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

Chapter 506 People’s hearts are wild!!!
Mr. Lao She once said:
"In peaceful times, the summer in Yanjing is very lovely."

How can the scenery of “ceiling, fish tank, and pomegranate tree” not be lovely?

When the fragrance of the big locust flowers in the yard fades, the leaves grow lush, and the shade becomes very large, summer in our Yanjing has really arrived...

Early in the morning, as soon as I got up, I could smell the fragrance of tea in the yard.

The third uncle Yan Bugui in the front yard had prepared a large cup of jasmine tea early in the morning.

Hey, this temperature is just right!

"Hey! Did the Third Master eat you? You're drinking right now?"

"I've eaten, I've eaten. Is Damao going to work?" Yan Bugui leaned on a bamboo chair, holding a cup of fragrant scented tea in his hand. He looked at Xu Damao carefully with a bit of curiosity and confusion in his eyes.

I saw that Xu Damao's hair was meticulously groomed, and the hair wax made it shine glossy in the sun.

A pair of sunglasses casually hung on the collar of his T-shirt, adding a touch of unruly and fashionable to the outfit.

The black leather bag in Xu Damao's hand made him look even more stylish.

Hey, look at his outfit. He doesn't look like he's going to work. Instead, he looks more like a big boss who is about to go out to negotiate a big deal.

really.

Xu Damao grinned and said with a smile: "Uncle, I haven't had time to tell you yet, but I have decided to quit my job and go into business."

When Yan Bugui heard this, he spurted out the tea in his mouth with a "puff" sound, and asked in astonishment, "What did you say? You quit your job too?"

Xu Damao nodded solemnly, with a determined light in his eyes: "Yes, I plan to start my own business. I'm tired of the job in the factory. I plan to go to the south to try my luck and see if I can find a good opportunity to make a fortune..."

When Yan Bugui heard this, he was stunned and couldn't speak for a long time. You know, Xu Damao's job is not worse than Shazhu's.

Although Sha Zhu is a cadre of some size, he is just the director of a small canteen under the logistics department. Although he can make some money on weekdays, he has no real power.

However, Xu Damao was quite different. He was the deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Red Star Factory. He was a well-known figure in the Red Star Factory and was usually surrounded by people wherever he went.

How can you just quit a job like this?

"Da Mao, you..." This really made Yan Bugui difficult to understand.

Xu Damao gently raised his wrist, quickly glanced at the time on his watch, and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh! Uncle, I'm so sorry, I have to catch a train now and can't chat with you for long..." Before he finished speaking, he hurriedly got on the majestic motorcycle.

With a roar, the motorcycle sped along, its exhaust leaving long trails of smoke in the air, and in the blink of an eye it disappeared at the corner of the alley.

Yan Bugui was left there muttering to himself: "What's wrong with them? They are so wild. Is doing business so simple?"

"Xu Damao also resigned and went to the south to do business!"

Although this news caused surprise among the neighbors, it was not that sensational because of Sha Zhu.

Afterwards, everyone should still do what they are supposed to do!

Since last year, people have discovered that the life that has remained unchanged for more than a decade has begun to enter the fast lane, and many new things are dazzling.

……

Midsummer is here and it’s so hot!

Nowadays, most people have a hard time every summer because they don’t have air conditioning at home.

Although there are summer delicacies like watermelon and peaches.

But people were generally poor. Although watermelon cost only a few cents per pound, most families could only enjoy it occasionally.

Moreover, refrigerators were not yet popular, so the hot watermelon you just bought had to soak in the cold water in the washing basin for a long time before you could enjoy it, and the taste was far worse than when it was chilled.

Summer is more about heat and mosquitoes.

To be honest, the alleys in Yanjing at that time were not as neat and tidy as they are in later generations.

At that time, the hutong was actually a gap in the densely packed bungalow area, with rows and patches of bungalows crisscrossing each other.

Hutongs that are open at both ends and straight and wide in the middle are rare in the eastern part of Yanjing. Most hutongs are winding and have no concept of ventilation at all.

Moreover, almost all bungalows at that time had no back windows, because behind the house was someone else's yard, and opening a back window would inevitably create suspicion of prying into someone else's privacy.

