Chapter 126

"What's wrong Dongxu?"

Li Zhiguo pushed the bicycle and Qin Huairu followed beside him, the husband and wife following suit.

"Nothing much, how about our two families spend the evening together?"

Jia Dongxu just wanted to have something good to eat, and he saw Old He’s family going to the backyard, so there must be a big meal.

"You're talking about this matter. Your mother just mentioned it in the workshop. The uncle wants to deal with you. Let's wait until next time. We'll see how it goes next year."

If he hadn't found laborers in advance, he really wouldn't mind bringing the Dongxu brothers along, but the He family's father and son are already here. If there are more people, the table won't be able to accommodate them, and there won't be the atmosphere of a reunion dinner.

"Well, that's fine!"

Jia Dongxu was at a loss, thinking, why is this old man meddling in my affairs? He said we were going to go together, but he didn't send any meat. So last night I gave him five pounds of flour to make dumplings.

But this has to be wrapped. Just eating cabbage?
Li Zhiguo arrived at the backyard and saw that the door of Old Xu's house was closed. Chunyan had been back to her parents' home for more than ten days. He heard that her mother was sick and she had to go back to help take care of her.

This resulted in him being unable to bring anyone for a check-up, and he could only wait until after the New Year to find an opportunity.

"Sister Qin, you're back!"

Suddenly, Shazhu walked out of the Li family's kitchen, wearing an apron and with flour on his hands. He was kneading dough to make dumplings.

"Silly Zhu, you're back so early?"

Qin Huairu was quite surprised because she had already skipped work.

"Hey, we have to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. Sister Qin, my dad is still helping in the kitchen, and Yu Shui is playing with Jing Ru in the house."

Sha Zhu looked very happy. He had lunch at the factory and came back to help.

Li Zhiguo said, "Okay, Shazhu, you go ahead and have a few drinks tonight."

"Of course I have to. I don't have to go to work tomorrow."

Sha Zhu stood there for a while, and waited until the person entered the house before he returned to the kitchen.

"Dad, Li Zhiguo and his wife are back."

"It's good to be back. Let's have dinner early and have a drink so we can sleep."

He Daqing shook his head. He had worked in vain for another year. After two widow romances, he still failed to find a stepmother for Sha Zhu. But it didn't matter. He could look for one after the New Year. He was still young and there was still a chance.

"Hello, Brother Li!"

"Hello, rain."

Li Zhiguo reached out and touched He Yushui's head. She was still very cute now. Besides, He Daqing didn't run away, so her life should be better in the future.

"Brother-in-law!" Xiao Jingru rushed over and threw herself into her brother-in-law's arms.

"Oh, you are not light now."

Li Zhiguo hugged little Jingru for a while. She was much heavier than last year.

At this time, Qin Huairu went to the inner room to look after the children. Her mother was also in the inner room. With the He family's father and son, her mother didn't need to cook tonight.

"Jingru, during the Spring Festival, you should go back to the village and stay for a few days. You have to go back to see your mother and your two brothers, okay?"

Although Xiao Jingru is clingy, she can't forget her parents.

"Brother-in-law, I'll stay for a few days and come back."

Xiao Jingru also misses her mother a little.

"Well, after the Spring Festival, you won't be busy. Let your mother and my third aunt live in the city for a while."

Li Zhiguo did not elaborate, as the rain was still falling nearby.

"Yushui, I heard that you have good grades."

"No, not very good."

He Yushui's results are above average, which is already very strong.

Xiao Jingru was silent at this time. She didn't do well in the exam, but fortunately her brother-in-law didn't care about grades.

"Yushui, study hard and strive to get into college in the future."

Li Zhiguo is encouraging people to read, and there is nothing wrong with that.

After chatting for a while, he lay down on the same chair, covered with an old quilt and some old clothes.

After he lay down, Xiao Jingru picked up a coat from the side and covered him with it, which made him warm.

The radio was on in the room and opera was playing, so festive!
"Brother Li, there is a classmate in our class who said she knows you."

He Yushui suddenly talked about an old story.

"Who is it? You know me now?"

Li Zhiguo was stunned for a moment. It couldn't be Yu Haitang. Judging from her age, she was indeed about the same age as He Yushui.

"Her name is Yu Haitang. I have a good relationship with her. One day she saw you sending Xiao Jingru to school and she said she knew you."

He Yushui sat on a small stool, leaning next to the recliner.

