Hou San's droopy triangle eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
"You reek of smoke and you're telling me you don't smoke?!"
He grabbed Li Xiangdong's left hand, pointing at his yellowed index and middle fingers.
"If you're not a chain smoker, how'd your fingers get so yellow? You think I'm an idiot? Trying to fool me, huh?"
He pointed at himself for emphasis.
Well, damn!
Li Xiangdong hadn't expected this. Hou San might look dim, but he had a bit of cunning in him.
Shaking off Hou San's hand, Li Xiangdong said, "If you want a smoke, go ask your dad or your second grandpa. They've already taken all my cigarettes."
"Heh heh heh."
Hou San grinned widely. "Dongzi, you're something else! It's your first day at work, and you've already cozying up to my second grandpa."
Li Xiangdong didn't think much of it and nodded. "Yeah, met him this morning."
"Dongzi, you'd better steer clear of those two," Hou San said with a wronged expression, full of indignation. "My dad and second grandpa love mooching cigarettes off people. Every time I go home, my dad rummages through my pockets."
"No need for you to worry about that. You want a smoke, right? My friend's got some—I'll get you one."
When it came to getting their cigarettes snatched, Li Xiangdong could sympathize with Hou San, but he wasn't going to listen to his advice.
Hou Jianshe asking him for something meant he was treating him like one of his own.
Li Xiangdong was already planning to build a good relationship with them. To change his family's fate, a few packs of cigarettes were nothing—he'd give up even more if needed!
He called Azhe over and introduced the two to each other.
Hou San took the Daqianmen cigarette Azhe handed him, wrinkling his nose. "This is what you smoke?"
Li Xiangdong and Azhe both had the sudden urge to slap him!
Picky when someone's offering you a free smoke? If you're so great, don't ask for one!
"Whoa, it's already ten-thirty."
Hou San pulled a match from his pocket, lit the cigarette, and deliberately raised his arm to show off the Shanghai-brand steel watch on his wrist.
"Oh, is it?"
"Let's hurry up then, Hou San. Stop dawdling—we've got a lot to do."
Li Xiangdong and Azhe didn't react at all.
Azhe's dad was a university professor, earning over a hundred yuan a month. His mom was even more impressive, a former capitalist's daughter.
Plus, after Azhe and his dad returned from the southwest, his dad's old school had paid out years of back wages in one go—thousands of yuan!
As for Li Xiangdong, he wasn't impressed at all. Coming from the future, he was bored with smartphones, let alone some watch.
Seeing their lack of reaction, Hou San's attempt to show off fell flat. Disappointed, he said, "I'll take you to pick up your salaries first, then to logistics to get your slips. After that, we'll head to the warehouse to collect your supplies. Once we're done, it'll be about time for lunch. This afternoon, I'll take you both to report to the labor union."
"Oh, by the way, are you two Party members or Youth League members?"
Li Xiangdong and Azhe wished they could nod, but the organization hadn't given them that chance.
Hou San, puffing on his cigarette, saw them shake their heads. "Heh, if you're not, you don't need to report to the Party branch or Youth League. That's fine—saves us some trouble!"
With Hou San leading, they went straight downstairs. The finance office was at the end of the hallway on the first floor.
With Hou San around, no department gave them any trouble. Li Xiangdong and Azhe smoothly collected their salaries and some welfare vouchers.
Li Xiangdong counted his money twice before carefully tucking it into his cloth bag. It wasn't much, but it was his starting capital—he couldn't be too careful!
Azhe was much the same. After all, this was the first salary of his life.
Hou San stood to the side, picking his nose and watching them count their money. "Seriously, you two? Getting this excited over 18 yuan? So pathetic!"
Li Xiangdong shot back, "Hou San, how much is your monthly salary?"
Caught off guard by their stares, Hou San scratched his head with the hand he'd been picking his nose with, chuckling. "Same as you guys. I just started a while ago."
"Tch, then what're you acting so smug about?"
Li Xiangdong rolled his eyes and urged, "Hurry up and take us to logistics for the slips."
The logistics department was just a few steps away in the first-floor hallway.
With Hou San's prodding, the logistics clerk worked quickly, issuing two slips with the department's stamp in no time.
Li Xiangdong and Azhe also bought three yuan worth of meal vouchers. These could be used not only at the cafeteria but also for meals on the train once they started working.
"Dongzi, let me see yours."
After leaving the logistics department, Azhe took Li Xiangdong's slip and compared it to his own.
"We got the same stuff. I thought since our positions are different, the supplies would be too."
"Same? Let me see."
Li Xiangdong, curious, checked and saw they were indeed identical. Suddenly, he remembered he hadn't asked about Hou San's job. "Hou San, what's your position?"
Hou San crossed his arms, jiggling his leg. "Same as you—onboard water supplier. It's a great position, Dongzi. You hit the jackpot!"
"You're both water suppliers, and I'm the only attendant? Hou San, tell me, what does a water supplier do? Why's it such a great job?"
Azhe was very curious.
So was Li Xiangdong. The personnel department clerks, assuming he was Hou Jianshe's relative, hadn't bothered explaining what a water supplier's duties were.
The logistics warehouse was at the far end of the compound.
As they walked, Hou San explained, "Let me give you the rundown. Below the railway corporation are the bureaus. Below the bureaus are the divisions—passenger transport, locomotive, electrical, and so on. Below the divisions are the stations. But our station is a first-class station, directly under the Beijing Railway Bureau. Uh…"
His scattered thoughts veered off. "Oh, right, Dongzi, I forgot to tell you—we're assigned to the same train. Azhe, want to join us? If you do, I can pull some strings to get you on our train."
Azhe cut him off. "You're full of it, aren't you? You think you can just decide personnel assignments at the train station?"
Hou San bragged, "You don't know, do you? The deputy station chief is my uncle—my dad's cousin."
Li Xiangdong was surprised. "Uncle Hou's son?"
No wonder! A section chief's second uncle watching a gate with a TV made sense now!