Restarting life in Siheyuan

The small hill not far away is full of coniferous pines. The ground of the pine forest is always covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves. These needle-shaped fallen leaves are very easy to grow wild mushrooms.

"Haha, another treasure." Sure enough, the little sister running in front found the treasure again.

He directed his younger brothers and sisters to start a large-scale shopping spree. This was a good thing, even wild vegetables could not compare to it. It was rich in various amino acids, and it tasted great whether used for cooking or making soup. It could also be dried and stored. I remember that in later generations, a pound of dried goods cost four or five hundred yuan when purchased directly from the mountain people.

"It rained a little here the past two days, and there are so many wild mushrooms. Brother, let my mother help pick them up and we can take some to the city."

"Okay, this stuff is delicious when stir-fried with meat, and it's also good when it comes to stewing soup. You and your sister can make it yourself when the time comes. You can cook, right?"

The fourth child scratched his head awkwardly, "I don't have the opportunity to cook at home. My mother won't let me do it."

"Brother, it's okay, leave the fourth child to me. With me here, the fourth child will definitely be able to cook, haha." The younger sister laughed from afar. The fourth child hadn't gone to the city yet, but she was already thinking about bullying her younger brother.

Live off the mountain, the children from these mountains have been living in the mountains since they were young, so they are very familiar with picking wild mushrooms. Seeing that the several bags they brought were all full, a few of them were still looking for wild mushrooms hidden in the woods.

"Let's go down the mountain. We have a great harvest today. We can't take any more back. These are enough to last until the New Year."

Wild mushrooms are not like wild vegetables, they are all wet goods. Although these bags are small, they must weigh at least 60 to 70 kilograms. It is inconvenient to carry this thing on your back and it is easy to be squeezed and damaged. It is also impossible to carry it. Zhu Xuefeng simply cut some bamboos and made a simple shoulder pole to carry it. The fourth brother tried to grab it several times, but was driven away every time.

The fourth child was still young, 160 cm tall, and had a chance to grow taller. Zhu Xuefeng threw two longer bamboos to him. "Hold these two bamboos. They will be useful to me when we don't have to climb the mountain."

At Zhu Xuefeng's order, the men went down the mountain happily. At this moment, a gunshot was heard in the distance.

"Old Four, are there still people going into the mountains to hunt? Didn't they say there are no big fish anymore?"

"Since last year, not many people have gone up the mountain to hunt. Big game like wild boars have all been cleared out. The smaller ones are rabbits and pheasants. There are very few pheasants now, so there's nothing to hunt. I don't even have enough money to buy bullets."

As soon as he finished speaking, gunshots rang out again, this time seeming to be closer.

"Brother, the sound of gunfire doesn't sound like a hunting rifle, but more like the movement of militia." The fourth brother looked far away in the direction where the gunfire came from, but couldn't see anything, so he reported loudly.

"That's right, this is definitely not a shotgun."

Zhu Xuefeng had been to the battlefield and was very familiar with this kind of gunshot. It was definitely not from a hunting rifle. Looking at the few flying birds startled in the woods, Zhu Xuefeng felt quite strange. It was a bit funny to use a weapon to shoot pheasants. He really didn't have enough money for bullets.

However, the sound of gunfire again made Zhu Xuefeng's heart tighten. The white-eyed buzzards hovering on the top of the mountain were angry. They had been shot and wanted to retaliate.

Four scattered white-eyed buzzards quickly gathered in the sky, staring at the hunters on the mountain below.

Zhu Xuefeng was stunned and quickly ordered to stop the attack. If birds of prey attacked humans, especially enhanced birds of prey, the consequences would be disastrous.

Four white-eyed buzzards circled in the air in dissatisfaction and cried angrily, but they had to obey the order and scattered to look for food. Only one was left, which flew to a higher place and continued to circle out of the range.

"What a pity. Such a good opportunity was wasted. I am too old. I haven't touched a gun for many years. My hands are not good enough. I am embarrassed to see you all laugh at me."

The man casually threw the gun to the follower next to him and brushed off the smoke on his body.

"No one can hit you from such a long distance. Don't be so modest. We all know that you were a sharpshooter in the army."

The man was very pleased with the words of the attendant. "What a pity. I have never seen such a white-eyed kite. It is a rare opportunity. Lao Li, there is nothing we can do. Let's continue to walk inside and see if we can get lucky and encounter some good things to have as an extra dish for dinner."

Under the shade of the tree, a middle-aged man walked out with a smile, also holding a gun in his hand.

"If I hadn't been so greedy, I would have let Chief Guo take the first two shots and I would have probably shot him down. In the end, it was me who wasted a great opportunity."

"Hahahaha, Lao Li, you are really modest. We are actually the same."

Zhu Xuefeng on this side had just stopped and was using the circling white-eyed buzzard to look for the person who had fired the gun. He had clearly seen the man who had fired the gun, and that man was none other than Guo Junjie's father. The people who were accompanying him were all under a big tree, so he couldn't see them clearly. After observing for a while, he found that the group had disappeared into the dense forest, so Zhu Xuefeng had to look away.

