Chapter 5

Jiang Nuo said that he would give Gu Jiangkuo a few days to hand over the work, but as a laborer, he didn't have much work to hand over. That day, Gu Jiangkuo paid his wages and went home early.

The place where he lived was not close to the construction site, and he had to take three buses, which took more than an hour. The single trip cost 3.5 yuan, and the round trip cost 7 yuan. Gu Jiangkuo was reluctant to do so, so he rode a bicycle to and from get off work. There were no shared bicycles that year, so he had a very old 28-inch bicycle with big wheels and a high handlebar. The 19-year-old Mr. Gu had no money, but he had endless strength, and he pedaled the broken bicycle with great vigor.

Today is especially light-hearted.

Because I got a new job, my boss’s excitement lasted until I got home.

However, before he even entered the door, he heard the sound of a bowl being smashed. "I won't eat it! The food is poisonous! This must have been sent by Wei Guo. He wants to poison me!"

Gu Jiangkuo heard the sound and rushed in. Aunt Zhang was surprised: "Dajiang, you're back so early today?"

Gu Jiangkuo responded and quickly cleaned up the debris and broken dishes on the floor. He said apologetically, "Aunt Zhang, I'm sorry to trouble you again."

"It's okay. We're old neighbors, so I'll help if I can. Luckily, your grandma isn't too confused and can basically take care of herself. She's not so dependent on someone. I'll just cook an extra bowl of rice."

The old lady smiled and said, "Dajiang is back!"

It seemed that he had completely forgotten that he had just lost his temper and knocked over the food bowl. He got down from the kang tremblingly, pulled Gu Jiangkuo over, and took out a piece of candy from his pocket like a thief. He handed it to him behind Aunt Zhang's back, "Hurry up and take it. Just one piece. Don't let your brother see it!"

Gu Jiangkuo held the candy in his hand, feeling mixed emotions. No wonder the public service announcement said that Alzheimer's patients forget the whole world except that they love you.

"Okay." Gu Jiangkuo put the candy away in front of his grandma. "I'm going to go out for a while. The door will be unlocked. Grandma, please don't wander around."

This row of old houses faced the street. They were small, palm-sized bungalows with no air conditioning. In the scorching summer heat, they relied on keeping the front and back doors open for ventilation to avoid heatstroke. Gu Jiangkuo cleaned up the broken bowls, took the bucket, and said to Aunt Zhang, "I'll take you home."

The tap water in the old city was of poor quality, with a thick layer of alkaline water when it boiled. Everyone preferred to fetch water from the well. When Aunt Zhang saw Gu Jiangkuo holding a bucket, she knew he was going to fetch water for her family. She sighed to herself that children from poor families had to take on responsibilities early and were too sensible. She said, "That's fine. I'll serve you two more meals when we get home. I've cooked a lot."

Gu Jiangkuo is a man of few words and very capable. He carries a full bucket of water and walks briskly between the well and Aunt Zhang's house. In a short while, he fills the water tank.

After getting the water, she took out a few crumpled bills from her pocket, which she considered as food expenses for the next few days. Aunt Zhang said she didn't want any, "It's not easy for you to earn a little money, and your grandma's medicine is also expensive."

Gu Jiangkuo insisted, "Aunt Zhang, I found a new job and I earn more than I do now. By the way, why did Grandma mention Wang Weiguo? Is he here again today?"

"No, probably because he's scared of you, he's been quiet for a few days," Aunt Zhang sighed. "Oh, your uncle is such a piece of shit. He ignored you and the old lady for so many years, and now when he heard about the demolition, he came back to call his mother. What a jerk! His family is thicker-skinned than a city wall!"

Wang Weiguo is Gu Jiangkuo's uncle. When Gu Jiangkuo's parents were in a car accident, his uncle wanted to adopt him and transfer the Gu family's house to his own name. However, the 14-year-old Gu Jiangkuo insisted on not giving up treatment. It was his grandmother who helped him sell the house as a guardian to raise medical expenses for his daughter and son-in-law.

Unfortunately, the sky-high ICU treatment fees could not save the child's life, and Gu's father and mother eventually passed away. It was grandma Wang Zhilan who took care of her little grandson alone until two years ago when she was unfortunately diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which people often call "senile dementia", and then the young man Gu Jiangkuo took on the responsibility of the entire family.

It's not that he hadn't asked his uncle for money before, but ever since the old lady had ordered the sale of his sister and brother-in-law's house, Wang Weiguo had accused her of "throwing money away," as if he had already considered Gu Jiangkuo's property his own. He blamed the old lady for losing "his property" and naturally didn't care about her life or death. Seeing that Wang Zhilan was sick, he didn't give her a penny, and even verbally humiliated a teenager. When Gu Jiangkuo asked him for medical expenses, he accused him of being "money-hungry."

