The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 428: Shazhu's Brother-in-Law
At the beginning of last year, in a remote mountain village in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, 17-year-old Wang Lei was falsely reported as 18 years old by his father because of his height. He spent 1 yuan and secretly sent two bottles of "Yanshan" wine and a pound of "Daohuaxiang" snacks to the production team leader Wang Qianjin at night.

Finally, Wang Lei was arranged by the production team to learn technology from the team's electrician.

Two years ago, Wang Lei’s production team had just had electricity. The team’s irrigation and drainage station and mill needed electricity, and every household also had electricity. Except for occasional power outages, the history of lighting kerosene lamps basically came to an end.

However, the electricity in every household was only used to connect a 25W light bulb. Although the larger bulb was brighter, it consumed more electricity and was not allowed in the production team.

The job of checking the wattage of light bulbs and reading the electricity meter is usually done by the electrician in the team.

Therefore, in the production team at that time, electrician was a very popular job with good salary (calculated according to work points), which was about 15 yuan per month.

These days, 15 yuan is an enviable income for a rural family.

Moreover, every household wants to curry favor with electricians, hoping that they will take care of themselves when checking the meter.

Wang Lei has graduated from junior high school two years ago and has been idle at home. Although there is work in the fields, with a whole family earning work points, he has almost become redundant.

Seeing Wang Lei growing up, his parents thought that being an electrician would be a good option with a salary, so they came up with the idea of ​​letting Wang Lei become an electrician. Electricians in other villages usually take apprentices.

The apprentice does not receive any salary, he just follows the electrician to carry ladders and pull wires. But he can learn some skills from the master, which is still a skill after all.

Thanks to his father's efforts, Wang Lei began his career as an electrician apprentice. Every day, he followed the electrician, checked the lines, and read the electricity meter...

What Wang Lei didn't expect was that after he followed Uncle Huang, the electrician in the production team, Uncle Huang was always on guard against him.

When it came to connecting wires or entering a house to check the electricity meter, he always found an excuse to get him out of the way.

Uncle Huang was worried that if he taught Wang Lei electrical knowledge and skills, he would squeeze him out.

After a while, Wang Lei felt very uncomfortable and told his parents several times that he didn't want to learn electrician anymore. But his father scolded Wang Lei, saying: "The family spent money to help you learn electrician. How can you not do it if you don't want to..."

"Besides, if you don't want to learn electrician, what else can you do? Earn work points in the fields?"

Wang Lei stiffened his neck and said, "I'm thinking of going to Beijing to look for my aunt. I heard that she is now a police officer and a special police captain. I have also learned some martial arts from my family since I was a child. Maybe I can make a name for myself in the police force."

When Wang's father heard this, his face suddenly changed, and he shouted angrily: "Nonsense! Your cousin finally got through the hard times and now has a stable job and a happy family. It's not easy! I strongly oppose you to cause trouble for her and distract her!"

Wang Lei's stubbornness also came out. He turned his head and said, "It's okay for me not to go, unless you can find a way to let me join the army. Look at Xiao Wu, he successfully joined the army this year..."

Upon hearing this, Wang's father interrupted him sternly: "Xiao Wu's father is the captain of the militia, so he must have connections. I am just a farmer, I don't have that ability!"

At this time, the Queen Mother felt sorry for her son and hurried to smooth things over: "Dad, why don't we write a letter to my aunt and listen to her opinion. She is the most promising one in our family..."

Father Wang looked at the mother and son who were looking at him eagerly. He sighed. After all, they were his own children. "Hey, let me think about it..."

…………

On this day, as the sun was setting, Wang Qiuju ended her busy day and slowly walked into the front yard pushing her bicycle.

At this time, the third uncle Yan Bugui came out from the house with a smile on his face, holding a letter in his hand.

"Uncle, it's time for dinner. You haven't eaten yet?" Wang Qiuju stopped and greeted politely.

Yan Bugui laughed and responded in a friendly manner: "Qiuju is back? Our meal has just been served. As soon as I heard you were back, I hurried out to take a look."

He changed the subject, raised the letter in his hand, and continued, "By the way, I have a letter for you here. The address is from Cangzhou. Could it be sent from your hometown?"

Wang Qiuju's face was filled with smiles. She took the letter briskly and thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you so much, Uncle. I'm sorry to disturb your meal."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui waved his hand and responded cheerfully: "Hey, what's the big deal? Neighbors should help each other!" There was a sense of warmth and enthusiasm in his words.

