Restarting life in Siheyuan

The old man was a little surprised that Li Huaide could talk about these data so easily. It seemed that he had put in a lot of effort and was closely following new developments in the country's economic development. He had indeed grown a lot.

"Well said, you have great ambition. Great, I support your idea. Young people should have more ideas. Great, very good."

It was the first time that Li Huaide was praised by an old man like this. It turned out that all his work these days was not in vain.

The old man put his hands behind his back, half turned, and walked a few steps sideways.

"Not long ago, the leaders instructed us: To run a trust, we must be organized. Only by being organized can we achieve specialization and standardization, increase production, improve quality, and develop new varieties. It is not enough to just set up a few trusts. We must broaden our vision and look at the problem comprehensively."

"Your proposal is timely and in line with the spirit of the higher-ups. Just go for it."

The old man walked to the table, grabbed a cigarette, took out one and lit it, then handed the cigarette box to his son-in-law. Li Huaide was a little flattered, hesitated for a moment, and waved his hand.

"Dad, I won't smoke anymore. Xiaolin doesn't like the smell."

"Well, that's good. Being able to control yourself is also progress." The old man put down the cigarette box and put one hand casually behind his back. His son-in-law has grown a lot and has been tempered in Hong Kong for more than a year. It was not in vain. It's very good.

"Your factory secretary hasn't been decided yet. Please work harder. You are still young and you should strive for progress."

Li Huaide was even more delighted and quickly expressed his position, "Don't worry, I will continue to maintain my high morale and firm belief, devote myself to revolutionary work, and contribute all my strength to the cause of the Party and the people."

The old man was very satisfied with his son-in-law's performance today, and reminded him again, "It's good that you have this determination, but don't neglect your family. You two are not young anymore, it's time to have a child..."

Li Huaide subconsciously looked outside the study. He couldn't see anything through the door, but his wife should be talking to his mother-in-law. Yes, he still doesn't have a child. He used to be ambitious and not in a hurry, but now it seems...

...

In a blink of an eye, the semester ended and Zhu Xuefeng had another vacation.

"Senior Sister Jiang, Senior Brother Wang, congratulations!"

Zhu Xuefeng learned from the international students this morning that both of them had successfully completed their graduation defense yesterday and could graduate on schedule.

"It's time to go back. We haven't been home for two years and we don't know how things are going at home. By the way, have you decided when to leave?"

"I'm waiting for you. I'm not in a hurry. Let's go together. But I have to stay in Moscow for a few days to find some information."

Wang Xiangdong looked at Zhu Xuefeng with regret, "I thought we could go back to China together. You can check your information. We can't. We can't wait. Especially my mother's cooking. I haven't eaten it for two years."

Jiang Zhiming smiled while covering his mouth when he heard this. "You are so grown up, but this is all you can do. Let's go check out the plane tickets for the day after tomorrow and have a big dinner tonight. Xiaofeng, this is what you agreed on."

"It's no big deal, just a meal. I'll be responsible for filling both of your stomachs. Hahaha." The three of them walked away talking and laughing.

The three arrived in Moscow on schedule. Except for the fact that Zhu Xuefeng was called away alone for another inspection before boarding the plane, which caused a delay, the whole process was relatively smooth.

"Xiao Feng, that officer seemed to know you. Why did he check you separately? They are not airport staff."

The three of them were not sitting together. When they got off the plane to get their luggage, Jiang Zhiming asked with a concerned look on his face.

Zhu Xuefeng put the huge backpack on his shoulders and picked up a large handbag, looking helpless.

"I flew here from here at the end of September last year and was on the same plane with them. There was a misunderstanding. I didn't expect that after almost a year, this guy still remembered me. It's nothing serious, just one more check."

The next day after seeing off Wang Xiangdong and Jiang Zhiming, I finally met Guli Nazha.

"Here you go, these are what you wanted."

Guli Nazha handed over a bag, which was bulging with information that she had been entrusted to look up. Zhu Xuefeng opened the bag and took a look. There was a very detailed introduction and a hand-drawn map.

"Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to me. When I'm done, you can come back with me."

This was an agreement between the two. Guli Nazha helped collect some clues, and Zhu Xuefeng was responsible for helping her return to China.

Guli Nazha didn’t ask how to bring her back to China, she just shook her head.

"I've thought it through. I won't go back for now. The only information here is from Moscow. Some of the things you mentioned are hidden in the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. I haven't gotten the information there."

Zhu Xuefeng frowned. He didn't expect this accident. The straight-line distance from Moscow is about 700 kilometers. This is an accident. The Winter Palace is closer to Europe.

