Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 307 Beijing, I'm back!

"Look at your ignorant face," He Yuzhu said irritably.

"This isn't my first time riding this."

"I'm just showing you how it works."

"Ok."

"Eat something when you're bored." He Yuzhu placed a tote bag on the small table.

"Sunflower seeds, cigarettes, soft drinks, boxed lunches." Just then, a cart selling goods on the train came by.

"Brother, I'd like to try the boxed lunch on the train."

"Then you should try it." He Yuzhu gave him some money directly, which made the other passengers in the compartment look at each other in disbelief. These two brothers really didn't know how to save money. Things on the train are so expensive.

Before they left, He Yuzhu had already explained that they were from Guangdong Province, so they spoke Cantonese in the car so as not to attract attention.

Then He Yuyan came back carrying two aluminum lunch boxes and two bottles of soda. "Brother, you eat too."

As soon as the lunchbox was opened, there was rice, braised pork, and braised eggplant. The two brothers devoured the food in no time, making the people around them swallow hard. They wanted to eat too, since the food on the train was free, but their wallets wouldn't allow it.

As soon as he got off the train, He Yuyan grabbed his things and ran out; he didn't want to stay on the train for even a second longer.

After getting out of the car, He Yuyan took a few deep breaths before turning around to see where He Yuzhu was.

When He Yuzhu arrived, He Yuyan asked, "Brother, where are we going?"

"Let's find a hotel to stay in first."

"it is good."

"Perfect timing to take a shower, my body is so itchy."

"You think you can join the army?" He Yuzhu said disdainfully.

"I wasn't like this at school."

"Hmph, do you think I believe that?" He Yuzhu didn't even bother to look at him, and walked towards the exit ticket gate.

He Yuyan quickly followed, and as soon as they exited the station, He Yuzhu saw someone shouting, "Beijing, I'm back!"

So he yelled back, and he did it really loudly!

People around them looked at them like they were crazy, but no one cared. These days, there are many people who go back to the city after being sent to the countryside, and there are quite a few like them.

He Yuyan was startled by He Yuzhu and wished she could stay far away from her brother.

Why are you standing so far away?

"Didn't you see how everyone around us was looking at us?"

"Go ahead and look if you want, I'm leaving."

After the two exited the station square, He Yuzhu didn't bother to flag down any taxis, but instead found two guys on a tricycle and got on.

"Master, please take us to the East City and find a good guesthouse with convenient transportation."

"okay!"

"Brother, the guesthouse?" He Yuyan whispered.

"Shut up, no one will think you're mute if you don't speak," He Yuzhu said.

"Oh!" He Yuyan looked at the scenery on the street with a droopy head, as if he had found a little bit of his childhood memories. However, back then he was still young and basically went out in He Yuzhu's car. There were hardly any cars on the street. Unlike now, there are buses, taxis, tricycles and bicycles all over the streets.

"What a big change!" He Yuyan whispered.

“It might change every year in the future, that’s not surprising,” He Yuzhu said.

"Just like when we first went there."

"Yes, more than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye."

The cyclist tried to strike up a conversation, but the two guys were communicating in Cantonese, which he couldn't understand.

The tricycle driver rode right to Wangfujing and then stopped in front of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau Guesthouse. "We're here!"

"How much!"

"Five cents."

"Here's some money." He Yuzhu handed over a dollar.

"Here's your change, 50 cents." The tricycle driver gave her the change, and He Yushui took it casually.

Upon entering the guesthouse, He Yuzhu asked the receptionist, "Excuse me, would you like to check in?"

"How many?"

"Both of you."

"Do you need a double room, a triple room, or a quadruple room?"

"A double room, please. Can we see the room first?"

"Come on in!" the receptionist said somewhat reluctantly. There were really no customers, otherwise she wouldn't have bothered with them.

After inspecting the apartment, He Yuzhu thought it was acceptable, so he took out his letter of introduction and completed the formalities.

