Chapter 164

After Li Zhiguo finished speaking, he quickly rode away on his bicycle, because he had left a prop behind and it would be difficult to pretend that he was here.

"You said Manager Li is such a good person. He gave the four of us a raise. Sister Zhao got 10 yuan, Lao Ma got 7 yuan, and Xiao Qiu and I got 5 yuan. There's also a bonus at the end of the year."

Kong Yuqin just had a private chat with him, and now she is really excited.

"Of course not. I, Old Ma, will be Manager Li's man from now on."

Ma Liansheng, the kitchen team leader, is in charge of only one person, Fan Jinyou, who is in charge of the fire, but he is also a small leader.

"Hey! Isn't that Manager Li's cup? How did it fall down?"

The waitress Xiao Qiu found the cup in the corner. She had put it there when she first saw Manager Li coming. She seemed to be going to pour water in it, but finally forgot about it.

"What cup?"

No one noticed it, Fan Jinyou quickly ran over, picked it up and exclaimed in surprise when he saw it.

"Xiao Fan, what's going on? You're so startled."

Lao Ma has also stood up and he is now the squad leader.

"No, look at what's written on this cup. It says Beijing Model Worker Award. That's impossible."

Fan Jinyou was confused. He only saw Li Zhiguo once a month, and in such a short time, others became model workers. So how was he supposed to be cooking in the kitchen every day?

"Oh, what a model worker! Isn't Manager Li not at work?"

"You didn't borrow this from anyone, did you?"

"Borrow it! You're so smart! Do you know how many model workers there are in Beijing every year? You can count them with ten fingers. Whoever gets this cup will treasure it!"

Xu Huizhen couldn't help but say, "Well, Manager Li is also a fitter at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. I heard from my husband, Mr. Cai, that Manager Li was a model worker at the factory last year."

"Ah, Manager Li usually works in the steel mill. No wonder he doesn't have time to come."

"That's what I said. They must be very busy. How can they not work at such a young age?"

Xu Huizhen said with a burdened look on her face: "As far as I know, Manager Li is not working in the factory either."

Everyone was confused and silent, and went about their own business, fearing that if they continued talking, they would be patting the horse's leg.

Finally, the cup fell into Xu Huizhen's hands, and she asked Lao Cai to take some time to return it to Li Ge'er.

……

But Li Zhiguo went to the silk shop again, made an appointment with his concubine to see Erbao, drank half a cup of coffee and left.

Then I went to the street office and drank half a cup of tea to test whether the cleaning lady would help wash the cup.

Finally, I took a stack of newspapers with me, and didn't forget to check out the latest major events. It was a busy and fulfilling day.

By six o'clock, he had arrived in front of Chunqiao Grocery Store, which was adjacent to Beixinqiao Grocery Store and not far from the Siheyuan. It was just not as popular as Beixinqiao business district.

"Li, Brother Li!" Liang Ladi came, running all the way over.

"Well, get in the car!"

Li Zhiguo looked around and thought that there should be no acquaintances there, as he was always very low-key.

However, he didn't expect that as soon as he drove Liang Ladi away, two old men appeared from nowhere, muttering something.

"I was wondering why Li Zhiguo hasn't played chess recently. It turns out he has developed another hobby!"

"Old Zhao, you can't say anything. Everyone has a time when they are young. Next time he wants to be a general, we should tell him about this and see if he can keep it up."

"Oh, that's good! It was that guy who cheated me first. I don't know how he got the news that I had watched a widow take a bath when I was young. He forced me to lose three games in public. I was so embarrassed."

"Old Zhao, you haven't told me that the widow is not a spirit!"

"Alas, one glance can ruin your life. That widow was my sister-in-law back then, and now she's my wife!"

"What the heck!"

Li Zhiguo then followed the instructions to where Liang Ladi lived, a small house in a large courtyard.

"Liang Ladi, this is your partner."

No matter where you go, there are always aunties who like to ask questions, and maybe they are the hidden agents of the neighborhood committee.

In places where there is no courtyard or there are many independent households, we no longer rely on the uncle in charge, but the aunties from the neighborhood committee are the mainstream.

"This is my cousin. He's here to see me. He'll be leaving in a minute."

Liang Ladi lied, otherwise if she had said they were a boyfriend, it would have been a big problem if the story got out.

"Hello, Auntie!"

Li Zhiguo smiled and immediately dispelled the aunt's scrutinizing gaze.

