Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1031 Vanished Without a Trace (Revised)
The hot weather arrived, and Wang Zhan was thinking that after the exams, he could take Wang Li to the beach. His younger sister had never been to the beach before, and Tianjin was a good place to go, as it was very close.

But the chaos on the streets dispelled Wang Zhan's idea. The number of refugees in Beijing was increasing. Now, the courtyards in Nanluoguxiang were closing their doors and windows at 8 p.m., and many large courtyards had arranged for night duty.

Despite such strict security measures, some families still get robbed. In the Nanluoguxiang area alone, there's an average of one reported theft per day, causing immense hardship for the police officers at the local station.

Wang Zhan is now more vigilant when taking Wang Li to school, and he has also let Dayu and Xiaoyu out at home to settle in the front yard, while Jinbao goes to the back yard to guard the house.

After the last exam in July, Wang Zhan felt completely relaxed. He said goodbye to a few familiar classmates and was about to pack up and leave when Professor Xie Yun walked in through the classroom door and called out, "Wang Zhan, come out for a moment!"

When Wang Zhan saw that it was Professor Xie looking for him, he quickly ran over. Professor Xie pulled Wang Zhan to a corner in the corridor and asked, "What are your plans for this holiday?"

"There are no plans yet. It's quite chaotic outside, as you know. I don't even dare to go out of the city," Wang Zhan said.

Xie Yun nodded and said, "Do you know the Chengbei Machinery Factory?"

Wang Zhan nodded and said, "Isn't it the factory not far from our school?"

"Here's what we'll do: if you don't have any plans for the holidays, I'll let you intern at that factory. Of course, this is a private arrangement. I'll introduce you to a fitter, a level seven fitter named Qian. You can learn fitter work from him. Next year during the holidays, I'll find you other masters to learn other skills. To work in our line of work, you have to know a little bit about everything, understand?" Professor Xie Yun said.

Wang Zhan knew that Professor Xie was giving him extra tutoring, so he smiled and agreed, saying, "Understood, I will definitely study hard."

Professor Xie Yun said, "Alright, you can go back now. Come find me here again on the 10th. I'll be on duty that day."

Wang Zhan agreed and went back to the classroom, but on his way home, a problem occurred to him: he was going to the machinery factory to learn, but what would happen to his younger sister? He thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. He wished that Aunt Sun would come back.

After picking Wang Li up and taking her home, while preparing dinner, he asked her, who was standing at the kitchen door eating an apple, "When do you get a day off?"

"We have a holiday on the 5th, the day after tomorrow. What's wrong?" Wang Li asked.

Wang Zhan then recounted his internship experience. Wang Li thought for a moment and said, "Either I go to Zhang Erya's house, or I go into my spatial dimension to stay. I'll just be reading anyway. I don't have many classmates here, and you're worried about me going out to play."

Wang Zhan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go to Zhang Erya's house, or you can stay in this courtyard with Zhang Erya. But you have to keep the door closed and don't open it for anyone."

Wang Li nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm nine years old now, I'm not a little kid anymore."

When Wang Zhan heard what Wang Li said, he chuckled and said, "Isn't a nine-year-old a child?"

In the evening, Wang Zhan made shredded chicken noodles. He even killed a chicken specifically for this dish. He also made a cucumber stir-fry with eggs and a braised eggplant. Wang Li ate until she was completely full, and after finishing her meal, she leaned back in her chair and didn't move.

Wang Zhan cleared away the dishes and poured Wang Li a glass of hawthorn water to help her digest. She had indeed eaten too much tonight; almost the entire plate of braised eggplant had ended up in her stomach.

Wang Zhan brewed a pot of tea and placed it under the grapevines in the yard. He then sat down in a rocking chair, lit a cigarette, and stared blankly at Jinbao, who was struggling with his bones.

After drinking the hawthorn water, Wang Li slowly walked into the courtyard, carrying a large palm-leaf fan in her hand, fanning herself as she walked over.

