Chapter Thirty-Two: Five Hundred and Forty Thousand

Sixty people is not a particularly large number, but it is certainly not a small one either. The small restaurant was packed to the rafters, especially since the crowd consisted of eighteen and nineteen-year-olds—high school graduates from the same district. It didn't take long for them to find mutual acquaintances, and the room quickly erupted into a lively, boisterous chatter, buzzing like a crowded marketplace.

Among them were not only the young job seekers but also several parents who, worried about their children finding work, had tagged along. They were there partly to ensure the job was legitimate and partly to impart some life lessons, teaching their children that one must understand the ways of the world to get by. "A good job like this was found for you by this 'Brother Zhou,' so you must be sure to thank him properly," they would say. Some even brought along crates of eggs or other farm produce from home.

The kids were not necessarily oblivious to social graces, but they felt such gifts were too meager and embarrassing, fearing they would lose face. The parents, however, insisted that it was the thought that counted.

"But nobody else brought anything!"

"Other people are other people, and you are you. If you show your face more to 'Brother Zhou' and help him out more, he’ll be more willing to value you!" The parents were relentless, pouring their limited worldly wisdom into their children's ears.

Zhou Ziyang had never expected that a simple recruitment drive would result in him being showered with several crates of chicken and duck eggs, not to mention milk and bananas. He felt a mix of amusement and frustration; he wanted to tell the aunts and uncles to take the goods back home for themselves, but the elders were incredibly stubborn, insisting he accept them.

Some of the middle-aged folks from the countryside, not knowing how to address Zhou Ziyang, simply followed the lead of the others and called him "Brother Zhou." This caught Zhou Ziyang off guard, and he quickly waved them off. "Please, Uncle, don't call me that. I'm the same age as your son. Just call me Little Zhou."

Regardless of his protests, they insisted on giving him the gifts. Li Dongfeng and several of Zhou Ziyang's other close friends joined in to persuade him to accept. "Fine then," Zhou Ziyang relented, though he knew he couldn't possibly consume all these eggs, milk, bananas, and apples on his own.

Since the parents had come all this way, Zhou Ziyang didn't skimp on the meal tab. He invited them to eat as well, promising to arrange for a vehicle to take them to the factory afterward so they could see for themselves and set their minds at ease.

"That's too much trouble," the parents said, appearing flustered and grateful. Zhou Ziyang dismissed it as no trouble at all—it was just a matter of sending an extra car. "After you've looked around, I'll have the car bring you back." The elders were even more impressed by his apparent influence, though in reality, Zhou Ziyang only needed to make a single phone call. The factory had requested fifty people, and he had brought eighty; they were more than happy to accommodate him.

The meal was rowdy. Li Dongfeng, who loved the spotlight, stood up as the five or six tables of young people drank and ate to their hearts' content. Glowing with spirit, he slammed his hand on the table. "Brothers! Let me say a few words! Most of you here know me, and we all know how hard it is to find a job. Yet my brother here has found us such a great opportunity. Don't we owe him a thank you?"

"Yes!"

At eighteen or nineteen, everything feels exciting—especially for these kids who, until a few days ago, were likely just idling at home. Now that their "future looked bright," they were naturally jubilant.

"Then shall we toast Brother Zhou?" Li Dongfeng incited.

"Yes! To Brother Zhou!"

With that, everyone knew Zhou Ziyang. Following Li Dongfeng’s lead, his followers mimicked him. They thrived on this sense of camaraderie, and the scene felt like a gathering of heroes from the Water Margin. They stood up one by one, eager to shower Zhou Ziyang with praise. "I’ve never admired anyone in my life, but for Brother Zhou, I’m truly convinced!"

"Come, Brother Zhou, I toast you!"

Zhou Ziyang thought to himself that he was just trying to be a labor contractor to earn some pocket money—how had things escalated to the point of being "crowned in a yellow robe"? But given their high spirits, he could only drink a couple of rounds. Seeing others lining up to toast him, he stood up and said, "Alright, let's skip the rest of the drinks. We still have to head to the factory this afternoon."

