Zhong Lingui looked at us like we were idiots and sneered, "You actually believe what Old Li says? That old guy keeps asking for a raise but doesn't want to quit, so he made up this ridiculous story. You two are supposed to have received nine years of compulsory education, yet you can't even see through this kid-baiting trick."
"Old Zhong, don't be so dogmatic. There are plenty of strange things in the world. Just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they don't exist. I advise you to maintain a sense of awe." Xu Dalong's face turned red and then pale as he retorted irritably.
"Alright, let's get to work." My face was also pale. Afraid that Xu Dalong and Zhong Lingui would clash, I smoothed things over and lowered my head to start sorting the packages.
I knew about Old Li's demand for a raise, but neither the dance studio owner nor our courier station owner was willing. Old Li had worked there for so many years, and they didn't dare fire him for fear of losing a lot of money. Old Li didn't want to quit either, so the matter was eventually dropped.
Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, I have made up my mind. I will go find Zhang Guangyin later and tell him that I am not sleeping here anymore.
I sorted all the packages, loaded them onto my electric scooter, and set off.
Today I didn't have to run the Zhonglingui route, so my job was quite easy. After delivering the packages, I went home for lunch, picked up a few more packages, and then returned to the courier station.
When I got back, it was already 2 p.m. After parking my electric scooter, I headed towards Zhang Guangyin's office.
Our courier station only has one office, which was originally set up by the boss for himself, but he never came here once a month. As his brother-in-law, Zhang Guangyin naturally moved in.
I reached out and knocked on the office door, asking, "Station Chief Zhang, are you there?"
"Come in."
I heard the response, pushed open the door and went in. I saw Zhang Guangyin lying on a leather sofa, scrolling through Douyin on his phone. From my angle, his phone was playing videos of young models wearing short shorts dancing. Zhang Guangyin was practically glued to his phone to watch.
"Station Chief Zhang, I've come to see you because I want to tell you that I don't want to live at the station anymore." I explained my purpose in coming to see Zhang Guangyin. I thought to myself that Zhang Guangyin might not agree, but I still felt that I should try.
Zhang Guangyin threw his phone onto the sofa, sat up abruptly, his face grim, and said sternly, "Zuo Changming, you were the one who promised me today. I've already spoken to the boss, and he's very satisfied. He praised you for your dedication to your job and even gave you a 200 yuan bonus. Now you're saying you don't want to stay here anymore. How am I supposed to talk to the boss about that?"
"I..." I had indeed promised Zhang Guangyin that morning, but I didn't expect him to report it to the boss so quickly, and the boss even wanted to reward me. I immediately felt guilty and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
To be honest, I myself feel that I am very unreasonable for going back on my word.
"Alright, I know you've been listening to those people's nonsense. I know exactly what Old Li is up to. He's just trying to get a raise because he's a senior. But he just lies in the guardhouse all day, doing nothing, and he only gets 2,500 a month. What more does he want?" Zhang Guangyin glanced at me, his expression softening a bit, and said irritably.
“But…” After listening to what Xu Dalong and the others said, I still felt it was inappropriate to stay here. I wanted to ask Zhang Guangyin to find someone else to fill in, but before I could finish speaking, Zhang Guangyin interrupted me.
“Changming, the boss thinks highly of you. He was furious because of Old Li’s rumors. He was very happy when I told him today that you were willing to stay at the courier station for a while. You don’t want to see him lose his temper, do you?” Zhang Guangyin came to my side, put his arm around my neck, and said earnestly. Then, Zhang Guangyin picked up his phone from the sofa and transferred two hundred yuan to my salary card.
“Changming, we’re all adults now. Old Li’s feudal superstitions are something even kids wouldn’t believe. He’s just kidding. I’ve already given you your bonus. Work hard, and when Old Li comes back, you can go home.” Zhang Guangyin patted my shoulder and said earnestly, “Jobs are hard to find these days. In our town, those of us who work in the courier industry are among the highest paid.”
"I... okay." I hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed.
"Okay, go ahead and get busy. See if there are any more packages to collect." Zhang Guangyin waved his hand, then picked up his phone again and started scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) looking at pretty girls.
When I came out of Zhang Guangyin's office, I was still in a daze. I had originally come to turn down this job, but now I've even received the bonus.
It seems I'll be staying at the courier station for a while. I don't know if Old Man Li was lying or not, but I have indeed seen those unclean things. Last night, I even helped send one away.
I checked my phone; it was already 2:30 PM. I went back to pack my things for the accommodation and also to let my fifth grandfather know.
I went home to get some luggage, and it was already 3:30.
There are two small houses here at the courier station. One is behind the station, near the wall. I heard that the key was lost and it has been abandoned for many years. I have been working at the courier station for so long and I have never seen it opened. I rarely go there. I only know that there is a big brass lock on the door of that small house.
The other one is the room where Old Man Li used to live, in front of the courier station. The only downside is that there is no toilet in the room.
I moved my things inside. The room was simply furnished with a small wooden wardrobe, a desk, and a wooden bed. The only problem was the door, which was made of plywood and covered with posters of supermarket promotions.
The room was very clean, except for a few old clothes belonging to Old Li still hanging in the wardrobe, and Old Li had even taken away the mat from the bed.
I arranged all my personal belongings one by one. Starting today, I will be living in this little house for a while.
I lay on the bed, looking at the cement slab of the roof. To be honest, this was the first time I had ever lived in a flat-roofed house like this. It felt pretty good, at least it wouldn't be so cold in winter. But it was already May, and the weather was very hot. I had only been in there for a short while, and I was already covered in sweat. It seemed like I needed to buy a fan, otherwise I definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because of the heat. I also decided to visit Old Li's house while I was there.
I rode my electric bike to town, bought a small table fan and two pounds of apples, and headed straight to Old Li's house.
I worked at the courier station for two or three years and got to know Old Li fairly well. I knew where he lived, which wasn't far from the town, about six or seven kilometers away. It was on the road leading to the sugar factory. His village was called Xuetang Village. I had been there several times when I replaced Xu Dalong on his route.
About ten minutes later, I arrived at Old Li's house. Like my house, Old Li's house was a small courtyard with several tiled houses inside.
The gate was half open. I knocked on the door and went inside with the apples in my hand.
Old Li was lying in a rocking chair sunbathing when he saw me come in, and he was quite surprised.
"Zuo Changming, I didn't expect you to come to see me." Old Li sat up from his rocking chair and said.
"Hehe, I was just bored and heard you were injured, so I came to check on you." Although that's what I said, I had a reason for coming to see Old Man Li. I wanted to find out if Old Man Li was lying or not.
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