Restarting life in Siheyuan

Zhu Xuefeng shook his head. "It's hard to get into the steel mill now. It's probably very difficult for you to get in. Don't you go home every few days? You know your father's situation well. Don't run away. Go to work honestly."

"Then how can you get in?" Xia Yuhong retorted unconvinced, and Zhu Xuefeng said with a smile.

"I'm from the steel mill, and many workers know me. Besides, there's not only a joint defense team at the gate, but also a security department. With Junior Sister Lin here, I'll be fine if I go in."

"Junior Sister Lin won't let me in?" Xia Yuhong was still not convinced. She was also a child of the steel mill, and had followed her man into the steel mill many times before. Why couldn't she even go in now? She also knew that there were more joint defense team members at the gate now.

"Don't cause trouble for others. Go to work honestly. I won't be back at noon. Wait for me to come back for dinner."

"Okay." Regardless of whether Xia Yuhong was reluctant or not, Zhu Xuefeng finished his breakfast, said hello to the two old men, pushed the cart out of the yard, and soon disappeared in the heavy snow.

Passing by the commissioned store, Zhu Xuefeng hesitated for a moment, but finally stopped the car and went in to chat with Qian Chuanzi for a while. It turned out that Qian Chuanzi was fine here and everything was normal at home.

"Brother Feng, are you still buying jade articles? Some have arrived recently, and they look good." Qian Chuanzi couldn't help asking when he saw Zhu Xuefeng was about to leave.

Jade? Of course Zhu Xuefeng didn't need it. Now he had the jade mines in his hands, so why would he need this stuff? Seeing Zhu Xuefeng shaking his head, Qian Chuanzi was a little disappointed. He had sent a lot of jades these days, but he didn't expect that Brother Feng didn't need them anymore. Back then, he even wanted scraps.

"Brother Feng, there are other good things. Are you interested?" Qian Chuanzi thought that there were many other good things, and Brother Feng might be interested in them. Brother Feng had helped him so much, so he always wanted to help Brother Feng a little.

Upon hearing that there were other good things, Zhu Xuefeng hesitated for a moment. The two chatted in whispers for a while, left some money and left in a hurry.

When they arrived at the factory outside Dongzhimen, the gate of the steel rolling mill was closed. It was past working time. The people on duty and the newly set up joint defense team were all huddled in the duty room. They were obviously divided into two groups, chatting about their own things and ignoring each other. When they saw Zhu Xuefeng coming, several people from the security department hurriedly opened the small door and greeted him warmly. Several members of the joint defense team just glanced at him, and when they saw it was Zhu Xuefeng, they were too lazy to get up and let him enter the factory.

After saying goodbye to the security guard, Zhu Xuefeng went straight to Lao Yang's resting place. He had been in such a frenzy last night that he got up a little late today and stayed in the commissioned store for a while. It was already late and it was probably time for Lao Yang to rest.

After entering the factory, it was indeed different from the outside. Each unit in the factory had a responsibility area. The snow in front of the main workshop doors and on the factory roads had been cleared. A thin layer of carbon slag was also laid on the main roads. From time to time, flatbed trucks carrying materials passed by. It seemed that the factory was still operating normally.

When I arrived at the old place, I saw from afar Lao Yang, holding a long broom under a big tree, hunching his body with his back to me. Opposite him should be a man, and the two seemed to be chatting about something.

The man looked up and around from time to time. Zhu Xuefeng smiled. This man in a blue cotton-padded jacket must be none other than Sha Zhu. He rode over quickly. The movement of the small pedal obviously startled the two men. They quickly moved behind a big tree. The small pedal stopped in a sheltered place not far away. Zhu Xuefeng walked over with a smile.

"You kid, you scared your brother." Sha Zhu jumped out and punched him on the head.

"What's wrong? Have you done anything wrong?" Zhu Xuefeng smiled and leaned over, brushing off the snowflakes on his body.

"What a coincidence that you two came to see an old man like me today."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu just looked at Zhu Xuefeng with a silly smile and didn't say anything. Zhu Xuefeng also just smiled. Sha Zhu still had some thoughts.

Seeing that there was no one around, Lao Yang took out a small bottle from his arms and took a sip. A strong aroma of wine hit him. "Take it easy. If you smell the alcohol, those bastards will get into trouble again." Sha Zhu reminded him in a low voice.

"What's there to be afraid of? It's so cold and you're not allowed to wear a cotton-padded jacket. What's the point of drinking some wine? It's just to warm up the body. I say, Zhuzi, this wine is from Xinghua Village, right?"

Old Yang didn't care. He stretched his body and took another sip.

"Okay, you are knowledgeable. This is from Xinghua Village. That's all. I will give you something else next time."