Then he pulled He Yuyan out the door and headed straight for Quanjude.

"Brother, where are you going? Aren't you going to rest for a while?"

"We're already in Wangfujing, why don't we have some Peking duck?"

"This is Wangfujing? I don't recognize it."

"How old were you back then?"

"Then take me to eat hot pot tomorrow. The mutton from Dad's hometown isn't good; it doesn't taste like the mutton from Beijing."

"Row."

The two brothers ate two roast ducks and a bottle of Fenjiu liquor in one meal. He Yuxin commented while eating, "It's really quite different from roast duck."

“The North and South are inherently different. It’s just that my dad and I don’t know how to cook, otherwise we would have built a stove at home,” He Yuzhu said.

"Can you buy the recipe?"

"What are you thinking about?" He Yuzhu said irritably.

After dinner, He Yuzhu took He Yuxin to the Blue and White Porcelain Garden. The boy was a little shy when he went in, but after soaking and scrubbing for a while, the two brothers felt refreshed. He Yuxin even said, "Brother, let's come again tomorrow."

"If you're not afraid of scrubbing your skin raw, then go ahead and scrub. I won't stop you."

"A bath should be fine, right?" We'll see tomorrow; I'll come when I have time.

After returning to the guesthouse to rest until evening, He Yuzhu took He Yuxin out for barbecue. The next morning, He Yuzhu took him to buy some snacks and then hailed a car to Jiaodaokou.

The gatekeeper had been replaced; two unfamiliar faces arrived, looking wary.

"What do you do?"

"Master, we've come to find someone."

"Not here to run an errand? Who are you looking for?" The gatekeeper glanced at the pastries in He Yuxin's hand and thought to himself, "She really has no sense of propriety, bringing gifts like this!"

"I'd like to ask if Director Wang is still working here?"

"Director Wang? No, there's only a Director surnamed Cai." The gatekeeper shook his head.

"Do you have any veterans here who have been doing this for more than twenty years?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Let me think. I've been an accountant for a long time. Why are you asking this?"

"I'd like to ask where Director Wang went?"

"Wait a minute." The gatekeeper told the two brothers to stand at the door, and then he jogged inside to call for help.

Not long after, a middle-aged woman came out with the gatekeeper. She looked at He Yuzhu, then at He Yuyan, and finally asked uncertainly, "He Yuzhu?"

"Sister Zhao, it's you!"

"You two know each other? You should have said so earlier," the gatekeeper said.

"I'm sorry, Master, I'm not sure either. We'll only know once we see it," He Yuzhu said.

"Zhu Zi, where have you been? It's been over ten years since we last met!"

"I've been relocated to another city for work," He Yuzhu said.

"Are you here to see Director Wang?"

"Yes, Director Wang is now the district head."

"Oh, did she move to a different location?"

"It hasn't been changed, it's still in the same place."

"Thank you, Sister Zhao. I'll treat you to dinner another day."

"It's just a matter of a word, why bother with a meal?" Accountant Zhao waved his hand and said.

"We'll be going now, see you later!"

"Okay, see you later!"

After He Yuzhu and his brother walked away, Accountant Zhao muttered, "That's He Yuzhu's son next to Zhuzi. I wonder if he's married or not."

"Accountant Zhao, who is this person?"

"Oh, it's a nephew of Director Wang from our neighborhood office. He went to another city a few years ago, and he probably can't find his way back, so he came here to ask," said Accountant Zhao.

"Oh, I see. You were looking for Director Wang. I don't even know Director Wang."

"You've only been here a short time. Okay, I'm going back to work."

After leaving the neighborhood office, He Yuyan said, "Brother, our home is nearby, right? Why don't we go back and take a look?"

"There's nothing to see. People must be living there now. It'll only upset you."

"Oh, I wonder how all those friends are doing."

"And your friends, how many names can you remember?" He Yuzhu asked.

“I really can’t remember your name. People have long forgotten you even exist. We wouldn’t know what to say if we met. Let’s go, let’s go see Aunt Xia.” He Yuzhu said.