It is easy to imagine how unbearable it is to live in the alley houses with no ventilation or very poor ventilation in the scorching summer.

Every day at around seven or eight o'clock, after the sun sets, neighbors who have finished their dinner will move a bench, walk out of the alley, and sit under the trees on the street to enjoy the cool breeze.

Everyone was fanning themselves with a palm-leaf fan, swatting mosquitoes, catching hanged ghosts around their necks, and chatting about all sorts of things, including family matters and current affairs.

This is the social norm in Yanjing City on summer nights.

Children were playing on the streets and running wildly in the alleys.

Fortunately, this was the early 80s, and there were not many motor vehicles on the streets of Yanjing at that time. At night, there were almost no motor vehicles.

So the road became the community square.

When the children make noise at nine o'clock, they will be called back home by their parents to go to bed because they have to get up early to go to school the next day.

Those who are more particular would hide in the small kitchen before going to bed, take off all their clothes, stand in a large laundry tub, and take a quick shower.

If you don't care, just wipe it with a wet towel under the faucet.

Elderly people who sleep less often sit until after 10 o'clock, or even midnight, when the weather gets a little cooler before they go home to sleep.

Several people often sleep in a bungalow, and the doors and windows are not closed all night, relying only on a layer of gauze curtains to keep out mosquitoes.

At that time, the population was not very mobile, and there were almost no thieves. If there were thieves, there was really nothing to steal.

The old people sleep lightly and are often woken up by the heat in the middle of their sleep. They sit in the yard and continue to fan themselves with a palm-leaf fan and sweat.

The physical condition of the deaf old lady in the backyard has been deteriorating. Sometimes she is lucid, sometimes she is confused. Most of the time she can only lie helplessly on the kang and spend the rest of her life.

The hot summer is unbearable.

The aunt was afraid that the old lady would feel uncomfortable due to the heat, so she would go into the backyard from time to time and wipe the old lady's body carefully, hoping to bring her a little coolness and comfort.

Yi Zhonghai saw a woman rubbing her waist and walking out of the backyard with a tired face, and asked with concern: "Has the old lady gone to bed?"

An old lady nodded slightly, her expression a little gloomy: "Yes, I just went to bed. He was still muttering about Zhuzi when he was sleeping. I'm afraid he was a little out of his mind." After saying that, she couldn't help but sigh, her eyes full of helplessness and regret.

Liu Haizhong, who was standing by, frowned upon hearing this, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Looking at the old lady's condition, I'm afraid she won't be able to hold on for much longer.

Should we prepare early so that she can pass away peacefully?"

After hearing this, Yan Bugui, the second aunt, the third aunt and others couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Although they are not related by blood, decades of friendship have made their bond deeper than that of ordinary relatives.

"Alas, birth, aging, sickness and death are common occurrences in life. Everyone will have that day, it's just a matter of sooner or later." Yan Bugui sighed and comforted.

"Yes, the old lady can be considered a blessed person. She lived to be over 90 years old and did not suffer any hardship in her life..." The second aunt took over the conversation with a hint of emotion in her eyes.

At this time, Sha Zhu, Wang Qiuju and Qin Huairu came back from work. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Yan Bugui and others gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

"Hey, guys, why are you still awake so late? What are you talking about?" Sha Zhu asked casually, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.

When Yan Bugui saw them coming back, a smile appeared on his face involuntarily, and he greeted them warmly: "Zhu Zi, you are finally back, just in time, come and sit down!"

When Sha Zhu heard this, he responded readily, "Okay!" and then found a seat to sit down.

But not long after he sat down, Yan Bugui frowned because of the sour smell emanating from Sha Zhu.

"Wow! What's that smell? It's so strong. You'd better not sit here and go take a shower!" Yan Bugui couldn't help but say.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu subconsciously raised his armpit and sniffed. The sour, smelly smell mixed with oil smoke rushed straight to his head, making him feel nauseous.

"Ugh..." Sha Zhu scratched his greasy head awkwardly, "Hey, it's too hot today. Our restaurant is limited, unlike a factory. We don't even have a place to take a shower. The smell is a bit strong, please don't mind!"

