The two, meeting for the first time, hit it off surprisingly well, chatting and smoking together.
Grandpa Hou laughed. "Dongzi, you're a sharp kid. I like talking to smart folks."
"What do you mean by that, Grandpa Hou?"
Li Xiangdong was puzzled. From their chat, he'd pegged Grandpa Hou as a bit prideful, so this sudden praise caught him off guard.
"There's stuff you don't know. This round of temp worker recruitment? The station's internal kids have already been onboarded. Now it's just returned educated youth like you, trickling in to report."
"But they either lack sense or have mush for brains. None of them think to ask around—they all rush straight to the main station building to register. You're one of the few smart ones lately."
Grandpa Hou chuckled heartily as he spoke.
"Just watch, I bet someone'll show up soon, sweating and panicking, looking like a fool."
Li Xiangdong smiled at Grandpa Hou's words. With two lifetimes' worth of experience, he'd lived in this area for decades and knew exactly where to go for onboarding. But for others, it wasn't so clear.
Even in the information-rich future, plenty of people still didn't know where railway staff offices were.
By the time they lit their third cigarette, more staff started arriving for work.
Most stopped by the gatehouse to greet Grandpa Hou.
Seeing Li Xiangdong smoking and chatting with him, they gave him a second glance. Unfamiliar face, no station uniform—either a new hire reporting or someone just keeping Grandpa Hou company.
Either way, this young guy must be close to Grandpa Hou, maybe even family.
Unwittingly, Li Xiangdong was benefiting from Grandpa Hou's clout.
"Second Uncle, Second Aunt said you forgot your medicine this morning. I brought it for you. Take it soon."
A middle-aged man in a summer uniform pushed open the door, greeted Grandpa Hou, then looked at Li Xiangdong with curiosity.
"Jianshe's here. Just leave the medicine on the table—I'll take it later."
After his nephew set the medicine down, Grandpa Hou said, "This is Li Xiangdong, a new hire reporting today. Jianshe, make sure to tell your HR folks not to give him a hard time. This kid's to my taste—I like him!"
Li Xiangdong caught on immediately. This nephew of Grandpa Hou's was the HR chief.
He stood quickly, handing over his introduction letter. "Good morning, Chief Hou. I'm Li Xiangdong—call me Dongzi. I'm here for onboarding. Came a bit early, so I'm chatting with Grandpa Hou."
"Look at that, Jianshe! This kid's quick, isn't he? I didn't even tell him about you, and he figured it out in two sentences."
Grandpa Hou grinned, pleased he hadn't misjudged. This kid was sharp as a tack!
Hou Jianshe took the letter, glanced at it, and everything clicked. No wonder the name Li Xiangdong sounded familiar.
Yesterday, an old classmate called, pulling strings to secure a job slot and asking him to look out for someone. So, this was the guy.
He didn't mention it, just folded the letter and slipped it into his shirt pocket.
"Dongzi, right? I'll hold onto your letter and file it after onboarding. Since my second uncle's vouching for you, you're good—no one'll hassle you during the process."
Hou Jianshe's tone was noticeably warmer than before, carrying a hint of familiarity.
"Thanks a lot, Chief."
Li Xiangdong noticed the change in Hou Jianshe's demeanor—much friendlier than when he'd walked in. He assumed it was Grandpa Hou's influence.
After thanking him, he picked up the pack of Peony cigarettes on the table. "Chief Hou, have a smoke."
"I got it."
Hou Jianshe took the cigarette, lit one for his second uncle first, then one for himself, and pocketed the rest of the pack.
Li Xiangdong's eyelid twitched. What was this?
Three people in the room, and he just got skipped?
Were all the Hous this bold?
Luckily, he had another pack of Peony in his bag. He'd taken two from his dad's drawer and brought both for this visit.
But as he pulled out the unopened pack, a big hand swooped in.
Under his stunned gaze, Hou Jianshe grabbed the new pack and slipped it into his other pocket.
"Dongzi, since you're to my second uncle's liking, we're not strangers. You call him Grandpa Hou, but I'm not old enough to be your brother. Let's keep it separate—you call me Uncle Hou."
"Not to lecture you, but you're young—cut back on smoking. Don't end up an old chain-smoker, cigarette always in hand."
As he lectured, Hou Jianshe lit another cigarette for himself.
Patting Li Xiangdong's shoulder, he said, "Come on, follow your Uncle Hou to the office. Let's get your onboarding done."
"Grandpa Hou, I'm off to take care of things. I'll come back to chat when I've got time."
"Go on, go on."
"Oh, and Dongzi, your Uncle Hou's got a point. You're a smart kid, so you listen to good advice, right?"
Li Xiangdong nodded.
"Good, you get it. Now hand over that pack of Daqianmen in your pocket."
What the hell!
Li Xiangdong felt like he'd been played by the Hou duo!
Under Grandpa Hou's urging stare, he reluctantly pulled the Daqianmen from his pocket.
What kind of people were these? In just a moment, they'd swiped three packs of his cigarettes!
Following Hou Jianshe, he grumbled inwardly about the Hou pair.
As they walked, Hou Jianshe pointed out, "Those two buildings are the station's single-staff dorms. Your letter says you live nearby, right? Married?"
"Yeah, married with two kids. I live in Shipboard Alley, not far from the station."
"Shipboard Alley's close. You won't need the dorms, then. You'll have to wait for permanent status to get housing, but don't rush—takes time to build seniority."
Li Xiangdong nodded. "Got it, Uncle Hou."
Hou Jianshe pointed to a three-story red-brick building ahead. "That's the station's central office. Admin staff work there. Your post is as a waterman—your team's office is in the main station building. You won't need to come here often."
Worried his dad's information might be off, Li Xiangdong asked, "Uncle Hou, can I ask something?"
"Go ahead."
"Can my post get me on the trains?"
"Your job's on the trains. Why? Want an office post? I can arrange a switch."
"No need, Uncle Hou. I'm good with the trains."
Hearing from Hou Jianshe, the HR chief, that he'd be on the trains, Li Xiangdong was finally reassured!