"Brother, what's the matter? Let's go."

In the distance, the younger brothers and sisters were happily walking down the mountain. Not seeing their eldest brother following them, the fourth brother turned around and called out.

"Here they come." Zhu Xuefeng, carrying a rabbit and a load on his shoulders, chased after them in a few steps.

It seems that Deputy Director Guo came here to hunt and relax. He really has the leisure time. Since the white-eyed buzzard was not injured, Zhu Xuefeng did not take this scene to heart.

After climbing over the last hill, the rest were mountain roads, all of which were continuous Xiapu roads. Zhu Xuefeng put down his burden, but his body, which had not fully recovered, did not feel relaxed, after all, he still weighed several dozen kilograms.

"Old Four, bring the bamboo over here."

They tied several bags to the front end of the bamboo, lifted it up, and dragged the other end on the ground. It immediately felt a lot lighter, and Zhu Xuefeng clapped his hands.

"Old Four, let's just go down the mountain like this."

The fourth brother dragged the bamboo with ease. The smooth bamboo seemed to have little friction on the mountain road and it was effortless.

"Brother, this is a good idea. Why didn't I think of it?"

"Let's go. We've been climbing the mountain for a whole day. Let's eat some dry food and go home quickly."

After spending a few days happily in the mountain valley with his younger sister, Zhu Xuefeng left, taking his cousin Zhu Weiguo with him. With the Zhu family's quota and the employment certificate from the steel rolling mill, Zhu Weiguo successfully became a person who ate planned grain, and his household registration was also moved to the Zhu family.

"Godmother, this is my cousin, Zhu Weiguo."

It took me a whole day to complete the formalities. After dinner, I took my younger brother and sister to report to my godmother's house. In the afternoon, I took my younger brother to the street office, but I didn't see my godmother. It was Secretary Xu who helped me to handle the formalities.

"Hey, here you come, come in quickly, come in quickly."

Zhu Xuefeng put down the wild vegetables and mushrooms in his hand, said hello to his younger sister, and slipped into the bedroom to take care of the two twins.

After a while, I heard cheerful laughter and Qin Jingru's reminder. "Hey, Miss Xiaomei, be gentle, be gentle."

"Don't mind me, I'm just like that. I go crazy when I hear about coming to see the twins." Zhu Xuefeng said with a smile when he saw that his sister was a little crazy.

"What are you talking about? Have Weiguo completed all the formalities? Kid, why are you standing here? Come and sit. You'll feel just like home here. Look at your sister Xiaomei. Don't be so awkward." Director Wang said as he arranged for Zhu Weiguo to sit down.

"It's done. Secretary Xu helped with the procedures at the street office. You were not there at the time." "Oh, I went to visit a few needy families and sat for a while longer." Director Wang looked at the boy next to Zhu Xuefeng. He was good, looked honest and not the kind of person who would cause trouble.

"Xiao Ru, pour me a few glasses of water."

Qin Jingru responded from the inner room and quickly poured three glasses of water. Zhu Xuefeng didn't hesitate and drank it in one gulp. It was a hot day and he had been running all day and was short of water. He looked at his brother who seemed a little at a loss.

"Xiao Ru, thank you. Can you please have another cup? Wei Guo, do I need to teach you how to drink water?"

Qin Jingru looked at the silly boy and covered her mouth with her hands while laughing. Director Wang also looked at her and smiled, and then she ran away with a smile.

"Drink it, look at your brother, this is the right thing to do."

Zhu Weiguo then picked up the cup and took a sip, but his eyes unconsciously looked at the little girl who was refilling her elder brother's water.

"Have you completed the procedures at the factory?"

"Director Yang specially arranged someone to take us around for a day and completed all the formalities. He will be allowed to get familiar with the environment over the next two days and will be able to start work next Monday."

"Well, you have to study hard when you go to work. You have to learn from your elder brother and use your brain more in everything you do. You have to study hard and ask more questions."

"Director Wang, I will. My father said that I cannot embarrass my brother." Zhu Weiguo finally spoke and expressed his attitude.

"Your name is Weiguo, right? Your brother is going to study abroad. If you have any problems in the future, just come to the neighborhood office to find me. You can also come directly to my house in the evening. Don't be so polite."

Zhu Weiguo didn't know how to answer, so he could only nod in agreement, which made Director Wang laugh again. The three of them chatted for a while, and then Uncle Kong arrived at his home. After a brief introduction, they were able to get to know each other.

Seeing that Zhu Weiguo was still a little embarrassed, Zhu Xuefeng smiled and said, "Go and see the twins with your sister."

Zhu Weiguo then stood up with a sense of relief and went into the bedroom. Zhu Xuefeng briefly reported on his studies and also talked about Director Jiang's analysis of the arrangements for him after returning to China.