"Aren't we in the district? Aren't we going to the district?"

"It's not convenient over there, let's go."

When we arrived at the gate of Wang Hongxia's house, the gate was ajar.

He Yuzhu knocked, and a woman's voice came from inside: "Who is it? The door isn't latched, come in."

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and saw a woman in her thirties sitting on a small stool washing clothes in the yard. Next to her was an old-fashioned wooden baby carriage with a baby sleeping in swaddling clothes inside.

The woman inside looked familiar, so He Yuzhu tentatively asked, "Are you Sheng Li?"

"Zhu, Brother Zhu, when did you get back? You didn't even give me a heads-up!" The woman glanced at He Yuzhu, the clothes in her hands falling directly into the basin of water as she exclaimed.

"You still recognize me?" He Yuzhu laughed.

“How could I not recognize you? I was already in middle school when you left,” Zhao Shenglin said.

“Is this a child? Didn’t you go to work today?” He Yuzhu asked.

"I just gave birth not long ago, and since there's no one to look after her, I'll have to take care of her myself for now. Let's talk inside," Zhao Shenglin said, drying her hands and then picking up the baby.

He Yuzhu looked at the deserted courtyard and asked, "Where are Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang?"

"Oh, they're gone. The two of them passed away one after the other in 1975," Zhao Shenglin said sadly.

“That shouldn’t be the case. I remember they were all in good health,” He Yuzhu said.

“Hey, if you say no, then no. Let’s go inside and talk, Brother Zhu,” Zhao Shenglin said.

"it is good."

The three entered the house. Zhao Shenglin carried the child into the inner room and then came out to make tea for the two of them.

He Yuzhu quickly said, "No need to bother, we're not thirsty."

"Have a drink, it's my dad's treasured drink," Zhao Shenglin said.

"Is Uncle Zhao still in eastern Hebei?"

“Yes, she’s planning to work until retirement,” Zhao Shenglin said.

"Shouldn't Aunt Xia retire too?"

“It all happened in the last two years. She can’t let it go, but someone is already waiting to take over,” Zhao Shenglin said.

What kind of work do you do now?

“Me? I work at a textile factory as an accountant,” Zhao Shenglin said.

"That's not bad."

"Where are Sister Xiaoman, Sister Yushui, and Sister Siyu? Did they come back with you?"

"They will be gone for a while, I'll come back and check on things first."

“That’s true. It’s been so many years. If it were me, I wouldn’t dare to come back,” Zhao Shenglin said.

"Yes!" He Yuzhu exclaimed.

He Yuyan was a little confused about what kind of riddle these two were trying to solve, so she looked at her brother.

"By the way, this is my fifth son, you've met him before," He Yuzhu said, pointing to He Yuyan.

“Yu Yan, he was just starting elementary school back then, right?” Zhao Shenglin said.

"Yeah, pretty much. You've grown into a young man in the blink of an eye. Do you have a girlfriend yet?" Wang Shenglin asked He Yuyan.

"Sister Shengli, I just graduated."

"University? That's great. The universities here have only just started enrolling students." Zhao Shenglin's words were filled with regret and envy.

"By the way, Brother Zhu, you can eat at home later. I'm going to call my mom."

"I'll come over tonight, no need to call."

"I'll still call it. My mom keeps nagging me about how it's a pity."

"That's good, there's a telephone at home, right?"

"Have."

Zhao Shenglin dialed the phone and only said one sentence, "Mom, it's me. My brother Zhuzi is home."

He handed the phone to He Yuzhu, saying, "Hey, Brother Zhu, my mom wants you to speak!"

He Yuzhu answered the phone and only managed to say one sentence: "Aunt Xia!"

A barrage of questions followed: "Zhu Zi, when did you arrive in Beijing? Why didn't you call or send a telegram beforehand? How long do you plan to stay in Beijing? Why don't you stay at my place tonight?" "Aunt Xia, you have so many questions, which one should I answer first?"

