The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 3 Getting Old
"Brother Damao, you can't say that. Everyone has gone to the workshop, but no one will be lazy. The revolutionary enthusiasm is high."

Xu Damao walked into the office carelessly. Fortunately, everyone in the office had gone to the workshop to work, and Liu Hua was the only one left to draw the picture, otherwise this guy would have been pinned to the ground and rubbed repeatedly.

Xu Damao smiled and said, "What do you mean by going to the workshop? It's just to fool a newcomer like you. They give you all the hard work and then they find a place to relax."

"Isn't this how all new employees come here?" Liu Hua said without even raising his head. "Besides, it's nothing. It's just drawing blueprints. It's not hard or tiring work."

"You have a really good temper, but you said something wrong. That's not how I came here."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "Don't think that I don't know what's going on here just because I've only moved here a few months. Your father taught you the craft. He is his own son, so how could he bear to treat you like an animal?"

"I have a father, don't you have a father too?"

Xu Damao's words sounded a bit flattering. When Liu Hua first moved into the yard, his father and mother came with him. His mother couldn't tell what they were doing, but his father was wearing a police uniform and was accompanied by the leaders of the local police station. This immediately intimidated everyone in the yard, especially Xu Damao.

He was too familiar with the character of the people in the courtyard, they were selfish and xenophobic. But no one dared to cause trouble to Liu Hua that day, because his father was obviously a cadre and a policeman. No matter in the new era or the old era, ordinary people had a natural fear of being a police officer. This was also the reason why Liu Hua had lived there in peace for half a year.

The people at the subdistrict office and the police station were very tight-lipped and never revealed Liu Hua's background, so the people in the yard only knew that Liu Hua had a father who was a policeman, but they didn't know what his specific position was. Anyway, since no one else dared to offend him, Xu Damao had been trying to curry favor with Liu Hua.

"My dad is not my backer for causing trouble." Liu Hua said as he drew a picture: "My family has strict discipline. If I make a mistake, I will do what I have to do. My dad will not back me up. What's more, this is a normal process at work. If I really make a mistake, I'm afraid my dad will break my legs."

Xu Damao said jokingly: "Then you are not my biological father."

"Get lost." Liu Hua cursed, "You are not my biological father. We are reasonable people in our family, but we also protect our children. If my father heard you say this, he would at least lock you up in a small dark room and use some tricks on you so that you will never dare to say a bad word about others for the rest of your life."

Xu Damao quickly explained: "It was just a joke, but you took it seriously. If you really feel offended, I will treat you to a drink today, and we will have roast duck at Bian Yi Fang tonight."

Liu Hua shook his head: "Don't think I don't know what you are up to. I am just an ordinary person, not worthy of your flattery."

Xu Damao sighed, "No matter how ordinary you are, your father is a policeman, and others have to look up to you. At least in our courtyard, no one dares to mess with you. My father is a movie projectionist. Who in the courtyard looks up to me? Everyone excludes me. I am just a little more tactful. Those old women gossip outside, saying that I am a bad seed. I didn't hurt them, so how can I be a bad person?"

"I don't know why you are such a bad person, but I just think you are not a good person. I am drawing a blueprint here, why are you chatting with me?" Liu Hua said helplessly, "These are all backup archives and blueprints for distribution to the factories below. There is no room for any mistakes. You keep interrupting me. Aren't you delaying my work?"

"Well, it's really my brother's fault, but I'm not looking for you for anything else. It's almost half past eleven, it's time to eat."

Liu Hua looked at his watch: "That's true. I forget the time when I'm busy. So I must have wronged Brother Damao. I'll treat you to lunch." "You should take a break soon. You only make more than 20 yuan a month. Wouldn't it be embarrassing for me if you treat me?" Xu Damao raised the lunch box in his hand: "I brought some braised beef with soy sauce today. The secretary gave it to me when I went to the village to show a movie. No one else has it, so I'm willing to share it with you."

Xu Damao is not a stingy person. He is willing to spend money to invest. As long as he thinks the person is useful to him, he is willing to share any good things with him.

"Xu Damao, you are not doing this right. If you have meat, you should share it with Liu Hua." Team leader Ma Yushan pushed the door open and said, "I got it today. Everyone who sees it gets a share. I came early, but it's better to come at the right time."

Xu Damao pretended to be helpless and said: "Well, one more bite is missing. There are not many in total. I can only taste it."

"It's good enough to have a taste." Ma Yushan said with a smile: "The natural disaster has just passed, and the food situation has just improved. It's a blessing to be able to taste the meat."

The three of them took their lunch boxes to the second canteen, which was the canteen where Sha Zhu worked. Now this guy is the head chef of the second canteen. His cooking skills are the best among all the canteens in the entire factory. In addition, the office building is close to the second canteen, so people in the office building like to come to the second canteen to eat.

"Brother Zhuzi, one serving of Chinese cabbage, one serving of stir-fried shredded radish, and two steamed buns." Liu Hua said politely, "Please give me more. I'm growing up now. If I don't give me enough, I won't be able to stand the hunger in the afternoon."

Sha Zhu filled Liu Hua's cup with soup and said with a smile, "Okay, okay. You came to eat here to show your support to me, so I have to fill it up."

Xu Damao ordered some shredded potatoes, stewed cabbage and steamed bread. Sha Zhu didn't shake the spoon for him, but it looked like he had significantly less food than Liu Hua.

"Silly Zhuer, you are just looking at people's dishes."

Sha Zhu said deliberately, "I didn't shake it for you, so you should just be thankful. How can you compare with Hua Zi? He uses his brain and speaks nicely, while you, Xu Damao, have been idle all morning and your mouth stinks. It's good enough that you have something to eat. Stop talking nonsense, next one."

The three of them sat together. Xu Damao took out an oil-paper bag from his pocket and opened it to reveal braised beef in soy sauce, but there really wasn't much.

People in the village would at most give him a pound of meat, and he couldn't possibly eat it all. Each person would only get three or five pieces. These days, eating meat is enough to satisfy one's craving, and no one dared to think about eating it to their heart's content.

Ma Yushan stopped eating after he ate that piece. Liu Hua asked in confusion, "Team Leader, why don't you eat it? It doesn't suit your appetite. But to be honest, the beef is a little overcooked."

"It's indeed a bit old." Xu Damao nodded: "It was originally an old cow in the village. It has been tilling the land for a lifetime. It fell into the ditch and was killed because it was beyond saving."

(End of this chapter)