Chapter Twenty-Three: The Invoice

"You two, really now. Xu Fei, I have to say—look at you, you’ve only just started making decent money for a few days and you’re already losing your head?" Old Liu entered the room with a laugh, casting a glance at the two untouched bowls of plain rice porridge on the table.

"Brother Liu, please, what brings you here? Have you eaten yet?" Xu Fei quickly asked.

Old Liu waved his hand. "If I’d known this was what you were having for breakfast, I might as well have stayed home with my cornmeal porridge."

Hearing this, Xu Fei didn’t stand on ceremony. He moved a stool over for Old Liu, then hurried into the kitchen to brew a pot of green tea. When the steaming cup was placed by Old Liu’s side, Old Liu motioned for him to eat. "Go on, have your meal. We’ll talk as you eat."

Xu Fei nodded, sat at the table, and picked up his bowl. "Brother Liu, what brings you here?"

"I’ve got a side job for you. Not sure if you’d be interested in making a little money?"

"A side job?" Xu Fei was in dire need of cash. If he couldn’t scrape together five hundred yuan by tonight, Ma San would be knocking on his door first thing in the morning, and then who knew how he’d deal with that plague.

"I’ve a relative who works odd jobs at the cinema. With the Dragon Boat Festival coming up, the cinema’s offering some benefits for the staff. They’ve ordered a truckload of loquats from out of town, but there’s no one to unload them, so he asked me. I can’t handle several tons alone, so I thought I’d ask if you’d be up for helping out tonight?"

Hearing this, Xu Fei smiled and nodded. "Of course, Brother Liu! I’ve got plenty of strength to spare, and I’d never turn down honest work."

"Great. Meet me at the south gate of the cinema at six this evening."

"Understood."

"Alright, finish your meal. I’ll walk with you to work after."

Xu Fei hurried through a few mouthfuls of porridge and left for work with Old Liu.

When he arrived at the factory, Zhou Lina came looking for him on the shop floor.

"What is it?" Xu Fei greeted her with a smile.

She nodded slightly. "He wants to talk to you in person about that matter."

Xu Fei’s heart leapt with joy at the news. "Let me go tell Chief Wang," he said, and hurried to the office to request leave.

He went with Zhou Lina to the administration building. On the way, Xu Fei remarked that today was shaping up to be a lucky day. When they arrived, Zhou Lina didn’t accompany him upstairs. Xu Fei climbed to the second floor alone.

Knock, knock.

"Come in."

Sun Xing saw it was Xu Fei and waved him in.

Xu Fei entered, closing the door behind him.

"Have a seat," Sun Xing said, gesturing to the sofa by the desk.

Once Xu Fei was seated, Sun Xing leaned back in his chair and looked him over. "In the future, if you have anything to discuss, you can come directly to me—no need to go through Lina."

Xu Fei shook his head. "Director Sun, I know my place."

Sun Xing smiled. "And what place is that? We’re old classmates, and now colleagues. Is there any reason we can’t be friends?"

"I wouldn’t dare presume," Xu Fei replied, waving his hands but remaining polite.

Sun Xing nodded, satisfied. "I’ve heard about your situation from her. The sugar—yes, I can approve that for you."

Xu Fei had expected as much. "But..."

"Director Sun, my relative is really at his wits’ end. He doesn’t know you, so he came to me. When he asked me, he specifically said that as long as he could get the sugar, he’d pay thirty cents per jin above the market price."

"Thirty cents?!"

Xu Fei nodded, then frowned. "I told him, it’s not about the money."

Sun Xing’s interest was clearly piqued by the premium, but hearing Xu Fei say this, he slowly leaned back in his chair.

"True, it’s not about the money."

"Director Sun, I haven’t mentioned the thirty-cent premium to Lina."

Sun Xing glanced at Xu Fei. "Really?"

Xu Fei nodded emphatically. "This is strictly between you, me, and my relative."

Sun Xing smiled, finally relaxing. "Alright. If it were anyone else, I really wouldn’t want to get involved. But since you and I are classmates, how could I stand by and watch you struggle without helping?"

Xu Fei nodded gratefully. "Old classmate, I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, Director Sun."

"Not at all."

"And if you help us, my relative said there’d be a little token of appreciation."

Sun Xing waved this off. "Your relative is like my own relative—no need for such formality."

"Of course, of course."

Xu Fei smiled, but then his expression shifted and he looked at Sun Xing with some difficulty. "There’s just one small request—would you be able to accommodate it?"

"A request?" Sun Xing asked, eyeing him. "Let’s hear it."

Xu Fei lowered his voice and glanced at the door before speaking. "My relative didn’t give me the money for the sugar upfront. So, could you allow him to take the half-ton of sugar first, and once he pays me, I’ll bring the money directly to you?"

"No money?" Sun Xing shot him a cold look. "Why are you buying sugar if you don’t have the funds?"

"Director Sun, as I said, he’s not in Donghai at the moment. I have to get your approval first before I can call him. You know, we’re not the only sugar factory around here."

It was, after all, three hundred yuan. Sun Xing thought it over.

"Director Sun, I give you my word. I’d never cheat you, or Lina."

"Fine," Sun Xing finally said, taking a goods receipt from his drawer. He wrote "1,000 jin" on it, signed his name, and handed it over.

"Take this to the warehouse. But remember, the payment must be in my hands before work starts tomorrow."

"Don’t worry," Xu Fei assured him, taking the receipt.

As he left the administration building, he let out a long breath. He hadn’t expected Sun Xing to actually agree. Without this, he’d have no way to come up with the three hundred yuan for the sugar.

It really was true—money could move mountains.

Receipt in hand, Xu Fei headed straight for the sales department.

Inside, Section Chief Zheng Yongjin and clerk Zhao Yong were playing chess.

Xu Fei knocked on the door.

"Come in," Zheng Yongjin said without looking up.

"What do you need?"

Xu Fei walked up to them and presented the goods receipt. "I’m here to collect goods."

Zhao Yong glanced at it. "Xiao Zhang is off today. No one else can release inventory. Come back tomorrow."

"What?" Xu Fei couldn’t possibly wait another day. Ma San would be on his doorstep by then, and he had urgent use for the money from this transaction.

"This is specially approved by Director Sun."

Zheng Yongjin waved him off impatiently. "Director Sun or not, Xiao Zhang isn’t here. No one else can open the warehouse—what can we do?"

Desperate, Xu Fei asked, "Where does Xiao Zhang live?"

"What, you’re going to look for him?" Zhao Yong asked curiously.

Xu Fei nodded.

"It’s only half a ton of sugar. Is it really that urgent? He’ll be back at work tomorrow—you can collect it then."

Xu Fei shook his head. "That’ll be too late. Please, could you just tell me where Xiao Zhang lives?"

Zheng Yongjin finally looked up, scoffing. "Even if I tell you, would you really go all the way there?"

Xu Fei nodded firmly. "I will."

"Fine, Xiao Zhang lives in Wenming Village, north of the city."

"That far?"

Zheng Yongjin and Zhao Yong exchanged glances and snickered, then went back to their chess.