Chapter 153

"Ah! Wang Qinian, can you delay it for a while longer? I really don't have any money."

Fan Jin was in trouble. The rent for the small courtyard was 27 yuan, which was very stable. But the key point was that he was no longer a manager of the company, but a stoker, and his salary was reduced.

His mother is in poor health, and even if he only spends half of the money on medical treatment, the monthly expenses are still not small. In addition, he has to eat, drink, and pay for water, electricity, and coal, so he can't save enough for rent every month.

"I can't delay. It's you. If it were someone else, they would have been asked to move out long ago. I'll give you another week. If you can't pay the rent, you can move to another place."

Wang Qinian shook his head. You live in such a big yard when you have no money. Aren't you just trying to show off? Li Zhiguo has so many houses, but he still lives in an old one.

"Ugh!"

Fan Jinyou left with a sigh. His family's old house had been sold a long time ago, with the advice given by Li Zhiguo. The money had also been used to pay the rent. Now he had a big problem.

……

At the Qianmen Silk Shop, Zhao Yali called He Yumei out at the door.

"Sister Zhao, what do you want from me?"

He Yumei was holding a feather duster in her hand. She learned this from her master Chuntao. She had to pretend to be busy even when she had nothing to do.

"Is Manager Li here?"

Zhao Yali looked at the silk shop. How wonderful it was! When she became a manager and got a raise, maybe in a few years she would be able to buy a nice piece of clothing in the silk shop.

"Yes, he comes here recently. Do you have something to talk to him about?"

He Yumei doesn't remember that the two of them knew each other.

"Yes, there is something wrong. Can you help me call someone?"

Zhao Yali clenched her hands and didn't dare to go in.

"Okay, please go in and sit for a while. I'll go inside to look for Manager Li."

He Yumei led people in and there were sofas in the lobby.

After Zhao Yali sat down, she looked around. Everything was bright and beautiful, which made her feel uncomfortable.

"Tuk-tuk!"

"Manager Li, it's me, He Yumei."

He Yumei knocked on the door of the small office and knew that Manager Li was inside.

"coming."

Li Zhiguo used his cloth shoes as slippers and went over to open the door. He came over at noon and had lunch in the store.

He had not originally planned to come today, but since his mother-in-law came back in the morning, he had time.

"Yumei, what's the matter?"

Li Zhiguo was yawning. After finishing his business with his concubine, he took a nap.

"Accountant Zhao from the tavern came and said she had something to talk to you about. I asked her to wait in the lobby outside.

Sister Xueru just went out for something and is not in the store."

He Yumei saw that Manager Li was a little disheveled and guessed that he was taking a lunch break.

"Okay, ask Zhao Yali to come to the inner hall, and I'll follow her."

"Okay, Manager Li."

He Yumei glanced at the small office casually. This was where Sister Xueru worked. There were sofas and other things inside. Manager Li often stayed in there for a long time. This...

Li Zhiguo immediately got dressed and combed his hair in front of the mirror. Not bad, he was still as handsome as ever. He looked at his watch. It was past four o'clock in the afternoon. Time flies!
"Sister Zhao, have some tea. Manager Li will be here soon."

After He Yumei handed the tea to the people, she also sat on the sofa next to them.

Chuntao and Xueru were both out, and there was no one to look after her in the store, because her immediate boss was Manager Li, who didn't care whether she worked or not.

"Yumei, I've never asked you what you do in the silk shop."

Zhao Yali only dared to sit on the edge of the sofa. Even though she had worked at a counter in a department store before, she had never been to such a high-end place and felt very uncomfortable.

"I, I... Sister Zhao, I'm just a handyman, I do all kinds of work."

He Yumei picked up the feather duster next to her. Chuntao didn't teach her anything! Her most regular job was to help Sister Xueru take care of the children.

"Oh!"

Zhao Yali seemed to understand. So you don't have a job at all? You make money just by hanging out in such a high-end store every day?
"Accountant Zhao, what a rare visitor! Sorry, I was busy with something and neglected you."

Li Zhiguo walked over and sat on the sofa opposite.

He Yumei quickly poured a cup of hot coffee, handed it over and said, "Manager Li, I'll be out now."

"No, Yumei, you sit here and listen for a while."