"You mean her? I've met her twice before. I also know her sister. Her name is Yu Li, right?"

Li Zhiguo and Yushui chatted for a while, and then Shazhu brought the kneaded dough and stuffing from the kitchen.
This is to let everyone help make dumplings together, which is not only fast but also festive.

"Sister, come out and make dumplings."

"We're having dumplings tonight, with several kinds of fillings."

Li Zhiguo also stood up and made a dozen dumplings himself, and then stopped. He almost forgot that he had the title of chef and had cooking skills, and he couldn't let it show.

"The food is served!"

“There are hard dishes and dumplings!”

Sha Zhu quickly took the dishes to the main room. Lao Cai had also returned by then, and he did not forget to go out for a tricycle ride even during the New Year.

The Li family and the He family sat at almost one table, so they didn't crowd each other and had a New Year's Eve dinner together. The new year began with the sound of firecrackers.

……

one year later!

February 2, 1955, Wednesday, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

"Dad, Daddy..."

A little child wearing a cotton coat and a hat, who looked like a little cotton ball, came out of the house shouting, holding onto the wall as he walked, not afraid of falling.

"Hey, Xiao Guanxiang, please go slower."

Li Zhiguo walked forward and picked up his son. He was dressed like a little penguin.

My son is a little over one year old and is very active. He had no problem walking before, but now it’s winter and he’s wearing too many clothes, so he can’t move.

At this moment, Qin Huairu came out of the house and said, "I was wondering why he disappeared in the blink of an eye. He must be sticking to you and came here on his own."

"This is my son, of course he has to stick to me."

Li Zhiguo put his son on his lap and kissed his cheek, feeling very distressed.

Dabao is not fat, but he is much heavier than other children. His face is chubby and he feels warm when he is hugged.

"By the way, Jing Ru has to come back tomorrow."

He asked about this. Xiao Jingru had returned to the countryside for the winter vacation some time ago.

"You have to come back tomorrow."

Qin Huairu came over and hugged her son, saying, "Zhiguo, didn't you say you had an appointment with the third uncle to play chess?"

"Look at me, I've forgotten everything. So you take your son with you, I'll be back soon.

It's cold, so don't go out at night, stay at home."

It was already after dinner. Li Zhiguo had just arrived at the Central Courtyard when he suddenly saw Sha Zhu coming towards him.

"Silly Zhu, what are you doing? You're in such a hurry."

"Hi, Li Zhiguo, I just happened to meet you, can you lend me your bicycle?
Look, it's snowing heavily today, and my father and uncle haven't come back yet. I want to go see what's going on."

Sha Zhu had already had dinner with his sister, and it was already late.

"Okay, wait."

Li Zhiguo readily lent the bicycle to Sha Zhu and looked at the snow in the sky. Could it be that the plot from Under the Zhengyang Gate was about to begin?

"Shazhu, hurry up and go to Zhengyang Gate. Old Cai hangs around there soliciting customers every day. Maybe he has encountered something."

If Li Zhiguo hadn't made an appointment with the third uncle to play chess, he would have gone to watch the fun. But maybe not on this day, as snow is very common in the capital in winter.

"Okay, then I'm leaving!"

Sha Zhu ran away and went straight to Daqianmen.

……

"Tricycle, tricycle..."

"Come on, come on, where are you going?"

"Xie He Hospital!"

"Oh, Concord, two cents, it's snowing so hard!"

"Two cents, you're robbing me, fifteen cents."

"Oh, that won't do."

In an alley near Qianmen Street, in the middle of winter, a pregnant woman with a big belly was holding on to the wall, staggering along the road, snowflakes falling as she walked further and further away.

"15 cents?"

"no!"

"You go!"

It's not that Xu Hui can't come up with two cents, but usually it's 15 cents. Why does she want two cents now? She is a stubborn person. One is one and two is two.

It was winter and it was snowing heavily. Xu Huizhen walked on the street with her hands on her hips, staggering along. She asked for a tricycle again, but was charged 2 cents and still didn't get on the car.

Finally, the pain was so severe that she leaned against the wall. There was no one on the street and her consciousness gradually became blurred.

"Brother, look at you. You don't want to pedal the tricycle, but you have to drag me to carry food. I have told you many times that we are a tricycle family, not a bully family."

