The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 468: Chapter 468: Senior Brother’s Predicament

Having spent more than four years with his senior brother, Sun Dayong knew him well. He could tell something was wrong.

”No problem, Brother. You don’t have to lift a finger. I’ll have this finished in a jiffy,” Sun Dayong said with a smile, speeding up his cleaning.

Since the man was clearly here for Sun Dayong, Han Xiaorui gave him a meaningful look.

It was a clear signal: if his senior brother was willing, he should offer him a job.

Sun Dayong smiled, nodded, and said, ”President Han, take care.”

After finishing up, Sun Dayong found a small restaurant. ”Brother, my treat. Let’s get some seafood and a beer.”

”No need. Let’s go back to your place to eat. I can’t head back tonight anyway, so I’ll just crash with you,” Wang Danian said. ”Eating out is expensive, a waste of money. And it’s not easy for you to earn it.”

Sun Dayong smiled. ”Brother, I’m beat today. I can finally take a break. Let’s eat something good so we’ll have more energy tomorrow.”

Since his junior brother insisted, Wang Danian nodded. ”Alright then. But let’s be clear, I’m the senior brother, so I’m paying.”

Sun Dayong retorted, exasperated, ”Back when I wasn’t making money, it was fine for you to treat me. But I’m earning now, and you’re the one who came to see me. Of course I’m paying. Don’t you dare try to fight me on this.”

Seeing his junior brother so full of life and confidence, Wang Danian knew he was doing well for himself here.

He had just seen the Conch Jade, bracelets, and other ornaments. His junior brother’s work was superb; it had real soul.

”My junior brother has really made a name for himself. That’s wonderful. I guess I’ll be enjoying a nice meal on your dime today, then.”

Sun Dayong chuckled. ”Come on, let’s not dawdle.”

Arriving at a small eatery, Sun Dayong ordered a few dishes and two bottles of beer.

Two cold appetizers arrived quickly: a plate of peanuts and a plate of cold jellyfish salad.

While encouraging his brother to eat, Sun Dayong took a few sips of beer. ”Brother, don’t be shy. Dig in.”

”Alright, I won’t,” Wang Danian said with a laugh. He took a few sips of beer and tried the seafood, his eyes lighting up. ”This is delicious.”

A little later, more dishes arrived: braised pomfret, fried little yellow croaker, and an oyster omelet. Of course, the meal wouldn’t be complete without a soup that the people of Shencheng couldn’t do without, day or night: wakame, dried shrimp, and tofu soup.

After a few rounds of drinks and plenty of food...

Sun Dayong asked with concern, ”Brother, you seem troubled and you’re forcing a smile. Has something happened?”

Wang Danian replied, ”Dayong, how much can you make here?”

Sun Dayong was already planning to hire someone, and his senior brother’s skills were better than his, so he didn’t plan to hide anything from Wang Danian. ”Brother, in a slow month, I can make several hundred, and in a good month, over a thousand.”

”Huh?” Wang Danian thought he must have misheard. ”Dayong, you... you mean in a year, right?”

Sun Dayong smiled. ”Brother, you just asked me how much I make in a month, so of course I was talking about a month! If I said a year, I wouldn’t be answering your question, would I?”

Hearing this, Wang Danian couldn’t believe his ears. ”My god, no wonder you’ve put on some weight. It’s because you’re earning so much.”

He thought about how when he asked his master and master’s wife for a raise, the master’s wife would just glare at him and start cursing.

Sun Dayong asked, ”Brother, are you thinking about coming to work here with me?”

Wang Danian’s face turned bitter. ”I won’t hide it from you. My two-year-old son has leukemia. I took him to the best hospital here in Shencheng, and they said it’ll cost a fortune to cure him.”

”As you know, the money I’ve earned all these years is just enough to support my family. How could I have money for his medical bills? I asked our master and his wife for a loan. Master was willing, but his wife just pleaded poverty and said they had no money.”

”We’ve worked at Treasure Pavilion for so long, do they think we don’t know whether it’s making money or not? If it were before, maybe I wouldn’t fuss over this. But now my son is sick, and I have to get him treatment.”

”The doctor said there’s a new treatment from overseas that has a much higher cure rate than before, but the cost is also very high. The master’s wife refused to lend me money, so I offered to take a year’s salary in advance, but she refused that too.”

Hearing this, Sun Dayong slapped his thigh in anger. ”For crying out loud, you’ve been with Master for seven years! You worked for them for free for five of those years! Even if she has no consideration for you, she should at least have some for Master!”

Hearing this, Wang Danian nodded. ”Exactly! Everyone falls on hard times, right? I can’t just stand by and watch my son die.”

”What about Master?” Sun Dayong asked.

Wang Danian shook his head with a bitter smile. ”You know what Master is like. He’s never stood up to his wife! He secretly tried to give me a hundred yuan, but I didn’t take it.”

”That one hundred yuan is nowhere near enough! My salary now is fifty a month, which is way below average. They won’t give me a raise, and they won’t lend me money, so I’ve decided to quit.”

”If you’re hiring, I’ll come join you. If you’re not, I’ll look somewhere else. But, as your senior brother, I have to swallow my pride and ask... can I borrow 300 yuan from you first? I need to make the next payment on his medical bills.”

Seeing his brother so worried about money that his temples were turning gray, Sun Dayong’s heart ached for him.

”Brother, as soon as we finish eating, you’re coming back with me! I’ll call a car from the village to take us to the hospital. Let’s get the money paid right away. We can’t let sister-in-law worry herself sick at the hospital.”

Hearing this, Wang Danian felt his nose tingle with emotion. ”Dayong, I only came to you because I had no other choice! Don’t worry, the money... I will definitely pay you back.”

Sun Dayong replied, ”Once your son is settled in, you should stay there and look after him. After my little nephew is stable, you can come work for me.”

Wang Danian looked at Sun Dayong. ”Dayong, will it cause problems for you to hire me? Shouldn’t you talk to your President Han about it?”

Sun Dayong smiled. ”Brother, you can rest completely assured! Just today, President Han told me that business is good and that I should find a skilled craftsman as soon as possible.”

”Honestly, out of respect for Master, I was hesitant to approach you directly. But since you’re in trouble now and you’ve come to me, we’re brothers, so we’ll work together.”

”Brother, with your skills, you could definitely find a job on Antique Street for 200 yuan a month. But you’d be running into them constantly, and you know how that master’s wife is—spiteful, unreasonable, and always cursing. You wouldn’t be able to last over there.”

Wang Danian nodded. ”I had the same concern. To be honest, someone did approach me privately! Offered me two hundred and sixty yuan a month, but I didn’t take it.”

”Even though Master is a quiet man, he has a strong sense of pride. If people found out his apprentice went to work for a competitor, he’d probably be secretly furious.”

”Coming to work here with you is completely different. There’s no competition between us and them. Even after I leave, the worst that can happen is the master’s wife curses me out a few times. She can’t very well come all the way to Jinshan Bay to yell at us.”

Sun Dayong nodded. ”That’s true! Brother, hurry up and eat. We still have to get to the hospital!”

In the past, it was always his senior brother who helped him. Now, it was Sun Dayong’s turn to help his brother.