Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1164 An Encounter at the Alley Entrance
After leaving Lao Tie's house and exiting the Bow and Arrow compound, Wang Zhan didn't ride his bicycle; instead, he pushed it home.

He wasn't drunk; he was just thinking about something. He was very happy to receive news from Xiao Wu and Da Lao Tie today, and he was proud of their achievements. But after leaving Tie's house, he suddenly thought about his own situation and became a little dazed.

Now, the only path he can take is to become an intern at the steel rolling mill. Engineer Zhai has already made it very clear that his sudden entry into the company has caused resentment among many people in the factory. If he is just an ordinary person, then it is foreseeable that his situation in the factory will be very difficult. He doesn't know exactly who is watching him. Wang Zhan feels that the future is uncertain.

Hearing news about his two buddies this time, he began to doubt whether he had made the wrong choice, and whether joining the army would have been a better option even if he hadn't gone to university.

At that moment, his younger sister's adorable smiling face flashed into his mind, and Wang Zhan instantly came to his senses. He remembered his original intention. Yes, his choice was not wrong. Even if he wasn't outstanding, he just wanted to live a simple life with his sister. His responsibility was to send her to university and let her have her own brilliant life.

As Wang Zhan was lost in thought, pushing his bike home, he unknowingly arrived at the south end of Nanluoguxiang. Just as he was about to turn in, he saw a person wearing a cotton hat and cotton gloves, carrying a net bag with three lunch boxes in it. The two people bumped into each other.

Wang Zhan smiled and said, "Brother Zhu, are you not at work?"

That's right, it was Sha Zhu coming from the other side. Sha Zhu also saw Wang Zhan. Sha Zhu was a little dazed. He was very familiar with this person who had grown from a child to a young man. There was a time when he and his sister had such a harmonious relationship with this person. He didn't know when it started, but they became like strangers.

Sha Zhu gave an awkward laugh and said, "I took the day off from the factory today. I took on a job outside, and I just got back. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I went to a classmate's house. Something came up, and I just got back. Let's go, let's go together." Wang Zhan pushed his bike and turned into Nanluoguxiang.

Sha Zhu also started walking. He felt he couldn't lose points, so he quickened his pace and walked alongside Wang Zhan. Neither of them spoke. Wang Zhan didn't know what to say, while Sha Zhu was guessing Wang Zhan's current situation. He knew that Wang Zhan had obtained a whole row of houses in the east wing of their front yard, but those houses had always been locked and hadn't been moved.

Sha Zhu spoke first, asking, "I heard that the east wing of our front yard belongs to you?"

Wang Zhan nodded and said, "Yes, this is all thanks to Aunt Sun. I never expected that Aunt Sun would give me her house. It was exchanged with two households in your courtyard. Director Wang from the neighborhood office brought this up with me. After thinking about it, I realized that I'm not short of housing, so I decided to exchange it. It's a win-win situation."

Sha Zhu knew exactly what was going on, but he pretended not to know and said, "That's good. If you need anything in that courtyard in the future, just come to me. I'll definitely help if I can."

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Brother Zhu. By the way, how's Yu Shui doing lately? Did he take the college entrance exam this year?" Wang Zhan asked.

Sha Zhu was embarrassed again. He didn't know what the rain was like either, but he couldn't admit he didn't know in front of Wang Zhan, so he casually said, "Still the same, focused on studying."

"By the way, has your dad come back recently?" Wang Zhan asked.

"That old man... uh, no, I've never met him. I heard you went to vocational school. How's it going? Are you graduating soon? Have you been assigned a job yet?" Sha Zhu didn't want to mention He Daqing at all, and in fact, he had never met him either, so he started to change the subject.

"Sigh, it's tough. With the current situation, all the major factories aren't letting us in. This is really tough for us vocational school graduates. Everyone's busy with their own internships, and we can't count on the school anymore," Wang Zhan said. He didn't dare tell Sha Zhu that he had already been hired by the steel rolling mill. The people in that No. 95 compound are all shrewd; if they found out, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause.

Sha Zhu echoed, "Yes, these days, our factory is very strict about succession planning. We haven't hired any new people in over half a year." Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan understood why so many people were envious of his internship opportunity; there was a reason for it.

The two chatted and unknowingly walked to the east entrance of Yu'er Hutong. Wang Zhan stopped and said, "Brother Zhu, I'm going back. Let's celebrate together after Yushui finishes her college entrance exam."

Sha Zhu waved his hand with a smile and said, "Alright, I'll let you see my skills then and see how they're different from before."

Wang Zhan nodded and pushed the cart into the alley. After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered that his younger sister was still at the Zhang family's house, so he turned around and went back the way he came. Just as he came out of the east entrance of Yu'er Alley, he heard people talking in the next alley. Wang Zhan turned his head and saw Sha Zhu standing at the entrance of Mao'er Alley, talking to a girl named Qin Huairu.

Wang Zhan couldn't help but feel that the two were flirting. To avoid being seen by Sha Zhu, Wang Zhan quickly walked towards Dongmianhua Hutong across the street. Old Zhang's shop was the first one in Dongmianhua Hutong, so he had a storefront on the side of Nanluoguxiang.

But ever since Old Zhang closed his breakfast stall, he had people build up all the doors and windows on the west side, so now his family only uses the door in Dongmianhua Hutong.

Despite Old Zhang's impoverished circumstances, he owns a detached house with a courtyard in Dongmianhua Hutong, which many people envy. The original breakfast shop was converted from the west wing of his house, and it has now been restored to its original state.

Wang Zhan walked to the door, but before he could knock, the door opened by itself. Zhang Erya poked her head out and then turned to shout inside, "I told you that the sound of that bicycle must be Brother Zhan, but you didn't believe me."

"Er Ya, you have sharp ears! Where's my sister?" As soon as Wang Zhan saw Er Ya come out, he didn't plan to go into the Zhang family's house. He thought he would call his sister and go straight home.

As Zhang Erya stepped aside, Wang Li squeezed out of the door and, upon seeing Wang Zhan, said, "Why are you so late today? I got out of school at three in the afternoon. By the way, brother, have you eaten?"

"Huh? I've already eaten. Have you eaten?" Wang Zhan asked, patting his younger sister's head as she jumped up beside him.

"I've already eaten! Grandma made egg pancakes, they were so delicious! I ate three in one go, while Er Ya only ate two," Wang Li boasted.

"It's good that you've eaten. Oh, and go say goodbye to Grandma and Uncle Zhang. I won't go in; we should go home now."

After Wang Zhan finished speaking, he turned to Zhang Erya and said, "Erya, come to my house this weekend, I'll cook you something delicious."

"Okay, Zhan-ge, don't worry about me having a big appetite." After saying that, he pulled Wang Li into the courtyard.

Wang Zhan parked his car on the side of the road, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and unconsciously looked toward the entrance of Mao'er Hutong.

This glance nearly made him drop the cigarette he had just lit; the alleyway was already in complete chaos, and the noise immediately carried over.

(End of this chapter)