Chapter 43: Year-End Approaches

With a horrified look on Du Dandan’s face, Li Dao and his men treated their heads as if they weren’t precious, smashing bottles onto their skulls one after another as if it didn’t hurt.

The clattering sounds never ceased, and bright red blood ran down their skin onto the floor.

Du Dandan finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Enough, get out!”

Li Dao and the others acted as if they had just been spared the death penalty. They scrambled and crawled toward the exit, terrified that if they hesitated, Du Dandan might change her mind.

Yang Qianli blocked their way. Amid their startled looks, he counted out a few hundred yuan from his bag, tossed it on the ground, and pointed to his head.

Li Dao and the others were surprised. But they kowtowed slightly as they picked up the bills, and exaggeratedly hurried out the door.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Yang Qianli looked at the young men who had been beaten and asked softly.

“No, we’re fine.” Lou Wang and the others shook their heads. They were seasoned ruffians. They were injured alright, but these were not severe injuries.

“Ms. Du, Brother Nan has a message for you,” Yang Qianli said to Du Dandan with a peculiar expression.

“Huh?”

Du Dandan looked somewhat puzzled.

Yang Qianli cleared his throat and imitated Su Pingnan’s habitual deep voice: “Tell that little girl, if she wants to call me bro, just call me bro. Don’t add the words ‘bad guy’.”

……

As the weather grew colder, the New Year atmosphere intensified. In this era, travel wasn’t as convenient as in later times, so most people would return home a few days early for the festive season.

Ertai Town was small, so although Ertai Station was a minor stop, stationmaster Li Yuanguang was still considered a person of note locally.

During the New Year holidays, he usually took his family early to their elderly mother’s home far away in Wucheng for a few days. This year was different. As the family stepped out with packed bags, they saw Li Zhiyu from the freight yard, and behind him was a neatly dressed, capable young man.

“Stationmaster Li, this is Manager Su from Jinxiu Foods,” Li Zhiyu introduced.

Li Yuanguang knew Jinxiu Foods. Recently, Li Zhiyu had been coming to his house a lot arranging transport for the company, and he heard the big boss was from Wucheng and very well-connected.

Manager Su handed him a business card with both hands. Li Yuanguang took it and looked it over.

Su Wenwen, Manager at Jinxiu Foods Co., Ltd.

On the back was a line: “Don’t waste your youth in idleness.”

This was copied from Su Pingnan’s—Su Pingnan’s card only had his phone number and that line on the back. Su Wenwen and his colleagues thought it was so flashy they all imitated it, so now many of Jinxiu’s executives had that phrase on their cards.

“Manager Su, you’re quite accomplished at a young age—do you need something from me?”

Li Yuanguang looked at the young Su Wenwen and spoke genuinely.

Su Wenwen smiled and said, “Stationmaster Li, you’re busy and Jinxiu Group can’t do much for you, but Li Zhiyu said you’d be heading to Wucheng and we can be of some help there, so I came to say hello.” With that he waved his hand, and a brand-new black SUV immediately drove over and stopped. A tall, slim young man got out.

Su Wenwen continued, “Stationmaster Li, this car was dispatched by our boss as soon as he learned that travelling can be a bit difficult for you. The driver is called Xiao Wu.”

Before Li Yuanguang could respond, the driver, Xiao Wu, smiled at him and stood obediently behind him.

“Just tell him if you need anything. Once in Wucheng, Mr. Su has also arranged a gift for your elderly mother—Xiao Wu knows the place and will take care of it.”

Su Wenwen handed Xiao Wu a gold card marked Jinxiu Pavilion 003.

“Your family is large, Stationmaster Li. I’ll leave my Jinxiu Pavilion card with Xiao Wu—if you’re holding any banquet or gathering, just tell him.”

Drawing the line too clearly would hurt the other party. Li Yuanguang was well-versed in social give-and-take and Li Zhiyu had been kind to him many times too. So he didn’t try to refuse the offer and accepted it after making some polite remarks with a smile.

The car ride was smooth and the driver said little. Li Yuanguang listened to music, looked at his lively daughter and the trunk full of mountain goods. He nodded to himself—seemed next year he’d have to give more empty capacity to Jinxiu for transport, since they had been so considerate and valued him so much.

As the car neared Wucheng, Li Yuanguang spotted another SUV of the same model waiting from a distance. Xiao Wu got out and loaded several boxes of Moutai and Zhonghua cigarettes into the car.

Xiao Wu wiped his sweat and said, “Stationmaster Li, Mr. Su said that with the New Year you’ll inevitably have social obligations. You don’t lack mountain goods, but tobacco and liquor are harder to get in Wucheng now, so he had us reserve some for you.”

Once in Wucheng, Xiao Wu helped carry the items upstairs. As he left he smiled and said, “Stationmaster Li, the car will be parked here during this time—just call out when you need one.”

Li Yuanguang was only a small-town stationmaster and felt a bit embarrassed by such high-level treatment, but his wife was delighted, feeling they’d earned face in front of her husband’s large family, and she readily accepted.

At home Li Yuanguang was the second son. The eldest, Li Yuanjie, was a minor section chief at the city’s agricultural bureau with some authority, and usually the eldest arranged the New Year gathering. Seeing Li Yuanguang so hospitably treated today made him feel a bit embarrassed. Though he couldn’t show it, his expression soured.

“Second brother, who are your friends? What a grand gesture!” the youngest brother, Li Yuanji, said as he flipped through the Moutai and cigarettes.

“Just ordinary friends, just ordinary friends, they’re just a little enthusiastic,” Li Yuanguang said with a grin, but inwardly he wondered whether, after the New Year, he should let Li Zhiyu take on more of the transport burden.