"See you then!"

"Got it!"

When she returned home, she found that her husband Sha Zhu had prepared dinner, which smelled delicious and mouth-watering.

"Hey, Lao He, your cooking skills have improved again. What delicious dish is this?" Wang Qiuju smiled and patted the shoulder of Sha Zhu who was busy.

Sha Zhu turned around and smiled innocently: "Seeing that you are very tired these days, I specially asked someone to bring back a big and plump pork elbow from Liujiazhuang. I will let you taste it tonight and replenish your body."

When Wang Qiuju heard this, she felt sweet in her heart. Shazhu, this man may look inconspicuous, but he is a sincere man inside, capable and knows how to cherish his wife.

Ever since Wang Qiuju married Sha Zhu, the years have passed, but his kindness to her has never changed in the slightest. He has always cared for her consistently. This deep affection makes Wang Qiuju feel happy and satisfied.

Seeing Wang Qiuju standing behind him in a daze, Sha Zhu turned around and said, "Don't stand there like an idiot. Go to the west room and call He Qiu to eat."

"This kid, as soon as school is over, he's like a wild horse, playing everywhere. He doesn't remember his homework until dinner time and his stomach growls, then he suddenly remembers that he hasn't done it yet." After saying this, he shook his head, but a helpless and doting smile hung on his face, as if he was already accustomed to such scenes.

"Hey!"

As night fell, Wang Qiuju and her family of three sat around the dining table, enjoying the warmth of dinner. Suddenly, she remembered the unopened letter on the table, so she picked it up and read it while eating.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu was naturally curious and asked directly, "Sister Qiuju, what did uncle say in the letter? Is there any difficulty at home? Don't worry, we are a family and we will help you in any way we can!"

Wang Qiuju sighed softly, frowned slightly, and said slowly: "Well, if it's really a family problem, it's easy to deal with. The person mentioned in the letter by my uncle is my cousin Wang Lei. He is determined to come to Beijing to find a way out. It would be best if he could become a police officer. If that doesn't work, joining the army is also his wish."

Seeing Wang Qiuju's worried face, Sha Zhu asked directly, "Is this matter very difficult?"

Wang Qiuju rolled her eyes at him, her tone somewhat helpless: "If it were easy, would I be in such a state? As the deputy squadron leader, I can't help with the bureau's recruitment, let alone the soldiers, not to mention the people in the local armed forces, I don't know any of them!"

Sha Zhu suggested sincerely: "How about letting your cousin be my apprentice? I will personally take care of him and teach him step by step. I will ensure that he can have a stable meal."

Wang Qiuju heard this, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes, and then she said worriedly: "If this is possible, I would be willing to do it a thousand times. I feel relieved if he follows you. But this child has a stubborn temper and is always thinking about joining the army or the police. So my uncle is really at a loss, so he wrote to me for help..."

After hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't help but feel a little troubled. After all, the two places were far apart. Wang Qiuju's hometown was Cangzhou, so even if they wanted to help, they were unable to do so.

"Hey...how about I try to find Brother Liu to see if he can help?" He made this suggestion cautiously.

After hearing this, Wang Qiuju frowned and became even more worried. "Old He, forget it. Our family has done enough good things for Brother Liu's family. I can't even count them all. I really don't want to cause him any more trouble."

Sha Zhu raised a smile and said in a nonchalant manner, "Don't worry if you have too many debts. We can't pay them off in this life, so we can leave them for the next life. I think we should ask him for help. Which of the little guys in our yard has not received his kindness? He will certainly not sit idly by when it comes to such a small matter in our family..."

After hearing this, Wang Qiuju thought about it for a moment and nodded, "Hmm... you make sense. Besides, I haven't seen Sister Gan Ning for a long time. I'll take this opportunity to go with you."

Early in the morning on the weekend, Sha Zhu and Wang Qiuju took a truck from the Red Star Factory to Liujiazhuang and arrived at Liu's house exhausted.

"Sister-in-law, we came here today with some trepidation, because there is something we must shamelessly ask Brother Liu for help with.

See if you can be flexible with Brother Liu. Of course, if it is really difficult, we will not make it difficult for you and Brother Liu."

Liu Zhiye happened to be out and had not returned yet. After exchanging pleasantries with Gan Ning, Wang Qiuju went straight to the point and stated her purpose. Her words were sincere yet contained a subtle urgency.