Li Zhiguo gestured for them to sit next to him. These two people would be informants for both stores in the future. He had to understand to what extent the fight between his concubine and his brother's wife would go.

"Hey!"

He Yumei followed and sat down.

When Zhao Yali saw the two of them sitting together, she couldn't help but have a ridiculous idea. Could it be that He Yumei was working as a mistress for Manager Li? Otherwise, how could she make money so easily?

But she could only think about this in her heart. Manager Li was not a stubborn person, so she didn't dare to go out and gossip about it.

"Accountant Zhao, tell me what you want to say!"

Li Zhiguo took a sip of coffee to refresh himself. He Yumei's craftsmanship was quite good.

"Manager Li, this is what happened. Xu Huizhen just announced in the store that she is getting married to Woboer, aka Cai Quanwu.

Cai Quanwu is no longer the public manager. What do you think about this matter?"

Zhao Yali's heart was pounding. Could she become the manager of this public company?
"Well, I knew about this before. I wanted to propose that you be the public manager, but something went wrong.

To tell you the truth, Xu Huizhen specially asked me to serve as the public manager of the tavern yesterday afternoon."

When Li Zhiguo said this, He Yumei next to him was stunned, and Zhao Yali opposite was even more dumbfounded.

"Li Zhiguo, then I..."

Zhao Yali frowned. It was all over now. She wouldn’t get a salary increase.

Li Zhiguo shook his head and said, "Accountant Zhao, don't worry. I do things very differently from others. Yumei."

"Ah! Manager Li, I'm here."

He Yumei was stunned for a moment before she realized why she was suddenly called.

"Yumei, you made this coffee, didn't you?"

"I made it. Sister Xueru is usually busy, so I made coffee for you."

He Yumei was confused and didn't understand why she was asking this.

"Well! I see that you have been doing very well recently. Go and call Accountant Ye over."

"okay!"

He Yumei hurried to call for help, and soon Old Ye arrived. This man was brought by Li Zhiguo and was the public accountant.

"Manager Li, you're looking for me?"

Old Ye is in his forties and has a heavy family burden. He is good at accounting, but he is an honest person.

"Well! He Yumei has been performing very well recently. Starting this month, her salary will be increased by 5 yuan."

"Okay, Manager Li, I'll go register right away."

Old Ye didn't even ask the reason. Don't ask, because next time it might be his turn to get a raise.

"Okay, get busy!"

"Okay, Manager Li."

Old Ye took two steps back before turning around and walking away quickly.

"Ah! Manager Li, you're giving me a raise right now."

He Yumei was surprised. This happiness came too suddenly.

"You've been doing great lately!"

Li Zhiguo smiled, looked at the dumbfounded Zhao Yali, and then said, "Accountant Zhao, do you understand?
As for me, I am also the manager of the tavern, but I don't have regular shifts and I don't do any work.

You are an accountant in name only, but you are actually working for me. When I take office, I will raise your salary by five dollars, and I will also try to get you a large bonus at the end of the year.

If you perform well, further salary increases will not be a problem.

I only have one request, and that is not for you to go against Xu Huizhen. She is a business person and knows how to make money.

Just help me keep an eye on the people in the tavern, mainly Fan Jinyou. If there is anything, report to me in time or talk to Yumei.

You two are my right-hand men and my left-hand men. You are my own people. One of you will take care of the silk shop, and the other will take care of the tavern. Do you understand?"

"Hey! I will listen to you from now on. If you say go east, I will never go west."

Zhao Yali was so happy that she almost jumped up. Her salary increased by five yuan a month, which was sixty yuan a year. There was also a bonus at the end of the year, and she might get a raise in the future. It would be a huge sum of money. Eight children in the family would finally have enough to wear.

"It's not that serious. We are all working for the public. Do you know what the biggest difference between me and Fan Jin is?

He is a stingy person who is obsessed with promotion and doesn't care whether his subordinates are living a good life.

But I have been an official cadre of the street for a long time. I am not seeking promotion. I just want to increase the profit of the joint venture store. Everyone makes money, the government collects taxes, and I can report to the director. That's all.

Money is shit to me, I am not interested in money!"

Li Zhiguo was in a good mood and said a few more words. He said that Zhao Yali was also a talented person and for the sake of the eight children at home, she had to follow him wholeheartedly.

