Chapter 67: Weighing the Pros and Cons! Chen Dazhu Takes the Bait Unknowingly!

Except for Chen Dazhu, who was somewhat skeptical of Li Junsheng's words, Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua believed him completely. The two exchanged glances, each seeing surprise reflected in the other's eyes.

“This temporary truck escort and loader pays so much? Forty or fifty yuan is really no small amount! That’s a hundred yuan in two months!” Wang Xiuhua could hardly contain her envy for the salary of such a job. With forty or fifty yuan a month, she wouldn’t even know how to spend it!

Li Guojun worked night shifts as a temporary security guard, watching over a factory—a job he’d taken simply to pass the days. Hearing how much Li Junsheng earned, he suddenly found his own job unappealing. Not only was the pay lower, but he also had to bow and scrape to the factory leaders.

He wanted to do this lucrative truck escort and loader work as well. With this thought, Li Guojun's demeanor changed instantly. He cast aside his former indifference toward Li Junsheng and began to flatter him. “Dad, is your job still hiring?”

Li Junsheng sneered inwardly. So now his eldest son wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder anymore. This son truly disappointed him. Of course, he had no intention of letting him tag along, so he replied perfunctorily, “I’m not sure. It’s not every day; you have to work hard enough to get the full forty or fifty yuan.”

“If there’s no work, how could they pay such high wages? Besides… don’t you always complain about any work being too tiring, preferring just to be a gatekeeper? Now you don’t mind the hard labor of loading and unloading?”

Li Guojun was lazy and fond of idling. When Li Junsheng had helped him find work, he’d had better options, but he’d deliberately chosen the night shift security post to slack off and sleep at night.

Now, with Li Junsheng speaking so bluntly, Li Guojun could only give an awkward smile, at a loss for words.

Chen Dazhu glanced at Li Guojun with quiet disdain, thinking he was all talk and no action. With his attitude, he’d probably quit after two days of loading work, claiming it was too tiring.

Not wanting Li Guojun to divert the conversation, Chen Dazhu seized the moment while Li Guojun was speechless and quickly pressed Li Junsheng for answers.

“Old Li, could you introduce me to the truck drivers? Last night, I saw that group—who was the leader among them?”

Li Junsheng turned his head and met Chen Dazhu’s calculating expression. He was clearly trying to get acquainted with Old Dao, wanting to know what Old Dao had hauled from the machinery factory warehouse last night.

He wanted to figure out whether Old Dao was also involved in selling scrap materials.

It seemed Chen Dazhu believed he was just a temporary loader after all, or perhaps he’d realized Li Junsheng wouldn’t reveal anything useful, so he was trying to get information from last night’s group instead.

Li Junsheng remained composed, feigning ignorance of Chen Dazhu’s intentions, and deliberately asked, “Why do you want to meet our leader? Are you thinking of becoming a temporary worker yourself?”

Chen Dazhu was momentarily caught off guard by the question and hastily made up an excuse. “Well… I thought maybe I could cooperate with the truck drivers and do some business myself. You know, my connections aren’t too bad.”

At that moment, Ma Yulian walked over with a dish, placing it on the table in front of Li Junsheng and the others. She said to Li Junsheng in a tone of annoyance, “If they want an introduction, just help them. Why are you digging into their affairs so much?”

“You’re always worrying about things you shouldn’t. Maybe Old Chen really does manage to strike a deal with your leader; then you’ll have to rely on him in the future.”

Li Junsheng showed no reaction, but inwardly, he was sneering. He understood Chen Dazhu and Ma Yulian’s purpose: they simply wanted to establish a business between the scrap recycling station and the machinery factory’s waste materials.

With Chen Dazhu as the middleman, perhaps through the truck fleet or some other connection, he could profit as a broker.

But the two of them were clearly overestimating their chances.

As Ma Yulian continued to bring dishes to the table, Chen Dazhu opened a bottle of good liquor and poured a small glass for Li Junsheng.

“Come, Old Li, let me toast you. I’ll need your help introducing me. Don’t worry, if I really manage to strike a deal, you’ll be my great benefactor—I won’t forget your share of the benefits.”

Li Junsheng picked up the glass poured by Chen Dazhu and took a small sip. He needed to find a way to brush Chen Dazhu off.

Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about propriety and eyed the feast Ma Yulian had prepared with greedy anticipation. While Li Junsheng was occupied, they grabbed their chopsticks and ate ravenously, as if they’d never tasted good food, drawing disgust from Chen Zhiyuan.

Li Junsheng paid no mind to Li Guojun and Wang Xiuhua. Deep in thought, he remembered his own need for a truck, and a plan formed in his mind.

Perhaps he could use Chen Dazhu to help him find a truck. At this moment, whatever problem he raised, Chen Dazhu would bend over backward to help. If he didn’t take advantage now, when would he?

With this in mind, Li Junsheng deliberately said to Chen Dazhu, “It’s not so easy to make an introduction. The truck fleet is fully booked with business—they’re not short of work.”

“I don’t know when they’ll need more people. Otherwise, I could introduce you… but…”

Li Junsheng stopped mid-sentence, intentionally leaving Chen Dazhu hanging.

Sensing a possible opportunity, Chen Dazhu quickly pulled out a cigarette and lit it for Li Junsheng himself.

“But what? Old Li, just say it. If I can manage it, I’ll do everything I can for your truck team!”

Li Junsheng enjoyed the toast and the offered cigarette, thinking how, in this lifetime, Chen Dazhu was truly dancing to his tune.

He took a drag, exhaled slowly, and finally smiled at Chen Dazhu, “Actually, I know the truck team wants to find a few trucks to haul goods from the machinery factory.”

“I don’t know if you have any connections. The team leader asked me to handle it, but I don’t have the right contacts. If you can get this done, I could introduce you to our team leader.”

Hauling goods from the machinery factory?

Chen Dazhu’s eyes sparkled as he calculated—this truck team must be hauling items from the warehouse. If he could join them, he’d have access to the warehouse whenever he wished!

If he managed to build a relationship with the truck team leader, he’d have leverage to negotiate cooperation with Section Chief Zhou of the machinery factory.

Then, instead of acting as a broker, he could become a direct partner with both the recycling station and the machinery factory!

The status of a broker was nothing compared to that of a partner. If he got in good with the truck team, even the recycling station boss wouldn’t dare cross him.

If he gave the word to the truck team, they’d simply refuse to haul goods for the recycling station!

How imposing he would be then!

After a moment’s calculation, Chen Dazhu had clearly weighed the pros and cons.

Building a relationship with the truck team leader would bring him nothing but benefits.

With this thought, Chen Dazhu quickly said to Li Junsheng, “Yes, yes, yes! You just need a few trucks, right? I’ll get in touch with your team leader right away.”