Chapter 28 The Twenty-Eighth Day of Not Running Away The Twenty-Eighth Day of Not Running Away...

Chapter 28 The Twenty-Eighth Day of Not Running Away The Twenty-Eighth Day of Not Running Away...

When Lin Qingfeng came to Lin Zhiyong's door, he was still a bit dazed. His family lived in a large courtyard with seven or eight people sharing one room.

When Lin Qingfeng came to the door, Lin Zhiyong's brother rolled his eyes and shouted into the house, "Boss, it's you again. It's all your good brothers. When will this end?"

Lin Qingfeng was somewhat surprised, thinking to himself that Lin Zhiyong had a good reputation, so why did his younger brother speak so rudely?

After a while, Lin Zhiyong came out and saw Lin Qingfeng, and was obviously stunned.

Lin Zhiyong's mother said, "Da Linzi, who is looking for you? They look unfamiliar."

Lin Zhiyong quickly changed the subject, "Mom, it's just one of my friends, you go and have your meal first."

He put on a tattered cotton-padded coat, and his cotton shoes had a hole in them. He looked completely different from yesterday.

Lin Qingfeng beckoned Lin Zhiyong out and found a place to talk in the alley. "Our Brother Zheng asks you to take Xiao He with you. We'll probably be going to the neighborhood office later."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Lin Zhiyong gestured for him to stop, his eyes widening. "What are you going to the neighborhood office for?"

Lin Qingfeng smiled and said, "Brother Lin, if you want to do business, you need a place to build a factory. Instead of searching around, why not ask the people in the neighborhood office for help? The district can allocate a piece of land for you. Isn't that better than us racking our brains to find a place and then having to ask someone to negotiate the rent?"

Lin Zhiyong was stunned. "Would the neighborhood committee be willing to help this person?"

Since he went in, he has developed a certain amount of awe towards people within the system.

Lin Qingfeng said, "In short, if our Brother Zheng says it's possible, then it's possible, so you don't need to worry about it."

Hearing Lin Qingfeng speak with such certainty, Lin Zhiyong felt that this matter might actually be resolved with Chen Bozheng. He nodded and said to Lin Qingfeng, "Wait a moment, I'll go change my clothes."

Just as Lin Zhiyong was about to leave, Lin Qingfeng called him back.

Lin Qingfeng pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, didn't count it, and stuffed it into Lin Zhiyong's hand. "Brother Lin, you've just come out of town and have a lot of brothers, so you're probably not flush with cash. This is just a little something from me. You guys came so suddenly yesterday, otherwise we should have treated you to a meal to ward off bad luck. Please accept this, or I won't be able to explain it to Brother Zheng when I get back."

Lin Zhiyong wasn't someone who hadn't seen a lot of money before. He used to hang out on the streets, was loyal to his friends, and his underlings gave him a lot of money. But since he got out of prison, Lin Zhiyong wanted to go back to a stable life, which inevitably made him short of money.

He hadn't expected Lin Qingfeng and Chen Bozheng to be so thoughtful.

Lin Zhiyong remained silent, then patted Lin Qingfeng on the shoulder, "Okay, you're a buddy."

Lin Zhiyong turned and went home. Lin Qingfeng was waiting in the alley. In November in Beijing, the north wind was howling, and the occasional sound of vendors selling sweet potatoes and roasted chestnuts could be heard.

"Dalinzi, why are you going out again?" Lin's mother was cooking on the stove, making sweet potato porridge, with washed cabbage next to her. Looking around, there was not a trace of meat.

Lin Zhiyong stopped in his tracks. He was wearing the only clothes he could wear, a cotton-padded jacket and trousers. He counted the money, kept a small amount for himself, and gave the rest to his mother: "Mom, go to the street and buy some cooked food. The children will all be coming back for lunch. How can they eat enough with just stir-fried cabbage?"

"Dalinzi, where did you get this money?" Lin's mother was startled. Looking at the money in her hand, her face turned pale. She quickly glanced outside and, seeing that the neighbors were all cooking and hadn't noticed, hurriedly whispered to Lin Zhiyong, "Don't tell me it's from some shady source! Take it back right now."

“Mom, this money is clean, don’t worry about it. I’m doing business with a friend, and he gave me the money.” Lin Zhiyong reassured his mother. “Don’t worry, my friend is very reliable, not like those people before. I have to go now, so I won’t talk to you anymore.”

"Hey, Dalinzi, Dalinzi..." Lin's mother called out several times, but Lin Zhiyong was in a hurry to find Xiao He to see Chen Bozheng and didn't have time to linger.

When Chen Bozheng told Lin Zhiyong and Xiao He about Wen Chan's idea, their reactions were surprisingly similar; they both looked completely dumbfounded.

Xiao He scratched his head. "Will this work? Do you think the district leaders would even look at our paltry sums? Besides, we're a private company, right? Would a state-owned enterprise be willing to help us?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Chen Bo said. "If all else fails, we can always ask our friends for help if we need anything. With so many of us, surely we can find some friends to lend a hand."

Lin Zhiyong thought for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table. “I think this idea is good. We’ll even save money. You know, it takes a long time to import any of those machines. We can’t afford to wait that long. Renting is a good option. I happen to know quite a few people who work in car factories!”

"That would be even better." Chen Bo handed Lin Zhiyong a cigarette. "Brother Lin, let's clarify a few things first. How many people can you send to work? What's their skill level? Are they reliable?"

Lin Zhiyong said, "There are about ten people in total. A few of them have work to do now, but they're all indifferent to it. What good jobs can we, who have come out here, find? But don't worry, I'm telling you right now, if any of my brothers dare to do anything shameful, I'll be the first to crush them!"

Lin Zhiyong's words were resounding and powerful.

