As soon as they arrived at Big Brother’s house, Du Heng’s phone rang again before they had a chance to sit down.
Upon answering, he saw it was Dean Li Qingde, who rarely took the initiative to contact anyone.
This man rarely made calls. Whenever he did, it definitely ant sothing was up.
Du Heng hesitated for a mont but still picked up the call.
However, as soon as he answered, Li Qingde’s hearty laughter ca through the phone. "Xiao Du, have you taken a break yet?"
"Hello, Dean. I was just about to have dinner."
"Well, when you’re out and about, be sure to strike a balance between work and rest. In just one month, you’ve already covered eight large village brigades and achieved remarkable results, but don’t forget to take care of your own health."
Du Heng was confused, unable to figure out why Li Qingde was so caring today.
Even when he reported his weekly achievents, such as how many severe and chronic diseases he had discovered, Li Qingde had never actively shown concern for him. Besides, he wasn’t the kind of leader who would care about his subordinates.
Unusual events often signal trouble, unusual behavior often hides ill intent, and insincere words definitely conceal sothing.
Du Heng kept his guard up and carefully responded, "Thank you for your concern, Dean. We will definitely take good care of ourselves."
"That’s good, that’s good. Xiao Du, have you taken any photos of your activities in the field during your ti away?"
"I have a few from every village. I keep them as ntos. Is there a problem, Dean?"
"Having photos is a good thing. They are evidence of our Health Clinic’s outreach in the villages and a testant to your hard work." Li Qingde sang praises for a mont before abruptly changing the subject. "Do a favor: send the photos, and I’ll choose several to post on our bulletin board."
Du Heng still couldn’t quite understand what Li Qingde was up to, but they were just a few photos, so sending them wouldn’t hurt.
At this mont, Sister-in-law Zhang Sui began serving dishes on the table. Seeing Du Heng still fiddling with his phone, she couldn’t help but scold him. "Alright, put your phone down! Look how busy you are; you can’t even eat in peace."
Du Heng quickly packaged all the on-site photos on his phone and sent them to Li Qingde. Hearing his sister-in-law’s words, he grinned and put his phone away. "Sister-in-law, where’s Big Brother? Aren’t we waiting for him?"
"No need to wait. He said he’s going to Majiatou to buy sheep; he left early this morning."
Du Heng passed the chopsticks to Wu Buwei. "Don’t be shy; help yourself." Then he turned to his sister-in-law and asked, "What kind of sheep has Big Brother bought? How many are there now?"
"Five little lambs and two adult ewes."
Du Heng shoveled rice into his mouth and, after a couple of chews, swallowed a mouthful of vegetables. "That seems a bit low. It’s been a month; why has he only bought so few?"
"It’s not that few. These days, farming doesn’t pay, so everyone’s starting to raise sheep. Many households won’t sell ewes, and breeding rams are even harder to find. If soone is selling, they’re exorbitantly expensive. It’s better to raise our own; they’ll multiply in a year or two."
Seeing Du Heng about to speak again, Zhang Sui glared at him. "If you want to talk, swallow your food first!"
Du Heng chuckled. To him, his sister-in-law Zhang Sui was like a second mother; he listened to whatever she said.
"Too slow. In two or three years, Tingting will have graduated from university!"
After saying this, Du Heng quickly finished his al, took out his phone, and transferred ten thousand yuan to his sister-in-law via WhatsApp. "Sister-in-law, give this money to Big Brother. Tell him to get things moving. If it’s not enough, let know."
Zhang Sui had thought it would be only a few thousand or perhaps a few hundred yuan. When she accepted it and saw 10,000, her eyes nearly popped out. She imdiately tried to send it back. "This is too much! How can I accept this? I’ll return it. You need money for dating and other things. Besides, you’ve been giving Tingting three or four hundred yuan every week these past few weeks; you can’t be well-off."
"Sister-in-law, don’t send it back; the transaction fee is expensive!" Du Heng hurriedly stopped her and held his phone in front of her eyes. "Look, I just got my salary: 55,000 yuan!"
"That much?" Zhang Sui, skeptical, scrolled through Du Heng’s text ssages herself. Confirming it was indeed 55,000 yuan, her face filled with disbelief.
"Xiao Heng, didn’t you only get ten thousand yuan last month? How did you get so much more this month?"
"Didn’t I tell you? Good work ans more pay. Don’t worry, it’ll be this much every month from now on—only more, never less."
Zhang Sui suddenly burst into tears.
Only she truly knew who had sacrificed the most for this family.
Since marrying into the Du Family, she had raised Du Heng as her own child. Now, seeing him so successful, earning such a high salary every month, how could she worry about him not finding a wife?
"Oh, Sister-in-law, please don’t cry," Du Heng said.
"I’m just happy."
"Quick, wipe your tears. My junior fellow apprentice is still here."
"We’re all family; what’s there to be embarrassed about?"
Despite her words, she still lifted her sleeve and wiped her eyes.
「After finishing their al and resting for a bit, Du Heng and Wu Buwei set off again.」
On the way, Wu Buwei asked in confusion, "Senior Brother, how did you get such a high salary?"
Du Heng chuckled. He knew this question would eventually co up, so he had prepared for it. However, when he had searched for related information online and called the Bank to inquire about his previous ten thousand yuan salary, he discovered the system had already handled everything for him.
The system had arranged for him to be employed as a research and developnt consultant for an obscure pharmaceutical company in the South. All procedures were legal and compliant.
Now that Wu Buwei had asked, he could answer confidently, "I found a part-ti job providing them with so advice."
Wu Buwei’s face was a mask of envy. Fifty thousand yuan a month! The thought alone was dizzying.
His family was well-off, but that wealth belonged to his parents, not him. With his current monthly salary of just over two thousand yuan, he still relied on his parents for living expenses.
If he could earn 50,000 yuan, how liberating that would be!
"Don’t be envious. Focus on preparing for the licensing exam. Once you pass and secure an authorized job, your salary will imdiately exceed three thousand yuan."
"Sigh, three thousand yuan still isn’t enough."
"What are you complaining about? Your dad has it all arranged. Once you get the authorized job, you’ll be transferred to the Municipal Second Hospital. Won’t your salary double then? While those at the Big Hospitals are still struggling to get hired, you’ll already be a permanent employee. What’s there to be dissatisfied about?"
"Sigh, you don’t understand, Senior Brother. I have my own troubles too."
"Troubles, my foot! If your classmates heard you talking like this, they’d beat you to death!"
Chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at the Village Committee office.
Duke Village was Zhonghu Town’s third-largest administrative village. With convenient transportation and proximity to the downtown area, it had far more residents than other administrative villages. The various natural villages within this area, known as Duke Village, were relatively clustered. Consequently, many people gathered daily in front of the Village Committee building, often on its basketball court, to chat, play cards, or play chess.
Rural folk didn’t typically nap at noon. When Du Heng and his companion went for their al, those who were also eating would go ho, while those not eating would remain at the basketball court in front of the Village Committee building, chatting, playing cards, or playing chess.
Besides, Du Heng was a local and knew everyone well, so his presence or absence for a al hardly mattered. Naturally, no one would say anything about him taking a break.
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