Wandering in the vast darkness

Chapter 61 has a great start.

Around noon, Lao Yao called Yu Wenhao. Actually, before that, Cao Fang had already sent Yu Wenhao a WeChat message, telling him that his friend had left. Yu Wenhao asked her how it went, and Cao Fang said that it seemed like things had been settled. After he left, the director even told us that he had never seen someone with such eloquence, making it impossible not to believe what he said.

Yu Wenhao laughed heartily. It seemed that Lao Yao was really well prepared and had brought out all his skills from back then.

Yu asked Lao Yao, holding up his phone, "How's it going?"

"I got it! I got it! I've secured my first letter of intent. Now I'm moving on to the second one!" Old Yao exclaimed excitedly over the phone.

Yu Wenhao remembered someone and said, "Old Yao, let me introduce you to someone who invited him to dinner. This person is the deputy director of our street office. If he puts a word in your favor, you can get all of our dozens of residential communities under his jurisdiction."

"Great, send it to me quickly," Lao Yao said.

Yu Wenhao had dined with the deputy director a few times and they knew each other. He sent the deputy director's contact information to Lao Yao. Thinking that he didn't have enough influence, he called Er Mao and asked him to tell his old colleague that there was such a person who would be visiting him.

Around 4 p.m., Yu Wenhao was in the workshop when Lao Yao called him and said that he had already been to the director's place and that he would skip the meal. However, he said that what I was doing was a good deed, and he supported me and had already put in a good word for me.

"Xiaoyu, starting tomorrow, I'll be working on your street first," Lao Yao said.

Yu said, "Okay, Lao Yao, I wish you success!"

"Uncle, this place isn't on the map!"

Yu Wen couldn't stop laughing. He said, "Then think about how happy your parents are when they receive your gift, and you won't feel bad. If your dad is happy, he might just give you ten times the amount as a reward."

"Brother Yu, may I invite you to dinner tonight?" Jiang Yihe asked.

Jiang Yihe chuckled, "I didn't get rich, but I got paid. This is the first time I've ever received a salary."

"What's wrong?"

Yu nodded and said, "Go ahead."

Yu Wenhao returned to his office with a happy smile. His phone rang; it was a WeChat voice message from Jiang Yihe. Yu Wenhao quickly answered it.

Jiang Yihe laughed loudly on the other end of the WeChat message, and Yu Wenhao said, "When you get your salary, you should buy your parents some gifts."

"No, no, I made a mistake. I'm going to Shuangpu. Do you know Shuangpu?"

"Uncle, have you had dinner yet?" Yu asked as he started the car.

Yu asked in return, "What, struck it rich?"

Yu Wenhao said he knew, "It's near Fuyang, around the Hangzhou cigarette factory, right?"

"My dad likes to drink Moutai, and he wants the 53-proof kind. I just checked, and it costs over 2,000 yuan. My mom uses Dior lipstick, which costs over 300 yuan. This means I've lost half a month's salary," Jiang Yihe said.

Jiang Yihe laughed: "My dad wouldn't, he doesn't manage money and never gives me any, but my mom definitely would.

The old man mentioned a place, but he spoke in the Hangzhou dialect. Yu Wenhao searched for it but couldn't find the place name on the map. Yu Wenhao said:

Yu Wenhao agreed, "Okay, I'll be home on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If you're not going back to Lin'an, you can come over and have lunch at my house. But it'll be simple food, nothing fancy."

"Okay, okay, I'll come over on Saturday," Jiang Yihe said to Yu Wenhao, who agreed.

Yu Wenhao said, "Then congratulations! It's good to get your salary. There's no need to treat me to a meal, I don't have time... Wait, don't say anything, don't even think about treating me. With your own salary, you can't afford to treat me."

Yu Wenhao laughed and asked, "When did you become so stingy?"

Yu Wenhao agreed, thinking that what the old man was referring to was probably the name they were used to, which was different from the official name on the map.

"Go home, go home to my own home," the old man said. "This is my son's home."

Jiang Yihe frowned and said, "I don't feel anything when I use other cards, but when I use my own salary card, it's so pitiful. There's only a tiny bit of money in it, a little over six thousand. Why do I feel heartache when I use it?"

"Uncle, you're going to Zhuan Tang, right?"

"It's already late, where are you going?"

"It's different, Xiao Jiang. This is money you earned yourself. Even if you just buy them one ice cream each, they'll be very happy," Yu Wenhao said.

"Where in Shuangpu are you going?"

"Oh, I see, Brother Yu. I'll go buy some liquor; my dad likes to drink. Oh, I just remembered, I'll go buy my mom some lipstick," Jiang Yihe said.

"Mmm," Jiang Yihe called out, "Brother Yu..."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Wenhao felt quite happy, thinking that this should be considered a good start for Lao Yao. He was happy for Lao Yao, and also for himself, although he couldn't explain why he was happy, since it had nothing to do with him. But he was still happy nonetheless.

Although it's already April, the weather this year is a bit strange; it's still very cold, with no sign of warming up. However, the days are gradually getting longer. Yu Wenhao picked up one fare, dropping off a customer on Zhongshan Middle Road, and then received another fare; the customer was at Pinghai Apartment. When Yu Wenhao drove over to pick up the customer, it was still broad daylight.

"Yes, yes, that's it."

"Just drive there, drive to Shuangpu, and I'll tell you how to get there," the old man said.

The old man nodded behind him and said he had already eaten.

The guest opened the back door and sat down. After greeting him and verifying the last four digits of his phone number, Yu clicked "Ready to Depart" and asked:

Yu Wen chuckled and said, "Then go and bribe her."

"Take me to see little Qianqian. I look at her picture every morning, and I feel like I know her very well," Jiang Yihe said.

Yu Wenhao met the guest at the gate on Yuewang Road. The guest was an elderly man in his seventies with a full head of white hair that was neatly combed. He was wearing a black jacket with a zipper that was almost up to his neck, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine.

"You've only been there a few days, and you've already received your salary?" Yu Wenhao asked.

Yu nodded, understanding. At this moment, the sky outside began to darken little by little.

Jiang Yihe scoffed, "What a joke, do they need me to buy them gifts?"

A moment later, the phone rang again. It was Jiang Yihe again. As soon as Yu Wenhao answered, Jiang Yihe sighed on the other end. Yu Wenhao asked, "What's wrong?"