"Look at me, I'm getting old, and I'm becoming long-winded. When did you arrive?" Wang Hongxia said somewhat embarrassedly.

It arrived yesterday.

"Did you encounter any trouble on the way?"

"I asked someone from Guangdong Province to issue me a letter of introduction."

"That's good, that's good. How long do you plan to stay in Beijing?"

"I'll leave once I've finished my business," He Yuzhu said.

"What's going on? Look at my brain. We'll talk about it when we get home. You guys just wait for me at home."

"Aunt Xia, you go ahead with your work. I have some errands to run later, but I'll be waiting for you at home tonight."

"Okay, I'll definitely come over tonight. Give the phone to Shengli, and I'll ask her to go buy some groceries."

"No need, Aunt Wang. It's inconvenient for Shengli to be with the child. I'll come earlier this afternoon. I'll buy the groceries myself."

"Alright then, you're a guest, so why make you do this?"

"It's alright, I'm practically a guest here!"

"Yes, yes, my nephew is back. That's all for now, see you tonight."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu said to Zhao Shenglin, "I'll make another call."

"It's alright, Zhu Zi, you can hit me as much as you want. I'm going to check on the children." With that, Zhao Shenglin went into the inner room.

"toot toot"

"Hello!" came a slightly aged voice from the other end.

"Uncle Fang, it's me, I'm back."

"Zhu Zi? You're back in Beijing? Where are you?"

"I'm at Uncle Zhao's house right now. Is it convenient for you? I'd like to talk to you."

"Wait there, I'll send someone to pick you up."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu told Zhao Shenglin what he was doing and was about to leave.

Zhao Shenglin picked up the snacks that He Yuzhu and the others had put down and said, "Brother Zhu, you can't go empty-handed if you're going to do something."

"This is for your family. I'm meeting an old acquaintance, so there's no need for me to bring anything." He Yuzhu said, getting up and walking out.

"Alright then!" Zhao Shenglin couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it.

After leaving the Wang family's gate, He Yuzhu and He Yuyan arrived at the alley entrance.

"Brother, where are we going?"

"Wait here."

"Who are you waiting for?"

"You'll know in a minute."

Half an hour later, a BJ Jeep stopped in front of the two brothers. The rear window was rolled down, and He Yuzhu saw an old face. Old Fang looked even older than he had a few years ago.

"You go to the front," He Yuzhu said to He Yuyan. Then he walked to the other side of the car, opened the back door, and got in. After the two got in, the car started moving and began to circle around Beijing.

Old Fang grabbed He Yuzhu's hand and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Good lad! I didn't expect you to be back so soon. I thought you would be looking for me. Was the journey smooth?"

"It went very smoothly; the Guangdong province directly issued a letter of introduction."

"Times have really changed. In the past, capitalists were begging us to do things for them. Now, it's the other way around," Old Fang joked.

"What, are you going to treat me like a capitalist too?" He Yuzhu laughed.

"Can you be the same? Even if you are a red capitalist, you can't be the same." Old Fang laughed.

"I don't count."

"It's not up to you to decide," Old Fang said.

"Yes, it's not up to me to decide; it's up to the higher-ups to define it."

"Who is this young man in front?" Old Fang wanted to continue the conversation, but there was another person sitting in front of him who he didn't know, so he asked.

"My fifth brother, He Yuyan."

"That little guy? Goodness, he's a big boy now, what's he doing?"

"Uncle Fang, I just graduated and don't know what to do yet, so I came back with my brother to visit."

"What are you studying? The country is really short of talent right now," Old Fang said with a smile.

He Yuyan looked at He Yuzhu, who said, "This kid is interested in military affairs, so I'll send him to the Virginia Military Institute in North America."

"Oh ho, you went to the same school as Sun*ren, how's your studies going?" Old Fang became interested.

“I’m asking you a question,” He Yuzhu said.

