Chapter 108: The Han Family

“Hey! Old Zhang, still so spirited at your age!” Chen Dashan exclaimed as he saw Mr. Zhang step out the door, immediately setting down his teacup and rushing after him.

“Old Zhang, you better take it easy. It’s no time for this. By the time you get to the department store, they’ll have already switched to foreign brands!”

“Dashan, don’t try to persuade me. I just can’t stand you and your son…” The rest was muffled, and Chen Liang, hearing only fragments, rarely intervened.

Mr. Zhang and Chen’s father had been neighbors for decades. Their relationship was much like Chen Liang’s and Cao Da Wu’s—arguments were just everyday verbal sparring.

Sure enough, after a while, Chen’s father sneaked back inside. He ignored Chen Liang, quietly handed over a bottle of medicinal wine, then slipped back out.

At the corner of the wall, after passing the bottle to Mr. Zhang, the two whispered to each other. Moments later, they were as close as brothers, arm in arm.

When his sister-in-law returned from work and the family gathered for dinner, Chen Liang asked Xiaoyu to go back to her room and read. He stayed outside, wandering around to aid digestion.

Hands clasped behind his back, strolling like an official on patrol, Chen Liang greeted familiar neighbors as he made his way. Soon, he arrived at Uncle Han’s house, where ice pops were sold in the afternoon.

As he stepped into the yard, he saw Liufu scolding Wangcai—no, it was Uncle Han scolding his son, Han Er.

“Uncle Han, I’ve come for some ice pops!” Chen Liang called out at the door to avoid awkwardness.

“Xiao Liang, come in, come in! I was just thinking about when you’d come by!” Uncle Han greeted warmly, pulling a creamy ice pop from his usual foam box and handing it to Chen Liang.

Chen Liang took it without ceremony and began eating heartily. Then, curious, he glanced at Han Er. “What’s this? Our second young master heading out?”

“Brother Liang,” Han Er dared to defy his father but never Chen Liang—because when Chen Liang hit, it really hurt!

Hearing the question, Han Er quickly replied, “Ah, Brother Liang, I’m planning to take a walk over at Tiantan Park!”

Chen Liang rolled his eyes. That excuse was pure nonsense—Tiantan Park was on the east side of town, and he was on the west. Walking there? Come on.

“Don’t go today. Stay home and chat with me!”

“No, Brother Liang, I’ve already made plans. Let’s talk next time, okay?”

“No way. You haven’t been causing trouble out there, have you?” Chen Liang caught on. “Da Wu, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Wang Ba are all working now. Who did you arrange to meet at Tiantan?”

“There’s no way I’d cause trouble! I made plans with Da Kui and the others,” Han Er hurried to explain.

“Why are you hanging out with them?”

“They’re all working now, so I can’t find anyone else to hang with. I have to mess around with them!”

Han Er’s eyes held a slight grievance. “Fine! In your eyes, second young master, it’s still our fault, huh?”

“But, second young master, do you really intend to be a street loafer like Da Kui and the others?”

“That’s not it. I’d love to have a job. Who wants to be a street loafer? It’s embarrassing!”

Han Er finished, then complained, “Brother Liang, you know me—I can’t do my dad’s kind of work at the factory!”

At this point, Chen Liang naturally wouldn’t ignore him. “Then what do you want to do?”

“Brother Liang, I want to be like you, Da Wu, and Xiao Liu—work in security. That uniform looks so handsome on you!”

“You schemer! And don’t just look at how comfortable it is—security work is tough and exhausting!”

“I’m willing. As long as I get to be security, I’ll do anything!”

Han Er’s eyes sparkled as he stared at Chen Liang.

“Brother Liang, please help me. I want to work with you, Da Wu, and Xiao Liu.”

“If you go to the steel mill, what about your dad’s job at the cold drinks factory? Uncle Han’s not young anymore.”

Han Er’s eyes darted. “That’s easy! Let my sister take over. She’s still a temp worker since her marriage.”

Chen Liang thought that was reasonable. The job slot wouldn’t go to waste, and Han Er’s suggestion was thoughtful—he even looked out for his sister.

“If you want to be security, you have to listen to me…”

“Brother Liang, let’s talk inside. There are too many people coming and going here to talk properly,” Han Er invited him indoors.

Inside Han’s house, Chen Liang saw a woman in her early thirties tidying up dishes and called out, “Sister Han!”

She was the Han family’s eldest daughter, Han Er’s sister, familiar neighbors all around. When Chen Liang was a kid, he often snagged ice pops from her.

“Dad, Mom, Sister, stop what you’re doing—I have something to say,” Han Er cheerfully announced to his family.

Once all eyes turned to him, Han Er glanced at Chen Liang, who nodded, then continued, “Dad, don’t worry about my job anymore. I already asked Brother Liang, and he promised to help me get into the Hongxing Steel Mill as security.”

Han Er spoke proudly, already imagining himself in the handsome security uniform.

Chen Liang slapped Han Er sharply from behind, snapping him out of his daydream. “What nonsense! That makes no sense!”

“Here’s the plan, Uncle Han. Let Sister Han take over your job. As for Little Er, when the factory hires this fall, I’ll arrange for him to join the security department. You won’t have to worry anymore about him becoming a street loafer.”

Uncle Han got excited immediately. “Xiao Liang, won’t this trouble you too much?”

“Nah! It’s a piece of cake,” Chen Liang waved it off as no big deal.

“That can’t be. Here, Xiao Liang, I have eight hundred yuan. Consider it a token of my gratitude,” Uncle Han said, asking his wife to fetch the money.

“Uncle Han, you’re too kind, but I can’t accept this. I’m helping Little Er because we grew up together—wearing split pants, peeing side by side, playing in the mud as kids. Talking money would ruin the friendship!” Chen Liang refused on the spot.

“Besides, Uncle Han, I ate plenty of ice pops your second young master stole for me when I was little. If you give me money now, it’d be like slapping my own face.”

Hearing this, Uncle Han gave up, giving Chen Liang a thumbs-up. “Xiao Liang, you’re solid! A true man of Old Si Jiu City!”

The Han family had only two children. The eldest daughter was still a temp worker, which must have been hard on the old couple. When there was only one job slot, they had to hold onto their son.

Now that Chen Liang had found another path for his son, two worries were solved at once. Uncle Han was naturally overjoyed.