Being called "brother-in-law" made Yang Jian a little awkward.
But even more awkward was Ma Lan: "Xiao Yuan, what nonsense are you spouting? This is Brother Yang, Dad's work partner."
Ma Yuan looked astonished: "Whoa, Brother Yang is this handsome and doing manual labor with my dad?"
Yang Jian patted his shoulder: "Why can't I do manual labor?"
"You can clearly make a living with your looks. You could be a waiter at any hotel, which would be better than doing hard labor. If you want to make big money, you could be a male model and be set for life if some rich woman takes care of you."
Before Ma Yuan could finish speaking, Ma Lan slapped his shoulder: "Why are you so vulgar? Why don't you go be a male model yourself?"
"Of course I want to be a male model, but my capabilities don't allow it. I'm so scrawny, who would want me? But it's different for Brother Yang. Look at his physique, all those muscles, and his face. He's more than good enough to be a male model, he could even be a star."
Ma Yuan was clearly used to being glib and never serious in his actions. He casually patted Yang Jian's abs.
Old Ma also smacked him: "Stop your nonsense, hurry up and make us some hearty dishes. We're drinking a lot today."
"Dad, what's got you so happy that you're willing to eat hearty dishes?"
"Of course I'm happy. First, we're welcoming Xiao Yang. He'll be living with us from now on, and your bed is his. If you want to come back, you'll have to sleep on the top bunk. Second, I'll be working at the fruit stand with Xiao Yang from now on, delivering fruit. We have a fixed salary and meals are included."
"Whoa, Brother Yang, you're going to live in our pigeon coop where you might bump into someone if you turn around? I don't even want to go back there."
Old Ma smacked him again: "Damn it, why do you have so much to say? Go make the dishes."
Ma Yuan gave Yang Jian an incredulous look and turned into the kitchen.
"Xiao Yang, don't listen to that kid's nonsense. He dreams all day long about living in a villa and driving a luxury car."
Old Ma pulled Yang Jian to sit at a table closer to the fan.
Yang Jian smiled: "It's good to have dreams. At least he has a goal to strive for."
Ma Lan poured a cup of hot water for each of them: "Brother Yang, your conversation is extraordinary. I don't think you're an ordinary migrant worker. What did you do before?"
"I really am a farmer. I worked as a carpenter at construction sites. I felt there was no future, so I wanted to try my luck in these developed cities. I didn't expect to be robbed as soon as I arrived."
Yang Jian dared not mention that the money he earned before coming here was close to ten million, and the car he drove was a million-dollar model. He wanted to be as low-key as possible here.
Before long, Ma Yuan came out with a large spread of meat skewers, grilled fish, oysters, and scallops. They clearly weren't cheap.
Old Ma drank white wine by himself, while Ma Yuan brought out a case of beer and directly gave four bottles to Yang Jian and Ma Lan each.
To Yang Jian's surprise, Ma Lan had a good tolerance for alcohol. She was fine after drinking four bottles of beer. If it weren't for concerns about safety on the way back, she probably could have drunk seven or eight bottles.
The barbecue was enjoyable. Yang Jian had a very good impression of Old Ma's family. Apart from his gambling, Old Ma had no other bad habits; he was honest, diligent, good-tempered, and not petty.
Ma Lan was pretty and straightforward. She welcomed Yang Jian living with her father.
Ma Yuan was humorous and loved to brag, but he wasn't malicious. He told Yang Jian to sleep soundly in his bed and that he didn't mind not going back.
Judging by the attitudes of the Ma Lan siblings, they hoped their father would partner with Yang Jian. At least they would look out for each other. Yang Jian was tall and imposing, which would make others hesitate to bully his father.
The next day, Yang Jian and Old Ma started working at the fruit stand. The fruit stand's name was simple: Northern Fruit Trading Company. It mainly dealt with wholesale apples and pears.
The owners were a couple from Dongshan Province, named Shan Wei and Hu Xuemei, both in their forties. They had a son in his first year of high school and a daughter in her second year of junior high.
The apples and pears they sold were transported from their hometown in Dongshan. They had been in this business for many years.
Yang Jian's task was to deliver to six major supermarkets in the city, making one or two trips a day, including loading and unloading.
Previously, this job was personally handled by the owner, Shan Wei. However, he had a herniated disc. Although not severe, it was still physical labor. His wife felt sorry for him and wanted to find a strong driver to replace him.
After all, they had been in business for so many years, and their conditions were much better than in the early days. There was no need for the boss to do everything himself.
They had hired a few people before, but they were only willing to drive and not load or unload. So, when they saw Yang Jian who could do manual labor and drive, the boss's wife immediately took a liking to him and was willing to pay Old Ma an extra thousand yuan to join.
Mornings were the busiest at the trading company. Those who came to wholesale fruits were mostly owners of fruit shops or street vendors. Therefore, the boss's wife specifically ordered breakfast for the employees from a nearby restaurant, consisting of steamed buns, mantou, and porridge.
Lunch and dinner were cooked in-house at the trading company. The boss's family also ate there. One of the loading employees doubled as the cook.
Yang Jian drove a small box truck. One truck could carry over a hundred boxes of apples, with each box weighing about fifteen kilograms. These were plastic crates. If one person had to drive, load, and unload, it would indeed be very tough.
With Old Ma's assistance, the job became much easier. That's why he was willing to give the larger portion of his salary to Old Ma, as his own goal was not to make money.
On the first day of delivery, because he was unfamiliar with the routes, Shan Wei personally took him on a trip, introducing him to the addresses of the six supermarkets and the contact persons. It was a simple job, as long as he paid attention to traffic safety.
Additionally, when Shan Wei learned that Yang Jian didn't have a mobile phone, he gave him an old Motorola phone with a number, making business communication easier.
With two people doing the work of one, efficiency was much higher. Under normal traffic conditions, two trips could be completed in about half a morning.
However, they still had to stay at the trading company in the afternoon. Sometimes there were temporary orders, and Old Ma also helped the company with cleaning and organizing the warehouse.
Most of the afternoon, Yang Jian would read newspapers at the trading company, sometimes drinking tea and chatting with the boss and his wife.
If the boss and his wife had errands, they would also help pick up their children from school on Fridays.
This kind of life was quite good. It wasn't too tiring, the food was also quite good, and they could eat as much fruit from the trading company as they wanted. The boss's family was very kind, and they all liked Yang Jian's personality.
"Xiao Yang, do you have plans tonight?"
After half a month at the trading company, Yang Jian had become good friends with Shan Wei. Shan Wei would often take him out for meals and drinks, sometimes asking him to drive for him during social engagements. And now he had called again.
"Uncle Wei, where are we going to drink today?"
Yang Jian thought they were going for drinks again.
"We're going to eat first, and then play cards tonight. I'll take you to experience it."
"Mahjong?"
"No, San Gong. It's very exciting."
Upon hearing it was a card game, Yang Jian lost interest. He knew about San Gong; people in the fruit market played it often. Some employees at the trading company participated regularly, and he had watched a couple of times.
He had suffered losses playing "Zha Jinhua" before, so he knew that card games were very tricky and the easiest place for cheating.