"You don't have to check. I can go check the situation myself. Anyway, thank you. How about this, three days. Wait for me here in three days and I will take you home."

Who knew that Guli Nazha still shook her head and said, "Mr. Zhu, you think too simply. A passport like yours is only for transit here. You can't use it to buy a flight to St. Petersburg, or even take a train. You can't go anywhere except Moscow, and you have to leave within the specified time."

Zhu Xuefeng was stunned. He had not noticed this requirement. He took out his passport and looked at it, then asked half-doubtfully.

"Is your news true?"

Guli Nazha nodded and said, "It was issued after Christmas. I don't know why, but the control in this area was tightened all of a sudden."

It seems that I can’t go to the Winter Palace for the time being, but it doesn’t matter, there will always be a chance.

"That's even easier. I'll take you home after I finish my work here."

There was a sound of neat leather boots running outside the hotel. Guli Nazha lifted the edge of the curtain and looked at the street downstairs. A neat team of soldiers was running by and slowly went away.

"Mr. Zhu, thank you. But as I said just now, I won't leave for the time being. I have my own things to do. You can go back as soon as you are done with your business. Don't worry about me. I am safe. I am used to the life here now. I am living a good life."

There seemed to be a determination in Guli Nazha's eyes. Zhu Xuefeng didn't understand why she changed her mind out of the blue. After thinking about it, he decided to remind her.

"Although I don't know what made you change your mind, I remind you that you don't need to care about the Winter Palace and don't investigate. Can you do that?"

"Really not necessary?" Guli Nazha asked doubtfully.

"Really? I'm not trying to be polite to you. Since the control has been tightened, we can't go there. There's no point in you going to investigate. Give up for now."

"Okay, I promise you, take care of yourself, I have to go."

Zhu Xuefeng wanted to ask more, but seeing Gulinaza's determined face, biting her lower lip tightly, he had to give up asking. "Okay, goodbye then. If you have anything, we'll contact you the old way."

Guli Nazha nodded, suddenly took a step forward, hugged Zhu Xuefeng, and said, "Hug me!"

Zhu Xuefeng was at a loss and could only hug her passively. Soon, Guli Nazha gently loosened her arms and stood up from Zhu Xuefeng's embrace. "Thank you for your hug. It is the hug from my compatriots that makes me feel warm and at ease."

After saying that, she got up and left without a trace of nostalgia. She opened the door without looking back and disappeared into the corridor. Zhu Xuefeng was left alone in a daze. Guli Nazha's eyes just now were very clear, and seemed to have a sacred feeling, without any love between men and women.

This made Zhu Xuefeng very confused. He felt that Guli Nazha seemed to be doing something important. Judging from her appearance just now, she must have made up her mind long ago. Hugging herself was more like a lonely person seeking some comfort from his kind.

Zhu Xuefeng opened the window and watched Gulinaza disappear on the road. Fortunately, there was nothing unusual behind her. What on earth did this girl want to do? Why did she change her mind out of nowhere?
He couldn't figure it out, but since Guli Nazha thought she was safe, Zhu Xuefeng had to put aside his curiosity for the time being. He came here to bring home the treasure from his family and could not afford to make any mistakes. He opened the bag and took out the drawings, checking them one by one, comparing them with the map from time to time, designing his own action plan. It was inconvenient without Xiao Hei. If Xiao Hei was here, it wouldn't be so troublesome.

Although I was worried when planning, surprisingly, the whole process went unusually smoothly. The Big Goose didn't seem to take these things seriously and its defense was extremely relaxed, which made it easy for someone to succeed. It seems that the plague in Europe did not attract the Big Goose's attention.

Two days later, Zhu Xuefeng successfully boarded the flight back home. As the plane took off, Zhu Xuefeng closed his eyes and rested peacefully. This matter was temporarily completed. He had visited all the Eight-Nation Alliance, even though it was divided into several countries. After this trip, he had fulfilled a wish in his heart.

There was no movement on the Big Goose side. Their huge amount of cultural relics were stored randomly in the underground palace. The total number should be more than that of Britain. With such a huge inventory, no one knew what was missing.

The climate in Beijing in August is hot and humid. As soon as Zhu Xuefeng stepped out of the cabin, the heat wave in his face made him feel the enthusiasm of Beijing.

The scorching sun at the airport caused a slight distortion in the air layer on the ground. This was where he lived. Although it was a hot summer day, he did not feel any discomfort as he was finally home.

Along the way, I saw people sweating profusely as they hurried along the streets and alleys. Groups of two or three old ladies were cleaning vegetables and chatting in the shade to escape the heat. A dark and thin man riding a tricycle on the road was sweating profusely in a thin vest.

