Wang Xiaoliang took out his phone and opened an income tax calculator. Pointing at the screen, he walked Li Lanxiang through the entries: gross salary, deductions for social insurance and the housing fund, the tax-free allowance, and then the applicable tax rate.
A string of digits appeared: 11,804.55.
Li Lanxiang glanced at it without a word. She typed the number on the keyboard and confirmed it.
She unplugged the USB security token, inserted an authorization token, and went through a few more steps.
"Transaction successful" popped up.
Wang Xiaoliang's phone chimed with a notification right afterward. There was no need to check: the transfer had gone through, and the money was already in his account.
His heart sank. It was the smallest payment he had received all year. Once he paid the mortgage, he would have less than a thousand yuan left to spend this month, even less than during the two months of vacation.
He stood, his expression calm. "Got the hang of it? Brother Huang and I will head out, then."
Li Lanxiang did not even look up. Her eyes remained glued to the computer screen, as though she were still working through the steps. She nodded and replied, "All right, go ahead."
Li Lanxiang's mother sidled over and sat beside her, showing no intention of seeing them out.
The two men left the room without a word along the way.
Downstairs, Wang Xiaoliang started the car, and Huang Xueli got into the passenger seat.
"Xiaoliang, let's go somewhere near your place," Huang Xueli broke the silence, his voice tinged with fatigue. "Have a couple of drinks with me. Let's have a proper heart-to-heart, just us brothers. I'll take a taxi home afterward."
"Sure," Wang Xiaoliang replied.
He parked in a space in the residential community and switched