"Li Zong, do you have any instructions?" Manager Fang asked, tilting his head.
"Regarding the last time you had Lin Tianran brought to the office, how's that going?" Li Yicheng closed his pen elegantly and inserted it into the left breast pocket of his suit.
"I've hired a new security guard to replace him, and he'll start working today. However, I'm still arranging the positions in the office building. Little Zhang, the clerk in the Document Control Center, is resigning, but it'll take a couple more days. I plan to assign him that position. It's usually light work, involving photocopying, scanning, and organizing documents, so it's quite relaxed," Manager Fang explained, his arrangements well thought out. Li Yicheng was pleased with what he heard.
"Thank you for that. You are indeed very capable, and I won't let you down," Li Yicheng praised, patting the man's shoulder, a smile gracing his face.
Li Yicheng returned to his office, opened his computer, entered a series of passwords, and the LCD screen displayed the surveillance footage from the security room.
On the screen, Lin Tianran's skinny figure appeared, earnestly organizing a messy pile of business travel documents.
Li Yicheng sighed; he owed him a lifetime now. He had to go to such great lengths to make amends. He was afraid Lin Tianran wasn't eating well or nutritiously, and he knew his stubborn nature would resist accepting help from others. To cater to his preferences, he couldn't persuade him to eat better in the company cafeteria, so he had to start with the main cafeteria. To ensure that Lin Tianran ate meat, he increased the budget. It was really something.
He also checked where Lin Tianran lived. Now he was living alone in a collective dormitory, and his former roommate, "Er Gou," had also resigned and moved out. Since that was the case, Manager Fang could arrange for Lin Tianran to stay alone in a dormitory. It would certainly be more comfortable for him to have a room to himself, and they could have the personnel department make some repairs: fix the leaking areas, replace broken windows, and take care of other necessary repairs. This was inevitable; according to his personality, he would never be convinced to stay in the management dormitory for two to three hundred yuan a month. So, they could only use the excuse of repairing the staff dormitory to make it better for him.
Li Yicheng couldn't help but feel a little amused and frustrated. He silently cursed, "I'm afraid all the employees in the entire factory will have to thank you, Lin Tianran. Your reasons have improved everyone's well-being."
Li Yicheng thought, Let's take it slowly, no need to rush. After some time, when we get to know each other better, then...
Back in the security room, Lin Tianran sneezed loudly.
"Hey, a few of you, come here," Manager Fang led someone in and called Lin Tianran and the three others over. "This is the new security guard, Zhang Yong. Let's introduce everyone."
"I'm Zhang Yong, from the neighboring Zhang family village. I came here to work." Liu Dali grinned, his skin as dark as a buffalo, and he had a heavy rural accent, the epitome of a countryman.
Lin Tianran, along with Lao Wang and Lao Quan, also introduced themselves.
Manager Fang said, "Today is Zhang Yong's first day on the job. Let him get familiar with our environment for now; there's no need to assign him to the night shift immediately. Lin Tianran, take him to the warehouse to get a few sets of security uniforms, and take him for a tour of the workshop while you're at it."
"Sure, Manager," Lin Tianran nodded, then stood up and led Zhang Yong out.
"Wow, this factory is huge," Zhang Yong followed Lin Tianran in a circle and marveled at the manner of a rural person.
"Huamao Factory is the largest factory in this industrial park in terms of land area," Lin Tianran smiled, leading Zhang Yong, who was limping, toward the warehouse.
"Is the warehouse manager here? We're here to pick up our work uniforms," the two stopped at the warehouse entrance, but there was no one in sight.
"I'm here; come on in and pick your sizes," a rather unfriendly voice came from inside. "I'm so busy that I don't have time to greet anyone. Go to the second row of shelves inside. All sizes are labeled. After trying them on, don't mess them up. Fold them neatly and put them back. Got it?"
"Got it!" Lin Tianran replied, but he still didn't know where the voice was coming from. The warehouse was filled with densely packed shelves, looking like a mountain of goods."
The two of them entered the second row and indeed saw neatly stacked work uniforms on the shelves. There were uniforms for security guards, for the workshop, for janitors, for maintenance workers, and even office attire for the office staff – all sorts, with sizes available.
Zhang Yong began to try on different sizes on his own while muttering, "Do we have to pay for these?"
Unexpectedly, this not-so-loud muttering reached someone's ears steadily. Suddenly, a fierce-looking woman emerged from the corner, hands on hips, and scolded, "Of course, it's not free! One set of summer clothes costs 120 yuan, and one set of winter clothes costs 180 yuan. It will be deducted from your first month's salary. Have you made your selection?"
Both men were taken aback, especially Liu Dali, who had just taken off his pants and revealed half of his buttocks. He quickly pulled his pants back up, looking rather embarrassed.
