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

Chapter 381 Banquet!!
It can be said that no matter whether he has a girlfriend or not, or whether he is engaged to Liu Lan or not, Sha Zhu's feelings for Qin Huairu have always been clear as day and night.

But what about Qin Huairu? She was always indifferent to him. She took the food, drinks and money without hesitation, but if he asked her for anything else, it was useless! She even couldn't hold his hand!
Ten years, ten years have passed in a flash.

As the days passed, Sha Zhu became more and more disappointed. He made up his mind to propose marriage to Liu Lan and got engaged. He thought Qin Huairu would be panicked, right?
Sha Zhu even imagined that Qin Huairu came to him and begged him not to marry Liu Lan, so that he could take the opportunity to make some demands...

It was impossible for him to marry Qin Huairu. After all, he was a grown man, lived in two large houses in a courtyard, and worked as a chef in a steel rolling mill, earning 37.5 yuan a month.

How could Qin Huairu, a widow with a child, be worthy of him?

However, it is still okay to have the red flag flying at home and the colorful flags flying outside...

If Qin Huairu is willing to be a colorful flag, Sha Zhu feels that everything will be fine.

But what was the reality? Qin Huairu didn't react at all. Not only did she not come to see him, she also ate two steamed buns for every meal.

"Do I mean nothing in Sister Qin's heart?" Sha Zhu was very sad.

The closer it got to his and Liu Lan's wedding date, the more angry he felt, like he had eaten two pounds of soybeans, growing stronger and stronger.

It was just a coincidence that Xu Damao came to the door at this time, so he became a ready-made punching bag, didn't he?
Seeing the fight breaking out in the courtyard early in the morning, residents from the front, middle and back yards all came out to watch the fun.

It was time for breakfast now. The drought had eased a lot. Although the food was still not good, everyone could finally get three meals a day.

Moreover, the proportion of substitute foods is much smaller.

There were performances while we were eating and everyone was having a great time.

"Hey, after not practicing for a few days, Shazhu's wrestling skills have improved."

"Shazhu has learned Dehele's tactics, even though he can't beat Zhang Shenfei. But when he beat Xu Damao, he still had the upper hand, didn't he? Hey, give me a taste of your pickles..."

"Xu Damao is such a bad mouth, he's asking for a fight. Is there sorghum flour mixed in your steamed bread? Why is it so black?"

"Well, Xu Damao's words are rough but true. Yu Shui and Zhang Shunsui are engaged, so Sha Zhu has been relegated to the same family for a generation? From now on, this bastard will have a lower status than us. Slurp, our cornmeal porridge is quite delicious today."

"Ouch, hurry up and run with the bowl, Xu Damao is falling over here."

As the crowd dispersed in the shape of birds and beasts holding large coarse porcelain bowls, Xu Damao fell to the ground, splashing a cloud of dust.

"Silly Zhu, you bastard... are you trying to beat me to death for fun? I don't accept it. I'm going to sue you. I'm going to sue you to the central government!" Xu Damao shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Go ahead and sue me!! If you don't sue me, it's me who did it!" After venting his anger, Sha Zhu felt a lot better. It seemed that all the anger was released as he swung his fist at Xu Damao.

Xu Damao was supported by Guan Hongguo and returned home. He wiped the blood from his nose and applied iodine to the blue eye sockets.

Although the physical pain eased, it felt like there was a piece of granite stuck in my chest. I couldn't spit it out or swallow it down, and I was about to suffocate.

I still couldn't calm down when I got to the factory. No, I couldn't just let this go.

After a final thought, I decided to capture the leader of the thieves, and to deal with Sha Zhu I had to poke him in the weak spot.

What is Shazhu's weakness?
Got it! !
He immediately spread out a piece of letter paper, picked up the pen with his right hand, thought for a moment, then switched to his left hand, and wrote solemnly and crookedly:

Sitting on the knees of my father, I, the foolish son, bow my head a hundred times.

My father has not been home for a long time, and I miss him so much that I cannot express it in words. I am writing this letter in classical Chinese, wishing my father good health and success in everything.

One month from now, on the 18th day of the 10th lunar month, I will marry. I sincerely hope that you can attend my wedding with my stepmother and her three brothers and sisters.

I know it's not easy for my father to support the family after he arrives in Baocheng. You just need to come and you don't have to pay any money...

After writing the letter, Xu Damao read it from beginning to end.

The letter was written with the left hand and the handwriting was quite ugly, but Xu Damao felt that Sha Zhu was just a rough guy, so it was completely reasonable for him to have such handwriting.

He took out a stamp commemorating the tenth anniversary of the liberation of the snow area from the drawer, licked it, stuck it on the envelope, and pressed it firmly with his hand.

Although he didn't know He Daqing's home address, he knew where he worked. After writing down the address, he took a special leave and went to Gulou East Street to put the letter in the mailbox.

