Siheyuan: I am the seventh uncle of Banggen

"Seventh uncle, it's basically decided that I will be the team leader, in charge of three people. Director Shi told me so," Jia Dongxu said in a low voice.

"Really? Congratulations. Your mother said that people in your Jia family are not destined to be cadres because there is no smoke coming out of your ancestral grave. It seems that there is smoke coming out of your father's grave, so you were directly made the team leader." Doesn't Zhang Dabao understand why he is so excited as a team leader in charge of three people?

"Seventh uncle, Section Chief Lin told me that it has nothing to do with my father. It was you who found the senior leader and asked for this position for me. Don't worry, I will do my best and will never embarrass you," Jia Dongxu said solemnly.

"Did you know? The official we found this time is of very high rank, higher than your cousin's. It's not easy for you to be a leader. You should perform well and strive to become the team leader, deputy director, and director in one or two years." Zhang Dabao encouraged Jia Dongxu.

"I will definitely work hard. I want those who look down on me to look at me with new eyes," Jia Dongxu said as he stood up and waved his hands vigorously.

"You didn't sleep well last night. Hurry up and make two pots of ice first. You can take a nap and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two pots. Otherwise, you will still have no ice in your room at night," Zhang Dabao said to Jia Dongxu.

"Okay." Jia Dongxu was very obedient now. He collected the saltpeter used yesterday, made ice with Zhang Dabao, and then went to catch up on his sleep.

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Jia Dongxu got up and went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a pot and some vegetables.

"Seventh Uncle, let's have dinner together tonight. There are a lot of vegetables in the market now, but there is no meat at all. Let's stir-fry some bacon and have dinner together tonight," said Jia Dongxu.

"You bought a lot. Do you have any pocket money left?" Zhang Dabao said to him after seeing the vegetables Jia Dongxu bought.

"My mother gave me a lot this month. The factory rewarded her three times this month. She gave me five yuan in total, and Huairu also gave me two yuan. Now I basically don't smoke anymore. I spend thirty or twenty cents to buy two boxes of cigarettes and put them in my pocket. Sometimes I use them to offer cigarettes or ask for directions. I can't spend it all, I just can't spend it all," said Jia Dongxu.

"I didn't expect that you learned how to live after going to the post office. That's great. I'll use the vegetables you bought. I have bacon and salted fish here. When Zhuzi comes back, I'll ask him to cook. You have been converted to a regular employee, and Yushui should also be converted. Let's celebrate together," Zhang Dabao said to Jia Dongxu.

"I'll go wash the vegetables." Jia Dongxu went to the kitchen and started busying himself.

Zhang Dabao continued to make ice. A lot of ice was needed every day. Huang Xinsheng, Zhang Lianhua, Lou Xiao'e, He Yushui, Jia Jia, He Yuzhu and Jia Dongxu had to work for a long time.

"Sister-in-law, come and have dinner with Brother Damao later. Dongxu and Yushui have become regular employees today." When Lou Xiaoe came to get ice, Zhang Dabao invited them to join him.

"Become a regular employee? That's great. Damao and I will come over later," Lou Xiao'e agreed.

In the evening, there were two tables in the backyard to celebrate Jia Dongxu and He Yushui's promotion to regular employees. While they were eating, Liu Guangqi, who had not been seen for a long time, came over.

"Are you all eating?" Liu Guangqi came over and greeted them.

"Guangqi, have a drink and sit down." He Yuzhu gave up a seat.

"I've eaten, you guys eat. I'm getting married on Sunday, and I'd like to ask Brother Zhuzi to help cook for me. My father is too embarrassed to come and ask you, so I came here to ask if you have time?" Liu Guangqi said.

"I have time. How can I not have time for your marriage? We are brothers who grew up together." He Yuzhu agreed without hesitation.

"Everyone, come over for a drink then," Liu Guangqi invited everyone who was having dinner, and everyone said they would definitely attend his wedding then.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, who were having dinner with Zhang Dabao, were also confused by the news of their eldest brother's marriage because they had not received any information either.

After dinner, Liu Guangtian called Liu Guangqi to the front yard and stuffed fifteen yuan into Liu Guangqi's hand, "Brother, this is fifteen yuan for the third brother and I. Take it. Marriage is a big deal, and you can't do without money."

"Second brother, I have money." Liu Guangqi wanted to cry at this moment. He knew that his two younger brothers were not living well. With a monthly income of 16.5, they had to support two people, and Guangfu still had to go to school. He didn't expect that he could still give him money. This should be all their savings.

Liu Guangqi pushed the money back, hugged Liu Guangtian tightly, and patted his brother's shoulder. "Second brother, you and Guangfu must be fine. No matter what, you must take care of your health. If you encounter problems, ask Zhang Dabiao for help. If he is not at home, ask He Yuzhu. No one else can be trusted..."

