Chapter 259: The Ostentatious Zhou Dafu

After finding out that he could become a worker, Zhou Dafu couldn’t wait to rush back to the village to show off. After all, the last time he bought a job post, he had almost lost all face in the village.

Wasn’t this his chance to finally hold his head high?

He didn’t even dare to imagine how many people would come envy him once he officially became a truck driver. Just thinking about it made him grin uncontrollably.

He didn’t even feel tired walking anymore. In order to get back to the village sooner, he would break into a run from time to time.

Occasionally he would burst out laughing, or run a few steps and then start laughing again.

Seeing this, passersby all thought something was off with him—like he’d stuffed himself silly and had too much energy.

Everyone knew food was precious nowadays. Besides labor, no one was willing to waste extra energy on other things. The more you moved, the hungrier you’d get, which in turn meant using more food—so it was actually a way of saving grain.

At last, Zhou Dafu arrived back at Zhou Family Village. Without delay, he eagerly shared the news with his family, and also made sure to inform his “creditors” that they’d have to wait until he got his first paycheck before he could start repaying them.

Zhou Dafu rushed home and saw that his whole family was there.

His father, seeing how joyfully his son was smiling, could immediately tell something good had happened. “What’s the news?”

Only a father truly understands his son—just by seeing Zhou Dafu strutting in, he already had a good idea of what had gone down.

“Dad, you always get me! You guessed it—I finally got a job at the steel factory,” Zhou Dafu said excitedly.

His father asked, “Was it Yimin who helped you?”

If it wasn’t Zhou Yimin who helped, he was afraid this foolish son of his had been duped again. Once bitten by a snake, you’re scared of a well rope for ten years. A few hundred yuan was no small amount, and he might not even be able to pay it back in this lifetime. Then how would his son get married?

Who would let their daughter marry into a family drowning in debt? That would be like pushing their daughter into a fire pit. If his son couldn’t get married, their family line would end with him.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. If it really wasn’t Yimin who helped, he would scrap the whole idea of his son working at the factory.

Better to stay in the village and help out, maybe go hunting from time to time. The annual income wouldn’t be bad either—though hunting would get harder and harder.

In later generations, many animals were pushed to the brink of extinction—or wiped out entirely—due to overhunting.

Take the Siberian tiger, for instance. It’s one of the largest feline predators in the world, known as the King of the Jungle, capable of taking down humans single-handedly—unless firearms are involved.

In the first half of the 19th century, Siberian tigers were mercilessly persecuted. After the Qing dynasty fell and restricted zones were opened, settlers flooded into the Northeast, and the tigers suffered an unprecedented disaster.

As the population grew, forest areas shrank, and reckless hunting exploded, the tiger population plummeted and their range rapidly retreated northward.

A couple decades ago, after Big Brother’s military “eliminated harmful beasts,” they were nearly extinct. In the 1930s, there were still over 500 tigers, mostly within China’s borders.

A Big Brother scientist conducted the first tiger survey in the 1940s and raised the alarm: only 20–30 tigers remained in the Far East.

The shocking report led to their legal protection in 1947—hunting was banned, and even capturing cubs for zoos around the world was strictly limited. Thanks to these new protections, the population steadily recovered.

“Dad, this time it really was Uncle Sixteen who helped out. He even got me into the transport division. Once I complete my training, I’ll be an official truck driver,” Zhou Dafu quickly explained.

His father was stunned. Drivers were one of the eight elite trades, after all. He quickly asked, “Are you being serious?”

“Of course I am! Why would I joke about something like this?” Zhou Dafu replied earnestly.

This kind of thing could be easily verified—just ask Zhou Yimin or Zhou Dazhong, and the truth would come out.

His father nodded and repeated, “Good, good, good! Looks like our family is finally going to earn some respect. You must listen to your Uncle Sixteen from now on.”

Everyone knew how hard it was to become a truck driver. Without Zhou Yimin pulling strings, Zhou Dafu wouldn’t have had a shot at the job.

It showed just how solid Zhou Yimin’s connections were at the steel factory.

“Dad, even if you didn’t say it, I know that much,” Zhou Dafu promised.

He added, “I’m going to go tell the others.”

“Go ahead,” his father said.

He knew his son’s personality well, so he didn’t try to stop him.

Zhou Dafu walked with a spring in his step. Since it was lunch break, there was no one at the reservoir construction site. He first went to the home of one of his hunting partners.

Even though it was partly about showing off, he still had to explain why he hadn’t paid back the money yet.

He arrived at someone’s house and said, “Brother Daming, I might not be able to pay you back just yet.”

Zhou Daming saw him coming and thought he was finally here to settle the debt. But the moment Zhou Dafu opened his mouth, he realized he had guessed wrong.

“You’re still trying to buy a job post?” Zhou Daming asked.

Honestly, his own situation in the village had improved a lot recently. There was no longer a pressing need to work at the factory. In the past, when life was hard, factory work did have its advantages—not that the food was great, but at least you could fill your stomach.

But since Uncle Sixteen had been steadily supporting the village, they now had a clinic, vegetable farming by the riverbed, a chicken farm, and even a reservoir under construction. Even a commune might not have this many industries.

Zhou Dafu boasted, “That’s right! Uncle Sixteen already helped me get a job, and I’m going to be a truck driver apprentice. Once I complete training, I’ll be a full-fledged driver.”

As he spoke, he raised his head proudly.

Zhou Daming was genuinely stunned. “Dafu, are you serious?”

He couldn’t help but admire Zhou Dafu’s luck. Though the first two attempts to get into the factory hadn’t gone well, on the third try, he actually managed to become a truck driver.

“Of course I’m serious! Would I lie to you? I’m starting work tomorrow,” Zhou Dafu said with a smile.

“I still need to tell the others that the money will have to wait a little longer.”

With that, he left to visit the other partners and let them know.

Before long, everyone in Zhou Family Village had heard the news that Zhou Dafu had struck gold—he’d actually become a truck driver apprentice.

As expected, the news drew a wave of envy, especially from the village’s younger folks.

(End of Chapter)