Restarting life in Siheyuan

"Look, look, this is the telegram sent by Old Joe. The other party actually invited us to station troops there and took the initiative to lease the port. The leader of this autonomous region is very mysterious. He actually took the initiative to make such a request."

The tall figure stood up from the sunken sofa, read the urgent telegram carefully again, and walked back and forth in the room several times.

"It's a good thing, but I think we have to be cautious and the navy shouldn't go there in a big way. If the Americans find a loophole in their blockade, the pressure will fall on this mysterious autonomous region."

This autonomous region has a population of only a few hundred thousand people, of course, it may now exceed one million. According to the latest news, they have captured the ancient capital of Mandele.

"You are right. They have a weak foundation and little power. They may not be able to withstand pressure well. If something goes wrong, our new route may encounter setbacks. We must consider this carefully."

"Well, so we can't just focus on the present, we have to think long-term and also think about them. It's good to keep it secret..."

"There is also bilateral trade settlement, which is a major breakthrough for us..."

The two men discussed in a low voice for a long time before they stood up at the same time. This mysterious autonomous region was really good. Several suggestions would greatly promote the development of both parties, especially RMB settlement and taking over some export projects that were not easy to carry out domestically.

"I am very curious about this leader. What's even more curious is that he is also called Zhu Wentao. Could he be the same person as the patriotic businessman in Hong Kong?"

"It's very possible. There is no such coincidence in the world. They are all Chinese, all named Zhu Wentao, all have good intentions towards us, and all are unwilling to show their faces."

"Then should we continue investigating? Old Joe didn't get much information this time."

The tall figure waved his hand and said, "Since the other party is unwilling to show up, he must have some reasons. I think we should not dwell on this matter. I have a hunch that he might be around us. Do you remember what Xiao Hao reported last time? They suspected that the other party was in the Donghuamen area."

"Of course I have an impression of him, but unfortunately I haven't found him after searching for a long time. In that case, let's stop looking for him and wait for him to show up. The cooperation between the two parties is getting deeper and deeper, and some things have to be discussed in person..."

"Speaking of Xiao Hao, I have something to report to you. I just got the news today..."

Zhu Xuefeng didn't know that because of his sudden decision, he returned to Beijing that day, causing countless people to be taken to meetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He was happily knocking on the door of his godmother's house.

"Hey, Xiaofeng is here, come on, have you had breakfast?"

Director Wang was very happy that Zhu Xuefeng came to visit, even though it was a little early.

"I've eaten. Godmother, where are Uncle Kong and the others? Didn't they say that the eldest brother and the third brother are back?"

"Your uncle Kong went to work early in the morning. He said there was a big case and he needed to write some materials. Your two brothers went to do exercises and should be back soon."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, although it did not snow, the temperature was still very low. The two of them actually went for exercises. It was indeed a good habit of the army. Zhu Xuefeng cleaned the snow stains on his feet and went into the house.

I put down the gift box, took off my coat, and turned on the heater in the room. It was very warm. It must be because of the two babies, the temperature was a little high.

Zhu Xuefeng poked his head into the room. "That little girl isn't here? Did you give her a holiday?"

"Well, everyone in the family is back, so of course I'll let her go home for the New Year, on the fifth day, she'll be back. She's okay, she's quite sensible. I let her study at home when she's free, and she's very attentive and has made a lot of progress. I'm also thinking of enrolling her in night school, so she can go to school after I get off work, and she'll be able to find a job in the future with her education."

The godmother was really kind-hearted. She had made all the plans for Qin Jingru after she came to work as a nanny for a few months. Zhu Xuefeng guessed that Qin Jingru only wanted to stay in the city and study hard. No matter what, being willing to study was a good thing, so he no longer cared. After a while, he heard the laughter of two brothers in the corridor. When he opened the door, he saw that it was Li Zhenhua and a strong young man.

"Happy New Year, big brother. This must be the third brother."

Li Zhenhua stepped forward, tightly grasped Zhu Xuefeng's hand, and asked softly, "Are you all right? This is your third brother Chaoyang. Come on, come on, you two brothers, get closer."

Zhu Xuefeng knew what Li Zhenhua was concerned about, that is, the little thousand people, and nodded.

"Everything is fine!" He also stepped forward and shook the hand of the young man behind him.

"I've always heard that Third Brother is studying in Jinling, but I just saw him today. Come in quickly."

