Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Chance Encounter Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Chance Encounter He Weng boarded the train to the provincial city, Bai Ju had already received the letter from Bai Xiao, and no one had expected that Bai Xiao would actually beco a doctor at the hospital. They didn’t understand the details, but as long as everything went well for Bai Xiao, being a doctor wasn’t bad at all.
Accompanying the letter was a 20-yuan remittance slip, which Bai Xiao had specifically ntioned in the letter was for the schooling of her three nephews. Bai Ju couldn’t refuse it even if she wanted to.
But she also understood what her sister ant. Her sister was no longer attending university, but had started earning a salary, and wanted to help their family. Her sister had always been concerned about the years they had supported her education—she was always one to dwell on things.
With Bai Xiao’s address in his possession, He Weng had already arranged with his brother and sister-in-law to go to the provincial city and look for work.
Bai Ju, seeing she couldn’t dissuade him, prepared his luggage well, gave him money, and together with her husband, they saw He Weng off to the train station.
Sitting on the train now, He Weng was sowhat excited. This was his first ti leaving ho in all these years. Arriving in the provincial city, although he didn’t know what lay ahead, what was there to fear for a grown man like him?
The train was crowded, with people filling the aisles, and it looked as though going to the toilet would be an impossible endeavor.
The middle-aged man sitting next to He Weng had been observing him for half the day and, realizing he was alone, struck up a conversation.
“Brother, are you traveling alone, off to the provincial city to find work?” The man was very amiable, and He Weng nodded.
A bit embarrassed, it seed his inexperience with traveling was sothing people could easily spot.
“Co on! I’m a bit older than you, so you can just call Brother Han,” the middle-aged man offered warmly.
He Weng couldn’t just ignore him, “Brother Han, my na is He Weng! Please call Xiaohe.” It was not bad to et soone to talk to on the road, certainly better than just sitting in his seat silently.
Brother Han, seeing that he was easy-going, actually took out from his bag pig’s trotters and roast chicken, then asked the train attendant for two bottles of beer and a pack of peanuts, and handed one bottle of beer directly to He Weng.
“Co on, brother, don’t be shy. You seem like a straightforward person, and we need to look out for each other when we’re away from ho. I think we get along, so let’s have a drink together.”
He Weng felt uneasy as the man was being too generous, and he was quite overwheld by the hospitality.
He only had stead buns in his pocket, nothing else.
It seed a bit unfair to eat and drink at soone else’s expense.
But Brother Han was really enthusiastic, pulling him into a conversation that hadn’t ceased the entire trip.
“Brother, what are you going to do in the provincial city?”
He Weng couldn’t hold his liquor well, he hadn’t had any experience with alcohol over these years laid up in bed at ho. After half a bottle of beer, he was slightly tipsy and began to talk more.
“Brother Han, I’m planning to go to the provincial city to work and earn money! It’s just that I don’t have any direction yet. I’m planning to look for our fellow villagers there. I heard many of them work on construction sites and earn good money, so I want to go and see.”
There was nothing secretive about this matter.
Brother Han’s eyes brightened, “Brother, you’ve really found the right person then, I’ve got a good job opportunity for you!”
He Weng was also pleased, as he had been worrying about this.
“What job is it, Brother Han?” He didn’t expect Brother Han to be such a nice person.
“This job, well, it’s also on the construction site. Your brother, I am a sort of foreman there, a small-ti contractor, actually. About twenty or thirty folks from our village are working there, and we’re short a cook. Why don’t you give it a try? Cook two als a day. Sure, it looks like a lot of people, but brother will cover your food and accommodation, and you’ll get a decent wage, too—how about 100 a month?” Han Ge said as he popped a peanut into his mouth.
He Weng couldn’t help being tempted, mainly by the ntion of 100 yuan a month. That was no small amount.
But he was a bit worried about cooking; the food he made was almost as bad as pig slop, which would hardly do.
He shook his head.
“Forget it, Han Ge. My cooking skills really aren’t up to scratch. The als I make wouldn’t be much better than pig slop. If you paid 100 yuan to cook, that would be a huge loss for you.”
Han Ge actually found this amusing. “Hey, brother, you’re too honest. Most people, hearing about a job that pays this well, wouldn’t care if their cooking was good or bad—they’d brag about how delicious their food is to secure the job first, then worry about the rest later.
Who else would lay out their weaknesses upfront like you? Going about things this way, you’ll end up at a disadvantage.”
He Weng smiled shyly. “Han Ge, I can’t just lie about it. If I’m working for soone, at the very least, I want to earn my keep.”
“There you go, brother. You’re a good man. Lucky for you, you’ve t . Here’s the deal, just co with . Whether the cooking is good or bad, that’s for to decide. With your attitude, you’ll surely do fine. Nobody knows everything from the start.” Han Ge gave He Weng a slap on the shoulder as his speech began to slur from a bit too much drink.
“Really?” He Weng hadn’t expected that his candidness would lead to Han Ge still wanting to hire him.
Han Ge nodded, “Stick with , and rest assured, you won’t be short-changed. With as your brother, you are bound to strike it rich.”
With that, Han Ge’s head slumped onto the table, and he fell asleep.
He Weng felt a burst of excitent, having t a good person.
A young man sitting beside him couldn’t help but lean over. “Brother, since this big brother is hiring, could you ask if I can go too? I’m out looking for work as well. I still don’t have a place to settle down. Since it’s construction work, I can do it. Whether it’s a tiler or a plasterer, I’m up for it. Isn’t it all the sa work wherever you go?”
He Weng glanced at Han Ge. “How about this—when Han Ge wakes up, I’ll ask for you.” It’s tough being out on your own, and if he could lend a hand, of course, he would.
The young man imdiately thanked him profusely, “My na is Li Xiaozhu. Brother, from your accent, you sound like you’re from Liupan Village. My ho is right next door in Wang Family Gully. We could be considered fellow villagers. We should look out for each other when we’re away from ho.”
The two chatted away for a good while.
By the ti Han Ge woke up, they were almost at their destination.
He Weng introduced Li Xiaozhu to Han Ge, who initially looked on with disapproval for a long ti but after Li Xiaozhu beseeched him earnestly, he eventually agreed.
As soon as they arrived in the provincial city.
Han Ge led He Weng and Li Xiaozhu out of the station, and they soon spotted a minibus.
It was cramd with about a dozen people. They realized then that these were also folks off to work, which gave them a bit more confidence in the size of Han Ge’s operation.
Han Ge climbed into the front seat, greeted the driver, and after shutting the doors, they headed straight out of the city.
He Weng and Li Xiaozhu wedged themselves amongst the passengers, peering out the window. The further they went, the worse the road got, and soon they were heading into the mountains, into territory they didn’t recognize at all.
Because of the long journey, people squeezed together, leaning on each other, and fell asleep.
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