Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1095 Internship Halted
As November arrived, the neighborhood committee went door-to-door, instructing everyone to collect their winter-stored vegetables from various vegetable distribution points on the 5th, and reminding them to prepare money and coupons.

Wang Zhan was no exception. There were only two people in his family, Wang Li and Wang Zhan. Each of them weighed an average of 80 kilograms, which seemed like a lot. But this was in the north, where the winter was long. This time, they were storing vegetables for the winter, and it would take almost four or five months before the new vegetables were available. Although Wang Zhan didn't care, he still responded positively and helped an old man who repaired cars in the front yard to queue up early in the morning.

Wang Li was fast asleep in bed, of course. The reason she went shopping with Grandpa Xu was because Grandpa Xu had a huge cart, twice the size of his tricycle, but Wang Zhan still rode the tricycle.

Interestingly, their alley was at the No. 3 point of the supply and marketing cooperative, while No. 95 courtyard was about 30 meters away at the No. 2 point.

While waiting in line, bored, Wang Zhan glanced at the number two checkpoint. Good heavens, the entire household of courtyard number ninety-five had come out. Among the crowd, Wang Zhan even spotted Yan Jiekuang. You tell me, sending an eight-year-old child to buy winter vegetables early in the morning? Is that something a normal father would do? Wang Zhan looked down on Yan Bugui's behavior even more.

After a morning of hustle and bustle, it was already past eight o'clock when Wang Zhan pushed his tricycle back home. He opened the gate and pushed his tricycle up the slope into the front yard.

Grandpa Xu called from next door, "Young Wang, don't forget, I still have fifty pounds of your vegetables here."

“I’ll never forget it. I’ll push the car in and head straight to your place,” Wang Zhan called out.

Wang Zhan looked at Wang Li running out of the backyard and said, "Don't worry about the groceries in the car. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

“I’ve eaten. I had a can of food and a steamed bun this morning. Brother, you don’t need to worry about me. Are you still going out?” Wang Li asked.

"Okay, I need to help Grandpa Xu unload his vegetables. I still have fifty jin left at his place. I'll carry them back in a bit using his carrying pole. You stay home and make sure the door is closed." Wang Zhan said and then went out.

After another flurry of activity, Wang Zhan finally finished arranging all the vegetables in his house before noon, after helping Grandpa Xu unload them. He planned to let them air out in the sun for a few days before moving them to the cellar.

That morning, Wang Zhan was starving. He quickly went to the kitchen to make lunch: a plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of braised eggplant strips, and a bowl of rice. The two siblings started eating, treating themselves to a good meal.

Wang Zhan, who was eating in the main hall, suddenly heard a knock on his front door. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be the neighborhood committee coming to check on him again? He didn't think he had cooked any meat at this hour. Oh right, rice! This can't be shown to anyone. He quickly asked Wang Li to take the rice to the backyard and hide it.

Wang Zhan saw Wang Li waving at him from the backyard, then he walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

Before anyone could answer, Wang Zhan opened the door. Standing outside was Professor Xie Yun. Wang Zhan asked happily, "Professor, what brings you here? It's so cold. Have you eaten yet?"

After saying that, he quickly pulled Professor Xie into the courtyard and closed the gate. Professor Xie looked at Wang Zhan closing the gate with some doubt, but he didn't ask. He said, "I came to talk to you about something. Why are you treating me like I'm a thief?"

Wang Zhan led Professor Xie to the connecting room, and as they walked, he briefly explained what had happened in the past two days. Professor Xie frowned and said, "Well, this is normal. A teacher in my hometown was also reported and detained for three days. Later, he paid a fine and the school vouched for him before he was released. There's nothing we can do about the current situation. Just be careful."

"Hello, Grandpa Xie!" Wang Li brought rice back to the main room from the backyard. Professor Xie Yun smiled and patted Wang Li's head, then took two candies from his pocket and placed them in front of her. "Teacher, let's eat first. We can talk about anything else after we finish eating. Lili, go get another set of chopsticks and a bowl." Wang Zhan pulled Professor Xie to sit down.

Professor Xie Yun stared wide-eyed at the full bowl of rice and said, "Look, look! If I don't report you, who will I report?"

Wang Zhan said guiltily, "I was busy storing vegetables for winter all morning, and I was thinking of treating myself. I only eat this occasionally."

"Be careful, don't let anyone find any fault with you," Professor Xie Yun said to Wang Zhan.

The three of them were having lunch when Wang Zhan specially made tea for his teacher. He knew that Professor Xie didn't drink alcohol, so he didn't dare to drink in front of his teacher.

After the meal, Wang Li stood up to clear the dishes. Professor Xie Yun drank a cup of tea before saying, "I have some bad news for you today. It's my fault as your teacher. Your internship has been postponed."

Wang Zhan was taken aback and asked, "So what happened?"

Professor Xie Yun said, "Originally, I wanted to recommend two places to you: Beicheng Machinery Factory, which you've worked at before, and Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. But you know the current situation outside. Both factories are facing a shortage of basic supplies, so the Ministry has issued a document to stop expanding recruitment and hiring, maintaining the status quo. As a result, not only you, but all the interns this year can't get internships through school recommendations, unless..."

Wang Zhan understood. The shortage of supplies had caused the factory to run into a shortage of food and other materials. If they were to hire more people now, it would only make things worse. Therefore, the higher-ups had stopped all recruitment and expansion projects.

Wang Zhan understood what Professor Xie Yun was trying to say. There was only one way to get into the factory now: private operation, which involved using connections and back channels. This was something that was done against the grain, and it came at a huge price.

Wang Zhan said, "It's okay, teacher. I understand what you're saying. At worst, I'll do odd jobs at home and get through this period. Maybe things will turn around. As for other options, I won't consider them. My family still has some money, so we should be able to get through this. I'll just wait and see."

"By the way, I haven't asked yet, how many foreign languages ​​do you actually speak?" Professor Xie Yun suddenly asked.

“Sanmen, you’re quite fluent in Russian and English, but not so good at German. Why?” Wang Zhan asked.

Professor Xie Yun took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Wang Zhan, saying, "Don't forget to study at home. This is a reading list I made for you. Most of it is in Russian and English. Study it more. If you have any questions, come to my house. I don't go to the school often."

Wang Zhan nodded and said with a smile, "Teacher, you were lecturing me the other day, saying that I was always hiding and concealing myself. Why do you seem a little down today? Don't worry, everything will be alright. The dark clouds will eventually dissipate."

Professor Xie Yun was also infected by Wang Zhan's mood and laughed heartily. He then chatted with him about technical and academic issues, and the conversation lasted for the entire afternoon. As the sun began to set, Professor Xie Yun finally got up and left Wang Zhan's place.

(End of this chapter)