Chapter 172

Qin Huairu took the bicycle and was quite confused as to what this old man wanted.

"Hey, Li Zhiguo, come in quickly, we're waiting for you."

Liu Haizhong was originally sitting there listening to the radio. When he saw someone coming, he hurried over to greet him.

"elder brother!"

"Brother, here I come!"

There were three unlucky children sitting in the room, and they quickly stood up.

"Li Zhiguo, please sit down. I'll pour you some water. Oh, I mean some wine."

After the second aunt asked the bad boy to sit down, she quickly took out the peanuts and wine, and then went to fry eggs. She had to have something hot to go with the wine.

"Second uncle, what do you want from me? Why do you have to wait until now?"

Li Zhiguo hugged Liu Guangfu. This kid would become a ruthless man when he grew up, and he could criticize Bang Geng in the street.

"Hey, about Guangqi's matter, he stays at home all day, so I'm thinking about finding him a job.

The street finally replied, but it was a bit far, more than ten miles away, so it was inconvenient for me to go home later."

Liu Haizhong was reluctant to let his eldest son run away, although he often beat him, but that was the rule passed down by his ancestors, that beating makes a filial son.

He is counting on his eldest son to provide for his retirement in the future, but if he doesn't live in the courtyard, he won't be able to do that.

"It's a bit far. What factory?"

Li Zhiguo asked Liu Guangfu to grab a handful of peanuts, then called Liu Guangtian over and rubbed his head. The younger brothers in the courtyard had to thrive under his shadow.

"Brother, it's a lumber mill. The salary is the same as being a worker in a steel mill. I think it's pretty good."

Liu Guangqi wanted to run away. He couldn't stay at home anymore. He thought it would be bad if he went to the sawmill, completely away from his father and earned the salary alone.

"What good is that? Carrying wood every day, exposed to the wind and sun, you will get sick sooner or later."

Liu Haizhong scolded his son for a while, then turned around and said with a smile: "Li Zhiguo, can you think of a way to transfer Guangqi to a different position and let him work in the steel mill?"

"Brother, no need!"

Liu Guangqi wanted to say something, but he saw Liu Haizhong suddenly stand up and kick over. Although he didn't catch the thing, he was kicked away.

"You have no right to speak here, just stay aside."

Liu Haizhong got furious. He wanted to run away before he even started working. If he really got a job, that would be terrible. He couldn't raise such a grown-up son in vain.

Li Zhiguo thought for a while and said, "This is actually a simple matter. We can find a way to make a swap. Just send someone to the lumber mill and let Guangqi take the position.

And there is one ready-made one, let’s transfer Li Xinmin over there!”

"Is this possible? I don't have that much face!"

Liu Hai was moved. He had tortured Li Xinmin a lot. It was better to transfer him away to prevent others from doing bad things to him one day.

"How about this, you prepare some things, I'll go to the factory tomorrow and talk to Director Yang, it shouldn't be a big problem.

Guangqi is the son of a steelworker, so it is not right for him to carry wood. He should stay in the yard. When he gets married and has children, my second aunt will help take care of them."

Li Zhiguo was not trying to trick anyone. He just wanted to replace a brother who couldn't escape and gather the five most progressive young people in the courtyard again.

"That makes sense. I'll get ready and wait for your good news."

Liu Haizhong was very happy, now he had a place to take care of his children in his old age.

“Brother, this…”

Liu Guangqi was about to cry. Brother, you are really cheating him. He was about to escape from the fire pit, so why did you add some firewood into it?

"Guangqi, you don't understand. Think about it, most of the people in our hospital work in the steel mill. If you go there, you don't have to worry about being bullied, and it's easy to get promoted. There are too many benefits.

You see, in the hospital, although Jia Dongxu is not going to work, Jia Zhang has taken his place and will receive a pension in the future.

Shazhu has also started cooking, bringing his lunch box every day, making life easier.

Xu Damao was promoted to deputy chief clerk.

My second uncle is also a team leader, my first uncle is a senior fitter, and I am also a fourth-level fitter.

What does this mean? The steel mill is a blessed place in our hospital. You should go there. This is a rare opportunity. "

Li Zhiguo talked a lot of nonsense, and it seemed to make sense and there was nothing wrong with it.

"Yes, your brother is right. Guangqi, you should learn from your brother in the future."

Liu Haizhong poured more wine while he was talking. Then the second aunt came over with some fried eggs. She also spent a lot of money and fried three eggs at a time, letting the bad boy eat two to replenish his energy.
Li Zhiguo drank two taels of wine with eggs and peanuts, and finally left with a basket.

Inside was a basket of shelled peanuts, two bottles of good wine, and a red envelope.

The red envelope was given to him to deliver to Director Yang, and the peanuts and good wine were his labor fees. It was a little less, but he didn't mind.

"Zhiguo, why are you giving gifts?"

When Qin Huairu saw someone coming in, she hurried over to greet him.

In the room, Qin's mother was also there, Xiao Guanxiang hadn't gone to bed yet, and Xiao Jingru was washing her feet.

"It was given by the Second Master. He asked me to do something for him."

Li Zhiguo put the basket on the table, picked up the red envelope and opened it. There were no special red envelopes nowadays, they were all made of red paper. You could tell how much money was inside by touching the thickness.

"Oh, fifty. It seems my uncle really invested a lot of money."

"That's a lot of gifts. It's almost as much as my uncle's monthly salary."

Qin Huairu smacked her lips in amazement, what a big undertaking this was.

"Whoever sees it gets a share, so share it!"

Li Zhiguo took out the money and immediately gave twenty to Qin Huairu and thirty to his mother.

He added: "Huai Ru, you can keep the money yourself. If you can't spend it all, you can save it and put it in the bank. You don't have to tell me.

