The booming era begins with the director of the Propaganda Department!

Chapter 371 Courage!

After hearing Zhang Shenfei's request, Manager Bai clapped his hands in joy: "You want an electric fan? Isn't this Qiao'er's mother opening the door for Qiao'er? Is Qiao'er home?
Although we don’t have East German electric fans in our store, we do have a Westinghouse copper-blade fan from the United States, which was produced in 1923. Although it is a bit old, the wind is very strong, and it is especially suitable for use in the hot autumn weather.”

Having said that, he led Zhang Shenfei upstairs to the trust store.

The common goods in their store are displayed on the counter on the first floor. You can look at them and buy them at will.

The second floor is not accessible to ordinary people. There are antique furniture, jade antiques, as well as scarce supplies such as electric fans and washing machines.

These things will sell well, and many of them are even scarce. If they were put downstairs, they would be snapped up immediately.

In the planned economy era, it was always a seller's market. How could anyone sell to them? So all these were placed upstairs and sold to the right customers.

As for what is appropriate? It goes without saying.

Zhang Shenfei followed Manager Bai upstairs and sat on the rosewood armchair to rest.

The trust shop has been nationalized, so there are naturally no free snacks and tea like before, but fortunately the service is much better than that in the restaurant.

Not long after, a waiter came over holding an electric fan that was completely black except for the golden cover.

"It originally used 110V electricity, but the previous owner modified it so it can use ordinary household electricity." Manager Bai took the electric fan and introduced it to Zhang Shenfei with a smile.

Plug it in and try it out, the wind is strong.

Although Boss Bai has become Manager Bai, he is still cute. He shouted towards the fan and an echo came from inside.

He turned his head and looked at Zhang Shenfei and smiled: "How is it, Director Zhang? Is this fan okay? Is it powerful?"

"It's really good. I'll take the price. I'll go with you to the first floor to pay and you can have someone pack the things." Zhang Shenfei said as he stood up.

After the payment and delivery, Zhang Shenfei rode his bicycle home with the electric fan.

Connect the wires and plug in.

For the first time, the crisis between the elders and the daughter-in-law in the Zhang family regarding confinement and childcare was resolved.

Looking at Tian Xiaozao and her aunt Zhang Shenfei who were enjoying the electric fan, they couldn't help but give themselves a thumbs up for their cleverness.

Therefore, there is no problem in this world that cannot be solved by money.

When the autumn heat is at its peak, the whirring electric fan in Old Zhang's house arouses envy from the aunts, young girls and young wives in the courtyard.

"Look at Dafei. Director Tian said it was hot, and he immediately bought an electric fan..."

"I gave birth in June that year... I was sweating profusely, but your uncle pretended not to notice."

"Comparing people will make you die, comparing goods will make you throw them away. Look at Dafei, he is handsome and loves his wife..."

"My life... If I were 20 years younger, there would be no Tian Xiaozao???"

"You're getting more and more outrageous." The second uncle at the side finally couldn't help but speak out, "You're all full, right? Why don't you lie down on the bed and rest? What are you talking about? It's unreasonable!"

After saying this, he put his hands behind his back, stamped his feet, and walked away in a square step.

The housewives at the Siheyuan Intelligence Center curled their lips.

When the second aunt followed Liu Haizhong closely, she spat fiercely behind him and began to change the subject by talking about how Liu Guangqi abandoned his parents and ran away with his wife to her parents' home.

Who is Liu Guangqi? He is the eldest son of the Liu family!!
To be fair, although Mr. and Mrs. Liu beat their second son for no reason and treated their third son harshly, they had nothing to say about the eldest son, Liu Guangqi.

It goes without saying that all the delicious food in the house was given to him and the second uncle. Even the plate of noodles served at Liu Guangqi's wedding was rare in the whole Nanluoguxiang, and it emptied the Liu family's savings.

As he could sit so crookedly, Mr. and Mrs. Liu naturally had high expectations for Liu Guangqi.

He even threatened the second son Liu Guangtian and the third son Liu Guangfu, saying that he would rely on the eldest son to support him in his old age.

Who would have thought that before he could finish his words, his son ran away.

Because of this incident, Liu Haizhong and his wife felt like they had lost face in the courtyard. For a long time, they were ashamed and walked along the wall, suspecting that someone was talking about them behind their backs.

But they were not wrong. Everyone in the courtyard really regarded this matter as a top priority and discussed it every day.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you still have the energy to criticize others here every day... Look at the life they live at home..."