In fact, the mail room of the steel mill could send the letter on his behalf, but to be on the safe side, he didn't do it.

After the hot autumn weather, the autumn in Beijing finally began to feel a bit cooler and was no longer as hot and unbearable as before.

After dropping the letter to He Daqing into the mailbox, Xu Damao felt relieved and it seemed that the pain in his eye sockets was no longer so severe.

When he thought about all the conflicts and troubles that might arise between Sha Zhu and He Daqing in the future, he almost laughed out loud.

Xu Damao was staggering back to the steel rolling mill. On the way, he met an old country lady who was carrying a basket and secretly selling heart-shaped radishes to supplement her family income. She spent two cents to buy a big one, intending to bring it to the office to eat radishes with everyone while drinking hot tea.

There is an old saying in Beijing: Drinking hot tea and eating radishes will make the doctor crawl on the ground in anger.

Just as Xu Damao was walking towards the factory, in the cafeteria, Liu Lan quickly finished the work in her hands and walked quickly to Sha Zhu, who was sitting in a rocking chair and drinking water from a large enamel teacup.

"Shazhu, well, we're getting married in less than a month, and my mom said we don't need a dowry, and we don't need new furniture, clocks, or anything like that, but we have to get a new quilt."

After all, this was their daughter's second marriage. Although she did not have any actual physical behavior with the man during her first marriage, Liu Lan's parents always felt a little guilty.

As a result, she didn't dare to ask Sha Zhu for anything, for fear that the future son-in-law would be unhappy and abandon her daughter halfway.

Although Sha Zhu's feelings for Liu Lan are not as deep as those for Qin Huairu, he is essentially a simple person.

Getting married just for a new quilt is nothing, and it is acceptable anywhere. He nodded and agreed.

"Okay, let me take care of this matter, you don't have to worry about it." He agreed, and seeing Liu Lan still standing there, he asked curiously, "Do you have anything else to do?"

There was a hint of struggle in Liu Lan's eyes. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "No, no more..."

"If it's gone, just go do your work. The trash hasn't been taken out yet." Sha Zhu waved his hand.

The fat guy next to him was a smart guy. Hearing this, he immediately said, "Master, I will take care of all the garbage disposal work from now on. How can we let our future master's wife get involved in such a dirty job???"

Ma Hua was cutting radishes and silently glanced at the eloquent Xiaopang, regretting that he was not as eloquent as the other.

It was obvious that he had entered the steel rolling mill earlier and accepted Shazhu as his master earlier, but because he was not good at speaking and could not please his master, he was beaten by Xiaopang.

Sha Zhu was a donkey that followed the will of others. He was so happy to be coaxed by Xiao Pang that he could not help but teach him a few more tricks. Ma Hua was envious, but he could do nothing about it. As expected,

Hearing Xiaopang saying he wanted to help Liu Lan with the work, Shazhu was immediately delighted and smiled: "Okay, okay, you have good sense!! Go ahead and take out the garbage. If you are free this afternoon, I will teach you four ways to cut Chinese cabbage."

Although Xiaopang was wondering who the hell wanted to learn that, he still smiled like a cosmos in the autumn wind: "Hey, then I'd like to thank you, Master."

"Oh, by the way." Sha Zhu said, "After work this afternoon, don't go home yet, come with me to No. 12 Yunju Hutong, Daqianmen.

My brother Zhang Shenfei is going to host a banquet for some important people in the tavern over there. I will be the chef and you can help me. By the way, you can also learn what to pay attention to when preparing a private banquet for others. "

A private banquet for Director Zhang? ? Xiaopang was really happy now.

When Sha Zhu held private banquets in the past, he never brought people like them.

Time passed quickly. After cooking lunch for the workers at noon, Sha Zhu had nothing to do in the afternoon.

After watching the kitchen helpers clean up the place and hearing the familiar, old-fashioned bell for the end of get off work, he staggered out of the cafeteria door, carrying a net bag containing three lunch boxes.

Liu Lan looked at his back and the red net bag with a conflicted look in her eyes.

Having lived in the same cafeteria with Sha Zhu for eight years, how could she not know about the rumors and the unclear and ambiguous relationship between Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu? ? ?

Not only her, but even his parents who did not work in the steel mill knew these things from people.

In fact, the task her parents gave her today was not just to let her talk to Sha Zhu about making a new quilt.

There is one more thing, which is to make Sha Zhu promise that after they get married, he can no longer support Qin Huairu.

However, Liu Lan couldn't say these words, or rather, she didn't dare to say them.

Knowing that she was far less important to Sha Zhu than Qin Huairu, how could she dare to humiliate herself? ?

Let's wait a little longer... After we get married and have kids, I'll have more leverage. When I bring this up again, Sha Zhu will definitely change his attitude. Liu Lan could only comfort herself in this way.

Sha Zhu took Xiao Pang out of the factory gate, feeling very depressed.