A one-dollar taxi took him to the entrance of the alley. With the driver's torn ticket, he put on his large backpack and picked up two handbags with his help.

"Thank you, Master."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and thanked the driver, then strode into the alley.

Under the lush old tree at the entrance of the alley, a group of children hid in the shade, beating cardboard boxes and having a lot of fun, wiping the sweat from their foreheads with their tanned arms from time to time.

When several of the children saw Zhu Xuefeng, they hurriedly whispered to a little boy who was concentrating on tapping the box. The little boy looked up and shouted in surprise.

"Uncle Feng, it's Uncle Feng who's back."

"Xiao Ben, why are you playing here?"

Niu Xiaoben did not answer. He ran over happily with a few children from the backyard, calling him Uncle Feng affectionately. They all went straight to help Zhu Xuefeng carry the bag. Niu Xiaoben even yelled at a few stunned children.

"You have no foresight at all. Hurry up, my uncle is carrying so many things and you don't even come up to help."

The few stunned ones were all children from other yards. When they heard the call, they ran over happily. Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to be pushed into the yard by a group of children. He didn't expect that Niu Xiaoben's team had expanded to the alley.

"Brother!" Zhu Xuemei was startled by the noisy chattering outside. She stuck her head out and found that it was her brother who came back. He threw the book to the ground and jumped out like a little bird. Behind him was the little face of the fourth girl from the Yan family.

"Come on, Xiao Ben, share some with everyone."

As usual, Zhu Xuefeng took out a bag of candy from his bag, pointed at the heads of a group of children, and handed it to Niu Xiaoben with a smile, saying that it should be enough for two pieces for each person. He touched his little head and said with a smile.

"This thing is not easy to store. It's hot now and it will bloom soon. Don't keep it."

Niu Xiaoben took it with a smile on his face, "Thank you, Uncle Feng!" He looked at it again, "What is this purple thing?"

"You'll know after trying it. This is a foreign candy called purple candy. The outer layer is chocolate, and the inside is caramel, with almonds and crushed peanuts. It's delicious, but you can't eat it when it's hot. Go ahead."

Niu Xiaoben glanced at his friends who were staring at him eagerly, and called out again crisply, "Thank you, Uncle Feng!", and ran away quickly with his friends. His voice could be heard from outside, "We have everything, we have everything."

Zhu Xuefeng took out a few more pieces and said, "Little sister, Jie Di, you two should try some too. This candy has a crisp texture and is sweet but not greasy. I'm sure you two will like it."

The younger sister took it with a smile and handed two pieces to the little girl Yan Jie Di standing next to her. Yan Jie Di seemed a little embarrassed, and the younger sister smiled.

"Niu Xiaoben didn't feel embarrassed to take so much, but you're still shy when I give you two candies."

Yan Jiedi then took it with a red face, "Thank you, Brother Feng."

"Yan Jie Di, I gave it to you, okay? Why are you thanking my brother?" The younger sister couldn't help teasing, making the little girl even more shy.

"me…"

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and stopped his sister from making trouble. He filled another small bag and handed it to Yan Jiedi, "Take these home and let everyone taste them. But remember, it's hot now and they can't be kept."

Yan Jiedi took it hesitantly and said, "Thank you, Brother Feng. I'll send it back for my mother to try."

"Go ahead." Zhu Xuefeng smiled as he watched the little girl happily go out the door. As she walked, she actually stumbled a few steps. The little sister also smiled.

"The second child didn't come back from vacation again?"

The younger sister then pouted and said, "No, he wrote to me saying that the school organized a group to go to the army during the holidays and he couldn't come back, but he could come back during the Chinese New Year. But brother, you can't come back during the Chinese New Year, so this year will be meaningless."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and pulled the younger sister over. The younger sister pouted and sat on her brother's lap, with misty circles under her eyes.

"The girl has grown up. Look, she's taller than me. Let's not make a fuss, okay?"

"Brother, you are like this every time. It makes me feel uncomfortable." As she said that, she threw herself into her brother's arms.

Zhu Xuefeng gently stroked his little sister's back and said, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for putting you through this. Come, take a look at the gift that big brother brought you."

A white knitted vest paired with khaki casual pants and a white suspender skirt can easily make the little sister laugh. The little sister in new clothes looks simple, generous, fresh and lovely.

Zhu Xuefeng looked left and right, "Yes, my little sister is a clothes rack, she looks good in anything."

The little sister also happily turned around twice, with smiles in her eyes. This little girl...

(End of this chapter)