Call Me Daddy

Within a few hours, news of a murderer being on the site spread everywhere. Many people spoke about it with exaggerated details, as if they had witnessed the murder themselves.

There were also numerous complaints to the contractor. Workers felt that working with Su Aobai was unsafe, and if the contractor didn’t dismiss him, they would find another job.

As expected, after receiving his wages for the day, Su Aobai was called in for a discussion by the contractor. He wasn’t the type to cling stubbornly to his position. Before the contractor could speak, he proactively offered to leave. His decisiveness made the contractor feel somewhat embarrassed.

From his observations over the past few days, the contractor felt that Su Aobai didn’t seem like a particularly ruthless person. He worked diligently every day and wasn’t like some seasoned workers who found ways to slack off. Most importantly, his wages were low, making him a cost-effective worker.

The contractor thought that Su Aobai might have been impulsive when he committed the murder. If he had been truly malevolent, he wouldn’t have confessed after the crime. Now that he had served his sentence and paid the price for his actions, the 9 years in prison should have taught him a lesson.

The contractor understood the workers’ concerns but didn’t want to drive him to desperation. Denying him the opportunity to earn a living would be pushing him to a dead end. If he had genuinely recognized his mistakes and wanted to change, was it right to push him further into a wrong path?

The contractor didn’t deduct Su Aobai’s wages. Instead, after hesitating, he added 200 yuan to the amount he had already withheld for the week.

“Ah, it’s difficult for me too,” he said with a sigh. Su Aobai forced a smile and didn’t refuse the additional 200 yuan, as it was rightfully his for his work.

“I understand,” Su Aobai said as he put the money in his pocket, calmly ending the employment relationship.

He could indeed understand the contractor’s and workers’ actions. Before this, he had thought that the discrimination against criminals and even their families was natural, as it was part of the cost of committing a crime.

But when it happened to him, a myriad of emotions surged within him.

Perhaps this is what they mean by ‘one’s posterior determines one’s perspective.’ When in a different position, one’s way of thinking naturally changes. Not to mention, how many people can truly uphold justice at the expense of their own family?

Not to mention how clearly Su Aobai understood that the so-called intentional murder from the previous life…

Su Aobai gave a self-deprecating smile. Perhaps he was just another ordinary person, unable to transcend his own circumstances. He admitted that the feeling of being discriminated against was indeed unpleasant, but it was also something he deserved.

It was painful, but he had to endure it.

***

His attitude was so good, not causing any trouble, that it made the usually stingy contractor feel even more awkward. After Su Aobai had walked a certain distance, the contractor suddenly called him back.

“Do you know how to repair cars?”

A few days ago, an excavator on the construction site had broken down. The experienced operator had tried for a long time without success. Su Aobai had happened to pass by and whispered a few words to the operator. Not long after, the problem with the excavator’s engine was identified. The contractor had seen this but hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

Now, he was merely asking out of a glimmer of hope.

“Yes, but I don’t have any certificates.”

Su Aobai nodded. With so many lifetimes of memories, he was skilled in many trades. Not only could he repair cars, but if you asked him about postnatal care for sows, he also had some knowledge.

Don’t ask why. Just know that in one of his past lives, he had been the heir to a livestock company. His father had arranged for him to work at the grassroots level. At that time, pork prices had surged, so he volunteered to go to the front line of pig farming. Unfortunately, the pork prices later plummeted, and the company made a disastrous decision to invest most of its funds into pig farming.

The sharp decline in pork prices led to a significant drop in the company’s stock price, which provided the perfect opportunity for the son of heaven of that world to strike against him.

Poor him, a major pig farmer, went bankrupt as a result.

“Here’s the deal. I’ll recommend you for a job. I have a friend who runs a car repair shop. You can go try it out.”

The contractor tore off a piece of paper and wrote down a phone number.

His friend ran a private repair shop with plenty of work but not enough staff. Since the shop was somewhat remote, getting to and from work was inconvenient. It was hard to find skilled workers who couldn’t find jobs elsewhere.

Moreover, his friend, like him, was stingy and reluctant to pay high wages. If Su Aobai truly had skills and didn’t demand too much in salary, his friend would indeed be willing to hire him.

Su Aobai took the paper with the phone number and planned to give it a try.

Having a criminal record, especially for something like murder, made finding a job extremely difficult. Su Aobai didn’t want to struggle anymore. He just wanted to live a quiet life and be done with it.

As for developing a relationship with the child, he didn’t want to actively pursue it. Let the system do whatever it wanted with him; after all, he had already lived several lifetimes and earned his share.

Looking back, life seemed really quite meaningless.

Since he was no longer working on the construction site, it was natural that Su Aobai could no longer stay in the temporary dormitories provided there.

Though they were called dormitories, they were essentially makeshift shelters made of steel sheets. They were poorly insulated, uncomfortably hot in warm weather, and overall had very poor living conditions. Anyone with a bit of self-respect would have chosen to rent a decent place nearby with other single workers. The cost wasn’t too high on average.

However, Su Aobai’s wallet was as empty as his face was clean, so he had to make do and stay there for a few more days.

He had very little luggage; he had packed everything into a plastic bag. Looking at his only possessions and his clothes and shoes covered in dust, this was probably the worst time he had experienced in several lifetimes.

He had worked for 8 days on the construction site, earning 300 yuan a day. Adding the extra 200 yuan from the contractor today and the remaining 100 yuan from the prison guards, he had earned a total of over 2,700 yuan.

He had given 500 yuan to the orphanage a few days ago, spent a little over 100 yuan on food during those 8 days, and used 450 yuan to buy a second-hand phone with a SIM card, plus 50 yuan for prepaid phone credits. That left him with just over 1,560 yuan.

According to the current rental market rules of paying one month’s rent upfront and 3 months’ deposit, this amount wasn’t enough to find a place to stay.

***

So, as soon as he left the construction site, he called the number given by the contractor, introduced himself, and explained his situation. After a moment of silence on the other end, likely weighing whether to hire a recently released murderer, the voice finally said, “Let’s first check your skills.”

After a while, the person on the other end of the line repeated the address of the auto repair shop.

Su Aobai didn’t delay; he found the bus route and went straight there.

His skills were indeed top-notch. Not only could he repair large trucks, but he was also capable of handling high-end models. Many issues that took experienced technicians some time to diagnose, he could identify quickly.

The repair shop owner was thrilled to find such a talent. However, due to Su Aobai’s criminal record, the owner reduced his base salary. But the commission for each car repaired remained intact. The more cars Su Aobai repaired, the more the owner earned, so the commission was used to incentivize him, and the owner understood that.

There weren’t many technicians at the shop, and the owner was upfront about Su Aobai’s past. Initially, some workers showed signs of dissatisfaction, but when Su Aobai offered to help with any repair issues they had and teach them, their displeasure faded.

From the initial assessment, Su Aobai’s skills in car repair were indeed superior. Who wouldn’t want a free expert teacher?

Thus, Su Aobai settled in completely. The repair shop provided staff accommodation and lunch, which made his expenses lower than when he was working on the construction site. Moreover, due to his high repair skills, he was able to fix many vehicles each day, and his earnings from commissions and base salary were higher than what he made on the construction site.

***

A month later, when Dean Mother Ji looked at the 15,000 yuan in front of her, she was shocked.

In the first few months, Su Aobai decided to give a bit more, since Su Yixing wasn’t a true orphan. It was likely that for the past 9 years, the Dean had been covering the costs.

A portion of this money was meant as compensation for the Dean.

In this world, if there was anyone he felt indebted to, it would probably be this elderly lady who had devoted her entire life to the children of the orphanage.