"Director Jiang's analysis makes sense. In my opinion, it will be difficult for you to return to the steel mill. No matter where you go, you will still make contributions. Don't think too much."

Director Wang agreed with Director Jiang's judgment. According to her, it would be a good idea to stay at Peking University and continue his studies while doing scientific research.

"What your teacher said makes sense. What do you think?"

Zhu Xuefeng took a sip of water and said, "I obey the organization's arrangements. I have no problem with teaching, scientific research, and serving production."

After visiting the godmother and the two little ones, Zhu Xuefeng was reporting Guli Nazha's situation to Uncle Kong who was seeing her off.

"I didn't expect this to happen. This is the first time I've failed a mission in all these years. It's a good thing that this little girl cares about her motherland."

Seeing that Uncle Kong also approved of Guli Nazha, Zhu Xuefeng felt that there was a chance.

"Then is there any hope for what I'm talking about? She has received training there, so maybe she has some methods that we can refer to."

Uncle Kong was not as optimistic as Zhu Xuefeng imagined, and frowned.

"It's a difficult problem. To be honest, if she wants to come back, we will definitely welcome her. This is her homeland. But your suggestion is definitely not acceptable. Given her father's situation, it goes without saying that he will not pass the political review. So don't even mention this idea."

"Uncle Kong, I know that, but isn't this a special case? If she comes back, without the care of the organization, I think you know that she would have a hard time moving forward."

"Hey, what you said is true, but there is nothing we can do about it. If she comes back, it is true, but even so, we cannot interfere. This is discipline."

Zhu Xuefeng was a little disappointed. He originally wanted to find a way out for Guli Nazha, but it seems that some things are really unavoidable. This idea can only be shelved. He will discuss it next time he meets Guli Nazha. If it really doesn't work, there will be no problem getting her to Hong Kong. It depends on whether Guli Nazha is willing. It can be regarded as a roundabout way of returning. She can still go home after waiting for more than 30 years.

"Okay, Uncle Kong, please stay. I understand."

"Oh, by the way, there is something you need to pay attention to."

Uncle Kong hesitated for a moment, but still whispered a few words of advice. Zhu Xuefeng smiled and caught up with his younger brother and sister and went home together. It turned out that Uncle Kong asked him to pay more attention to the news and reports about the Bald Eagle when he was abroad. He vaguely asked him to pay attention to whether there was a major accident in the navy of the Bald Eagle. This was the cause of the incident.

The compound was bustling early in the morning, with every household preparing breakfast. Children who were reluctant to get up were scolded and cried loudly. This was the busiest time of the day in the compound. Zhu Xuefeng brought breakfast into the yard.

"Xiao Feng, do you have relatives coming to your house?"

The third uncle stopped Zhu Xuefeng and asked in a low voice, "Yesterday my daughter came home and said that a young man came across the street and lived in the south wing. She heard him call Zhu Xuemei "third sister."

"Hey, good morning, uncle. My younger brother is here. He will live in my house from now on and his household registration has been moved here. He came back too late yesterday and didn't have time to tell you."

"Oh, going to school or work?" The third uncle didn't know what was going on, but the Zhu family suddenly had one more person, so as the third uncle, he had to ask.

"Don't spread the word. I'm here to take over. I'll be working in the steel mill from now on."

The third uncle felt emotional, thinking that this should be the one to take over Lao Zhu's job. This indicator of their family has not been used for several years. The third uncle has been wondering if he could help the second uncle to get a raise, but now he has no hope.

"Oh, that's good, that's good. Don't worry, your uncle is not a talkative person. Besides, there's nothing to say about succession. No one will gossip."

Seeing that the third uncle seemed a little lonely, Zhu Xuefeng didn't understand. He might think that since his younger brother came, he would not let their fourth daughter accompany his younger sister. Their family had a housing shortage, but the eldest brother had moved out, so it shouldn't be so difficult.

"What's the matter? I went out so early in the morning and I feel like I lost my soul."

Seeing his wife coming back after throwing away the garbage, he looked worried and even bent his waist, the third aunt asked in a low voice. The third uncle looked at his wife, then at the children who were washing, especially the second child, and pulled his wife into the bedroom.

"This is all my fault. It's my fault. I insisted on letting the second child finish high school. Now, the succession quota of Old Zhu has been used by Young Zhu."

The three aunts were stunned. "No way, these three brothers and sisters are all capable people and are going to college. Who would use them? Tell me quickly, what's going on."

The third uncle sat down on the kang and said, "Man proposes, God disposes. I thought their family definitely didn't need it, so I thought I'd wait until my second son graduated from high school before going to their house to beg. Our two families are close now, so it should be a safe bet. I didn't expect something went wrong."

The third aunt was anxious and asked in a low voice, "What's the mistake? Tell me now. You are killing me with your half-finished words."

"Xiao Zhu said he was his younger brother. I just thought we should keep quiet and not remind others. I didn't expect that we would be one step behind. Well, we have to find another way to deal with the second brother."

(End of this chapter)