He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"Great Qing, when will you marry me and take me to your home?"

The white widow used her slender fingers to draw circles on He Daqing's chest repeatedly.

He Daqing chuckled as he smoked a cigarette and said:

"Xiaobai, as you know, I have a son who's almost a teenager and a daughter at home. I need to tell them."

The white widow also said angrily:

"Hmph, if you try to deny it now, I'll have my cousin cut off your 'donkey' (referring to your genitals)."

He Daqing was also frightened and hurriedly coaxed her:

"Who is your cousin? Do you think I, He Daqing, am that kind of person? I'll go home and tell them right now."

The White Widow also pressed down the Qing man who was about to get up, saying:

"Actually, you know my cousin too, he's the chubby guy, but you have to give me your wages every month, otherwise you'll squander them."

Upon hearing that it was the chubby man, He Daqing breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Xiaobai, you're my treasure. My son has started his apprenticeship, but my daughter is still young, and I need to prepare her dowry. How about this, I'll keep a little for myself, and you can manage the rest."

The white widow understood that she couldn't control someone too much at once, so she hesitantly agreed.

Seeing this, He Daqing chuckled and pressed down on him.

A moment later, the "whooshing" sound came from inside the house again.

In the next room, two boys were huddled under the covers, shivering.

The younger boy said:

"Brother, I'm so hungry!"

The older boy hugged him tightly, stroking his hair and saying:

"Little brother, wait a little longer, Mom will cook for us soon. She works hard too, let her sleep a little longer."

The younger brother nodded and said:

"Brother, I've seen Uncle with his patrolmen on the street several times. They always come out of restaurants after eating. Why don't you ask him to take us out for a meal?"

The older brother hesitated for a moment and said:

"I'm telling you this, but don't tell anyone, especially not to my cousin. I only found out when I overheard my mother talking to herself."

"A few years ago, my cousin worked for the Japanese. Everyone called him a traitor. After the Japanese surrendered, I don't know why he became the police chief. But we can't have anything to do with him, or we won't even know how we died."

The younger brother nodded, seemingly understanding, and nestled his head in his older brother's arms. Perhaps this was what a sense of security felt like.

Fifteen minutes later, the white widow opened the door and came in, calling out:

"Xiaoyong, wake up your little brother. Today, Mom will take you to eat roast duck."

The two boys jumped out of bed excitedly.

Seeing this, the white widow also shed tears.

"Great Qing, I dare not tell you that I have two more sons. If I keep all your wages, perhaps you will accept them."

……

Lou's Steel Plant

"Young Master, steel consumption has been very high lately. The arsenal's usage has depleted our inventory."

Butler Lou whispered to Lou Zhenhua, who was rubbing his temples.

Lou Zhenhua sighed and said:

"Uncle, I know what you're saying, but we're in a bind now. It's not just me; even Chen Shiye from the cloth shop is in the same situation."

"We're alright, we have Yali here. Even if Le Weiguo abandons us after using us, it won't be too bad for me. Right now, the war outside is chaotic, and I can't get my hands on his Hongxianglu Port properties. I'm panicking."

Butler Lou hesitated for a moment and said:

"Sir, would you like to go to America? The First and Second Madams are there. Or perhaps we should just leave things here alone?"

Lou Zhenhua shook his head and lit a cigarette.

"It's hard to leave our homeland. Our Lou family has been here for generations. How can we leave so easily? We must prepare for the worst. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."

Uncle Lou, go and get in touch with the People's Party members. We'll provide them with whatever they need. This way, we can hedge our bets and be the safest bet.”

Butler Lou nodded and walked out of the office.

Inside a workshop, Liu Haizhong sat with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette, while an apprentice beside him held an iron cup and said:

"Master, the scrambled eggs are ready."

Liu Haizhong nodded and said:

"Gouwa, study hard and watch closely. Only I, Liu Haizhong, will teach you this skill. Look around, which other young master craftsman is like me?"

Another apprentice nearby quickly squatted down and patted Hai Zhong's thighs with both hands, saying:

"Master has been sitting all day, let me massage his legs."

Liu Haizhong squinted and hummed a little tune, while the apprentices around him kept trying to curry favor with him. Finally, they gathered together and decided to treat Master Liu to a meal.

Overjoyed, Liu Haizhong burst into laughter and immediately accepted the group as his apprentices. The apprentices knelt on the ground and cried out, "Master!"

Hai Zhongli also shouted wildly:

"Ah, that's great! The little master who used to laugh at me for being fat and chubby, ever since I became the foreman, he's all smiles and bows his head every day, offering me a pack of cigarettes daily."

I can smash this sledgehammer whenever I want. If I don't smash it, I can sleep. That's what being an official is like—it's so awesome!

An hour later, Liu Haizhong, having finished his work, arrived at a nearby restaurant with his many apprentices.

He shouted as soon as he entered the door:

"Shopkeeper, bring a cup of Shaoxing wine and some of our signature dishes."

The apprentices following behind trembled upon hearing this; how many silver dollars that was!

Looking at the man walking ahead with bangs, whose eyes were also gleaming with a fierce light, I knew this guy was no good.

At the dinner table, only Liu Haizhong was as happy as a child, drinking and eating heartily. The other apprentices were restless, as they simply didn't have the money to pay the bill.

They barely ate any food, and had no interest in savoring the legendary Shaoxing wine; they kept their heads down and didn't say much.

After the meal, Liu Haizhong shook his dizzy head and saw the apprentices pushing and shoving each other, none of them stepping forward to pay the bill. He sneered, pushed through the crowd, went to the manager, pulled out more than twenty silver dollars, and told the manager to pack up the remaining dishes.

He told his apprentice to take him home, then left without looking back.

Many of the apprentices were also blushing with embarrassment.

Liu Haizhong skipped and hopped home, even buying a roast duck along the way.

Since he became the manager, his former enemies have been vying to send him silver dollars.

Some unfamiliar managers also gave him silver dollars. He was originally heavily in debt because he bought a private house, but now he suddenly became rich.

The bride's dowry has been replenished, and the family still has a surplus of over two hundred silver dollars, plus a monthly wage.

Being an official is great, being an official is wonderful! I, Liu Haizhong, will be an official my whole life.

Should we ask Master Jia again to let me be the manager of that workshop area?

As he hopped around in thought, drool kept dripping from his bangs. He chuckled and shook his head, making passersby think he was a fool, and they all kept their distance.

At that moment, a thin man in the distance stared at the frizzy bangs and muttered:

"I've only been running errands in Tianjin for a short time, how come the world has changed so much?"

This simpleton became a manager, and so did He Daqing, both working at Lou's Steel Plant.

My dear wife, how can you be so useless?

No, I must make her talk to Mrs. Tan when she gets back tonight. I also need to get a job as a supervisor at the steel mill, otherwise how can I, Xu Wude, hold my head high in this courtyard?

……