Liu Guangtian didn't understand why his elder brother said these words to him and his younger brother, and he said them with tears in his eyes, and even burst into tears at the end.

Liu Guangqi did not accept the money from the two brothers. He hugged his two younger brothers tightly and went out to the backyard.

"Second brother, eldest brother is a little strange," said Liu Guangfu.

"I feel the same. Brother Da Biao gave me some ice today. The room is cooler now. Let's go to bed early." Liu Guangtian couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

Originally, He Yuzhu planned to hire someone to clean up the house on Sunday and go buy four major items with Zhang Lianhua. However, Liu Guangqi's wedding disrupted his plan, so he hired a master to clean up the house on Saturday morning, and he and He Yushui moved to the backyard and lived in Zhang Dabao's east wing.

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu, Zhang Lianhua, and Zhang Dabao went to the department store to buy watches, radios, bicycles, and sewing machines. Zhang Dabao pulled them back to the yard on a motorcycle tricycle.

"Dabia, you bought a sewing machine? Are you planning to get married?" Aunt Yang Ruihua asked when she saw the sewing machine in Zhang Dabia's car.

"It was bought by Brother Zhuzi. I won't buy it now," Zhang Dabao replied, and he and Jia Dongxu unloaded the car.

"Zhu Zi is getting married?" Yang Ruihua asked again.

"We've already obtained the marriage certificate, but the specific date for the wedding hasn't been set yet. I'll just tidy up the house and wait for his father to come back to set a date," Zhang Dabao replied.

At this time, He Yuzhu and Zhang Lianhua also came back, riding a brand new 28-inch bicycle.

"Zhu Zi, you're really generous. You bought all four major items?" Yang Ruihua came over again.

"I bought them all. Da Biao made a contribution during his business trip, so the factory rewarded him with tickets. I used them first. I happened to have tickets for the four major items. My father gave some money to sponsor me. Getting married is a big event, so I bought them," said He Yuzhu.

"Congratulations..." Yang Ruihua felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

The other young women in Yard 95 also came to watch the fun and helped carry the sewing machine to the backyard. Because He Yuzhu's house was going to be repainted, all the things in the house were moved to the backyard.

Chapter 233: Liu Guangqi Runs Away

There was a happy event in the Liu family in the backyard, and the neighbors in the yard also came to help. No matter how good Liu Haizhong was, he was still a part of the yard. Besides, since he went to the health team, he never pretended to be cool in the yard and stayed at home after work.

For the sake of Liu Guangqi's marriage, Liu Haizhong took out his own savings and gave Liu Guangqi money to buy four major items. If he had tickets, he would buy them for his son. Unfortunately, he had money but not a single ticket.

Liu Guangqi was not polite and accepted the money, saying that he was still collecting the tickets and would buy them as soon as they were available. His wife had no requirements on when to buy these things.

Liu Haizhong asked someone to buy meat from the black market and asked He Yuzhu to process it quickly. He also bought a few chickens. In 1960, having chicken and meat on the table was definitely a great honor.

On Sunday morning, Zhang Dabao drove Liu Guangqi's car to take his new wife to Yard 95. Xu Damao, Jia Dongxu, Liu Guangtian and others rode bicycles and brought their dowries to Yard 95.

The wedding was simple. To be honest, Liu Guangqi's partner was average looking, not as good looking as Liu Guangqi. Zhang Dabiao had always had a question in his mind, why was Liu Haizhong so ugly, while the three Liu brothers were all good looking, and they were all handsome guys, which made people have to doubt that the key was that the second aunt was not good looking either. Could it be that there was a handsome person in their ancestor, and the three brothers did not take after their parents and went back to their ancestry? It couldn't be that they were picked up, no one could pick up three sons?

I gave one dollar and had a feast at Liu's house. To be honest, Liu Haizhong was really good to his eldest son. The feast was really good, and not everyone can afford it.

None of Liu Hai's relatives were present, because Liu Haizhong and his younger brother had severed their relationship and had no further contact, whether in life or death. However, many of Liu Haizhong's colleagues and apprentices were present, especially the apprentices who were quite respectful to Liu Haizhong.

After lunch and cleaning up, everyone went home. It was so hot, wouldn’t it be better to make ice to cool down?

Only He Yuzhu, Xu Damao and Yan Jiekuang went to eavesdrop. Jia Dongxu did not go either. As a result, the three of them had mosquito bites all over their heads and heard nothing. He Yuzhu secretly swore that he would never eavesdrop again.

At five o'clock in the morning, Zhang Dabao was awakened by his second aunt crying.