At the street corner, He Daqing was riding a tricycle, and there was another one next to him. Cai Quanwu was also riding a tricycle. "Brother, you earn two cents for carrying a bag of grain to the warehouse. I carried forty bags in a short time, and you carried twenty-seven bags. That's more than one yuan, which can buy two kilograms of meat."

Cai Quanwu thought this was a good job. If he hadn't known the warehouse manager of the grain station, it would not have been his turn to carry the goods.

He Daqing nodded. The two brothers earned a total of more than four yuan today, including riding the tricycle. If Sha Zhu's wages are included, it would be five yuan. What a good life it is.

But his family is so well-off, but there are three single men. How can this be justified?

"Hey, brother, is there someone waving over there?"

Cai Quanwu suddenly discovered the situation.

"Where is it? I can't see it. It's so late now. I won't take any work on a snowy day. I'll go home and have a drink and rest early. It's still the first month of the year."

He Daqing didn't want to solicit customers. His family was not short of money, but they needed a wife. He wanted to find a stepmother for Yu Shui as soon as possible so that he could keep warm in bed in winter.

"Three, tricycle!"

Xu Huizhen couldn't hold on any longer, but she was still willing to pay only 1.5 cents and insisted on being reasonable in everything.

"Hey, brother, it's a pregnant woman."

He Daqing saw the person. He was leaning against the wall and could not be seen if one was not paying attention. He looked good, but had a big belly. He was not his target group.

When he got closer, Cai Quanwu asked hurriedly, "Where are you going?"

"Xie He Hospital!"

Xu Huizhen could no longer stand.

"Two cents!"

Cai Quanwu did not quote a random price. This was the rule and also the price set by Brother Li in the beginning. The distance was reasonable.

"Fifteen cents!"

Xu Huizhen weakly stated the price she had in mind: Two cents was the price for two adults. She was alone and this was the price she usually paid when she went to Union Hospital.

He Daqing shook his head and said, "15 cents? Usually it's 20 cents, and it's snowing heavily today."

Cai Quanwu moved his lips but didn't dare to speak. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken the job out of pity for the person, but with his elder brother here, he couldn't take the lead.

"Just fifteen cents!"

Xu Huizhen tilted her head back, the baby in her belly falling down, she really couldn't keep her balance.

"Where's your man? You're going to give birth to a child alone in the middle of the night when it's snowing?"

He Daqing was also a little angry. A full man does not know the hunger of a hungry man. He did not know how to cherish such a pretty wife.

Let’s not talk about anything else, how Li Zhiguo sent his wife to give birth in the courtyard, and even Jia Dongxu went to find a cart. The man of this pretty wife is such a jerk.

"My man is dead. He died a long time ago."

Xu Huizhen was filled with hatred, and at this moment she really thought it was a good thing that He Yongqiang died.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me earlier? It's better for him to die. I mean, there's no point in a man like him living. Union Hospital, right? It's free. I'll take you there right now."

He Daqing's eyes lit up, he got out of the car swiftly and went to support his pretty wife.

Cai Quanwu also got out of the car quickly and helped to support.

"Get in my car!"

"It's still my car. I'll keep it steady."

He Daqing pulled the man to the side. He had to pull him over himself to avoid any accidents.

"Fifteen cents!"

Xu Huizhen responded weakly, and after sitting on the tricycle, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, I'll go with you too, so I can take care of you late at night."

Cai Quanwu wanted to get on the car and didn't want his own tricycle anymore because it was registered and had a stamp on it, so he couldn't lose it.

"No, brother, if you're the only one here, we won't be able to run fast. You should also pedal and follow us."

He Daqing glared at his younger brother and said, "What's the matter? I finally met someone I like, and now you want to snatch her from me? You are still young, you can look for her later."

Cai Quanwu had no choice but to return to his tricycle.

Just then, a bicycle came quickly in front, and shouts were heard before it arrived.

"Dad, uncle, what are you doing? It's so late and you're not going home yet."

Sha Zhu came over. What Li Zhiguo said was right. He met him as soon as he arrived at Qianmen Street.

"Silly, what are you doing here?"

He Daqing glared at the tricycle and drove away. There was a pregnant woman on the back seat, so he couldn't delay any longer.

"Dad, who is this? She's going to give birth."

When Sha Zhu saw the pregnant woman sitting on the seat, his eyes suddenly brightened. Although she was still far inferior to Sister Qin, she looked pretty good.

"She was about to give birth. Her husband was gone, and she went to the hospital alone in the middle of winter to give birth."

