Chapter 022: If You Do It, Do It to Perfection
The matter was settled. The atmosphere immediately became harmonious.
Lu Dahai burst out laughing. “Xiaohui, take out the contract and let Qiangzi have a look.”
Qin Xiaohui opened the navy blue purse that Wang Qiang had seen that morning and drew out two rolled-up contracts.
“No need for the contract, I trust your character, Boss Lu,” Wang Qiang replied with righteous conviction. In truth, he was afraid there might be complicated clauses in the contract that he couldn’t understand, and that he’d end up trapped. Hadn’t Song Jiang set a trap for Lu Junyi, leaving him with no way out but to join Liangshan?
Knowing he was not well-versed in legal matters, he decided to act magnanimously. It wasn’t that he was being petty or suspicious of others, but rather that caution makes for longevity. There was no need to tie himself for four years to the lackluster Jin Gong Machinery Factory for seven hundred yuan.
His mother, however, kept giving him meaningful looks, hinting that signing a contract would provide peace of mind.
Wang Qiang pretended not to notice.
Lu Dahai was momentarily surprised, but then stuck out his thumb. “Good! Straightforward people get things done straightforwardly. Be at the company before eight tomorrow morning, all right?”
Qin Xiaohui tucked the contracts back into her bag.
“All right,” Wang Qiang agreed.
Once he agreed, Lu Dahai stood up, taking his wife with him to say their goodbyes. “Well then, I have to get back and oversee the workers. We’ll meet in the office tomorrow morning.”
But Qin Xiaohui quietly tugged at his sleeve.
Lu Dahai looked at her in confusion, seeing her signaling with her eyes, but he couldn’t decipher her meaning.
With a sweet smile, Qin Xiaohui said, “Old Lu, I’m worried Qiangzi might oversleep and be late tomorrow. Why don’t you give him a watch, so he can keep track of the time and not be late?”
Lu Dahai’s face twisted with reluctance, and he opened his mouth to protest.
Wang Qiang wasn’t in the habit of taking advantage. He waved his hand. “No need, I’ll be punctual.”
His mother echoed the sentiment. “That’s right, we can’t take the watch.”
Seeing her husband unmoving, Qin Xiaohui turned around and gave him a glare, then deftly removed the watch from Lu Dahai’s left wrist. She turned back and pressed the watch into Wang Qiang’s hand, gripping his hands tightly so he could not refuse. “Qiangzi, I’m a few years older than you—calling myself your sister is no problem, right?” When Wang Qiang nodded, she continued, “Listen to your sister. It’s nothing valuable, just take it for work’s sake. If you don’t accept it, Old Lu and I won’t dare set foot in your house again.”
She had gone so far that Wang Qiang, not wanting to embarrass them, had no choice but to accept.
Seeing him put the watch away, Qin Xiaohui was satisfied. She said goodbye to Wang Qiang and Cheng Lin, then took Lu Dahai’s arm and headed out.
She picked up the floral umbrella by the door, opened it, and the couple waved goodbye once more as the fierce rain beat down from the eaves, drumming loudly against the umbrella.
...
Outside, the rain continued to pour, its dense drops washing away the usual noise and clamor of the countryside, turning the once-constricted horizon into something wide and expansive. The gentle beads of rain cleansed the dust from the fields, and everything appeared brighter and purer—the greens greener, the reds redder.
But as Lu Dahai reached the black Santana, he had no mind to admire the beauty of the rain. He wore a gloomy expression. “What were you thinking, Xiaohui?”
“What, can’t bear to part with it?” Qin Xiaohui glanced at him with a sly smile. “Still hung up on your ex-wife?”
Lu Dahai was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to respond. The watch he’d just given to Wang Qiang had been bought when he married his ex-wife. It wasn’t a particularly expensive Shang Hai A581, but it carried memories. Yet these were not things he could admit to his current wife, or there’d be an argument for sure.
“So it’s true?” Qin Xiaohui sneered.
“No, no, you’re imagining things! There’s only you in my heart,” Lu Dahai replied with a forced smile, fishing for his keys.
“That’s better.” Qin Xiaohui’s expression softened a little, and she lowered her voice. “Did you think I gave him the watch for no reason? I’m afraid he won’t show up tomorrow.”
“What do you mean?” Lu Dahai asked, still confused, unlocking the car with a click.
Qin Xiaohui stifled a yawn elegantly. “I’m a little tired.” Then she explained, “Just now, Little Wang refused to sign the contract, right?”
Lu Dahai nodded, opening the back door for her to get in.
“No matter what he’s thinking, I’m preparing for the worst. Suppose he doesn’t come to our factory tomorrow. With no contract binding him, it’s entirely possible. But since we gave him a watch, and we’re relatives, if it were you, would you still come?”
Lu Dahai, just about to get into the driver’s seat, paused, then laughed. “Of course I would! Otherwise, word would get out and people would talk behind my back.”
...
Back at home, Wang Qiang had no inkling of how shrewd and deep Qin Xiaohui, who seemed so gentle and open, actually was. Not that it would have mattered—he was a man of his word. If he promised something, he would never go back on it.
His mother hadn’t eaten yet, and asked anxiously, “Why didn’t you sign the contract just now?”
Wang Qiang was examining the watch. Though the Shang Hai A581 wasn’t expensive, its quality was renowned—said to keep perfect time for two days without deviation, easily rivaling Swiss watches, though the latter sold for their brand rather than real superiority.
Hearing his mother, he put down the watch, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating again. “It’s all in the family—no need for a contract.”
His mother was not satisfied. “Even brothers keep accounts clear. What if, after you finish training, they renege on payment?”
Wang Qiang shoved a piece of cabbage into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “Ma, I have my reasons for not signing.”
“What reasons?” She tapped her chopsticks on the table, her bowl still half full.
Wang Qiang explained between bites, “Didn’t you see how desperate they were to get me to the factory? I’m worried there’s something hidden in the contract. Neither you nor I know much about the law—if there is something, I could get trapped. Then, no matter how loud I shout, no one will help, and not only would I miss out on school, I could wind up working at Jin Gong Machinery for nothing.”
At the mention of school, his mother nodded repeatedly. “Right, right, you handled it well. Money isn’t the issue—school is what matters.”
So, persuading his mother to let him skip school would be even harder than he thought. Usually, she stretched every penny, but in the face of a “fortune” like seven hundred yuan, she remained unyielding—her resolve was clear.
Wang Qiang’s mind worked furiously, trying to think of a way to make his mother willingly give up on sending him to school. He decided to wait until their debts were paid before making another attempt.
After dinner, his mother gathered up the dishes to wash them.
Wang Qiang didn’t argue, but pulled his schoolbag from the side of the bed, took out a pen and notebook, and began to write carefully.
He wasn’t just putting on a show for his mother—since he had agreed to train management staff for Jin Gong Machinery Factory, he needed a detailed plan.
He recalled in detail the rules and regulations from his previous life’s workplace, and began to write:
“Employee Rewards and Penalties System:
1. General Principles.
1.1: In order to clarify the basis, standards, and procedures for rewards and penalties, ensuring they are open, fair, and just, to better standardize employee behavior, enforce discipline, reward excellence, correct shortcomings, and fully motivate staff to create better work results, this system is established.
1.2: This system applies to all factory employees.
2. Principles of Rewards and Penalties…”
Wang Qiang wrote with utmost seriousness. If he was going to do something, he would do it to the best of his ability.