Linxia

Chapter 42, Slap in the Face

Leave Xuan Mo Zhai.

Fang Lin looked up. It was a sunny day today. There was not a cloud in the blue sky, just like his clear mood at the moment. Recalling his persistence over the past ten days until he rescued Manager Liu this morning, his expression remained calm, but his heart was slightly excited.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch, and opportunities are hard to come by. However, careful observation, adequate preparation, and perseverance can increase the probability tenfold or a hundredfold!" he thought to himself.

Instead of going back, he started looking for a house in the city.

The shantytown where the people of Xiaohe Village settled was free only for this month. If they continued to live there, they would have to pay. Although it was cheap, Fang Lin did not plan to let his family live here any longer.

After all, there is still more than half a month left and most of the villagers will be leaving. Without mutual support, the environment here is chaotic and it will not be that safe.

He didn't look for any real estate agents. He just looked for houses on his own, just like looking for a job. He asked where there were houses for rent, and then went to the door to check the location, the price, the surrounding security, and whether the neighbors were friendly...

This is certainly not something that can be completed in half a day, and today we are just collecting information.

In the evening, Fang Lin returned to the shantytown and happened to run into the Geng couple. He told them the good news that he had found a job, and Geng Shi invited them to the dinner that had been arranged long ago.

Originally, Su Xiaoqing was asked to go as well, but she refused: "You men are having a meal, why should I interfere? I'm going to go back first, Linzi, you two can eat in peace, and you don't have to worry about your family. I'm going to bring a message to your mother, saying that she doesn't have to cook for you tonight."

Geng Shi's wife left first, and the two of them were left chatting. Fang Lin mentioned his plan to rent a house.

"I was also chosen by the manager and became a formal clerk. Xiaoqing and I discussed that we should stay in the capital and not go back for the time being. So my family also needs to rent a house. Linzi, let's find one together after we get off work early tomorrow. Then we can live closer and take care of each other."

Geng Shi talked about whether the villagers would stay or go. "Fu Hong has a job at the pawnshop, so he will definitely stay. Song Kai, Bai Bao, Zheng Yu and others had to take a small road and were robbed. Now they dare not go back. I heard they will stay too. Xiao Qiaocunzheng and others have been working at the dock these two days, so they will definitely go back. As for the You family, we don't know yet..."

As we were talking, we arrived at the entrance of the shanty town and had dinner at this tavern.

As usual, Song Kai, Bai Bao, and Zheng Yu were here together. Coincidentally, Fu Hong and You Chaodong were also here today, but the latter two sat at their own table.

Fang Lin and Geng Shi found another table and sat down.

Song Kai and his gang worked as porters at the dock. They were exhausted at the end of the day and had no strength left in their bodies. On the other hand, they were filled with resentment. When they saw Fang Lin and Geng Shi coming, they naturally refused to let them go and started making fun of them.

"Hey, Linzi, Shitou, you guys are coming to eat too? Why are you so generous today? Have you found a job?"

"That's right. I see you two have been leaving early and coming back late recently. Have you found a good job in the city? How much money can you make in a day? Tell us so that we can open our eyes!"

Song Kai and Bai Bao said this, but in their hearts they didn't believe that Fang Lin and Geng Shi could really find any good jobs - Fu Hong was lucky enough to have caught a dead mouse, but could such a thing happen every day?

"How do you know I found a job at the grain store? I was a part-time worker before, but it just happened that I got a permanent job today."

Geng Shi kept the news to himself and waited for Fang Lin to come along. At this moment, he raised his eyebrows and slapped Fang Lin in the face: "Money? Not much, only 6.5 cents a day."

Song Kai and Bai Bao were originally teasing and ridiculing him, but they didn't expect that Geng Shi really found it. Immediately, the expressions on their faces looked as if they had eaten shit.

They also didn't think that Geng Shi was lying. He couldn't lie about this kind of thing. If he was exposed, he would be the only one who would be embarrassed. Besides, everyone in the village knew that the Geng family was frugal, and the fact that they could come to a restaurant to celebrate today was an indirect confirmation of this.

