Chapter 132

Soon it was noon.

Li Jiandong took his lunch box and went to a canteen to get his meals. Although he was the deputy factory director, he still had to come to the canteen to get his meals when there was no hospitality.

On the contrary, Director Yang seldom comes to the cafeteria because I have Secretary Cui to fetch me meals.

"Old Li, come here for a moment."

Before he even reached the cafeteria, Li Jiandong was stopped by He Daqing.

Seeing the other party waving at him, Li Jiandong walked over and asked, "What's wrong, Daqing?"

"Hey, nothing much, just wanted to ask if you are comfortable living in your new house?"

He Daqing grinned.

Li Jiandong was puzzled. Being so gossipy was not like He Daqing's style.

With a half-smile, he said, "It's quite comfortable. How about moving in?"

He Daqing smiled and said:
“I would like to move there, but it’s inconvenient for my daughter Huizhen to look after the tavern.

However, Lao Li, my son Zhuzi is worried about your safety and wants to move over to guard the door for you.

I see, you have an extra room in your front yard, why don't you give one to Zhuzi so that he can show his filial piety to you?"

When Li Jiandong heard this, he knew that it must have been Sha Zhu who took the initiative to bring it up.

This boy, really has his eyes on this widow.

As for He Daqing, he was probably still kept in the dark. He was really worried about Li Jiandong's safety, so he agreed to help Sha Zhu ask Li Jiandong without thinking.

In his heart, Li Jiandong actually still hopes that Sha Zhu can find a wife who is older than his wife.

After all, he is now the chief of the police station, a young cadre. What can he not find?

Even though Shazhu looks a little anxious, there are really not many women who care about a man's appearance.

However, since it was Sha Zhu's own choice, Li Jiandong didn't want to interfere too much.

So, after thinking about it:
"Sure, I have a spare room. The carpenter is making furniture these days. When the bed is ready, I'll move the pillars in."

"Okay then, I'll let Zhuzi go over there over the weekend."

He Daqing said with a smile, not realizing that his son had fallen in love with his wife's best friend.

In the evening, when it was almost time to get off work, Li Jiandong asked Xu Zhengyang to pick up the child first, as it would be safer in the steel mill.

The people in the security department are not here to sit around and do nothing, so Xu Zhengyang drove away without hesitation this time.

After a while, Jia Dongxu also came.

Holding a cast steel stove in his hand, he said with a smile: "Master, the cast steel stove is ready. I asked someone to connect the gas to it and try it out. It really works well."

"Okay, leave it here. Go get someone to bring the gas and pipes. I'll ask Director Yang to come over and take a look later."

If Li Jiandong made a gas tank, it would be fine for his own use, but if he wanted to promote it, he had to report it in the name of the steel mill and then wait for approval from the top leaders.

Jia Dongxu agreed and left.

Li Jiandong waited for a while and went out to find Director Yang.

After knocking on the door and hearing Director Yang's voice from inside, Li Jiandong pushed the door open and walked in.

"Director Yang, I just made a little gadget, do you want to come over and take a look?"

Li Jiandong said as soon as he entered the door.

When Director Yang heard the word "little thing", he laughed.

"I thought you were only good at making big stuff, why did you think of making small stuff? Where are the things now?"

"In my office. I asked Jia Dongxu to get the gas tank. He should be back soon."

"Let's go. I want to see how unique this little gadget invented by you, Li Jiandong, is."

Director Yang was very interested and followed Li Jiandong out of the office.

At this time, Jia Dongxu also came upstairs carrying a gas tank, and the three of them entered the house together.

Looking at the little gadget that Li Jiandong was researching, Director Yang was a little surprised.

This is really a little gadget, almost as big as a washbasin, and it looks a bit crude, and I can't tell what it is used for.

"Jiandong, what are you researching? Why do you need a gas tank?"

Director Yang couldn't help but ask, he really couldn't imagine the use of this thing.

Li Jiandong smiled and said:
"Don't worry, wait a moment, Dongxu, connect the gas tank first."

"okay."

Jia Dongxu had tried it once before, and he connected the gas tank and hose to the gas stop valve with ease.

Then he took out a pack of matches and asked, "Master, do you want to light it directly?"

"Just order it."

Li Jiandong said.

Director Yang frowned and stared at Jia Dongxu, watching him light a match, then unscrew the gas stop valve on the gas tank and extend the match toward the basin-shaped object.

