Chapter 21: Liu Bei Invites Zhuge Liang (Please Add to Favorites)

As soon as Wang Qiang returned home, he busied himself right away. He had sold the softshell turtles for seven hundred and fifty but did not intend to hand the money over to his mother just yet. Instead, he planned to save up enough to repay their debts in full, so he could present it all at once and make his mother happy.

Knowing his mother would be coming home for lunch, he took out half a head of cabbage that Uncle Zhai had brought over and chopped it up. He also mixed in the leftover braised gluten and pork from yesterday and set it all to cook together.

The morning slipped by in no time. Wang Qiang glanced at the clock—it was already around noon. His mother should be back for lunch soon. Fortunately, it was now only drizzling outside; had it still been pouring and blowing as it had in the morning, he would have been worried.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, he heard the sound of something slicing through water outside. He ran to the threshold and poked his head out to see his mother just getting off her bicycle.

“Mom, come in quickly, lunch is ready,” Wang Qiang said, hurrying over to help her with the bike.

His mother’s face was covered with droplets of water, and she was panting as she took off her raincoat. The road was sticky and hard to ride in the rain, and it had taken much of her strength. She smiled, “What delicious food has my son made today?”

Wang Qiang parked the bicycle beside the stove and replied casually, “Braised cabbage and pork, plus the leftover carp from yesterday. You should eat it soon, or it’ll spoil.”

“Alright, let’s eat together,” his mother said, patting her lower back as she winced in pain, then went to the cupboard to get bowls and chopsticks.

Wang Qiang had noticed this morning that something was wrong. Now, hearing her, he quickly asked, “Mom, what happened to your back?”

“I strained it yesterday. It hurts a bit,” she replied, bringing the bowls and chopsticks to the square table.

Wang Qiang’s heart ached for her. “I told you not to go to work. If your back hurts, don’t go this afternoon.”

“We’ll see,” his mother replied with her usual evasiveness, scooping rice into the bowls from the bamboo basket.

He sighed, realizing he couldn’t persuade her. No matter what, his mother would go to work. Wang Qiang felt deeply worried—what if her back got worse from overexertion?

During the meal, no matter how hard he tried to convince her, his mother remained noncommittal, brushing off his concerns.

Left with no other choice, Wang Qiang could only hope to earn more money as soon as possible.

Just then, the sound of a car horn blared outside—a short, sharp beep. It seemed to be coming right toward their house.

His mother paused, chopsticks in midair. “Qiangzi, go see who’s here.”

Wang Qiang was curious himself. None of their relatives, as far as he remembered, owned a car. Just as he was about to get up, he heard a car door slam outside, followed by a middle-aged man’s voice, “Is Wang Qiang home?”

“Here,” Wang Qiang replied.

As soon as he spoke, a big bald man walked in, followed by a tall, stylish woman.

“Oh, Boss Lu, what brings you here?” his mother exclaimed in surprise, hurrying to fetch a long bench. “Please, sit.”

The visitors were Lu Dahai and his wife, Qin Xiaohui. He stepped forward politely, “Auntie, I can manage myself.”

His mother smiled, “By seniority, you should call me Auntie, but I haven’t heard you call me that in years. What’s changed today?”

As it happened, Wang Qiang’s great-aunt—his mother’s aunt—had married into the Lu family. By local custom, that made Lu Dahai, a generation removed, her cousin-nephew. Titles in the countryside could be complicated, and, in truth, the two families were not closely related. Usually, they would address each other as peers, but since Lu Dahai had come needing a favor, his manner was now appropriately humble.

Qin Xiaohui greeted her as well, “Hello, Auntie,” though her eyes darted toward Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang gave her a polite smile, keeping silent as a son should while his mother spoke.

“Is this your wife?” his mother asked, praising her, “I’ve heard you married a real beauty, but never got the chance to meet her until today. She truly is lovely.”

Qin Xiaohui seemed to enjoy the compliment, and immediately began exchanging pleasantries with his mother—telling her that she, too, was beautiful and would outshine anyone if she were only ten years younger.

After a few moments of small talk, his mother asked courteously, “Dahai, have you two eaten? Why not join us for a bite? We don’t have much, but don’t mind the fare.” She turned to fetch more bowls and chopsticks—for rural hosts, guests were always treated politely, and with notice, they might have prepared a proper feast.

Lu Dahai quickly waved her off, “We’ve eaten, you go ahead. We came because we need a favor from my cousin here,” he said, gesturing to Wang Qiang. He hadn’t even bothered with names before, but now he called him cousin.

His mother grew anxious, worried he had come to complain about the turtle sale. She fidgeted with her hands. “Is it about the turtles? I’ll get the money—”

“No, no,” Lu Dahai said with a wry smile, waving his hands. “Actually, I need my cousin’s help with something.”

His mother let out a sigh of relief, sitting back at the table, puzzled. “You’re a big boss now, what could Qiangzi possibly help you with? Don’t tease.”

Qin Xiaohui smiled demurely, “We really do need Qiangzi’s help.” Together, she and Lu Dahai briefly recounted the events of that morning, how Wang Qiang had given them some advice.

Wang Qiang, still eating, could only smile wryly and shake his head. He had been planning to save up the debt money and present it to his mother all at once, but now it seemed he would have to do so sooner. No matter; the eight hundred yuan in his pocket was meant for the debt anyway, and the remaining fifty was just for small change.

