The Entire Mountain Is My Hunting Ground
Chapter 241 - 208: Zhao Jun Unleashes His Might (Part 2)
Zhao Jun raised an eyebrow and said to Jiang Jinyou, "Brother Jiang, you just stay put. I’m telling you, no matter how many logs that Du Chunlin hauls back from your site today, I’ll put it all on your tab."
"What?" Jiang Jinyou couldn’t believe his ears.
Seeing his disbelief, Zhao Jun said again, "Didn’t Du Chunlin go over to your site to haul logs? No matter how much he brings back today, I’ll credit it all to your account."
The tallyman didn’t just keep the accounts for the entire Logging Camp, but also helped each worker keep track of their personal tallies. This made it easier for the crew leaders to pay their men.
This time, Jiang Jinyou finally understood. A smile spread across his face, but he quickly composed himself and said to Zhao Jun, "Technician Zhao, maybe we should just let it go. You just started working here, I don’t want this to cause you any trouble."
"Why’s that?" Zhao Jun laughed. "I’m the tallyman. You think I’m afraid of some guy who just hauls logs?"
"Well..."
Zhao Jun raised a hand, pointed to a wooden shelf, and said, "Brother Jiang, hand me the skimmer."
"Yes, right away!" Jiang Jinyou took two steps to the wooden rack, unhooked the skimmer from a wire hook, and started to run toward Zhao Jun. But after a couple of steps, he realized he had overshot his mark. He quickly turned back, scooped some water from a large vat, rinsed the skimmer, and then handed it to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun scooped the dumplings out and divided them onto two plates. Then he asked Jiang Jinyou, "Brother Jiang, have you had lunch yet?"
"Eat what?" Jiang Jinyou said. "I was so mad at them, I’m full from pure anger."
"Bah, what’s there to be mad about? Come on, come on." Zhao Jun stood up and pulled Jiang Jinyou over to another stool. Then he went to the wooden rack, grabbed a bowl and a pair of chopsticks without caring whose they were, and handed them to Jiang Jinyou. "Eat with me, brother."
"Oh!" Jiang Jinyou took the bowl and chopsticks with both hands, truly overwhelmed by the gesture.
Zhao Jun picked up a dumpling and popped it into his mouth. It was a bit hot, and he quickly opened his mouth, blowing out a couple of breaths.
After swallowing the dumpling, Zhao Jun furrowed his brow and asked, "Brother Jiang."
"Hm?"
"Got any soy sauce?"
"Yes, yes." Jiang Jinyou went to the wooden rack, grabbed a glass bottle, and returned. "Technician Zhao, here’s the soy sauce."
Zhao Jun took the soy sauce bottle, looked at Jiang Jinyou, and said, "I’m already calling you Brother Jiang, so why do you keep calling me Technician Zhao?"
"Well..." Jiang Jinyou hesitated. "You’re a technician from the Forest Farm, and I’m just a hauler..."
Zhao Jun cut him off. "Brother Jiang, we’re equals. If you respect me, then don’t talk like that."
"Alright!" Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Jiang Jinyou replied, "Brother Zhao Jun, if you’re ever passing by Da Gui Village, you come to my house. I might be poor, but I can still treat you right."
Hearing this, Zhao Jun couldn’t help but frown again. "What? Brother Jiang, you’re still planning on going home?"
"Sigh. Brother, just stay out of it," Jiang Jinyou said. "I’ve offended those two brothers, and now the chainsaw operator who was felling trees with me won’t work with me anymore. Without a sawyer, how can I haul logs?"
"Ah!" After hearing this, Zhao Jun suddenly remembered something. He said to Jiang Jinyou, "Brother Jiang, what if I find a sawyer for you?"
At this, Jiang Jinyou laughed.
He said, "Brother, you may be the tallyman, but trying to place someone in his Logging Camp... that’s going to be tough."
"Brother Jiang," Zhao Jun just asked him, "have you ever heard of Zhao Youcai, the head chef at our Forest Farm’s Canteen Number One?"
"Whoa!" Hearing the name Zhao Youcai, Jiang Jinyou immediately perked up and blurted out, "That guy is no joke!"
’How is that supposed to be a compliment?’
Zhao Jun smiled. "That’s my dad."
"Whoa!"
Zhao Jun continued, "Zhou Jianjun from the Logistics Department is my brother-in-law."
"Ah..."
"The deputy head of the Dispatch Group is my uncle."
"Ah..."
The two "Ahs" proved that Jiang Jinyou had never heard of Zhou Jianjun or Li Dayong, but he still thought Zhao Jun was impressive for being related to so many officials.
Zhao Jun noticed this and said, "Brother Jiang, you must know Lin Xiangshun from the Forest Farm’s motor pool, right?"
"I do, I do." At the mention of Lin Xiangshun, Jiang Jinyou nodded repeatedly. Lin Xiangshun often came to their Logging Camp to haul logs. Although he never spoke to Jiang Jinyou, that didn’t stop Jiang Jinyou from knowing who he was.
"That’s my brother," Zhao Jun said. "As close as blood."
"Whoa!" Jiang Jinyou exclaimed again. Forget the others—just Lin Xiangshun alone was someone Du Chunjiang couldn’t afford to cross.
For example, when it came to hauling logs for the No. 77 Logging Camp, Lin Xiangshun could easily put Du Chunjiang in a bind.
"Eat." Zhao Jun put a dumpling in Jiang Jinyou’s bowl. "Brother Jiang, if you trust me, don’t pack up your things. Just go home for a few days, take a week off. When you come back, your old site will still be yours. If a single log is missing, I’ll make Du Chunjiang compensate you for it."
"And when you get back, I’ll find you a sawyer. You two can team up. He’s a great guy."
"Oh, brother, that would be wonderful!" Jiang Jinyou was overjoyed and swallowed the dumpling Zhao Jun had given him in one gulp.
With a great weight lifted from his chest, Jiang Jinyou’s appetite suddenly returned. He took the rest of the dumplings from the gunny sack and tossed them into the pot.
And just like that, the two of them joined forces... no, joined mouths, and polished off seventy-two sauerkraut-filled dumplings.
Perhaps because his family wasn’t well-off, the dumplings Jiang Jinyou’s wife had made contained no meat, only a few bits of crispy crackling left over from rendering lard. Even so, it was a meal his family could only afford to eat during the New Year.
His wife, feeling sorry for him because of his hard labor, had used the white flour left over from the New Year to make these dumplings specially for him.
Having eaten the man’s dumplings and downed two bowls of the broth, Zhao Jun was full and satisfied. Naturally, it was now on him to help Jiang Jinyou get his justice.