"With that alone, we owe him a debt. Don't talk about just a job; we would even owe him our lives!"
Ma Yulian delivered her moral high ground as if it were an undeniable truth, but the moment she mentioned this, Li Junsheng's temper flared.
In his previous life, she had used this very excuse multiple times to cover up her improper relationship with Chen Dazhu!
"Bang!" Li Junsheng slammed his cup down onto the table.
The sudden action startled Ma Yulian.
In a cold voice, Li Junsheng retorted, "You know that Chen Dazhu saved you, not me!"
"Why should I give my excellent job at the factory to my own son? Have I lost my mind to just hand it over?"
"By speaking up for Chen Dazhu, you're being disloyal. If someone didn't know better, they'd think Chen Zhiyuan was your own son!"
Li Junsheng's words hit the mark, leaving Ma Yulian speechless, filled with both guilt and shock.
"Yulian, Old Li, can you two stop arguing? It's not a big deal. Old Li is right. One thousand yuan for such a great job is definitely a bargain."
"Let's not bring up the past. I'll go get the money for Old Li right now. Let's settle it like this, and you two can calm down."
Chen Dazhu pressed Ma Yulian's shoulder, urging her to sit down first.
Li Junsheng kept his eyes fixed on Chen Dazhu, who appeared kind on the surface and was quick to agree to the one thousand yuan.
However, Li Junsheng could see the shifty glint in Chen Dazhu's eyes—a sneaky, calculating look that suggested he had ulterior motives.
A cold smile creeped onto Li Junsheng's face. Clearly, Chen Dazhu intended for the entire one thousand yuan to end up in Ma Yulian's hands.
After all, that money had likely come from Li Junsheng's own wages, which Ma Yulian had kept under her control throughout their twenty-plus years of marriage.
This time, he wouldn't be foolish enough to let that happen again.
Chen Dazhu laughed and played peacemaker, then disappeared into his bedroom to retrieve the money.
Moments later, he emerged with one thousand yuan in cash.
In the 1980s, that was a considerable sum.
Li Junsheng's monthly salary was only thirty-three yuan.
After marrying Ma Yulian for more than twenty years, he had entrusted all his earnings to her management, and now he had no idea how much of that one thousand yuan was actually his own money that Ma Yulian had given to support Chen Dazhu.
When all was said and done, he was merely reclaiming what was rightfully his, and even then, he was undoubtedly getting less than he deserved.
Yet it was a start—an attempt to recover some lost ground!
"Here, Yulian, this is one thousand yuan. You take good care of it," Chen Dazhu said, extending the cash directly to Ma Yulian.
It was blatant that he intended to bypass Li Junsheng entirely.
"Uh, okay," Ma Yulian blinked in surprise, then exchanged a glance with Chen Dazhu, as if understanding his intention.
As Ma Yulian reached out to accept the one thousand yuan, Li Junsheng snatched it away.
This action instantly provoked Ma Yulian's displeasure, making Chen Dazhu anxious, as the money absolutely could not fall into Li Junsheng's hands.
With narrowed eyes, Ma Yulian shot a glare at Li Junsheng and questioned him loudly, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Of course, I'm going to the factory to talk to the manager about this," Li Junsheng feigned ignorance.
"What do you mean by stealing money? What if you lose it? You're always so clumsy! You can barely keep track of a good pack of cigarettes that the factory gives you. Just let me handle this cash!"
How dare she say that the pack of good cigarettes, which she had made a point to pocket for herself to share with Chen Dazhu, had been given to Li Junsheng?
This pair of scoundrels had been leeching off him, living a good life on his hard work.
He had deprived himself for years, sacrificing his own needs, all to line the pockets of these two.
Li Junsheng retorted coldly to Ma Yulian, "It won't get lost. This job isn't something we can just trade back and forth. Since you two are so eager, I need to go and make some connections first."
Chen Dazhu quickly interrupted, "Yes, yes! Old Li is right. Connections cost money, and since Old Li is heading there now, it shows he's really invested in Zhiyuan's future."
Chen Dazhu shot Ma Yulian a glance, signaling her to keep quiet, and she swallowed her words.
Thus, Ma Yulian modified her tone, "…Fine! Just be frugal with the money and don't buy too many things!"
"Do I need you to tell me that?"
Li Junsheng unapologetically stuffed the money into his pocket, getting up to leave for the factory.
The alcohol in his stomach was still settling, making him feel slightly dizzy upon standing.
Now, however, Ma Yulian played the role of a caring wife, supporting him as she personally escorted him out of Chen Dazhu's house.
"Make sure to go and return quickly. I'll be waiting for your good news!"
Ma Yulian didn't forget to remind Li Junsheng, her eagerness painfully obvious.
Without looking back, Li Junsheng felt the cash in his pocket and smirked internally as he left Chen Dazhu's house.
Just wait, you two!
This was just the beginning!