At this time, Geng Shi said again: "Hey, who am I? Linzi's job is better!"

Fang Lin glanced at Geng Shi. He didn't expect that the usually honest Geng Shi could also be a bit sinister. Could it be because of the influence of his wife?
Obviously, Geng Shi just said that he was just laying the groundwork, and now passing the conversation to him is just a starting point. Is he trying to vent his anger on him?

Fang Lin didn't care, but at this moment, he would not reject the other party's kindness.

Moreover, Song Kai and his gang had been annoying him time and again, and he hoped that they would be slapped into compliance this time, so he said, "I found a job in a bookstore, earning three taels of silver a month."

"How could it be? Aren't you helping for nothing? I asked around, and people are laughing at you and calling you a fool behind your back!" Song Kai blurted out. He passed by a few days ago and saw Fang Lin at Xuan Mo Zhai. He thought Fang Lin had found a job there, so he hurried over to ask around, only to find out that he was working for nothing. He sneered at the time: "If being shameless like this can help you find a good job, then anyone can do it."

——This was also the reason why I asked on purpose before. I was just waiting for an opportunity to expose it and mock Fang Lin. I didn’t expect that he would really be hired.

Fang Lin glanced at Song Kai and naturally understood his thoughts. He stabbed him again: "Lucky, the shopkeeper was strolling this morning and met a mad dog. I saved him."

"Fuck! Is this even possible?"

At this moment, Song Kai and his gang all had such thoughts in their minds. After being shocked and speechless, they were extremely envious. Three taels, that is three taels of silver. On average, it is twice their daily wages, and it is so much easier.

Their faces twitched and their expressions were different, but they all looked equally ugly.

"Waiter, give me two more bowls of old yellow wine!" Song Kai's anger could no longer be suppressed and he needed to vent it urgently. Instead of hitting Fang Lin and Geng Shi, he felt stabbed in the heart.

"Give me a bowl of Shaodaozi too." Bai Bao followed.

Zheng Yu calmed down a little, glanced at the two of them, and ordered a bowl of wine as well.

"Linzi, congratulations!" Fu Hong came over with a bowl of rice and said with a smile.

This is a different time. I had distanced myself from Fang Lin and Geng Shi before because I felt that I would not be able to ask for help from them in the future. But now, since we are people of the same status, it is natural for me to get closer to them.

Fang Lin's face was calm, and he treated Fu Hong as an ordinary villager. Geng Shi felt that Fu Hong was shameless and looked down on him, but he didn't say anything unpleasant, just a little cold.

There was a quartet of job seekers, and there was also a You Chaodong at the scene. He looked at Fang Lin, Geng Shi, and Fu Hong who were sitting at the table, and witnessed them finding decent jobs in street shops one after another. Regret gnawed at his heart.

He couldn't help but wonder, if he hadn't left, would he have found a good job? To this, he gave a positive answer. There was no reason why Fang Linxing, Geng Shixing, and Fu Hongxing couldn't do it, but he couldn't!

You Chaodong had extremely complicated feelings, so he didn't move forward and just turned and left.

When Fang Lin and the other two finished their meal, paid the bill and prepared to leave, Song Kai and his gang were already a little tipsy. Under the influence of alcohol, they cursed and expressed their true feelings.

"This damn world, good jobs are like cabbages, all eaten by pigs!"

"That's right, I...how am I not as good as them? It's just that we all got lucky."

"Yes, let's look for it together tomorrow."

……

Fang Lin paused and glanced at them. His expression remained calm. There was no anger in his heart, only thought.

'People like Song Kai and Bai Bao have no background resources, and they are too impatient to prepare and collect information. They can't even hold their heads down. They just dream every day, hoping that pie will fall on their heads. If it doesn't, they will just complain about the world. Such people deserve to fall into the quagmire of the bottom and never be able to turn over in their lifetime! '

But the reality is that it is people like this who make up the majority of society.

"You..." Geng Shi wanted to say something.

"What's there to argue with someone like this?"

Fang Lin grabbed him, turned and left without even looking at him again.

……

(End of this chapter)