Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 180 Difficulty in Choosing

Upon returning to Beijing, He Yuzhu immediately called Lao Fang, eager to know how Lao Fan and the others had fared.

"Where did Lao Fan and the others go? Do you need me?"

Old Fang was silent for a long time on the phone before saying, "No need, kid, don't do anything rash. They won't die. You don't need to worry about this."

"But I..."

"This is an order!"

He Yuzhu hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "Okay!"

"By the way, I've sent your file and information to the neighborhood office. Go there and choose a job."

"Row."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu walked home dejectedly. When he got home, his mother immediately noticed that her son was in a bad mood and asked, "Zhuzi, what's wrong? Did this trip go wrong?"

"No, I'm just a little tired."

"If you're tired, go and rest. You've been on the train for so long." The family has gotten used to He Yuzhu's recent business trips because the intervals are short. He usually brings back food when he comes back. If it's a dangerous mission, there's no time to buy food.

"it is good."

After He Yuzhu went to the east wing, Chen Lanxiang opened the backpack He Yuzhu had brought back, glanced at it, and then quickly closed it again. Then she suddenly remembered that it was just her, the old lady, and the little one at home; the rest of them had gone to school.

"What's wrong? What did Zhuzi bring back?" the old lady asked.

"Grandma, it's all food, sausages and the like."

"Then you'd better put it away quickly, otherwise if those kids come back and see it, they'll start complaining again. Sigh, in this world, even if you have meat, you have to eat it secretly. Why did you return it?"

"Zhu Zi said that this is only temporary. Anyway, our family is not starving, which is already very good."

"Yes, this child is wasting money again. You should give him some more money tomorrow. If that's not enough, I have some more." The old lady said this, but she had a smile on her face. Earning money is for the family to spend, but this grandson is a bit too family-oriented.

"No need, old lady, Daqing and I have money."

“Just tell me if you need more, anyway, I don’t have many expenses.”

"I know."

"By the way, ask Zhu Zi later how long he can stay this time. If he has enough time, pick a good day to hold the wedding for the two children."

"Okay, I'll ask during dinner."

"This child seems a bit off this time. He's probably too tired. Don't call him or let the younger ones disturb him."

"Um,"

When the younger children came back from school at noon, as soon as they heard that their eldest brother was back, they wanted to go to the east wing to find He Yuzhu. Chen Lanxiang knew exactly what they wanted to do; they wanted to see if He Yuzhu had brought them any good food.

"No one is allowed to go. Your older brother is too tired this time. Let him rest well."

"Oh," the children immediately wilted.

Of course, some people are still unwilling to give up.

"Mom, my brother didn't bring anything back with him?"

"Why bring anything? I'm so busy with work, I don't have time to go out shopping. Besides, if we can't even buy things in Beijing, it's the same somewhere else, isn't it?"

"Really? Mother!"

"You brat, you're starting to doubt your mother?" Chen Lanxiang immediately picked up a feather duster.

He Yushui ran off in a flash, and the younger ones followed suit.

As soon as he ran into the courtyard, he saw the door of the east wing open and He Yuzhu came out.

"elder brother."

"Big brother."

"Big brother."

"School's out? What are you all doing in the yard? Aren't you going to eat?"

"hey-hey!"

"What did you do to upset Mom again?"

"No, no!" He Yushui quickly denied.

"Alright, everyone go back inside. What are we having for lunch today?"

"We don't know!" all the children said in unison.

"Brother, you..."

"Zhu Zi is awake, come and eat quickly." He Yushui's words were interrupted.

"Okay, Mom, let's go, you guys. Do we need someone to invite you?" He Yuzhu glanced at his mother, and when he saw Chen Lanxiang wink at him, he understood immediately.

Lunch was simple: stir-fried cabbage, pickled vegetables, and cornbread made from a mixture of cornmeal and corn flour, not corn kernels.

When her eldest son returned, Chen Lanxiang was reluctant to let him eat that stuff.

This is already considered a very good meal. Many families can't even finish a whole cornmeal porridge, let alone a steamed bun made from a mixture of cornmeal and flour.

