Chapter 40: Water Supplier

“It’s that old man. He bullies me all the time just because he’s my second grand-uncle!”

Ah Zhe, standing to the side, was full of questions, “Who is Uncle Hou? Dongzi, you even know Hou San’s dad?”

Li Xiangdong didn’t answer. He saw that Hou San was about to get cocky again, clearly wanting to hear compliments, and he didn’t want to fuel Hou San’s ego.

Ah Zhe urged, “Dongzi, don’t just stay silent.”

“Dongzi, just say it!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll talk.”

Li Xiangdong said, exasperated, “Hou San’s dad is the section chief of the labor and capital department of our passenger transport section. Uncle Hou is the father of the deputy station master of Beijing Railway Station, which makes him Hou San’s second grand-uncle. He’s currently guarding the gate at the reception office.”

After he finished speaking, he himself realized it.

Good heavens, the Hou family was quite powerful!

Looking at Hou San next to him with his nose in the air, he discovered that he had unknowingly caught such a big fish. Wasn’t this the perfect candidate to take the fall for him in the future!

Now that Ah Zhe knew Hou San’s identity, he looked at him as if he were a golden nugget. Even that pair of upturned, triangular eyes started to look charming.

“Hou San, my brother, I’m counting on you. You absolutely have to find a way to get me assigned with you two.”

This really made Hou San smug. He smiled so much his eyes narrowed into slits.

“No problem, it’s just a word from me, Hou Laosan. We’re all friends, aren’t we?”

Seeing Ah Zhe still showering Hou San with compliments, Li Xiangdong interrupted, “That’s enough, you two. Hou San, hurry up and continue. What a bad habit, leaving your sentences half-finished.”

Hou San tilted his head back, holding the Daqianmen that Ah Zhe had just stuffed into his hand. He didn’t smoke it, just held it under his nose and sniffed.

“Then I’ll just tell you what a water supplier does. Our job is to follow the train. After departure, we keep an eye on the insulated barrels on the train. If there’s no water, we add water. If they’re broken, we report them for repair. Of course, if passengers need it, we also have to go and pour hot water for them.”

Hou San finished in one breath, “Did you two understand?”

Li Xiangdong said, “Mmm, understood. Go on.”

Hou San was puzzled, “Go on with what? I’m done.”

Li Xiangdong said incredulously, “That’s it? That’s all we do after getting on the train?”

Seeing Li Xiangdong staring at him, Hou San scratched his head and thought carefully again, “Dongzi, don’t look at me like that. I’ve already said everything I should.”

“But isn’t this a bit…?”

“Easy, right? Why else would I say you hit the jackpot? Not just anyone can get this position.”

Hou San said with a wicked smile, “What’s wrong? You want to do more? That’s fine too. After you get on the train, you can just carry a kettle and go down the line, pouring water for every single passenger without missing one.”

“Get lost!”

Li Xiangdong glared at Hou San irritably.

How many people were on a whole train? Could he possibly handle it all?!

Of course, if he could save himself some trouble, he certainly wouldn’t look for it. If he had that kind of dedication, why would he have returned to the city?

He might as well have put down roots in the countryside and carved out a vast new world for himself!

“Your jobs are so comfortable.”

Ah Zhe gritted his teeth with jealousy. As a crew member, he had to serve passengers from the moment they boarded until they reached their destination. After all the passengers got off, he still had to clean up!

Compared to Li Xiangdong and Hou San, he was like a long-term laborer!

Hou San shook his head, “It’s not as easy as you think. Whether we’re tired or not mainly depends on how thirsty the passengers are.”

The three of them chatted as they arrived at the logistics warehouse.

At the entrance, a man in his thirties was sitting on a chair, reading a newspaper and drinking water, with his legs propped up on a table. He looked incredibly leisurely.

Hou San went forward and greeted him, “Brother Jun, busy?”

Zhang Dajun put down his newspaper and said with a chuckle, “Hou San is here. What’s there to be busy with here? A pot of water and two newspapers a day to pass the time. What brings you all here?”

“Two friends just started today. I brought them over to get their things from you. Could you get them for them?”

Hou San introduced to Li Xiangdong and the other man, “This is Zhang Dajun, the administrator of our logistics warehouse. He’s been doing this for over ten years. You two can just call him Brother Jun like I do. Brother Jun, this is Li Xiangdong and… Ah Zhe, what’s your full name?”

Ah Zhe said, “Shi Zhengzhe.”

Zhang Dajun stood up and smiled, “Welcome, you two, to work in our passenger transport section.”

Li Xiangdong smiled, “Hello, Brother Jun. You’re too kind.”

“Brother Jun, have a smoke.”

Ah Zhe offered a Daqianmen, but Zhang Dajun refused, “No smoking in the warehouse. If the leaders see it, they’ll dock my pay. You’re friends with Hou San, so we’re friends. There’s no need for this between friends. I’ll definitely get you two the good stuff.”

Li Xiangdong stood to the side, feeling waves of “old fox” vibes coming from Zhang Dajun.

To hold a cushy position like the warehouse for over a decade, one was either an honest man or a cunning master!

Li Xiangdong and Ah Zhe handed the slips from the logistics department to Zhang Dajun. He looked at them and said, “I’ll go in and get your labor protection supplies first. I have water here. If you’re thirsty, just drink. Don’t be polite with me.”

Li Xiangdong and Ah Zhe just smiled.

Hou San, however, took Zhang Dajun’s words seriously. He picked up a teacup and took several large gulps.

“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey.”

After spitting out the tea leaves in his mouth, Hou San said, “How about it? I, Hou San, have face wherever I go, right?”

Li Xiangdong and Ah Zhe didn’t respond to him at all.

They had already figured out Hou San’s temperament. To say “give him an inch and he’ll take a mile” was an understatement.

You didn’t even need to give him an Italian cannon; give him a single match, and he’d dare to set Ping’an County on fire