Chapter 422 - 418: Making Inquiries

Chapter 422: Chapter 418: Making Inquiries

Luo Hongyi collected himself. He knew the importance of understanding the situation fully, so he turned to Aunt Li and asked, "Aunt Li, can you tell me the details about my fourth brother’s future wife and her family?"

"Of course. Everyone in our village knows about it." Aunt Li’s spirits lifted at the mention of it. Their village was small and isolated, so juicy gossip was a rare treat. Whenever anything happened, every family loved to pry. In a place this tiny, what secret could possibly be kept? When something happened in one household, everyone else was sure to know all the details.

"Ahem—" Clearing her throat, Aunt Li’s face started to form its usual gloating expression. Halfway through, however, she remembered she was about to gossip about the Luo family. ’This is about Hongyi’s own parents and brother, after all. It’s not right for me to act like this.’ She quickly coughed a couple more times to cover, adjusted her expression, and then began, "Your mother probably wrote to you about your brother’s wedding, didn’t she?"

"Yes, she did. I had a feeling I might not be able to make it back for the wedding, so I made a point to send two hundred yuan home as a gift."

Even sitting in the dimly lit main room of the farmhouse, Luo Hongyi habitually sat ramrod straight. He added with a look of guilt, "It’s the same amount I sent for my older brother’s and second sister’s weddings. I can’t play favorites. To be honest, it’s a little embarrassing. My monthly salary is limited. The company benefits are good, covering at least two meals a day, so I don’t have to spend much of my own money on food. But after what I send home every month, the rest has to cover socializing with colleagues. I can’t just let others foot the bill every time we go out for drinks, can I?"

He continued with an air of resignation, "And besides socializing with colleagues, I also manage a few people. If I want them to respect me and follow my lead, I have to treat them to a good meal every now and then.

"How could I have the heart to make them pay when we eat out? I worked my way up from the bottom, so I know exactly how hard they have it. Their pay is even lower, and most of them are farm kids, just like me. They barely have enough money to buy themselves an extra snack to fill their stomachs.

"Aunt Li, you have no idea. Our company often takes on assignments protecting valuable things, so we have to be in top physical condition. That’s why our usual training is so intense.

"A lot of the ambitious guys even do extra training on their own time. The food at the company is good, and they give us plenty, but it’s no match for us. When we train that hard, our stomachs are like bottomless pits that can never be filled."

"That’s true, there are always so many expenses when you’re out on your own. It’s understandable that you have your struggles. But are they really bottomless pits? Are the men under you truly such big eaters?" Aunt Li nodded in understanding at first, but then she found the idea amusing and couldn’t help but laugh as she asked.

"You bet they can eat. They can wolf down a dozen meat buns or steamed buns—each bigger than a fist—without even blinking. They’re all growing boys at that age where they could eat their parents out of house and home. They’d eat a ton even if they were just lazing around at home, so you can imagine what they’re like at the company, running and jumping around all day. Of course their appetites are huge!"

Luo Hongyi nodded with great earnestness, then added a bit sheepishly, "In fact, a big reason many people join our company and stay for the long haul is because our food is so good.

"I was just a teenager when I was recruited, wasn’t I? To be honest with you, when I first joined and started my martial arts training, I don’t know if I could have stuck with it if it weren’t for the good food. We got meat with every meal!

"But even with meat at every meal, there were many nights I was so hungry after extra training that I couldn’t fall asleep. I felt like I could have gnawed on my own quilt. That’s why I don’t want the guys under my command to suffer through that.

"Besides, the benefits at our company are incredible. If you perform well, they don’t hesitate to invest heavily in developing you. The only reason I got to go to college was because the company saw potential in me and thought I was worth the investment. If I had stayed home, would I ever have had a chance to attend a university, let alone one in Beijing?"

"That’s right. All your hard work has finally paid off. It really wasn’t easy for you, enduring so much at such a young age. But you’ve been kind-hearted since you were a boy, always able to bear hardship and willing to be generous. Who else would your company invest in if not you?" Aunt Li sighed, then asked with renewed curiosity, "By the way, what’s your official title now?"

"Team Leader and Instructor." Luo Hongyi chuckled at Aunt Li’s praise but remained noncommittal.

"A team leader and an instructor? That sounds like a big deal, right?" How was Aunt Li supposed to know the hierarchy at his company? The titles left her completely baffled.

"It’s not that high up. In addition to leading a small team, when I’m not away on a job, I’m responsible for supervising the training of the two or three hundred men under me."

Luo Hongyi said this nonchalantly, "I originally only had a few dozen people under me. But I’ve been with the company a long time and I know a thing or two, so more people started to look up to me. That’s when the higher-ups decided to give me more responsibility."

"That’s wonderful. Hongyi, to be managing so many people at your age is truly remarkable." Hearing that Luo Hongyi was now in charge of hundreds of men, Aunt Li was filled with envy.

"Ah, wait." After a moment of envy, Aunt Li suddenly recalled something and pressed on. "You said that for your brother’s and sister’s weddings, and now for your younger brother’s, you sent two hundred yuan home as a gift each time?"

"That’s right. Why, is something wrong with that? That’s already a lot more than what siblings in the city give each other. I thought two hundred yuan would be plenty. Don’t tell me I’ve been out of touch on my visits home—has the standard gift amount in our village somehow surpassed the big cities?" Luo Hongyi asked, feigning surprise. In truth, he wasn’t the least bit surprised about where the money had gone.

"No, no! Two hundred yuan? How could that not be enough? That’s enough to buy a major household item! Who around here has siblings that generous?" Her expression grew strange, and she looked at Luo Hongyi with pity. "You gave all that money to your mother, didn’t you? Is it possible you weren’t clear and she thought it was for her? It seems your brother and sister... they don’t seem to know anything about it."

"It can’t be, right?"

Luo Hongyi looked even more "astonished." "I mentioned it clearly in my letters, and I even wrote a note on the money orders specifying that it was their wedding gift. I specifically told my mother to give the money directly to my brother and sister. Especially for my sister! To help her marry with more confidence, I even went through the trouble of getting a bicycle ration coupon and sent extra money for it. I thought if she had a bicycle as part of her dowry, it would be easier for her to visit us back home. She wouldn’t have to struggle so much, you know?"

"You’re so thoughtful. Your second sister is truly blessed to have a brother like you. A shame..." Aunt Li shook her head. "It’s a shame all your good intentions went to waste. That bicycle ended up with your older brother’s wife. Aih, your mother’s preference for sons over daughters is just too extreme. If your second sister weren’t so capable on her own, she’d have been eaten alive by that family, with not even her bones left behind."

"My mother gave the bicycle to my sister-in-law?" Luo Hongyi’s brow furrowed.