Old Yang was not wearing a cotton jacket, only a factory uniform, which indeed looked very thin. On his feet were a pair of simple cloth shoes, which were also issued by the factory. Zhu Xuefeng felt a surge of anger in his heart and took out suede leather shoes from his backpack.

"Uncle Yang, put this on." He took out a cotton vest and said, "Put this on too."

Old Yang nodded and put away the small bottle of wine, which was only a small bottle of 2 liang. "Zhu Zi, you should go back quickly. You have been out for quite some time. Be careful that someone will report you. Thank you for the wine."

Sha Zhu took out a few handfuls of fried peanuts from his pocket and stuffed them into Lao Yang's pocket. "Okay, you two can chat for a while. I have to go. Drink this wine slowly. I'll get some more in two days. It's such a bad weather. We have to drink a little."

Watching Sha Zhu walk away, Lao Yang sighed, "Time reveals a person's true character. This wine is really heart-warming."

"Uncle Yang, these people don't allow you to wear cotton clothes?"

"It doesn't matter. I wore even less than this when I crossed the snowy mountains. Besides, I can handle the wine. Put away your leather boots. I have some at home, but these bad boys won't let me wear them."

"Damn, this is just to make things difficult for me." Zhu Xuefeng was a little indignant. "Uncle Yang, don't worry about it. Just put it on. I'll see who dares to ask you to take it off."

Old Yang smiled and patted Zhu Xuefeng on the shoulder, "When God gives a man a great responsibility, he will surely work hard..."

"Come on, come on, Uncle Yang, don't argue with me. Someone else must have taught me that. It's a gift of great responsibility, not a death sentence. If you don't wear it, it's freezing cold, and you'll be dead if you don't survive the winter."

The winter in the old city at that time was much colder than in later times. It was common for the temperature to be below ten degrees Celsius during the day. If you had to stay outdoors, you would have to play ball for several days, let alone the whole winter.

Old Yang smiled and said, "Old Chen specifically encouraged me to say this. Haha, these bad boys want me to beg for mercy and admit my mistakes. Bah, they are dreaming. Xiaofeng, don't worry, I won't be frozen to death. Your uncle really struggled through the sea of ​​snow back then. It was colder than this and he was always hungry, but he still drove away the Japanese and reactionaries." As he said that, he patted his chest, making a loud bang.

"With your uncle's physique, even if the Japanese come again, we can still deal with him."

"But you were young back then, not like you are now. Change them quickly." Lao Yang's experience was his pride, and he felt proud when he talked about this. Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to pull Lao Yang, first helping him take off his work clothes and put on the cotton vest inside, and then helping him change his shoes.

Old Yang hurriedly stopped him, "It will be much warmer if you put on a cotton vest. These shoes are too eye-catching. I have to take them off even if I put them on. Don't worry about it. I know my body condition well. I'm fine." "That won't do. People get cold from the feet. These feet must be kept warm. If anyone dares to force you to take them off, tell me or I'll punish them."

Zhu Xuefeng was angry but also fearless. He was not afraid of revenge or confrontation. Once Xia Yuhong left after the Spring Festival, he would be alone in the city and no one could threaten him.

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng squatting down to help take off his shoes, Lao Yang had no choice but to quickly bend down, put on suede leather shoes, and stomped his feet. Sure enough, he felt a lot warmer.

"Well, that's it, kid. Ah, but it's easier to call you Uncle Yang."

"What? Do you still want me to call you factory director? You're dismissed, haha." Zhu Xuefeng clapped his hands and stood up.

Zhu Xuefeng also brought some wine, but since Sha Zhu had given it to him, there was nowhere to hide it on Lao Yang, so he didn't take it out. Instead, he took out a small bag of chocolates and stuffed it into Lao Yang's pocket.

"This stuff can replenish energy. You have to eat it even if you are not used to it."

Old Yang patted his pocket and said, "I know this. It's a foreign thing. I captured it in the war. Well, you see I've changed my shoes and put on a cotton vest. Don't worry. I have nothing to worry about. I still have to wait until the day of victory. Let's go."

Old Yang urged him again and again, so Zhu Xuefeng had to ride away. He took the pedal to the logistics department and went to look for Old Zhang. The other people who were cleaning the factory area were also under the management of the logistics department. They had a place to rest, but they didn't let Old Yang go to the house to take shelter. Zhu Xuefeng decided to ask Director Zhang what the attitude of Old Ma in the Security Department was now. Why was there an extra joint defense team at the gate? And who was responsible for mistreating Old Yang like this? "

"Old Ma, hey, of course he supports Old Yang, but he is just a director. Although Li Huaide can't do anything to him, it is still easy to set up a joint defense team to check and balance him."