"What are you looking at, brother? Jinbao is eating a bone, and you're so interested?" Wang Li asked curiously. "No, look, there are several meaty bones in Jinbao's bowl, but it won't eat them. It's just stubbornly sticking to a bone that has no meat left. Why is that?" Wang Zhan voiced his question.

Wang Li rolled her eyes and said, "Why? Jinbao likes it, so what's it to you?"

The brother and sister sat under the grapevines and chatted, talking about interesting things that happened at their respective schools, and they laughed heartily from time to time.

On July 5th, Wang Li was given a holiday, which also meant that Jin Xing Primary School was on holiday. From morning to night, the sounds of children laughing and playing could be heard from time to time in the alley.

Wang Zhan spent four days with Wang Li. On the 10th, early in the morning, Wang Zhan brought Wang Li a bag of snacks and fruit. Wang Li then went to find Zhang Erya on her own. Wang Zhan had greeted Grandpa Zhang the day before. Originally, Wang Zhan wanted to give him some food coupons and money as payment for lunch, but Grandpa Zhang refused to accept them. In the end, he even glared at Wang Zhan, so Wang Zhan gave up.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Wang Zhan set off with his schoolbag. When he arrived at school, he went straight to Xie Yun's office. Xie Yun had already packed his things and was waiting for Wang Zhan. When Wang Zhan appeared, she pulled him downstairs.

Wang Zhan rode his bicycle and brought Professor Xie Yun to the North City Machinery Factory. Despite Xie Yun being a renowned professor of mechanical engineering, the gatekeeper didn't give him a friendly look and made them wait at the gate.

Not long after, a tall, middle-aged man in his fifties, who was over 1.8 meters tall, arrived at the gate with a thin, bespectacled man dressed in a cadre uniform. The bespectacled old man spoke a few words to the gatekeeper, who then let them through.

The old man greeted Professor Xie Yun warmly, saying, "Professor Xie, your presence is an honor to our machinery factory."

"Old Xie, since you transferred to administration, you've even started speaking official jargon. Alright, hurry up, I'll borrow your office for a bit," Professor Xie Yun said with a smile.

When Wang Zhan heard Professor Xie call the old man "Old Xie," he carefully examined him. To be honest, Professor Xie Yun and this old man did look somewhat alike.

The group went to the office building. The old man's office was the second room on the third floor. Wang Zhan looked at the sign above the door, which read "Director's Office".

The old man invited a few people in. After they sat down, the old man made tea for them. Wang Zhan quickly stood up, took the thermos, and said, "I'll do it, I'll do it!"

The old man gave Wang Zhan a deep look, but Wang Zhan didn't care. He poured tea for the three of them and then poured himself a cup of tea.

Professor Xie Yun spoke directly: "Come, Wang Zhan, let me introduce you. This is Director Xie of the Technical Department of the Machinery Factory, who is also my distant cousin. This is the temporary master craftsman I'm introducing to you, Master Qian, a level seven fitter."

Wang Zhan quickly stood up and said, "Hello Director Xie, hello Master Qian, my name is Wang Zhan, and I am Professor Xie Yun's student."

The two men smiled and nodded. Director Xie said, "Brother, you're too young to be a student. Can you learn to be a fitter?"

Xie Yun said, "Don't worry, Lao Xie, my student is naturally strong and extremely intelligent. He can learn anything in no time. He has already finished his major studies in just one year and is now learning mechanical design and mechanical drawing. I was worried that his foundation was not solid, so I had him start learning from a technical job again."

Director Xie and Master Qian's eyes lit up when they heard this. If Professor Xie Yun wasn't exaggerating, then this was a promising talent, but they would have to try him out to know for sure.

After discussing it with the group, Wang Zhan began his apprenticeship as a fitter, going directly into the workshop and receiving the same treatment as other apprentices, except that he worked alongside Master Qian.

In Nanluoguxiang, Wang Zhan has disappeared. When he goes to work, everyone is still asleep, and when he leaves work, everyone is already asleep. He and his sister can only be seen on Sundays.

(End of this chapter)