"I've heard a lot about you having a powerful younger brother. I heard that even the eldest brother is no match for you. Haha, today I finally see the real person. However, I won't fight with you. I can't even deal with the eldest brother."

"So I'm a coward, huh, Third Brother?"

Li Zhenhua pretended to be unhappy and hit the third brother, which made the three of them laugh.

Director Wang was also very happy to see the three brothers getting along so harmoniously behind the door.

"Come in quickly. There's no point in talking with the door open. It's just blowing cold air in. The two little guys can't stand it."

This time the three of them hurried into the house and borrowed Uncle Kong's study to chat. Huo Chaoyang is now a senior at the Naval Academy, two years older than Zhu Xuefeng. He has a good personality, and when he doesn't speak, he seems very calm, but when he speaks, he is very lively and seems a little jumpy.

The three young men naturally talked about the country's development and the surrounding situation. They discussed the newspaper reports about the Monkey Country's fight against the United States, and talked about the inexplicable battle last year. They found it funny how stupid Ah San was.

"I really don't know what they were thinking. The water of the Ganges made them dizzy. They really thought they were the third in the world and the first in Asia. But when they were pinched, they found out that they were just wimps. It's really boring."

The third brother was still sighing, and Li Zhenhua added, "That's right, my letter of request for battle hasn't been approved yet. Damn it, the battle is over. What a coward."

Li Zhenhua felt very sorry. He had thought it was going to be a large-scale fight, so he immediately volunteered to join the fight. It was a pity that Ah San Tai couldn't help but get beaten.

"Brother, I think you should just quit your job. I don't think there will be war in your place in the future. It would be better for you to come back and accompany the two little ones and participate in national construction."

Zhu Xuefeng was really thinking about Li Zhenhua. Now that the autonomous region had grown in size, the troops stationed in the southwest could only sit idle. It would be better for them to come back and help the family. It was difficult for the godmother to take care of two children alone, and Uncle Kong could not be relied on, and he was always running around.

"That won't do. We have a mission after the Spring Festival. I don't know what it is, but I can't just run away when the mission comes. Besides, I like the atmosphere of the army more. If I could, I would stay in the army for the rest of my life."

At that time, young people were full of yearning for military life. Zhu Xuefeng did not ask what the mission was. Since Li Zhenhua had this idea, he could only let him do it.

"Old Four, have you decided what to do after graduation?"

"Third brother, I'm only in the second grade, it's too early to talk about this. Besides, it's not up to me when the time comes."

The third brother Huo Chaoyang asked doubtfully, "I heard from Lao Kong that you will graduate early, so we need to think about this sooner. Also, he said that you have made contributions to the navy in the south and received a certificate of merit. If you want to join the navy, it won't be difficult with this certificate. How about we brothers fight the sea together..."

Unexpectedly, Lao Kong knew all these things. Zhu Xuefeng didn't know that Lao Kong had been paying attention to all the information about him, and thought that no one knew about this.

"I don't think so. I heard from the head of the steel mill that I might join the Ministry of Metallurgy after graduation, and most likely go to the steel mill."

"Oh, that's in line with your major. Well, you're still thinking about playing with your brothers, haha."

Zhu Xuefeng looked at the time and saw that it was getting late. "Brothers, it's getting late. Let's talk next time. I still have to visit other elders. I have to go first."

"Okay, I'll take you down." Li Zhenhua stood up, and the third brother also said, "I'll go down too."

Li Zhenhua stopped Huo Chaoyang and said, "You stay at home with Mom. I'll take him down."

The three of them left the study, and Zhu Xuefeng went into the bedroom to tease the twins for a while.

"Godmother, there are still a few families to go, so I'll leave first."

"This kid, he comes and leaves without even eating." Director Wang didn't expect Zhu Xuefeng to leave so early, but it was difficult to stop him, so he held Zhu Xuefeng's hand.

"Come visit more often if you have nothing to do. It's hard for you three brothers to see each other. When the third brother graduates, you may not see each other for many years."

"Well, I will."

Li Zhenhua accompanied Zhu Xuefeng downstairs. Zhu Xuefeng patted the broken ice on the car seat and pushed the car out of the yard. Then Li Zhenhua asked in a low voice.

"Old Four, how much trouble did you cause in the southwest? Before I came back, I heard that there was fighting in the big cities over there. Are they your people?"

"That should be the case. They had planned this a long time ago. Maybe they have already taken it down by now."

