15: What a fantastic boss!

"Lao Meng? Why are you coming home so late?"

Lao Xiao asked, puzzled.

A day earlier,

He had heard from neighbors that the other party had gone to a new factory with excellent benefits and, crucially, no overtime.

If that was the case, why was he coming home so late?

Could it be... he was out playing around with other women?

Actually, it wasn't uncommon.

Many factory workers, especially men in their thirties and forties,

Had grown accustomed to a life of indulgence.

Many had developed the habit of visiting alleyways to find women every now and then.

"Sigh, don't even get me started."

"Before we joined the factory, Lao Chen promised us so well, saying there would be no overtime once we got in."

"Now look. Not only do we have to work overtime every day, but we don't even get paid for it."

"The boss at that factory often yells at us, and since he's influential, we don't dare to resist."

"It's so damn frustrating!"

Lao Meng's tone was full of anger, but his eyes held more helplessness.

He had been doing well at the Steel Factory, but Lao Chen had enticed them to switch jobs, promising to take care of them once they moved.

But the reality was completely different.

Lao Chen himself was thriving at the new factory, everything going smoothly for him.

But the others who followed him were all in a sorry state.

Because of this,

They had even specifically sought out Lao Chen.

Who would have thought that now that he was doing well, he completely ignored their pleas?

He even wanted to cut ties with them and never interact again.

This left them feeling like a A dumb person eats Coptis chinensis (a A dumb person eats Coptis chinensis, a mute eating bitter coptis), unable to voice their suffering.

"Oh, by the way, Old Xiao, when did you buy a bicycle?"

Seeing the bicycle Old Xiao was riding, Lao Meng's eyes couldn't help but show a hint of envy.

This was something he had wanted for a long time.

However,

He really couldn't bring himself to buy it.

In this era, although bicycles were no longer ridiculously expensive, they were still a significant expense.

His current salary was 700 yuan per month.

And the lowest price for a bicycle was over a hundred, which was many days of his salary.

Even though he loved bicycles very much, he couldn't bear to buy one.

He had three children at home, all needing to be fed.

Monthly expenses were always a number that put immense pressure on him.

He also knew Old Xiao's family very well.

He had a bedridden wife at home and two elderly parents to care for.

The pressure on him was no less than his own.

In fact,

The pressure on the other party's shoulders was even greater than his, because the other party had a chronically ill wife.

So he was very curious.

Logically speaking, Lao Xiao shouldn't be able to afford a bicycle at all.

But now,

The other party was riding the bicycle he had admired for so long.

"This?"

Lao Xiao chuckled:

"Actually... this bicycle isn't mine. How could I afford something like this? My boss gave it to me.""

He actually had one more thing he didn't say.

That was, he might not have been able to afford it before, but now?

With double his salary, he could easily buy it!

"What? Your boss gave it to you?!"

Lao Meng's tone was astonished, his face filled with disbelief.

This was the first time he had ever seen a factory boss give a bicycle to a regular employee.

One must know,

The price of a bicycle was not cheap.

Those factory bosses were mostly stingy; how could they give bicycles to their employees?!

Forget bicycles, they couldn't even dream of getting a steamed bun.

Just like the new factory he was currently in, the boss was always finding ways to deduct their wages.

As for giving them things, that would probably be impossible even in the next life!

Most importantly,

Wasn't that Steel Factory without orders, with broken steelmaking machines, and on the verge of bankruptcy?

Where did they get the money to give employees bicycles?!

"I've been working overtime these past few nights, so the boss gave me a bicycle."

Old Xiao's eyes were full of gratitude.

With this bicycle, he could get home faster to take care of his wife.

"Just because of overtime, the boss gave you this?"

Lao Meng was dumbfounded.

What kind of amazing boss was this!

However,

He quickly reacted:

"That's not right. Didn't the Steel Factory have no orders and was about to close down? Why are you still working overtime?"

Old Xiao chuckled lightly:

"When you all left, the Steel Factory was indeed about to close down."

"But the boss is incredibly resourceful; he somehow brought in a large number of orders, and now the steel produced every day can't even meet demand."

Lao Meng was stunned.

How could this be?

He really couldn't understand. If the Steel Factory had such capability, it wouldn't have been in that state before, right?

Just then,

He suddenly noticed a plastic bag hanging on the bicycle.

A rich aroma vaguely wafted out from it.

"Old Xiao, you're living well! You even splurged on pig's head meat?"

"Haha. This is all thanks to the boss. If he hadn't raised my salary, I definitely wouldn't be able to afford this."

Lao Meng's eyes widened, and he stood frozen on the spot.

A raise?

He remembered.

Old Xiao's previous salary was 650 yuan a month, and he had a sick person to care for at home.

How much did his salary have to increase for him to be able to afford pig's head meat?

Seeing that the other person's life seemed even more comfortable than his own, Lao Meng's heart suddenly felt unbalanced.

This made him want to find some balance from the other person's earlier situation.

So,

He suppressed the jealousy in his heart and continued to ask:

"Does your factory also not pay for overtime, and you're still so happy about it?"

Upon hearing this,

Old Xiao immediately laughed.

Under Lao Meng's astonished gaze, Old Xiao said with a happy expression:

"The boss is very good. He pays me for all my overtime. And, each hour is calculated at three times the usual hourly wage."

"Three times?! Doesn't that mean one hour counts as three hours? How is that possible!"

Lao Meng exclaimed, unwilling to believe the other person's words.

How could there be such a generous person in this world?

Old Xiao merely smiled, having no intention of continuing the discussion.

"Alright, my wife is still waiting for me at home, I need to hurry back."

After saying that,

Old Xiao rode off on his bicycle, leaving Lao Meng alone, looking shocked.

He knew what kind of person Old Xiao was.

What the other person said naturally couldn't contain any boasting or exaggeration.

Thinking of this,

Lao Meng suddenly regretted it in his heart.

"If I hadn't left with that Chen fellow back then, would it be me riding a bicycle and eating pig's head meat now?"

...

Back home,

Li Mubai told Li's Father about recruiting employees.

After Li's Father finished listening,

He simply said:

"You are the director of the Steel Factory now. You can decide whatever you want."

During dinner,

The family of four was filled with laughter and joy.

Especially Li's Father and Li Mother's faces, their smiles never stopped.

Li Mother kept putting food on Li Mubai's plate.

And kept muttering:

"Our Mu Bai has made something of himself. Come, eat more, don't get too tired!"