Everyone believes that Lin Zhiyong is more of a man of his word than a man of his word.

Just like he said he would stand up for his brothers, he really meant he would rather suffer a loss himself than betray his brothers.

Chen Bo was slightly relieved and then said, "Xiao He, the parts needed for car glass and tires vary from car brand to car brand. You really can get your hands on them."

Xiao He gave a shy smile: "I can't say I have any other skills, but I do have this one. I've already placed orders for a lot of car windows for Santana and Crown models, and all I need is money."

Lin Zhiyong also said, "There's no need to worry about Xiao He in this regard; his maternal grandfather's family is quite special."

“Let’s go then, don’t waste any more time. We have some free time this afternoon, so let’s go talk to the leaders of the subdistrict office,” Chen Bozheng said.

The group set off immediately, acting swiftly and decisively.

Wen Chan and Liu Yan had just returned when they were about to leave.

"Going out?" Wen Chan casually greeted.

Chen Bozheng grunted in response, then noticed Wen Chan carrying a bag of ice cream and glared at her with eyes like knives.

Wen Chan then realized what was happening and casually handed the bag to Chen Bozheng, saying, "I bought this especially for you guys, eat it on the way."

“We might not be back tonight. If you’re not going out to eat, you can have a meal with Aunt Lin and the others,” Chen Bozheng instructed Wen Chan. “You can also go to Liu Yan’s house.”

"I know, I know, alright, you guys hurry up and go," Wen Chan urged.

Chen Bo glanced at Wen Chan, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. Ultimately, he gave Wen Chan some face and didn't give her any further instructions.

Once he left, Wen Chan breathed a sigh of relief and said regretfully, "If I had known he was still here, I wouldn't have bought this ice cream."

Liu Yan chuckled, "I already told you not to buy it. If you really want to eat it, you can wait until you're better. Don't eat at home tonight either. Xiao Chen asked me to find you a girl from Shanghai this morning. I happen to know one. Let's go out to eat tonight and meet her, what do you think?"

Wen Chan readily agreed, "Sure, what do you think of that person?"

"She's quite a clever girl, good at reading people," Liu Yan recalled.

Liu Yan is truly straightforward in her words and actions. The Shanghai girl's name is Jiang Zihan. The three girls then went to eat hot pot.

Wen Chan cooked a few slices of cabbage in the broth, but didn't eat much meat. Jiang Zihan was very attentive, cooking meat for her and pouring tea for her. Seeing that she ate a lot of vegetables, he even asked her if she wanted to order a cold dish, like Qianlong cabbage or something.

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Zihan is four years younger than me, she's eighteen this year."

"So young?" Wen Chan was a little surprised. She looked Jiang Zihan up and down. She was a pretty girl, not dressed very well, but it was obvious that she had dressed up specially. "Why did you come to Beijing? Do you have relatives here?"

Jiang Zihan laughed and said, "If I have any relatives, my closest friend in Beijing is Sister Yanzi. I originally came to Beijing wanting to be an actress, but I didn't expect this path to be so difficult. I had no choice; going back would be too embarrassing. When I left home, I made a bold promise to my family that I wouldn't go back until I made something of myself. Thanks to Sister Yanzi's help, she introduced me to suppliers and helped me sell clothes, which allowed me to finally gain a foothold in Beijing."

At this point, Jiang Zihan gratefully picked up her glass and said to Liu Yan, "Sister Yan, I toast you. If it weren't for you, I don't know where I would have gone by now."

"No, I didn't help much. It was your own hard work that made you successful." Liu Yan didn't take credit. "It's really not easy for girls, especially girls from other places, in Beijing. If you weren't willing to work hard, even if I had helped, it wouldn't have made a difference."

Liu Yan said to Wen Chan, "I've already told Zihan about your situation. Don't underestimate her just because she's young. She can do any kind of rough, tiring, or dirty work. If you're willing, give her a chance. Selling clothes is getting harder and harder these days. There are more and more people on Xiushui Street, and Zihan is all alone with no relatives. It'll be difficult for her to find other work."

Wen Chan looked at Jiang Zihan.

The girl was truly striking, with a stubborn look and bright eyes. "Sister Yanzi recommended you, so I naturally trust you. But there's something I need to tell you first: do whatever I tell you to do, and don't act on your own. Also, I'm not afraid you're not smart. If you don't understand anything, just ask me. How much you learn is up to you, but you must keep your mouth shut and not talk about me."

"Don't worry, I'll go wherever you point!" Jiang Zihan said quickly, her heart filled with joy.

Wen Chan chuckled, "Okay, that's roughly the idea. I'll cover all your food, clothing, and daily necessities. It'll be a thousand yuan a month. Also, after I finish my business, I'll give you a big red envelope. The size of the red envelope will depend entirely on your performance."

Jiang Zihan readily agreed.

She only earns six or seven hundred yuan a month selling clothes. It's not that Jiang Zihan doesn't work hard or put in the effort; it's just that these days, to get goods, you need connections, or you need a group of people to go to the south to wholesale clothes and then resell them.

Jiang Zihan was all alone, all by herself. She must have had the audacity to go to the south to wholesale clothes by herself. What else could that be but a death wish?

Throughout the year, there have been numerous cases of missing persons, robberies, and murders.

She was young at the time, and driven by a sense of pride, she ran away to Beijing. Afterwards, she secretly rejoiced that she was lucky to have survived.

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The author says: The public security in the 1990s was really bad. My driving school instructor told us that several of his friends went out to work at that time and then disappeared without a trace. For decades, they have never been seen, and their bodies have never been found. This kind of thing was not uncommon. In those days, it was really safer to go to work by staying with relatives and friends, or going to stay with fellow villagers. Although there was a possibility of being cheated by fellow villagers, the safety level was much higher.