Zhang Daqing was the gatekeeper at the Zhongqiao Inspection Station. His daily duties involved opening and closing the main gate, managing the parking spots, and playing on his phone in the guard booth when there was nothing to do. He rarely encountered any real trouble.
His monthly salary was two thousand six hundred, and life was sweet.
Today, as he rode his old roadster bicycle around the street corner, he saw from a distance that the open space in front of the Inspection Station was packed with a dense crowd.
'Oh no! Did something major happen?'
He hastily dropped his bicycle, pushed his way through the crowd, and squeezed desperately to the front of a display stand. One glance, and he understood everything.
'So they're just selling stuff from a stall!'
"Who let you set up a stall here?"
As a gatekeeper, he had to be observant. He could tell at a glance that the tall and well-built Chen Yansen was the leader of the four.
"And you are?"
Chen Yansen's eyes quickly scanned the man. Though he had already guessed the other's identity, he feigned ignorance and asked deliberately.
"I'm a staff member of the Inspection Station. My name is Zhang Daqing. You've set up your stall right at the entrance, blocking half the road. Don't you understand you're disrupting traffic?"
Zhang Daqing said sternly, his face hard.
Any other vendor would have probably been scared into bowing and scraping, hastily packing up their stall to run away.
That was exactly how Wang Zihao felt. His face was pale, and he was terrified to the extreme.
Wang Ziyan, beside him, was a little better. She appeared calm, but her pale lips betrayed her.
"Oh, it's Uncle Zhang! Let's talk over here for a moment."
Chen Yansen smiled slightly, acting overly familiar. He addressed him with great warmth and was about to lead Zhang Daqing aside by the arm.
"Woah! No wonder the kid is so bold. Turns out he's Zhang Daqing's nephew!"
"But they don't look alike?"
"Maybe they're cousins!"
"Young lady, are you still selling or not? Pack one up for me."
Everyone was from the same town and knew exactly who Zhang Daqing was, so they didn't pay him much mind. Instead, they just kept urging Wang Ziyan to hurry up, take their money, and pack their orders.
"Young man, have your people take down the stall and set up somewhere else. Having it right at my entrance has a terrible impact."
Hearing Chen Yansen call him "Uncle" with such enthusiasm, and seeing that the young man was about the same age as his own son, Zhang Daqing's heart softened. His tone grew gentler as he tried to persuade him patiently.
"Uncle Zhang, I'm the deputy manager of Yangcheng Meimo Electronics Factory. The reason we put our display here at the entrance of the Zhongqiao Inspection Station is mainly for safety reasons."
Chen Yansen introduced himself with a smile.
"You? A deputy manager?"
Zhang Daqing's lips twisted into a grin. He didn't believe it at all and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"The factory manager is my old man."
Chen Yansen said, putting on a terrible Cantonese accent as he lowered his voice and leaned close to Zhang Daqing.
"Even the factory owner's son can't just set up a stall wherever he wants!"
Zhang Daqing nodded. His gaze fell on the expensive-looking suit Chen Yansen was wearing, and he was partially convinced.
After all, here in Chunshen, no one would dress so flamboyantly in the middle of summer.
"Uncle Zhang, my mistake, my mistake. Don't worry, let me explain slowly! Didn't our county issue a guidance document two years ago called 'Promoting the Economic Development of Surrounding Towns and Townships'?"
Chen Yansen explained slowly.
"Was there? Oh, right, right, right. I think there was."
Zhang Daqing didn't understand any of this, but he heard how smoothly and professionally Chen Yansen spoke. 'If I say I haven't heard of it,' he thought, 'how embarrassing would that be?'
"That document mentions that qualified government and enterprise units should provide assistance to laid-off workers who are willing to find their own means of livelihood. I thought this spot in front of the Inspection Station was quite suitable. I was just about to report it to you, but we had only just set up the display and hadn't had the chance to tell you yet."
Chen Yansen said this meticulously, a smile on his face.
In reality, such a document did exist, but its contents were somewhat different from what he had described.
After hearing his explanation, Zhang Daqing couldn't help but have his doubts.
The young man claimed to be a deputy manager from Yangcheng. His words were soft but firm, and every other word was about official reports and guidance documents.
He was worried that insisting on stopping them would cause trouble.
To put it bluntly, there were no clear regulations about whether stalls were allowed at the entrance of the Inspection Station. Even if someone did set one up, it was the job of the Urban Appearance Bureau to handle it.