"The deaf old lady in the backyard said something that is right. If parents are not kind, their children will not be filial!!! This second uncle and his wife beat their children every day. Although they didn't beat Liu Guangqi, how could he not feel scared?"

"It's what he deserves. The most lovable eldest brother has run away. Let's wait and see if the second and third brothers will follow suit!!!"

"As the old saying goes, if parents are unkind, their children will be unfilial. It's what he deserves."

Several aunts were chattering, and Aunt Yan, while mending her socks, also joined in: "Even though they both have three sons, I'm not exaggerating, the way Old Liu and his wife educate their children is much worse than ours...

In our family, we always value fairness, fairness, and fairness in everything! Even the peanuts during the Chinese New Year are distributed according to the number of people, without any mistakes. "

Aunt Yan is very proud. She has three sons, and the eldest one is married.

The eldest son of the Liu family ran away with his wife, abandoning his parents and younger brother.

But what about their eldest son? Not only does he stay at home well, but he also hands over a large part of his monthly salary to his family.

But looking around the whole city, which child can be like this? ? ? This is called tutoring!!!
The other middle-aged women nearby saw her showing off, looked at each other and couldn't help but curl their lips.

I have never seen a family like the Yan family. After the children earn money, they have to pay for meals, electricity, water, and even for riding a bicycle at home.

Parents measure everything for their children with money, without any affection. What will their children do when their parents get old and can no longer make money?
But no matter what, they are just neighbors. There is no point in talking about this with others, so people won't say it out loud to avoid being disliked.

Instead of that, it would be better to discuss the affairs of the Yan family when they are not around, just like discussing the affairs of the Liu family behind their backs.

Anyway, the consistent principle of their intelligence center is to talk about whoever is not present.

It is said that in the midst of laughter and conversation, masts and oars can be reduced to ashes. In the midst of words, a person's reputation can be destroyed in an instant.

What matters is that everyone is treated equally, and no one is immune.

The aunties chatted under the corridor every day, and a few days passed.

Although efforts were made in all aspects, many people in the main grain-producing areas of Nanhe, Dongshan, Nanhu, and Chuanchuanchuan still did not survive these three years.

In such an environment, Tian Xiaozao returned to the courtyard to begin her confinement.

Grandma Zhang rushed back to the old city from "outside the Great Wall" and brought back all kinds of local specialties, cured fish, cured meat, cured sausage, red sausage, and countless nutritional supplements.

The malted milk, chrysanthemum crystals, milk flakes, and canned butter among them really made everyone in the courtyard envious.

These are full of nutrients. If they were two years ago, just any one of these things could save a life.

Although life is a little better this year, no one can take advantage of this. The Zhang family did not keep a low profile this time, but made a big fuss about the things the old lady brought back from outside the Great Wall, and even displayed them in the outer room.

There was no room on the table, so they used a large basket and placed it on the floor and in the cupboard.

Neighbors who came to their house to congratulate them could see it at a glance without having to look hard.

This was also what Zhang Shenfei intended to do.

Previously, their family pursued a low-key policy, trying to blend into the courtyard and the larger environment.

But Tian Xiaozao is in confinement now. If she continues to suffer every day and not have enough to eat, it will not only be unfair to Tian Xiaozao, but also to their Xiao Weiguo.

Zhang Shenfei couldn't bear it emotionally or logically.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to take advantage of the opportunity of their old lady returning to the old city and pretend that she brought back a large amount of nutritional products and put them in front of everyone.

People in the three northeastern provinces are famous for having a good life these days.

Tian Xiaozao could eat and drink as much as she wanted, and Zhang Weiguo in their family had enough milk so he wouldn't go hungry.

These things all come from regular channels outside the Great Wall. Even if others are jealous, they can't say anything.

Moreover, it is already the early autumn of 1961, and the drought will soon rebound.

When everyone's life gets better, no one will keep staring at others anymore.

Rumors quickly spread in the courtyard that the Zhang family was now really living a better life.

"Tian Xiaozao can now eat two eggs with a handful of brown sugar sprinkled in them every day!!!"

"Do you smell it? The chicken soup that Old Zhang's family cooked this morning... helps Tian Xiaozao produce milk!"

"No wonder they say that the black soil outside the Great Wall will produce oil if you squeeze it. Look at Grandma Zhang, she has suffered from the disaster for more than two years, but her complexion is getting better and better, unlike us, who are all green."

"It's a pity that we don't have any relatives outside the Great Wall..."

"Didn't our factory's Wang Laizi go to support Daqing before? He wrote me a letter saying that the food there is much better than in the old city..."