The meal was simple and eaten quickly. The little ones wolfed down their food. Fortunately, there were still enough steamed buns at home, otherwise, judging from the way they were fighting over the buns, He Yuzhu would have been in a fight.

Of course, the He family also has its rules: take only what you can eat, and if you make a fuss about food at home, you'll get a beating.

He Yushui only dared to ask He Yuzhu when he came back. Normally, she eats whatever she wants; she's not a child anymore.

After finishing their meal and resting for a while, the children went back to school. He Yuzhu then asked, "Mom, do we have a jar for pickling vegetables?"

"Don't we have pickled vegetables at home?"

"I'd like to pickle something else, do you have a jar?"

"I have jars, but how much vegetables do you want to pickle? Why do you need a large jar? Besides, vegetables are hard to buy these days, what are you going to use to pickle them?"

"Oh, then I'll go out for a walk."

"Don't buy things randomly, okay?"

"I see."

He Yuzhu strolled out with his hands behind his back. What was he going to do? Buy a jar. He had vegetables in his storage space. Since he couldn't take them out, he might as well pickle them. Also, winter was approaching, so he could consider pickling some sauerkraut. There wasn't a custom of pickling sauerkraut here yet, so he could give it a try.

He went out and found a secluded spot, threw out a bicycle, and headed straight for Dongxiao Street, which was a little closer to his home.

After arriving, they selected several water vats that were about half a person's height, fitted them with lids, found a porter, and had the vats hauled to a quiet alleyway where few people were. He Yuzhu paid the money, and after the porter left, he simply took the vats away.

Then he went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy coarse salt, but he didn't have the ration coupons, so he had to give up. It seems he'll have to ask his father for help. It's not a big deal for the canteen manager to buy a few pounds of salt to take home.

Then he went to places like the vegetable market and found very few people setting up stalls, let alone selling anything. It's possible that they had already sold out and packed up early in the morning.

He rode his bicycle to a place near his home, put it away, went home, and then locked himself inside.

Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well wash vegetables. I can do it all while lying in bed.

Chen Lanxiang came over to take a look, thinking that her son had gone out for a walk and was too disappointed, so he came back to rest.

When everyone returned home in the evening, dinner was already prepared. He Yuzhu managed to pry half a salted fish out of his mother's hands and cooked it for her. He added a lot of side dishes, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to eat.

Chen Lanxiang even accused him of being wasteful, saying that she knew exactly how many fish there were and that she had planned to use them for He Yuzhu's wedding.

He Yuzhu said, "If it's gone, we can just get some more."

"Where are you going to get it? The water level in Beihai Park has dropped a bit, and there are fewer people fishing now."

"We'll see when the time comes. You can't expect me to have cabbage for lunch and cabbage for dinner when your son comes back."

"Fine, fine, you brought them all back anyway."

"How about I get one of the sausages I brought back?"

"Don't even think about it. Fish and meat, what kind of world are we in now? How dare you eat like this?"

"Your mother is right." This time, the old lady didn't help He Yuzhu.

"Okay, okay, I'll go cook." He Yuzhu retreated in defeat.

When the little ones came back and heard that He Yuzhu had gone to the backyard, they knew that something delicious was going to be made. As soon as they got there, they smelled the aroma of fish and started lingering around the big stove in the backyard. Then, Chen Lanxiang, who had come over, chased them all away and made them go do their homework.

He Daqing had just returned and was about to cook when Chen Lanxiang stopped him: "Your son is back. He'll cook today."

"What about people?"

"The backyard."

"I'll go take a look." He Daqing ran straight to the backyard.

"Dad, are you off work?"

"Hmm, when did you get home?"

"morning."

"Are you tired from this trip?"

"Okay."

"You managed to get half a fish out of your mother's hands, you're really something. How about a couple of drinks tonight?" He Daqing lifted the pot lid to take a look, then put it back on.

"Okay, by the way, Dad, could you get some salt?"

"What if you need something? We have plenty of things at home, don't we?"

"Get me more, can you get me several dozen kilograms?"

Do you eat salt?