I had clearly decided not to subsidize Qin Huairu because of her attitude, so why did I bring her a lunch box again today because I couldn't help myself? ?
Forget it, forget it. This is the last time, just treat it as the last time, he convinced himself.

At the same time, he secretly swore that after seeing Qin Huairu today, he would definitely give her a good beating. He couldn't be like before, when he lost his mind after seeing Qin Huairu.

No matter what, I have to make Qin Huairu say a few good words to me, so that she knows that I am not a dog who has no bottom line! !
It's a pity that the ideal is very full and the reality is very skinny.

Sha Zhu prepared himself mentally for a long time, but the first thing he did when he returned to the courtyard was to personally hand the three lunch boxes to Qin Huairu who was waiting across the courtyard.

As for Qin Huairu? ? She didn't say a word at all!!
Sha Zhu hated himself for not living up to his expectations, so he pretended to be naughty and played with the other party. After seeing Qin Huairu's face changed, he stopped laughing and wanted to leave.

Qin Huairu asked curiously: "You're not eating at home today?"

Sha Zhu smiled again: "How fresh! I only brought three lunch boxes from the factory and gave them all to you. What if I stayed at home and starved?"

Qin Huairu ignored the content she didn't want to hear and asked, "You want to go out and host a private banquet for someone?"

Qin Huairu knew that although Sha Zhu was only an eighth-level chef, he was still the one who cooked for the whole factory.

But he learned from He Daqing and Fengzeyuan chefs, so his cooking skills are quite good. Usually, some wealthy families nearby would invite him to be the chef for private banquets.

Of course, this didn’t matter to Qin Huairu. What she cared about was that the food at the private banquet was much better than the big pot meals at the steel mill! ! It was full of oil and water, and there was meat! !

Thinking of this, when Qin Huairu looked at the three lunch boxes in her hands, she suddenly felt that they were not delicious anymore.

Considering that Xiaopang was watching, Qin Huairu took Shazhu's hand and pulled him to the wall behind the hanging flower gate.

"Hey, comrade Qin Huairu, what are you doing? In broad daylight, in the open air, are you still planning to do something indecent to a young man like me???"

Sha Zhu felt Qin Huairu's hand, which was not soft, and even a little rough because of doing too much housework, holding him, and he felt relaxed and happy. But he couldn't help but say something mean as usual.

Qin Huairu really hated his bad mouth, but who made her ask for help? She could only pretend she didn't hear it.

"Well, idiot, Banggeng is in the growth stage and needs nutrition..."

Qin Huairu blinked her big watery eyes, with a pitiful expression, "If it's convenient for you, can you bring back some of the leftovers from the experiment? I'll heat them up for the children tomorrow and let them eat them with steamed buns."

Sha Zhu couldn't bear to see his sister Qin like this, and his body suddenly became weak: "Hey, sister Qin, you are being polite to me, aren't you? "

"I have a very good relationship with Bang Geng. I have seen him being close to me since he was a kid. Even if you don't tell me, when have I ever come back from a private banquet without bringing anything for Bang Geng???"

With these words, Qin Huairu finally felt relieved. She put away her hesitant look and said casually, "Okay, then Sister Qin thanks you, Shazhu."

After saying that, he turned around and left without any reluctance at all.

Looking at her back, Sha Zhu felt aggrieved again and slapped himself twice.

"Useless thing, you deserve to be eaten to death!!!" he cursed in hatred.

The fat guy who was clinging to the wall and watching the whole process had a flash of contempt in his eyes. He thought that the dog who licked him would die a bad death. If it weren't for his cooking skills, he wouldn't even bother to care about someone like Shazhu! !

Seeing that Sha Zhu was about to walk out of the Chuihua Gate, Xiao Pang quickly stood up with a flattering smile on his face: "Master, is the matter settled?? Then shall we head to the Daqian Gate now?"

Sha Zhu said in a deep voice: "Don't go yet, come home with me and take my stuff."

The fat man's eyes lit up. Having followed Sha Zhu to learn the craft for several years, he knew that the other party often went out to host private banquets and had a set of kitchen utensils that were said to have been passed down from their He family's ancestors.

Sha Zhu often boasted in the cafeteria: "The rolling pin made of Chinese toon wood, the slicing knife made of Shibazi, the mulberry knife made of Chenzhiji, the bone-cutting knife made of Zhang Xiaoquan, as well as the civil and military knives, the machetes, the skin-smacking knives, the skin-slicing knives...

In addition to knives, colanders, large spoons, woks and even dumpling-making tools, these are all fine items collected by the He family from generation to generation.

This is the kind of thing that ordinary people can’t even see, let alone use! ! ” Whenever Sha Zhu talks about his family’s inherited toolbox, his face is filled with pride.

This time, I finally got a chance to see it!!
If I could get in touch with Director Zhang, wouldn't my future in the steel mill be very prosperous? ? ?

(End of this chapter)