Tuesday came in a blink of an eye, and there was still no news about the high-level public-private partnership on the street side, and there was no way to push for it.

But until it was settled, he didn't want to take up his post in the tavern.

He had made an appointment to go to Dr. Liang's house today, but he went to Union Hospital with Xu Damao early in the morning. Damao felt relieved when they went a little further.

"No, otherwise, I won't check it. There's nothing wrong with my body."

Xu Damao was lying. It would be a lie to say that he had never doubted himself. That was why he did not dare to check.

"I'll go with you for the inspection. It's across districts. You pay for it. What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Zhiguo thought that he learned the intercepting trick from Damao. Last time, Damao almost used the intercepting trick on Zhang Xiantao.

This is becoming more and more shrewd. It would be good to let Damao face the reality and pursue progress with peace of mind.

"You're accompanying me, aren't you lying?"

Xu Damao felt much better. Although he was betrayed by Li Zhiguo many times, he was still a brother after all and he could still be relied on at critical moments.

"Why would I lie to you? Let's go!"

Li Zhiguo pulled the person in. They had already made an appointment, so they went straight to the process. After they were done, the two of them took the person to the inspection room by themselves and waited at the door.

In fact, many tests in the hospital can produce results very quickly. For example, a simple X-ray can give a diagnosis within a minute, but you have to wait two hours or even the next day to get the report.

The two waited for a while, then went out to smoke a cigarette and came back.

The door of the examination room opened, and a man wearing glasses came out and said, "Li Zhiguo, you are fine. Xu Damao, you... Hey! Take this note to the doctor first, and come back to get the report."

Today's reports are handwritten, which is definitely not as fast as printing.

"What does this mean?"

Xu Damao was holding a piece of paper with a few symbols written on it.

"Go ask the doctor." Li Zhiguo shook his head. It seemed that there was really a problem.

The two went upstairs to find the doctor. When someone saw what was written on the paper, they said, "Xu Damao, you are inactive. You can't have children in this life. Please accept my condolences!"

"What?" Xu Damao was stunned and burst into tears on the spot.

More than ten minutes later, Xu Damao squatted beside a small flower bed near the hospital and cried loudly, tears streaming down his face.

"Li Zhiguo, tell me, why am I so miserable? My uncle and I are the last of our families. Who will support me in my old age? What's the point of living? I might as well die."

At this moment, Xu Damao really had the thought of committing suicide, but when he thought that he had not yet become a section chief, he couldn't bear to do so, so he decided to cry for a while.

"Da Mao, you have to be more open-minded about this matter. Think about it, having a child may not be a good thing.

It takes so much effort to raise a child. From birth, he or she has to eat, drink, defecate and urinate. Then he or she has to go to school. You worry if his or her grades are good, and you worry even more if his or her grades are not good.

When you grow up, you have to find a job and find a wife...it costs a lot of money.

Especially if the family has multiple children, for example, your sister Qin is pregnant with her second child now, and we are planning to have a third child...

Uh, why are you crying even harder? "

Li Zhiguo once again discovered that he really didn't know how to comfort people, and this shortcoming was difficult to correct.

"Li Zhiguo, you already have two children, and you're planning to have a third one. I also want to experience the hardship of raising a child!"

Xu Damao couldn't stop crying, his life was dark and over.

"Okay, Damao, your case is a case of early detection and early treatment. You don't need treatment, but you can think of other ways."

Li Zhiguo lit a cigarette. Fortunately, this place was secluded, otherwise Damao would have cried loudly. He would have thought that he had done something to someone.

"What else can be done?"

Xu Damao looked up at his brother. If anyone made fun of him, he would get angry. Even if he didn't fight back much, he would at least fight back with a few words.

"You've forgotten my relationship with Dr. Liang from the Workers' Hospital. We're almost like siblings. She's a famous obstetrician. You can ask her to help you adopt a child."

Li Zhiguo thought this was a reliable idea. If Damao became a family extinct, he would cause trouble all the way. But if he had a child to tie him down, his fighting power would be weakened and easier to suppress.

"Adopting one, is that reliable?"

Xu Damao suddenly shook his head, "That won't work. I can't explain this to my parents or Chunyan."