"I'm not interested in your little bird!" The tough woman rolled her eyes. "You don't need to try them on; just take a size L. I've been here for so many years, and I can judge people accurately. Size L is good enough!"
"So, should we both take size L?" Lin Tianran turned to Zhang Yong for confirmation.
Now, Zhang Yong seemed to hesitate. He scratched his head and half-pleaded, "Well, Tian Ge, considering you're about to quit, your security uniform is useless to you. Instead, give it to me. Buying a new one costs 120 yuan, and I haven't started working yet, so I haven't earned any income. I can't bear to spend money now. Can you do me a favor? Please?"
"What?" Lin Tianran was completely bewildered now, quickly asking, "Who said I'm quitting?"
"It's Manager Fang. He told me I'm here to take over your position, saying that you're quitting this job," Zhang Yong replied.
This revelation left Lin Tianran thunderstruck, and he couldn't find words to speak. He initially thought they were hiring someone new because of understaffing, but it turned out they intended to replace him. Did he do something wrong to deserve this? Was his performance so poor that he was at risk of losing his job again? As he contemplated, he realized that he truly might not be good at anything. He couldn't even stand guard without getting heatstroke and collapsing. He was basically a burden, someone everyone would despise no matter where he went.
Lin Tianran's sudden realization caused his mood to plummet. Although he was aware of his own shortcomings, being laid off time and time again, from a labeler to a security guard, was a huge blow to his self-esteem.
"Ah, Tian Ge, don't cry. If you don't want to give me the clothes, that's okay. I'll get them myself. Don't cry," Zhang Yong, facing Lin Tianran's sudden tears, panicked.
"No, it's not that," Lin Tianran cursed himself for being weak. He couldn't believe he was crying in front of another man. He sniffled and said, "I'll give them to you."
"Oh..." Zhang Yong didn't quite understand but thanked him anyway, as Lin Tianran saved him some money.
The two of them walked out of the warehouse empty-handed. Lin Tianran had lost all motivation, and he pointed back to the way to the security room. "I'll be on night duty tonight, so I won't be going. You go over to work, and Lao Wang will guide you."
"Okay!" Zhang Yong nodded obediently, and the two of them parted ways at the warehouse door.
According to tradition, the person on night duty could skip coming in before nightfall. Lin Tianran, with his head hanging low and a heavy heart, dragged his feet past the scrap warehouse. He stopped in his tracks for a while, opened the door, and entered.
This was his secret sanctuary from childhood to adulthood. Even though he had encountered trouble here when he was younger and logically shouldn't want to come back to this eerie place, where else could he go? This place was his most familiar and relaxing spot. Whenever he entered here and closed the door behind him, it felt like he had disconnected from the outside world, isolating all the sadness and troubles from the outside. This was his world, with no one else; he was the master here.
Many years ago, after an incident here, some of the scraps had been cleared out and taken away. But with the passage of time, more scrap had unknowingly accumulated.
Lin Tianran found a dusty, dilapidated chair and finally couldn't help himself but sit down and burst into tears.
It was as if he, too, was as miserable as the junk in this room.
Why, why was it like this?
It seemed that his life was gradually improving. He was lucky enough to secure a dormitory for himself. That day, a miracle occurred when a repairman came to repair the dormitory building and installed an air conditioner. The cafeteria's food had also significantly improved recently, and he could now eat meat every day instead of the tasteless vegetarian dishes. Although working as a security guard wasn't easy staying up all night was tough, and the pay wasn't as high as when he was a labeler, at least he felt respected. Lao Wang and Lao Quan were sincere people, unlike those in the workshop who would bully and exploit him just because he was disabled. He felt that this job was quite good.
Moreover, there was Li Yicheng, who passed by the gate from time to time and secretly glanced at him. A humble person like him actually had someone genuinely concerned about him. They would lend him a coat, stand up for him when Fat Tiger bullied him, take him to the small cafeteria to eat, and consider themselves "friends." This was his only "friend" now...
He even felt that all of this had made his entire life brighter.
But why couldn't he enjoy it a bit longer?
In the past, every time he lost a job, he would be reassigned by the HR department under Manager Fang. Now, having lost his job directly from the HR department, there probably wasn't any other place for him to go, was there?
After so many years of unwavering perseverance in Hua Mao Factory, was it finally becoming unbearable?
But he had already considered this place his home. Besides here, where could he, a cripple, go?
Lin Tianran almost went to work with swollen red eyes.
Lao Quan, who was supposed to relieve him from duty, was going to a wedding tonight. After finishing his shift, he excitedly put on his coat, got on his bike, and rode away without noticing anything unusual.
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