Restarting life in Siheyuan

The younger sister put down the plate, stole a bite of food, licked her fingers, and didn't even look up. "No, the two chickens are old and don't lay eggs, and the fourth one kept complaining about wasting food. I had no choice but to let him take them back home during the Chinese New Year last year."

Zhu Xuefeng understood that it was impossible to let her younger sister eat the chickens she raised, so she was willing to send them back home with great pain. This was her biggest concession. Now there was no one at home during the day, and only the fourth brother came back at night, so it was indeed inappropriate to raise chickens anymore.

"Don't bother with the food. You're already an adult. By the way, tomorrow we'll have your two sisters-in-law and we'll go to the compound to have a reunion."

The younger sister raised her head and giggled, then asked again, "Then how about taking the fourth child?"

Zhu Xuefeng could only shake his head at his younger sister's mischief. Hey, he only has one sister, so he should spoil her. "Old Four, don't let him go. Let him know that it's inappropriate."

The younger sister didn't ask any more questions. The two of them filled the table with dishes, including a plate of stewed white radish with pork ribs, a plate of braised crucian carp, an egg with shredded pork and hot peppers, stir-fried three-diced vegetables, three-white pork in fermented rice, stir-fried shredded potatoes, a plate of pickled vegetables and a plate of fried peanuts. It was very sumptuous.

It's not that there are no better ingredients, it's that they were cooked in the compound and couldn't be brought out. However, this was already quite excessive in that era. They were just home-cooked dishes, and he was studying abroad, so no one could say anything.

Sure enough, the three members of Sha Zhu's family were stunned as soon as they entered the door. "Brother, this is too much. You didn't spend a lot of time on this, did you?"

"It's nothing. Everyone take a seat. Little sister, go see why the fourth brother hasn't come back yet."

The younger sister looked at the time and saw that the fourth brother should indeed be home. She said hello to He Yushui and left the yard.

"Xiao Feng, you are really good. I didn't expect you to set up a whole table by yourself." He Yushui was not polite and pulled his sister-in-law to sit down.

"It's OK. It's just a little trouble. It's been a while since I entertained you all. I have to thank you all for helping to take care of my little sister and my fourth child. But, Brother Zhuzi, you are right. I really spent the whole afternoon here, especially the stew. The bones took a long time to stew. They must be tasty. Haha, let's try them later. They say that people eat radishes in spring and ginger in summer. I stewed some radishes specially for you all."

"Okay, but that's not how you eat radishes in spring. Also, it's ok to just have shredded pork with hot peppers, but why do you put it together with fried eggs?"

Sha Zhu habitually began to evaluate with the eyes of a chef, pointing at the fried egg with shredded pork and hot peppers, which was not in his style.

"Isn't there too little shredded pork? I thought about changing it to our family's signature dish. This way, it saves oil. Don't be disgusted by it because it's not presentable. My little sister likes it very much. Our second child eats an extra bowl of rice every time we have this dish."

"Okay, I'll have to try it later. I can smell the spiciness. This dish must be spicy."

"Team leader, you should burn the pepper first." Lou Xiao'e was used to calling the team leader, and he popped up without noticing.

"Well, after burning it in the pot for a while, the peppers have less water, but the spiciness increases by 30%. Let's taste them later. Come on, don't wait, pour the wine first. I want to taste Brother Zhuzi's good wine."

Sha Zhu was also looking at the table full of dishes. His stomach started growling, so he rubbed his hands and sat down. He then looked at the wine jar on the cabinet, stood up again, hugged the jar, and broke the mud seal. Immediately, a strong aroma of wine filled the room.

"What a good wine, so fragrant." Zhu Xuefeng couldn't help but praise it. The aroma is rich and elegant, giving people a fresh feeling. This is a typical good wine with a light fragrance.

"Of course not. I spent so much effort to get it that I can't bear to drink it. It's really good wine now that you're back. Let's all have a taste later."

"Come on, you're showing off with just a little wine. Our team leader has been abroad and has seen all kinds of good things. Pour it quickly. You're the only one who talks too much nonsense." Lou Xiao'e said to Sha Zhu with a smile. Sha Zhu just smiled and nodded at Zhu Xuefeng without saying anything else.

Zhu Xuefeng just smiled. This couple was quite interesting. It was obvious that Sha Zhu obeyed the orders. Sha Zhu looked around and found no wine utensils on the table. He put down the wine jar and directly found the wine cup and wine pot in the cabinet. He went to the kitchen to rinse them and found that there was still half a pot of stew left. He was amazed.

"Brother, your table is more sumptuous than the old lady's birthday banquet. No problem, wait for your fourth son to come back and drink together!"

