Restarting life in Siheyuan

Chapter 464: Shazhu's Opportunity

"Brother, what have you been doing these days? You're always talking nonsense and running away after dinner every day."

Zhu Xuefeng had just finished eating and put down his bowl and chopsticks. "A friend of mine had some problems and I was trying to find a solution. What's the matter, Brother Zhuzi?"

Sha Zhu drank the last bit of the wine in one gulp and put down the glass.

"Let's talk about your friend's matter first. I can't explain my matter clearly for a while. Do you need help? Just let me know if you have any questions."

Sha Zhu is quite righteous, and Zhu Xuefeng likes this about him, he said with a smile.

"That's not necessary. Now that we have some clues, it should be fine in a while. If you have any questions, just tell me."

Sha Zhu looked at the two kids, and Zhu Xuefeng understood that Sha Zhu was shy and there were some things he couldn't say here.

"Xuesong, you guys clean up for a while, Brother Zhuzi and I are going to talk about something."

"Brother, you guys do your work, we'll finish our work, take a break and then study."

Sha Zhu looked at Erxiao with envy and sighed sincerely, "You, the Zhu family, are all talented students, unlike me who muddled through without knowing what was going on. Come on, Xuesong Xuemei, lend me your brother for a while."

As soon as she went out, she saw Yan Jiecheng and his wife, who should have returned from dinner at the third uncle's house. Yu Li walked in front with her head down, and Yan Jiecheng was explaining something in a low voice behind. She saw Sha Zhu and Zhu Xuefeng coming out from a distance and shut up in time. Yu Li then raised her head, forced a smile, and greeted the two of them.

Seeing the two of them close the door after returning to the house, Sha Zhu laughed, "This new bride must have been wronged. Yu Li has been here for three months, and this is the first time I see her with a stern face. Tell me, how did Yan Jiecheng get so lucky? The one he praised before, Xiaojuan, looked dignified and virtuous. This one is not bad either, she treats people kindly and is pleasing to the eye..."

"Mind your own business, your house has been cleaned up, the furniture has been made, I have made a watch for you, and I have given you a radio. When are you going to do your own thing? It's already August now."

Sha Zhu immediately drooped his face and stopped talking, walking silently in front. Zhu Xuefeng had some realizations. Could it be that Lou Xiao'e had changed again? Didn't they say that they all agreed? The marriage was being arranged in full swing.

When they walked through the gate of the middle courtyard, they saw Banggeng and Huaihua acting like a spoiled child in the middle courtyard, while Qin Huairu had a fierce look on her face and was scolding Banggeng.

"They are all children, still young, why scold them? It's already this late, take them home to eat first, and then close the door and clean up after they finish eating."

Sha Zhu smiled at Qin Huairu and tried to persuade her. Qin Huairu lifted her scattered hair, turned her head and gave Sha Zhu a cold look.

"Look, this little girl wanted to eat meat last week, so I bought some. Today, she's clamoring for meat again. She won't eat without meat. This second daughter is also a fool. She only knows how to follow her brother's lead. I'm really worried about her."

Qin Huairu is still a first-level worker, but the motorcycle factory has good benefits and many subsidies. Now in August, for example, there is a 10-cent high temperature and heat relief subsidy every day, which is nearly three yuan a month.

In addition, the family was in a mess in the past, and although we don’t have much money now, we still have enough small changes. As long as we have a ticket, we can buy some meat from time to time.

"That won't do. Anyone who has so many prostitutes needs to be taught a lesson."

Sha Zhu laughed and left. Qin Huairu said hello to Zhu Xuefeng behind her, picked up the locust flowers and turned into the house. Banggeng was already ten years old, and if he really wanted to lie on the ground, there was nothing she could do.

"If you don't want to eat, just stay here. I can't control you. Come back when you feel hungry. Who can eat meat every day..."

Qin Huairu said something harsh and went into the house. Banggeng looked around the yard. The adults were all busy with their own things. Many children had also come out after eating. When they heard the noise here, they all poked their heads around. Banggeng felt a little embarrassed, so he patted his butt and stood up.

I originally wanted to compare myself with the Zhu family in the front yard who used to eat meat every week, but I couldn't say it out loud. The old Zhu family was also evil this year and rarely cooked meat. I didn't know that Zhu Xuefeng's family had switched to a diet of fish and eggs. Eating meat all the time makes too much noise. Besides, they haven't hunted for more than a year, so where would they get the meat? Even if they wanted to hunt now, there was no place to go. There was basically no prey to hunt on the hills in the suburbs.