"I tell you, life outside the Great Wall is very good, even better than in Shanghai!!!"

"I heard that the filmmakers in Qianmen Street sold their houses and moved to the outside of the Great Wall. They are living a good life now. He said they can eat well every day there."

"I can see that the things that Grandma Zhang brought back can save the lives of an entire family in this day and age!!!"

"Compared to others, what kind of life are we living..."

"Hey, not as good as the best, but better than the worst. You don't know, life in rural areas outside the province is even harder now... Some people who came out to escape famine died directly on the road..."

They said all kinds of things behind Zhang's back, but when they came to congratulate Old Zhang, they were all smiling.

I just said that I envied the old lady's good fortune. Everyone was starving inside the pass, but she ran outside the pass to enjoy a good life.

Director Tian and little Zhang Weiguo also benefited from this. It is said that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure.

On the other hand, this old lady is also blessed. In good years, she can benefit from her grandson, and in bad years, she can go outside the Great Wall to benefit from her daughter.

With this life, it is much better than the deaf old lady in the backyard.

The deaf old lady felt sad after hearing these words.

……

On the sixth day of Tian Xiaozao's confinement, Yan Bugui and his wife came home with five eggs to congratulate her.

Aunt Yan went behind the screen to see the bedridden child and Tian Xiaozao.

"Oh, I haven't seen him for a few days. He looks like he has grown a lot..." Aunt Yan ran straight to the head of the kang as soon as she entered the room, lifted the quilt and looked inside.

She was also in the hospital on the day Zhang Weiguo was born. She knew that the child was good-looking. When he was born, he was not like other children with wrinkled faces like little old men.

On the contrary, his skin was very fair and smooth. When everyone saw him, they were sure that the child looked like his father and would be handsome when he grew up.

I didn't expect that he would become fatter and whiter in a few days. Is he well-nourished? How many girls will he harm when he grows up? Aunt Yan sighed in her heart.

"Isn't it? He eats and sleeps all day long, just like a little pig." Tian Xiaozao's voice was filled with the joy of being a new mother.

"Is your milk sufficient? Is the baby full?" Aunt Yan asked as usual.

"There's enough for him, Aunt Yan, please sit down."

"Hey, speaking of which, our Yu Li has been married for such a long time, but there is no sign of diarrhea..."

The voices of Aunt Yan and Tian Xiaozao chatting could be heard from the room.

On the other side of the screen, Yan Bugui stared at the cabinet full of nutritional supplements and couldn't help swallowing.

Old Zhang’s house is the best in the entire courtyard and the most spacious.

But he had been to this house many times after all, and even though he envied it, it did not bring him the greatest touch in his heart.

Only the food covering the table made him so jealous that his eyes turned green.

The drought has lasted for almost three years, and their family has not eaten meat, flour or rice for three whole years.

Every month when it was time to buy grain, we would go to Zuojiazhuang first to exchange the grain for sweet potatoes. The whole family ate sweet potatoes for two and a half years, and they felt sour every day.

It’s not that he is useless and can’t scheme against others in exchange for something.

But everyone has had a hard time in recent years, and every household is hungry. Even if he has great abilities, he has nowhere to display them, right?
Looking at the Zhang family's things at this moment, Yan Bugui's eyes rolled around and his CPU heated up like crazy.

In the past, he would never dare to take anything from Zhang Shenfei's house, but now, hunger gave him unlimited courage.

How should I start talking???

"Ahem, Uncle Yan, I haven't seen you for two years. I heard that your family has married a new wife for Jie Cheng?" Grandma Zhang noticed Yan Bugui's expression, and she deliberately cleared her throat and said loudly, "I was outside the Great Wall at that time and couldn't come to the wedding banquet. Now I want to congratulate you."

"Ah? Oh." Yan Bugui collected his thoughts and thought about how to change the topic to take advantage of others. "Yes... I got married. Old lady, you said that our family's life is so difficult... Originally, the six of us in the family relied on my salary to make a living, and now Jie Cheng is married again, and there is one more mouth to feed...

You said that every time you open your eyes, there are seven mouths waiting for food. My wife's legs are swollen now, and there are dents when you press them. I am worried every day...

If, if I could have some nutritional supplements like malted milk, not much, just a little bit would be enough, and just give her a little bit every day... maybe her condition would be relieved a lot."

Having said that, Yan Bugui pushed up the frame of his tortoise-shell glasses, lowered his eyelids, and secretly observed Grandma Zhang's expression.

(End of this chapter)