The wine glasses were distributed according to the number of people, and he talked while pouring the wine. It turned out that in the second half of last year, the whole hospital came together to celebrate the 80th birthday of the deaf old lady. Every household contributed something, and the old man and Sha Zhu took care of it and set up several tables.

"By the way, Brother Zhuzi, why don't you serve some food to the old lady first and bring it over. There are a lot of dishes left."

Knowing that the couple was also responsible for taking care of the old lady's meals, Zhu Xuefeng took the initiative to mention it.

Unexpectedly, Sha Zhu shook his head and said, "These dishes are too hard. The old lady can't stand it. Alas, the old lady's body is not good enough."

"What's going on? Wasn't everything fine when I left last year?"

"Well, it all started with that birthday party. The old lady was happy that day, so she drank a little more and ate a lot, which is why she got sick."

Sha Zhu sighed. He was the purchasing manager and the head chef at that time, so he had plenty of money. Although the whole hospital didn't receive much money, he and Lou Xiao'e contributed a lot to the old lady. The old lady was so happy that she suffered from indigestion. Since then, her appetite has decreased and she is basically unwilling to eat meat anymore.

"The old lady now eats some porridge with vegetables every day, and occasionally adds an egg. She doesn't need Zhuzi to cook any separate dishes anymore." Lou Xiao'e added. She also felt sorry for the old lady. The old lady was really good to her and Sha Zhu.

"Brother, we are back." The younger sister was shouting outside. After a while, she dragged the fourth sister in. The fourth sister was still blushing and couldn't raise his head. He looked at the eldest brother and stammered, calling him "brother", and then greeted everyone.

"Wash your hands and sit down quickly. We've been waiting for you for a long time." Zhu Xuefeng didn't ask the fourth brother what was the matter. This guy's face was a little red. There must be something difficult to say. With so many people around, it's better to give him some face.

Seeing the six people on the other side having a lively time, the third aunt asked in a low voice, "My dear, Xiao Zhu finally came back for a while, why don't you help ask about Lao Er's affairs?"

The third uncle glanced at the other side and sighed, "Last year, someone said he could help me get a temporary worker quota, but the second brother didn't like it. Now he regrets it. How can I ask for this?"

After saying that, the third uncle took off his glasses and put them on the table. "As for the second son's behavior, I really don't care. He is neither high nor low. If he had worked as a temporary worker in the steel mill last year, I could have asked him to pass on a message this year so that I could ask for a job. Wouldn't that make him a regular employee?"

The third aunt looked at the door opposite again and sighed, "The child is immature, we can't be angry with him."

"Then what do you say we should do? Every time they come back, they bring us something. Every time I see them coming back, I go to their house to ask them to do something for me, but I always come back empty-handed. Last time, they showed me a way, but the second child didn't appreciate it. I can't bring myself to do it. I want to let him go by himself. He always says that he's already working and he's an adult. He should speak for himself. No matter what he says, I'm not going this time."

After the third uncle finished speaking, he seemed to still be very upset. Seeing that the third aunt was still busy, the dinner would not be served on the table for a while, but the opposite side was very lively, and he felt very upset.

“I’m going out for a while and will be back soon.” He put on his coat and went out without waiting for the third aunt to say anything. The third aunt was a little dazed when she saw the head of the household going out with a sullen face. It was not until she smelled a burnt smell coming from the pot that she suddenly remembered the food in the pot, “It’s bad, it’s bad, what should I do…”.

Seeing the third brother sticking his head out of the room, he scolded him in a bad mood, "Hurry up, you can't have dinner until you finish your homework, and you dawdle every day." Seeing that his mother was obviously in a bad mood, Yan Jiekuang had to retract his head and secretly complained to his second brother in his heart. He is already a sophomore in high school this year and will face graduation next year. He knows he has no chance of getting into college, and is also secretly thinking about working.

"Old Four, how do you think Third Brother treats you?"

Yan Jiedi tilted her head and stopped writing. "Third brother, just tell me what's the matter. This trick of yours hasn't worked for a few years."

Yan Jiekuang was almost choked by Yan Jiedi's words, and after a while he whispered, "Little sister, there is something you need to help Third Brother with. Third Brother will remember you for the rest of his life."

"How can I help you? Don't bother me. I have an exam in two months." Yan Jie Di was a little impatient. She was the youngest in the family and should be the most favored. But it was different in their family. The four brothers treated her equally. Her brothers never took care of her and always snatched good things from her. Especially last year when she lived with sister Xiaomei, she always had snacks in her pocket and her two brothers always took them away without any hesitation.

"Fourth brother, aren't you good friends with Xiaomei next door? Your second brother will also have to go to work next year. Ask her to help you and talk to her brother. Think of a way for your third brother. Your second brother doesn't want to be a temporary worker at the steel mill, but I am willing. If it works out, I will give you 10% of my first month's salary. How about that? Then you will have money in your pocket and can buy whatever you want."