With a 'puff' sound, the gas stove was lit.

Li Jiandong said with a smile:

"Director Yang, this is a cast steel stove, a gas stove."

"Our current stoves take up too much space. In an ordinary family's room, there is only a small space, and the stove alone takes up a large area."

"Moreover, there are many steps to make a fire and cook, which is very time-consuming. With a gas stove, you only need to turn on the switch and light the fire to cook."

Director Yang nodded:

"You know what, this thing is really convenient, but..."

"We don't have a lot of steel production right now, so it may not be easy to popularize it."

Li Jiandong also agrees with this statement.

He replied: “Director Yang is right, but it takes time to promote something, so we can take it slowly.

The first step is to provide production for each unit. For example, our factory now has 12 canteens, each with two stoves. If all of them are replaced with gas stoves, a lot of wood and coal can be saved every year. "

"In addition, this gas stove has another advantage that a clay stove cannot match, which is stable firepower. Why do some of our canteen chefs cook well and some cook poorly? The ingredients and seasonings are all the same, the main difference is the heat."

"Sometimes, the fire is too high and the food is burnt if you fry it too slowly. Sometimes, the fire is too low and the food is raw if you take it out of the pot too early. If we switch to this cast steel stove, the skills of the canteen chefs may be collectively improved to a higher level. Then, all of us employees will enjoy the benefits."

There are many factors that affect the taste of a chef's cooking, among which the difficulty in controlling the heat is the most important.

Especially for those apprentices who have just graduated, they can remember clearly when to put the vegetables in and when to add the seasonings.

But they can only feel the degree of heat based on experience, which can easily lead to mistakes.

After hearing what Li Jiandong said, Director Yang also felt that it was indeed the case. If gas stoves were to be promoted nationwide or even citywide, there might not be so much steel. But if it was only sold to various units or in a small range with tickets, it could still be affordable.

"Okay, let's do as you say. It's almost time to get off work today. Let's write an application and send it to the leader tomorrow. If it's approved, we'll do it."

After Director Yang finished speaking, he turned to Jia Dongxu and said:

"Xiao Jia, please carry this gas stove to my car first. I will take it back tonight and let my wife try the specific effect."

Li Jiandong and Jia Dongxu were both stunned when they heard this. They didn't expect Director Yang to be so shameless. This was a typical case of trying to cut things off.

Jia Dongxu looked at Li Jiandong and saw Li Jiandong nodded, then he agreed to carry the gas stove down.
While Li Jiandong was demonstrating the gas stove to Director Yang, Xu Zhengyang had already picked up his three children from elementary school and kindergarten and brought them back to the hospital.

Qin Huairu saw that it was almost time and was already waiting at the door. When the car stopped and the children jumped out of the jeep, she said to Xu Zhengyang, "Excuse me."

Xu Zhengyang said indifferently: "It's not a problem. This is what I should do."

In fact, this is not what he should do.

But Li Jiandong and Qin Huairu respected him more, so he tried his best to return the favor.

After getting back in the car, Xu Zhengyang left again to pick up Li Jiandong from get off work.

Qin Huairu was preparing to go home with her children when suddenly a woman turned into the alley on a bicycle. Chen Xueru had just got off work and there was a cloth bag on the back seat of her bicycle containing two sets of women's clothes.

Seeing Qin Huairu preparing to enter with the child, Chen Xueru hurriedly shouted:

"Hey, eldest sister."

Qin Huairu heard the call, turned around and looked at Chen Xueru and said, "You called me?"

"Yes, hello, big sister. I live next door to you. My name is Chen Xueru."

"Hello, Chen Xueru, my name is Qin Huairu. What a coincidence that both of our names contain the character 'Ru'."

Qin Huairu said with a smile, then lowered her head and said to the children, "Call someone."

"Hello Auntie."

The three children shouted in unison.

"Okay, hello to you too. Oh, Huairu, you are so blessed. All three of your children are so polite." Qin Huairu smiled and said nothing, letting the children go into the house to do their homework first.

Chen Xueru took the package off the back seat of the car and said as she opened it,
"Huai Ru, you just moved in yesterday, and the smell of meat wafted into my yard. My son kept clamoring for meat, so I shamelessly went over and asked for a bowl."

