Sold the Job for a Thousand? Li Guojun: Where’s the Money?

Just as daylight was breaking, Li Junsheng had finally fallen into a fitful sleep with thoughts of making his business legitimate. But he hadn't been asleep long before he was startled awake by a loud commotion. Glancing at the old clock beside his bed, it was only seven o'clock!

"What's with all the noise this early? Can't a guy get some sleep?" Li Junsheng grumbled, turning over in bed, planning to ignore whatever was happening outside.

However, the noise drew closer to his door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The door to his room shook under violent knocking, more of a pounding than a knock. The noise was so loud he couldn't possibly sleep through it.

"What's all this racket about? Can't you let someone sleep?" Li Junsheng shouted, thinking his words would make Li Guojun go away. But outside the door, Li Guojun's angry voice continued.

"Sleep? Get up and open the door!"

"Yesterday, I tore up the paperwork, yet you still went to the factory to get it redone. You'd better explain yourself!"

Li Junsheng sat up immediately, irritation clear in his voice. "You little brat! Your mother gave the job to Chen Zhiyuan without even telling you, to repay a supposed life-saving favor from Chen Dazhu, then forced me to get the paperwork done. If you're angry, go ask her!"

Li Guojun, surprisingly coherent, retorted, "Are you trying to say this has nothing to do with you? Mom told me that the decision to give the job to Chen Zhiyuan was agreed upon by both of you! If you hadn't agreed, she wouldn't have been able to do it alone."

"You know what you did? You let her take the fall while you acted innocent. Are you trying to turn us against each other? Trying to break up this family?"

Li Junsheng could tell these words were straight from Ma Yulian's mouth. His expression turned cold as he lit a cigarette, smoke curling around him as his eyes narrowed with anger.

He had long anticipated that once the job transfer to Chen Zhiyuan was complete, Ma Yulian would create problems for him. Li Guojun wasn't her son; he was merely a tool to be used against him.

Prepared for such a situation, Li Junsheng remained unfazed by Ma Yulian's antics. On seeing that Li Junsheng stayed silent, Li Guojun kicked at the door again in frustration.

"Answer me! Is it true? Am I even your real son anymore?"

"Why give such a good job to an outsider instead of your own son?"

Amid Li Guojun's complaints, Li Junsheng suddenly opened the door and kicked him in the stomach.

"Will you shut up already?"

Wang Xiuhua rushed to support Li Guojun, shocked and a little afraid. "Dad, how can you hit him?"

She had noticed a change in her father-in-law these past few days. He had become more unpredictable and was quick to use force.

Ignoring his daughter-in-law, Li Junsheng glanced over to see Ma Yulian sitting on the ground, theatrically lamenting his supposed betrayal. Seeing him emerge from the room, she amped up her performance.

"Li Junsheng, you heartless man! You're tearing our family apart."

"About Zhiyuan, all I asked was for you to lend him the work certificate temporarily to help him find a wife. He assured us he'd return it."

"You insisted on selling the job for a thousand yuan that I never received. Now you're blaming me to cover it up!"

She wailed without shedding a tear, throwing furtive glances at Li Junsheng to gauge his reaction, clearly scheming to retrieve that thousand yuan.

Li Junsheng cursed her silently; if not for the law, he wouldn't stand for such manipulation.

Li Guojun, after getting to his feet, was too fixated on what Ma Yulian said earlier to care about being kicked. A thousand yuan was a staggering sum!

His eyes shifted, avoiding Li Junsheng, instead helping Ma Yulian up, desperately asking, "Mom, is that true? Did Dad really take a thousand yuan from Uncle Chen?"

"Yes, he did. If you don't believe me, ask your Uncle Chen. I never agreed to sell the job; I only wanted to lend it to Zhiyuan. You wouldn't have lost anything."

"I'm your mother. Of course, I'm concerned about you. How could I not be?"

Speaking with seemingly earnest sincerity, Ma Yulian deftly played her emotional cards on Li Guojun, who began to waver. Yet, Wang Xiuhua nudged him, reminding him of reality.

He turned and saw her pointing to the scratch on her face, recalling the slap from Ma Yulian and growing hesitant.

Noticing this, Ma Yulian remained calm, swearing an oath to reinforce her lie.

"Guojun, I swear on my life, if I'm lying, let me be hit by a truck on the road!"

"I only lost my temper because of you yesterday. You're my son, I'd never betray you. It's your father who didn't clarify the situation yesterday."

"He and Uncle Chen talked in riddles. Had he told you about the money, you wouldn't have reacted so badly and said what you did."

Turning blame consistently towards Li Junsheng, she slowly twisted Li Guojun's perception. Indeed, thought Li Guojun, why be coy about paying for the job? Chen Zhiyuan had asked point-blank. His father probably didn't want him knowing about the thousand yuan, intending to secretly give it to the second son.

With this thought, Li Guojun pressed harder.

"Dad, why?"

"Why keep this from me? Who are you giving that money to?"