Chen Jian hadn’t been to the old town for a long time. The last time was a month ago when he came with Tang Rui to pick up parts. He just got out of the car, moved the parts, and then got back in and left.
Today, they needed to go to the cleaning company, which meant driving through the busiest street in the old town. Chen Jian kept looking out the car window at the people and cars coming and going, occasionally glancing at his phone’s navigation.
“Turn right at the next intersection and drive straight to the end, that’s where it is,” he said.
“Okay,” Shan Yu responded, “I’ll have lunch with your Rui-ge here today. Do you have any recommended restaurants?”
“There’s a hotpot place we always go to,” Chen Jian said. “Can you eat hotpot?”
“My leg doesn’t affect my eating,” Shan Yu replied.
“Then let’s go there,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “Or if you want Western food…”
“You’re taking Tang Rui to eat Western food, what are you thinking?” Shan Yu said. “Let’s go with his preference.”
“Oh,” Chen Jian nodded.
Upon arriving at the cleaning company, Chen Jian got out to fill out a form.
“Have your driver bring the items down first,” the cleaning company staff said, looking at Shan Yu in the car. “He’s still lying there.”
“I’ll get them,” Chen Jian glanced at the car too. Shan Yu had already moved the car seat back, reclined the backrest, and propped his leg on the steering wheel. “Our driver injured his leg.”
“Just put them all on that flat cart,” the person said.
Chen Jian opened the car door and dragged the bundled items out one by one, tossing them onto the flat cart.
“Need help?” Shan Yu asked.
“Just cheer me on,” Chen Jian said.
“Go, Manager Chen,” Shan Yu said.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many items, and the car was quickly emptied.
Chen Jian waited for the staff to count the items and issue the bill. Shan Yu looked at the street ahead, a very simple ancient town, more charming than a man-made one…
Although the tourist facilities weren’t as good as the smaller town, the old town had a much richer atmosphere and a strong sense of everyday life.
A middle-aged man walked quickly across the road. Shan Yu hadn’t noticed him at first, but he kept staring over here, his expression clearly not that of a passerby.
Shan Yu narrowed his eyes, watching the man. He seemed to know Chen Jian, but their relationship probably wasn’t good, because the man’s face had been unpleasant ever since he crossed the street.
Shan Yu turned to glance at Chen Jian.
“Alright, we can go…” Chen Jian took the bill, then turned to open the car door.
“Chen Jian!” the man called out.
Chen Jian didn’t even turn his head to see who it was. Just hearing the voice, his expression stiffened for a moment. Then he closed the car door again: “Wait for me.”
“Mm,” Shan Yu responded.
Chen Jian walked towards the man, not letting him get close to the car.
The two stood talking by the sidewalk, mainly the man speaking, while Chen Jian only nodded occasionally. The man seemed very angry, but Chen Jian appeared very calm.
Shan Yu bent one leg, propping his elbow, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel.
By the two hundred thirty-fifth tap, Chen Jian bowed slightly to the man. The man, with an annoyed look, swept his gaze towards the car and continued walking forward.
Chen Jian puffed out his cheeks and exhaled forcefully. He walked back to the car, glanced again in the direction the man had walked, then opened the car door and got in.
“Let’s go,” he pulled on his seatbelt. “To see the car. Rui-ge is already there. I’ll give you directions.”
“A creditor?” Shan Yu didn’t rush to start the car, asking slowly.
Chen Jian was silent for two seconds before nodding.
“How much do you still owe him?” Shan Yu asked.
“…Less than fifty thousand, almost there,” Chen Jian said. “He was the one we owed the most to before.”
“And you were the most active in paying him back, right?” Shan Yu said. “Why is he still so angry?”
“We couldn’t pay him back when he needed the money most,” Chen Jian sighed softly.
“Where does your dad work?” Shan Yu slowly pulled his leg back, adjusting the car seat.
“Sometimes in the city,” Chen Jian said. “Sometimes out of town, wherever there’s work.”
“Why don’t you leave? You’re not the main debtor. Your home’s gone. Why stay here and take the heat?” Shan Yu didn’t beat around the bush at all; sometimes he preferred to speak directly.
Chen Jian turned to look at him, likely displeased by his assessment of his father.
But Chen Jian was very patient and didn’t show it obviously.