"You are stupid! Let Chunyan pretend to be pregnant, and when she is pregnant, she will live at her parents' home for a while, and then come back after she adopts the child."

Li Zhiguo thought it was quite reliable. He could adopt the child directly from the delivery room and raise him from childhood. There shouldn't be much difference between him and his own child.

"This, this still won't work. I've kept it a secret from my parents, but Chunyan's parents know that I can't do it."

Xu Damao wants a son. Retirement support is a problem, but face is also important.

"Then there's nothing I can do. The most I can do is help you find Dr. Liang and contact someone who doesn't want a child.

Let you adopt a newborn baby boy directly from the delivery room. And I will keep it a secret for you. Please consider this."

Li Zhiguo patted brother Damao on the shoulder and said that it has always been a dilemma since ancient times.

"Li Zhiguo, hey, I know you are helping me, but I... woo woo!"

Xu Damao cried again. He suddenly understood why Jia Dongxu was cheated so badly, but he still became brothers with Li Zhiguo and was willing to help others at critical moments.

Given his situation, he couldn't save face even if he adopted the child.

"Li Zhiguo, let me think about it again."

"Okay, you can cry for a while. I have an appointment with Dr. Liang. She is off today. I will go to her house for a meal and then leave."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and followed him. Anyway, the way was given to him, it just depended on what Damao would choose.

In fact, the same operation can be done with Yi Zhonghai, but Yi Zhonghai is not very familiar with him, so he just mind his business.

"Woooo..."

Xu Damao cried for a while and then came to his senses. He was thinking about how to hide it from his parents on both sides. It was difficult.

We can't let Chunyan rent a house alone, and it's not a good idea to let her stay in the yard. After all, the pregnancy is fake and it will be exposed sooner or later.

Xu Damao took a day off today and didn't have to go to work. He cried for two hours, and his tears dried up. He was hungry, so he went home to cook.

In a blink of an eye, I returned to the backyard and saw Xiao Guan Xiang riding a wooden excavator and shoveling river sand for fun. It was so nice.

"Hello Uncle Damao!"

"Hey, Hibiki-chan, you're welcome too."

Xu Damao walked up and touched Xiao Guanxiang, who looked just like a porcelain doll. He also had a New Year picture of Xiao Guanxiang pasted in his house.

Then Xu Damao played with Xiao Guanxiang in the sand for a long time before reluctantly returning home.

"Chunyan, what do you think of Xiaoguanxiang?"

"Is there any need to ask? Xiao Guan Xiang is so cute, who wouldn't praise him for being pretty?

Last time I went home, my parents’ house was decorated with New Year pictures of Xiao Guanxiang.”

Tang Chunyan was embroidering in her hands, which was very time-killing.

"Hmm!" Xu Damao was distracted while sitting aside. It took him a while to remember that he had to cook.

……

"Tuk-tuk!"

Li Zhiguo knocked on Dr. Liang's door, but he didn't expect that the person who opened the door was Liang Ladi.

"Brother Li, you are here."

"No, Liang Ladi, you're not going to work today?"

Li Zhiguo was holding a bag in his hand, which could not be said to be a gift, he was just walking around normally.

"I'm on sick leave today."

Liang Ladi felt a little embarrassed, and she also learned how to pretend to be sick.

"That's right, come talk to me."

He handed the bag in his hand over. He had been here many times and was quite familiar with Dr. Liang's man. They were brothers.

"Hey!"

Liang Ladi smiled and turned around and called out, "Second Aunt, Brother Li is here."

"Come in quickly, I won't greet you, the kitchen needs someone."

Doctor Liang called out at the kitchen door and went back. They were so familiar with each other, so there was no need to be polite.

"okay!"

Li Zhiguo found a chair and sat down. He came not too early, as Dr. Liang's man, Lao Cui, would be back for lunch soon.

Liang Ladi handed over a cup of tea and sat down next to her.

There was no TV to watch these days, so if we just sat there and didn't say anything, the atmosphere would be dull.

"Brother Li, I never had the chance to say thank you to you."

Liang Ladi moved the plate on the coffee table over, which was filled with peanuts and sunflower seeds.

"Thank you for what? Thank you for hiring you into the factory. That's all old news now."

