Chapter 61: The Shift in Status Reflected in Restroom Habits!

The next day.

Li Xiangdong snapped his eyes open, looked at Zhou Yuqing, who was tidying up the room, and asked, "What time is it now?"

Zhou Yuqing smiled and replied, "It's seven o'clock. I was just about to wake you up. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Li Xiangdong shook his head.

Bearing a grudge from the previous day, Old Father Li had used celebrating his son's new job as an excuse. After dinner, he sliced up a plate of pickled radishes himself and stubbornly dragged his three sons into getting thoroughly drunk.

Li Xiangdong asked, "Where are the kids?"

Zhou Yuqing smiled. "They're all in eldest sister-in-law's room. Our little girl wouldn't let anyone else hold her before, but the moment she opens her eyes now, she wants to go play with the older sisters."

"Mm, Xiaomei and Xialan are both thoughtful and sweet-natured. Little Seven definitely loves spending time with them." Li Xiangdong nodded, swung his legs off the heated brick bed (kang), grabbed his clothes from the side, and slipped them on.

Today was his first official day at work, so he needed to arrive early. Once he became a seasoned veteran down the road, he could comfortably punch in right at the deadline.

Clutching a few sheets of rough paper, Li Xiangdong dashed out in a flash.

Living in a traditional courtyard alley (hutong) had one major drawback: you had to time your morning trips to the public restroom carefully.

Li Xiangdong jogged toward the public toilet, only to see from afar that seven or eight young men around his age were already lined up outside the men's room.

Older folks generally woke up much earlier, so the ones coming at this hour were almost exclusively the late-risers.

Some of them were clutching their crotches, some were stamping their feet, and others had chamber pots placed right beside their feet, yet none of this hindered them from smoking and chatting idly.

Taking in the scene, Li Xiangdong knew he had arrived late. He slowed his pace and began strolling leisurely toward the front.

The young men waiting in line outside the restroom spotted Li Xiangdong in his crisp railway uniform and eagerly called out greetings.

"Dongzi, coming for the morning call of nature?"

"Morning, Brother Dong."

"Are you in a rush, Brother Dong? Make sure you don't be late for work."

Whoa~
They were even calling him "Brother" now...

Faced with the suddenly enthusiastic crowd, Li Xiangdong was momentarily caught off guard. While smiling and waving back in response, his heart fluttered nervously.

Previously, he had been a total nobody in the hutong. At most, people would give him a brief nod when they crossed paths—when had anyone ever been this warm?

Moreover, they showed zero curiosity about him landing a job in the railway system.

It seemed Mother Li's showing off everywhere yesterday had worked wonders!

As expected, a good job could genuinely elevate one's social standing.

At that moment, a stocky young man near the very front of the line walked over, grabbed Li Xiangdong—who was heading toward the back of the queue—and pulled him forward. "Brother Dong, stand in front of me."

Faced with the fellow's rugged and sturdy frame, Li Xiangdong couldn't resist, nor did he particularly want to; he just felt slightly unaccustomed to it all.

"Huazi, wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to stand in front of you? Everyone is waiting in line. What kind of a look does that give me?"

Huazi waved his hand dismissively. "What's the big deal?"

He turned back to the guys behind him and asked, "Brothers, you don't mind Brother Dong cutting in front of me, do you?"

"No objection, I'm not in a rush."

"Me neither."

"It's no big deal to wait a little longer. Go right ahead, Dongzi."

Li Xiangdong smiled gratefully. "Thanks, everyone. It's my first official day on the job today, so I really am in a bit of a hurry."

Even though he had only moved up a few spots, how was it that he felt his social standing rise yet again?

Standing at the front of the line, Li Xiangdong accepted a harsh-tasting domestic-brand cigarette handed over by Huazi. Though he didn't particularly want to smoke, he couldn't very well reject Huazi's kind gesture.

Besides, he had rushed out in such a hurry that he had forgotten to bring his own cigarettes, and he would definitely need one to combat the stench once he stepped inside the restroom.

"Someone's coming out. I'll light it for you, Brother Dong."

Li Xiangdong took a puff and, upon stepping inside the restroom, immediately held the cigarette right beneath his nose.

