Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Zhao Guodong's letter was short.

Lin Xiuhe stood at the gate of the courtyard and read the letter from beginning to end.

Ningzhou Equipment Factory plans to set up a permanent liaison office in Beijing.

In the past, the factory mainly relied on a few existing suppliers to handle its goods. However, in the past two years, there have been more and more external channels available, and sending temporary staff to Beijing is no longer sufficient. The factory selected a few people to go there for a three-month trial period, and Zhao Guodong was on the list.

Towards the end of the letter, the handwriting became noticeably messy.

Xiuhe, I've signed it.

I'll be in Beijing in a few days.

This time I'm not going to help you move goods; I need to go out and find work myself.

You do this every day now.

I'd like to see how you managed to turn yourself into Boss Lin.

Lin Xiuhe laughed out loud when she saw the last sentence.

When He Qiuyan came over in the morning, she handed her the letter.

"Whose?"

"Zhao Guodong".

He Qiuyan raised her eyebrows after reading just two lines.

"He's coming to Beijing too?"

"The Ningzhou Equipment Factory sent him over."

"So we have to find clients ourselves?"

That's what it said in the letter.

He Qiuyan finished reading the letter and clicked her tongue.

"This person is still the same as always."

"What's wrong?"

"Even though you've already signed it, I still have to say a couple of sarcastic things to you before writing this letter."

Lin Xiuhe took the letter back.

"You two disliked each other back in college."

"I have my reasons for being critical."

He Qiuyan picked up the enamel mug and added, "But if he really comes, he'll probably be very busy."

"Don't get involved with him."

He Qiuyan was delighted.

"When did I say I wanted him to come to Xinghe?"

"Your face just now clearly showed it."

Stop patting yourself on the back.

She got up to pour water.

"He's a perfectly good, full-time employee at the Ningzhou Equipment Factory. He was transferred to Beijing just to work for the factory. You've barely managed to support me, and you're already thinking of bringing all your college classmates into the family?"

"I don't have that much money."

"Good to know."

As the two were talking, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard.

"Who are you talking about behind their back?"

He Qiuyan stopped holding the thermos.

Lin Xiuhe turned around.

Zhao Guodong stood at the gate of the courtyard.

He had a canvas bag slung over his shoulder, a worn-out leather suitcase in his hand, and his trousers were covered in dust from his train journey.

He Qiuyan laughed first.

"Didn't the letter say it would be in a few days?"

"I wrote the letter a few days later."

"And now?"

"That's all in the past now."

He Qiuyan was amused by his confident remark.

"Fine, you're right."

Zhao Guodong put the suitcase against the wall and looked up at Xinghe.

Two rooms, two tables.

Samples were displayed on wooden shelves, and newly delivered boxes were placed against the wall.

The enamel mug on the corner of He Qiuyan's table was particularly eye-catching.

He then saw the key lying next to him.

"You really stayed?"

He Qiuyan took a sip of water.

"What, you're not allowed?"

"Would your former employer be willing to let you go?"

"The paperwork is still being processed."

Zhao Guodong looked somewhat surprised.

"I thought that out of the three of us, you would be the one who would be the most reluctant to give up a formal job."

Why?

"Back in college, you could spend ages haggling over a few dollars in subsidies."

"That's why I'm here now, precisely because I can calculate."

He Qiuyan placed the enamel mug on the table.

"Xinghe gave us a lot."

Lin Xiuhe laughed beside her.

Zhao Guodong clicked his tongue.

"You two are in cahoots now."

"It has been for a long time."

He Qiuyan replied very quickly.

Zhao Guodong was too lazy to argue with her, so he took out a transfer notice stamped with the official seal from his canvas bag.

Lin Xiuhe took it and read it once.

Ningzhou Equipment Factory Beijing Liaison Office.

A three-month trial period will be implemented.

Zhao Guodong and another veteran comrade went ahead to make preparations.

"Have you found a place?"

"We borrowed two bungalows."

"What are you doing?"

Zhao Guodong sat down and poured himself a glass of water.

"In the past, we would produce the goods in the factory and wait for orders from our former employer. That's no longer possible."

"This time, the factory asked me to accompany them to their units in Beijing."

He Qiuyan interjected.

Looking for work?

Zhao Guodong looked visibly awkward.

"almost."

"You used to hate arguing with people the most."

"I'm annoyed too."

"Then why did you come?"

"The factory sent me here."

He Qiuyan looked incredulous.

"Is it just something the factory allows?"

Zhao Guodong glared at her.

"Don't you have anything to do today?"

"Now that I have a formal salary, of course I have to care about my peers."

"Who will accompany you?"

"Aren't you also looking for clients?"

"I'm on behalf of Ningzhou Factory."

"I'll stand in for Xinghe."

He Qiuyan spoke with a straight face.

"They're all just looking for work, how can that not count?"

Zhao Guodong was so angry he laughed.

