Bang Geng returned home and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Before, when he had over a hundred yuan, Bang Geng had never worried about money.
It wasn't until his remaining money was not even enough for a breakfast that he started to panic.
The family only had a few catties of cornmeal left, which was his monthly ration.
If this continued, he would only be able to eat plain porridge three meals a day.
Now, with a steamed bun in his stomach, he could barely fall asleep.
What would he do when the bun was digested? Beg for food?
Bang Geng felt anxious and uneasy, and finally, he thought of Liu Kai Xuan again.
Liu Kai Xuan was the wealthiest person in the courtyard. If Liu Kai Xuan were willing, even pulling out a leg hair from him would be enough for Bang Geng to last the month.
When next month's relief money arrived, he'd be a good fellow again.
Thinking of this, Bang Geng sprang from the bed in a flash.
Liu Kai Xuan had already gone to work. At home, only Zhao Fei Yan was playing with the two little ones by the door.
Seeing Bang Geng approach, Zhao Fei Yan was as if facing a formidable enemy. She immediately called the two children inside and prepared to close the door.
Bang Geng, however, caught up and said, "Sister-in-law, don't be agitated!"
"I'm here today to apologize!"
"Apologize?"
Zhao Fei Yan said in a deep voice, "Forget about apologizing!"
"You committed a sin back then, but you've already been reformed in prison, so I won't say anything!"
Bang Geng shamelessly continued, "Sister-in-law, I want to go to the factory and become an apprentice under Brother Kai Xuan!"
"I think you should stop dreaming. You... you're not old enough for the apprentice standard!"
Actually, Zhao Fei Yan wanted to say: You know not a single character, going to be an apprentice is purely a waste of time.
But now, Zhao Fei Yan didn't want to offend the desperate scoundrel Bang Geng too much.
She simply took a slight detour and used objective reasons to explain.
Bang Geng would not give up so easily: "Sister-in-law, listen to me!"
"Brother Kai Xuan has so much power in the factory. If he says a word, arranging an apprentice position for me is as easy as flipping his hand!"
"Now that I've admitted my mistake, we're all neighbors in the same courtyard. Please help me!"
"I can't help you. If you're still not giving up, wait for Kai Xuan to get off work and go find him yourself!"
"Oh, then I'll go find him myself!"
Bang Geng smiled shamelessly, got up, and left.
It must be said, Bang Geng had some intelligence after all!
The three yuan of relief money would barely be enough for girls like Xiao Dang and Xiao Huai Hua to eat for a month.
He was now a young man. How could he possibly survive on such a small amount of money?
The most reliable way now was to find a stable job for himself.
Not only would he earn money, but the factory also provided meals.
Once he secured this "iron rice bowl," it would be difficult to starve to death.
With a salary of twenty yuan and meals provided by the factory, plus the relief money for the others.
In the future, the Jia family's life would finally have a reliable source of sustenance.
However, there were still problems. As Zhao Fei Yan just said.
Bang Geng's age didn't meet the standard, and due to his long prison sentence, he had dropped out of school before even graduating from elementary school.
Such an illiterate person wouldn't even qualify as an apprentice.
If Liu Kai Xuan was willing to help him, that would be another matter.
After all, Liu Kai Xuan was the director of the engineering department, a genuine top position. He had that much power.
...
At dusk, Liu Kai Xuan rode his bicycle back to the courtyard.
From a distance, Liu Kai Xuan sensed something was amiss.
Normally, at this time, Zhao Fei Yan would be waiting at the door with Little Xue Er.
Little Hu was more playful and might not come out to wait for Liu Kai Xuan every day, but Liu Xin Xue, that girl, was unfailingly there, rain or shine.
Liu Kai Xuan was accustomed to this. But today, no one was there. Wouldn't that make one anxious?
As he reached the courtyard entrance, Bang Geng suddenly darted out from inside.
"Brother Kai Xuan, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Go away, who's your big brother?"
Liu Kai Xuan glared at Bang Geng and reprimanded him, "Don't try to curry favor with me, you brat!"
"If you have no money to eat, go find Yi Zhong Hai. I can't help you!"
Bang Geng smiled and replied, "Big Brother, don't be like this. I'm looking for you today to ask you to arrange a job for me!"
"My demands aren't high. Just let me be an apprentice at the factory, and I'll at least have something to eat!"
Liu Kai Xuan knew Bang Geng's character like the back of his hand.
This brat was a complete rogue.
Without a reasonable explanation, even if you refused his request, he would pester you relentlessly.
Of course, Liu Kai Xuan could also give him a slap to make him come to his senses.
But upon careful consideration, there was no need for that.
Bang Geng was extremely vengeful, but Liu Kai Xuan was not afraid of him.
However, given the Jia family's nature, if they couldn't win, they would retaliate against family.
For such a small matter, it wasn't good to make his family constantly worried.
"Bang Geng, listen to me carefully!"
"The factory has requirements. At your current age, how can I arrange a job for you?"
"Even if I were to arrange a job for you, you'd have to wait until you're eighteen at least."
"But I..."
"Get lost!"
Bang Geng wanted to say something else, but Liu Kai Xuan gave him a death stare.
After being glared at by Liu Kai Xuan, Bang Geng felt a shiver run through his entire body.
A sense of fear from the depths of his heart instantly surged.
Since the birth of his two children, Liu Kai Xuan's temper had become much more stable.
But this didn't mean that Bang Geng's fear of Liu Kai Xuan had vanished.
Back then, Liu Kai Xuan's actions were fierce, decisive, and merciless.
His powerful and unparalleled martial prowess had long since scared Bang Geng senseless.
Now, even a glance from Liu Kai Xuan was enough to make Bang Geng completely lose his fighting spirit and scurry away with his tail between his legs.
As the saying goes, even an ant cherishes its life, let alone a living person.
Bang Geng didn't want to starve to death. However, the Jia family had caused too much trouble in the courtyard, and now Bang Geng couldn't even find a place to get a meal.
With no other choice, Bang Geng had to shamelessly go find Wang Jun at the neighborhood office.
Upon seeing Bang Geng, Wang Jun's composure completely shattered: "Why are you here again, you brat? I just gave you your relief money!"
"If you want money, wait until next month!"
Bang Geng shamelessly replied, "Don't be like that, Director Wang!"