Chapter 9: Ma Yulian's Bitter Endurance! The Section Chief: Say That Again!

Seeing Ma Yulian so impatiently pressing about the letter of proof, Li Junsheng sneered inwardly. The more anxious she was, the less he could let her get her way easily!

“It depends on when the people at the factory are available. I’ll just have to make a few more trips, ask around, get to know people better.”

Li Junsheng didn’t put much thought into these words—they were simply meant to stall and brush her off. Ma Yulian, however, only felt he was useless. If he had any real ability, how could getting a simple letter of proof be so troublesome? In the past, she would have already berated Li Junsheng for being good for nothing. But now she was still counting on him, so she could only speak to him nicely.

“…All right then! Just try to say some kind words to them. It’s not even a difficult task, and you’ve already taken Old Chen’s money. You really should get this done for them as soon as possible.”

Li Junsheng nodded, half-heartedly brushing Ma Yulian off, even considering scaring her a bit.

“You’re right. I drank too much last night, and I’m already regretting selling the job to Old Chen. Should I just give the money back? Not sell the job after all? Guojun would definitely be unhappy if he found out.”

He said this on purpose, just to see if Ma Yulian would panic.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Ma Yulian cried out anxiously, “How could that be! What I mean is… you’ve already given two hundred of it to Guohua. That money can’t be returned.”

Li Junsheng sneered to himself. At this moment, she wasn’t suggesting he go to Guohua to get the money back.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go ask Guohua for the money?”

“I’m sure. Isn’t Guohua’s child hospitalized with pneumonia? How could you, as the grandfather, ask for the money back at a time like this?”

“Besides, there’s no way he could pay you back right now. And you can’t go back on your word with Old Chen either.”

Li Junsheng grunted in response, then bluntly ordered Ma Yulian around.

“Go cook me a bowl of noodles. After I eat, I’ll go to the factory again.”

“Noodles? …Fine!”

Though Ma Yulian was a little impatient, she was too fixated on the matter of the job transfer to argue, so she could only swallow her pride and comply.

After so many years, Li Junsheng finally had a breakfast served to him without lifting a finger.

Ma Yulian feigned gentleness, even going so far as to poach two eggs for his bowl.

Li Junsheng took the noodles and wolfed them down. After years of hard work, he figured he deserved a good meal for once.

Since Ma Yulian was counting on him, Li Junsheng wasn’t worried she’d try to poison him.

After eating his fill, he wiped his mouth and prepared to leave.

In front of Ma Yulian, he pretended he was going to the factory to handle the job transfer paperwork; she even happily saw him out the door.

After leaving home, Li Junsheng went to buy a few things: several packs of quality cigarettes, a bottle of good liquor, and two jars of canned fruit.

Armed with these gifts, he made his way to Chief Zhou’s home from the factory.

Now that he’d gotten some seed money from Chen Dazhu, he was eager to set off on his own bright path.

It was just the right time—if he went too late, someone else might beat him to the opportunity!

At Chief Zhou’s house, Zhou was dressed in a white shirt, pressed slacks, and a tie—a picture of a minor leader—just about to leave for work at the factory.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

“So early—who could that be?”

Chief Zhou’s wife put down her things and went to answer the door. Seeing the honest-faced Li Junsheng, she didn’t put on much of a welcome.

“Oh, it’s Old Li from the factory. What brings you by at this hour?”

“I came to see the Chief, to talk over some matters. Has he already left for the factory?”

Li Junsheng lifted his gifts a little higher, making sure she could see them.

His gesture quickly changed her demeanor, and she warmly invited him inside.

“Come in, please. Old Zhou was just about to leave for the factory. You really are a rare guest!”

Li Junsheng smiled without replying, carrying his gifts inside, then asked, “Where would it be convenient to put these for the Chief?”

At that moment, Chief Zhou walked over, feigning seriousness as he addressed Li Junsheng. “Old Li, what’s all this? We’re honest folk—if you’re in trouble, just say so. Don’t try to butter me up! Take your things back at once.”

