Chapter 66: Li Guojun: Why flatter him when we’ve lost our jobs?

After a while, Chen Zhiyuan returned, holding two bottles of fine liquor, and placed them in front of Chen Dazhu.

“Dad, I’ve brought the good wine.”

Chen Dazhu nodded, then turned to Li Junsheng with a forced smile. “I’m not sure what kind of liquor you like, so Zhiyuan just picked up a couple of bottles. Don’t mind, let’s just make do and have a drink together!”

With a faint curl of his lips, Li Junsheng leaned back into the sofa and replied carelessly, “Of course I’ll drink. If it’s free, why not?”

“Huh?”

Chen Dazhu was instantly dumbfounded by Li Junsheng’s words, not knowing how to respond.

Was Li Junsheng really that shameless, openly admitting he was taking advantage? It was truly… beyond words. This was the first time Chen Dazhu was at a loss for a reply.

Chen Zhiyuan, however, was amused by Li Junsheng’s bluntness. He wanted to mock him, but Chen Dazhu kept signaling for him to hold his tongue.

“Heh, as long as you don’t mind, have a few more later. Now you’re retired, Old Li, living a carefree life!”

“To be like you is something to envy—working in a big factory when you were young, and now still having connections and capability. Not many can boast the same!”

Chen Dazhu lavished Li Junsheng with flattery, but Li Junsheng had no idea how to respond and simply let him continue his sycophancy.

“I heard from Zhiyuan that there are still plenty of people at the factory who talk about you. Clearly, you had a great time there, got along well with everyone.”

“In that case, why not let Zhiyuan give my job back?”

Li Junsheng’s offhand retort left Chen Dazhu speechless once again.

He had meant only to flatter, not expecting to be caught off guard like this.

The two sat in awkward silence until Li Junsheng finally chuckled and said, “Just kidding.”

Chen Dazhu managed a strained laugh, but his flattery became a little more genuine.

By noon, the eldest son and his wife who had been napping inside got up to freshen up for lunch.

When Li Guojun saw the father and son from the Chen family again, his expression remained cold, treating them as if they were invisible.

He had no idea why they were here again—after all, they’d already taken his job.

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua headed to the kitchen, wondering what to prepare, only to find Ma Yulian already at the stove.

In the pan, slices of pork fat and lean were sizzling, and nearby, chunks of chicken were prepared. It was obvious she was about to treat the Chen family to a hearty feast.

By contrast, all they had was plain noodles—without even an egg to add.

Li Guojun was seething inside, tempted to smash up the kitchen.

Looking out at Chen Dazhu and Li Junsheng chatting away in the living room, with Chen Dazhu still fawning over Li Junsheng, Li Guojun stalked over and deliberately sneered at Chen Dazhu.

“Uncle Chen, you’ve already taken my dad’s job. Why bother flattering him with sweet words now? What’s the point?”

To Li Guojun, his father was no longer of any value—no need to keep him happy.

Chen Dazhu was enjoying the drama, but outwardly he spoke up for Li Junsheng, giving him praise.

“Guojun, what are you saying? I’m not flattering your father or trying to please him—I mean what I say. Your dad really is capable!”

Li Guojun scoffed, his disdain plain on his face.

Chen Dazhu then turned to Li Junsheng, seizing the opportunity to probe while piling on more flattery.

“Old Li, why don’t you explain to Guojun? I saw you at the factory last night—you looked impressive, and everyone treated you with respect. Even without the factory job, you’re doing well. It’s not at all like Guojun says.”

Chen Dazhu deliberately hinted at Li Junsheng’s spirited presence at the factory the previous night, hoping to pique Li Guojun’s curiosity.

As expected, Li Guojun took the bait.

“What do you mean—everyone treated my dad with respect?”

Chen Dazhu nodded, speaking frankly to Li Guojun. “You don’t know, do you? Your dad has found a new way to make money—it’s no small feat!”

“Dad, is that true? You have a new way to make money?”

“Yeah, Dad, if it’s something so good, why didn’t you tell the family first?”

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua immediately pressed Li Junsheng, their eyes hungry like wolves spotting a lamb.

Wang Xiuhua, in particular, seemed to blame Li Junsheng—how could he keep something so good from the family and let the Chen family get wind of it first? Was Li Guojun really his son?

Now, with the Chen family and his own son and daughter-in-law confronting him, Li Junsheng had no choice.

Li Junsheng realized there was no way to cover things up, especially since his business had grown—sooner or later, they would find out.

He decided to affirm some of what Chen Dazhu implied and let a few details slip.

“It’s not as grand as Old Chen makes it sound. I’m just doing some temporary work—helping with loading and unloading goods. Last night I happened to be at the factory for that.”

At this, Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua looked unimpressed—they’d thought it was something big.

Still, Li Guojun considered that his father doing odd jobs was no bad thing—he might be able to get some money off him now and then.

He sneered at Chen Dazhu, “If it’s just temp work, there’s nothing to boast about. Uncle Chen, perhaps you could set your sights a bit higher.”

Chen Dazhu was not pleased and found Li Guojun increasingly irritating.

At the same time, he was only half convinced by Li Junsheng’s explanation. Last night, he hadn’t seen Li Junsheng move a single box—he had only chatted with the man in charge.

Li Junsheng was clearly lying, and Chen Dazhu became determined to find out how much money he was actually making.

With that in mind, Chen Dazhu asked with concern, “Loading and unloading isn’t easy. How much do they pay you? If it’s not worth it, perhaps you should look for something else.”

Li Junsheng shot him a look—this man was not so easily fooled.

After a moment’s thought, Li Junsheng decided to play along.

“The pay is around forty or fifty a month. It’s hard labor, so they have to pay a bit more, but it’s still not much—no one else wants to do it. It’s a little better than working at the factory, but more tiring.”

Still, Chen Dazhu was skeptical—could it really be that simple?

Chen Zhiyuan, on the other hand, nearly bulged his eyes in disbelief.

He cursed inwardly—how could this old man, after leaving the factory, still land such a good job? It made spending over a thousand yuan to buy that factory job feel like the act of a fool. Why was this old man so lucky?

Chen Zhiyuan was thoroughly disgruntled.