Chapter Fifty: Joining the Security Department

With the work introduction letter stamped with the official seal in hand, I took Little Six to the Security Department for our first day. When I casually mentioned that Lu Youwei was my uncle, the onboarding process went as smoothly as melting chocolate. In less than five minutes, we received brand-new security uniforms and a set of utility belts.

Carrying our things, we hurried over to the North Gate. For my uncle, bringing along an extra person for onboarding was about as trivial as a rabbit appearing on New Year's Eve—nothing worth mentioning.

Once my uncle helped us find two unused lockers in the security room for our belongings, both Chen Liang and Little Six were quickly assigned their posts.

Little Six was placed with the Internal Security Team, which mainly involved standing guard and patrolling—pretty uneventful work. The Internal Security Team also got a night shift bonus, which meant an extra five yuan per month.

As for me, I specifically told my uncle I didn’t want to work night shifts. So I was assigned to the Security Department’s Mobile Unit, with regular hours but the occasional business trip or special assignment.

This arrangement was only possible because the head of the Security Department did my uncle a favor. Normally, it’s not easy to get into the Mobile Unit.

Once I changed into my security uniform and strapped on my utility belt, I strolled over to the Mobile Unit’s training ground.

It was a small practice field at the northernmost end of the Red Star Steel Rolling Plant. When I arrived, about twenty men were idly wrestling together for fun.

In the sandpit, a burly man over two meters tall caught sight of me, his eyes lighting up. He dodged his opponent’s sweeping leg, pressed down hard with both hands, then dropped to one knee with the agility of a monkey. With a sudden pivot and a move reminiscent of Lu Zhishen uprooting a willow, he sent his opponent sprawling face-first into the sand.

A chorus of cheers rose from the crowd. The giant, now a little embarrassed, waved his hand dismissively before reaching down to help his opponent out of the sand.

He’d used just enough force to humble his opponent without causing any real harm, aside from a mouthful of sand.

After stepping out of the sandpit, the burly man immediately left his previous opponent and strode over to me.

It was only then that the others, who had been watching the action, noticed a new member had joined their team.

This was no small matter—the Mobile Unit hadn’t welcomed a new face in years.

Judging by the way I greeted Borba, the wrestler, it was obvious I was connected to Captain Lu. They guessed I must be one of his people.

“Senior brother, you’re finally here! I’ve missed you like crazy!” That towering man was a true son of the Mongolian grasslands—a horse-wrangler by birth. His full name was far too long for convenience, so everyone just called him Borba.

He was my uncle’s apprentice and had grown up trailing after me. Back when my uncle had a coveted job opening, he’d meant to give it to Chen the Blockhead first, but I turned it down.

Borba’s family was less well-off than mine, and the man could eat for three. Letting him start work early would help his family, so I gave him my spot.

When I got married, Borba happened to be away on assignment, so he missed the wedding. Still, he had our master bring me a set of bedding and a thermos—a generous gift indeed.

After he returned, Borba was too embarrassed by his own appetite to visit me easily. This was the first time we’d seen each other since my wedding.

Once Borba introduced me to the group, they finally realized that the handsome, vigorous young man before them was the legendary senior brother Borba always bragged about—the one who could take him down two at a time, a true fighter.

The well-informed among them, upon hearing my name, quickly guessed I was the notorious tough from the capital, famed for making a name with his fists.

“Borba, you still haven’t met your sister-in-law, have you? Tonight, come home with me and celebrate my new job. You can officially meet her then. Don’t say no, or I’ll make sure you regret it!” Seeing Borba’s constipated expression, I clapped him on the shoulder and, after pulling out two packs of Red Pagoda Mountain cigarettes to share around, joined the others in some casual banter.

After our smoke, there wasn’t much else to do on the little practice field. I warmed up on the bars, then called Borba over to the sandpit for a little sparring.

Reluctant as he was, Borba couldn’t withstand the crowd’s encouragement. He ended up being thrown around so much that he began to doubt his own abilities.

When the bystanders saw Borba being tossed like a rag doll, they suspected the two of us were putting on an act. One after another, they came up to test me, and I tossed every man in the Mobile Unit, one by one.

The lively morning passed in this way, and by noon, I’d earned the entire team’s respect through sheer strength.

At lunchtime, I didn’t join the others in the cafeteria. Instead, I borrowed my uncle’s bicycle and asked him to bring Borba over for dinner that evening. Then I hopped on the bike and slipped away.

First, I went to the library to have a lovely lunch with my wife, Xiaoyu, and then told Shazhu not to go out to cook that evening—I was inviting Borba for dinner and wanted him to help bring Old Lady Long over as well, to make it a proper gathering.

“Wow, Liangzi, you’re inviting your junior for dinner? That guy’s a legend when it comes to eating. Tell you what, I’ll make a shopping list. Make sure you pick up everything before you come back!” Shazhu knew Borba well—after all, when they were kids, Borba was always following me around, and Shazhu used to bully him plenty.

Taking the long list from Shazhu, I saw it was packed with items. I spent the afternoon shopping, skipping work as I went from store to store, before finally delivering the groceries home around two or three in the afternoon.

Shazhu, who’d been waiting all day, immediately got to work. It would take two or three hours to prepare a feast of ten hearty dishes—a real undertaking!

I lent a hand where I could, and just before the end of the workday, everything was finally ready. After washing up, I went to pick up my master.

By the time I returned, carrying my master on the back of my bicycle, the house was full and bustling. Only Xiaoyu still looked a little intimidated by Borba.

In the depth of winter, with his shaved head and fierce features, Borba looked every bit the villain, as if he might as well have "bad guy" tattooed on his forehead. It was enough to scare anyone.

“Come, wife, let me introduce you—this is my junior, Borba. Don’t be fooled by his looks; he’s got a heart of gold.” I pulled Xiaoyu over for introductions.

“Senior brother, your wife is really beautiful!” Borba was devastated inside. Senior brother, you could have skipped the part about how ugly I am—no need to insult the monk by calling him bald right to his face!