"Brother, this is what happened. Something unexpected happened to my business, and I think it's going to fail..."

After entering the main room, Sha Zhu immediately lost his playful smile and looked decadent and frustrated. His whole body seemed to be pulled weak and he collapsed on the bed.

"What did you say? Do you suspect that the Lou family is going to run away?" Zhu Xuefeng was shocked. Sha Zhu rolled over and got up, quickly covering Zhu Xuefeng's mouth.

"Brother, are you trying to kill someone or something? You can't even shout about this."

Zhu Xuefeng took away Sha Zhu's hand, and Sha Zhu continued. "This is what Xiao E told me. She couldn't get her household registration book, and her mother was so annoyed by her that she told her secretly. If you make a fuss about it, your whole family will be in trouble."

Sha Zhu opened the door and looked around. Fortunately, there was not much noise just now and there was no one near the house.

"What's going on? Didn't you say you were going to get married? Why are you running away for no reason?"

Zhu Xuefeng was very confused. The plot didn't seem to be like this. He had no idea that the public security system had undergone a major change last year. Many things were different from before. One account book implicated many people, many of whom were wealthy people in the past. The sentence for bribery would be heavier than that for accepting bribes. Many people were put in jail. This scared Mr. Lou.

"I heard this from her mother. I don't know the details. Brother, please help me think of a solution. What should we do about this matter between us..."

Zhu Xuefeng had no idea what to do at the moment, so he took a long time to ask.

"So, what does Lou Xiao'e think?"

"What else can I think? I can't stay here, so I have to leave. Actually, I can understand that. His father has also relented and asked me to leave with him and start a family there."

Zhu Xuefeng breathed a sigh of relief. It was not that the other party disagreed with accepting Sha Zhu, but the situation seemed not good, so they disagreed to do it now.

"It's okay this way, after all, the two of them are still together. To be honest, I've been there on business, and it's developing very fast. If you really want to go, with your cooking skills and the Lou family's financial resources, you really have a chance to make a name for yourself, at least open a restaurant. Your Tan family cuisine emphasizes high-end ingredients and high-quality seafood, and they are all there. Then you can live a wonderful life."

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes and said, "Brother, I tell you all this because I treat you as a brother. You didn't even think about it. You just expressed your opinion with just a few words. You really don't care about your brother's affairs at all."

Sha Zhu refuted with dissatisfaction, "Do you think my brother is this kind of person? I can't just follow him without knowing the reason."

Zhu Xuefeng didn't think much about it and asked with a smile, "What? Do you still think this is being a live-in son-in-law? Are you embarrassed?"

Sha Zhu was choked by Zhu Xuefeng's bizarre train of thought, but he ended up laughing.

"Bullshit, do you think I can leave the rain and run away by myself?"

Yes, if Shazhu really runs away, Yu Shui will definitely be implicated and will definitely not be able to go to college. He might even be implicated for the rest of his life.

"Let Sister Yushui go with us?"

Sha Zhu said angrily, "Brother, you think this is too simple. What are you going to do after the rain? Why don't you stay as a college student and work for the Lou family for a living? It won't work. You know that my sister is very proud."

Sha Zhu moved forward a little, leaned against the head of the bed and lay down again, "Besides, I promised to send the old lady and the old man and his wife to live in retirement. Can I bring them all over? No way. Not to mention whether the Lou family has the ability to do so, these two families will definitely not be happy."

Sha Zhu still has his own persistence, which is probably the fundamental reason why he looked so decadent and frustrated just now.

"So you're staying? Not leaving? You and Lou Xiao'e broke up, are you willing to do that?"

Sha Zhu sat up again and stared at Zhu Xuefeng.

"Who would be willing to do that? I just have no other choice. I dare not tell anyone about this, so I was thinking about whether you have a suitable solution, brother." Zhu Xuefeng knocked on the table. He really couldn't think of a way to have the best of both worlds for the time being, so he had to say helplessly.

"What can I do? There are only two options for this matter. One is to go, and the other is not to go. If you go, you say that there are too many things involved and you can't go. If you don't go, you can't bear to leave Lou Xiao'e. You don't have any opinions of your own. What can I think of to help you?"