Then, Liang Ladi opened the door of the room and saw that the furnishings inside were quite simple, with just a table, a chair, a bed and a ruler.

Well, this isn't about ventriloquism, it's about tailoring.

"Brother Li, let me measure your clothes first, and then I'll go to the store where I help out on Sunday and slowly make the clothes for you."

Liang Ladi picked up the ruler and went straight to the point. Her trembling hands betrayed her nervousness at the moment.

The door is not closed, so even if the truth is revealed, there is no need to worry about gossip.

"Well! I'm tall, so it takes quite a lot of fabric!"

Li Zhiguo didn't have any idea about it. Dongxu's wife made clothes for others and it was not shameful to supplement the family income.

He really just measured the size, he didn't even sit down, and just left.

……

In a blink of an eye, Qin Huairu has finished her confinement, but she still has some time left on her maternity leave. It’s a rare chance for her to have some free time, so she can slow down her life.

The hospital held a full-moon banquet. Since there was not enough staple food, we used food coupons to get it done.

That day, when Li Zhiguo got up in the morning, he felt that the weather had become cold again. There was no one at home because Qin Huairu had gone to work yesterday.

My mother-in-law took Xiaobao to the next yard, where there was a woman who had just given birth and was not working and could help breastfeed the baby.

After washing up, he went to Xu's house to find Dabao, but the door was locked. What was going on?
"Li Zhiguo, Guan Xiang is here with me."

The second aunt came out of the house holding little Guan Xiang and said, "Chunyan went to the hospital with Damao early this morning."

"Go to the hospital. What's going on? Who's sick?"

Li Zhiguo thought, I saw this couple yesterday, they don’t seem to be sick.

"It's not a disease. Xu Damao said Chunyan might be pregnant. He was so happy that he didn't even go to work. He took her to the hospital. Now the Xu family will have an heir!"

Li Zhiguo no longer wanted to listen to what the second aunt said next. This was impossible. Xu Damao had no family, so how could Chunyan get pregnant?

Coming to his senses, he guessed that she had used the trick of faking pregnancy. This was a good thing, as a short pain was better than a long one.

"Dad, I want to go out and play."

Xiao Guan Xiang ran over, dressed like a little penguin. It was cold.

"Okay, I'll take you out right away."

Li Zhiguo picked up his son, said hello to the second aunt and went out. He hadn't had breakfast yet.

I went out to have a quick meal and brought some food for my mother-in-law. She couldn't be left behind. It's very tiring to take care of children.

I have two sons in my family, and the little one is already very young and it feels quite troublesome. It seems that the plan for a third child will have to wait.

With his physique, if he continues to have children, they will probably be sons. If there were three sons in the family, it would not be a good thing.

Look at Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, they both have three sons, but there will be no one to provide for them in their old age.

Therefore, it is enough to let Qin Huairu give birth to two sons so that they can grow up early and enjoy happiness early.

At this time, he took Xiao Guanxiang to play for a while, went to the department store to buy some things, and just returned to the yard, he saw the three aunts coming back from the middle yard.

"Li Zhiguo, something big happened in our hospital."

"What's wrong? Who has a problem in the Central Court?"

Li Zhiguo thought that there should be no one there, as everyone was at work today, especially Jia Zhang, who was not in the courtyard during the day.

"Xu Damao's family, the couple just came back from the hospital, Chunyan is pregnant, next year, the Xu family will also hold a full-month banquet."

The third aunt thought that Xu Damao was also a childless person like the first uncle, but she didn't expect that he was still okay.

"Really pregnant?"

Li Zhiguo became curious and asked later why Damao didn't discuss his plan with him. Is it possible for brothers to be like this?

"How could it be fake? Xu Damao has even produced the test results."

"Okay, let me go take a look."

He immediately carried his son back to the backyard. There were many people from the old Xu family watching the fun. Xu Damao was saying something with a proud look on his face, holding a list in his hand.

Tang Chunyan was sitting on a chair with a smile on her face. Suddenly, she saw Li Ge'er and could not help but lower her head shyly.

This made Li Zhiguo confused. What was going on? Not to mention a fake pregnancy, even if it was real, there was nothing to be shy about!
To reproduce, one must do it openly and without shame.

"Da Mao, congratulations!"

"Li Zhiguo, my buddy has a successor, and it must be a big fat boy."

Xu Damao was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. Years of accumulated anxiety were swept away, and he was still a man of integrity.

"This is a good thing. You stay busy now and come to my house for a drink later."

