Chapter 286 - 284: Is He Stupid, or Is He Stupid?

Chapter 286: Chapter 284: Is He Stupid, or Is He Stupid?

"Yeah, the transfer order had already come down, but I turned it down. I know my own limits. I’m just not cut out to be an official and take on that kind of responsibility. I don’t have any grand ambitions these days and just want a simpler life, so driving a truck is the easiest and most suitable thing for me."

Gu Lihuang gave a bitter smile. He knew he had a past record, so for Nuannuan’s mother to be willing to offer him the position of deputy head at the breeding farm was already going above and beyond. But to be honest, he still didn’t quite trust himself. He was afraid that even as just a deputy—not the one in charge—once he had a taste of authority again, the flattery would eventually go to his head and he’d get carried away, forgetting his place.

So, after a fierce internal struggle and much careful deliberation, he discussed it with Ye Rong, bit the bullet, and turned down that great post. Instead, he requested a transfer to the transport team that ran the city route. However, he couldn’t help but ask for one small special privilege—

Gu Lihuang didn’t realize that his words had caused the dozen or so people nearby, including Ye Laosan, to stare at him in shock, as if he were a complete idiot. Then, one by one, they all subconsciously gulped.

’A huge breeding farm! Even as just a deputy head, you’d have power and influence. You could just sit back and tell people what to do while earning a salary several tiers higher. A position that we could never hope to reach in our lifetimes, and some idiot just turned it down like that? To be a truck driver like us, working himself to the bone for less pay?’

’Is this guy an idiot, or is he just plain stupid?’

Many of them were inwardly wringing their hands in frustration—

’Boo hoo... Why can’t something this good ever happen to me, not even in my dreams?’

Gu Lihuang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold sweat began to form. He looked around in confusion but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The moment he looked away, however, the feeling shot right back. He glanced around again, scratching his head. ’What in the world...?’

’What in the world is going on? Don’t tell me I’m being haunted in broad daylight.’

Gu Lihuang couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.

Gu Nuan Nuan stifled a laugh. ’Her second uncle has unintentionally made himself a public enemy and hasn’t even noticed.’ Standing to the side, she hadn’t missed the others’ "terrifying" and "sinister" glares, which looked sharp enough to poke holes in him. The corners of her mouth lifted in a mischievous smile, but she had no intention of giving him a heads-up. Seeing her like this, the others, who had previously only been glaring at Gu Lihuang in secret, grew even fiercer, their stares becoming brazen and unrestrained.

Gu Lihuang rubbed his arms. He checked his surroundings a good three times but still couldn’t find the source of the chill on his back. Finally, he looked up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, the sound of gongs and drums was deafening, and the continuous crackle of firecrackers, said to ward off evil, was more than loud enough. He instantly felt at ease. ’I must be overthinking things. If some ghost could still make trouble in this racket, the world would be turned upside down.’ And so, he decided to ignore his "unreliable" sixth sense.

Seeing how carefree he was, the others ground their teeth in frustration and felt the urge to bury their faces in their hands and cry. ’We’re all the same kind of people, right? The only difference is that we’re missing a niece like his!’

Ultimately, since Gu Lihuang paid it no mind, the others found it boring to continue and gave up. ’Ah, forget it. That’s enough joking around.’ And just like that, Gu Lihuang felt everything return to normal; the chilling sensation on his back was finally gone. He continued his conversation with Gu Nuan Nuan. "Actually, I was the one who requested to be transferred to the city route," he said, a little smugly. "Oh, right. Did your grandfather mention anything else to you when you were back home?"

"Are you talking about how Second Aunt is over three months pregnant?" Gu Nuan Nuan asked with a smile. "Actually, Grandpa secretly told me a couple of months ago. It’s thanks to me that Mom found out about it, too. The idea was for Second Aunt to have another baby so you wouldn’t have to work so hard driving and could stay home to be with her more."

"No wonder—"

Gu Lihuang’s eyes lit up in understanding. "Right, that’s it! I didn’t see you back then, otherwise I would’ve told you myself. Your Second Aunt’s morning sickness was awful—she threw up almost everything she ate. She didn’t have it this bad when she was pregnant with our eldest. Thankfully, your grandfather couldn’t bear to watch her suffer and gave her some of the food you had delivered. She ate it and found it tasted so much better than the food from outside. That cook’s skills are really something else."

"Second Uncle, why didn’t you say so earlier? I could’ve had Old Zhang send extra for them every day," Gu Nuan Nuan said, nodding with a smile. "No matter. I’ll make a call tonight and have someone tell him to switch to daily deliveries. The only reason I have him making scheduled deliveries is because his food is so delicious."

"No, no, don’t! The original arrangement is fine," Gu Lihuang said, quickly waving his hands. "Old Zhang already sends a lot of food, it’s more than enough. Your Second Aunt is doing much better now, so she’s not so picky anymore. Any more would just be a waste." ’I can’t let the deliveries become too large or frequent,’ he thought. ’Mom and my older brother might take the opportunity to snag some, and that would upset Nuannuan. I’m not taking the blame for that.’ Of course, this was something he couldn’t say out loud.

He changed the subject. "I transferred to this team because your Second Aunt’s morning sickness was pretty bad. Plus, we decided we should raise our second child ourselves. If we let someone else spoil them, it’ll be too hard to correct all the bad habits later. So, we ended up sending your cousin to your Second Aunt’s parents in the city, letting my in-laws help look after him for a bit. That’s why your Second Aunt and Gu Huang often ride along in my truck on my runs between the city and town."

After he finished, Gu Lihuang looked at Gu Nuan Nuan a bit sheepishly and explained, "By the way, giving my family rides isn’t something I’m doing against the rules. Your mom gave me special permission. She’s always been a kind person. When she learned about our situation, she was the one who suggested it, making things much more convenient for us. Thinking back on it, I was such a jerk in the past... Anyway, let’s not talk about that."

His words immediately made Ye Laosan and the men around him exchange glances. The question that had been nagging them was instantly solved. ’So his special treatment came directly from Manager Zhang! That makes sense.’

The reason Gu Lihuang had been ostracized by the team before was precisely because of this special privilege of being able to bring passengers along on his routes.

The Zhang Family’s company offered excellent benefits, even better than many state-owned enterprises. But on the other hand, its management was also extremely strict. Zhang Wei Qiang was, at his core, a very assertive man who lived by the rules. He was strict with himself and equally strict with his subordinates. He demanded that everything be done by the book. Special exceptions were rare, and anyone who broke the rules would be dealt with impersonally, according to the official procedures.