Yan Bugui frowned, his tone filled with worry: "Zhu Zi, I don't think this will work. It's okay in summer, you can go home and take a shower, but what should we do in winter?" "You can't go to the bathhouse in the middle of the night in such a cold weather, right?" Yan Bugui shook his head, obviously very dissatisfied with this situation.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to the three uncles one by one. Everyone lit up their cigarettes, and the topic continued in the air.

"I heard from your uncle Liu that the factory in Liujiazhuang has recently launched a new product called a solar water heater." Yan Bugui blew out a smoke ring and said slowly.

"Hey, this thing is great! It doesn't require electricity or water. You can take a hot bath by just drying it in the sun for a day.

This way, we can take a hot bath at home in the winter!" Sha Zhu said with some excitement, as if he had seen the cozy scene of taking a hot bath at home in the winter.

He does not mean that.

Yan Bugui was still talking incessantly to Sha Zhu about the benefits of solar water heaters, his words full of admiration for the emerging technology.

However, he did not notice that the eyes of the second uncle beside him were becoming more and more fiery, as if the solar water heater mentioned by Yan Bugui had ignited some kind of expectation.

Finally, Liu Haizhong couldn't hold back his curiosity and couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "Where can I buy this solar water heater?"

Yan Bugui was interrupted by his question and was stunned for a while before answering: "Oh, this one is not sold on the market yet. I heard that this is a new thing that has just been researched and has not yet been officially launched on the market."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong slapped his thigh and shouted with joy: "This is simply too good to be true!"

Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui and Sha Zhu were stunned when they saw this scene. They all looked at him in confusion and asked, "What do you mean by this?"

Liu Haizhong's eyes sparkled with excitement as he explained, "This is a great business opportunity. Lao Yi, Lao Yan, just think about it. This thing is so practical, it will definitely be a big hit in the future!"

"Although we are all retired, installing these gadgets shouldn't be a piece of cake for us, right?"

Yi Zhonghai was still confused and asked blankly, "It's really not difficult, but what do you want to do?"

Liu Haizhong shook his head helplessly and said, "Hey, why are you so stupid? What I mean is, before this thing goes on the market, how about we get the upper hand and do this business first?"

Yan Bugui blinked his small eyes and said thoughtfully: "This idea sounds good, but we have never seen how others operate it.

And we don’t have a factory, isn’t this a bit too fantastical?
Besides, we don’t have the capital to do business, right?”

"Yes, yes, Lao Liu, this matter..." Yi Zhonghai quickly agreed.

Although Liu Haizhong looks big and strong and like a rough man, he is definitely the smartest one among the three.

He just curled his lips and interrupted them with disdain: "I said you two are stupid, and you are not happy.

When did I say we should produce it ourselves? Why don't we just go directly to the factory in Liujiazhuang to buy it?
As long as we can seize the opportunity first, how can we not make a fortune? "

When Yan Bugui heard this, he suddenly understood and gave Liu Haizhong a thumbs up in admiration: "Great, really great! You are the best, Lao Liu! But, you need money to buy goods, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong chuckled and pointed at Sha Zhu who was standing beside him: "Don't we have a ready-made God of Wealth?
Zhuzi, what do you think? You invest some money with us, and the three of us will do the hard work, and you can get a share, how about that? "

When Sha Zhu heard this, he immediately laughed, "Ha ha ha, Uncle Er, how come you suddenly lost your mind and started thinking about doing business? I remember you always said that my behavior was speculation and I would fall sooner or later!"

When Liu Haizhong heard this, an embarrassed look immediately appeared on his face. "Zhu Zi, this is a different time! I, your uncle, have finally figured it out. You are right. I was too stubborn before. Now I apologize to you, please forgive me this time!"

Sha Zhu smiled and waved his hands, "Ah, Second Uncle, you are too polite. What is the relationship between us? Even if you scold me a few times, or even hit me a few times, that is what you should do. Do we really need to be so polite to each other?"

"But having said that," Sha Zhu changed the subject, "you have to think carefully about this investment. After all, this is not a joke."

