Chapter Nine: A Favor

After returning to the small county town in his previous life, Zhou Ziyang was assigned to work at the Enterprise Service Center. As the name suggests, this department was responsible for bridging the district with businesses, providing one-stop services—from investment promotion, site selection, licensing, factory construction, to recruitment—being involved every step of the way.

Investors from out of town would reach agreements with the main leaders, and once the projects were established, personnel like Zhou Ziyang were needed to guide them through the process. The bosses valued harmony as the foundation of wealth, so naturally, they treated these young employees—whose wages were modest but whose jobs were respectable—with courtesy.

Since these bosses were all outsiders—wealthy yet unfamiliar with the local scene—they relied heavily on people like Zhou Ziyang for support. Zhou, being an unofficial second-generation local, naturally earned their trust and affection. No matter where they dined or drank, Zhou was always invited along. Amid the revelry, they'd praise him as a talent.

Working at the Enterprise Service Center was truly beneath his capabilities. “How about this, Ziyang? Work with me, and I’ll pay you twenty thousand a month!” Such flattering words were only heard at the banquet table. After all, Zhou Ziyang had spent a few years in a big city after graduation; he knew his worth. Besides, since returning home, Zhou found that although his salary was only three thousand, it was far less stressful than the ten thousand he earned elsewhere.

Outside, making ten thousand a month meant being a servant to others. At home, three thousand meant dignity. These bosses, with assets ranging from tens of millions to billions, all greeted Zhou with a warm smile.

He recalled a younger cousin who had a low education level and was unemployed. When the cousin’s parents learned of Zhou’s position at the Enterprise Service Center, they brought fruits and milk and came to visit, wearing pitying expressions, begging him to help their son. Honestly, Zhou didn’t want to get involved in such matters. But after their repeated visits, he casually mentioned the matter during a dinner with a major boss, saying he had a friend with little education and wondered if he could get a light job at the factory. Without hesitation, the boss handed him a WeChat contact and told him to get in touch directly. Zhou, unwilling to meddle further, passed the contact to his relatives.

Who could have expected that the very next day, Zhou would receive their heartfelt thanks—his cousin had already been hired! Zhou’s mother was even more delighted, praising him as a blossoming talent, capable and mature.

In truth, there were always vacancies on the assembly line. Later, as Zhou assisted foreign investors with factory construction and recruitment, he became more acquainted with the labor side of things. He once wondered why temporary workers earned as little as nine yuan per hour. After digging deeper, he found it was all due to multiple layers of outsourcing. The factory paid agencies 25 yuan per hour to recruit workers; the agencies then passed tasks to foremen at 17 to 20 yuan per hour; foremen further delegated to sales agents at 12 to 16 yuan per hour. How much the sales agents paid the temporary workers depended entirely on their own negotiation skills.

Typically, having three to five workers meant bargaining with sales agents for a few extra yuan. If there were thirty to fifty workers, the negotiation would be with the agencies. For more than fifty, one could deal directly with the factory manager about employment terms.

At dinner that evening, Zhou looked around at the unemployed youth—all eager for work, numbering at least eight or nine. It was graduation season; at least a third of the county’s high school students didn’t continue to college. Most were senior students. Honestly, the promise of high-paying work spread quickly, and it wouldn’t be hard to find fifty eager workers. Then Zhou could call the factory directly to negotiate terms.

Instead of having Li Dongfeng toil in another city for a mere two thousand yuan, it would be better to find a local factory job. Even at twenty yuan an hour, working ten hours a day would bring six thousand a month—much better than being deceived far from home.

That night, Zhou attended Li Dongfeng’s farewell party, originally intending to discuss this matter with him. But as the dinner grew lively, Zhou said nothing. People never believe they are being cheated until they suffer real loss.

Zhou could have persuaded Li Dongfeng to stay, work steadily with him, and earn six thousand a month. But then Li Dongfeng would always wonder: if I hadn’t stayed with Zhou, maybe I’d be making eight thousand a month now, living the high life.

Even if Li Dongfeng didn’t think that way, his friends would say, “Dong, we almost went south to live the good life! And because of your few words, you stayed here doing this kind of work?”

Assembly line jobs were never easy; six thousand a month was decent but came with hardship. It was better to let them take their chances down south, suffer once, and then return, having learned their lesson.

When Li Caiyu heard Zhou knew people and was willing to help Li Dongfeng find work, she was overjoyed. At first glance, she felt Zhou was different from others but had no idea he was this capable. She quickly said, “If that’s true, Dongfeng shouldn’t go out. He should stay with you and work steadily. No matter how much you earn outside, it’s no comfort compared to being home.”

Zhou replied, “Still better to go out and see the world.”

“Actually, the job I found isn’t anything special—just temporary work at a factory. Because I know people, the pay might be a bit higher. Normally, seventeen or eighteen yuan an hour is achievable.”

Zhou didn’t dare promise more. Li Caiyu, who had worked as a female factory worker for years, thought seventeen or eighteen was already quite good. Ten hours a day meant about a hundred and eighty yuan. She even wanted to ask Zhou if the factory needed female workers so she could help after her shift.

Zhou told her not to rush. He said the jobs Li Dongfeng found online were still different; temporary work had no guarantees, no social insurance or housing funds.

“Dongfeng said his job offers independent dormitories and social insurance plus housing fund. If that’s true, then going out and trying it is good—it’s a chance to see the world,” Zhou said.

Li Caiyu had never been far from home and was unfamiliar with such matters, but she felt that eight thousand a month sounded too good to be true. She had worked locally for five or six years, and only during two months each year were earnings good enough to barely reach five thousand. Eight thousand was something she couldn’t even imagine.

As night fell, Zhou didn’t stay long at Li Caiyu’s house but reminded her not to forget to tell Li Dongfeng once he woke up.

Li Caiyu nodded, promising she wouldn’t forget.

And so, Zhou Ziyang left.