Chapter Twenty-One: Who Would Have Thought Brother Zhou Was This Impressive?

Including the day and night spent on the train, Li Dongfeng had been in the south for a total of nine days. Though brief, the experience had dealt him a harsh lesson in the realities of the world.

They had set off with dreams of making a fortune, despite having very little money to their names. Li Dongfeng’s older sister, Li Caiyu, had secretly tucked two thousand yuan into his pocket before he left. Though she was not well-educated, she understood the old adage that one should be well-prepared when traveling far from home. However, Li Dongfeng had quietly returned the money to their home the very next day. This trip to the south was his "do or die" moment; he had brought only five hundred yuan.

Almost immediately, he was forced to pay two hundred yuan for bedding. Between that and various other expenses, his funds were quickly depleted. In the past, he would have had to endure months of grueling labor just to earn back his train fare. But now, Zhou Ziyang had told him there were jobs back home paying five or six thousand yuan. Even the younger students under his wing were pleading, "Let’s go back, Brother Dong!" Even the fellow workers he had just met chimed in, saying that if there were jobs paying five or six thousand, they would follow him anywhere—after all, work was work.

Spurred on by the group, Li Dongfeng gritted his teeth and declared, "Fine, we’re going back!"

But leaving was far harder than arriving. The main issue was that the labor brokers were still holding their identification cards. They told the group that they could leave, but only after paying a one-thousand-yuan "labor loss fee" each.

"Labor loss fee? What is that?"

The brokers explained that they had brought them here, connected them to factories, and utilized their personal connections, all of which came at a cost. They had even paid the factories to facilitate the placement. "If you leave now, how do you expect us to cover our losses?"

Li Dongfeng was stunned. "You never mentioned this before!"

"And you never asked!" the broker retorted.

At one thousand yuan per person, Li Dongfeng’s group of five owed five thousand. Furthermore, there were over a dozen others he had convinced to quit as well. These predatory labor brokers were truly making a killing. Realizing they were stuck, they felt forced to stay and try working for a few days to see how it went. Since they were already there, they decided to see what kind of factory they would be assigned to.

The reality, however, was soul-crushing. They were being paid by the hour on an assembly line, and the rate was only eleven yuan an hour. Did they think these boys were cattle to be sold? Li Dongfeng lost his temper, but the brokers were unmoved. Yet, Li Dongfeng was a headstrong youth, and with over twenty fellow workers backing him, he wasn't about to back down.

He lunged forward, grabbing the arrogant little broker by the throat. "Damn it! Give me back my ID, or nobody leaves here in one piece!"

"Damn right! These bastards are playing us for fools! Get them!"

The labor brokers had pushed these honest men too far, failing to realize that in just a few days, Li Dongfeng had managed to assemble quite a force. What started as a small dispute escalated into a riot, with several people ending up injured and in the hospital. Li Dongfeng and his companions were hauled off to the police station.

Anyone with eyes could see what was really going on, and the officers had no intention of making things difficult for a group of kids, though a stern warning was necessary. Li Dongfeng and his friends were strapping, energetic lads, but at the end of the day, they were just high schoolers who hadn't yet faced the harshness of society. Being lectured by the police left them shaken, realizing that while the outside world was exciting, it was also full of helpless situations.

When they finally walked out of the station, the exhaustion of their time away was etched onto their faces. "Brother Dong, I want to go home," someone whispered.

Li Dongfeng was penniless by then. He felt ashamed to return like this, but he knew there was no other way. He pulled out his cheap smartphone and called Zhou Ziyang.

"Hello? Dongfeng? How is the south? What made you think of calling me?" Zhou Ziyang’s voice was warm and gentle.

There was a long silence on the other end. Li Dongfeng didn't know how to explain, nor did he know what to call him.

"Old Zhou..."

After a long pause, he finally blurted out, "Does your relative's factory still need people?"

Zhou Ziyang laughed. "I’ve been waiting for you. If you ask me, you should just come back. It might be profitable out there, but it’s never as comfortable as home. Hurry back."

Hearing this, Li Dongfeng felt a sudden lump in his throat. He could no longer hold it back. "No, Old Zhou, the truth is... I haven't made a single cent out here!"

As he said this, the tears finally spilled over. He was still just a child, after all. He could hold his composure in front of strangers, but seeing how Zhou Ziyang was so carefully protecting his dignity, he couldn't hold back anymore. He poured out all the grievances of the past few days, including their time in the police station.

The officers had said it was "intentional injury" and that they could face three years in prison!

"I was so scared! I thought if my sister found out, she would beat me to death!"

"I regret it so much! If I had known, I never would have come!"

Li Dongfeng sobbed like a child. Zhou Ziyang, however, simply told him that everything was fine and that he shouldn't worry about a thing.

"Just come back home. I can't promise you a fancy job, but as long as you're willing to work hard, five or six thousand a month won't be a problem."

"Yeah, I trust you, but..."

Li Dongfeng explained the situation—that over twenty fellow workers were looking for jobs with him. He was afraid this would put Zhou Ziyang in a difficult position. But Zhou Ziyang insisted it wasn't a problem at all.

"If you're the one introducing them, I'll take them all! The more, the better. Didn't you say several of your other friends wanted work? Contact them, too. If there are enough of you, I’ll just open a labor agency myself specifically to find you all work!"

Zhou Ziyang spoke with such sincerity that Li Dongfeng was overcome with gratitude, unable to find the words to express his feelings. Zhou Ziyang changed the subject, "Don't worry about that for now. Just get back here first. Do you have enough money on you?"

"Yes, yes, we do!" Li Dongfeng didn't want to take any more of Zhou Ziyang's money. But Zhou Ziyang insisted on transferring two thousand yuan, saying, "You're far from home; it's rare to be in the south, so go have a good meal and enjoy yourself a bit before you head back!"

By the time he hung up, Li Dongfeng was moved beyond words. The other friends who had come with him crowded around. "How did it go, Brother Dong?"

Li Dongfeng still had tear tracks on his face, which worried them, as they had never seen him cry before. But he didn't waste words. He simply waved his hand and said, "We’re going home!"

When those two words were spoken, the faces of the youths, long tortured by their ordeal, finally broke into smiles. They could finally go home! They didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for even one more second.

Zhou Ziyang had asked for his bank account number to send the money, but Li Dongfeng hadn't given it; he was broke, but with his friends pooling their remaining cash, they had enough for train tickets. Unlike their arrival, their journey back was fueled by a desperate longing for home.

Li Dongfeng gave his word to his friends that as soon as they returned, they would find work. "My friend is the son of an official; it’ll be no problem at all!"

The others had met Zhou Ziyang before and had previously looked down on him, thinking he was just a "goody-two-shoes" student who couldn't relate to them. But after hearing Li Dongfeng’s praise, they were suddenly filled with admiration.

"Who would have thought Brother Zhou was so capable?"