Only after a while did he say, “If everyone left, people would think we ran away and didn’t want to pay back the money.”
“Got it,” Shan Yu nodded, starting the car.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Jian hesitated for a moment. The car had already driven two hundred meters when he spoke again, “Go straight at the next intersection.”
“Giving directions now requires an address,” Shan Yu chuckled. “Just say what you want to say.”
“Nothing,” Chen Jian said.
“You’re unhappy that I asked about your family, aren’t you?” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian remained silent.
Shan Yu made a ‘tsk’ sound.
The car passed the intersection. Chen Jian pointed, “Turn at that blue sign.”
“Mm,” Shan Yu glanced sideways. Chen Jian was resolutely looking straight ahead. He sighed, “Exchange. Ask whatever you want. Don’t make it seem like I’m the only one who’s nosy. You’ve always wanted to ask, haven’t you? Ask away.”
“Have you been to jail?” Chen Jian didn’t hesitate for a second.
“Damn it,” Shan Yu couldn’t help but curse.
He really knew how to ask.
Chen Jian glanced at him, then turned his head back to look ahead.
“Yes,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian, who had turned his head away, turned it back again: “Really?”
“Don’t believe it if it’s fake,” Shan Yu said.
“Why did you go to jail?” Chen Jian asked again.
“You think I’m just going to spill all my explosive gossip like that?” Shan Yu said. “Save it up and we can exchange later.”
Chen Jian stared at him for two more seconds before turning his head away again: “I don’t have anything else to ask, I just always suspected and wanted to confirm it.”
“Was it that obvious?” Shan Yu said.
“If there was a protagonist like you in a novel I was reading,” Chen Jian said, “I’d figure it out by the third chapter.”
Shan Yu leaned his head back and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Watch the road, the car’s swerving!” Chen Jian reminded him. “Your leg was actually injured in a car accident, wasn’t it!”
Shan Yu’s laughter, which had just stopped, resumed.
There were a few used car dealerships in the small town, all very small scale. The one Tang Rui knew was small even among the small ones. Its strength lay in being a friend of many years, making it reliable and ensuring they wouldn’t buy a severely damaged accident car.
The car lot was on the edge of town, with seven or eight cars parked in a small parking lot, and one being refurbished.
When Shan Yu drove into the parking lot, Tang Rui was standing in front of a commercial van, talking to the boss.
Seeing them approach, Tang Rui waved and walked over, whispering, “It’s a car that was just fixed up. I looked at it and felt it was good, no accidents. It’s a 2.0, with independent front and rear suspension, comfortable to drive. Take a look, it’s a little over forty thousand. If you want it, we can talk about lowering the price a bit more.”
Chen Jian didn’t understand cars, only knowing it was a black Mazda commercial van that looked very new on the surface. He glanced at Shan Yu.
Shan Yu probably didn’t know much either, because he simply glanced at the car’s exterior, then nodded, “If Rui-ge says it’s good, then it’s good.”
“You should take a look too,” Tang Rui said.
“I don’t understand cars,” Shan Yu said. “I trust you. I trust Chen Jian’s friends.”
Tang Rui looked at him, paused for two seconds, then nodded firmly, “Alright, since you put it that way…”
Tang Rui turned and went back with the boss, resuming their meticulous inspection of the car. They opened the hood, peered underneath from the side, and the boss went through the car’s checklist item by item with him.
“You really don’t understand, do you?” Chen Jian whispered.
“Really don’t. Only know how to change a tire and open the fuel tank cap,” Shan Yu said.
“If we hadn’t found Rui-ge, how would you have bought this car?” Chen Jian asked.
“Buy a new one,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian glanced at him: “I thought you really had no budget.”
“A new minivan is about the same price as this car,” Shan Yu said.
“…A minivan,” Chen Jian laughed.
“Otherwise?” Shan Yu said. “With this budget, a new one could only be a minivan.”
“What kind of car did you… use to drive?” Chen Jian asked.
“A Bentley,” Shan Yu said.
“Holy cow,” Chen Jian couldn’t help but exclaim. “Where’s the car?”
“Company car. It’s gone now,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian thought about what Liu Wu had said. He figured the company was gone, and so were its assets. He wondered if it was related to Shan Yu’s time in prison.