Yi Zhonghai, who was watching from the side, said to the crowd with emotion, "Look, Zhuzi is now a big boss. He is really impressive! His broad mind and bearing are really admirable! It seems that we old neighbors have to keep up with the times and change our minds..."

Liu Haizhong nodded quickly in agreement: "That's right, Zhuzi, you are right. How about this, the three of us will go back and discuss it carefully, if it really works..."

Sha Zhu took over the conversation and said straightforwardly: "If it really works, I will invest the money and don't want your shares. When I make money, you can return it to me according to the amount."

"That won't do, Zhuzi." Liu Haizhong waved his hands quickly and said seriously, "Who do you think my three brothers are? When we do things, we should deal with them separately. Even brothers should settle accounts clearly!"

"That's right!" Yan Bugui also quickly agreed, "We can't take advantage of you."

Shazhu had been working hard all day and felt very uncomfortable because his body was sticky. He didn't want to argue with them anymore.

So he said, "Well, let's do this for now. It's getting late, old men. Go back and rest!"

"Okay, okay, let's retreat now..." Upon hearing this, everyone responded and then dispersed, each heading home.

When Sha Zhu returned to the house, he saw that Wang Qiuju had already finished her bath and was lying on the bed, breathing steadily, and had obviously fallen asleep. She would have to get up early tomorrow morning and rush to the Municipal Bureau to start a busy day of work.

When Sha Zhu finished bathing and climbed onto the kang, Wang Qiuju, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, suddenly opened her eyes and asked softly, "What did you talk about with the three old men in the courtyard just now?"

Sha Zhu felt warm in his heart, knowing that she was concerned about him, so he replied softly: "Hey, you haven't slept well yet?

Go to sleep, it's really no big deal.

You must be exhausted after working all day and helping out in the store."

Wang Qiuju shook her head gently, her eyes full of tenderness and understanding: "I'm fine, not tired.

I mean, you are almost fifty years old, and you still stir the wok in the kitchen all day long, can your body bear it..."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu happily lay down next to Wang Qiuju, feeling all the fatigue in his body disappear.

"Zhu Zi, if that doesn't work, let's hire two more people!
When will this end? I don’t care whether you make money or not, your health is more important…”

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go to Liujiazhuang to find two chefs tomorrow..."

"Zhu Zi, has Huaihua been helping out in the store recently?"

"Oh, what's wrong with that?"

“I just feel like something is wrong, didn’t Huaihua and He Qiu break up?

How come they are reconciled again? Is Qin Huairu trying to do something weird again? "

"Ah? This... shouldn't be the case?" Sha Zhu was a little unsure.

"I'm telling you, you have to keep He Qiu under close watch.

He can marry any girl from now on, except Huaihua. Did you hear that?"

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on them..."

…………

It’s a hot summer, it’s a hot summer.

Many factories around Liujiazhuang offer high temperature subsidies.

Some large factories even have special workshops responsible for making popsicles and cold drinks to cool down front-line workers.

Liujiazhuang Bicycle Factory is a large enterprise.

Every summer, no matter whether they are family members of the factory or not, some people will climb over the wall into the factory with thermoses and get soda at the door of the workshop in a dignified manner.

There is a large thermos barrel at the door of each workshop. When the faucet is turned, cold soda will flow out continuously and with full steam. The workers never care when they see it.

A sip of this soda is icy cold, and it numbs your throat and stomach. Then you let out a "ooh" and burp some air at body temperature. It's very refreshing.

Xiaodang was wearing work clothes and had just walked out of the stuffy workshop. Not long after, sweat soaked her clothes and stuck to her back.

Just then, a young man dressed in cadre clothes and looking a little immature came hurriedly, holding two beautifully packaged "ice creams" tightly in his hands.

The young man walked briskly, obviously heading towards Xiaodang.

"Ice Cream" is the latest high-end ice cream launched by Liujiazhuang Food Factory.

There are many flavors, including rich cream, sweet chocolate, and different fruity flavors.

These days, ice cream like this is a luxury.

Ordinary popsicles and ice creams only cost one or two cents, but this one costs fifty cents, which is almost enough to buy half a pound of beef.

(End of this chapter)