Restarting life in Siheyuan

Chapter 447 Summer of

The turbulent first half of 1962 finally came to an end. Zhu Xuefeng, who was once again assigned to intern at the steel rolling mill as he wished, returned home. His three siblings were gathered around the desk in the north wing.

"Little sister, in order to reward you for your good performance this time, I have decided to let you go to the south for a visit."

"Ah, we're not going to the same cities as last time."

"Of course not. Walk around and see more. But there are some things I need to tell you in advance. You are grown up now. Let's go to the compound now."

"Brother, is what you said true? Our family has a factory in Hong Kong?"

"Keep your voice down. Don't let anyone hear us. We are only in the courtyard. If we were at home, Yu Li would definitely hear us."

The little sister stuck out her tongue embarrassedly, but still asked eagerly.

"Is it true? Does that mean there are a lot of people working for our family? Does that mean our family is..."

"Here you go again, stop talking about this, keep your mouth shut, we pay the money, they work and earn a salary, there's nothing unreasonable about that, you're not a child anymore, there are some things you should understand."

My little sister's mind is very confused, but she knows that she can't talk nonsense.

"I have already arranged the formalities and tickets. This time, Brother Gao Bo will take you there. When you arrive in Yangcheng, someone will arrange for you. The whole journey will be arranged by me. You can go with them without worrying about it. Don't be petty. They will take you back and show you Yangcheng again, and then send you to the car. This time you two will be on your own. Second brother, can you afford it?"

"No problem, it's just three days and three nights. As long as my little sister doesn't make a fuss, there will be no problem. I'm sixteen years old and can go to work."

The second brother was quite reliable, but since it was the first time for the two of them to go out alone, Zhu Xuefeng was still a little worried.

"It's not just you three who are going this time. There are three more people. I'll call them over later. Just listen."

There were quite a few people sitting in the study room of the compound, including the three siblings, Gao Bo, three maids and a master Jin.

"Everyone, get to know each other. Gao Bo will be in charge of the entire process this time. Just follow his instructions."

Not much was said. Everyone had a private conversation with Master Jin, and then everyone left in a hurry.

On the third day, a group of six boarded a train heading south. Watching my younger brothers and sisters leave on the train, I felt very upset, wondering if this decision was right.

"Brother, is Gao Bo going to stay there and not come back?"

"Let's talk in the car!" After leaving the station and getting on the jeep, Secretary Chen, before leaving, made use of his remaining energy and directly registered the jeep in the name of the technical instructor outside the factory. Now, if other people in the factory wanted to use it, they had to say hello to Zhu Xuefeng first. After all, it was public property, and Zhu Xuefeng was too lazy to refuse.

"Master, I am the only one left among the three of us. Are you planning to send me away? My master may be willing to go, but I want to stay."

Daya mustered up the courage to speak her mind in the back seat, while Zhu Xuefeng started the car and slowly started the car.

"It's only a matter of time. The price of jade is not yet right. You can stay here for a while. Didn't your master say that he didn't want to stay here after finishing his work before the New Year? Send him over before the New Year. If you are willing, you can go with him. If not, you can stay here for a while."

"Brother, you haven't answered me yet."

"As for him, it depends on his own wishes. I want to arrange several paths for him. One is to form a martial arts team and enter the entertainment industry as an actor. One is to stay in my industry. Another is to follow Yan Zi and do some work. If he is not happy with any of these, he can come back and help me. Anyway, he has confirmed that he will not work."

"Oh, that's it."

"Yilan, do you have any ideas too? It's okay. If you want to go, I can take you there."

Lin Yilan quickly denied, "No, no, no, it's fine now, but brother, if you leave one day, you must take me with you."

Zhu Xuefeng felt a headache. Lin Yilan began to reveal her thoughts openly. Daya was still there, and that girl was very shrewd.

"You're doing pretty well, aren't you? You've only been promoted to section chief for a few months, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Brother, you don't know that I am now incompatible with that Section Chief Ma. We always fight each other when we meet. This guy is disgusting. He used to be protected by Director Ma and couldn't do anything to me. Now I don't know how he got close to the new deputy secretary. His face is unbearable to look at."

The secretary and deputy secretary of the steel rolling mill have been replaced this time. The new secretary Liu is a direct descendant from the ministry. He used to be the right-hand man of the second-in-command. He is full of ideas. According to the evaluation from above, he has a high level of policy and firmly obeys his superiors.