Lin Xiuhe handed back the transfer notice.

"When will it start?"

"tomorrow."

"So fast?"

"The signs are all up."

He Qiuyan immediately perked up.

"Let's go take a look at noon."

Zhao Guodong glanced at her.

"Don't you have to do any work?"

"I have a lunch break."

"Your boss is pretty lax."

Lin Xiuhe smiled and said, "She can now approve her own leave."

The location that Ningzhou Equipment Factory borrowed was in the north of the city.

Two single-story houses, with a freshly painted wooden sign hanging at the entrance.

Ningzhou Equipment Factory Beijing Liaison Office.

There was only an old table and a few chairs in the room, and the documents brought from Ningzhou were piled up against the wall.

He Qiuyan smiled as she entered the door.

"It's better than when Xinghe first opened."

Zhao Guodong put the suitcase against the wall.

"Where is it strong?"

"The brand is new."

Lin Xiuhe also smiled.

"We couldn't even bear to redo the sign."

Zhao Guodong looked around the room.

"Hearing you say that, I don't feel comforted at all."

He Qiuyan had already walked to the table and casually flipped through the top stack of company directories.

"Are all of these going to be run away from?"

"Let's start with these."

"Enough for you to run for a while."

"Beijing has more than just your two houses in Xinghe."

"Then fill these two rooms first."

He Qiuyan.

"Alright, we won't disturb Comrade Zhao while he's doing his important work."

She smiled and put the list back.

The lunch break was short, and He Qiuyan had to rush back to Xinghe.

Lin Xiuhe was also preparing to leave.

Zhao Guodong followed him to the door.

"Xiuhe."

"What's wrong?"

He stood under the new sign, his expression becoming more serious.

"If you really run into trouble in the future, don't treat me like the person who used to come and help you for half a day."

"Know."

"The work done at the Ningzhou factory is done at the Ningzhou factory."

"If you really want us to do something, follow the factory's rules. Whether we can take on the job and when the schedule will be available, I'll have to go back and ask."

Lin Xiuhe smiled.

"Are you cutting ties with me so quickly?"

"It's not about drawing a clear line."

Zhao Guodong frowned and thought for a moment.

"So that no one will feel unhappy later."

"Help when you need to."

"When it's time to calculate the money, we have to."

He Qiuyan had already pushed the cart to the gate of the courtyard, but turned back when she heard this.

I agree with that.

Zhao Guodong immediately pointed at her.

"You'd better get out of here right now."

"I'm gone."

Lin Xiuhe got on her bicycle.

"Alright, Comrade Zhao."

"In the future, if there's business, we'll discuss it according to the rules."

Zhao Guodong raised his hand to shoo her away.

"You go too."

Lin Xiuhe smiled and rode out of the alley.

The next day, Zhao Guodong left early in the morning with a list of employees from the factory.

He didn't return to the liaison office until the afternoon.

The trouser legs were covered in dust, and the edges of the shoes were stained.

The elderly comrade who came with him was sitting at the door drinking water.

"How is it?"

"We went to three companies."

Is there any chance?

One place told me to go next week.

The older comrade nodded.

"Just make sure people can remember your name on the first day."

Zhao Guodong poured half a tank of water and drank it all in one gulp.

"There's another one, but they say someone has already been there."

Which one?

Zhao Guodong pulled out a directory of organizations from his canvas bag.

He marked the top one with a pencil.

"Beijing No. 2 Textile Factory".

The older comrade didn't notice anything unusual in the sound.

"Who has been there?"

Zhao Guodong stared at the name, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Xinghe".

In the evening, he rode his bicycle to Xinghe.

He Qiuyan had already left work, leaving only Lin Xiuhe in the house.

Zhao Guodong did not sit down after entering the room.

He placed the list of organizations on the table.

"I have something to ask you."

Lin Xiuhe saw the name at the very top.

"Second spinning mill?"

"Have you been there?"

"I visited Xinghe once last month."

Zhao Guodong's brow twitched.

"The deal's done?"

"no."

"They only came to see the samples, and then we heard nothing more from them."

Zhao Guodong pulled up a chair and sat down.

"They told me today that they are preparing to remake a batch of daily necessities for employees."

Lin Xiuhe raised her head.

"Should I let you go next week?"

Zhao Guodong looked at her.

How did you know?

"Just a guess."

"Come on."

Lin Xiuhe smiled.

Zhao Guodong picked up the list again.

"Looks like I really can't just keep coming here to mooch water from you anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Beijing is only this big."

He waved the list in his hand.

"We're bound to run into each other sooner or later."

Lin Xiuhe picked up the enamel mug and poured him half a cup of cool boiled water.

"That's perfect."

"Just what?"

"Let's see how good Comrade Zhao is at finding clients."

Zhao Guodong took the water.

"You wait."

The list of companies on the table was not put away.

The "Beijing No. 2 Textile Factory" at the very top is right next to the customer address that Xinghe left last month.