Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

Hearing this, Zhao Tie put down the calipers in his hand, clicked his tongue twice, and said with undisguised envy, "That's incredible! You two, father-in-law and son-in-law, each have a bicycle. That's one of a kind in our factory." He then turned to Liang Cheng, his tone a mix of joke and seriousness, "Old Liang, you've really found a great son-in-law. Not only is he successful, but he also has an older brother who's a general. You're incredibly lucky."

Liang Cheng waved his hand, saying "Not at all," but he couldn't suppress the smugness on his face.

Zhao Tie laughed for a while, then seemed to remember something important. He picked up the vernier caliper, flipped it over in his hand, looked at Liang Cheng, and lowered his voice: "Old Liang, what do you think about the factory saying they want us senior workers to take on more apprentices?"

Liang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Liu Erhe beside him without answering immediately: "What do you think?"

Liu Erhe thought for a moment and said, "Let's take them. Since the factory has arranged it, let's take a few. It'll also give me a few more junior apprentices, which will be convenient to lend a hand when we're working."

Liang Cheng nodded and said to Zhao Tie, "Then I'll take two this time."

Zhao Tie nodded, "Then I'll take two in too." He paused, then took a half step closer, lowering his voice even further, "I heard that Lao Yi isn't planning to take any more apprentices this time, saying that Jia Dongxu is enough."

Upon hearing this, Liang Cheng couldn't help but purse his lips and mutter, "I think it's not that he doesn't want to take on the job, it's that he can't teach it properly. How many years has Jia Dongxu worked in the factory? He's still only a level two worker. I don't think Lao Yi has taught him properly at all."

Zhao Tie nodded in agreement and said in a low voice, "That's right. Look at my apprentice Xiao Wu, and your Erhe, they're both level four workers. Xiao Wu told me the other day that he's preparing to take the level five exam next year." As he spoke, he gestured towards a spot not far away, where Xiao Wu was standing in front of the lathe, engrossed in his work.

Liang Cheng glanced at Xiao Wu, then at Liu Erhe, a smile playing on his lips, a mixture of admiration and a hint of reminder: "Xiao Wu joined the factory later than you and is already preparing for the Level 5 exam. Erhe, you've been slacking off lately."

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe looked somewhat embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.

He knew in his heart that he had indeed relaxed a lot since Liu Yuheng was awarded his rank. Before, the family relied on him and Liu Shuanzhu to earn money and support the family. He could only rely on himself to work hard. Now that he had his older brother as a pillar of support, he walked and talked with more confidence than before. His mind was no longer entirely on work. Not only him, but Liu Tingting's grades had also dropped recently.

He lowered his head for a moment, then raised it again, his tone becoming more serious: "Dad, I understand. I'll try my best to get to level five as soon as possible."

Seeing his remorseful expression, Liang Cheng didn't say anything more. He just nodded, turned around, and tightened a bolt on the lathe: "Go on, get to work, don't just talk."

Liu Erhe responded, nodded to Zhao Tie, and turned to walk towards his workstation.

......

As dusk spread across the western horizon, Liu Erhe was almost the first to rush out of the steel rolling mill after the mill's bell rang.

When we arrived at the entrance of the Dongzhimen Supply and Marketing Cooperative, it was still light out.

Liu Erhe pushed open the door and went in. He saw several saleswomen chatting by the cashier. When they saw him come in, they all looked up.

Sister Zhang greeted him with a smile, "Oh, Erhe's here? To pick up Fangfang?" As she spoke, she gestured towards the bicycle and radio counter, "They're waiting for you there."

Liu Erhe smiled and responded, then quickly walked to Liang Fangfang's side. Liang Fangfang was standing next to a brand-new black bicycle, its frame gleaming darkly under the lights.

She was holding a cloth in her hand, wiping a tiny mark on the handlebars. Seeing Liu Erhe approach, she straightened up and pointed to the bike: "How about this one? It's a Phoenix brand, the frame is sturdy, the chain is smooth, I tested it out, and there wasn't a single strange noise. The paint is also intact, without any dents or scratches."

Liu Erhe bent down for a closer look, pressed the seat, and turned the pedals; the chain was indeed smooth without the slightest resistance. He straightened up, his eyes crinkling into slits with a smile: "This is it!"

Liang Fangfang also took out the neatly folded bicycle ticket from her pocket, and the two of them walked up to Sister Zhang with the money and ticket.

Sister Zhang was organizing the loose change in her drawer when she saw the two men standing in front of her with money and tickets. She was stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on and couldn't help but raise her voice: "Good heavens! You two want to buy bicycles? You're doing business with your own people!"

She took the money and tickets, counted them, verified the authenticity of the tickets, then deftly took out a receipt book from under the cabinet, filled it out quickly, tore off the receipt, and handed it over: "It's done. You'll have to get the official stamp from the police station yourselves."

Liu Erhe took the receipt and carefully put it into his shirt pocket.

Several saleswomen nearby also gathered around. One of them circled the bicycle, clicking her tongue in amazement: "This bike is really nice, a brand new Phoenix. Our supply and marketing cooperative only received a few of these in this batch."

Someone else approached Liang Fangfang and asked in a low voice, "Fangfang, where did you get these bicycle tickets? They're not easy to get."

As Liang Fangfang helped Liu Erhe push the car out, she smiled and replied, "It was given to me by my older brother."

She spoke naturally, without deliberately lowering her voice. The people around her exchanged glances, their eyes filled with understanding. Sure enough, that was the case.

It would be almost impossible for Liu Er and his wife to get a bicycle ticket through their own connections. The ticket was either given to them by Liu Yuheng or by someone else because of Liu Yuheng's influence. Thinking this, a layer of envy crept into his gaze as he looked at Liang Fangfang.

Liu Erhe pushed the new car to the door, and Liang Fangfang followed beside him, whispering, "Go to the police station first to get the official stamp. Come back and pick me up when you're done. I'll wait for you to go together."

Liu Erhe responded, hopped on his brand-new bicycle, pushed off, and rode off steadily. The bicycle bell rang twice on the evening street, startling a few sparrows that were foraging for food by the roadside.

He stopped in front of the police station, queued up to complete the formalities, and waited for the worker to stamp a few numbers onto the frame of his bicycle with a steel stamp. After it was done, he took one last look to make sure the numbers were clear and straight before he got back on his bicycle and turned back to the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative.