Chapter 50: An Astonishing Number! Even Old Dao Lost His Confidence!

Li Junsheng fixed his gaze on the false smile plastered on Chen Dazhu’s face, instantly realizing that the man was probing him. With a frosty expression, Li Junsheng replied, “It’s nothing much. I just came back to the factory to visit some old friends. Even though I don’t work here anymore, friends from the factory remain friends.”

“I see...” Chen Dazhu’s eyes darted shrewdly, trying to discern exactly which friends Li Junsheng had in the factory. He needed to warn his son, Chen Zhiyuan, to be wary of Li Junsheng’s acquaintances, lest they trip his boy up.

“You’ve come to see your son?” Li Junsheng scrutinized Chen Dazhu, suspecting there was more to his visit than met the eye. After all, the father and son saw each other daily, morning and night; there was no need for Chen Dazhu to make a special trip to the factory. But Chen Dazhu played along, nodding in agreement.

“I just wanted to see if Zhiyuan is working hard, to tell him not to slack off,” he said.

At that moment, Chen Zhiyuan emerged from the factory, surprised to see his father. “Dad, what brings you here?”

“Oh, so it’s Uncle Li,” Chen Zhiyuan greeted his father and then turned to Li Junsheng, his tone brimming with arrogance. “Why are you standing at the factory gate, Uncle Li? Missing the work so much that you had to come back for a look?”

He spoke to Li Junsheng with an air of sarcastic superiority. Li Junsheng had no interest in engaging with the young man’s smugness, which only made Chen Zhiyuan feel ignored and slighted.

Chen Zhiyuan’s face darkened. He couldn’t fathom why Li Junsheng still acted so proud when the coveted job at the state-run factory was now his. “What’s the matter, Uncle Li? Cat got your tongue?”

Without deigning to respond, Li Junsheng strode away from the factory gate. He had no time to spar with this upstart; having just received a large shipment, he needed to hurry to the black market and discuss matters with Old Dao.

Chen Dazhu did not stop Li Junsheng as he walked away. Only when he was out of sight did he pull Chen Zhiyuan aside to talk about the factory's scrap materials.

“Zhiyuan, I’ve got a good opportunity for you. See if you can make it happen,” he said.

Chen Zhiyuan was unimpressed. “What’s so great about it?”

“Well, Ma Yulian told me her brother has a friend who runs a scrap yard. The guy’s got money and wants you to help him get in with the factory so he can buy the scrap. I figured we could make a little profit from this. Can you set it up? We could earn something on the side!”

Chen Dazhu was in high spirits, more convinced than ever that buying Li Junsheng’s job had been worthwhile. His son had only just started, and already such lucrative opportunities were knocking at their door. Wasn’t this just money delivered to their doorstep?

Unfortunately, he overestimated Chen Zhiyuan. Barely familiar with anyone in the factory after taking over Li Junsheng’s position, he had none of the connections needed to pull this off. Moreover, Chen Zhiyuan was short-sighted. He showed no interest in his father’s scheme.

“I thought it was some great opportunity, but you just want me to help someone collect a pile of junk? What good is that?” he scoffed. “Go tell that old woman it can’t be done, and get back the thousand yuan she owes me. I’m out of money as it is.”

Having just started at the factory, Chen Zhiyuan hadn’t even figured out his main duties. After two days doing the work Li Junsheng used to manage, he found it tedious and exhausting. He had no intention of working hard—he just wanted to use some money to grease the right palms and have the foreman assign him an easy, cushy job. He had no time to help Ma Yulian with her scrap business. He even grumbled, “Does she really think I’m her son? Always asking me for favors.”

Chen Dazhu stood to the side, seething with disappointment at his son’s lack of ambition. “Do you even realize how much those ‘scraps’ are worth outside the factory? People go to great lengths to get their hands on them, and you, sitting right here with access, turn up your nose at them?”

If Chen Zhiyuan were his own flesh and blood, Dazhu thought, he’d be sneaking those offcuts home every day. Yet his son refused to see their value.

Unconcerned with the factory’s scrap, Chen Zhiyuan instead dreamed of a bright future, vowing to his father, “Don’t worry about that junk, Dad. I’ll find a way to become a group leader or supervisor soon. Then everyone will be trying to curry favor with me, and I’ll get some real goodies from the factory for you.”

But Chen Dazhu, knowing full well the profits hidden in those scraps, corrected him: “That’s a different matter entirely. It won’t interfere. Never mind, just get back to work. I’ll find my own way in and see what I can learn about the scrap.”

Determined to take matters into his own hands, Chen Dazhu sent his son back and, taking a box of fine cigarettes, went straight to the gatekeeper—hoping to learn more about the scrap situation through him.

Meanwhile, Li Junsheng, carrying two bottles of premium Wuliangye liquor and a carton of quality cigarettes, headed to the black market to find Old Dao.

Once again, he was led to Old Dao with a sack over his head, carried in by several men.

When the sack was finally removed, he found himself in Old Dao’s car. Puzzled, Li Junsheng asked, “Old Dao, is this your car? Why are you always in it?”

“More or less. If trouble comes, I can drive off right away. What brings you here again? And with gifts—are you here for another favor?” Old Dao was blunt, immediately lighting up a cigarette from the pack. He eyed the liquor with keen interest, though he didn’t open it, perhaps wary of tampering.

“I’ve got a big deal lined up and wanted to see if you can handle it,” Li Junsheng replied with a mysterious smile, pulling a contract from his waistband and handing it over.

Old Dao took the contract, momentarily confused. “A contract? A legitimate deal? Why come to me?”

“I want to do things aboveboard for a change, to keep you out of danger. Take a look and you’ll see what I mean.”

Old Dao leafed through the contract. When he saw the contents and the official seal, he was taken aback. “A purchase agreement? The Supply Department of Dongfanghong Agricultural Machinery Factory is buying scrap from the Mechanical Factory... Are you the Supply Department?”

He could hardly believe it—Li Junsheng had managed to secure such a legitimate identity. Impressive.

“You want the officially acquired scrap to pass through me for disposal?”

“Yes. The question is, can you handle this much? This shipment is no ordinary batch—it’s six times the size of the last one! I’m giving you first refusal; whatever you don’t buy, I’ll find another proper channel for.”

Upon hearing this, Old Dao immediately checked the contract for the total weight of the scrap. When he saw the number, his hand trembled and ash nearly fell onto the contract.

Astonished, he stared at the paper, muttering, “Nine tons! Am I seeing things?”

“You’re sure this contract is legit?”