"You gave it to him?"

Xue Xingjun sat down in front of He Lang, pouting. "I forgot to remind him that he needs money for food. If he didn’t bring any money today and goes hungry, he’ll tattle on me when he gets back. I’m afraid my brother will scold me."

He Lang nodded. "Alright, then you can eat with me."

Xue Xingjun glanced at the food on the table and swallowed hard. "I knew you wouldn’t just ignore me and let me starve, brother-in-law."

He Lang was already used to his thick skin.

Zhang Yunlei saw He Lang and Xue Xingjun sitting over there. He clutched the meal ticket in his hand, went to the window to get his food, but didn’t dare go over and eat with them. Besides, they hadn’t invited him.

After finishing his meal, He Lang left with Xue Xingjun.

Because they were going to look at motorcycles.

This got Xue Xingjun incredibly excited.

He Lang teased him, "I’m not buying it for you. What are you so happy about?"

Xue Xingjun didn’t mind. "I’m happy you’re buying one too, brother-in-law. Maybe I’ll get a chance to ride it in the future." As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together, looking eager to give it a try.

He Lang glanced at him, feeling an urge to laugh.

He Lang bought the motorcycle. When it was time to get off work, he rode it straight home, giving his dad a lift.

Xue Xingjun was green with envy. He had wanted to ride on the back of his brother-in-law’s motorcycle too, but he didn’t dare compete with his brother-in-law’s own father for the seat. ’Oh well, there’ll be other chances,’ he thought. So, he dejectedly took Zhang Yunlei to the bus stop.

After hesitating the entire way, Zhang Yunlei finally managed to ask his question just as they were approaching the house.

"Um, Xing Jun, how much does your brother-in-law pay you a month?"

Hearing Zhang Yunlei call him that gave Xue Xingjun goosebumps. He shivered. "You should just call me by my full name. It’s creepy when you call me like that."

Zhang Yunlei said, a bit awkwardly, "Alright, Xue Xingjun."

Only then did Xue Xingjun glance at him. He clasped his hands behind his back and started walking toward home, adding, "I’m not like you guys. You’re all so worldly. I don’t go to work to make money. I do it simply because it makes me happy."

Zhang Yunlei’s brow twitched as he listened.

Xue Xingjun shot him a look. "I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true. I really don’t get a salary. I’m just in it for the fun of it. Besides, my brother-in-law said that since I’m not an adult yet, I can’t get a salary anyway. But, he does give me some pocket money. I have food and a place to live, and I don’t have anything to spend money on, so I just buy toys for Tun Tun."

Zhang Yunlei looked at him. He didn’t seem to be lying. To think that for all his swaggering around the supermarket, he wasn’t even making much money... Zhang Yunlei instantly felt a sense of equilibrium, and a new spring in his step.

Xue Xingjun glanced at him and thought to himself: ’This idiot. My pocket money is almost double his salary, not to mention my brother-in-law takes me out for meals and drinks all the time. Oh well, let him be happy. It’s better than him walking around with a long face all day, looking like someone owes him money. It just brings down the family’s mood.’

Back home, just as expected, Zhang Qian asked about Zhang Yunlei’s situation at the supermarket.

"It’s pretty relaxed, and not tiring."

Xue Xingjun said, "Of course. My brother-in-law told me to make good arrangements, so I’m definitely looking out for him. I put him in the snack aisle. The stuff there isn’t heavy, which makes things easy. It’s not like the electronics department on the third floor, where you have to move appliances and even make home deliveries for customers. It’s a lot of trouble."

Zhang Yunlei’s eyes lit up. ’The electronics department... that sounds so high-class.’ It was Zhang Yunlei’s first day, so he hadn’t had a chance to look around properly yet.

Zhang Qian said to Xue Xingjun, "We’ve troubled you, Xing Jun."

Xue Xingjun rubbed his nose. "We’re all family, sister-in-law. Your business is my business."

Zhang Qian looked at him with a gratified expression.

Xue Xingjun blinked, then met his brother’s teasing gaze and quickly lowered his head. He wondered: ’Did my brother figure out my little scheme?’

He snuck another peek and saw his brother was just eating his meal properly. ’Yep, I must have imagined it.’

Placing Zhang Yunlei in the snack aisle was indeed a decision Xue Xingjun had carefully considered. He knew that Zhang Yunlei had gotten injured just a few days into his last job. The work in the snack aisle was light, so it seemed like a good fit. However, the snack aisle was staffed entirely by women, and male employees were generally unwilling to work there. Zhang Yunlei didn’t seem to have come home with any complaints today, which suggested he was quite sensible.

It took Zhang Yunlei two days on the job to realize this issue. When the female employees had free time, they would gather to chat and gossip. He didn’t know what it was like before, but now, he had become the topic of their gossip. He even had to endure their critiques, as he was the only male employee in the snack aisle. Of course, this would come later.

Meanwhile, as soon as He Lang rode his motorcycle into the alley, Xue Yue heard the noise.

Mrs. He, who didn’t know He Lang had bought a motorcycle, asked in surprise, "What’s that noise?"

The words had barely left her mouth when the main gate was pushed open. He Lang walked in, pushing a motorcycle, with Mr. He following behind him.

Mrs. He was shocked. "Oh my, is that that thing—what’s it called again?"

Xue Yue smiled. "A motorcycle."

Mrs. He nodded vigorously. "Right, right! I saw one once when I was out shopping for groceries."

At this time, you could see motorcycles on the streets of Beijing City, but they were still very rare. After all, something that cost several thousand yuan was a huge sum of money when compared to a monthly salary of just a few dozen yuan.

The two children, just like Mrs. He, curiously gathered around to look, even reaching out to touch it.

Mr. He stood with his hands behind his back and said smugly, "I rode back on this thing. It’s indeed much faster than a bicycle."

"Dad, I want to ride the motorcycle."

"Dad, I want to ride too."

He Lang smiled and nodded. He put down the kickstand and lifted the two children onto the seat.

"Wow, this is so fun! Dad, I want to go for a ride around the block."

"Me too."

He Lang doted on his children, so he immediately agreed to this small request. He then looked at Xue Yue. "I’ll take you and the kids out for a spin."

Xue Yue had never ridden a motorcycle either, so she immediately nodded. "Okay."

Actually, Mrs. He also wanted to try it, but after a moment’s thought, she decided against it.

Mrs. He reminded them, "Be careful. Just go for a quick ride and come right back."

"We know, Mom."

After they left, Xiao Yu tugged on Mrs. He’s sleeve. "Grandma, I want to ride the motorcycle too."

Mrs. He stroked her head. "Next time, okay? You see, there wasn’t enough room just now."

It was true, there was no more room. Xue Yue sat on the back with the two children sandwiched in the middle, and she was worried they might fall off.

However, after that one ride, Xue Yue had no desire to try it again.

He Lang asked her, "Was it uncomfortable?"

"It’s so loud. If you rode it late at night, it would disturb the neighbors. And it turns way too many heads."

With a noise that loud, it was hard not to attract attention.

He Lang chuckled. "They’re all like this. A lot of people actually like this sound."

"They probably like the feeling of showing off." After all, not everyone could afford one.

He Lang smiled and nodded. "It is pretty eye-catching."