He Daqing pedaled the bike, his younger brother followed behind, and his son followed beside him on a bicycle and could also talk to him.

As for Xu Huizhen sitting on the seat, she was in so much pain that she couldn't make a sound, but she was also numb. What was going on? Were these three people from the same family?

"Ah, so she's a widow and pregnant woman. How pitiful."

Sha Zhu's expression changed, and he said quickly, "Dad, pedal faster and take him to the hospital."

"Why are you in such a hurry? This car needs to be stable. It's already very fast."

He Daqing almost cursed. He was just not happy. It was his brother who asked him to carry food. He also rode a tricycle all day and his legs were tired.

"Dad, why don't I do it? I'm young and strong."

Sha Zhu was anxious. All the other young widows had lost their husbands, so he had to keep this child.

He Daqing estimated the distance and pedaled over quickly, but it was a bit strenuous. "Well, Shazhu, I'll pull for a while, and then you can do it.

When you are tired, your uncle and the three of us from the He family will work together to take her to the hospital."

"Oh, by the way, little widow, what's your name?"

He Daqing turned his head and asked, he just wanted to know, he was very curious.

"My name is Xu Huizhen, Master, please hurry up, can we stop chatting?"

Xu Hui really figured out the relationship between these three people. The two tricycle drivers who looked the same were brothers. The one who came behind, not much younger, was the son of the driver who pulled her. His name was Shazhu? How could anyone be called that?

On a snowy night, the He brothers, father and son, uncle and nephew, three people on three horses, took turns to escort Xu Huizhen to Union Hospital.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Huizhen was quickly sent to the delivery room. The three members of the He family looked at each other, found seats outside the delivery room and sat down, tacitly not leaving.

"You are so irresponsible. The baby has already come out, why did you just send him to the hospital?"

Some doctors couldn't stand it and couldn't help but criticize it.

"no!"

The three members of the He family said in unison and wanted to explain that they were kind passers-by from the Sanlun family.

"It's nothing. Who among you is a family member? How can you be a husband like this? These are two lives."

The doctor was still angry. As a woman, she was afraid that she had met a scumbag.

"Yes, I was wrong."

He Daqing admitted it immediately and realized that he was wrong for not getting to know this young widow earlier.

"I was wrong too."

Cai Quanwu felt that he had not done his job well and should not have gone to carry food. Maybe he would have encountered it earlier.

"Hey, it's all my fault."

Sha Zhu thought that he should have come earlier, as two lives were almost lost.

The obstetrician was confused. Who among these three people was the pregnant woman's husband?

……

"Brother Li!"

"It's the rain. Why haven't you rested yet at this late hour?"

Li Zhiguo walked into the Intermediate Courtyard with a happy face. He had just taken Yan Bugui to avenge him and won seven games against the old man from Beixinqiao. Yan Bugui fought with him first, and he made the last move, which was actually counted as a reward. Isn't it a small profit of several dollars?

He Yushui said anxiously, "Brother Li, my father and uncle haven't come back yet. My brother went to look for someone, but he hasn't come back either. Nothing will happen, right?"

"I went and never came back?"

Li Zhiguo looked up at the snowflakes. On this snowy night, could it be that Xu Huizhen gave birth to her baby in the tavern?

Is that the stubborn young widow destined for Old Cai?
“Just didn’t come back.”

He Yushui wanted to go out and find someone, but he didn't know where to go.

"It's okay. How can three grown men get lost? Yu Shui, go to bed early. If they're still missing tomorrow morning, I'll help you look for them."

It's still the first month of the year and school hasn't started yet.

"Ok!"

Only then did He Yushui feel relieved and went back to the house.

Just as Li Zhiguo was about to leave, he suddenly saw Jia Dongxu running out of the house.

"Dongxu, what's the matter?"

"Li Zhiguo, it's been a year and I still haven't found a job. Can you help me?"

After a year of training, Jia Dongxu has lost his sharpness. He even stops going fishing because he is not in the mood.

"Let's go to your room and talk for a while."

Li Zhiguo also had a headache. He had never thought that Jia Zhang was so hardworking and could actually stick to it in the steel mill. It was already her second year as an apprentice.

After receiving his salary last month, he took a walk around the workshop. Wow, Jia Zhang was more skillful at drilling screw holes than Jia Dongxu had been in the past. He must be talented.

"Hey! Then please talk to my mother and ask her to increase the living allowance."

(End of this chapter)