Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 178 Choice, Request!
He Yuzhu traveled back to Guangxi by car, enduring a bumpy ride, and then took various trains before finally returning to Beijing.

What he didn't expect was that as soon as he got off the train, Lao Fang's people were waiting for him. He hadn't even gone home before being invited to Lao Fang's place.

The person who came to pick him up was an acquaintance, Duan Yiming, who also practices Bajiquan.

"Director He, you're finally back! We've been waiting for days!"

"Old Duan, what's the matter? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I don't know either. The team leader told us to take turns guarding the station, saying that he wanted to see you as soon as you got off the train."

"Has anything happened in Beijing lately?"

"No."

"That's good!"

After the car arrived, He Yuzhu went directly to Team Leader Fang's office.

When the door opened, Team Leader Fang visibly relaxed upon seeing him.

"came back."

"Didn't you tell me to come back?"

"Yes, yes, I let you come back."

"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry to see me?"

"Just wanted to remind you of a few things."

"Huh? What instructions did you give me?"

“You little brat, listen to me carefully. You’ve never been to Yunnan. You came straight back from Cambodia and that’s what you say no matter who asks you.”

"I've never been there before!" He Yuzhu blinked.

"I love your quick wit. I can't tell you the specifics, but since you haven't been there, things can't be done there for the time being."

"Oh!"

"I'm done talking, so I'm going home now? I've been out for so long!"

"What's the rush? There are other things to do."

"You say, you say!"

"Hmph, what kind of tea did you bring back this time? Leave some for me."

"Pu'er, is that all? I would have kept it for you even if you hadn't told me. Can you go now?"

"I haven't gotten to the important matter yet."

"Then please tell me!"

He Yuzhu sat up straight again, adopting a listening posture.

"It's about Cambodia."

"Wasn't the contract signed? What's the problem?"

"You've heard everything."

"it is good."

"It's not about the contract. The problem is that some people think it's a waste of resources. The country already lacks industrial facilities, and now they're getting a bunch of grain in return. They think it's wrong."

"And then what? They want to break the contract?"

"That's not the case. If we do something like this right after establishing diplomatic relations with them, who would dare to establish diplomatic relations with us in the future?"

"That's good."

"I knew you would say that."

"That's not it!"

"The situation this year is indeed more serious than expected. Fortunately, your trip went smoothly and grain has been transported back to the country and is now being sent to the most severely affected areas."

"Isn't this a good thing? Why do you look so unhappy?"

"What I want to talk about is your business."

"What's wrong with me? I've completed my task, and there's someone following up on it!"

"It's because you completed the mission too well, three years, you really dared to do that!"

"Didn't you give me full authority when you left?"

"Yes, but now some people are unhappy."

"Hey, what's this? Trying to make an example of someone?"

"That's not the case, but you can't go back to your original unit for the time being. Who told you to always make such a big fuss?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Aren't you surprised at all?"

"You've laid so much groundwork, it would be strange if I didn't figure it out! What's so surprising!"

"Okay, now you have two options. First, you can go down to one of the factories and stay there for a while. Second, you can go to the north to do a mission. Don't worry, you'll still be at your current rank and receive the same treatment."

"What mission?"

"I can only tell you if you agree to do the mission."

"How can I agree if you don't tell me? Don't I have another option?" He Yuzhu said, looking like he had He Yuzhu completely under his thumb.

He actually had a hunch that the situation was bad and that either they were going to pick someone up or there was going to be some other action.

"Hello, Lao Fan and his men are in trouble in Russia and need help."

"And then, you have so many elite troops under your command."

"They're no good; those Russian bears can't even speak properly."

"Tch, I don't believe you can't find someone who can speak the language of the Russians."

"Those who can talk are all clerical staff," Lao Fang said dejectedly.

"dangerous?"

"Ah."

"Can I go all out now?"

"No, what do you want to do?"

"Then I'll just go back to the factory and coast along."

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You've already heard it, so you have to go whether you like it or not. The main task is to pick up people. There should be some other things too. Bring as much stuff as you can, but the main thing is the people."

"Learn the same thing as me?" He Yuzhu asked tentatively.

Team Leader Fang nodded.

"Didn't our group all come back?"

"It's been several years, can't we have new students? Some of them didn't graduate until 57, and they went to do internships first."

"Oh, so this is how we get what we need based on our situation."

"What are you taking?"

"The fur of the Russian bear!"

"The metaphor is quite apt."

"Did you manage to get it?"

"Who can compare to you? You're not just plucking, you're stuffing it into a sack!" Team Leader Fang said irritably.

"Alright, I'll take this job. Let's make this clear first, I'm not joining your department. I'm just helping out, understand?"