Yan Jiedi held her chin with her hand and hesitated for a moment. This was not an easy task, but one cent was still two dollars, and she had never earned more than one dime in her life.

"No, 20%. I'll help you try 20%. I don't care if it works or not, but you have to give me 50 cents first."

Yan Jiekuang stared at the boss and said, "Fifty cents, why don't you go and rob? I'm also in school, okay? Where would I get fifty cents?"

"Don't think I don't know that Mom gives you five cents for breakfast from time to time, but you never eat it, so you've saved more than a dollar."

Yan Jiekuang was horrified. How could his little sister know such a secret? He made up so many lies to cheat for five cents for breakfast. He said that there was an activity at school and he needed to arrive early, and he didn't have time to eat at home. He went hungry many times and saved up one dollar and twenty-five cents for several years. If his parents knew about this, they would definitely take it back. He would never be able to earn that five cents even if he went hungry again.

"How did you know..."

Yan Jiedi was about to speak when she heard her father cough outside the house, so she quickly shut up.

"Let's talk about it next time..." Yan Jiekuang hurriedly whispered, Yan Jiedi narrowed her eyes, smiled and nodded...

After Sha Zhu's family left, the younger sister instructed the fourth brother to pack up and pulled the eldest brother into the north wing.

"Brother, I discovered a secret of the fourth brother. I'm telling you. I went to look for him just now and saw him..."

"Did you see who it was?"

The younger sister shook her head. "When I went over, they had just separated and were heading north along the alley. I didn't see clearly."

Zhu Xuefeng was a little surprised after hearing this. The fourth brother looked honest, so how come he had only been in the city for less than two years and already a young girl had fallen in love with him? But then he thought about it, the fourth brother was a grown man already, so this seemed normal.

"Let him be. We don't know if it will work out or not. They are both still young. Who knows what will happen in the future? Don't interfere."

"Ok, I know."

"What about you? A young man said no." Zhu Xuefeng took the opportunity to ask. Xiaomei suddenly became anxious, "Brother, what are you talking about? I'm in school, okay? I thought everyone was the same as you, so you found several people for me to go to school..."

Suddenly realizing that he had let the cat out of the bag, he quickly covered his mouth and looked around in panic.

"Okay, no one."

The younger sister felt sympathetic and said, "Brother, I won't talk nonsense again."

Zhu Xuefeng felt a little ashamed. He touched his little sister's head and comforted her.

"It was my fault, big brother. Okay, let me check your acupuncture skills. If you have any questions, ask me."

My younger sister has become interested in it. Over the past six months, she feels that she has made a lot of progress and has come to like this method. However, there are indeed many things that she is not clear about and no one to ask. Now, she is finally back with her elder brother.

...

In the steel mill director's office, Zhu Xuefeng was ready to leave. He had just had a drink with Uncle Lu yesterday. Although Director Lu had been dismissed, a new director had not yet been appointed. Strangely enough, old Lu was still doing his job.

"The more I do this job, the less I understand it. Alas." Old Yang let out a long sigh.

According to the current trend, the vehicle factory is bound to be separated and become an independent business. This is no longer something the steel rolling mill can decide. In the past two years, more than 3,000 people have been transferred to the steel rolling mill to support the third-line construction. According to Lao Yang's estimation, after more than 5,000 people from the vehicle factory are separated, there will only be about 6,000 people left in the steel rolling mill, a greatly reduced scale. The glory of the previous years is gone. Lao Yang feels a little frustrated, and always feels that the steel rolling mill has failed in his hands.

"Leader, what are the opinions of the department?"

Old Yang was a little dejected. "What can the ministry say? Li Huaide's move this time was supported by the higher-ups. What can the ministry say? Even Old Chen advised me to do my original steel mill tasks well first and wait for an opportunity. But there is no such good opportunity."

If the vehicle factory is really separated, a large number of resources, technical backbones and skilled workers will be taken away. The steel rolling mill has heavily tilted resources in all aspects towards the development of the vehicle factory.

"Director, let's put this aside. The Materials Research Institute is still there. It is the face of the steel mill. As long as the institute continues to produce new results, the steel mill will have a lot of room to go."

Old Yang smiled and said, "That's right. It's okay. If there are no workers left, we will recruit more. If there are backbone personnel who leave, we will train more. Nothing can stump the steel mill. There is still a long way to go."

Zhu Xuefeng left, and his first stop was Hong Kong. Unfortunately, he arrived a little late. With the help of Master Yang, Qiu Hong had successfully broken through. Looking at Qiu Hong smiling at him, Zhu Xuefeng was frightened. He couldn't beat this woman again. (End of this chapter)