Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 545 It's really not working.
Before we knew it, it was the morning of the second day.

Li Guoqiang, who had been working hard all night, woke up and went outside. He saw Sha Zhu standing in the yard, chatting with Li Dawei.

Before he could even say hello, Sha Zhu waved at him first and teased with a smile, "Qiangzi, you came back without saying a word. Do you look down on your Uncle He?"

"How could that be! I just had too many things to do and couldn't take care of it for a while."

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang hurriedly waved his hand and began to explain.

"I don't care, you handle this yourself!"

When Sha Zhu heard Li Guoqiang say that, his eyes widened, and then he spoke with a roguish expression.

After he finished speaking, a hint of expectation flickered in his eyes as he looked at Li Guoqiang.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang quickly guessed what Sha Zhu was thinking and nodded with a smile, saying, "Okay, then wait a moment."

After saying that, he turned and went into the house. A short while later, he came out carrying a small jar of ten-year-old aged wine.

As soon as Sha Zhu saw the small wine jar, his eyes lit up. Before Li Guoqiang could say anything, he hurriedly stepped forward, reached out and held the small wine jar, his face full of joy.

"That's why I say you're the most promising guy in our compound! You're really generous!"

As he spoke, he glanced at the small wine jar in his hand, then at Li Guoqiang, who was smiling but saying nothing, and hurriedly continued, "Don't worry, I'm not taking this for nothing. I'll bring back some good dishes after get off work tonight, and we'll have a few drinks together."

"Alright, don't be so polite with me. I've been busy these past few days! Let's talk again when I have time!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang quickly waved his hand and politely declined.

"What? You're so busy now that you don't even have time to eat a meal?"

Sha Zhu frowned, then asked with some dissatisfaction.

"Don't rush! I actually need your help with something!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's unhappy expression, Li Guoqiang felt a little amused. He then chuckled and told him about his upcoming trip to Jinshanbao with his wife and children to establish a beekeeping technology research institute.

"That's the gist of it. I'll be away from home for a while, so I'll have to trouble you to look after my parents. When I come back, I'll bring you a few jars of fine aged wine."

"No, you mean you're already a deputy section chief?"

At this moment, Sha Zhu had no interest in listening to what Li Guoqiang said next; all his attention was drawn to the news that Li Guoqiang had been promoted to deputy section chief.

As a cook who often prepared special meals for the leaders, he knew very well what the title of "deputy section chief" meant.

This means that Li Guoqiang has now entered the ranks of grassroots leaders, which is commonly known as becoming an official.

"Sigh, it's only because the higher-ups value him and gave him a little push. Who knows what will happen in the future!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's shocked expression, Li Guoqiang quickly waved his hand and said modestly.

"Well done! You've really made something of yourself this time. You're the first person in our compound to become a leader. Not bad, you haven't let your Uncle He down!"

Sha Zhu snapped out of his daze upon hearing this, then gave a thumbs-up and boasted to himself.

"That is!"

Seeing Sha Zhu's smug expression, Li Guoqiang not only didn't refute him, but also nodded with a smile and agreed.

In any case, he would still need Sha Zhu's help to take care of his family in the future, so he definitely couldn't refuse Sha Zhu's request at this time.

Sha Zhu was also somewhat self-aware of this, and he quickly patted his chest and assured him, "You can go to the countryside to do your business with peace of mind. I will take care of things at home for you."

"Thank you very much!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang quickly expressed his gratitude.

Then, due to time constraints, Sha Zhu didn't stay long and soon left with the small wine jar, looking quite pleased with himself.

Immediately after finishing breakfast, Li Guoqiang went to the train station alone to buy a ticket.

After he bought his train ticket and returned to Xiangmizhai, he saw Yu Jiaxue, dressed in a light purple cheongsam, sitting elegantly drinking honey lemon tea, and Luo Huijuan sitting next to her.

This surprised him slightly, so he quickly stepped forward and greeted him softly.

"Aunt, what brings you here?"

"What? Can't I come?"

When Yu Jiaxue saw Li Guoqiang return, she immediately frowned and didn't give him a friendly look at all.