"Is our department really that unpopular with you? I've helped you so much!"

"No, you should know the reasons better than I do, like this time in Cambodia."

"Fine, you're something else. My little temple can't afford to accommodate such a great Buddha as you, okay?"

"I'm not some Buddha, I'm just a floor sweeper!"

"Get lost. I'll give you two days. Someone will come to pick you up in two days."

"Alright, I'm leaving. I'm exhausted from the journey." He Yuzhu stood up.

"Remember to leave me the tea leaves."

"Got it." He Yuzhu waved his hand without turning his head.

After He Yuzhu walked away, Team Leader Fang muttered to himself, "Did I use him a little too hard? I wonder what this kid will think if he finds out that I added this mission later. Oh well, I'll accept it if he causes trouble later. This mission is best left to this kid."

If He Yuzhu heard this, he would definitely scoff and say to Lao Fang, "Old comrade, you're overthinking it."

When they got downstairs, the car was still parked there. He Yuzhu got in the car, took out two cakes of tea and asked someone to take them up to Lao Fang. Then he got back into the car.

"Old Duan, could you please take me home?"

"it is good."

When He Yuzhu arrived home, his family was quite happy, but when they heard that he would have to go out again in a couple of days, they became a little less happy.

He Yuzhu inquired about the family's situation.

His father doesn't bring lunchboxes home anymore. There's hardly any leftover food at the factory, and the special kitchen basically only cooks what we eat. The key issue is that they provide very little food.

Things are alright at home. The neighborhood committee didn't enforce the "iron rice bowl" system; they told each courtyard to see how things were.

Their family can't afford to take advantage of Old He's big family, so what's the point of all this? They should just look after themselves.

Of course, some people shamelessly came to borrow grain. Chen Lanxiang counted the number of people in her family on her fingers, and the people who came slunk away.

Now even He Yuyan has started eating grain, so there's not much left of his previous ration.

Sometimes He Daqing and Xu Damao would pretend to go to the pigeon market, saying they were exchanging fine grains for coarse grains. As for what exactly they were exchanging for, only they knew the truth.

He Yuzhu asked about the family's food reserves, and Chen Lanxiang told him that he wasn't home, and his share was just enough to fill the gap, otherwise they would have had to eat the stored food.

With less oil available, even Wang Siyu is now eating voraciously, let alone He Yushui and the others.

Then Chen Lanxiang told He Yuzhu that hunting was out of the question. Those without guns were now running up the mountains to set traps. Unless they went deep into the mountains, it would be a wasted trip.

He Yuzhu didn't have time to go into the mountains this time, but after resting for a while, he went out again in the afternoon and came back carrying a bag of coarse salt. "Zhuzi, why did you get so much salt? Don't we pickle vegetables at home?"

"I went out and asked around, and I found out I could get some fish. I'll make some salted fish for the family."

"You can still get fish?"

"Where there's water in Beijing, there are people everywhere. Where do the fish come from?"

"You don't need to ask that, anyway, it's not illegal."

"How much salt do you have? Why are you bringing so much?"

"It must weigh at least a hundred pounds."

With a "thud," the thing Chen Lanxiang was sewing fell into the sewing basket in front of her.

"How many?"

"About a hundred jin, or more."

"Then how will you get it back?"

"The east wing, we'll clean it up in the backyard tonight, otherwise the smell will be too strong."

"Okay, I'll have your dad help you with it then."

"it is good."

When the He family had dinner that evening, they brought some meat, and the children ate it all up like wolves.

Xiaoman also came back. Originally, Xiaoman had something to say to He Yuzhu, but when she heard that he was going to do something else that night, she said she would help him and they could talk about it later.

That evening, when He Yuzhu brought the fish back, He Daqing was stunned. It weighed over a hundred jin (200-300 catties), probably more than two hundred jin (100-200 kg). The whole sack was full, and it seemed like they were all still alive when they were put into the sack.

And these fish are huge! The smallest weighs over three pounds, and the largest weighs seven or eight pounds.

"Who set this trap for you?" He Daqing asked.

"Dad, where can we cast our nets to catch so many fish these days?" He Yuzhu asked.

"That's true. Do you still have any stock over there?"

"What, you want to sell it to the factory?"

"hey-hey!"

"Don't even think about it. It's good enough that your family has enough to eat. Your factory has several thousand people now. How many fish would you need to make a living?"

"I can't manage so many people, so let's have a special program, a special program."

"Don't worry about the small kitchens. We've got a purchasing team, and knowing you can handle it, we'll be asking you for help every day from now on."

"This"

"Alright, let's get to work. It'll take forever to clean up."