Zhu Xuefeng nodded. The Security Department had multiple management departments and could not control the steel rolling mill. Lao Ma was still working in the Municipal Bureau.

"Uncle Zhang, was it you who arranged for Old Yang to be tortured?"

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and said that cleaning was part of logistics. Although he didn't believe that Lao Zhang would take advantage of someone's misfortune, it didn't stop him from asking this question deliberately. Sure enough, Director Zhang got anxious when he heard this.

"Xiao Feng, what nonsense are you talking about? Is your uncle such a person? You really wronged your uncle. I found a room specifically for Lao Yang to store his tools and rest, but you also know that Lao Yang, first, does not want to implicate others, and second, he is so stubborn. I gave him the key, but he only stored his tools and did not rest."

Old Zhang blushed and pulled him to see the special tool room. Through the glass, there were indeed a lot of tools inside, but there was also a small camp bed folded in the corner.

"You see, there's nothing I can do about Old Yang's suffering, but he is just like that. What can I do? I can't just tie him up and let him rest in the tool room."

"Uncle Zhang, don't worry. I know it's definitely not you. Tell me, why didn't you let Old Yang go in to rest and didn't let him wear a cotton coat? Which bastard arranged this?"

"Hey, this is a long story, let me tell you..."

The original initial plan was to send Lao Yang to a rural area in the suburbs for reform, but Li Huaide thought that Lao Yang was too old and should just stay in the factory and sweep the floor. This received support from many people, and the matter was settled.

However, when arranging departmental supervision, they encountered difficulties. Everyone said that he should accept the reform voluntarily and there was no need for supervision. However, this obviously did not meet the requirements. It was Deputy Director Huang of the Materials Department who took the initiative to take over the task of supervision.

Zhu Xuefeng decided to find some time to have a good chat with Director Huang about life. He was thinking about how to find an opportunity when this opportunity came to him.

There was a commotion outside the office, mixed with shouting and roaring. Director Zhang opened the window and looked out in confusion.

"Could something have happened to Old Yang? I saw many people heading towards the place where he was resting."

Zhu Xuefeng's heart skipped a beat. It was a public holiday, so it was possible. He quickly put down his teacup and said, "Uncle Zhang, I'll go check it out. Don't show up!"

Director Zhang struggled for a while, but finally said resolutely, "No, I have to go and take a look, or you kid will look down on me."

Zhu Xuefeng stopped him and said, "Uncle Zhang, it's better for you to stay. If you go to help, you might get into trouble. It's better for you to take care of Old Yang privately.

Director Zhang then sat down dejectedly. Zhu Xuefeng did not linger any longer. He opened the door and rushed out. Sure enough, something happened over there. From a distance, he saw several old workers standing in front to protect them, and a dozen people on the opposite side were waving their hands and shouting.

"Who told you to wear suede shoes? Are you accepting a transformation or enjoying yourself? Look at us. Whoever has leather shoes, take them off!"

"Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!" A dozen people actually created the momentum of thousands of troops. It was during the holiday, and the commotion here caused more workers to rush over after hearing the news. They quickly split into two factions and started to curse each other.

The verbal abuse soon turned into a shoving match. Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate further, Lao Yang stood up, raised his two leather shoes and yelled.

"Alright, stop it, I'm taking off my clothes. We're all from the same factory, do you want to fight?"

Lao Yang's loud roar attracted everyone's attention, and everyone stopped unconsciously. Several workers who were blocking the front then discovered that the old factory director had taken off his shoes and was standing on the snow in the back. They couldn't help but feel sorry for Lao Yang, and several of them shed tears.

"Are you still human? How has the factory manager wronged you? Tell me honestly, wouldn't it hurt you to let the factory manager, who is older than your father, stand in the snow?"

An older worker stood up and bitterly accused the group of people who were causing the trouble. The old worker's righteous words seemed to have some effect, and some people quietly retreated, but more than a dozen people who were looking for trouble still gathered in the front, and one of them, a man with a gloomy face, shouted with disdain.

"Don't bring this up. He's a ZZ faction member, a Triadist. He deserves to freeze to death. You can't tell the enemy from us, and you treat the enemy as ruthlessly as autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves! Hand over your shoes."

Old Yang smiled bitterly, raised his hand high, and threw the leather shoes out. The man looked at the angry workers blocking the way in front of him with a grim smile. He was about to raise his arms and shout slogans, but he saw a young man holding two leather shoes, separating the crowd and walking towards him. Ignoring everyone's gazes, he walked straight to Old Yang and took out a pair of cotton socks out of nowhere.

"Uncle Yang, change into a pair of dry socks and put on your shoes." (End of this chapter)