Sha Zhu put his head on his hands and lay down again in frustration, "Why do these bad things always happen to me? I'm not destined to have a family, right? I just don't believe it, damn it."

Zhu Xuefeng could only pretend he didn't hear such complaints. He stood up, made two cups of tea and placed them on the table. However, Sha Zhu seemed to have suddenly had an idea and stood up again.

"Brother, don't we have a steel mill over there? This group of people will be back soon. Tell me, if I want to go there, can I have a chance? Although it's only for a year, it's a bit of a buffer, right?"

Zhu Xuefeng was stunned. It seemed that this method could be really tried. Sha Zhu's brain was quite useful. After a while, he actually came up with a delaying tactic.

Sha Zhu got off the bed directly and sat opposite Zhu Xuefeng, feeling a little excited.

"It's really possible. If I go there, I can find a time to accompany Xiao'e to get the certificate. No matter what happens in the future, we have already got the certificate. She will be the daughter-in-law of our He family for the rest of her life. Haha, brother, what do you think of my idea? When the time comes, I will bring Xiao'e back. Our life will be so beautiful."

Sha Zhu thought his idea was really great and simple. Zhu Xuefeng was thinking about the future policies and calculating the feasibility of Sha Zhu's delaying tactic. Sha Zhu saw that Zhu Xuefeng was still in deep thought and didn't speak, so he became anxious.

"That's it, brother. Please help me figure this out. There are some things I don't understand. Do you think there is any hope?"

Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to help him analyze the situation as Sha Zhu was pestering him.

"First of all, you have to get the factory's consent for you to go. The secretary and the factory director should be responsible for this matter. I can help you put in a call to the factory director, but I can't say anything to the secretary. You have to think of another way."

Shazhu was so happy that he squatted on the long bench.

"Well, isn't it just asking for help? I can do this. You said the factory director, you don't have to show up. Haha, I'm very familiar with Lao Yang now, don't ask, I'll tell you later."

Zhu Xuefeng really didn't know when Sha Zhu and Lao Yang became familiar with each other. It seemed that they were very familiar with each other. He was about to ask, but Sha Zhu shut him up directly.

"Then let's go on. There are more than a dozen people over there, so it's not too much to set up a small canteen. The reason is that people from the north can't get used to the food. In order to better serve production, the logistics department took the initiative to volunteer to contribute to the steel mill's foreign exchange earning cause. Since you are going to discuss this yourself, I won't worry about it."

Sha Zhu stood up excitedly. This was a good excuse. He had never thought of it. "Brother, your idea is good. Scholars' words are always so roundabout. It sounds quite reasonable. Haha, I have heard that they issue foreign currency over there. This is very suitable. Continue."

Zhu Xuefeng picked up the teacup, blew on it, took a sip, and it was still a little hot. Sha Zhu's dish was a bit salty again. After all, he was a chef from the north.

"The person in charge over there now is Deputy Director Li. I heard from you that you had a dispute with him. You should be mentally prepared for this. If he makes things difficult for you, you should endure it. Don't go there and get into a fight and get sent back directly."

Sha Zhu grinned, "That can't be possible. He is the grandfather and I am the grandson. Anyway, I have to get the certificate with Xiao E first. I just have to endure it. Besides, Deputy Director Li is a picky person. Maybe he is looking forward to my visit. Seeing my delicious cooking skills, he might forget the past, haha."

Sha Zhu became more and more proud as he spoke. As long as he could get the certificate with Lou Xiao'e, he didn't mind suffering a little injustice.

"Also, once you go there, it may not be easy to get out. I heard from Director Yang and his colleagues that the place is under closed management. In order to avoid trouble, everyone eats and lives in the factory and doesn't go out normally."

"Don't worry, brother. They can't go out. As a cook, I have to go buy food. I know Lao Li. As long as I can make something fresh, he will definitely agree. Besides, Xiao'e's mother gave me the recipe. I don't believe Lao Li can't cook the dishes listed above. He is so skilled."

It seemed that Sha Zhu was determined to take this path, and Zhu Xuefeng did not stop him, but just reminded him.

"I'm not sure about the requirements for getting a marriage certificate over there, but your identity here might make it difficult. When the time comes, let the Lou family come up with a solution. These things shouldn't be difficult for them. The last point is that even if you two get the marriage certificate, it will be difficult for Lou Xiao'e to come back in the short term. Think it over carefully."