He gave a brief speech, emphasizing that while the factory wages were indeed high, he hoped everyone would work diligently and try to avoid unnecessary conflicts. "Since I introduced you all, we are brothers, and we should look out for one another. If you face any grievances or unfair treatment, come to me, and I will help you resolve it. I just want you all to work hard."

He didn't use any particularly inflammatory rhetoric, but they all nodded with flushed faces. Li Dongfeng, straining his neck, shouted, "Don't worry, Brother Zhou! I'm watching over them. You found us such a good job; if anyone doesn't behave or is ungrateful, don't blame me, Li Dongfeng, for turning against them!"

"Right! We won't stand for it!"

Li Dongfeng was the sturdiest of the bunch, a natural-born brawler. With over a dozen close friends around him, he had already aligned himself with Zhou Ziyang out of gratitude. Seeing this, Zhou Ziyang finally felt at ease.

At one o'clock, two minibuses arrived from the factory to collect everyone. Li Jianhong, hearing that Zhou Ziyang had brought another fifty temporary workers—bringing the total to eighty—was grinning from ear to ear and waited at the factory gate personally.

Zhou Ziyang let Li Dongfeng arrange the newcomers' accommodations before exchanging pleasantries with Li Jianhong. He expressed a bit of concern, noting that while they had discussed fifty, bringing eighty might be a bit much.

"Not at all, not at all! I only wish for more!" Boss Li smiled brighter than the sun. He had tried to look into Zhou Ziyang's background the previous day but couldn't find anything, as Zhou Ziyang appeared to be an ordinary person. He had heard whispers from the previous group that Zhou Ziyang was the child of a high-ranking official, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Zhou Ziyang could provide a steady stream of workers.

"There's no such thing as too many workers in an electronics factory," Li Jianhong said, patting Zhou Ziyang on the shoulder. "If you run out of room at my factory, there are other plants in Jinling and Kunshan! Just keep sending them my way, brother—I'll take as many as you can provide."

Zhou Ziyang nodded and agreed that he would send another batch after the college entrance exams. "However, I would like you to pay me the first month's wages in advance so I can make the necessary preparations."

"That's a small matter." Li Jianhong, feeling triumphant at the prospect of a steady labor supply, waved his hand and settled the payment for the entire month on the spot. Calculating based on an eight-hour day plus overtime, the total came to 537,600 yuan. "You've worked hard for our factory, Brother Zhou. Let me round it up to 540,000. I'll have the finance department wire it to your card this afternoon."

Zhou Ziyang nodded. "Alright. I'm going to check on the dormitories."

"Go, go! I'll handle the arrangements tonight."

Zhou Ziyang declined the offer of a dinner hosted by Li Jianhong. After checking on the dorms, he distributed the milk and fruit provided by the parents to the workers, and gave the eggs to Li Jianhong, telling him to have the kitchen scramble them for the staff. Li Jianhong was delighted, saying these were high-quality farm eggs that were hard to find in the market. Zhou Ziyang just told him to keep them. "Then I thank you, brother!" Li Jianhong grinned.

By three in the afternoon, after the first class had finished, Zhou Ziyang finally returned to the classroom. He hadn't shown his face at school since the exam results were released. His sudden appearance surprised many of his classmates, with some calling out, "Zhou Ziyang is back?"

Over the past two days, Xia Wei had found herself frequently glancing at Zhou Ziyang's empty seat, feeling a strange sense of loss. Now, looking up to see him walking in, their eyes met. Xia Wei smiled unexpectedly, then lowered her head, looking shy.

Unfortunately, Zhou Ziyang had no interest in playing these games of teenage romance; he was still wondering when the 540,000 yuan would hit his account. With a blank expression, he sat back down at his desk. Soon, a classmate leaned over to talk to him. "Zhou Ziyang, where have you been these past two days?"

"Zhou Ziyang, did you know you got the top score in the whole school?"

Hearing this, others nearby couldn't help but chuckle. "How could Zhou Ziyang not know?"