"Pickling some vegetables or something."

"Don't we have some at home?"

"We only have mustard tubers at home."

"So what else do you plan to pickle?"

"Just pickle whatever you can use."

"Okay, I'll wait a few days."

"Okay." When Xiaoman returned, she saw He Yuzhu as soon as she entered the house and exclaimed with delight, "Brother Zhu, you're back! So soon this time?"

"Yes, I'm back now that I've finished my business. Go wash your hands and get ready for dinner, Aunt Ping is working overtime again tonight."

"it is good."

This meal was much more intense than lunch, even after Chen Lanxiang had divided the fish first; everyone was fighting over the side dishes.

After dinner, Chen Lanxiang asked He Yushui to take the children to play. He Yuyan was taken away with them, leaving only He Yuzhu and Xiaoman.

Xiaoman panicked a little.

"Xiaoman, why are you so nervous? We're all family. We're just asking when you plan to hold your banquet."

"I don't know how to choose an auspicious date, could you please help me pick one?" He Yuzhu said.

"I'll listen to Brother Zhu."

"Alright, Pillar, it's settled then, you won't be going on business trips again, right?"

"Probably not."

"Okay, then you don't need to worry about it, just wait for the wedding."

Xiaoman blushed, and He Yuzhu said, "Do you have any blankets or anything at home? My room is full of old ones."

"Yes, we've been preparing for this for a while."

"Oh, let me know if you don't have enough cloth and cotton, and I'll see if I can get some more."

"If you can do it, then do it. Every household needs that stuff."

"it is good."

Actually, his family was relatively well-off. He Yuxin and He Yuyao didn't wear many of He Yushui's old clothes; most of them were worn by Wang Siyu.

He Yuzhu and his friends had nothing to wear. Those clothes had been there for so many years. Anything that needed altering or dismantling had already been taken down. With his size, no one could wear his clothes after he turned ten.

After leaving, Xiaoman went to He Yuzhu's place for a private chat, mainly asking about the journey and the situation at their workplace.

She also said that many people asked He Yuzhu why he hadn't gone back to work yet, and whether he had been transferred. Of course, without He Yuzhu's permission, Xiaoman could only tell them that she didn't know the specifics.

The next morning, He Yuzhu went to the subdistrict office because there was really nothing to do at home.

Upon entering Wang Hongxia's office, Wang Hongxia smiled and said, "Oh, our big shot is back?"

"Celebrity? What celebrity?"

"After your file was returned, we asked around to see if there were any suitable positions available. We didn't expect that everyone would be vying to hire you."

"what?"

"Asked around?"

"Yeah, I have to find you a good one."

"They're all about the same, aren't they?"

"That's different. It's their loss if the Ministry of Trade doesn't keep the people you're asking for."

"Um, did the head of the archives team send this over?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't say anything when we asked him anything, he just said that you weren't suitable to work there. I know what kind of person he is, he must have caused some trouble again."

"What kinds of organizations are there?"

"Take a look."

As she spoke, Wang Hongxia took out several sheets of paper from the drawer, which were covered with writing.

He Yuzhu took it and looked at it.

[Director of the Second Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, promoted one level from his original salary.]

[Director of the Third Business Division of the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, promoted one level from his original salary.]

[Director of the Second Procurement Division of the Municipal Grain Bureau will be promoted one level based on his original salary.]

[The head of the Logistics Department of the Dongcheng District Government will be promoted one level based on his/her original salary.]

【.】

[Head of Logistics Department at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, promoted one level from his original salary.]

[Deputy Director of Logistics, Textile Factory No. 3]

After reading it, He Yuzhu was a little confused. The deputy factory director had come out. Didn't he know how much he himself could handle?
"What's wrong? You don't like any of them?"

"I can understand the section chief, but what's wrong with the deputy factory director?"

"I'm wondering about that too. The Third Textile Factory is the largest textile factory in Beijing, with over 10,000 workers. I'm really worried you can't handle it."

“I think so too. Besides, I’m not old enough to be considered one of the factory leaders. Aren’t they all around forty?”