In fact, people from that place can come over to visit relatives now. As long as the street office here can help with the application, Hong Kong will approve it and the checkpoint will let you pass. But Shazhu's situation is special, so it's better to put the difficulties first.

Sha Zhu scratched his head, thinking that he had indeed thought this matter was a little simple, that's why he ran over and didn't come back, but he became happy again after a while.

"Don't think about it for now. It's fine as long as we can get the certificate. After we get the certificate, she will be the daughter-in-law of the He family for life. It doesn't matter if she can't come back for a while. We will all be overseas Chinese in the future. When everyone here forgets about it, I can take her back."

Seeing Sha Zhu's worries disappear, Zhu Xuefeng sighed. This is a life of separation. Many people who are separated from each other end up breaking up. Moreover, they have to keep it a secret here. How hard must their life be.

Then think about my little brother Gao Bo. These two are both infatuated with each other and are much better than me. Forget it, I will find a chance to help them so that they can reunite from time to time. This is something that can be done.

"Brother Zhuzi, you seem to have made some progress on this matter. Tell me how you and Director Yang became so close. Judging from your situation, you seem to be quite familiar with each other."

Sha Zhu laughed and said proudly, "It's all because of this skill. You may not know that Lao Yang has a superior in our department, who was his commander when he was in the army."

Of course Zhu Xuefeng knew him. It was Minister Ding. This old comrade left a deep impression on him. He was also a serious and responsible person. Although they didn't have much interaction, he had a good impression of him.

"Let me guess. Maybe the old chief liked your cooking and asked you to cook for him a few times, and you became familiar with each other."

Sha Zhu stared, "They say that a scholar can know everything in the world without leaving home. This is really true. Brother, I really let you guess it. This is really the case."

It turned out that in the previous two months, Director Yang took Sha Zhu to the chief's house three times. Except for some misunderstandings with the chief's wife at the beginning of the first time, Sha Zhu's cooking skills really made the chief very satisfied, and they became familiar with each other after a few visits.

When they went there for the first time, the chief's wife complained that Sha Zhu was taking a long time to start cooking. Sha Zhu was not afraid of his leader and pointed at the ingredients of the day and gave a long review, finding many faults, which made the chief's wife even more unhappy, but Sha Zhu made his point very convincingly.

Finally, Sha Zhu said that these dishes were all prepared quickly, and none of them required much effort. As long as the conversation was over, the dishes would be served on the table quickly, and they could be eaten hot, otherwise they would be cooked too early and the food would taste bad if they were cold.

What Sha Zhu said was well-reasoned, and facts proved it. As soon as they were notified, the meal would be ready. Sha Zhu took the prepared dishes and stir-fried them. The table was soon full of food. The taste made the leader praise it highly. The leader's wife was also convinced and asked Sha Zhu to prepare the ingredients next time.

The ingredients chosen by Sha Zhu were of course more suitable, and his second cooking performance made everyone extremely satisfied. He added a few Kung Fu dishes, which made his cooking skills even more consummate.

The chief was in a good mood and drank a little too much. He asked Lao Yang to play chess with him. Lao Yang was a terrible chess player and was defeated in a short while, which made Sha Zhu, who was watching the game, complain a lot.

The chief directly let Sha Zhu take the lead. Sha Zhu did not know how to be humble to his leader, and the two of them were tied. In fact, both of them were bad at chess, but they were both slightly better than Lao Yang, so they became chess friends.

"Brother Zhuzi, you are really amazing. You can face the factory director's old leader without any fear."

"That's nothing. When I was learning at Hongbin Building, I saw all the big leaders. Actually, there is a trick here that you may not understand. It was Director Zhang who taught me."

Shazhu actually became clever and learned how to keep people in suspense.

"Tell me about it." Zhu Xuefeng didn't mind being the supporting actor, so he saw Sha Zhu proudly revealing the secret.

"The old saying is true. The King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the devils are hard to deal with. The same is true for officials. The higher the official, the easier it is to deal with them. The lower the official, the harder it is to deal with them. Don't you think this is true? It's like the second uncle in the backyard. He's nothing but a jerk. He's very annoying. But the minister is very amiable and doesn't look down on us who cook and cook."

"Brother Zhuzi, what you said is very well said. The most difficult people in the world are those who have such a tiny bit of power but act so arrogantly, haha."

It turns out that Shazhu’s opportunity has finally come. The world is really wonderful.

(End of this chapter)