Compared to that, Shan Yu was truly miserable. He used to drive a Bentley, and now he could only afford a used commercial van.
With Tang Rui’s full assistance, the car passed inspection without issue, and the price was lowered a bit more.
Shan Yu took his card and went with the boss to pay and complete the paperwork. Tang Rui leaned against his minivan and lit a cigarette: “This car is really good. If I hadn’t said anything beforehand, it probably would have been bought already.”
“Thank you, Rui-ge,” Chen Jian said.
“Thank for what?” Tang Rui said. “This guy, even though he looks… but he seems like a capable boss, better than Qian Yu. If he really can make it work at the haunted house, your job will be more stable.”
“Yeah,” Chen Jian nodded. “I might become a manager.”
“What?” Tang Rui was surprised, dropping his cigarette on the ground. He picked it up while confirming again, “Manager? Like a general manager?”
“Not as impressive as a general manager,” Chen Jian smiled.
“That’s still impressive, you’re still the head of this place,” Tang Rui was very happy, patting him on the shoulder repeatedly. “I’ve always said, you’re a very capable kid. If it weren’t for family matters… I’ll have to call your sister-in-law later and tell her…”
Here, besides Xiao Dou’er’s grandparents, the only people Chen Jian could share these things with were Tang Rui and Chen Xiaohu, the couple. Seeing Tang Rui so happy now, he also felt an indescribable sense of comfort.
“Have you told your dad?” Tang Rui asked.
“…No,” Chen Jian said. “I just found out about this.”
“You haven’t contacted him recently, have you?” Tang Rui looked at him.
“Mm,” Chen Jian responded, “Nothing important, so I haven’t contacted him much.”
“Remember to tell him about this. Your dad doesn’t talk much, and you don’t necessarily need to chat about anything, just contact him. It’ll be a comfort for him out there,” Tang Rui said.
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“But… Little Pan said those guys like Erhu also went to work at your place?” Tang Rui was a bit uneasy. “What’s this Boss Shana thinking?”
He’s doing charity work.
He’s putting Chen Erhu’s protection racket business into practice.
“He’s quite capable,” Chen Jian said. “Making them work and earn wages is better than having these guys harass people every day.”
“He’ll have to keep them in line,” Tang Rui nodded.
Currently, it’s mainly relying on bluffing.
For lunch, Shan Yu was planning to treat Tang Rui, but Tang Rui had to accompany Chen Xiaohu to buy a birthday gift for her mother. Shan Yu suggested inviting Chen Xiaohu along, but Tang Rui refused, declining for a long time before jumping into their minivan and leaving.
“Your Rui-ge is a good person,” Shan Yu said.
“Yeah,” Chen Jian smiled. “He’s very genuine.”
“So that three-pronged nail probably wasn’t thrown by him,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian paused for almost five seconds before realizing what Shan Yu was talking about. He said with some emotion, “You actually still remember that?”
“Mm,” Shan Yu got into the car. “That was my first impression of this place.”
“That…” Chen Jian also got in the car. “It might have been thrown by Little Pan, but that thing wasn’t for damaging cars to get them repaired. He sometimes hangs out with Chen Erhu, so that might have been left there before to block someone’s way and cause trouble.”
“Just one nail,” Shan Yu said. “How unlucky would the person encountering trouble have to be to hit it?”
“What’s wrong with you?” Chen Jian laughed. “It must have been leftover after they caused trouble and didn’t clean up properly.”
“So Chen Erhu is actually on the moral high ground among thugs, even responsible for cleaning up afterwards?” Shan Yu said.
“He’s not much of a serious thug,” Chen Jian said. “His brother is the real thug, very annoying. Chen Erhu himself tries to avoid his brother, and it seems Qian Yu also has some conflict with him.”
“Chen Dahu?” Shan Yu asked.
“Mm,” Chen Jian glanced at him. “You know?”
“Just guessing. After all, Chen Erhu is actually a real name,” Shan Yu said.
“His brother’s real name is Chen Dahu,” Chen Jian nodded.
“So is San Bing named Chen San Bing? What about Laosi and Laowu? Why aren’t they called Si Tiao or Wu Wan?” Shan Yu greeted the boss and drove the car out of the parking lot.