Gan Ning smiled and comforted her, "Qiu Ju, it's rare that you ask me for help. Being a soldier is not difficult. I will definitely help you get it done. Don't worry!"

This is indeed an easy task for Liu Zhiye today.

Soon after Liu Zhiye entered the house, Gan Ning mentioned the visit of the silly Wang Qiuju, who came to ask Liu Zhiye to help her cousin. After hearing this, Liu Zhiye made a simple call to the local armed forces department in Hebei Province, and the problem was solved, showing his connections and efficiency. ————

In January 73, news came from the commune’s armed forces department that the troops had begun recruiting soldiers.

The opportunity that Wang Lei had been waiting for finally came. Joining the army had always been his dream, so Wang Lei got a letter of introduction from the village and ran to the commune’s armed forces department to sign up.

Thanks to his aunt's help, Wang Lei successfully passed all the inspection and review stages of the conscription. On February 2 of that year, he put on a new military uniform and joined the army with the new recruits from the county.

Although the three-month training for new recruits was not too long, it brought about a complete transformation for these rural youths.

Wang Lei also changed from a free and undisciplined young man to a new soldier with ideals, discipline, and obedience to orders and commands.

When his parents read the letter Wang Lei sent back, especially when they saw the photo of him in military uniform wearing the red collar badge and the red five-star star, they felt that he had become a different person.

In late May, the recruit company announced the list of new recruits' assignments. Some of his comrades went to the company, some became signalmen or civil servants for the leadership, but Wang Lei was assigned to the barracks department of the division headquarters.

At that time, he didn't know what the barracks department did, and he was the only one there.

Later, after Wang Lei reported to the barracks department, he found out that the recruit company was very clear about the specialties of each recruit.

His experience as an electrician in the village was also recorded during the army's home visits before joining the army.

Only then did he realize that the troops were very meticulous in their work. The leaders knew exactly what everyone had done and what their specialties were...

Wang Lei is a soldier in the water and electricity squad of the barracks department. There are 8 soldiers in the squad, and one old employee. It is said that the old employee participated in the battle in southern Xinjiang, and because of his leg disability, he was specially approved to be transferred to an employee.

The daily task is to be on duty in the water and electricity squad and answer the phone. If any unit or electrical equipment in the camp has a malfunction, he will fill it out in the registration book and report to Assistant Zhang in the barracks department. After that, the assistant will dispatch soldiers from the water and electricity squad to repair it.

The water and electricity squad has a very complex task. They are not only responsible for the electricity maintenance of all buildings in the barracks, including soldiers' dormitories, auditoriums, bathhouses, playgrounds, camp roads and other places, but also for the water supply of officers and soldiers throughout the division.

Not far to the southeast of the military camp there is a river that flows all year round, called the Yongding River.

The water and electricity team installed a water pump upstream of the river. After the river water was purified, it was pumped to various places in the camp through pipes.

As an agency soldier, they eat in the agency canteen.

After a long time, Wang Lei realized that everyone from the division commander to the section chief of the headquarters, from the staff officers to the assistants, including the doctors and nurses of the division hospital, all ate in the headquarters canteen. Also eating in the canteen were the eight female soldiers from the headquarters communications squad.

In those days, the army's food allowance of 4 cents per meal was carefully arranged by the administrator and the cook of the office canteen to ensure that the leaders and comrades could have two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes for each meal.

Since the troops were located near the capital, breakfast mainly consisted of steamed buns, lunch was rice, and dinner was still steamed buns. They also had dinners during festivals, and there were 8 dishes at the dinners.

The leaders ate at the same table with the soldiers. Comrade Liu Zhiye, the commander of the 2nd Guard Division, often ate at the same table with them.

Wang Lei felt that the food in the army was far inferior to the food at home.

On New Year’s Eve last year, the army canteen held a dinner and a kind of wine was placed on the table. This was the first time Wang Lei had seen wine. I heard that this was the wine produced in Liujiazhuang, the division headquarters, and it had not yet been sold on the market.

Wang Lei didn't know what the wine tasted like, but he knew that the Liujiazhuang winery was famous throughout the country. The "Yanshan", "Taihang" and other liquors produced here were popular all over the country. They were excellent wines for personal drinking or as gifts.

During the dinner, the division commander Liu Zhiye personally poured wine for each of their soldiers. The leader said: "It's the New Year, and many comrades can't go home. The division has arranged for everyone to get together. Comrades, please eat to your heart's content and don't miss home..."

