Although the job of waste collecting isnât glamorous, it does make money!
Niu Baoguo and Liu Haiqin run a recycling station on the outer ring road of the county town.
The scale is about three to four acres, not very large.
But by the end of the month, their turnover is three to four hundred thousand, with a net profit of thirty to forty thousand.
Despite the coupleâs simple attire and disheveled appearance during work,
they managed to buy two homes in Ping County for their two sons in full, and found two daughters-in-law for them.
If you really calculate, the couple is more capable than Xu Wencheng and his wife.
Niu Baoguo and Xu Wencheng were classmates for six years in junior high and high school, good buddies.
Though they graduated many years ago, the two old friends kept in touch.
After getting married and having children, their first child even acknowledged each other as godfathers.
Before Xu Li got married, she would visit her godparents every year during the New Year with gifts.
After marriage and having children, Xu Li focused on her family and stopped visiting.
But the bond between Old Xu and Old Niu, the two old buddies, didnât fade because of this.
They would occasionally meet for a small gathering, have a few drinks, and such.
After everyone sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, their feelings grew even closer.
Some close relatives are like this.
They may not see each other for over a year, and donât often call to stay in touch.
But once theyâre sitting together, chatting for a bit brings back the sense of closeness.
Xu Liâs godmother Liu Haiqin held her hand, constantly praising her for her good fortune in finding a good husband.
Godfather Niu Baoguo even handed over 500 yuan to Jiang Xue, who was blinking her big watery eyes, for candy.
Jiang Xue, despite liking money, wasnât a money-grubber and only accepted Grandpa Niuâs money after getting her momâs approval.
Her little thanks to Grandpa Niu, in a childish voice, made everyone burst into laughter.
The idle talk went on until around 8 oâclock.
Xu Wencheng suggested going to a Sichuan restaurant outside the community for dinner.
When in-laws visit the house, they must be well entertained.
This Sichuan restaurant, called "Pretty Wife," although not large, with only two floors, had nice ambiance and good dishes.
Whenever there are important guests at home, Old Xu would bring them here to treat them.
They chose a large private room and ordered about ten dishes.
Once the dishes and drinks were served, everyone ate and chatted, creating a lively atmosphere.
Three women, one play.
Xu Li, her mother-in-law, and Liu Haiqin chatted continuously, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Sister-in-law Xu Sha and Jiang Xue, two lively ones, directly started a live stream on Kuaishou in the private room.
They chatted with the viewers in the live stream while eating, creating a joyful atmosphere.
Jiang Tao and his father-in-law Xu Wencheng accompanied Xu Liâs godfather Niu Baoguo for some idle chatter and drinks.
After several rounds of drinks and numerous tastes of the dishes, Niu Baoguo was ready to discuss serious matters and said:
"Old Xu, Jiang Tao, not to hide from you, today at noon, Haiqin and I saw you two at the Baiyulan Hotel."
Xu Wencheng looked at Niu Baoguo and scolded:
"Old Niu, thatâs not right of you. You saw us and didnât even say hello. Whatâs up with that?"
"Oh! At that time, Haiqin and I were busy with waste at the hotel."
"Werenât you having lunch with two executives from Jinwei Welding Materials at the time? We didnât want to embarrass you."
Thatâs exactly what Niu Baoguo had thought at the time, hence he didnât go over and say hello to the father and son.
"You, Old Niu, what am I supposed to say to you, playing this game with me!"
Xu Wencheng playfully pointed at Niu Baoguo a few times, shaking his head with a smile and didnât say much more.
As longtime buddies, he could understand Niu Baoguoâs thoughts at that moment.
Thinking from another perspective, if he were in Niu Baoguoâs position,
he too would feel embarrassed to say hello in such a situation.
Niu Baoguo curiously asked, "Old Xu, youâve done well at Jinwei to sit at a table with a leader of President Zhuâs level?"
Xu Wencheng smiled and said, "I worked for decades, and in the end, was just a group leader. Besides, Iâve left Jinwei now."
"What? Youâve left? Youâve been there for almost thirty years, right? How did you suddenly leave?"
Niu Baoguo was surprised and puzzled by the news of Xu Wenchengâs resignation.
Xu Wencheng was nearing retirement age, and leaving Jinwei now would make it difficult to find a new company willing to hire him and offer the same salary.
After all, every year there are many fresh graduates who are both cheaper and younger.
With the same salary, companies would naturally choose young, inexpensive fresh graduates with their eyes closed.
For someone like Xu Wencheng who is already in his fifties or sixties, finding re-employment is really challenging!
"Iâm now working with my eldest son-in-law, heading back to Beijing in a few days."
"What exactly Iâm doing, Iâll keep it a secret for now. Once I achieve something, Iâll brag about it."
Xu Wencheng said this with a cheerful smile, looking at Jiang Tao with a gaze full of satisfaction and pride.
Though heâs now an official employee of Jiang Entertainment Company,
he felt embarrassed to be forthcoming about his position in front of his in-laws without having achieved anything yet.
Niu Baoguo also streams live, attracting quite a few followers with his unique profession of waste collecting.
Xu Wenchengâs streaming account hasnât started gaining traction yet and doesnât have over a thousand followers, not as many as Niu Baoguoâs account.
He naturally felt embarrassed to mention that heâd started streaming in front of him.