When they opened the door, they saw Liu Haizhong sitting on the ground without saying a word, while the second aunt was crying and shouting. Guo's daughter-in-law and Zhang Cuihua went to persuade the second aunt, and everyone realized that Liu Guangqi and his wife had passed away, leaving behind a note that said "I don't want my children to live in such an environment" and no one knew where they went.

Zhang Dabao knew that Liu Guangqi was going to run away, but he didn't expect him to be so determined. He ran away on the wedding night and took away Liu Haizhong's hard-earned money.

"Seventh uncle, Guangqi wasn't beaten, so why did he run away?" Jia Dongxu didn't quite understand and wanted to get an explanation from Zhang Dabao.

"Dongxu, let me ask you, if we kill a chicken in front of a monkey every day, do you think the monkey will be afraid?" Zhang Dabao was afraid that Jia Dongxu didn't understand the idiom of killing a chicken to scare the monkey, so he explained it to him in plain language.

"Who wouldn't be afraid? What if we have to kill the monkey one day? Seventh uncle, I understand. Guangtian and Guangfu are chickens, and Liu Guangqi is the monkey. He is afraid, right?" Jia Dongxu asked.

"Dongxu, you are so smart. You understood it right away. Mr. and Mrs. Liu gave birth to three sons, but they couldn't keep any of them. They deserved it," said Zhang Dabao.

"Isn't it? The second uncle beat his son like he was an enemy, beating him to death. I really don't know what he was thinking." Jia Dongxu couldn't figure it out either.

"Who knows? Let's go back and take a nap." Zhang Dabao took another look, went back to the room and lay down on the bed again.

Liu Guangqi's departure was like throwing a stone into a calm pond, causing ripples, and then disappearing without a trace, leaving only Liu Haikou and his wife licking their wounds.

By the end of June, He Yuzhu's house had been painted, and partitions had been made in his big house, which was planned to be for his children to live in. Jia Jingshu also changed her name to He Jingshu, and now she also started calling He Yuzhu "Dad". Every time Jingshu called him, he got so excited that he didn't know what to do.

No. 95 Courtyard welcomed another good news: Lou Xiao'e was pregnant. On the day when Lou Xiao'e was found out to be pregnant, Xu Damao burst into tears at the door and thanked all the ancestors of the Xu family. Xu Fugui and his wife also rushed to No. 95 Courtyard. The Xu family held a meeting and decided that Xu's mother would come over during the day to take care of Lou Xiao'e. Now Lou Xiao'e's status in the Xu family has been further improved.

Deputy Director Liu from the canteen of the steel mill submitted his retirement application. On the day he submitted his application, rumors spread in the steel mill. There were three rumors. The most serious one was that the deputy director of the small canteen was internally appointed to He Yuzhu, because He Yuzhu was a relative of the director in charge, Li Huaide, and He Yuzhu was the second cousin of Zhang Dabao, the nephew of Li Huaide. The second rumor was that Yang Yongbo from the second canteen entrusted his cousin, Liu De, the head of the technical department, to give a heavy gift to Chief Engineer Wang Cheng, vowing not to give up until the deputy director was taken down. The third rumor was that Xiao Linsheng from the second canteen, although he was old, he and the director Yang Weihua were comrades-in-arms. Director Yang Weihua hoped that his comrade-in-arms could become the deputy director, and after he retired, Director Yang would arrange a confidant.

The reason why rumors are called rumors is that their biggest feature is that they spread quickly. In just two days, it became the hottest topic in the entire steel mill. From the factory director to Liu Haizhong, the toilet cleaner, everyone knew about it.

"Huaide, a deputy director of the canteen, a small deputy section-level cadre, caused such a big fuss. Do you think it's normal?" Yang Weihua called Li Huaide to his office, along with chief engineer Wang Cheng and another deputy factory director Liu Le.

"Director, I need to avoid this matter because He Yuzhu is really my relative, even though we are thousands of miles apart," said Li Huaide.

"Go to hell, everyone knows that Lao Xiao is my comrade-in-arms, do I need to avoid him? Lao Xiao is not only my comrade-in-arms, but also my senior. When I was in the army, he was in the kitchen squad. We were in the same company. When I was the company commander, he was still in the kitchen squad. When I was the regimental staff officer, he was still in the kitchen squad. He cooks well, but he has never even been the squad leader. How could I let him be the deputy director? Someone is deliberately spreading rumors in order to profit from it," said Yang Weihua.

"The factory director is right. Liu De is a good technician, but he has trouble managing. How could he possibly ask me for a valuable gift? If he had this intention, he would have been the chief engineer long ago. Would he need to give me a gift? I'm so angry," said Wang Cheng.

"Director, someone must have leaked the news on purpose. Let's get someone to investigate," said Deputy Director Liu Le.

"What's the point of checking? Just look at the total number of conditions and you'll see it at a glance," Wang Cheng said angrily.