Liu Zhiye poured half a bowl of wine into Wang Lei's bowl. He saw the red wine and it tasted sweet after taking a sip.

When Liu Zhiye saw Wang Lei finished the drink in one gulp, he couldn't help but say, "Good boy, you can do it!" and poured him another cup with a smile.

Young Wang Lei thought the red sweet water was particularly delicious. He drank it with his food and wine. Unexpectedly, he felt a little dizzy after leaving the cafeteria. When he returned to the dormitory, he fell asleep immediately.

When Wang Lei woke up, it was already the next morning. The squad leader smiled and said to him, "Hey! This wine has a strong aftertaste. I was afraid to drink it. I didn't expect that you dared to drink all the wine that the commander poured for you..."

…………

During the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, the canteen of the Second Guard Division held another dinner and wine was placed on the table. However, the packaging of the grapes this year was different. It was not as simple as during the Chinese New Year and looked much more formal.

When the leader was about to pour them wine again, Wang Lei quickly covered his bowl with his face red, saying that he was not used to drinking red wine, this wine had a strong aftereffect, and he was really scared.

Because after he got drunk during the Spring Festival, his comrades have been making fun of him for the past six months.

There was another reason why Wang Lei didn't drink, because this morning, Corey gave each of them 4 moon cakes.

It was the first time in his life that Wang Lei ate mooncakes. The mooncakes had five-nut fillings, including peanuts, walnuts, rock sugar, and red and blue thread-like things. He took a bite of the rock sugar and it was so crispy that he got goose bumps all over his body.

However, mooncakes are much more delicious than the snacks in his hometown. Wang Lei didn’t eat dinner properly because he kept thinking about the mooncakes. He hurried back to the dormitory, quietly broke one open, took a bite, and the fragrance, sweetness, crispness and crunchiness made him unable to stop.

Wang Lei ate three in one go, intending to save one for tomorrow. However, after the lights-out rang, he lay down on the bed, the aftertaste of the mooncake still lingering in his mouth, so he simply stuffed the last one into his mouth...

The next day at breakfast, comrade Xiao Zheng asked Wang Lei, "Do you still have mooncakes?"

Wang Lei said, "I ate them all last night, not a single one was left!" After saying that, he and Xiao Zheng looked at each other and laughed.

Because Wang Lei knew that Xiao Zheng had also finished his four mooncakes last night.

Wang Lei and his colleagues received a notice that the switch box in the office cafeteria often tripped and there were crackling incidents in the circuits.

After receiving the task order, Wang Lei and his comrade Xiao Zheng carried a ladder to the office cafeteria, and they checked the fault one by one along the line.

However, while troubleshooting, they discovered that there were still mooncakes in the cafeteria, and there was a box of unopened mooncakes on the shelf in the cafeteria warehouse.

After completing the task and returning to the water and electricity class, Wang Lei and Xiao Zheng were particularly excited because they found mooncakes in the cafeteria.

But they knew that the reason there was still a box of mooncakes in the canteen warehouse was probably because it was left for the comrades who were on missions. In that case, it was useless for them to think about it.

However, the deliciousness of mooncakes is so tempting, especially when you are hungry, you will "miss" the sweetness of mooncakes more and more.

However, the box of mooncakes was in the warehouse of the office canteen, and it was impossible for ordinary people to get in without any special reason.

Later, Wang Lei quietly told this secret to Liu Zhaodi, a female soldier in the communications squad. When she heard it, she screamed, "Ah! There is a box of unopened mooncakes in the cafeteria..." Suddenly, the voices of several female soldiers wanting to eat mooncakes came from the other end of the phone.

On the phone, Liu Zhaodi and her friends tried various methods, including asking the canteen manager for it.

But then I thought, others all have 4, why should I give them more?

It was impossible. I thought of asking the soldiers in the cafeteria for money through the back door, but I was afraid of causing trouble or even criticism to them...

Later, the female soldier even thought of going to the cafeteria under the pretext of checking the communication lines.

That day, they followed the communication lines and checked the "fault" bit by bit. When they found the warehouse, Liu Zhaodi took advantage of the fact that the squad leader and comrades in the cafeteria were busy in the operation room.

I quietly pushed the mooncake box, and the box was pushed aside very easily... The box was actually empty.

When Liu Zhaodi told Wang Lei and the others about the empty mooncake box, they laughed out loud on both sides of the phone. They thought that an empty cardboard box had taken them so much trouble...

(End of this chapter)