It wasn't part of the Inspection Station's responsibilities at all—completely outside their jurisdiction!
"As for blocking the road, I'll manage the crowd right away. I'll have everyone line up along the side of the street so it definitely won't affect traffic."
Seeing his hesitation, Chen Yansen quickly added.
"Which of you is a laid-off worker?"
Zhang Daqing frowned, staring straight at Chen Yansen, his face clearly saying, 'Don't take me for a fool, kid.'
"Uncle Zhang, if we can't sell off this factory inventory, we'll all be laid off."
Chen Yansen said with a pained expression.
"Fine, fine. We'll do it your way."
Zhang Daqing waved his hand in resigned helplessness and finally agreed to Chen Yansen's request.
"Uncle Zhang, these two are our factory's star products. Please take them and help us with some quality control."
Chen Yansen breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly pulled an MP3 and an MP4 player from his pocket and, without taking no for an answer, shoved them into the other man's hands.
"This... I can't accept these."
Zhang Daqing's old face flushed red, and he reacted strongly. He had lived an upright life for over half a century and had never taken anything from anyone for free. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to work as a gatekeeper at the Inspection Station.
The salary might not seem high, but in the surrounding area, countless people were fighting tooth and nail for this job.
"My fault for not being clear. How about a ninety percent discount?"
Seeing him refuse so vehemently, Chen Yansen asked tentatively.
"No, no!"
"Then eighty percent off!"
"Young man, I really can't take them. I'm not just being polite!"
"Seventy percent off! This is our factory's cost price. I'm really not making a single cent off you!"
Chen Yansen held up three fingers and said with great seriousness.
"Who are you kidding? For something this good, the cost is only fifteen yuan?"
Unable to stand his pestering, Zhang Daqing spat derisively.
"Leave it to Uncle Zhang to have such a sharp eye! To be honest, sixty percent of the retail price is its true cost!"
Chen Yansen feigned surprise and exclaimed repeatedly.
"Then I'll buy one MP4. At sixty percent of the price, as you said."
Zhang Daqing was elated by the flattery and readily pulled out his money to pay. As he spoke, he emphasized the word "buy" heavily, as if afraid others wouldn't hear him.
He didn't want to give anyone cause for gossip!
"Haozi, get Uncle Zhang a set of freebies, and grab the best storage pouch."
Chen Yansen smiled and turned his head to give the order.
'The best storage pouch?'
Wang Zihao heard this and was a bit confused. 'Aren't all the storage pouches the same, except for the color?'
"You idiot! Just grab any one of them!"
Wang Ziyan reminded him in a low voice.
"Oh, oh."
Wang Zihao had a sudden realization. He deftly stuffed a data cable and a Bluetooth headset into the storage pouch and handed it to Zhang Daqing.
"Get them to clear the road quickly."
Zhang Daqing took the items, not forgetting to give a kind reminder.
If anyone were to see that, even if setting up a stall was originally allowed, they wouldn't be allowed to anymore.
"Alright, don't you worry."
Chen Yansen naturally understood the reasoning. In most situations, if you don't go looking for trouble, trouble won't come looking for you.
"Good."
Seeing that he got the hint, Zhang Daqing said no more. He hopped on his old roadster bicycle and turned into the Inspection Station's main courtyard.
"Come on, come on! Uncles, aunties, handsome guys, and pretty ladies! Everyone form a line and clear the road first."
"Otherwise, if we disrupt the traffic, we can't really sell our goods, can we?"
Chen Yansen stood on a stool, holding a megaphone and shouting loudly.
The subtext of his words was quite clear: if they didn't line up, he wouldn't sell.
The crowd had no choice but to grumble and curse as they formed a long line.
"Jensen, when did you become a deputy manager?"
Wang Zihao tilted his head and asked with a sly, teasing smile.
"Haozi, you need to remember one thing. When you're out and about, you make your own identity."
Chen Yansen ignored his teasing and said with a serious expression instead.
"This Boss Chen really is a smooth talker who says the right thing to the right person."
Huang Boxiang, standing at the back, couldn't help but mutter.
Even though he was simple and honest by nature, he was simple, not stupid. He knew perfectly well that of the words coming out of Chen Yansen's mouth, ninety percent were probably false, with maybe ten percent truth at most.