“In today’s world, it’s not easy to get a bite of meat. Although we are neighbors, I can’t just take your food for free.

I gave you money yesterday, but you didn't take it, so I thought of making two pieces of clothing for you, since that's what I do.

I own the Xueru Silk Shop over there. It’s been cold lately and many people go there to buy cloth to make clothes. I made these two pieces myself. Try them on to see if they fit you. If not, I’ll take them back and make some alterations.”

While Chen Xueru was speaking, she had already taken out two pieces of clothing.

Qin Huairu waved her hands repeatedly: "How can this be possible? It's just a bowl of meat. You are too polite."

“Oh, what’s wrong with that? We’re neighbors and we’ll have to deal with each other for the rest of our lives.

Besides, this is what I do. You can refuse other gifts, but you must accept this. It is a token of my love."

Chen Xueru's kindness is not cheap.

You should know that cloth coupons are harder to come by than meat coupons. An average family’s annual meat coupons may not be enough to make one piece of clothing.

Most families give the older ones to the younger ones, and then give the younger ones to the younger ones.

Patches are piled on top of patches, and when there is no more cloth, just take off the old ones and put on new ones.

If these two pieces of clothing were kept in an ordinary family, they would only be taken out and worn during festivals. Some people even don't have new clothes when they get married, so they have to borrow them from others.

Of course, Qin Huairu didn't have nothing to wear, but she was embarrassed to accept such an expensive gift.

"No, no, this gift is too expensive. I can't accept it."

"Huai Ru, please don't be polite. Can we still walk together after you do this?"

"It really won't work. How about this? I'll buy yours for whatever price you want, and you can just give me a slightly lower price."

Qin Huairu tried to refuse, and at this time the jeep came back.

Xu Zhengyang saw a woman at the door pushing and shoving Qin Huairu, and his eyes suddenly became fierce.

However, Li Jiandong had already seen through his clairvoyance that the other party was here to give a gift.

I have to say that this woman is pretty good-looking and dresses quite fashionably for someone in her thirties.

It was most likely his new neighbor, the widow who made Sha Zhu lose his mind yesterday.

But compared with Qin Huairu, there is still a big gap.

The jeep stopped in front of the door, and Li Jiandong and Xu Zhengyang got out from both sides.

Chen Xueru saw the man coming back and took the initiative to greet him: "You must be Huairu's man, right? I am Chen Xueru, your neighbor next door. I came to your house yesterday to ask for a bowl of meat, and I came to visit you today."

"Hello Chen Xueru, my name is Li Jiandong. We are all neighbors, so it is only natural for us to help each other."

Li Jiandong said with a smile.

Chen Xueru's face looks rather materialistic, but this is not a big problem.

As long as she doesn't lose her bottom line in order to take advantage of others, people will accept her. The fact that she is willing to exchange ten yuan and two cloth coupons for meat shows that she is still a principled person.

Chen Xueru also smiled and said when she heard this:

"You see, this is absolutely true, neighbors should help each other.

However, to be honest, it's not easy to buy some meat these days. I took so much meat from you yesterday, and I would feel bad if I didn't show some appreciation.

So, today I made two pieces of clothing for Huairu to try, but she refused to wear them. Isn’t that infuriating? "

Qin Huairu smiled bitterly and said:

"It's not that I don't want it, it's that you're too polite. A bowl of meat in exchange for two sets of clothes, I'm really taking advantage of you."

Li Jiandong suddenly said:
"Huai Ru, take it. This is a token of their love. It has nothing to do with the amount of money."

After that, he said to Chen Xueru:

"I thank you on behalf of my wife. Why don't you come to my house and have a seat? If you haven't eaten yet, we can eat something together."

Chen Xueru breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the other party was willing to take the clothes.

Smiling and waving his hands:

"No, no, my son is waiting for me at home. I'll invite you to my house for dinner some other day when I have time."

"Okay, then you get busy first."

Li Jiandong watched Chen Xueru walk into the next courtyard, then went back into the house with Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu held two pieces of clothing in her hands and said a little embarrassedly,

"Brother Jiandong, Chen Xueru is so enthusiastic. She gave me such new clothes. Should we find a chance to give her a gift in return?"

Li Jiandong smiled and said:
"No need, she's just trying to get close to us. If there's anything delicious in the future, just ask Xunfu to send some to her kids. Don't take it too seriously."

