Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1139 Daily Work Routine (Revised)

After a while, the half-open door was opened from the inside, and a man who looked to be about fifty years old came to the door, looked at Wang Zhan, and asked, "Kid, what do you want to ask?"

"Sir, hello. I'd like to ask if there will still be any grain if I can't come to buy it tomorrow and come back in a few days?" Wang Zhan asked.

"No, I'm not that old yet. Just call me Uncle. By the way, what you asked about is no big deal. The ration has been reduced, not canceled. The government can't prevent you from going hungry, can it? Just buy the same thing in a few days," the uncle said.

Wang Zhan quickly took out a pack of cigarettes, handed one over, and then looked at the uncle at the grain station with a questioning look.

The uncle lit a cigarette and said, "I can tell you don't buy grain often. These days, coarse grains make up 70% and refined grains 30%. If you wait a while, refined grains won't be a problem, but coarse grains might become mixed grains. You should weigh the pros and cons yourself."

Wang Zhan understood. As they progressed, they might not even have enough cornmeal, so they would have to make do with mixed grains. If it were regular mixed grains, that would be fine, but it probably wasn't.

After leaving the grain station, Wang Zhan stopped thinking about it. As long as he could buy the grain, that was fine. He didn't expect much from the grain; he was just afraid of wasting his and his sister's grain rations.

March 1st, February 4th
The March wind was still bitterly cold. After breakfast, Wang Zhan sent his younger sister to the Zhang family's house and returned home. He put the letters of introduction, recommendation letters, and his household registration certificate that he had prepared into his schoolbag, left the yard, locked the door, and rode his bicycle towards the steel rolling mill.

Wang Zhan had been to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill before. He had a few opportunities to learn about the machinery and equipment there from his teachers, but he didn't run into a single acquaintance during those visits.

The steel rolling mill is no longer what it was before the public-private partnership. Now it has become a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, and the factory area has been expanded repeatedly. Even the main gate facing the street has been rebuilt. The gatehouse is on the left side of the main gate, and next to the gatehouse is a separate small door, which is where people usually enter for business.

Wang Zhan arrived a little early, but the small gate was still closed. The workers would start arriving around 7:30. Wang Zhan rode his bike to the steel rolling mill in less than ten minutes. It was just past 7:00. After thinking for a moment, Wang Zhan went to the gatehouse window and knocked on it.

The window of the gatehouse opened from the inside, and a weathered old man's face appeared in the window. The old man looked at Wang Zhan standing in the door and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, sir, I'm here to register. I'm a bit early, I wonder if I can go in?" Wang Zhan said from outside.

"Where's the letter of introduction? Didn't they say it was suspended? How come there are still new people reporting for duty? By the way, you're not the one taking over, are you?" The gatekeeper took the letter of introduction and asked casually.

Wang Zhan said, "No, it was recommended by the school. By the way, this is the letter of recommendation."

The gatekeeper glanced at the letter of introduction and then took the letter of recommendation. He suddenly realized and said, "Oh, you're a top student. No wonder. Alright, I'll open the door for you. Wait here for a bit. Nobody's here yet. They should be here in about half an hour."

After saying that, the gatekeeper came out of the gatehouse, opened the small door with a key, and let Wang Zhan in. Wang Zhan parked his car behind the gatehouse before going inside.

"It's still quite cold today, young man. Here, have a cup of water to warm up." The gatekeeper, who was sitting at his desk near the window, turned around and handed over a teacup.

Wang Zhan smiled and accepted it, saying thank you, and sat down on the bench next to the iron stove. Wang Zhan took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, then took out one and handed it to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper didn't stand on ceremony, took it, lit it himself, and said, "Oh ho, Daqianmen, good cigarettes."

Wang Zhan lit a cigarette and started chatting with the gatekeeper. They mainly talked about the current situation of the steel rolling mill. Gradually, the two became acquainted. Wang Zhan also learned that the gatekeeper's surname was Sun. Before coming here, he had worked in the army. After retiring, he came here to guard the gate.

Wang Zhan also had great respect for this old man, Sun. He had truly fought his whole life, and if it weren't for his failing health, he probably wouldn't have been able to retire.

As the two were chatting, the gatehouse door was pushed open, and two men in guard uniforms, carrying guns, walked in. One of them immediately spotted Wang Zhan sitting there and said, "Uncle Sun, what's going on? This guy isn't from our factory, is he?"

"You're quite vigilant. Don't look at people with your 'everyone's a bad guy' eyes. They're here to register today. They're early, so they're welcome to sit in my room for a while," said Grandpa Sun.

Upon hearing that Wang Zhan was a newcomer, the man lost interest in looking at him and said directly to the man next to him, "Er Gouzi, you go stand guard first. I'll write the log, and you can come over and sign it in a bit."

"Yes, Captain." The man called Er Gouzi pushed open the door and went to stand guard at the main gate.

Another person sat down at a desk inside the gatehouse, took out a notebook from the drawer, and started writing. Grandpa Sun said, "This is our security department. Recently, some things have happened in the factory, so they're all on edge. Not to mention you, they see everyone as an enemy agent."

"Uncle Sun, please don't speak ill of our security team. We only arrested the wrong person once, why are you making a fuss about the entire security team?" the team leader said without looking up.

"That's because you guys aren't capable enough. If it were when I was young," Grandpa Sun said.

"Alright, alright, I give up, Uncle Sun. I know you're powerful and we're incompetent. Please, have some mercy." The team leader said as he wrote.

Grandpa Sun smiled and looked at Wang Zhan, saying, "In a little while, go directly to the personnel department and find Section Chief Wang. He's in charge of new employee onboarding, so your situation is probably already settled. Just go find him."

Wang Zhan quickly thanked Grandpa Sun. Just then, Grandpa Sun suddenly stood up and said, "Wang Zhan, did you see that? The one riding the bicycle just inside is Section Chief Wang. Hurry up."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan slung his bag over his shoulder, left the gatehouse, and rode his bicycle to catch up with them.

The captain, watching Wang Zhan's retreating figure, said, "Oh ho, he even has a bicycle. Wait, Grandpa Sun, did he register it?"

Grandpa Sun was taken aback and said, "It wasn't registered. I forgot about that."

"You, you, make him make up for it when he comes out. This is a time when we can't be careless." The team leader closed his work log, stood up, and walked outside.

(End of this chapter)