My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 38: Getting Acquainted

Section Chief Li stared at Xu Dong in astonishment. He really hadn’t expected it—this seemingly unremarkable subordinate standing before him was actually a wealthy man! A rich kid? “Xu, you’re not joking, are you?” Xu Dong shook his head. “I’m not joking. That Mercedes-Benz really is mine.” The guardhouse suddenly fell silent. Section Chief Li cleared his throat, wanting to say something but unsure how to begin. The Power Company has always offered generous compensation; a permanent employee earns at least 200,000 to 300,000 yuan a year, but a luxury car costing over 5 million yuan was simply out of the ordinary. Besides, this was a state-owned enterprise—a luxury car like that was simply too conspicuous. “You, though…” Section Chief Li said earnestly, “Even the executives’ cars aren’t as nice as yours. Young people should learn to keep a low profile. Next time, don’t drive a Mercedes to work—it’d be best to switch to a more ordinary car.” “I can’t switch it out—this is the only car my family has for getting around. Besides, with the car market so tight right now, I won’t be able to buy a new one anytime soon!” Xu Dong protested. He wasn’t interested in a promotion anyway, so naturally he’d do whatever was most comfortable for him. Still, buying a new car was indeed very difficult right now—major automakers were all busy rebuilding their supply chains, and production was extremely limited. “Uh, I see. Anyway, just try to keep a low profile as much as possible. If all else fails, cover the car with a car cover so no one notices it,” Section Chief Li suggested. Xu Dong nodded to indicate he would do as suggested. Section Chief Li gave a few more instructions—essentially asking everyone to cooperate fully with Xu Dong’s work. Xu Dong was very grateful and personally escorted him out of the security guard’s office. Before parting ways, Section Chief Li didn’t forget to offer some behind-the-scenes advice: “Those three young guys are all temporary workers. Feel free to scold them when necessary—don’t worry about them causing trouble. If any of them refuse to follow orders, let me know right away, and I’ll have the Company replace them.” “Got it, Uncle Li!” After seeing Section Chief Li off, Xu Dong returned to the guardhouse. “Hello, Captain Xu!” the three said in unison. Xu Dong waved his hand and said, “When we’re alone, just call me Brother Xu—it sounds more friendly.” “Brother Xu…” “Hmm, where’s your Captain Zhu? I don’t see him around.” Xiao Cheng replied, “Captain Zhu usually only stops by when he’s clocking in or out. The rest of the time, he stays over in the monitoring room—it’s air-conditioned there.” Hearing this, Xu Dong realized that the air conditioner in the guardhouse was actually turned off; only a small electric fan was whirring away. No wonder it was so hot in the room. “Why isn’t the air conditioner on?” Xiao Cheng replied again, “Haven’t they been pushing this energy-saving campaign lately? The top brass gave the order—they said since we’re a Power Company, we have to lead by example, so we’re not allowed to turn on the air conditioning.” “What about turning it on secretly?” Xu Dong asked curiously. “If we get caught, permanent employees have half their salary docked. Rumor has it they’ll also be publicly reprimanded company-wide, and no one in the department will be eligible for a promotion for three years. It’s even worse for us temporary workers—get caught just once and you’re out on the spot. Five or six of our guys were fired not long ago, so now nobody dares to turn it on secretly.” “Then how come the monitoring room is allowed to have the air conditioner on?” Xu Dong said, feeling a bit regretful—if he’d known, he would’ve gone to the monitoring room instead. Another subordinate, Xiao Huang, explained, “The monitoring room is full of computers and large surveillance screens—we need the air conditioning to keep them cool.” “All right!” Xu Dong said helplessly. That was a pretty solid excuse. “Brother Xu, this chair used to belong to Captain Zhang. Now that he’s not here, you’re in charge—you should sit here!” The speaker was Xiao Wang, the oldest of the three subordinates. He eagerly moved the chair over to Xu Dong’s side, then shifted the electric fan closer as well. It was just an ordinary office chair, but compared to the plastic stools nearby, it stood out like a swan among chickens. Xu Dong didn’t hesitate. After running around all morning, he was indeed a bit tired, so after saying “thank you,” he plopped down in the chair. What a relief! The guardhouse wasn’t big—barely a dozen square meters—and with four grown men crammed inside, it felt a bit crowded. “Brother Xu, it’s hot out—have a drink!” Xiao Cheng poured a glass of water and handed it to him in a disposable paper cup. “Thanks. You guys should come sit over here, too—the electric fan isn’t just for me,” Xu Dong said with a smile as he took the cup. The three of them didn’t hesitate; they each grabbed a stool and sat down. Xu Dong took a big gulp of water, then struck up a conversation with his three subordinates. “I’m not one for trouble. Don’t worry—the guardhouse will stay exactly the same as it always has been. Nothing’s going to change.” Xiao Cheng and the other two smiled; their new boss seemed easygoing. As long as he didn’t stir up trouble, they were more than happy to keep coasting along. “Brother Xu, rest assured—we’ll work hard and won’t cause you any trouble,” Xiao Wang assured him on behalf of the three. “No need to be so formal. Are all three of you veterans?” Xiao Cheng was quick to answer, “Brother Wang and I are, but Xiao Huang is a college graduate—he just finished school.” “Xiao Huang, you’re a college graduate—why aren’t you looking for a regular job?” Xu Dong asked curiously. Xiao Huang explained with a wry smile, “I have a heart condition. Other jobs are too stressful, so I can only work as a security guard for now—and see if I can pass the civil service exam.” “I see. Don’t worry too much—the civil service exam isn’t that hard to pass,” Xu Dong reassured him. “I hope so!” Xu Dong set down his paper cup and got down to business: “Xiao Wang, tell me about our daily duties.” “Yes!” Xiao Wang replied immediately, “Our West Gate is the employee entrance, but several top executives prefer to use the South Gate. The South Gate is the Company’s main entrance, so there’s a lot of foot traffic there. We don’t have many visitors here on a regular basis; our main duty is standing guard at the entrance for an hour during morning and evening rush hours. We also strictly control the entry and exit of logistics vehicles—every vehicle must undergo a security check and be registered. In addition, we need to schedule staff for duty on weekends and evenings—usually the three of us take turns. That’s pretty much the scope of our work.” Xu Dong gave his thigh a light tap. The day-to-day work was indeed quite simple. As the deputy captain, he certainly wouldn’t have to stand guard or work shifts—which made the job even easier. “So how much do you guys make a month?” Xiao Wang gave a wry smile. “That depends on how many shifts you work. It’s usually around 6,000 yuan.” “Does it include room and board?” “Sort of. We eat in the cafeteria during work hours, and they give us free meal vouchers. As for housing, the security Company rents dorms for us nearby—it’s free, but there are seven or eight people to a room.” “Xiao Wang, are you married?” Xu Dong asked. “No, none of us three are married yet, though Xiao Cheng has a girlfriend he’s been dating for three years. Brother Xu, what about you? You must be married by now, right?” Xu Dong flashed his wedding ring and said with a smile, “I’ve got kids already—the oldest is six this year, and the youngest is almost two.” “Your wife must be really pretty,” Xiao Wang flattered him. But he meant what he said—anyone who can afford a Mercedes-Benz can’t have a wife who’s all that ugly, can they?