Li Zhiguo didn't care. Besides, he and Dr. Liang had exchanged places, and he still owed a position in the hospital.

"Thank you anyway!"

Liang Ladi found a topic and started talking about her own affairs, such as where she lived, and that she would learn tailoring on Sundays.

Li Zhiguo acted as a qualified listener and thought that if he had not arranged Liang Ladi to work in the steel rolling mill, she might have become a mother and would have been able to give birth to a child.

After chatting for a while, Dr. Liang had already started serving the food. Lao Cui also came back. He worked at the neighborhood committee. He didn't have any special skills and was just a handyman. He usually did the housework and took care of the children.

"Brother Li, you're here."

Lao Cui offered cigarettes as soon as he entered the door. Thanks to him, I can have one at home.

"Lao Cui, you've been very busy lately. You didn't come back until dinner time."

Li Zhiguo pointed at his watch and joked.

Liang Ladi next to him didn't think it was a big deal. Brother Li could afford a watch, but Lao Cui had a good eye. This watch was worth his annual salary.

"It's just a waste of time. It's a matter of public-private partnership. There are few joint-venture stores on our street. It's really busy on Daqianmen Street."

Lao Cui helped to light a cigarette and then went to get some wine from the cabinet. Normally his wife didn't allow him to drink, so he got some now.

Li Zhiguo thought, he is not busy, these are just unreliable rumors. However, it seems that he hasn't seen his brother-in-law for a while.

"Zhiguo, you and Lao Cui drink first."

Doctor Liang came out from the kitchen to greet everyone, and Liang Ladi also went to help serve the dishes.

"Okay, I won't be polite here."

Li Zhiguo started drinking immediately. He and Dr. Liang really became like brother and sister, but his relationship with Lao Cui was a little complicated.

Last time I gave out red envelopes, no one accepted them, so today I just brought some things and didn’t prepare any red envelopes.

"Brother Li, the last time you told me about the public-private partnership, it was pretty accurate. This time, can you analyze how much of the dividends the original merchants can keep?"

Lao Cui was very jealous of the merchants. His salary as a neighborhood committee worker was only a small amount, while the merchants earned more in a day than he did in a year.

"There's no need to guess. The dividends will be gone sooner or later. I guess the street office will call a meeting with your neighborhood committee soon."

Li Zhiguo is not afraid to say it now. Qianmen Street had already held a meeting yesterday, so this side was a step behind.

"Ah! So cruel, but this is a good thing."

Lao Cui thought it was reliable, and the two continued to talk about public-private partnership.

Liang Ladi overheard this while serving the dishes, and turned back to the kitchen to ask, "Second Aunt, how come Brother Li knows so much about public-private partnerships?"

"He is very capable. Don't treat him as an ordinary worker."

Dr. Liang glanced outside and saw her husband still walking towards Qianmen Street, unaware that the street cadre was right in front of him.

She also found out about this by accident. Once she went to Union Hospital for an exchange meeting and chatted with a classmate who was in charge of sorting out reimbursement documents. Just by coincidence, she saw Li Zhiguo's name when she flipped through the documents.

The unit that others rely on for reimbursement is Qianmen Street Office, and they are cadres.

Since then, Dr. Liang has never accepted any red envelopes from Li Zhiguo, and even introduced his own husband, Mr. Cui, to Li Zhiguo.

"I knew he was not an ordinary worker and that he was very capable in the steel mill, but I didn't expect that he understood public-private partnerships. The shop where I learned tailoring was also incorporated into a joint venture."

Liang Ladi looked outside as she spoke, her mind wandering.

Doctor Liang sighed. It was obvious that his niece was in love for the first time. It was a pity that it was too late. Others were about to have a second child.

After a while, everyone sat at the table to eat. The scene was quite lively, except that Lao Cui drank too much and lay down before the meal was over.

Li Zhiguo was fine. He drank almost every day. Even though he had a bad stomach, he could still drink.

After the dishes were cleared away and he drank some hangover tea, he said goodbye.

Doctor Liang walked him to the door and suddenly said, "Zhiguo, Lao Cui has been working in the neighborhood committee for many years, but he has never been promoted. Is there something wrong with this?"

"Sister, let's wait until Lao Cui wakes up next time before we discuss this matter."

(End of this chapter)