1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Outside the crowd, Erzhuzi, who had been watching with great excitement, also reacted, threw the awning materials he was holding on the ground, and squeezed in to carry two boxes of flooring.

Second Brother Dong Weiguo hesitated for a moment.

Although reason told him that what he was doing was wrong and not good, after hesitating for a moment, his body still honestly followed his younger brother and carried two boxes of floorboards.

Upon seeing this, the proprietress immediately started throwing a tantrum:

"Put them down right now!"

"Is there no law anymore?! Someone's robbing people in broad daylight in the market! Someone come and do something about this!"

Dong Jianguo snorted coldly:

"You get paid according to how much work you do; that's a matter of course."

"Since we can't get the remaining money, we'll return the items the way they came. Even if the police come, they won't be able to find fault!"

"Besides, you're so capable, managing men like women. Do you even need anyone else to manage you?!"

After he said that, no one around stepped forward to stop him.

The shop owners surrounding them crossed their arms and smiled as they made way for the three of them.

Seeing that the five boxes of flooring that had already been delivered would be carried away by these three men to who-knows-where, the man who had been silent finally couldn't help but speak up and called out to the three men:

"Wait, I'll pay the rest!"

As he spoke, he took out his wallet from his pocket and deftly pulled out 20 yuan: "Leave the floor here, take the money and go..."

Dong Jianguo told his second brother to collect the money, but he didn't put down the floorboard in his hand.

"What? We've already paid you, and you're giving us back the floor? Are you really planning to rob us?!"

Dong Jianguo raised an eyebrow and looked at the proprietress who was jumping up and down on the spot, saying:

"Apologize! Apologize to my brother!"

"I……"

Before the proprietress could say anything more, the male proprietor realized how difficult Dong Jianguo was to deal with.

Seeing the mocking expressions of the surrounding shop owners who seemed to enjoy the spectacle, a wave of shame washed over him, and before he knew it, his face had turned a deep purplish-red.

He stopped his wife and nodded to Dong Weiguo:

"Brother, I'm sorry, we were wrong to do this today, I apologize."

"What are you doing? Do you need to bow down to Coolie?"

"Shut up!"

The male boss's sudden outburst startled the female boss.

Dong Jianguo put down the floorboards he was holding and patted the male boss on the shoulder:

"That's more like it! How could the Great Sage be afraid of his wife!"

……

On the way out of the Second Light Industry Market, Dong Jianguo looked at his sullen second brother and wondered how to start a conversation.

Among my siblings, my eldest and second eldest brothers were much older and had spent much less time at home due to their experiences of being sent to the countryside, so they were never very close to me.

In my memory, my second brother, Dong Weiguo, was not very talkative since he was a child, and he was the kind of person who had a lot on his mind.

In addition, as he grew older, he was caught up with the tail end of the Down to the Countryside Movement, which made him even more estranged from his family.

Especially after the birth of her daughter, my sister-in-law became even more taciturn when my second brother visited my eldest brother's home because she disliked my father Dong Xuewen's preference for sons over daughters...

In my memory, my second brother also went through a difficult period after he was laid off from the No. 1 Machine Tool Factory in my previous life.

Three years later, he also divorced his second sister-in-law, Zheng Rui.

But it was only 1994, and there were still two years before the mass layoffs of workers at the Hecheng No. 1 Machine Tool Factory.

My second brother started working at the factory early and has a long tenure. The factory's benefits are excellent in Hecheng. His monthly salary should be at least 300 yuan. Including my sister-in-law, who is a primary school teacher, our family's financial situation is not as good as my eldest brother's family, but we shouldn't have to work as porters.

Dong Weiguo's No. 3 bus was parked by the roadside. Dong Jianguo handed his things to Erzhuzi and asked him to put them back in his bus. He then took the opportunity to stop walking.

After Erzhuzi had walked away, Dong Jianguo finally spoke:

"Second Brother..."

"Jianguo, don't tell Mom and Dad about what happened today."

