problem.”

Chen Dazhu continued to paint a rosy picture for Ma Yulian. “Just think—Zhiyuan will be both a factory worker and a businessman, making plenty of money. When he’s well-off, finding a wife will be a breeze. Once he’s married, you won’t have to suffer anymore. Then you can divorce Li Junsheng, and I’ll marry you.”

Ma Yulian nodded repeatedly, clutching the five yuan from Chen Dazhu, dreaming blissfully of a happy life with him.

Chen Dazhu, meanwhile, gazed at her brazenly, his eyes glinting with a wicked light, hardly the look of a gentleman.

Ma Yulian met his gaze and, instead of feeling embarrassed, blushed like a young girl.

On Li Junsheng’s end, after having lunch with Tang Liang, he told Li Xiaoyu to return to the textile factory first. He then bought some gifts, preparing to visit a local agricultural machinery factory in the township.

Tang Liang accompanied Li Junsheng back to the township, walking a long way down the dirt roads without complaint. When they reached the entrance of the agricultural machinery factory, Tang Liang exclaimed in surprise, “Uncle, is this where you wanted to come? You should have told me earlier! My uncle is the head of the supply and marketing department here!”

At these words, Li Junsheng looked delighted. “Really? Your uncle is the section chief here?”

“That’s right, and I know the old man at the gate too. If I say a word to him, he’ll let us in.”

As Tang Liang spoke, he greeted the gatekeeper. The old man recognized him instantly and greeted him with a smile. “Xiaoliang, you’re not at work today—here to see your uncle?”

“Yes, could you please open the gate for us?”

The gatekeeper nodded and opened the gate for them. Thanks to Tang Liang, Li Junsheng entered the factory with ease, without needing anyone to vouch for him.

Otherwise, Li Junsheng would have worried about even getting through the gates of this township enterprise, not to mention whether the gifts he brought would be deemed insufficient or if he’d be shown any respect.

As soon as they entered, several workers greeted Tang Liang. He smiled at Li Junsheng, “When my parents were busy, I used to play here with my aunt and uncle, so many of the old workers know me.”

“That’s great,” Li Junsheng replied.

At that moment, Tang Liang’s uncle was working in the workshop. When Li Junsheng and Tang Liang found him, they saw Uncle Fang Youcai surrounded by workers around a piece of farm machinery, knocking and tapping at it. It seemed a key piece of equipment was malfunctioning.

“Uncle, what’s going on? Is there a problem with the equipment?” Tang Liang called out.

Fang Youcai was surprised to see his nephew, especially since he’d brought Li Junsheng along. He hurriedly offered them cigarettes.

“What brings you here? And who’s this gentleman—someone you know?”

“Here, brother, have a cigarette,” said Li Junsheng, accepting Fang Youcai’s offer and lighting it for him—a gesture of courtesy.

“Uncle, let me introduce you. This is Xiaoyu’s father, Comrade Li Junsheng, a veteran worker from the municipal machinery factory. He’s here today with some business at our agricultural machinery factory.”

Fang Youcai nodded warmly, sizing up Li Junsheng, though he had no idea what business he might have. Still, knowing his nephew was fond of Li Xiaoyu, and they might well become family in the future, he dared not be negligent.

“I’m a bit tied up here. Xiaoliang, take Comrade Li to my office for some tea. Once I’ve finished up, I’ll join you right away.”

Just as Tang Liang was about to agree, one of the repairmen checking the equipment called out to Fang Youcai, “Chief Fang, to fix this machine, we’ll need to buy parts first. But those parts are expensive, and in our township, we might not even be able to find them in time to meet our orders!”

As head of the supply and marketing department, Fang Youcai was about to ship out a batch of new farm machinery. Now, with the key equipment down, if they couldn’t deliver on time, it would cause a real problem. He’d already signed the contracts—if the machines weren’t delivered as scheduled, they’d have to pay extra compensation.

For a moment, Fang Youcai’s forehead was beaded with sweat from anxiety.