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I Have a Home in the Far East
墨書 Inktalez
Thank you for taking care of me this past year, Uncle Andong.
Xu Li handed the cigarettes and vodka he had just bought to the middle-aged, overweight man squatting nearby, who was smoking. Old Anton accepted the gifts and looked at the young man from Huaxia, who was scratching his head and grinning at him. After a moment of silence, he stood up and patted Xu Li on the shoulder. "Don't blame Uncle Andong."
"Why would I blame you? If it weren't for you and Aunt Liao Fan Na's care, I would have frozen to death on the street long ago."
Xu Li grinned widely and gave Old Anton a big hug. "Getting reported by a customer was my own fault. I didn't listen to your advice and went to the front hall instead. The good boss has already settled my wages. Once I make a lot of money in the future, I want to treat Uncle Andong and Aunt Liao Fan Na to a grand hotel."
"You are a good kid. I wish you smooth sailing in the future," Old Anton said, his eyes slightly red.
"Alright, Uncle Andong, goodbye."
Xu Li waved as he picked up his bag and exited through the small door at the back of the hotel, quickly heading towards the dimly lit alley outside. After walking less than twenty meters, an old vehicle parked in the shadows suddenly opened its door, and three burly men jumped out.
The leader of the group punched Xu Li in the back of the head, while the other two immediately caught his limp body and shoved him and his bag into the car. Only then did the leader light a cigarette and leisurely approach the small door at the back of the kitchen.
Old Anton sighed as he watched the burly man with a full beard. "Ivan, be nice to Makarov; he's a grateful young lad."
"Don't worry, Old Anton. This kid will be my brother-in-law in the future; how could I treat him poorly?" Ivan replied as he pulled out a thick stack of red bills from his leather jacket.
"Take it," he said. "This is what we agreed upon earlier."
Old Anton shook his head. "No need for that; we're all from the same village. Save it for them to build a house."
After saying that, he waved his hand and closed the small door. He placed the cigarettes and vodka into his locker and sat down on a chair, silently lighting a cigarette. Xu Li was indeed a pitiful child; he had helped him obtain a student visa and had sent him off to Irkutsk.
Being in an unfamiliar place without knowing Russian, he had been bullied quite a bit. Not long after withdrawing his living expenses from the bank, he was robbed and beaten up, left shivering by the roadside like a poor little dog.
Old Anton and his wife happened to be on their way home when they found him and took him in for a night. The boy was honest but not very talkative; he didn't want to study properly but insisted on learning culinary skills from Old Anton after class. Thinking back on all those moments spent with him made Old Anton shake his head with a smile: whether it was good luck or bad luck, it wouldn't turn out badly in any case.
Ivan was a child he had watched grow up; there were seven brothers in his family, along with two twin sisters who had suffered brain damage from high fevers during childhood. As they grew up, they would eventually need to get married, right?
But finding men for those two girls with disabilities would be quite difficult, especially in their remote village. Old Anton knew well what kind of character Slavic men had; they were aware of it too.
Two months ago, when his son-in-law got into some trouble, Old Anton accompanied his daughter to the police station and unexpectedly ran into Ivan. To his surprise, this kid had become the police chief! It was during that encounter that they discussed this matter.
Ivan helped resolve issues concerning Old Anton's son-in-law, but now Old Anton needed to help him find an honest young man without any background. The first person that came to mind was Xu Li; that’s how their earlier interaction came about.
Ivan shrugged as he returned to the car. One of the men in the backseat patted Xu Li's abdomen and laughed, "Big Brother Old Anton is right; this kid is delicate yet as lively as a little colt."
"Make sure to keep his documents and wallet safe; the registration office is about to open," Ivan said as he pressed down on the gas pedal and drove out of the alley. When they arrived at Irkutsk's foreign marriage registration office, dawn began to break. After waiting for about ten minutes or so, a man waved them over and opened the door. Ivan got out with all the prepared documents and followed him inside.
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