Song Chunliang was sewing with his head down when he suddenly felt the gossipy women around him fall silent. He tried to look up, but saw his son squatting in front of him, offering him a cigarette.
"So diligent? Dad, didn't I tell you to have Mom and me tidy up the house and prepare to move? You don't need to work so hard outside again?" Song Tianyao struck a match, waited for Song Chunliang to take it, lit it for him, and then frowned as he asked.
Song Chunliang coughed twice from the fumes of the Britain cigarette, took the opportunity to wipe the sweat from his face, and then continued working, saying, "I'm bored at home and thinking about moving. Before I leave, I asked the neighbors to bring out their shoes so I can mend them. After all, we've been neighbors for so many years, and your Dad doesn't have any other skills. I'll mend their shoes as a keepsake."
It turns out it's free; no wonder the line is so long.
"What's so great about the neighbors? Your son failed the police academy entrance exam, and these guys kicked him when he was down. Wenwen almost got into trouble, and not a single one of them helped. Go home and rest." Song Tianyao didn't even bother to look at the neighbors queuing up. These bastards, their own Dad was offering to repair their shoes for free, and they actually had the nerve to come out and queue up.
"You can't say that. If other neighbors were in trouble, your Dad wouldn't have the guts to step forward and help. We're all in the same boat. You should go home first. If I go home, your mother will only scold me. Listening to the neighbors talk here will make me feel better." Song Chunliang raised his head, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and smiled at his son squatting in front of him. His face was weathered and worn.
Seeing the two Fuyixing henchmen squatting across the street, looking like they wanted to run over but hesitated, Song Tianyao sighed, "If you like it, that's good. Finish work early and go home for lunch. I'll have a couple of drinks with you, and we'll move this afternoon."
After saying that, he stood up, took a few steps, and beckoned to the two men from Fuyixing in the distance. "What is it?"
"Secretary Song, Boss said to send him a message as soon as you see him. He immediately sent someone over to say that the matter you asked him to investigate has been clarified," a member of Fuyixing said to Song Tianyao. "Also, Boss has already settled things regarding the matter you asked Brother Shan to go to the Sai Kung Police Station last time."
Chapter Seventy-Four: The Wisdom of Ordinary People
"Understood. I'll have lunch at home. He can come over and see me at home." Song Tianyao took out a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet, handed it to his subordinate, and pointed to his father's shoe repair stall. "If there are still this many people around noon, chase them away, help my Dad pack up the stall, and let him go home for lunch."
"Thank you, Secretary Song. Don't worry, I'll get it done." The Fuyixing underling smiled politely at Song Tianyao, then turned and ran back to the other side of the street.
Song Tianyao turned and walked back home along the street. The house was much better this time, a far cry from the cramped feeling of his last visit. Zhao Meizhen was rummaging through the bedding at the bottom of the closet, tidying it up. Seeing Song Tianyao, a flash of joy crossed her face, but perhaps remembering his last outburst, her expression quickly changed. She scoffed, "So you know how to come home, huh? I thought you'd abandoned your Dad and gone off to be a godfather to some money-grubber."
"Do you really have to hold such a grudge against your own son?" Song Tianyao said with a smile as he walked over to Zhao Meizhen, took the bedding from her hands, and placed it on the bed.
Zhao Meizhen gently brushed the dust off the bedding with a feather duster that was already shedding some feathers, and said, "How could I dare? You're almost more awful than the Governor of Hong Kong."
Although her words sounded resentful, seeing her son standing in front of her, Zhao Meizhen still added one last thing, "Are you having lunch at home? If you are, I'll go buy some pig hearts and livers to make soup. You've worked so hard as a secretary in such a wealthy family; you need to nourish your body."
"Okay." After Song Tianyao finished dusting off the bedding, Song Zhao Meizhen picked up the blankets and helped her put them back in the closet. "After lunch, I'll have someone find a truck to move this place away this afternoon."
"Really moving? You're going to be someone's secretary? Where would you get the money so quickly to rent a place in Wan Chai? Rent a floor in a tenement building; the rent is only two hundred dollars a month, but the transfer fee is outrageously high." Zhao Meizhen looked at Song Tianyao and said, "Being a secretary only looks glamorous on the surface; don't secretly hide the money from your employer."
"You have the nerve to nag me? Last time I came home, didn't you pile up fruit and eggs all over the house? You almost got Wenwen married off." Song Tianyao asked her, amused, when he heard his mother actually nagging him.
Zhao Meizhen raised an eyebrow, her expression instantly mirroring her son's demeanor at times. "What do you know! Do you think your mother doesn't know how much you're worth? I'm worried you won't be able to hold onto your secretary position, so I'm taking some benefits from the neighbors to get Wenwen a good spot. You didn't even finish middle school, how long can you be a secretary? Of course, I'm just taking advantage of your success to make some money. But I can take advantage of the neighbors, you can't. Your mother is shameless, it doesn't matter, but you can't act like that. I'm afraid you'll be blinded by money outside."
"Wow, I didn't know you were so cunning. But Mom, aren't you worried that I'll really lose my secretary job and then the neighbors and Wenwen's in-laws will cause trouble? The most pitiful one is Wenwen. What if I lose my secretary job after I marry into the family, and her husband's family takes their anger out on her?" Song Tianyao felt that his mother hadn't lived in the Squatter Area for nothing all these years. Her cleverness and cunning as a commoner were all reflected in her words.
She knew her son came from a poor background and hadn't received a proper education, so she thought a secretary's job wouldn't last long. Naturally, she took advantage of the fact that her son was a secretary to start accepting favors from the neighbors. Moreover, all the things she accepted were cheap fruits and eggs, and the most expensive things might be cloth, rice, and flour. Even if someone came to her door, things wouldn't get out of hand.
Zhao Meizhen rolled her eyes at her son. "Do you think I'm stupid? Of course, while you're doing well now, I had your aunt borrow two thousand dollars from the neighbors to send A-Yip to police academy. In six months, he'll be a policeman. Even if you're no longer useful, you'll still have A-Yip to support you. If anyone causes trouble again, I'll have A-Yip stand in front of the door and see who dares to come knocking. If they dare to mess with Wenwen, I'll have A-Yip bring the police to their house every day."
Song Tianyao was stunned by these words. Zhao Wenye had been sent to the police academy to become a police cadet? No wonder he hadn't seen his honest and filial cousin for the past few days.