His mother looked at her son in surprise after hearing their story, then slowly realized why Lu Dahai, who rarely visited or even acknowledged their kinship, would come calling today and with such deference. It was all thanks to her son.

“Well, I’d like to invite Qiangzi to work at my factory,” Lu Dahai stated his intention plainly. “In a management role. The salary is negotiable—one thousand to start. If that’s not enough, we can discuss it.”

A thousand a month was an enormous sum at that time, especially for someone who had just graduated junior high and hadn’t even attended high school. Such an offer was extraordinary.

But his mother refused without hesitation: “No, he has to go to school.”

Wang Qiang glanced up. He hadn’t planned to take a salaried position at Jin Gong Machinery, not even for a thousand a month. Ten thousand a month, now that would be worth considering.

Lu Dahai and Qin Xiaohui exchanged glances, their faces full of strained smiles. “Is it that the pay isn’t good enough? I can—”

“Boss Lu,” his mother interrupted, chopsticks in hand and her address formal now. “It’s not about the salary. Qiangzi has been admitted to Siyih High School. I want him to go to university and make the family proud, not start work so young. Don’t waste your time. Isn’t that right, Qiangzi?” She shot her son a meaningful look.

Wang Qiang replied, “I’ll do as you say.”

Lu Dahai pressed, “Are you sure there’s no room for discussion?”

His mother remained firm, unmoved by any of Lu Dahai’s arguments.

Finally, Lu Dahai gritted his teeth. “Alright, then let me propose another idea.” Seeing Cheng Lin about to speak, he quickly continued, “Hear me out first—I won’t ask Qiangzi to join the factory permanently. Since it’s summer break, perhaps he could help us train some of our managerial staff for a week or so. Is that acceptable?”

Wang Qiang, who had barely spoken, waved his hand, “I really don’t have that kind of ability.”

Training people? He had no such experience. He didn’t want to take advantage of others; as the saying goes, one should act within one’s means. Wang Qiang believed firmly in only doing what he was capable of, not being blinded by money.

“I believe you can do it,” Qin Xiaohui said sincerely, her eyes intent on him. “Old Lu and I discussed this on the way—we’d prefer to have you in management, but if that’s not possible, then at least help us train a few people for a week. We’ll pay you one hundred yuan per day, settled at the end of the week, and we can sign a labor contract.” Originally, she and Lu Dahai had discussed fifty yuan a day, but seeing how resolute Wang Qiang and his mother were, Qin Xiaohui decided to raise the stakes.

It’s worth noting that, according to the General Principles of Civil Law of the People’s Republic of China, citizens aged sixteen and above who rely on their own income for their livelihood are considered to have full civil capacity. Such individuals are legally able to sign labor contracts, provided the work does not involve mining, hazardous workplaces, or other forbidden types of labor. Wang Qiang was seventeen, so signing such a contract was valid.

Lu Dahai, who usually disliked his wife making decisions, had no objections this time.

Wang Qiang was tempted, but still declined politely, “I really don’t have the ability.”

Lu Dahai grew anxious. This was his best hope for dealing with those sly old-timers at the factory, and he didn’t want to give up. Sensing how filial Wang Qiang was from the conversation, he tried to persuade Cheng Lin instead. “Auntie, please talk to Qiangzi—one week, a hundred a day. That’s a great deal, isn’t it?”

His mother hesitated. Seven days would earn them more than two months’ wages—quite a temptation for someone weighed down by debt. “I…”

“Mom, I still have to sell fish,” Wang Qiang reminded her, seeing her waver.

Qin Xiaohui countered smoothly, “Let Auntie sell the fish instead.”

At that, Wang Qiang’s heart stirred. He had been trying, unsuccessfully, to persuade his mother to quit her temporary job at the textile mill. If this could keep her from working herself to exhaustion, perhaps it was worth it. He could accompany her to sell fish in the mornings, then head to Jin Gong Machinery to do the training—a workable plan.

His mother fell silent, torn in her thoughts.

Lu Dahai saw hope and pressed, “Auntie, just think—a hundred yuan a day, and all Qiangzi has to do is talk. It’s like a pie falling from the sky, isn’t it?”

Qin Xiaohui took his mother’s hand, “Qiangzi is still growing. If you let him help us, Old Lu and I will provide him with two meals a day—plenty of fish and meat.”

His mother didn’t answer them but turned to her son instead. “Qiangzi, do you want to go? If you don’t, then you don’t have to.”

Lu Dahai and Qin Xiaohui grew tense, feeling as if Liu Bei himself were recruiting Zhuge Liang, terrified of being turned down.

“Well…” Wang Qiang started, knowing his mother was tempted, but wanting to make sure, he asked, “Mom, what about selling fish?”

“I’ll quit my job and sell fish instead,” she replied decisively.

Good. That was the answer he wanted.

His goal was finally achieved. Wang Qiang smiled in satisfaction—after days of fruitless persuasion, he hadn’t expected Lu Dahai to be the one to succeed. He had never trained anyone before, but even if he’d never eaten pork, he’d certainly seen pigs run, hadn’t he?

He nodded, “Alright then, Boss Lu, I accept.”

Finally, his mother wouldn’t have to exhaust herself as a temp worker anymore.