“Except for their war history, they got all A’s.”

"Why not their war history?" Old Fang asked.

“They’re just talking nonsense. I know that history. My brother told me about it.”

"Hahaha, not bad, not bad. What are your thoughts, young man?" Old Fang continued.

"I just came back to visit, I haven't made up my mind yet."

Are you interested in working for me?

“Uncle Fang, he’s not suited for what you’re doing,” He Yuzhu said hurriedly.

“Why isn’t he suitable? He’s a top student and knows that area very well.” Old Fang disagreed.

"Do you think he can pass the political background check?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Oh, what a pity, what a pity, such a promising talent!!!" Old Fang sighed.

“There’s nothing to regret. I didn’t agree to it back then either,” He Yuzhu said.

"You have the nerve to say that? You're just afraid I can't cover for you, aren't you?" Old Fang said irritably.

"Hahaha, how come you can cover for yourself now?"

"What a load of rubbish! I'm about to retire. If no one were taking my place, I would have gone home to fish and walk my birds long ago," Old Fang said.

That's not like you.

"Why not? I can't change my mind."

“Zhu Zi, Lao Fang has changed a lot, you have no idea.”

"Old Fan, you talk too much."

"Hehe, Zhu Zi, you see, he gets angry as soon as you mention it."

"It's okay, I could probably guess even if you didn't tell me," He Yuzhu said.

"You think you're so smart? I told you about that, what do you think?" Old Fang glared at him and then asked.

He Yuzhu glanced at Lao Fan, and Lao Fang said, "You still don't believe him? You two are practically brothers in arms, don't you know him?"

“I’m afraid of implicating him,” He Yuzhu said.

"Aren't you afraid of implicating me?" Old Fang said unhappily.

"You came to me yourself, what am I afraid of?"

"You little rascal! *slap*!" Old Fang slapped He Yuzhu across the face.

"Your hand was quite heavy."

"What, do you think I'm too old to carry a gun anymore?" Old Fang said, puffing out his beard and glaring.

"No, no, are we still talking or not?"

"Let's chat, why don't you say something? You're just interrupting us."

“Okay, then let me tell you my thoughts. After you finished speaking, I also thought about it for a long time. Having a mainland identity is indeed very convenient, and it will be easier to do things in the future. So the main reason I came back this time is to get my and Lao Wu’s identity documents sorted out first.”

"Hmm, and then?" Old Fang's eyes were full of anticipation.

"As for the helicopter factory and the acquisition you mentioned, I can only say I'm sorry, I don't dare to take such a big step. But if, in this new capacity, I can help that military-to-civilian factory you mentioned solve some practical difficulties through investment or technological cooperation, introduce some new technologies, and improve their product level, I can consider it. The premise is that it must be done prudently, and I can't risk getting myself involved."

After listening, Old Fang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright! You're still as cunning as ever, but what you said is true! Don't be greedy, don't be reckless, establish yourself first before planning for the future. That's good! You can handle the identity issue yourself, right? If I were to intervene, I'm sure many people would know about it."

"I went to my Aunt Xia's place to do this job, but I didn't expect her to be transferred to a job in the district."

"What, can't people improve?"

"Yes, yes, I'm just worried about the middle part."

"It's alright. It's hard to say about other things, but Hongxia will handle this matter for you smoothly."

"Actually, it doesn't matter if I can't do it in Beijing. I'll go to Jidong. I don't believe that no one will want me."

"Yes, if you go to eastern Hebei, just say you're He Fei, and everyone will be fighting over you. But aren't you afraid of being drowned by the local people?"

"No way."

"Remove that 'bar' from your name. Don't you know how much trouble you caused back then?"

"Okay, I was overthinking it. Guangdong province is fine too."

"Just stick to your job in Beijing, okay? What, you don't want to come back later? Why are you setting up your office so far away from us?"

"I just come from wherever it's convenient."

"Come on, you can't get anything done in Guangdong Province. All your connections are in Beijing. You're overthinking it."

