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墨書 Inktalez
He slept through the afternoon until he was shaken awake by Zhuo Ya. "Dinner's ready, Dad."
"Mm."
Xu Li rubbed his eyes, patted his daughter's head, and got up to head into the kitchen. After a quick wash-up, he sat down at the dining table. Ivan, who had not exercised properly in years, was inevitably facing a weight gain crisis, sporting a big belly as he poured himself and Xu Li some wine. "Join me for a drink."
"Let Nephew drink with you."
As he spoke, he handed the wine glass to Ali, who was sitting across from him. "You should drink less; alcohol is bad for your health."
"It's just like that."
Ivan waved his hand dismissively and clinked glasses with his eldest son. "Ha, this wine is really good."
He took a bite of Sara Meat and then a piece of Sour Cucumber. "I heard you're short on staff over there?"
"Are you planning to move?"
Xu Li raised an eyebrow and smiled. Ivan shook his head and stared intently at Xu Li, who frowned at him in return. Only then did he grin. "What do you think about people who have been to prison?"
"It depends on the situation."
He took a bowl and accepted the dish that his mother-in-law had served him. "There are different kinds of criminals. Those who have committed serious offenses deserve punishment; those who bully others have nothing to say for themselves. But those who were wronged or forced to retaliate yet still ended up imprisoned—maybe I would consider talking to them."
At this point, he glared at his brother Ivan. "You don't mean to arrange for someone who's been in prison to retire in Our Village, do you?"
"Uh, it's not exactly retirement."
Ivan scratched his nose and grinned awkwardly. "A while back, I went on a business trip to Saint Petersburg for some police exchanges and happened to visit a local prison. You wouldn't believe what I saw."
"I don't want to guess. You know Our Village doesn't welcome those unsavory characters."
Xu Li shot Ivan a cold glare. "It's true that I'm short on staff; I could recruit people from Bratsk and Irkutsk. There are plenty of unemployed folks out there right now. If I raise my standards a bit, many would be willing to work for me."
"Can't you just help your big brother out?"
Ivan chuckled awkwardly. "They're just young people who got fooled; when they come out, their families don’t want them anymore. With no skills and having spent all the money they earned in prison, they end up having no choice but to turn to prostitution."
Xu Li cast a meaningful glance at Yuliya, who was focused on her meal. "Could it be you?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ivan shot him an annoyed look. "Let me be honest with you: most of them just got released after reduced sentences; their cases aren't severe, but even so, they've been out of touch with the world for years—some for over ten years—deceived into selling themselves at such a young age."
"This year our province has reduced sentences for more than two dozen people; here in Irkutsk, those accepted back by their families have already left. There are still about fourteen or fifteen left; their families cut ties with them long ago. These girls have been living in cheap lodgings for almost two months now without finding work."
You’re short on help anyway, so let them assist you. There are still some empty houses in the village, right? Just tidy them up a bit for them to stay in. You can give them a little salary to help them get by for now. Once they find jobs or get married, it’ll be fine.
You know how I feel about people who’ve been involved with those they shouldn’t have, Ivan.
Xu Li slammed his chopsticks down on the table, ready to launch into a lengthy speech, but Old Andrei grabbed his wrist. “Misha, it all depends on the person, you know.”
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