"Can it attack a big city? What is its current scale? It's only been more than two years."

"Well, the official armed forces seem to be over 7,000 now."

Li Zhenhua was shocked. He knew about the autonomous region since the first group of people entered. There were only about twenty of them. He didn't expect that there are now 7,000 armed men.

"Brother, I'm impressed. You're developing faster than sowing beans to make soldiers. When there's a chance, please let me go and see how the two brothers Zhou Xingguo and Zhou Laoba are doing."

"Well, both of them are good. Now each of them is in charge of more than 2,000 people. We have allocated houses to them, so they can truly settle down."

"Each person is responsible for more than 2,000 people. Wow, that's several times more than me. It's really exciting."

Li Zhenhua never thought that his squad leader would be so successful under Zhu Xuefeng, and he was rather jealous.

"It would have been nice if my brother had gone there the year before last. It's too easy now. Besides training, we're helping farmers. By the way, can you let the third brother know about your situation?"

"Forget it. Don't make him unhappy. Big brother, if you have something stuck in your heart and can't say it, you must be very frustrated. You should understand this. Don't bother Third Brother anymore."

"Yes, it's very uncomfortable. I was thinking about retiring this year and joining you, but I didn't expect to receive a mission."

"If you are willing to come, I would be more than happy to help you. So, are you coming?"

Li Zhenhua shook his head. "If it weren't for this mission, I might have really gone there. But since there is a mission, of course I have to put it first. Let's talk about it later."

The two had already walked a long way when Li Zhenhua finally stopped and said, "Go quickly. Come and sit down when you are free. The third brother is a down-to-earth person and is quite interested in you."

Zhu Xuefeng said goodbye to Li Zhenhua and went to Gao Bo's house again. Gao Bo was sent to the training ground in the autonomous region and could not come back during the Spring Festival. According to Zhu Xuefeng's plan, he would have to wait until May or June before he could go to Hong Kong. He would meet up with Yang Ying, who had "recovered from her injury", and then return to Beijing together. As for the future path, it would depend on their own ideas. They would send Zhou Tangyun home, and everything would be fine.

The two girls are really pitiful. In order to convince people of the time of treatment, they are now continuing to recover secretly at Uncle Yang's place. Zhu Xuefeng is only responsible for curing most of them before sending them to Hong Kong. Their bones have been repositioned, and the rest is just recuperation. According to Zhu Xuefeng's idea, they have to stay there until the end of April. There is no other way. With such serious injuries, it is impossible to send them back intact within two months.

He visited Coach Gao without stopping and had lunch at Professor Lin's house. Together with the old couple, he criticized Lin Na's unfilial behavior of not being home for the Spring Festival for two consecutive years.

Lin Na and Xia Yuhong both went there under the pretext of visiting a friend's home in the south to celebrate the Spring Festival and learn about national culture and traditions. This did not arouse suspicion, and this situation is very normal now. However, the two old people still had some complaints, and they kept revealing in their words that it was inappropriate that Zhu Xuefeng was not with them during the Spring Festival. Zhu Xuefeng could only help explain, and Professor Lin and his wife comforted him for a while, which made Zhu Xuefeng blush.

"Xiao Feng, you are a good child. Don't be angry with her. She has been like this since she was a child. She makes all the decisions on her own. If you want to blame someone, blame us. We have never taken care of her. Look at what has happened."

"Please don't say that. She studies foreign literature, so it's only right for her to find a chance to learn about her own national traditions. The Spring Festival occupies a very important position in our cultural traditions. To learn from others, you must first understand yourself. She will have a job in the future, so she won't have the opportunity to travel around during the Spring Festival. She should take advantage of the winter vacation now to see and learn about it. I still support her."

Professor Lin put down his teacup and said, "Old Xu, I think what Xuefeng said makes sense. Let's not interfere in the child's affairs and let her do what she wants. She is now a junior, how many years can you still take care of her?"

"Hey, Xiaofeng, don't laugh at me. This is how our family is. Whenever I criticize Xiaona, this old man will definitely back her up. You saw it too. He criticized her just now. He was not happy when I said that. It's typical that he is the only one who can criticize..."

Zhu Xuefeng left Lin Na's house with a smile. Behind him, Professor Lin was still debating with Teacher Xu about education and criticism.

He returned to the 95 compound against the biting north wind, distributed another bunch of candies in the alley, and happily pushed the cart into the outer courtyard.