The deputy secretary's surname is Gu, a female comrade who used to be a deputy secretary of the Iron and Steel Institute, in charge of student affairs. She looks very kind, but she is a decisive person and likes to get to the bottom of things. She has praised Section Chief Ma for his strong professional ability several times, but the Security Department is not under her charge.

As for Deputy Director Luo of Administration, he is the deputy director of a branch factory. He was promoted this time. As he is old, he is probably here to enjoy his retirement. He is usually kind to others and does not show off his edge. He seems to dislike disputes. He likes calligraphy, painting and seal carving, which shows his elegance.

"Walk upright, sit upright, no matter which direction the wind blows, hold on to the green mountain and never let go."

"Brother, I understand." The three of them said nothing more and quickly returned to the compound.

After a while, the sound of a motorcycle was heard outside the yard. Zhu Xuefeng did not get up, but just waited quietly in the study. The schedule for this holiday was still very tight.

"You idiot, you didn't even go out to greet us when you knew we were coming. You are so sensible."

"Now that you're here, take a seat. You'll be staying there for quite a while this time, and it'll be tough. Are you sure you want to go? In my opinion, it would be best if you two go to Hong Kong with Xuesong and Xuemei, have some fun, and then bring them back."

"We've thought about it. You can rest assured that Qianqian is in Xiangjiang. But there are hundreds of thousands of people in Guoming who need to be governed. Do you trust Song Yan, Li Xiaojun and Yang Maosheng? They are not our family. Sister Na and I have discussed it and we will stay there for two months."

There is no way to explain why Song Yan and Li Xiaojun are absolutely reliable, but it is good to let them participate in the development of the autonomous region. They will definitely have to participate in the future management. It is better to start early, and Zhu Xuefeng no longer objects.

"If you insist, I have nothing to say. I will also leave there tomorrow. I will probably be in Hong Kong in ten days or so. I may also have to travel to other places. We may not meet during the holidays."

Lin Na smiled and said, "If we can't meet, then we can't meet. It's like no one can live without you. You go about your business and we'll do ours."

"If you have anything to discuss, discuss it with Song Yan and the others. These two are absolutely reliable. We don't need to hide anything we discuss from them. Yan Zi is also there now. You can live together and it will be safer. I will let Xia Gong follow you and be responsible for your safety."

"He, can you change someone else? He taught me a lesson last time."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled but said nothing. Liang Yan had already told him about this little episode, so only Xia Yuhong, who had a bad temper, remembered it. I guess everyone else had forgotten it. "He is my personal bodyguard. I gave him elixirs and martial arts. Yan Zi and Senior Brother Bai helped him train for a few months. Now he is very skilled and a very reliable person."

"Well, let's follow the agreed plan this time. What if we can't push it forward?"

"Don't worry about that. You have a plan in your hands now. You are preparing according to it. Song Yan will fully cooperate. Don't worry about it. Besides, I will be the first to go. There is no possibility of accidents. If it really can't be pushed forward, it can only be that we are not thoughtful enough. You can discuss it later. Remember, you represent me, and no one can question your decision, so you must consider everything when making a decision, and don't act on impulse."

Seeing that Zhu Xuefeng was still giving instructions and seemed a little worried, Lin Na smiled and said, "It is said that women did not participate in politics at that time. Are you violating the ancestral teachings?"

"I don't believe in that stuff. I don't know whether our ancestors have any connection with the Ming Dynasty. You two are smarter than me, but you just don't go out as much and have less experience. If you see more and learn more, there will be no problem."

Zhu Xuefeng wasn't actually too worried. The guidelines here were formulated by the three of them after consulting countless materials and brainstorming over the past few months. Zhu Xuefeng also combined them with his experiences and understanding of later generations, so there shouldn't be any big problems.

"When are you leaving? Let me calculate the time. If I can make it in time, I will pick you up then."

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow. We have no choice but to take the train. My dad can buy the plane tickets, but he said he would take the train with us."

It's really hard for Professor Lin. There is no direct train to Chuncheng now. It will take at least four or five days to get there.

The two of them took advantage of Professor Lin's trip to the southwest for research and got an internship opportunity. In fact, it was agreed that once they arrived in Chuncheng, they would be busy with their own things. Professor Lin knew that they were just borrowing the name to make things convenient for him.

"Almost. How about this? I'll ask Xia Gong to pick you up in Chuncheng when the time comes."

Two days later, Zhu Xuefeng flew directly to Chuncheng, and was picked up by a jeep as soon as he got off the plane.