Seeing so many people, Li Zhiguo didn't ask too many questions, so he took his son back, turned on the radio, took out the box of toys, and let his son play by himself. After waiting for a while, his mother-in-law came back first, put Xiaobao to sleep in her room, and went to the kitchen to cook.

Li Zhiguo had just put the peanuts and wine on the table when Xu Damao walked in with a smile on his face.

"Da Mao, what's wrong with you?"

He lowered his voice and thought that even if a sow could climb a tree, Xu Damao would not be able to give birth to a child.

"It's nothing, Chunyan is really pregnant, it's not fake, she's really pregnant."

Xu Damao also lowered his voice and said, "Brother, you didn't tell anyone about the checkup at the hospital before."

"I definitely didn't tell anyone. This is a big deal. I can't betray my brothers. But how did Chunyan get pregnant?"

Li Zhiguo thought, Xu Damao wouldn't be so cruel as to cheat on him, that would be a really ruthless person, he would hide his true intentions better than anyone else.

"Isn't this luck?" Xu Damao smiled and lowered his head to drink.

"Oh, Damao, you can't do it, never mind, congratulations!"

What else can Li Zhiguo say? Others are making a desperate effort, so he can't just throw a swimming ring to save them.

"I won't say anymore. It's all in the wine." Xu Damao said nothing. He drank a glass and went back happily.

The news of Tang Chunyan's pregnancy caused a whirlwind, and in the afternoon, Xu's mother came with a lot of bags.

"Sister Xu, are you going to move back here?"

Li Zhiguo was very surprised. He had so many things to carry that he asked the tricycle driver to help him move them.

"Yes, we are moving back. Fengling will come back to live with us. I have to take care of Chunyan. She is pregnant now."

Xu's mother was overjoyed. The Xu family finally had a successor, and she had to come back to take care of her grandson.

"No, then what about my brother Xu?"

Li Zhiguo felt that the seniority was a bit confusing, but it was no big deal, as everyone was friends with their own children.

"Old Xu eats in the cafeteria at the cinema. If he doesn't have anything to eat, he can go out to a restaurant. He's such a grown man, how can he go hungry?

Chunyan is different, she doesn’t even know how to cook, so it’s impossible for her to starve.”

Xu's mother only thought about her grandson and didn't think about men.

"That's good too!" Li Zhiguo felt that with Sister Xu back, the backyard would become lively.

After a while, the Tang family also came. Chunyan's mother brought a few relatives and brought a lot of things. She carried two large bags of flour alone. The conditions were too good.

This was also seen by the residents in the courtyard, who came to watch the fun.

"Da Mao!" Tang's mother called her son-in-law. She used to think that he was unreliable, but now she is satisfied with him.

"Mom, you say." Xu Damao accompanied her carefully beside her.

"I have already told Chunyan's second uncle about her pregnancy. Her uncle will take some time to come over. You must entertain him well."

"Hey! We must entertain them well." Xu Damao knew that the opportunity had come and his second uncle was finally willing to help.

The Tang family was also happy. Tang's mother stayed in the house for a while, took out some fruits to wash, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Oh, you must be Xiao Guanxiang, you are so pretty, come and let your aunt hold you."

"Aunt, are you from the hospital? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Xiao Guanxiang was riding his excavator and playing by himself. His dad was sleeping in the house, so he couldn't disturb him.

"It's in the courtyard."

Tang's mother went over, picked up little Guan Xiang and kissed him, thinking that it would be even better if her grandson could be so well-behaved.

In the evening, the residents who were working in the courtyard came back one after another. When they heard that Chunyan was pregnant, they were all surprised, because they had previously thought that the family might be extinct.

"It must be a girl."

Jia Zhang muttered to herself, "We are at home now, and we dare not go outside, otherwise we will be beaten if someone hears us."

Sha Zhu went home and drank alone. There were four brothers in the courtyard, and even Xu Damao was about to have a child, but he still didn't have a partner. This was not acceptable.

Qin Huairu returned home and saw Xiaobao sleeping, so she went to see Chunyan and chatted with her for a long time.

She gave birth to two sons, and the Xu family gave her many gifts. She cannot forget this favor.

"Chunyan, take good care of your baby."

"Well, thank you Sister Qin!"

Tang Chunyan sent the person to the door, touched her belly, and then returned home.

After Qin Huairu entered the room, she covered the man with a quilt and just happened to wake up.

"Huai Ru, you're back."