A light bulb was hung from a stick in the backyard, and the He family was busy working under it, while the younger ones had already been put to bed.

Of course, He Yushui couldn't escape the labor. The old lady didn't even sleep; she just sat at the door, happily watching the family busy at work.

She thought to herself, "It's good that my eldest grandson is back. Not only can he bring back food, but the house will also be more lively."

Xu Damao also got busy, and he was always there when it came to eating fish. Mainly, when He Yuzhu wasn't home, if there was anything to do at home, Chen Lanxiang only needed to say a word, and this kid really didn't hesitate.

The family worked for a little over a month to finish, and then a whole row of fish hung under the eaves of the west wing.

While cleaning the fish, He Yushui kept saying, "We'll eat one tomorrow, and another one next week."
Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu exclaimed, "Well, you've arranged everything."

After tidying up, He Yuzhu went back to the house, and Xiaoman followed him.

"Why aren't you resting so late?"

"Brother Zhu, I have something to tell you."

"You said."

"I've graduated!"

Where were the jobs assigned?

"Your workplace."

"Our company?"

“But when I got there I found out you had been transferred, and I didn’t dare tell my family.”

"You found the job yourself?"

"No, someone went to campus recruitment and selected me."

"It seems our Xiaoman is quite outstanding. Keep up the good work."

"But I heard that they had never recruited before, and they only recruited me."

"Hmm?" He Yuzhu finally realized something was wrong. This strongly suggested that someone was behind it all. It seemed he would have to ask Lao Fang about it when he saw him.

"Is the job a good fit?"

“It’s great. Everyone at work is very welcoming to me as soon as they hear that I’m you, your spouse, especially Director Lin.”

"That's good."

"Brother Zhu, aren't you going back? I was hoping to work with you."

"I don't know either, we have to follow the organization's arrangements."

"Ok."

"You should practice your English more often; it will be useful in the future."

"I see."

"Is there anything else, just this?"

"I heard that you're leaving again. What about us, what about our marriage?"

"Are you in such a hurry to come into my house?"

"You're so annoying!" Xiaoman punched him.

"How about we go get our marriage certificate tomorrow?"

"So fast!"

"Didn't you ask? You're complaining it's too fast now."

"Okay, but I have to go to work tomorrow morning, so I'll have to take the day off and can only go in the afternoon."

"Then you should tell Aunt Ping tonight, and I'll tell my mother tomorrow morning."

"it is good."

"Go back and rest!"

"Brother Zhu, can you hug me?"

He Yuzhu froze for 0.0001 seconds, then wrapped his large arms around Xiaoman.

"Brother Zhu, I want to be with you forever." Xiaoman felt the heat emanating from He Yuzhu and the overwhelming masculine scent, her face turned red to the roots of her neck, and she murmured as she rested her head against He Yuzhu's chest.

"Ah."

"Will you continue to travel so frequently for work?"

"I don't know."

I wish you could stay home all the time.

"I'll try my best."

"Then, I'll go back."

"it is good."

"Well, I'm leaving now!"

After He Yuzhu let go, Xiaoman felt a little lost. Finally, she mustered up her courage, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed He Yuzhu on the lips before covering her face and running away.

He Yuzhu watched Xiaoman return to the west wing before turning his gaze away.

Xiaoman seemed to know that a pair of eyes were watching her, and she ran incredibly fast.

Back in the west wing, Wang Cuiping could tell from her expression that the girl must have done something, so she just smiled, which Xiaoman happened to see.

A blush suddenly rose on her face again.

"I haven't even said anything yet, why are you blushing?" Wang Cuiping found it a bit amusing.

"No, it's nothing, Aunt Ping, I have something to tell you."

"Okay, you go ahead."

"I want to get my marriage certificate with Brother Zhu tomorrow."

"So urgent?"

"Brother Zhu is leaving again, and we don't know how long he'll be gone."

“Okay, that’s good. I’ll get your household registration book ready for you,” Wang Cuiping said.

"Aunt Ping, I can't bear to part with you."

Unexpectedly, Xiaoman suddenly hugged her, startling Wang Cuiping.

Then she gently patted Xiaoman's back and said, "Good child, we're just living in the same courtyard. Even if you marry into the family, it's just a change of residence. What's there to be reluctant about?"

"Yes, we're still family."

"What are you saying? You're implying that once you marry into the family, you won't be part of the family anymore?"

"I see."

"Alright, go wash up and go to bed. You have to go to work tomorrow."

"it is good."

While sleeping, Xiaoman heard Wang Cuiping tossing and turning on the kang (a heated brick bed) because she couldn't sleep. She knew that Wang Cuiping was thinking about Siyu's father again.

(End of this chapter)