"Comrade Zhu, this place is not as peaceful as it seems. When you are doing things here, please be more careful. Don't let your guard down just because you think you are in the country. Three of our comrades died last year."

"Is it that serious?"

"Well, some villages may look normal, but every household may have a gun. This is different from the capital. It's better to be cautious."

Zhu Xuefeng began to wonder if it was right or wrong to persuade Professor Lin to come here. He knew that this place was in chaos in the 1980s and 1990s, but was it also in chaos in the 1960s?

The safety of Professor Lin, Lin Na and Xia Yuhong?

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng frowning and saying nothing, Xiao Zhang, who was driving, said.

"Don't worry too much. There will be no problem in the city. Those villages are relatively remote. There are some remnant armed forces hiding in them. It is said that they have some connection with the other side. We don't have the energy to take care of them. We can still control the area around Chuncheng."

Zhu Xuefeng felt relieved about the connection with the other side. There should be some remnant armed forces here, but it is impossible to have any connection with them because they have all been driven away. That side is now an autonomous region and there is no possibility of other forces.

"I see. I'll pay attention to that."

"This car is a regular department car that was specially found to avoid causing trouble for you in carrying out your mission."

"Thanks. Just drop it off here. You can drive the car back. I don't need it."

Seeing the military camp in the distance, Zhu Xuefeng got out of the car, said goodbye to his colleagues in Chuncheng, and strode towards the military camp.

"Old Four, you're finally here. I've prepared all the people. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to survive."

"how many people?"

"120 families, nearly a thousand people with their families!"

Zhu Xuefeng was shocked. There were so many people around. No wonder Li Zhenhua said he would give him a surprise. Damn, this was really shocking. How did he hide with so many people around?

"Second brother, you're making quite a big noise. How did you hide so many people? Can you afford to support them?"

"How can I be so capable? These people have been confirmed. That idiot Zhou Laoba has only prepared less than 500 kilograms of food at the contact point. How dare I let anyone come? I'm waiting for them to contact me. I don't know what this idiot is busy with. No one has come for several months. If you don't come, I'll be at a loss."

Zhu Xuefeng breathed a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as the people were not gathered together. Now the two sides were conducting normal trade and the exchanges were very frequent, especially the laborers. But if there were really less than a thousand people with their families, it would be too strange. Who would bring their parents, brothers and sisters to a construction site?

"I know that. Their families have been picked up. Apart from the food prepared at the pick-up point, everyone is expanding westward and northward. They may not have paid attention to this side. Who knew you would make such a big fuss all of a sudden? Aren't you afraid of being found out?"

"What can I do? The higher-ups have issued a notice to reduce the military. Otherwise, where would so many people come from? There's only so much land in the countryside. I just thought..."

"Second brother, you are just a battalion commander, in charge of three companies and an artillery company. You gave me 120 people in a flash, and one company is missing? Are you really okay?"

"Not all of them are from our battalion. There are only about 40 of them in our battalion. The others are from other units. They are all comrades, so we have to take care of them. I heard that Zhou Laoba and his brother both got houses and married, and they are doing well. I will give them a little more. It's not easy for everyone. There are a few more people, so you won't be embarrassed, will you?"

Li Zhenhua had no idea about the size of the autonomous region. Even if it was less than a thousand people, an autonomous region could accommodate more than 100,000 people. The problem now was that there was a shortage of people. The area was vast and sparsely populated, and there was a shortage of labor.

"Second brother, where did you get all this information? Who else knows?"

"The last time I saw the liaison officer there, Xiao Luo, after the New Year, he said, 'I know the severity of this matter, but no one else knows.'"

"I'm worried that you'll make too much noise and it might have a bad impact on you."

Li Zhenhua laughed heartily, "Old Four, don't worry. I know what's going on. There's no fighting in the army here, so there's probably no hope for promotion. Let's demobilize. According to the rules, you have to be demoted to a lower level before you can go to the local area. I'm a battalion commander, and when I go back to the local area, I can at best be a deputy section chief, which is meaningless. You don't know that the battalion commander next door to us went to a bureau-level unit, and guess what? An ordinary policeman!" (True story)

"Brother, that's not what I meant. I meant that if you do this, it might be noticed by departments like Uncle Kong, and then you'll be in trouble."

"Do I need you to remind me of this? Don't worry, I know the seriousness of the matter. By the way, when you go there, quickly arrange for someone to pick you up so that I can notify everyone and divide you into several groups."

"If it's urgent, I can leave tonight and arrange it tomorrow night."

(End of this chapter)