"No, I was just worried about not being able to take good care of you!"

Upon seeing this, Li Guoqiang hurriedly offered an explanation, then stepped forward and sat down next to Luo Huijuan.

"Humph!"

When Yu Jiaxue saw Li Guoqiang and Luo Huijuan sitting together like a perfect couple, she couldn't help but feel a little envious.

However, because of her status, she couldn't say anything, and could only let out a soft snort, sulking inside.

"Um, Auntie, let me get you a fresh cup of tea."

Luo Huijuan noticed that Yu Jiaxue's mood was a bit off. She observed Yu Jiaxue's face for a moment, and then seemed to guess something. She hurriedly made an excuse to pour tea, leaving Yu Jiaxue and Li Guoqiang alone.

Upon seeing this, Yu Jiaxue's eyes flashed slightly, and then she said with a hint of sourness, "I really don't know what good deeds you did in your past life to be able to marry such a virtuous and obedient wife."

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang chuckled and asked, "Auntie, you didn't come all this way just to praise me, did you?"

"Of course not!"

Yu Jiaxue shook her head, then her expression turned serious, and she said softly, "I came here today because there's something I want to discuss with you."

"You say!"

When Li Guoqiang saw Yu Jiaxue suddenly become serious, some guesses flashed through his mind, and then he made a gesture of invitation without making a sound.

"Didn't you say before that you couldn't get any more supplies for your uncle? I talked to your uncle about this, and he thought about it and wanted me to come and discuss it with you to see if there was any way to continue getting some supplies for your uncle."

Seeing Li Guoqiang's state, Yu Jiaxue didn't keep him in suspense and told him the whole story.

After she finished speaking, seeing that Li Guoqiang did not say anything, she hurriedly continued to explain: "I know that you will be busy with that beekeeping research institute and will not have much time to come back to the city, but you also know that your uncle needs these supplies to smooth things over with some people."

Do you think you could talk to your friend first and find someone to help deliver the supplies?
"We'll provide whatever amount of votes is due when the time comes."

“No, you know how rare those supplies are. My friend won’t agree to let anyone else get involved.”

Upon hearing Yu Jiaxue's suggestion, Li Guoqiang rejected it without even thinking.

The biggest problem wasn't that no one was delivering the goods, but that he himself didn't want to go through all that trouble for such a small amount of money.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to cut off the supplies to both Chen Wen'an and Song Guochang immediately.

As for whether Chen Wen'an and Song Guochang would have a problem with him because of this, that was none of his business.

Moreover, he believed that Yu Jiaxue and Wu Caie would not allow Chen Wenan and Song Guochang to harm him. "Is it really not possible?"

Upon hearing Li Guoqiang's answer, Yu Jiaxue frowned slightly, then asked somewhat unwillingly.

After all, Chen Wen'an can no longer be a grown man; his biggest obsession is to continue climbing the ranks.

If Li Guoqiang stops providing Chen Wen'an with those rare supplies, it will definitely displease Chen Wen'an.

Then, it will be less convenient for her to find Li Guoqiang for a decent meal.

"It really won't work!"

Despite Yu Jiaxue's pleading gaze, Li Guoqiang remained resolute.

"Alright! I'll go back and talk to your uncle about it properly."

Seeing this, Yu Jiaxue could only nod in disappointment and say something.

Afterwards, because she had something on her mind, she didn't linger for long. She simply asked Li Guoqiang a few questions about his upcoming schedule, then stood up and left gracefully.

After she left, Luo Huijuan came out from the backyard, plopped down next to Li Guoqiang, and reached her hand towards his waist and ribs.

"You're being too reckless! You'll touch anyone you want? Aren't you afraid of getting into big trouble if people find out?"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang did not try to deny it. Instead, he pretended to be in pain and leaned close to Luo Huijuan's ear, whispering what had happened between him and Yu Jiaxue.

Finally, he explained earnestly, "As you know, I've never had a good impression of them, so why would I actively provoke her?"

"Alright, I'm not blaming you, I just think it's better to avoid certain people if you can."