It was not until the news of the demolition of the old house came out that Wang Weiguo came back with a flattering face, asking for the "demolition compensation he deserved" and forcibly dragged his mother, who was suffering from dementia, to sign some kind of donation agreement, which scared the old lady. She huddled in a corner with tears on her face, shouting and shaking. Gu Jiangkuo, who had just returned from the construction site, saw this scene and without saying a word, punched Wang Weiguo, leaving him with a black eye.

Aunt Zhang washed a large, shatterproof double-layer lunch box and filled it with rice for Gu Jiangkuo while saying, "Since the demolition notice came down, quite a few people have moved out. Why don't you take your grandma and find a place to hide? You have to go out to work during the day. What if he takes advantage of your absence and scares the old lady again?"

Aunt Zhang's worries were not unreasonable, but... for the time being, he couldn't get the money for renting the house.

"Didn't you find a new job? Is there any staff dormitory there? Talk to your boss. Maybe he'll be kind enough to let you and Aunt Wang live there."

.

Finally, Aunt Zhang filled two lunch boxes for him. When Wang Zhilan saw the food her grandson brought, she no longer suspected that someone was trying to poison her, and she took the chopsticks and started eating.

Old Mrs. Wang’s condition is sometimes better and sometimes worse. She needs someone to feed her when she has an attack, but most of the time she can take care of herself.

Gu Jiangkuo had a big appetite and ate quickly. In a short while, he had devoured a large box of rice. He didn't rush to wash the dishes. Instead, as usual, he used his grandmother as a tree hole to tell his troubles, "Grandma, I met a very good man. I will make more money in the future and may be able to move soon. You don't have to be afraid of that beast Wang Weiguo anymore."

Wang Zhilan said happily, "Did our Dajiang meet a distinguished person?"

Gu Jiangkuo thought of Jiang Nuo's dignified and steady temperament, and thought that the word "noble person" was actually very appropriate, and nodded.

Old Lady Wang: "What kind of noble person?"

Gu Jiangkuo: "He is... a very handsome young master, very capable and kind-hearted."

Wang Zhilan fell silent again, and Gu Jiangkuo didn't care. Ever since her grandmother became ill, she was always like this, forgetting the previous topic while talking. But unexpectedly, Old Lady Wang was silent for a long time, and suddenly said seriously: "If you like her, take her home. I won't give this house to Weiguo, but give it to you as a betrothal gift."

"???" Gu Jiangkuo, "Who to marry?"

Old Lady Wang said with a hint of annoyance: "That handsome nobleman! How could he be even more confused than me at such a young age? He forgot what he had just said..."

"Cough, cough, cough." Gu Jiangkuo started coughing violently.

As expected, I still can't have a normal conversation with my grandma. What's going on? Gu Jiangkuo was about to drink some water to calm down when he heard Old Lady Wang continue, "Everyone says I'm senile and confused, but I'm not stupid. I heard them say that this house would be worth a lot of money if it were demolished. I won't give it to anyone else but Dajiang, so that my grandson can get married."

Gu Jiangkuo: “…”

After washing the dishes, Gu Jiangkuo coaxed his grandmother back to take a nap. He then sat alone in the middle of the outer room, enjoying the breeze. He could still hear the old lady mumbling in her sleep, "Everyone says I'm old and confused, but I'm not stupid."

"My Dajiang is pitiful. He has no parents. I'll give him the house to marry a wife."

"Hey, she's a beautiful wife."

Gu Jiangkuo: “…”

But for some reason, when he heard his grandma muttering the words "beautiful daughter-in-law", Jiang Nuo's face flashed through Gu Jiangkuo's mind. He suddenly felt that the draft was getting stuffy and his cheeks turned red with heat.

Grandma, how can you talk nonsense like this...

.

At that time, Jiang Nuo said that he would start work on Monday. Naturally, he had to complete the formalities before officially starting work. Gu Jiangkuo didn't want Jiang Nuo to wait, so he went to report to Jiang Group in advance without waiting for Monday.

The group's headquarters is decorated in a magnificent style, with the marble floor reflecting the crystal chandeliers. The air-conditioning is turned on high, and you can feel the coolness as soon as you enter the door. Every employee walking through the lobby is dressed in a suit and speaks in a soft voice. The ladies at the front desk are dressed in decent and formal work clothes.

In such a high-class environment, Gu Jiangkuo felt awkward, but he still told them his intention. Upon hearing this, the receptionist immediately smiled professionally, "Mr. Gu, right? Please wait a moment."

About ten minutes later, a man in glasses and a suit, about thirty years old, hurried out of the elevator and went straight to the front desk.

"Are you Gu Jiangkuo?" He pushed his glasses and looked Gu Jiangkuo up and down.

Mr. Jiang said something like "my life and fortune depend on this man", but he didn't expect that he was a bodyguard. He had long wanted to see if Mr. Gu had any supernatural powers.