"Yes, I know." Dong Jianguo nodded, realizing that his second brother wanted to end the conversation and get on the tricycle to leave. He raised his hand and pressed down on the handlebars of the tricycle.

"Second brother, wait a minute, is something wrong with your work? Aren't you supposed to be at work today? Why are you..."

Dong Weiguo sighed, "It's nothing, don't overthink it. What brings you here?"

"I just run a small business, so I built a rain shelter to keep my goods from getting wet."

Looking at his second brother's silent face, Dong Jianguo felt very bad.

After all, they are brothers bound by blood, so we should help them when necessary.

"Second brother, stop blaming me! What's going on with you? If you don't explain clearly, I'll tell Mom and Dad what I saw today!"

Dong Weiguo looked at his stubborn younger brother with some helplessness:

"It's really nothing. Your sister-in-law wants Yangyang to learn piano, but they're a little short on money. The factory's been slow lately, there's not much work, so I came out to earn some extra money."

Dong Weiguo's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an undeniable weariness.

"Learn piano?" Dong Jianguo was taken aback.

He then remembered that his niece did indeed have a talent for playing the piano when she grew up, but he never expected that his second brother had earned this talent by riding a tricycle.

"Second Brother,"

Dong Jianguo softened his tone, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and handed one over: "Take a break first."

Dong Weiguo hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it.

The two brothers squatted on the steps by the Second Light Industry Market, silently puffing on their cigarettes.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Dong Jianguo looked at his second brother's work clothes, stained with sweat, and felt a mix of emotions.

He knew that his second brother, Dong Weiguo, was stubborn. He had endured countless hardships during the Down to the Countryside Movement without uttering a sound, and he would be even less likely to admit that he had encountered difficulties now.

"Second Brother," Dong Jianguo tentatively asked, "how much money are you short? Why don't you talk to Mom? We can all chip in, right?"

Dong Weiguo took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out on the sole of his shoe, and shook his head.

"There's no need. These days, relying on yourself is worse than relying on anyone else."

He stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, and his tone returned to its usual aloofness:

"Alright, it's getting late. I'll head back to the station; maybe I can get some work there."

After saying that, he rummaged through his pocket for a while, and in addition to the fifty yuan that the owner of Dasheng Flooring had given him, he added another 20 yuan of his own. After counting the money, he stuffed the remaining two yuan back into his pocket.

Dong Jianguo was stunned as he saw a wad of cash slapped into his hand.

"Second brother, what does this mean?"

"You're new to business, so here's a little something from your second brother."

After saying that, Dong Weiguo turned around and got on the tricycle.

Dong Jianguo panicked and grabbed his second brother's arm from behind:

"Second brother! I can't accept this money."

"Take it, don't tear it apart with me."

"It's not about money, Second Brother. I think if you're in trouble, you should tell us. There are so many of us in the family, we'll always find a way."

Dong Weiguo stopped, his back to Dong Jianguo, his shoulders trembling slightly, but he did not turn around.

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice:

"Jianguo, I know you mean well. But..."

"You're still too young... Even within a family, there are degrees of closeness and distance."

Dong Weiguo knocked his brother's hand away, then pushed off with his feet, gradually accelerating the No. 3 bus.

After riding the bike for a while, his voice drifted on the wind, carrying a hint of helplessness:

"Jianguo, about today's events..."

"Second brother, I promise I'll keep it a secret!"

After shouting, Dong Jianguo stood there blankly, still clutching the few dozen yuan his second brother had forced on him.

As my second brother walked further and further away, his figure on the tricycle remained upright, yet it exuded an indescribable desolation.

Money can solve many problems for many people in this world, such as Erzhuzi's problem, and Zhao Hongmei's problem...

The problem of my niece Dong Aiyang learning piano can be solved with money.

But money couldn't solve the problems between my second brother and his family.

Dong Jianguo knew that his father's attitude towards Yangyang had been causing his second brother to harbor resentment, but he never expected that the resentment had deepened to this extent.

He suddenly felt a little helpless.

It seems that even after being reborn, many problems remain unsolved.

Perhaps there are always some questions in life that we can't find the answers to...