“Chief, you’ve misunderstood me. I’ve left the factory. I just came by before leaving to thank you for all the care you’ve shown me over the years.”

So it wasn’t to ask for a favor—then it didn’t count as a bribe.

Chief Zhou immediately pretended to be surprised, shifting the topic.

“You’re leaving just like that? What happened? Why not just work a few more years until retirement? If you leave now, you won’t get a pension. Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come to thank you in person. You really do care about me working until retirement.” Li Junsheng explained further, “I’ve transferred the job to someone else. After so many years, I’ve simply grown tired of it.”

Chief Zhou looked at Li Junsheng in surprise. He hadn’t expected him to speak so smoothly this time—he used to be terribly tongue-tied.

He didn’t quite understand Li Junsheng’s explanation. He was quitting because he was tired of the work?

How could Li Junsheng be so impulsive?

Who knew what he was really up to?

“Heh… Let’s sit and talk.”

There’s an old saying—even a smiling face won’t get hit. Chief Zhou gestured for Li Junsheng to sit down.

Li Junsheng placed his gifts down, but in truth, he was looking for something else!

Through the window, he spotted a pile of electrolytic copper scraps in the backyard, stacked almost as high as the wall beneath the iron awning.

A black cloth was draped over the pile as a token gesture to conceal it.

Compared to what was in the factory warehouse, it wasn’t much, but to have gathered this much must have taken some effort.

Feigning surprise, Li Junsheng asked Chief Zhou about it.

In reality, he knew exactly what was going on—these were leftover materials from the factory’s production of military components, already written off the books. Chief Zhou, taking advantage of his position, must have been selling them on the sly.

But now, his contact on the black market had been arrested for something else, and the goods had become a hot potato in his hands.

He couldn’t go around openly asking who would buy them—if he got noticed, the consequences would be severe.

For this reason, Chief Zhou was worried about being investigated. When Li Junsheng asked, he simply said these were factory leftovers that hadn’t been dealt with yet.

Chief Zhou knew Li Junsheng was an old-timer at the factory—there was no hiding it from him.

With a sigh, Chief Zhou said, “Now this stuff only goes for eighty cents a catty if I sell to the state recycling station—not even enough to cover the cost of hiring a truck.”

Li Junsheng understood that, with no more middleman, Chief Zhou didn’t dare sell the stuff himself and was in need of a go-between.

Li Junsheng was very much intending to be that middleman.

“That cheap? Out on the market, it would fetch far more than that!”

Suddenly struck by an idea, Li Junsheng said, “Chief Zhou, how about this? If you trust me, why not sell it to me? I have connections—I can get rid of it for you, so you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

At these words, Chief Zhou was greatly surprised.

“What kind of connections do you have?”

Li Junsheng smiled mysteriously. “Chief, I can get this hot potato off your hands. As for how…”

Chief Zhou, seated in his solid wood chair, smiled and nodded. He realized Li Junsheng was right.

What connections Li Junsheng had was no concern of his. The less he knew, the safer he’d be.

Even if Li Junsheng was caught reselling the scrap, he himself could claim ignorance and keep himself out of trouble.

What mattered now was getting these risky goods out of his house as soon as possible!

Chief Zhou’s wife, understanding the situation, quietly brought in tea and closed the door behind her.

Chief Zhou got straight to the point, “So what about the price?”

Li Junsheng pretended to think, drumming his fingers lightly on his knee, his eyes flicking over the big boxes of electrolytic copper scraps, as if weighing their value.

A look of difficulty crossed his face, but there was a hint of shrewd eagerness in his expression.

“Well…”

“Chief Zhou,” Li Junsheng began, his voice calm but clear, “You said eighty cents a catty to the state recycling station is a loss, and you’re right. Selling it as scrap copper is a waste.”

“I really do want to help you solve this problem—and find a new path for myself.”

He paused, watching Chief Zhou’s face. The chief still wore a stern expression, but his eyes showed he was listening intently. Li Junsheng continued, “How about this? I’ll take it all, at… fifty cents a catty. Cash. Paid in full on the spot!”