When I saw the real person, well, he was quite strong, and it wasn't the kind of fake moves learned in the gym. He really had a murderous aura.

Wu Tong asked: "Have you ever practiced Sanda?"

Hanging out with the little hooligans doesn't count? Gu Jiangkuo thought this was a test for him and nodded vaguely.

It turns out that he is really a martial artist.

However, no matter how good a fighter he was, he wouldn't be so important to President Jiang. Wu Tong couldn't help but start to doubt him. He felt that President Jiang had changed recently, but...wasn't it too much of a joke to suddenly ask the Assistant General Manager to personally receive a bodyguard?

Forget it. After all, Jiang Nuo is only 19 years old and still a child. It is normal for him to act like a fool.

Wu Tong couldn't help but retract some of his awe of Mr. Jiang, but he still abided by his duty: "Please follow me."

Gu Jiangkuo followed him into an empty office where a staff member had already prepared a contract. Wu Tong handed it over and said, "Take a look. The salary and benefits are clearly written. If you have any questions, you can ask me. If you feel that something is not suitable, you can also make further requests."

Wu Tong took a sip of coffee, and cheered himself up to explain the terms to Gu Jiangkuo later - looking at his big and strong appearance, Wu Tong was worried whether he could read.

However, five minutes later, Gu Jiangkuo picked up the pen and signed his name readily.

"?" Wu Tong, "Don't you want to take a closer look?"

Gu Jiangkuo: "I've already looked at it. I'm very satisfied with the conditions. There's nothing to change."

Wu Tong: "That's fine. Anyway, the conditions offered by the company are very favorable. Since you trust the company so much, it's no wonder that President Jiang values ​​you and asked me to receive you in person."

What Wu Tong didn't know was that some people are naturally smart. Gu Jiangkuo came from a poor family and worked part-time throughout high school. His foundation was very weak, but he crammed for three months before the college entrance examination and was admitted to Yanlin University. He was able to read ten lines at a glance and read the contract carefully. He also felt the sincerity of the Jiang Group, or in other words, Jiang Nuo.

Gu Jiangkuo was even more moved.

Gu Jiangkuo: "Assistant Wu, Mr. Jiang must trust you very much, right?" From what Wu Tong said, it seemed like a very high standard for him to "personally receive" him.

Wu Tong nodded modestly and proudly. "I'm the general manager's assistant. I help the boss draft documents, handle various relationships with him, and arrange meetings and major events. I'm the closest person to him."

The closest person?

Wu Tong saw the envy in Gu Jiangkuo's eyes, and his vanity was slightly satisfied. He couldn't help but warn him in the manner of a senior: "You are also the bodyguard personally selected by Mr. Jiang. Just remember one thing - loyalty, and the boss will not treat you unfairly."

"I understand, thank you, Brother Wu." Gu Jiangkuo said solemnly.

This young man was a man of shrewd yet delicate demeanor, calling him "Assistant" when it was appropriate, and "Brother" when they became closer. He was quite tactful. But for some reason, he felt a strange sense of crisis.

Gu Jiangkuo silently set the goal of becoming "the closest person to Mr. Jiang" in his heart, and then he heard Wu Tong say, "Your official start date is next Monday. If you don't have anything to do today, go back and rest."

Gu Jiangkuo actually wanted to take this opportunity to take another look at Jiang Nuo, but he didn't expect that the Jiang Group was so big, and how could he easily meet the big boss? He had no choice but to say goodbye to Wu Tong with some disappointment. Wu Tong remembered the boss's instructions and personally sent him downstairs.

But as soon as I got out of the elevator, I heard a noise from afar.

"Jiang! What on earth do you mean? You use me and then kick me away!"

"You're such a jerk! You put all the blame on me and then you just walk away. Do you think I, Li Qing, am easy to mess with? If you don't give me an explanation, we're not done!"

Following the direction of the exasperated voice, Gu Jiangkuo immediately saw the person he was thinking about.

But before he had time to appreciate it, he saw the furious guy taking something out of his arms. Gu Jiangkuo's alarm bells went off. He was used to hanging around in the city and instinctively knew there was danger. Without thinking, he rushed out like an arrow and subdued Li Qing before anyone could react.

Wu Tong was also shocked. What a Gu Jiangkuo! He really has some skills! His skills are like those in a martial arts movie. Is he some retired special forces soldier? And why did Li Qing come back? Speaking of which, the Li family seems to have a bit of a shady background... So, the boss had already calculated the danger, so he dug up such a master! It seems he was superficial! This time, the boss is in the atmosphere!

However, he didn't realize that Jiang Nuo was also scared silly, staring blankly at Gu Jiangkuo who quickly dealt with the people.

The tall young bodyguard held the gangster down tightly, but his gaze fell back on his boss. He looked at Jiang Nuo and asked nervously, "Are you okay?"