Li Zhiguo slept comfortably. It was such a cold day, what else could he do without sleeping? He was already a model worker and had earned the honor, so he had nothing else to pursue.

"Brother-in-law!" Xiao Jingru handed over the teacup.

"Hmm!" Li Zhiguo took a sip of hot water and handed the model worker cup to Xiao Jingru.

Qin Huairu said, "I just went to see Chunyan. She went to the hospital for a checkup last month and was told that she might be pregnant. She went for another checkup today and was told that she was pregnant."

Li Zhiguo was stunned for a moment. This was not right. Wasn't last month November? Calculating forward, shouldn't Chunyan have been shot in October? No, she was hit.

After such a long time, nothing was discovered. It seems that Xu Damao and Chunyan did a good job of keeping the secret.

Forget it, this is someone else's business. Can he find the third party? Wouldn't that be frustrating?

"Huai Ru, are you going to grow taller now?"

"Kind of!"

Qin Huairu nodded shyly, and then sent Xiao Jingru to take her son to play in the yard.

After a while, the meal was served, but Li Zhiguo had no appetite and felt full after eating half a bowl of white flour.

……

New Year's Day passed in a blink of an eye. According to the Gregorian calendar, it was the year 1957. Unexpectedly, good news came from the hospital again.

"Brother, my wife is pregnant again."

Jia Dongxu came running to report the results. His speed was a bit fast, but it would not affect having a baby.

"Sure, Dongxu, your family has two people earning money, so we can afford it."

Li Zhiguo thought that in this era, the only thing people do is greet each other about having children, and the rest is drinking. It's hard for men to find other hobbies.

"Hey, he must be a big fat boy."

Jia Dongxu thought about the birth of his second child and the opportunity to receive gifts, so he and his wife ate more eggs. How great that would be.

As soon as Dongxu left, Shazhu suddenly came.

"No, Silly Zhu, you're back so early? Why did you bring something with you?"

Li Zhiguo had just gone back to lie down, but now he sat up again.

“Hi, the factory didn’t have any treats today, so I made an excuse to go out and buy some seasoning and came back.

Li Zhiguo, isn't it almost Chinese New Year? I have prepared some local specialties for you."

Sha Zhu put the things on the table and said this. It cost him several dollars to buy them, so they were not cheap.

"Tell me, you must have something wrong." Li Zhiguo took a look at the things and then handed him a cigarette.

Sha Zhu sat on a stool and asked, "Your mother-in-law and son are not at home?"

"Yes, in the next room. If you have anything to say, just tell me. There's no one else."

Li Zhiguo lit the cigarette himself. What a lack of taste.

"Hey, here's what I told you. I went to see my dad a few days ago, near the big canteen in front of the front door. I also went to see my uncle. They're both very good. It's a relief to have a daughter like him."

Sha Zhu is a missing person in his father's place, and his stepmother, the White Widow, still doesn't know that she has a son as big as him. However, Yu Shui has already gone to his stepmother's house to play and stayed for several days.

"I got a daughter for nothing, and then what?"

Li Zhiguo guessed that Sha Zhu wanted to find a wife. Among the four brothers in the courtyard, only this boy was still single. Considering Sha Zhu's competitive nature, he might be secretly wiping tears in his bed. It's so cold.

“I asked my father and uncle again, and they both said that you taught me well because I was able to marry into the widow’s family.

Li Zhiguo, why don't you teach me so that I don't waste my time. When I get married, I will definitely get a big red envelope from you."

Sha Zhu wants to get married. Why is he still single? He has good conditions and occupies the big north room of the courtyard.

I have a formal job and I drive a tricycle. I can occasionally help in the kitchen to earn some money and bring lunch boxes home every day.

"No, please explain clearly. Is your goal to marry a wife or to become a widow? There is a big difference here."

Li Zhiguo was no longer sleepy at this time, and he wanted to explore the inner thoughts of his brothers.

"Of course I'm going to marry a wife. I'm still young, I can't marry a widow, I have to find a virgin girl."

Sha Zhu started yelling, not caring about being overheard, because people in the yard were gossiping, and he had heard it more than once.

They say that he has never been able to get married, and that he will run away with a widow one day. This is absolutely impossible!

"Silly Zhu, didn't you want to pursue Xu Huizhen before? Why did you change your taste in the blink of an eye? What, you don't like the widow anymore?"

Li Zhiguo shook off the ash from his cigarette. This man's aesthetic taste is usually quite persistent, so how could it change so easily?

(End of this chapter)