“San Bing was Chen Erhu’s first subordinate, so he was given a more formal name,” Chen Jian said. “I’m not sure about the others, they probably ran out of names and just went with the sequence.”
“What a mind,” Shan Yu said.
“Smooth, after all,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu was a very realistic boss. Since Tang Rui didn’t eat with them, he and his manager also didn’t have hotpot. They just ate a bowl of lamb noodle soup at a small roadside shop.
“You… why?” Chen Jian couldn’t quite understand.
“What’s the point of two people eating hotpot? Can we finish it?” Shan Yu said.
“I mean, why lamb noodle soup again?” Chen Jian had ordered beef noodles.
“To see if it still smells gamey,” Shan Yu said.
“It’s not the same shop,” Chen Jian said.
“If it were the same shop, I wouldn’t eat it,” Shan Yu picked up a noodle with chopsticks and sniffed it. “This one’s alright, not too strong a smell.”
“Is it good?” Chen Jian asked.
“It’s okay,” Shan Yu lowered his head and began to eat his noodles seriously, not speaking.
Chen Jian also didn’t speak further, eating his noodles diligently. Perhaps because he was fully focused, he found the beef noodles from this shop very fragrant.
“Do you want to buy some daily necessities or anything?” Chen Jian asked. “There’s a bigger supermarket over there, with more selection than the one in the small town.”
“No need,” Shan Yu said. “What I have at the B&B is enough.”
“Oh,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Do you want to browse? I’ll go with you if you want to browse,” Shan Yu said.
“…I have enough things,” Chen Jian said.
“Let’s buy a few cups of milk tea to take back,” Shan Yu said. “There aren’t any good milk teas in the small town.”
Chen Jian paused: “Okay.”
It took about two hours to drive back from the old town. They bought iced milk tea, packed it in an insulated bag, and even had the staff scoop a pile of ice into the bag.
“Why did you think of buying these?” Chen Jian asked.
“These were bought by the manager. The new manager is treating everyone to milk tea,” Shan Yu said.
“…Oh,” Chen Jian responded.
Returning to the small town felt like coming home after a fun trip, leaving a lingering desire for more. There wasn’t much to do in the old town, but Chen Jian somewhat regretted not having browsed the supermarket.
The car drove into the courtyard of Zhenxi Inn. Chen Erhu, who was sitting in the courtyard, immediately stood up, seemingly having waited for a long time.
“You really bought it back?” Chen Erhu touched the car with surprise. “This car is pretty good.”
“Go take it for a spin,” Shan Yu tossed him the car keys.
“Okay, then I’ll…” Chen Erhu stopped mid-sentence, pointing inside the house, “A woman came, looking for work.”
“Did we post job openings?” Shan Yu asked, a little surprised.
“No,” Chen Jian saw a shared bicycle leaning against the courtyard wall. This kind of bike wasn’t available in the small town or even the old town; only in the city. Who rode it here?
“No need for special recruitment. We’re a small place. News about our opening will spread within two days,” Chen Erhu said. “Then, I’ll… go test the car?”
“Go ahead,” Shan Yu entered the house.
Zhao Fangfang was mopping the floor in the dining area. San Bing was helping her wipe water behind the bar. Seeing Shan Yu enter, he quickly pointed to the sofa, “That’s… the applicant.”
Chen Jian followed his gaze and saw a girl leaning back on the sofa, very relaxed, almost to the point of being audacious.
She had dreadlocks, heavy eyeliner, a loose oversized T-shirt, and baggy cargo pants, with a full sleeve tattoo and many chains on her hands.
Shan Yu glanced at her, then turned to San Bing, “Whose shared bicycle is that in the courtyard?”
“Mine,” the girl stood up.
“You rode it here?” Shan Yu asked.
“Mm,” the girl nodded. “Do you need people? I’m applying for front desk, or anything else is fine, like a waitress.”
“How old are you?” Shan Yu asked.
“Nineteen,” the girl said.
“Do you have work experience?” Shan Yu asked again.
“Worked as a supermarket cashier for half a year,” the girl said.
“Talk to the manager,” Shan Yu pointed back at Chen Jian and walked towards the elevator.
“Wh-…” Chen Jian was stunned.
No way! Boss!
It’s even more similar now!
Is he really going to start a charity for delinquent youth?