"Huaide, how many candidates are there?" Yang Weihua asked Li Huaide.

"Director, the Personnel Department has preliminarily selected four candidates. Those in the factory who are interested in the matter have always known them well. The one with the best qualifications is Peng Yong from the third canteen, a level seven chef who has been a team leader for quite a long time. The second choice is Yang Yongbo, the third is He Yuzhu, who is my relative, and the fourth is your comrade-in-arms Lao Xiao," said Li Huaide.

Chapter 234 He Yuzhu Becomes Deputy Director

"Everyone, let's talk about it. Let's solve this problem today. It's just chaos every day," said Yang Weihua.

"What is there to say, factory director? Whoever talks about right and wrong is a person of wrongdoing. This is very clear. This Peng Yong spread the word and caught all competitors in one fell swoop. Such a person with evil intentions must not be reused in the factory, and he must not be responsible for such an important job as the canteen. I suggest that Peng Yong's job be adjusted first." Chief Engineer Wang Cheng had a hot temper and went straight to the point and stated his suggestions.

"I feel that it is not good to resort to tricks to get promoted in the factory. If everyone follows his example, how can we still get work done? Everyone is being schemed and tricked every day," said Deputy Factory Director Liu Le.

"What suggestions does Huaide have?" Yang Weihua asked Li Huaide again.

"I don't have any good suggestions, but I think Chief Engineer Wang and Deputy Director Liu are right. Now our production capacity is insufficient and the logistical support cannot keep up. Everyone is trying every possible way to do their work. It is really not a good idea to do this just for the sake of promotion. Such a person cannot be reused. What if he gets angry or in a bad mood one day and puts something in the food? Then our steel rolling mill will become famous." Li Huaide completely agreed with what Wang Cheng and Liu Le said.

"Then transfer Peng Yong to our spare parts warehouse and make him the squad leader. Let's not take care of him for now," Yang Weihua made the final decision.

"Let's decide on the deputy director in charge of the small canteen today, so we don't have to call you again. A deputy section chief needs to be discussed in the factory director's office. That's great. I'll call Director Xu to take notes." Yang Weihua shouted to the door, and the factory office director, Xu Sinian, came in.

"Si Nian, you take notes. We will study the candidates for the deputy director of the canteen. Huaide, you speak." Yang Weihua convened a temporary factory office meeting.

"There are three candidates now. The first candidate is Yang Yonghao, who is 50 years old this year. He joined the factory in 52 and became the team leader of the second canteen after joining. He is a level 56 chef until now. The second candidate is He Yuzhu, who is years old this year. He joined the factory in and became the team leader of the small canteen in . He is also a level chef until now. The third candidate is Xiao Linsheng, who joined the factory after the founding of the People's Republic of China. He is a chef in the second canteen and a level chef." Li Huaide introduced the three candidates.

"Huaide, you are the person in charge, what suggestions do you have?" Yang Weihua asked Li Huaide to give preliminary suggestions.

"My suggestion is that Yang Yonghao be the deputy director of the canteen, but there is a problem. Yang Yongxi cooked for the puppet army before liberation. Of course he said he was forced to do so. He Yuzhu is young and has good skills, but he is impulsive and can't speak well. His EQ is a little low as a leader. Lao Xiao has good skills, but his shortcoming is that he doesn't know how to manage people," Li Huaide finished.

"What's there to say? Yang Yonghao has a clean history, who would dare to use him? Who will be held responsible if the higher-ups investigate? Old Li, you and He Yuzhu are not relatives, so how far are you from each other? Your cousin's brother-in-law, is that also a relative? He doesn't speak well, but his cooking skills are definitely not at the eighth level. We often eat in the small canteen, don't we know his level? He is very suitable," said Wang Cheng.

"I agree with Chief Engineer Wang's point of view. People with a clean history cannot be used. He Yuzhu is good. I heard that he can also prepare a fish banquet. Old Li, you two are close, so let him arrange a table," said Liu Le.

"Director Xu, you can't remember the last sentence," Deputy Director Liu Le reminded Xu Sinian again.

Everyone laughed when they heard Liu Le's words.

"It's He Yuzhu. Director Xu will notify the Personnel Department after the meeting and notify them before leaving get off work this afternoon," Yang Weihua said to Xu Sinian.

OK, Director, notify the Human Resources Department immediately after the meeting and have the document drafted immediately," Xu Sinian replied.

"The meeting is adjourned." Yang Weihua said the meeting was adjourned, and Li Huaide and others came out.

"Old Li, does He Yuzhu really know how to make a fish feast?" Wang Cheng asked.

"I also heard that he could do it, but the key point is that he didn't invite me to taste it when he made it," said Li Huaide.

"Let him arrange it. We'll try it too. It's quite delicious, and it's a fish feast," said Wang Cheng.