Chapter 37: Three Women Two Jobs

  Liu Handong first found the person he trusted most. Although he had not yet confessed, Ma Ling was already his girlfriend. On the phone, she heard him talk about the three-wheeled vehicle being confiscated and destroyed. She scolded him: "Don't you know that the city is currently cracking down on unlicensed three-wheelers? You're asking for trouble! Now what do you want to do? I have 13,000 yuan in my card, take it first."

  "I won't need that much, I just want to ask if you have any scrap motorcycle engines or something like that, can I borrow it and use it? I want to assemble a motorcycle myself." Liu Handong was deeply moved. Ma Ling had just started working for not long, his savings must be limited, yet he took out all his savings to help him, this kindness is priceless.

  "Of course there is! But one engine is not enough. I'll give you a tip, go to the auto parts city and take a look, it will be a surprise!" Ma Ling smiled.

  Under Ma Ling's arrangement, Liu Handong first went to the Baowu Ezu Club and selected a scrapped Yamaha 125 motorcycle head and two motorcycle wrecks in the warehouse. He then went to the Auto Parts City to buy a bunch of electrical wires, light bulbs, motorcycle disc brake discs and other spare parts. Finally, he went to the Materials Market next to the Auto Parts City to buy several iron pipes, iron sheets, and plastic boards. All these things were transported to the Ba Chi Street Eight Feet Car Repair Shop for final assembly.

  With Chen Bashich's help, Liu Handong pieced together the pile of junk into a three-wheeled motorcycle. He added some gasoline to the oil tank and after igniting it, the engine roared to life. It was indeed an imported Japanese product, although it was over ten years old, the sound was still very authentic.

  Liu Handong drove his car around the street, the muffler-less exhaust pipe emitting a deafening roar. The rusty, bizarre tricycle looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, drawing curious glances from passersby.

  The car's performance was not bad, Liu Handong picked up the brush and applied a layer of red paint to the car, then welded an all-enclosed compartment with iron sheet. He didn't plan to drive this car anymore, it was custom-made for Wang Zhigang.

  Under the efforts of Liu Handong and Chen Bachui, this car was finally finished at midnight, with the paint still wet, temporarily parked in Chen Bachui's backyard. Liu Handong went back to sleep, having settled the motorcycle business, relieving him of a worry, sleeping particularly soundly, until he was woken up by his mobile phone the next morning, with a message from Ma Ling, asking him to come to the motorcade and dress up nicely.

  Liu Handong immediately got up, changed into new clothes, and hastily took the 520 bus to the public transportation company. Ma Ling kept sending him messages asking where he was. After finally arriving at the terminal, Ma Ling had been waiting early at the station platform, pulling Liu Handong in a small run into the team leader's office.

  The captain was a forty-year-old middle-aged man with a thick beard, tall and strong. He shook hands with Liu Handong, asked a few simple questions, and said: "I heard from Sister Li that your car repair skills are not bad. Why don't you work in the team's maintenance department first? The basic salary is 1,400 yuan per month, and bonuses and overtime pay are calculated separately. We are a public institution, very formal."

  Ma Ling squeezed her eyes on one side, hinting that Liu Handong must agree.

  "Alright, thank you Captain." Liu Handong said.

  "Go ahead and get busy, I'll call the company's HR department later to sign a contract." The captain said and left. Ma Ling took Liu Handong to the maintenance class, introduced him to his colleagues, reminded Liu Handong to work hard, and then went to work excitedly.

  Colleagues were very enthusiastic, the class leader found him a blue canvas work uniform to wear. Not busy working, first see how the masters do it. Liu Handong was very humble and low-key, seeing people handing out cigarettes, not talking nonsense, honestly following the masters to learn craftsmanship.

  Half an hour later, a strange man walked over and slapped Liu Handong's chin: "Follow me for a moment."

  Liu Handong thought he was a leader and followed him to the outside of the back wall. The man said coldly, "You'd better keep a distance from Ma Ling in the future."

  "What right does he have?" Liu Handong's anger flared up immediately, but he still maintained his composure.

  "Ma Ling is my girlfriend. You're taking advantage of our little disagreement to hit on her? Know when to quit and leave, don't be a homewrecker?" the man continued.

  Liu Handong sneered: "Who are you? Still Ma Ling's boyfriend, are you daydreaming?"

  "That person got angry: 'To be honest with you, Ma Ling is already mine. She has slept with me and had an abortion for me. Even if you get her, she's still second-hand goods.'"

  "Slap!" A crisp slap, the man's left cheek had five clear finger marks, his mouth was sweet and he spat out a mouthful of saliva with blood, and a broken tooth.

  "He hit me!" The man turned around and ran away while shouting. His colleagues came out to watch, soon alarming the leader.

  Ten minutes later, Liu Handong stood in front of the captain.

  "Your fist moved first and punched Wang Qiang's face swollen, right?" said the captain.

  "Yes." Liu Handong didn't bother to defend himself, he guessed that Bian Xiangqiang was one of Ma Ling's pursuers who couldn't get what he wanted and resorted to slander. People like this deserved a beating.

  The captain said: "The company has discipline and strictly prohibits fighting. You go back first, we will study the contract again."

  Liu Handong said: "It's me who is not making an effort, don't bother, I'll leave now, thank you captain, help me thank Sister Li."

  Liu Handong was fired half an hour after going to work.

  ……

  Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Department, Wang Xingzheng and Wan Xuedong were chatting.

  "The old family is finished, almost overnight, both sons are gone, how can we get through this day?" said Wang Xing.

  "It's indeed tragic for the white-haired to send off the black-haired, but it was also destined. Gu Zhangjun played too big, if he didn't die, who would!" Wan Xudong echoed.

  Wang Xing blinked his eyes: "Old Wan, there's something fishy about what you're saying. What really happened to Gu Changjun's death? Didn't the bureau secretly investigate?"

  Wan Xudong said: "The forensic autopsy showed that he indeed died of heart disease."

  "Is that lead just cut off like that? Is the culprit of this case being pushed onto a dead man?"

  Wan Xudong glanced at the brand new Audi A6 outside the window, smiled and said: "Wang Xing, you've changed to a new car, I'll give you one piece of advice, don't pry into things you shouldn't know about. When there's an order from above, that's the end of it. Whoever continues to investigate will be at odds with those above."

  "Who is upstairs?"

  "You've had your smoke and your tea, now get out of here, I have a lot of things to do."

  Wang Xing had no choice but to bid farewell. As soon as he got on the car, he received a text message from Song Shuang, asking him to help Liu Handong find a good job.

  "It's interesting." Wang Xing smiled and immediately replied: "Shuang Er, you think too highly of Uncle Wang. If there's a good job, Uncle Wang would have done it himself. I mentioned to Liu Handong earlier to help me, but this kid doesn't even look up to him. If you really want to help him, mention it to your dad. Isn't Liu Handong a retired soldier? Arranging for him to be a police officer isn't a small matter, is it? First get him into the labor corps, and then think of ways to make him regular later."

  Wang Xing said a lot, but Song Shuang didn't joke with him as usual, instead saying lightly: "Forget it, hang up."

  "What's wrong with this girl?" Wang Xing was puzzled.

  Put down the phone, just started the car, and the ringtone rang again. Wang Xing picked it up and saw that it was an unfamiliar number. The number prefix was very smooth, and the owner should have a good identity. Pressing the answer key, it was An Xin's voice: "Hello Mr. Wang, I have something to trouble you."

  "Speak." Wang Xing immediately perked up, An Xin was his employer, whatever troubles he had, her words were orders.

  "Is that so? The person who helped Shu Fan last time, named Liu Handong, I don't have his contact information. Can you help me find him?"

  "Alright, what then after finding him?" Wang Xing asked.

  "Tell him that Qing Shi High-tech can offer him a well-paid job." An Xin said and hung up, indeed a decisive and efficient woman.

  Wang Xing sat in the car, holding onto the steering wheel and muttering to himself: "Damn it, this kid's got a lot of good fortune, everyone's busy arranging work for him, but who's taking care of me?"

  Start the car and head straight to Tiehua Street. The expensive Audi A6 stopped on the dirty and chaotic street at the junction of urban and rural areas. Wang Xing was very uneasy, afraid that someone would scratch or bump into it. He went upstairs first, but Liu Handong was not in his fourth-floor apartment, which was locked. So he came down to wait in the car, smoking one cigarette after another until late afternoon when Liu Handong finally arrived.

  Liu Handong went to find a job. If he didn't hurry up and find one, he would have to rely on Ma Ling's support to survive. He wasn't a male chauvinist, but it was indeed not glorious for a big man like him to be unable to make a living for himself.

  He bought a morning newspaper and found an advertisement for recruiting a long-distance truck driver, requiring more than five years of driving experience, A2 driver's license, and the ability to be away from home all year round. Liu Handong fully met the conditions. After contacting by phone, he went to the owner's place for an interview and agreed on a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan. He would leave for another city tomorrow night.

  Found a new job, Liu Handong was very excited, and was about to go home to pack his things. At the door, he met Wang Xing, who blocked him and said: "Liu Handong, you're in luck! Tomorrow, follow me to Qing Shi High Tech to report for duty."

  Liu Handong was not surprised, he saved Shu Fan without seeking reward, but the other party would definitely not let it go like this.

  "What work?" he asked.

  "In short, the pay is very generous," said Wang Xingdao.

  "Alright, let me think about it."

  "Don't be so arrogant, if you're willing to do it then do it, if not I'll do it for you."

  "Alright, I'll do it." Liu Handong wasn't stupid. The working conditions at Qing Shi Gao Ke were much better than those of a large cargo driver or a public transportation company maintenance worker. If he didn't accept the offer, he would be a fool.

  "Leave your phone number with me. Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of Qing Shi High-tech University. Don't be late."

  Liu Handong told Wang Xing his new mobile phone number and saw him off as he drove away in his Audi, then took out his phone and sent a text message to Ma Ling: I've found a new job!

  In the Audi, Wang Xing also took out his mobile phone and called Song Shuang: "Big niece, Uncle Wang has taken care of the matter you entrusted to me. I have arranged for Liu Handong to work at Qing Shi High-tech, and the assistant to the president promised me that the salary will be very good."

  "Thank you, Uncle Wang." Song Shuang's voice was still low and calm.

  Wang Xing felt something was off and said: "Shuang Er, where are you? I'll go pick you up and we can talk about some things."

  Song Shuang said he was at school, so Wang Xing made an appointment to drive straight to Jiang Da. At the bottom of Kunwu Building in the College of Literature and Arts, Song Shuang was picked up, took a look and was shocked. Originally, Song Shuang had some baby fat and looked cute, but now his pointed chin was exposed, and he looked very haggard.