Chapter 117 : Meeting an Old Friend on the Farm

Han Zhenyu said awkwardly, “Boss, this farm is quite large, and I’m not familiar with it. Could you send someone to go with me?”

As he said this, he handed over the remaining cigarettes.

“Okay, no problem, it’s nothing at all,” the manager responded, but didn’t take the cigarettes. Instead, he said enthusiastically, “Comrade, you’re welcome. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. You’ve come all the way here to help our farm transport food. We’re grateful to you.”

“The Boss is so enthusiastic. We’re all serving the people,” Han Zhenyu said with a smile. “My name is Han Zhenyu. May I know your last name, leader?”

The manager smiled and replied, “My last name is Chen, Chen Yuanming. You can just call me Old Chen.”

“I can tell from you, Boss, that you’re a straightforward person,” Han Zhenyu said with a smile. “I haven’t met anyone with such a good temper in a long time. If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Brother Chen from now on.”

Chen Yuanming smiled heartily upon hearing this, patted Han Zhenyu on the shoulder, and said, “Brother Han, I’m happy that you can call me brother. How could I dislike that? If you don’t mind me being a rough guy, we can call each other brothers from now on.”

He had worked on this farm for seven or eight years, with no strong connections in his family. Being a small leader here was all due to his own ability, so he was very good at handling interpersonal relationships.

Now that Han Zhenyu had shown goodwill, he was determined to maintain this relationship at all costs.

After all, Han Zhenyu was a driver from the city, and you didn’t often meet people like him.

Han Zhenyu smiled and said, “This really feels like fate. When I came here, I never imagined I’d find a brother.”

The two exchanged pleasantries, and Han Zhenyu pointed at the man who had just been scolded, saying, “Brother Chen, why don’t you ask him to help me find the way? He doesn’t seem very efficient, and I don’t want him to delay the truck loading.”

Chen Yuanming glanced at the man and whispered, “That guy’s a troublemaker from the city. If you get too close to him and he affects you, I’ll replace him with someone else.”

“Brother Chen, it’s okay. I just asked him to show me the way. I won’t talk to him,” Han Zhenyu said, not wanting Chen Yuanming to get suspicious. “Just replace him with someone who works efficiently. I’m worried it will delay the loading.”

“Okay, let him take you there. But remember, don’t pay attention to him.”

Chen Yuanming didn’t doubt that they knew each other. He simply thought Han Zhenyu was being considerate.

Chen Yuanming was aware that several of the troublemakers here were from Beijing.

Han Zhenyu was from Nanping County. How could they know each other when they were from two completely different places?

Jiang Shaoting recognized Han Zhenyu while he and Chen Yuanming were talking.

However, he had no intention of acknowledging him and, fearing that Han Zhenyu would recognize him, deliberately lowered his head while working.

Han Zhenyu had been the savior to him and his wife. Given his current situation, if anyone found out that he and Han Zhenyu knew each other, it would only bring trouble.

Chen Yuanming called out, “Jiang Shaoting, take this comrade to the cafeteria.”

Jiang Shaoting paused, grunted without raising his head, put the food in his hand on the truck, and then led Han Zhenyu to the farm canteen.

Han Zhenyu walked behind him, looking at the man who was once full of vigor and energy but now had a hunched back and lowered head. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy.

The two walked for a while, and Han Zhenyu noticed that there were not many people around, so he whispered, “Comrade Jiang, how did you end up here? Are you alone, or is your family with you?”

Jiang Shaoting saw that Han Zhenyu wasn’t surprised at all to see him here, so he realized that Han Zhenyu must know about the issues in his family.

He didn’t try to hide it and smiled bitterly. “Zhenyu, our whole family is here. From now on, just pretend you don’t know me. There’s no need to say hello when we meet, so you don’t get into trouble.”

Hearing this, Han Zhenyu sighed internally and guessed that Jiang Shaoting probably didn’t know that his two children were being raised in his own home.

He thought for a moment and whispered, “Comrade Jiang, Chenchen and An an are at my house. Don’t worry, my wife and I will take good care of them.”

Jiang Shaoting looked at him in shock. “Zhenyu, what did you say? My Chenchen and An an are at your house?”

After speaking, he realized he had gotten too excited and quickly turned around, lowering his head.

Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded. “Comrade Gu Fangxun asked my wife and me to take care of them. Comrade Gu came to my house to check things out and stayed with us for a few days. So don’t worry, we’ll never treat Chenchen and Anan unfairly.”

He said this not to boast, but to assure Jiang Shaoting that his brother-in-law had looked into their family’s situation before deciding to have the children placed in their care.

Jiang Shaoting was silent for a long time before he spoke. “Zhenyu, I’ll be in your debt from now on. You’ve seen our situation, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to repay you. My wife and I can only keep this favor in our hearts.”

“Comrade Jiang, you’re too kind. Comrade Gu left us enough money when he left, enough to raise Chenchen and An an. So you don’t need to feel like you owe us anything,” Han Zhenyu replied.

Jiang Shaoting smiled bitterly and said, “Zhenyu, how can the kindness you’ve shown to our family be paid back with just a little money?”

“You saved my wife and me a few years ago, and now you’re helping raise my children. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay you for such a great favor.”

Han Zhenyu saw that Jiang Shaoting was so pessimistic and knew that their current situation must be bad, so he didn’t know how to comfort him.

“Comrade Jiang, does your family live together?” Han Zhenyu asked, wanting to understand their current situation and see if he could help.

Jiang Shaoting shook his head. “Our family is all on the farm, but we’re not assigned to the same team. My older brother, his wife, and my younger brother are in the second team, and my wife, my parents, and I are in the third team. But we’re not far apart, just two rows of houses away.”

Then, thinking of his father-in-law’s family, he hurriedly asked, “By the way, Zhenyu, did Fang Xun tell you about the situation at home? Do you know how my father-in-law and mother-in-law are? And Fang Xun, has he been implicated because of our family?”

Han Zhenyu told him everything he knew. “Comrade Gu said that his parents were placed under custody, and he was transferred to the Northwest Military Region. I’m not sure about the details, but it’s probably not as bad as your family’s situation.”

“That’s good, that’s good. Now my wife won’t have to worry anymore,” Jiang Shaoting said with gratitude.