Because it was the weekend, Xu Xiangyang hadn't forgotten one thing.
He had arranged for Yan Laosan to come to their house.
We should also treat this old friend to a meal today.
Xu Xiangyang never expected that Yan Laosan would speak up for him behind his back, without his knowledge.
After arguing with Master Zhang, he faced the risk of being fired, something no one could bear.
In this day and age, a job is not only important to an individual, but also to a family.
He went out for a stroll first, and then brought back some cooked food and fresh meat.
"What day is this? Why are you buying so much food again?" Wang Xiumin stopped criticizing him for buying things recklessly. Anyway, he was just trying to make sure his family ate well, so there was no point in arguing.
Xu Xiangyang smiled and said, "My friend is coming over today. He'll cook something for the two of us in my room. You can eat in the living room. We have something to talk about."
There are some things that are inconvenient to talk about with the family, and this is also to save face for Yan Laosan.
After all, he's a man, working for himself. What if he's uncomfortable?
Wang Xiumin nodded and then went to help him prepare the ingredients.
Around nine o'clock, Yan Laosan arrived.
He deliberately missed the mealtime to come, because he felt bad about coming while others were eating.
These days, nobody invites others to eat out casually; you always have to consider that other people's lives aren't easy either.
After Yan Laosan arrived, Xu Xiangyang came out of the kitchen, and Wang Xiumin could finish the rest.
He invited Yan Laosan to sit inside and brewed him a pot of tea.
"Tea, ah, it's been so long since I've had any." Yan Laosan took a sip and thought it tasted pretty good.
He also loves drinking tea, but now we can't even keep up with the grain production, so who would bother picking tea leaves? Besides, there aren't any in Northeast China, and we can't afford to buy them from the supply and marketing cooperatives; there aren't any quotas available either.
Even a simple cup of tea requires quotas, meaning only high-ranking officials can afford to drink it.
Seeing that he really liked drinking it, Xu Xiangyang said, "It's nothing, I still have plenty. I'll bring you a can later."
There's plenty of this stuff in the space; you can just take it out, soak it, and drink it every day like water. You could drink it all in a lifetime.
Yan Laosan had no intention of taking it and quickly waved his hand, "No need, this stuff is too expensive. You should keep it for yourself. Giving it to me would be a waste."
Liking to drink something and actually wanting it from someone else are two different things.
Xu Xiangyang didn't say anything, but instead asked, "How have you been lately?"
He's been busy with trivial matters these past two days, and I wonder if Master Zhang has targeted Yan Laosan.
Yan Laosan gave a wry smile and replied, "Don't mention it. There was a problem with the grain depot a couple of days ago, and I was the one who took the blame. I didn't have the right to object at all."
After this happened, he knew in his heart that it must have been Master Zhang who did it.
However, he had no evidence and could only endure it.
All the evidence points to him, so what chance is there for him to deny it? There isn't one.
Upon hearing this, Xu Xiangyang couldn't help but sigh. What was bound to happen had happened. He had no say in the workplace and could only watch helplessly as things unfolded.
He glanced at Yan Laosan, but didn't seem to have much of an emotion. Perhaps he had completely let go of it after these past two days.
But in this era where work is everything, how can one possibly let go of such feelings?
"Third Brother, although I can't help you with anything too big, I can still help with small things. As long as you trust me and work for me in the future, you'll definitely get thirty yuan a month. As for coupons, I'll give you more if I have them, and I'll also give you an extra thirty jin of fine grains every month."
Even without food coupons, thirty catties of refined grain was already a luxury.
Even at work, of the twenty-odd jin of grain coupons issued each month, only a small portion were for refined grains; the rest were for coarse and refined grains, as well as coarse grains.
Yan Laosan was stunned when he heard his words. He hesitated, looking at Xu Xiangyang, too embarrassed to accuse him of boasting.
But looking at Xu Xiangyang's serious expression, I really didn't know what to say.
Is this for real?
"Brother, what do you want me to do?" He didn't say anything else, but asked what he wanted me to do.
Perhaps, just maybe, I really will be able to find another job?
Xu Xiangyang smiled and said, "The job is definitely dangerous to some extent, after all, the salary is not low, you should know that."
We need to make things clear, otherwise who will be responsible if problems arise later?
We can't expect people to arrive and find out what they're supposed to do; that would be impolite.
Yan Laosan nodded. Indeed, he wouldn't feel at ease if this salary were easy to obtain.
Xu Xiangyang briefly explained his situation, but of course, it was just about doing business on the black market, and there was no need to go into anything else.
Grandma Wang's health isn't very good right now, and Wang Zhongshan can't go out often either, so someone needs to do this job.
Yan Laosan is a good fit, at least he's trustworthy.
If he's still speaking up for me even after I've lost my job, then he won't leak this information.
Yan Laosan was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xu Xiangyang to do such a thing, but he had heard before that these drivers would bring back goods to sell.
If you bring too much, you definitely can't sell it right away; it would probably be faster on the black market.
"Let me think about it." He didn't agree immediately.
This is unsafe. We should think more carefully. If someone finds out, the whole family will be in trouble.
Xu Xiangyang didn't press him for answers; the decision to do it or not was ultimately in his hands.
That's all I can do to help. If he's unwilling, I can offer him some compensation, but that's all.
He couldn't possibly support Yan Laosan's entire family, could he? He was grateful for the other party's kindness, but there was no need to do so.
"Let's have some food and drinks later," Xu Xiangyang changed the subject, not wanting to put too much pressure on him.
Yan Laosan had no intention of eating here, and quickly waved his hand, saying, "I'm not eating here. I told my family I'll go home for lunch."
Actually, he didn't mention that his wife had been feeling very upset since he lost his job a couple of days ago, and the two of them decided to have two meals together.
After all, losing one person's salary is not something that can be made up for by simply skipping a meal.
But we should save money where we can; missing a meal won't kill us or make us sick.
This time, Xu Xiangyang didn't give in and insisted that he eat there.
"I've bought all the vegetables, we have to finish them, otherwise it's such a waste to throw them away, it's shameful to waste food." His words left Yan Laosan with no way to refuse.
But when Yan Laosan saw the lunch, he wanted to go home again.
What kind of family is this, eating so well!
Stewed chicken, pork head meat, and stir-fried vegetables.
Two people eating four dishes? Is this how we celebrate the Chinese New Year?
Don't even mention it, Yan Laosan has never been willing to eat like this during the Spring Festival. Even if he bought so much delicious food, he would still eat it slowly. Who would be willing to eat so much delicious food in one meal?
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