Seventeen Presents a Gift

I nodded and said, “Fatty, thank you so much.” Wang Fatty grinned, “No need for thanks. Back then, when people bullied me, didn’t you help me out too? All right, let’s not waste time—let’s get your job sorted first.”

Wang Fatty bought a pack of Huazi cigarettes for me, then called the head of security at the hotel. On the phone, he called him Brother Du, and learned that he was still working at the hotel. It wouldn’t be convenient to meet at his workplace, as it might be awkward if others saw us.

So after contacting Brother Du, Wang Fatty took me with him to Du’s home. Brother Du lived in Oasis Residence, a newly developed high-rise apartment complex. His home was on the fifteenth floor. When we arrived, it was his wife who opened the door.

She was a woman around thirty, and she didn’t seem particularly welcoming when she saw us. Wang Fatty said, “Sister Zhao, sorry to bother you. This is my brother—he’s looking for work at the hotel, and we’d like to trouble Brother Du for a little help.” As he spoke, he handed over the pack of Huazi.

Sister Zhao’s attitude softened slightly when she saw the cigarettes. She said, “Old Du is still at work. Come in and have a seat, I’ll give him a call.”

Wang Fatty chuckled, “No need, Sister Zhao. I just called Brother Du myself!”

Noticing how clean their floors were and how dirty my own clothes were, I felt embarrassed to go inside. I said, “Sister Zhao, I came in a hurry and didn’t have time to prepare anything. These are wild mushrooms I just picked fresh from the mountain—please have a taste.”

Sister Zhao eyed the mushrooms dubiously. “Are these safe? I’ve heard wild mushrooms can be deadly.”

I hurried to assure her, “Don’t worry, Sister Zhao. I’ve eaten these since I was a child—they’re perfectly safe.” Wang Fatty chimed in, “Don’t worry, Sister Zhao, I know these wild mushrooms are edible too, and they taste great! Even big hotels can’t get their hands on wild mushrooms like these.”

Perhaps Wang Fatty had visited a few times before, and since he knew Du’s wife, his words reassured her. Sister Zhao took the wild mushrooms inside.

After she went in, she didn’t invite us in, probably because she disliked how dirty I was—she didn’t want her sofa soiled. Seeing that I didn’t go in, Wang Fatty waited with me at the door, which made things a little awkward.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Brother Du arrived home. He was a man around thirty with regular features and a fit build; Wang Fatty had told me he was a veteran. He welcomed us in warmly and even scolded Fatty—“Why’d you buy cigarettes? Take them back!”—insisting we shouldn’t waste money.

Fatty explained my situation to him, and Brother Du looked at me and said, “Fatty, I don’t have a problem with it, but all hiring goes through HR. Since your friend has a record, his file won’t pass. If something happens, no one wants to take that responsibility.”

Wang Fatty kept putting in a good word for me, but Brother Du just shook his head. “Fatty, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I really can’t do anything about this.”

Unwilling to give up, Fatty said, “Brother Du, you know my brother is young. He made a mistake out of foolishness in the past, but you can’t just write a person off for that—he has to make a living, right? Is there any other kind of work?”

Brother Du replied, “Most places won’t take someone with a record unless the HR manager is willing to bend the rules and let him do something else. But your friend is young and, if he’s willing to work hard, he could try the construction site. They might take him.”

Fatty’s face fell at that. Brother Du patted my shoulder. “Little brother, being a security guard isn’t much of a future—the pay is low. If you can handle hard work, go to the construction site. The pay’s better there.”

Since things had reached this point, there was no sense in pressing further. I said, “Thank you, Brother Du. Sorry for the trouble. We’ll be on our way.”

As we were about to leave, Brother Du forced the Huazi cigarettes back into Fatty’s hands. “Take these back and return them—don’t waste your money!” His wife looked displeased at the returned gift, which made us all awkward; after all, taking back a gift that’s been refused is embarrassing.

Brother Du patted Fatty’s shoulder. “Take it back, Fatty, don’t feel bad. We’re colleagues, and I couldn’t help this time. If they ever hire for odd jobs, I’ll talk to Director Lin in HR and see if it’s possible.”

I quickly said, “Thank you, Brother Du. Sorry to trouble you.”

Brother Du replied, “No need for thanks. I didn’t actually do anything to help.”

From the whole interaction, I felt Brother Du was a solid, genuine person—no pretense about him. In the end, we bid him farewell. He accepted the wild mushrooms, but the cigarettes were handed back to Fatty.

Wang Fatty and I trudged back, crestfallen. On the way, he suddenly said, “A-Feng, why don’t you try Lin Ironhead? He works on a construction site.” I replied, “I left my number for him on QQ, but he hasn’t called me yet.”

Fatty said, “He’s probably too busy working to check QQ. I’ll call him for you.”

When I heard he had Lin Ironhead’s number, I quickly said, “Give me his number—I’ll call him myself.”

I dialed Lin Ironhead’s number. At first, he didn’t recognize me, but when he realized who I was, he got excited. “A-Feng, I’m so glad you’re out! It’s really noisy here right now, and I’m still working. I’ll come find you tonight, and we’ll have a good drink.”

I gave him Fatty’s address and told him I’d wait there. Lin Ironhead laughed, “I’ll come over after work.”

Around six in the evening, the couple sharing the flat with Fatty had already eaten and gone out for a walk. Fatty cooked a few dishes, waiting for Lin Ironhead to arrive.

To keep me company, Fatty had even taken the day off. Finally, Lin Ironhead showed up, bringing a bottle of Erguotou and a pack of five-spice beef.

Seeing me, he was thrilled, clapping me on the shoulder. “You’re out—that’s great.” He looked sturdy and solid, probably from being out in the sun all the time; his whole complexion was deeply tanned.