Chapter 71 : Someone is looking for trouble

Han Zhenyu was a little surprised when he heard this. Who would come to the village to find him?

He immediately walked out and saw Li Shaohua standing outside.

Li Shaohua’s forehead was covered with sweat. Although he wore a smile, there was anxiety in his eyes.

Han Zhenyu concealed his thoughts and asked with a smile, “Shaohua, why are you here?”

Li Shaohua glanced at Su Xieqiu, who was standing nearby, and said with a smile, “Zhenyu, the team just notified us of a meeting this afternoon. The director said everyone must attend. I noticed you weren’t at the factory, so I came over to inform you.”

Su Xieqiu, noticing Li Shaohua’s hesitance, interjected tactfully, “Han Zhenyu, take your colleague inside to sit down. I’ll go get you some water.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded, watching her leave before asking, “Shaohua, what’s going on?”

Li Shaohua waited until Su Xieqiu was out of earshot before whispering, “Zhenyu, my uncle asked you to go to the factory. Someone from above is investigating how you got into the machinery factory. He wants you to explain.”

Han Zhenyu narrowed his eyes, quickly realizing this was likely the doing of Chen Dongsheng’s family.

He now knew that Chen Dongsheng’s sister was the vice chairperson of the trade union, his brother-in-law was a deputy factory director in charge of production, and most of the family members worked at the machinery factory.

Han Zhenyu sneered inwardly. ‘Isn’t he just a driver? Before working at the machinery factory, I didn’t starve to death.’

‘If you manage to get me out, let’s see what happens next.’

‘Since you’re digging into how I got in, why don’t we also investigate how your family members got in? I’m afraid none of them will escape unscathed if nepotism is exposed.’

Li Shaohua, seeing Han Zhenyu remain silent, asked worriedly, “Zhenyu, what happened between you and Secretary Chen? I asked my second uncle, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

Han Zhenyu recounted what had happened the previous morning. “That family is so shameless. I don’t even know the woman from the union well, but she told to her family we were dating. Don’t you think she’s delusional?”

Li Shaohua was stunned but couldn’t help finding Han Zhenyu’s frustrated expression a little amusing.

Han Zhenyu, who usually kept his emotions under control, was so upset that he blurted out his thoughts, evidence of how infuriating the Chen family was.

But then, Li Shaohua grew concerned again. If things escalated, the Chen family would lose face, and they would surely retaliate against Han Zhenyu.

Li Shaohua said, “Zhenyu, don’t you have connections too? Why not ask the person who recommended you to the factory to talk to the factory leader on your behalf?”

When Han Zhenyu joined the machinery factory, Li Shaohua’s second uncle had given him strict instructions: to get along well with Han Zhenyu and never offend him.

If that were the case, the people supporting Han Zhenyu must be influential, and there was no need to fear Chen.

However, Han Zhenyu shook his head with a smile. “Shaohua, someone did recommend me to join the factory, but I’ve already repaid that person’s favor.

As the saying goes, ‘A master can only lead you to the door, you must walk through it yourself.’ If I can’t keep my position at the machinery factory, it’s because of my own incompetence, it has nothing to do with anyone else. I won’t trouble others for help.”

Seeing Li Shaohua’s worried expression, he added with a smile, “It’s fine. If I really get fired, I’ll return to farming. It’s not a big deal.”

Li Shaohua couldn’t help but admire him even more.

A young man from the countryside had worked hard to secure a permanent job in the factory. Now, facing the possibility of being pushed out, he still maintained such a positive attitude.

It’s truly rare to find someone who refrains from asking for favors, even when they have a connection they could leverage.

Li Shaohua put his arm around Han Zhenyu’s shoulders and whispered, “If you really get fired, I’ll let you handle all the goods I bring in from outside. We’ll split the profits 50-50, just like before.”

Han Zhenyu smiled and said, “I’m happy to help you with it, but it can’t be 50-50. I can’t take advantage of you like that.”

He patted Li Shaohua’s shoulder and added, “It’s too early to discuss this. Let’s go inside and have some water. After dinner, we’ll head back together.”

By the time they returned, Su Xieqiu had already poured the tea. Seeing the two approach, she placed a small table in the shade under the big tree.

“Han Zhenyu, you and your comrade can sit here. It’s nice and cool,” she said.

Han Zhenyu quickly took the tea from her hand. “Let me do it, don’t burn yourself,” he said with a gentle smile.

“It’s fine,” Su Xieqiu replied, smiling. Then she turned to Li Shaohua and said, “Comrade, our house isn’t finished yet, so I can only have you sit outside for now. I hope you’ll forgive me for not hosting you properly. Once the house is done in a couple of days, I’ll ask Han Zhenyu to invite you over for a simple meal. I hope you’ll honor us with your presence.”

Li Shaohua smiled warmly and replied, “Sister-in-law, Han Zhenyu and I are like brothers. You don’t need to be so formal. It’s lovely and cool out here.”

“Then I won’t disturb your conversation. Please stay for lunch,” Su Xieqiu said with a nod before taking a basket and heading to the village.

She planned to buy some vegetables for Li Shaohua to take home. With the fields full of fresh produce, a large basket of vegetables only cost a cent. In the city, however, buying food required going to the supply and marketing cooperative, where supplies were often limited, especially if one arrived late.

After Su Xieqiu left, Li Shaohua turned to Han Zhenyu with a teasing smile. “No wonder so many girls in the factory like you and chase after you, but you never give them a second glance. Turns out you have such a beautiful wife at home.”

Han Zhenyu couldn’t help feeling pleased when he heard someone praise his wife. However, he remained composed and didn’t show it.

He handed a cup of tea to Li Shaohua and said, “My wife’s cooking is excellent. You’ll see for yourself at lunch.”

Li Shaohua chuckled. “My wife mentioned there’s lion’s head meatballs in the factory cafeteria today, and I was planning to go back for it. But since you’re saying this, I’ll stay.”

Looking around the spacious surroundings and the large tiled houses, he said enviously, “Zhenyu, life in the countryside seems pretty good fresh air, wide-open spaces, and even a private courtyard. Unlike us in the city, stuck in a tiny 10-square-meter room where you can hear your neighbors fart. At night, we can’t even make big movements, afraid the neighbors will hear and it’ll be embarrassing.”

Though Han Zhenyu agreed inwardly, he replied tactfully, “Don’t take what you have for granted. City life may be cramped, but you have heating in the winter, a stable salary of dozens of yuan a month, and no worries about food or clothing. In the countryside, people work hard all day earning work points, and they’re lucky if they get a few full meals a year. In their spare time, they have to gather firewood on the mountain to avoid freezing in winter.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Li Shaohua admitted. “It’s better in the Northeast, where the land is vast and fertile. But life in the southern provinces is much harder.”

Han Zhenyu nodded. “True. But in recent years, we’ve had more educated youth coming to the countryside, which has increased the population. Our team alone has six or seven, and we’re expecting a few more soon. The team is even building a youth dormitory.”

Li Shaohua’s curiosity was piqued. “By the way, judging from your wife’s demeanor, she doesn’t seem like someone from the countryside. Could she be one of the educated youth?”

Han Zhenyu smiled and nodded. “Yes, my wife is an educated youth from Hai City.”