Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

Hou San stared at his slanted, triangular eyes, his gaze filled with disbelief.

"You reek of smoke, and you're telling me you don't smoke?!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Li Xiangdong's right hand and pointed to his index and middle fingers, which were stained yellow from smoking.

"If you weren't a heavy smoker, how come your fingers are all yellow? Do you think I'm stupid? Are you trying to fool me!"

Hou San pointed to himself as he spoke.

Oh my gosh~

Li Xiangdong really didn't expect that Hou San, who looked silly, actually had a bit of cleverness in his head.

He shook off Hou San's hand and said, "If you want a cigarette, go ask your father and your second grandfather. They took all my cigarettes."

"Hey Hey."

Hou San grinned and said, "Dongzi, you're something else! It's only your first day at work, and you've already gotten on good terms with my second grandfather."

Without thinking much, Li Xiangdong nodded and said, "Yes, we met this morning."

"Dongzi, you should stay away from those two from now on."

Hou San, with a wronged expression and indignant indignation, said, "My dad and my second grandfather love to steal other people's cigarettes. Every time I come home, my dad will rummage through my pockets."

"That's none of your business. You wanted a cigarette, right? My friend has some on him. I'll get you one."

Li Xiangdong could empathize with Hou San about having his cigarettes stolen, but he wouldn't listen to what Hou San said.

Hou Jianshe was willing to ask him for things, which meant he considered him one of his own.

He was still thinking about improving the relationship in the future. In order to achieve his goal of changing social status, what were a few packs of cigarettes? He would give up any amount of money!

He called Ah Zhe over and introduced the two of them to each other.

Hou San took the Daqianmen cigarettes that A Zhe handed him and said disdainfully, "You're smoking this?"

Upon hearing Hou San's words, both Li Xiangdong and Hou San felt an urge to slap him!

Some people are picky about what they get; if you're so capable, don't ask for it!

"Wow, it's already 10:30."

Hou San took out a match from his pocket, lit it, and deliberately raised his arm to show off the Shanghai brand all-steel watch on his wrist.

"Oh, is it so?"

"Then let's hurry up. Hou San, stop dawdling. We still have a lot of things to do."

Li Xiangdong and A Zhe did not react at all.

A Zhe's father is a university teacher, earning a little over a hundred yuan a month. His mother is even more impressive; she used to be a capitalist's daughter.

In addition, after A Zhe and his father returned from the southwest region, the school where his father used to work paid him back all his wages in one lump sum, which amounted to several thousand yuan!

As for Li Xiangdong, he looked down on him completely. Forget about watches; he was already tired of cell phones, having come from the future.

Seeing that the two of them didn't react at all and hadn't managed to show off, Hou San said with little interest, "I'll take you to collect your wages first, then go to the logistics department to get the slips, and then go to the logistics warehouse to collect your things. After we've finished all that, it'll be time to go eat. In the afternoon, I'll take you two to report to the union."

"Oh, by the way, are you two Party members and Youth League members?"

Li Xiangdong and A Zhe wanted to agree, but the organization wouldn't give them the chance.

Hou San, smoking a cigarette, saw the two of them shake their heads. "Hey, if not, then you don't need to report to the Party branch and the Youth League committee. That's fine, saves trouble!"

Hou San led the way, taking Li Xiangdong and the other two downstairs. The finance office was located at the right end of the corridor on the first floor.

With Hou San leading the way, Li Xiangdong and A Zhe were not harassed in any department and successfully received their monthly salary and some welfare receipts.

After Li Xiangdong came out, he counted the money twice before putting it into his satchel. Although it wasn't much, it was his starting capital, and he couldn't be too careful!

Ah Zhe was in a similar situation, after all, this was the first time in his life he had received a salary.

Hou San stood to the side, picking his nose, watching the two count the money. "I say, are you two really that serious? You're so happy about just 18 yuan, you're really pathetic!"

Li Xiangdong countered, "Hou San, how much is your monthly salary now?"

When Hou San saw that they were looking at him, he scratched his head with the hand that was picking his nose and chuckled, "We're all the same. I just joined the company a while ago."

"Tch, then what are you bragging about!"

Li Xiangdong rolled his eyes at him and urged, "Hurry up and take us to the logistics department to get the slip."

The logistics department is located in the corridor on the left side of the first floor, just a few steps away.

Urged on by Hou San, the logistics clerk worked very efficiently, quickly issuing two slips of paper and stamping them with the logistics department's seal.

Li Xiangdong and A Zhe also bought three yuan worth of meal tickets. These meal tickets could be used not only when eating in the canteen, but also when they boarded the train and ate on the train.

"Dongzi, let me see yours."

The two came out of the logistics department, and A Zhe took the note from Li Xiangdong and looked at it.

“We received the same things. I thought our positions were different and therefore we received different things.”

"Are they the same? Let me see."

Li Xiangdong looked at it curiously, and sure enough, it was exactly the same. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't asked Hou San what his position was yet. "Hou San, what is your position?"

Hou San crossed his arms and shook his leg, "Just like you, a water supplier. This is a great job, Dongzi, you're getting a great deal!"

"You two are both water suppliers, but I'm the only flight attendant. Hou San, tell me, what does a water supplier do? Why is it considered a good job?"

Ah Zhe was very curious.

Li Xiangdong was also curious. The clerks in the labor and personnel department all thought he was a relative of Hou Jianshe, and they didn't bother to explain to him what the water supply worker was supposed to do.

The logistics warehouse is located at the very back of the compound.

As Hou San walked, he said, "Let me give you a general overview from beginning to end. Under the Ministry of Railways are various bureaus, and under each bureau are sections, such as passenger transport sections, locomotive sections, signaling sections, and so on. Under each section are stations. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, Beijing Railway Station is a special-class station, which is directly under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Railway Bureau."

"There's one more thing I want to tell you. Although we work at Beijing Railway Station, we are under the jurisdiction of the Passenger Transport Section. You two need to remember that."

His mind suddenly wandered to something else, and he changed the subject, saying, "Oh right, Dongzi, I forgot to tell you, we've been assigned to the same train. Zhe, would you like to be with us? If so, I'll try to find someone to help us arrange it so you can be with us in the future."

Upon hearing this, A Zhe interrupted Hou San, "Are you bragging? You think you can decide personnel allocation?"

Hou San boasted, "You don't know this, do you? We have connections. If my dad can't do it, there's my uncle. My uncle is the deputy stationmaster of the Beijing Railway Station. He's very familiar with the head and deputy head of our passenger transport section."

Li Xiangdong asked in surprise, "Master Hou's son?"

So that's how it is. He was saying that a section chief's second uncle couldn't possibly have a TV to watch while guarding a gate!