Chapter 11 Master Li

Tian Xin went to the city to play with her classmates for a day, and received a call from Zhang Shuai the next day.

"Boss, I've contacted my former coworkers. They're all doing odd jobs now. Three of them agreed to drive for the factory. I asked if the salary could be higher. They all live far from home and have families."

"Three? You are very efficient." Tian Xin said excitedly.

"It's okay, boss. It's rare to hear your praise! So, do you think it's okay? Give me a definite answer." Zhang Shuai said.

"Let's keep the employees first. I need to discuss the salary increase with the factory manager," said Tian Xin.

Tian Xin didn't dare to delay and immediately called Li Baiwan to discuss it. Li Baiwan let her make her own decision, and as long as it was someone she trusted, he could give her a salary increase and let her decide.

This Li Baiwan is not bad!

When Tian Xin called Zhang Shuai, Zhang Shuai told her something that gave him a headache.

"Master Li is quite old and has the temper of a stubborn donkey. Once he's determined, no one can change his mind. I went to see him, but he scolded me and sent me away before I even got through the door."

"Then why bother looking for him? Even if you bring someone who is difficult to manage back home, he won't last long. He still has to depend on his mood."

"But he's a really hard worker. When he was in the factory, he took the initiative to do a lot of the loading and unloading work. Others would just work less and get paid more, but he just worked hard, doing things that others were unwilling to do. He did it all to make more money."

"Did he say why he didn't want to come? Was it because the salary was too low?" Tian Xin asked.

"No, he just scolded me and told me to get out, but he didn't mention the salary. I told him I could increase the salary, but he said he wouldn't go no matter how much it increased."

Are there people like this?

Tian Xin thought for a moment and asked, "Have you ever offended him before?"

"No!" Zhang Shuai said, "He was very good to me and took good care of me at the factory. If I had offended him, it was only last time."

"What do you mean?" Tian Xin asked?

"He's the guy who was hit by the factory director's son last time."

After hearing what Zhang Shuai said, Tian Xin suddenly felt that the matter was not simple, so she came over and went to find Master Li with Zhang Shuai.

Truck drivers are hard to find, and finding the right one is even harder! If you finally find a suitable one, you have to fight for it no matter what.

Master Li and his family lived in the suburbs, more than ten kilometers from the ancient city. This place was an industrial park surrounded by factories. Zhang Shuai and his colleagues used to work in this area.

Their family is a migrant worker, with five members: he and his wife, two daughters, and an elderly mother.

The family rented an old house in a village in the city. When Tian Xin and Zhang Shuai went to see it, they felt as if they had returned to the day they died in their previous life.

"Master Li, I'm Zhang Shuai's friend. I'd like to invite you to work in our factory. The salary is negotiable. Can we talk about it?" Tian Xin stood at the door and knocked.

The person who opened the door was a woman in her forties, probably his wife: "He just went out."

"Oh, do you know where he went? Let's talk to him about something." Tian Xin asked.

"He's on vacation today and is out for a walk. You guys come in and sit for a while, he'll be back soon!" The woman welcomed the two into the house.

As soon as she entered the house, Tian Xin smelled a damp, musty smell. It was just as cramped as the last place she rented in her previous life.

There was no other furniture in the two rooms except a double bed, a small desk and a simple cloth wardrobe.

There wasn't even a table, so Tian Xin put the gifts she bought on the floor next to the cabinet.

The children's clothes were piled everywhere, and the place was filled with daily necessities. The door was filled with shoes, and Tian Xin accidentally kicked one away when she entered.

Master Li's old mother sat on the bed mending socks, but couldn't get the needle through after a long time. Tian Xin saw her and quickly helped her put them on. The old woman enthusiastically asked her daughter-in-law to pour tea for them.

The only places to sit in the house were the bed and the stool at the small desk. Tian Xin was too embarrassed to sit on the bed, so she sat on the stool. Zhang Shuai stood aside, awkwardly at a loss.

"Come, girl, sit over here and let the boy sit over there. Our place is small, so don't mind." The old lady patted her side and motioned Tian Xin to come over and sit down.