With his pants down, moments of pure leisure commenced.

Aside from the overwhelming stench and the swarm of flies and mosquitoes, this was the one place that truly allowed a man's mind to completely unwind.

Emerging from the restroom, Li Xiangdong offered a smiling wave to the tail end of the queue.

He hurried back home, washed up, and ate breakfast.

Returning to the west wing, he packed his spotless, patch-free clothes into a cloth shoulder bag and picked up the rain boots he had worn home yesterday.

Knowing that Li Xiangdong was heading out on his first train run today—all the way to Tianjin, no less—the entire family came out to see him off.

"Everyone go on back inside, no need to walk me out."

Li Xiangdong bent down to gently pat Li Xiaohai's head, walked over to Zhou Yuqing, planted a kiss on the cheek of the baby girl in her arms, and told his wife, "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Take good care of yourself and the kids at home."

Old Man Li urged, "Dongzi, take good care of yourself out there."

Grandma Li chimed in, "Make sure you eat your fill and sleep well."

"I know, Grandpa, Grandma."

Looking at the crowd gathered at the doorway, Li Xiangdong grinned. "Though thousands of miles separate us, all good things must come to an end. Everyone head back inside—I shall hold the 9527 Highlands!"

With that, he spun around and strode away.

Watching her grandson's receding figure, Grandma Li asked in puzzlement, "Old man, what on earth was Dongzi rambling about just now?"

Old Man Li said nothing, merely shaking his head with a smile.

Mother Li noticed that both her eldest and second sons' families were grinning from ear to ear, especially her three grandsons, who were giggling uncontrollably.

Indignant, she snapped, "I dropped everything—my pots unscrubbed, my bowls unwashed—just to come see you off, and you can't even speak properly! That little bastard really needs a good thrashing!"

With a dark expression, Father Li muttered, "No hair on his chin, running his mouth in the wind."

Having not yet walked very far, Li Xiangdong heard his parents' scolding and hurriedly quickened his pace.

Hmph~
If he hadn't noticed his grandmother's eyes turning red and tears welling up, would he have bothered cracking those witty jokes?

Maintaining a brisk pace all the way, Li Xiangdong pushed open the office door to find a middle-aged man seated at a desk, leisurely sipping tea and reading a newspaper.

Catching sight of Li Xiangdong entering, the middle-aged man lowered his paper and asked with a smile, "You must be Li Xiangdong, our work group's new recruit, comrade 'Big Mouth Li'?"

"Uh... that's me. How should I address you?"

It took Li Xiangdong a second in his mind to process the nickname "Big Mouth Li." He set his rain boots down, walked over, and extended a hand.

"Wang Dahai."

Wang Dahai stood up and shook his hand.

Li Xiangdong smiled. "Hello, Uncle Wang. You might as well just call me Dongzi."

Wang Dahai waved a hand dismissively. "Dongzi, call me Uncle Hai. There's more than one person surnamed Wang in our group; wouldn't want you getting confused and creating a mix-up of the kings."

Falling right in line, Li Xiangdong complied, "As you say, Uncle Hai it is from now on."

Wang Dahai nodded, checked his wristwatch, and remarked, "Dongzi, you've certainly arrived early enough."

"Well, it's my first official day on the job, after all. I wanted to leave a good impression on the leadership. Go ahead and rest, Uncle Hai, I'm going to put my things away."

Li Xiangdong picked up his rain boots, walked over to his locker, and stowed them inside.

Noticing Li Xiangdong picking up the kettle to pour water, Uncle Hai asked, "Dongzi, do you drink tea? Uncle Hai has some fine tea here. You've never had pre-Qingming Longjing tea, have you? Care to try some?"

Being able to drink pre-Qingming Longjing tea meant Uncle Hai was clearly a man of means and capability.

"Thank you, Uncle Hai. I'd love to taste your good tea."

Li Xiangdong paused his actions and walked over carrying his tin mug.

As for the Tieguanyin tea he had previously taken from Hou Jianshe's office, it had been divided 7-3 the night before.

Old Man Li took seventy percent, Father Li took thirty percent, and not even a speck of tea dust had been left for him.