Chapter Twenty-Five: A Chance Encounter with Shazhu

Chen Liang’s words left Old Lu bewildered for a moment. When he finally came to his senses, he felt utterly foolish—why bother quarreling with this blockhead?

“Go, go, go! You’re a disgrace to cultured men. This is a rare national treasure, and you’re thinking of selling it? A disgrace! A disgrace, I say!”

“Bah! If it weren’t for my wife, you wouldn’t see me hanging around here. I’m out!” With an elegant twist, Chen Liang strode away.

Old Lu, still simmering in frustration, saw Chen Liang leave without so much as a backward glance and smiled to himself. That rascal—his move to lure and then release, with such finesse, truly had the mark of an old master!

He…tui! It was clear now: neither of these scoundrels were any good!

Why did Chen Liang bother wielding all thirty-six stratagems against Old Lu? Wasn’t it because that job quota was in Old Lu’s hands? Don’t be fooled by the old man’s usual indifference; whenever he spoke, even three deputy directors opposing him would be powerless. He truly understood the art of intrigue.

Leaving the library, Chen Liang was considering buying a bicycle for his wife. There were bicycles in the supermarket, but the designs were far too trendy—nothing you could use in these times. Even if he brought one out, he wouldn’t have a purchase receipt; he couldn’t get it stamped at the police station. He’d barely get on, and those grumpy old ladies with red armbands would have him pegged as a bike thief in no time!

So, best to play it safe and buy one at the department store with his own money.

Chen Liang was pondering this matter, wondering how Big Wu was progressing with his contacts. As he walked, deep in thought, he was nearly home when he ran into Shazhu, dressed in a tattered cotton coat, looking as scruffy as ever.

Shazhu’s job was truly comfortable—he’d only just gotten up to go to work, and it was already mid-morning. No one lived life quite like him!

Chen Liang’s thoughts stirred. He blocked Shazhu’s path. Shazhu, hands behind his back and lunchbox swinging, was humming a little tune, lost in his own world. Suddenly, faced with a mountain blocking his way, Shazhu jumped in fright. When he saw who it was, he grumbled, “Hey, you rascal! Can’t you make a sound when you walk? You nearly scared me to death!”

Chen Liang chuckled. “Shazhu, what’s there to be scared of in broad daylight? Did you do something bad last night, sleep with Widow Qin?”

Shazhu flared up. “Hey! What’s with your talk? Keep it up and I won’t be so polite!”

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“Hah! You want to be impolite with me? Come on, since there’s no one around, let’s have a little match—I’ll let you use one hand!” Far from shying away, Chen Liang stoked the fire.

“I… I don’t need to bother with you. I’ve got work to do!” The courtyard’s legendary fighter sized up their relative strength and immediately backed down.

“Work? What work? Come here, I need to talk to you!” Chen Liang, as if picking up a chick, pulled Shazhu aside to a quiet corner.

Chen Liang took out a pack of Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes, lit one, handed another to Shazhu, and both started puffing away.

Chen Liang asked, “Shazhu, does your canteen need meat?”

“Ha! Isn’t that obvious? Apart from the meat processing plant, where isn’t short of meat these days?” Shazhu looked at him as if he were daft.

“So can your canteen buy meat directly, not through the purchasing department?” Chen Liang pressed further.

Shazhu glanced at him. “It’s possible, but if we don’t go through purchasing, the meat won’t fetch much of a price.”

Chen Liang took the hint and got straight to the point. “Shazhu, to be honest, I’m getting married soon. This time, I mainly want to get a bicycle ticket, heh heh!”

Shazhu was instantly sour—Chen Liang, much younger than him, was getting married, while he was still single. Bitter envy!

No, after work, he’d find a matchmaker. He refused to believe that, with his monthly wage of 37.5, he couldn’t find a wife!

Seeing Shazhu’s sour expression, Chen Liang placed a pack of Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes in Shazhu’s hand. “Alright, Shazhu, whether this works out or not, I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Let’s go then!” Shazhu didn’t fuss and took Chen Liang to the canteen.

On the way, with business settled, Chen Liang joked, “Shazhu, is Widow Qin soft, is she sweet?”

Shazhu was annoyed. “You rascal, you keep saying that and I’ll really be upset! I’m clean with Sister Qin—how come it sounds so dirty when you say it?”

“You’re fooling no one! Everyone in the neighborhood knows you and Widow Qin have something going on, so why pretend?”

Chen Liang thought to himself, I know you and Widow Qin aren’t involved. According to the TV plot, you only get to sleep with her after she’s menopausal.

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But Chen Liang couldn’t resist stirring the pot—he wanted to see if, after he spelled it out, Shazhu would dare to sleep with Widow Qin.

“Hey! I say, you rascal, why are you as gossipy as those old ladies?” Shazhu kept explaining, “Don’t talk nonsense! I’m clean with Sister Qin. If you keep saying that, you’ll ruin my reputation!”

“Oh, come off it! Widow Qin’s reputation is nothing—she’s washed your underwear, and you two still want to pretend?”

“Hey! Wait, how do you know Sister Qin washed my underwear?” Shazhu was stunned. How did Chen Liang know such a hidden matter?

“So it’s true? Ha! Tell me, is Widow Qin soft? Is she wild?”

Shazhu ignored the teasing. “Seriously, brother, who told you all this?”

“You’re quite the actor. Everyone in the neighborhood knows!”

“What? Everyone knows? But I really am clean with Sister Qin!”

Chen Liang feigned shock. “No way, Shazhu! I heard that whenever a matchmaker brings someone to your house for an arranged meeting, Widow Qin follows along, goes in, tidies up your home, organizes your clothes, washes your underwear. If you haven’t slept with her, who would believe it?”

Is Shazhu really stupid? No! In fact, he’s smarter than most. Maybe he’d been caught up in the ambiguous relationship with Widow Qin, but now, with Chen Liang pointing it out, he finally understood.

Shazhu laughed self-deprecatingly—so this was why, at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he hadn’t married yet?

Did Shazhu want to get married? Of course he did. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone on so many blind dates in the TV drama.