"No, no, grandma, we came to talk to Master Li about something. We will leave soon. No need to pour water." Tian Xin said politely with embarrassment.

"No, that won't work. Once you're here, you're a guest. How can you not even drink water?" The old lady was very enthusiastic.

Master Li's wife made tea for the two of them, placed one cup on the desk next to Zhang Shuai, and handed the other cup directly to Tian Xin. She gave her mother-in-law some instructions and left.

Tian Xin was holding the water, but the glass was a little hot, so she had to put it on the desk next to Zhang Shuai.

"She does odd jobs, cooking two meals a day for other people's families and earns 100 yuan a month." The old man pointed at his daughter-in-law who was leaving the door.

"Oh, what is Master Li doing now?" Tian Xin asked.

"Oh, it's hard—it's hard to make money, and I get bullied all day long."

The three of them sat there awkwardly, chatting intermittently.

After a while, Master Li came back from outside. When he saw Zhang Shuai, he was stunned.

The man was tall and thin. He wore a baggy, old suit jacket and washed-out trousers. His face was covered in stubble, his face thin and emaciated. His eyes were sunken, and he looked very tired.

Tian Xin quickly stood up and said, "Uncle Li, I'm Zhang Shuai's friend. He told me you used to drive a truck for a factory. We've opened a factory there now, and we'd like to invite you over..."

"Didn't I tell you last time that you weren't going? Why are you here again?" Master Li interrupted Tian Xin and asked Zhang Shuai.

"Uncle Li, we sincerely want to hire you. As long as you are willing to come, salary is not a problem."

"I've already told you I'm not going. Do you want me to say it a few more times? Get out of here right now. I don't want to see you." Master Li looked at Zhang Shuai and ordered him to leave.

"Uncle Li, we..."

"Go away, go away, you are not welcome here." Master Li pushed the two people out of the room, put the gifts that Tian Xin brought outside, and then closed the door heavily.

If someone saw this situation, those who didn't know would think that the two of them had some deep hatred with Master Li!

Tian Xin ran to the window and said, "Master Li, if you feel the salary is not appropriate, we can discuss it. You can tell me if you have any questions."

"I just don't want to go. I don't want to see this person again. Let's go quickly." Master Li's voice came from inside, very firm.

"Uncle Li, why do you have such a big prejudice against me? We used to work together and you were the best to me. I always treated you like my father. I'm unlucky to have such a scoundrel father. You treated me like your own son, so why do you hate me so much now?"

Zhang Shuai asked Master Li loudly through the window. Master Li inside seemed moved, but he still didn't open the door.

"Uncle Li, I'm putting this out there today. I want you to come with me. I know your family situation. If you're willing to go, you can be the captain, and your salary can be increased. Just name an amount, and I'll make up for it if it's not enough."

Zhang Shuai was so emotional that he spoke in one breath, his face flushed red and he almost cried.

The door opened.

Master Li stood at the door and said word by word: "Young man, remember, never come to my house again. We should pretend we don't know each other. Let's not talk about the past anymore."

"Why? I beat Liu Xin for you..."

"It's because you hit Liu Xin that everyone lost their jobs. Look at my family's situation. Everyone, young and old, depends on me for support. I lost my job and have no income for six months. What's left for my family to eat and drink?"

Zhang Shuai was interrupted loudly by Master Li before he could finish his sentence.

"You got so angry that you hit someone and got us fired along with you. Have you ever thought about that? If you feed your whole family, I still have to support my family."

Master Li was so excited and shouted so loudly that all the neighbors came out and they all leaned over the door to see what was going on.

Before Master Li finished speaking, he said: "When you beat someone up, you wanted to stand up for me, but did you ever ask me if I needed it?

I'm telling you, I don't need you to speak up for me. I was beaten, so I was beaten. As long as I wasn't killed, the police will handle it. Why are you trying to be a hero? I've been fired for a year, and I haven't seen you. Now you come and say these nice things. I don't need you. Get out of here now."

“…”

After saying these words, Zhang Shuai stopped talking and stood stiffly where he was.

Tian Xin thought the words were a bit too much and wanted to smooth things over, but Master Li came into the room and closed the door.