Li Jiandong could see at a glance what Chen Xueru was thinking, which was simply that she wanted to have a good relationship with his family.

In this way, I can buy meat from my own home in the future.

Li Jiandong does not dislike this kind of behavior. A certain degree of social etiquette is inevitable, as long as it is not too excessive.

After being enlightened by him, Qin Huairu understood Chen Xueru's intention. In this case, she accepted the two pieces of clothing.

After dinner, Li Jiandong and Qin Huairu checked today's project together.

The foundation of the bathroom has just been dug, and it will take a few days to complete construction. The carpenter completed a bed and six chairs in one day, which is a pretty good speed.

The next few days passed peacefully.

Qin Huairu watched the workers making furniture and building toilets at home every day.

Chen Xueru would occasionally come over to visit when she got home at noon. Qin Huairu didn't know anyone here, so she didn't feel too lonely with her around.

In the steel rolling mill.

The gas stove that Li Jiandong applied for was finally approved.

The leader appreciated the invention and allowed a small batch production. It is very simple to make a small gadget like this. All you have to do is make the mold and pour molten steel into it to cast it as a whole.

After getting the gas stove, Li Jiandong immediately took home two sets.

One set was given to Qin Huairu and the other was given to He Daqing.

Well, after getting this thing, He Daqing would carry a gas stove with him every day when he worked as a kitchen helper.

They even welded a rack behind the bicycle to hold the gas stove and gas tank.

In this way, when cooking in the future, there will be no need for a special person to pull the blower. Not only does it save manpower, but the fire power of the gas stove is also more stable and stronger than that pulled by humans.

"Lao He, how much did you pay for this?"

Seeing that He Daqing treated the gas stove like a treasure and carried it with him all day long, Yan Bugui also wanted to get one home for his third aunt to use.

He Daqing smiled and said, "You want to buy it, but unfortunately you can't."

"This thing was made by the steel mill. There's no place to buy it right now. Li Jiandong gave me one of the two he shared. If you want it, I'll sell it to you for 200 yuan."

"Two hundred dollars? Why don't you just rob it?"

Yan Bugui's eyes widened. His bicycle only cost more than 150 yuan, and this gas stove was more expensive than his bicycle?
He Daqing laughed and said:
"You think it's too expensive? I think it's too cheap. This is just you, Old Yan. If it were someone else, I wouldn't sell it to him."

He Daqing thought to himself that only you, a stingy old man, would be reluctant to part with the money, so I dared to give you an offer.

Otherwise, someone else might buy it from me for two hundred dollars, and then what will I use it for the future?
Yan Bugui curled his lips and said, "Come on, forget it. Don't I know you? You don't really intend to sell it. Well, I won't waste my words with you. I'll go find Dongxu and ask him."

Jia Dongxu is the director of the production department and a member of the team, and he also got one.

Yan Jiecheng is now only the deputy captain of the transport team, one level lower than Jia Dongxu, and is not a member of the team, otherwise he could have gotten one. Yan Bugui would not have to look for someone else to buy it, but could just ask his son directly.

However, even if you are willing to spend money to buy it, there may not be anyone willing to sell it.

Jia Dongxu also loves his wife and is not short of money. Not to mention that Yan Bugui is so stingy that he is only willing to pay a few dozen yuan. Even if someone is willing to pay a hundred or even more yuan, Jia Dongxu has no intention of selling it.

After all, with this thing, Liang Ladi can get up ten minutes later every day, and the dishes cooked over high heat are also more delicious.

In the blink of an eye, it's the weekend again.

That morning, Li Jiandong had just gotten up when he heard his second son, Li Xunxing, running in.

"Dad, Uncle Zhuzi and the others are here, and Mom asked me to wake you up."

"Got it, my dear son."

Li Jiandong scraped his second son's nose, then washed his face and brushed his teeth.

Qin Huairu got up early and had already prepared dinner in the kitchen in the front yard. Just as Shazhu came, she arranged a room for him to stay in. The newly made bed and cabinets smelled of wood. Although it was a servant's room in the past, it was very spacious.

"Zhu Zi, you can live here from now on. See if there's anything you need at home and I'll buy it for you this afternoon."

Qin Huairu is only two years older than Sha Zhu, but her tone and demeanor are clearly that of an elder.

(End of this chapter)