After listening, Luo Huijuan rolled her eyes at Li Guoqiang and then spoke in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Daughter-in-law, you are so kind!"

Li Guoqiang smiled slightly, then reached out and embraced Luo Huijuan, praising her with a look of deep emotion.

"Hmph! Don't give me those nice words."

Luo Huijuan gave a light snort, then said with some dissatisfaction, "If I hadn't figured it out this time, you probably would have kept it from me forever!"

In fact, she didn't really care about Li Guoqiang's affair; she just felt that Li Guoqiang shouldn't have kept it from her.

If Li Guoqiang had told her earlier, she could have thought of ways to deal with any problems that might arise in the future, right?
"I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time!"

Seeing the worry in Luo Huijuan's eyes, Li Guoqiang quickly apologized.

Actually, he had originally planned to find an opportunity to talk to Luo Huijuan, but he had been busy preparing for his trip to the countryside these past two days, so he hadn't had a chance to tell her.

"From now on, don't act so recklessly!"

Seeing that Li Guoqiang was so remorseful, Luo Huijuan couldn't press the matter any further and could only offer some helpless words of advice.

"Roger that!"

Upon hearing this, Li Guoqiang was overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.

After that, neither of them talked about it again and they each got busy with their own things.

Soon it was noon.

Before Li Guoqiang had even finished his meal, Qin Huairu suddenly showed up at his door, clearly already aware that Li Guoqiang was taking his wife and children to Jinshanbao.

Li Guoqiang was not surprised by this and took Qin Huairu directly to the small studio, intending to appease her.

"Qiangzi, are you planning to never come back?"

Looking at Li Guoqiang's face, which she had been longing for day and night, Qin Huairu's eyes quickly welled up with tears, and her voice trembled with emotion, making her look pitiful.

"of course not!"

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang quickly shook his head and said, "I just won't be coming back as often in the future."

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu hurriedly asked further questions.

"Of course it's true. Why would I need to lie to you?"

Li Guoqiang nodded, his face full of seriousness.

"That's good, that's good!"

Qin Huairu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Li Guoqiang didn't seem to be fooling her.

As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Now that she has finally escaped the drought and is getting younger, how could she possibly be willing to go back to being the haggard old woman she used to be?
Not long ago, when she was getting food at the steel mill canteen, she heard Sha Zhu say that Li Guoqiang was going to take his wife and children to the countryside. She was instantly struck dumb.

Then, without even having time to eat, she rushed straight to Xiangmizhai, afraid that she might accidentally be dumped by Li Guoqiang.

Fortunately, the final result was not as bad as she had imagined.

Otherwise, she really wouldn't know what to do?

"Actually, even if you hadn't come to see me, I would have talked to you about this after I got off work tonight."

Seeing Qin Huairu's relieved expression, Li Guoqiang felt a surge of joy and then softly explained.

"Hmm! At least you still have some conscience."

Qin Huairu felt a warmth in her heart when she heard Li Guoqiang say that, and then gave him a slightly coquettish glare.

Upon seeing this, Li Guoqiang felt a sudden urge to act, and quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pull him.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't do anything reckless!"

"Shh!"

Soon, the faint squeaking of mice could be heard coming from the small studio, as if they had stolen a piece of fragrant rice.

After the rats had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Huairu walked out somewhat shakily, as if she had been terrified.

Li Guoqiang followed behind and couldn't help but find Qin Huairu's appearance somewhat amusing.

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have imagined that Qin Huairu would enjoy sneaking food so much!
After a while, Qin Huairu finally calmed down a bit, then turned around and glared at Li Guoqiang with some annoyance.

Immediately afterwards, she didn't dare linger in Xiangmizhai and hurriedly ran out with her head down, afraid that Luo Huijuan would notice something.

Little did she know, Luo Huijuan didn't care much about her neighbor, and didn't even bother to ask her a question.

Seeing Luo Huijuan's attitude, Li Guoqiang felt even more satisfied with his daughter-in-law.

Not long after, he gave his instructions and rode his bicycle away from Xiangmizhai.

(End of this chapter)