"What about something else? You've considered the steel rolling mill; it's close to home, but your dad would be annoyed, having a son bossing around his father." Wang Hongxia suddenly thought of He Daqing and laughed.

"The Industry and Commerce Bureau?"

"Hey, you know your Uncle Zhao is in charge."

"That shouldn't be your question, right? It must have been my Uncle Zhao who insisted on it. I don't know anything about their business."

"You guessed right. Your Uncle Zhao has wanted to work with you for a long time. He's said it so many times. Now the opportunity has come. Your Uncle Zhao said that with your strong learning ability, you will definitely be able to get started within a month."

"Ah, why do you want to work with me?"

"They value your abilities, huh? You've done everything right along the way. If I could accommodate you here, I would have asked you too."

"Forehead"

"Haha, you didn't expect to be so popular, did you?"

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "I just didn't know that it was like this outside the foreign trade system."

Then he asked, "Where's the Public Security Bureau? What's going on here? And the Investigation Department?"

"I just asked if there were any positions available, and this is the position they offered me."

"I'm in purchasing!"

"You're a veteran who fought your way through the battlefield! And your skills... Old Fang's people must have heard about them."

"What about Dongcheng District?"

"What's wrong? You look down on our small temple?"

"No, no, I meant what exactly does it cover?"

"They take care of whatever logistics is handled elsewhere, and they also take care of the annual gifts and other necessities for the families of martyrs and soldiers and impoverished households in their jurisdiction."

"Oh."

"Don't rush into a decision. Why don't you take it back and take a look first, and then come back when you've thought it through?"

"Alright, but Aunt Xia, you have to help me find out which positions are actually vacant, and not just places made up for me."

"What, are you worried about not being able to get the work done?"

"That's true to some extent, after all, I was parachuted in."

"That's right, then I'll ask you. You should remember all of these, right? I've heard you have a photographic memory."

"Who said that? I'm not like that. I just have a better memory."

"You really remembered it?"

"Ah."

"Then leave the information here, otherwise I won't be able to remember it."

"it is good."

"Alright, you can rest at home for a few days. I'll ask around and come find you in a few days."

"Let me do it."

"It's alright, it's not far at all. Your work is a big deal to me."

"No need, Aunt Xia. I don't want my family to know yet. I'm leaving."

"Alright, you can go now. Don't worry about work. Rest at home for a few more days. You came back from the south and went to the north again. I don't know what you've been doing. I won't ask, but it must have been tough for you."

"it is good."

After leaving the street office, He Yuzhu strolled home. There was nowhere good to go. The rivers and lakes were almost dry, so where would the fish come from? The edible things in the mountains outside the city had probably all been swept away, not to mention the deep mountains.

When they got home, Chen Lanxiang asked him where he had been.

He Yuzhu said he was going out for a walk, and Chen Lanxiang didn't ask any more questions. As for work and such, she didn't care anymore and couldn't control it anyway.

Chen Lanxiang and Wang Cuiping had talked about it privately, guessing that Xiaoman's ability to get such a good job must be related to He Yuzhu. However, since He Yuzhu didn't say anything, the family just pretended not to know.

He Daqing returned that evening with a large bag of salt, which he delivered directly to He Yuzhu's room.

After dinner, He Daqing came over again and said to He Yuzhu, "Yuzhu, I heard from a rumor that the head of logistics at our factory is going to be replaced. Do you think your dad has a chance?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback and asked, "Dad, who told you that?"

"Don't worry about that. Just tell me, do I have a chance with your father?"

"No, there's no such thing as skipping a grade. You might have a chance if you were a deputy director."

"That's it."

"You've been doing this for so many years, don't you know?"

"I know, but I still have this lingering thought."

"You're not asking me to pull some strings for you, are you?"

"No, I'm going back." He Daqing blushed and got up to leave.

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "Dad, it seems I can't go to your factory. If I go, you'll probably feel even more upset."

Then He Yuzhu immediately rejected the idea of ​​going to Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. If he went there, he would feel bad seeing his father's sour face every day, and if his father was bullied by others, he would be finished.

(End of this chapter)