"Hmm, my organizational and working relationship?"

"What, you want more?"

"No, no, I was wondering if we could skip keeping the file."

"I'll have to think of a solution. It's a troublesome matter. I'll take a look later."

“Okay, since we can find it if we keep a record,” He Yuzhu said.

"You're so meticulous, fine. Since you don't want to run the factory, you have to do something else. Others may not know you, but I know very well that you definitely have some good stuff on hand. Of course, you'd better hide it well, don't bring trouble upon yourself. This isn't like those years when you were running around with polar bears."

“Yes, Zhu Zi, things have changed a lot now. You can’t be the same as before.” Old Fan also spoke up, remembering how he helped He Yuzhu get those documents back.

“I understand. We used to be closed off from the world, but now the outside world can come in,” He Yuzhu said.

"What do you mean by closing the country off from the world? We were recuperating and resting. Don't compare us to feudal dynasties."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say," He Yuzhu said.

"I heard you've made quite a name for yourself in the Southern Special Economic Zone, with ports and land holdings. Can you handle it all?"

“Uncle Fang, you’re underestimating my brother. His businesses in Hong Kong are much bigger than that.” He Yuxin immediately said when he heard someone dare to underestimate his brother’s power.

"Get lost, you talk too much, kid," He Yuzhu said with a laugh.

"Look, look, you've been exposed. You're a bona fide capitalist now. If this were in the past, I would definitely be the first to beat up your nouveau riche."

"Don't worry about the investment. Don't ask any questions. Just do it the proper way and follow the proper procedures."

“I think I need to have somewhere to ask if I want to. You think this is the old days, with a bunch of old comrades-in-arms and stuff?” Old Fang said.

"Even if your old comrades are around, don't ask. It's too sensitive," He Yuzhu said.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. It's just that you've made quite a big deal out of this, and I'm both curious and worried."

"Uncle Fang, I'm forty-five years old. Do you still think I'm in my twenties?"

"Hey, you're getting old, you're getting old. The thing that impressed me the most about you was when you were in your twenties. You were only thirty when you left."

"Yes, time flies so fast, more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye," He Yuzhu said with emotion.

“You are in your prime now, the time to do great things,” Old Fang said solemnly.

“I still have big things to do, please spare me. Just do some business. If you have nowhere to go after you retire, go to the special economic zone. I’ll reserve a house for you there. It’ll be close by so we can see each other more often.”

"Do you think I'll just go wherever you want?"

"I only have one suggestion; you figure it out yourself."

"It's not that we can't consider it; we'll see when the time comes."

"Old Fan, you're the same. You can keep my Uncle Fang company."

"Old Fang, do you think I can apply to go to the South?" Old Fan changed his approach.

"You really want to go?"

“I think there will be many challenges over there in the future, after all, it’s the entrance,” Lao Fan said.

"We'll talk about this in a meeting when we get back," Lao Fang said, and Lao Fan stopped asking.

Where do you two brothers live?

"Health Bureau Guesthouse".

"Why are you living there? Can't you afford something better?" Old Fang said.

"I asked a tricycle driver for a recommendation after I got off the train. It was pretty good, the environment was okay, and it didn't attract any attention."

"Alright then, you're always thinking three steps ahead for every one step you take."

"There was no other way; if I hadn't looked, I would have fallen into the ditch long ago," He Yuzhu laughed.

"Where are you having dinner tonight? Want to have a drink with this old man?"

"Tomorrow, I made an appointment with Aunt Xia today. I'll cook for you myself tomorrow. Do you have room?"

“My house is definitely not an option. I’ll come pick you up then. It’s a deal, though. If you’re not satisfied with what you’ve done, I’m going to yell at you.”

"What, do you think I've lost my skills after not doing this for so many years? That's impossible," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then. You guys go do whatever you need to do."

"Okay, Lao Fan, could you please take us to the market?"

"no problem."

(End of this chapter)