"Hey, the college student is back. Didn't he say he would be back on the fifth day of the New Year?"

As soon as I entered the front yard, I saw Sha Zhu coming out of the cellar carrying a lot of food.

"I had something to deal with and I came back in a hurry to deal with it. So I'm back now."

"Then you should go home first. Yu Shui is at home. I'll make some delicious food for you. You're back just in time. Come have a drink with your brother later."

Zhu Xuefeng responded and said hello to the children of the third uncle's family. Seeing that his door was closed, he parked the car and opened the door. He saw He Yushui, who was dressed in thick clothes, lying on the table, drawing something with full concentration. He turned back to check when he heard the door open.

The temperature in the room was very low, and only the small coal stove and the kettle next to the table provided a little warmth. When I left home, I was afraid that the fireplace and heater at home would be frozen, so I even put out some water, and it would take a long time to start them up.

"Hey, why are you back? Hurry up and put your things down. I'll make you some hot water to warm you up."

Zhu Xuefeng looked at the drawings on the table. There were also a few sketches next to them. They were all drawn casually based on the styles he remembered at any time, and were very sloppy.

"So you didn't hear me talking to your brother just now. I had something to do, so I came back early. They still have a few days left. Why didn't you stay at home and come here to draw pictures?"

"I heard it, but I didn't take it too seriously. Who knew it would be you who came back?" He Yushui has been at the Zhu family for a few years and is no longer shy. "That Ezi came. I don't know what she said to my brother. They were both so happy. I couldn't paint in my room, so I came here to have some peace and quiet. What's the matter? Do you want to chase me away? No way."

He Yushui handed over the tea with a smile. Zhu Xuefeng reached out to take it and warmed it in his palms. Riding a bike in the winter was quite painful even with gloves. Zhu Xuefeng always felt that the temperature in winter now was much lower than in the future, but there was no weather forecast or thermometer to confirm it.

He Yushui opened the damper of the small coal stove, wanting to make it burn more vigorously, and reached out to pick up Xiao Hei who was napping by the stove. The weather was too cold, and Xiao Hei didn't like to move. He came back early in the morning to wait for his owner, and it was so comfortable by the stove that he really didn't want to move.

"Look at you, lazy cat. You've been curled up by the stove all day long. I just came over to feed it, and it barely opened its eyes."

Zhu Xuefeng picked up the blueprint on the table and said, "Don't worry about it, and don't feed it. It will find food when it's hungry. If you feed it, it will be even lazier. This blueprint is well drawn, more beautiful than I thought. If you ask me, I will make two for your brother to change his image. He is a team leader anyway. Wearing that old cotton-padded jacket in the middle of winter will embarrass your sister-in-law."

"As for him, I don't need to worry about him. Someone is in charge. But you, do you want to make two pieces? It's a good opportunity to see if my design is correct. If there are any inappropriate parts, I can modify them. That's it. Let's try it after the New Year. You have a better figure than my brother, so you will definitely look more formal in it. If there is no problem, I will hand it in as homework. That's great."

Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to accept it and pretended to take out a few cloth coupons from the drawer.

"Okay, whatever you say. I just happen to have some cloth coupons here, so go ahead and make some."

He Yushui took it with a smile, "It feels good to eat at a rich man's house. I was worrying about where to get the cloth coupons, but I didn't expect you to have them right away. OK, this task falls on me. I promise to do it with full energy, haha."

He Yushui picked up the blueprint, smiled and walked out the door, not forgetting to remind him, "My brother is going to make something delicious later, I'll call you then, don't run around."

"Yeah, there's something delicious, who would run away? It's agreed, I'll just wait for you to call me."

The room was very cold and he didn't want to come back to live here for the next few days. He looked at the dumplings offered under the portrait, which were commissioned by Sha Zhu. Zhu Xuefeng lit three incense sticks and put them in.

I checked the chicken coop and it was fine. It seemed that Yan Jie Di and Yu Li had put a lot of effort into it. Although the vegetable garden was covered with heavy snow, the chicken coop was very clean and there was no snow on the coop. The baffle made by my younger brothers and sisters was also intact. I clapped my hands and left the garden, and saw a young man carrying a lot of bags into the front yard.

Isn’t this Liu Guangqi from the Ludong Aluminum Factory? He rushed back for the Chinese New Year. It is said that he had an unhappy situation when he came back last year and left angrily with his wife.

"Brother Liu, you just got home." (End of this chapter)