Mom, this money is not for living expenses, it is for your extra expenses, please keep it."

"Ah! We're done now."

Qin Huairu was happy when she took the money, but she only had twenty yuan, ten yuan less than her mother.

"Son-in-law, this is too much. Mom always has some left over from her grocery shopping every month."

Qin's mother was even happier. Her son-in-law had never changed and was very good to her. He was so good to her that she wanted to live with him for the rest of her life. She didn't want to take care of her son when he got married and had grandchildren.

"It's just a few dollars, Mom, you keep it.

Jingru and Guanxiang both have their day off, so let's find some time to get together and go out to eat."

Li Zhiguo yawned and felt sleepy.

Qin's mother happily put the money away and took Xiao Guanxiang to the next room so as not to disturb her son-in-law's rest.

Qin Huairu felt so sad when she watched her mother leave. It was thirty yuan. She just gave it to her mother as she said. Her mother was in the yard every day and the family had enough food and drink. How could she spend it all?

"Brother-in-law, I've got some water on the stove for you."

"Hey! Then brother-in-law go take a shower."

Li Zhiguo immediately went to wash up and go to bed early.

……

"Li Zhiguo, are you awake? It's quite late."

I felt someone calling me in a daze. When I opened my eyes, oh my god, it's already dawn?
Every time I wake up in the morning, I feel like I just fell asleep. Maybe this is the sleepiness caused by stomach problems.

"Here I come, Second Aunt."

He called out Xiao Jingru, but no one was there. He got dressed and went out, only to find no one was home. What was going on?

"Li Zhiguo, your mother has gone out with the children."

The second aunt came into the house to help with washing and brushing teeth, and she picked a good time.

However, Qin's mother knew that her son-in-law would not get up so early, so she simply took the children out for a walk, mainly because Xiao Guan Xiang wanted to go out and play.

"Okay, you want me to do Guangqi's thing, I won't forget it."

Li Zhiguo yawned repeatedly and washed up with the help of the second aunt.

Then I went to the steel rolling mill. When I passed by the central courtyard, I met Dongxu, and in the front yard, I met Yan Bugui. Well, there were a lot of people who were not working in this yard.

He left home too early, so he took a detour to eat a bowl of authentic mixed noodles before arriving at the factory.

Unexpectedly, by such a coincidence, I was riding my bike to the office building when I met an acquaintance walking in front of me on the road.

"Hey, Liang Ladi, what are you doing?"

Li Zhiguo shouted, which scared people.

"Brother Li, why are you here?"

Liang Ladi's eyes lit up. He hadn't been seen for a while. After the incubator was completed in the early spring, Li Ge'er disappeared to the steel mill and even let Qin Huairu collect his salary.

"Come and see, just take a look." Li Zhiguo almost said something sarcastically, but he couldn't explain it clearly.

"Brother Li, I made you another summer outfit."

Liang Ladi spoke in a low voice, fearing that others might hear her.

"I'm making clothes for you again. This is the third one."

Li Zhiguo was a little confused. How could he wear the previous two pieces? And now this one came again? Plus, Chen Xueru would occasionally give him clothes, and Qin Huairu also made clothes at home.

As a result, he hasn't bought any ready-made clothes in the store for more than a year and can't experience the joy of consumption.

"Well, the third one."

Liang Ladi said again: "Brother Li, something happened at home, I need to ask for leave to go back to my hometown."

"What happened? Do you need help?"

Li Zhiguo had complicated feelings when looking at this girl. He had thought about intercepting her, but the problem was that it was troublesome.

Others are still young, it is impossible for them to keep dragging their feet on marriage. Are they willing to be a mistress for the rest of their lives and not be able to have children? His charm is not that great!
But if you really want to do it, there are ways.

"My dad is sick, I want to go back and see him. If his condition is serious, I want to send him to the city for treatment."

Liang Ladi lowered her head, holding the corner of her clothes in her hand.

"When to set off?"

Li Zhiguo thought of one thing. He had always wanted to go to the countryside, but because his father-in-law's house had been emptied, it was inconvenient to stay there, and his little baby was still young, so he had put it off until now.

"Tomorrow morning!"

Liang Ladi was very surprised. Could something have happened?
Li Zhiguo asked: "Where are you from? Which station are you leaving from?"

"My family is from Fengtai."

Liang Ladi's heart was beating so fast, could it be the same as what she thought?

"See you at the station tomorrow morning. Pretend you don't know me on the bus. What a coincidence! I just have to go to Fengtai to do some work. Let's go!"

After Li Zhiguo finished speaking, he rode away on his bicycle. Whether it would succeed or not would depend on tomorrow. It was easy for people to watch him in the city, so he would ask around outside to find out everything.

"what!"

Liang Ladi was stunned for a long time before she reacted. Did she hear it wrong, or was she daydreaming again?
Brother Li actually said to meet at the station and pretended not to know her on the bus. Is he going to Fengtai with her?

For a moment, Liang Ladi was worried and anxious. Sometimes she felt it was real, and sometimes she felt it was just her imagination. However, she had no way to find Li Ge'er to ask, and she was very confused.

However, Li Zhiguo went to find Director Yang and whetted his appetite with a small invention, and then he negotiated the job change.

This is a normal operation. All units, enterprises and factories will transfer jobs to the streets.

The streets will arrange jobs for unemployed young people in the city, but nowadays, there are fewer and fewer jobs, which makes it very difficult.

After he finished his work, he wanted to find Sha Zhu to ask about the situation, but he had just met Liang Ladi.

I simply went to the Ministry of Agriculture and this time I wanted to make something for the Ministry of Agriculture.

"Director Fang, I'm going to Fengtai tomorrow to investigate and see the planting situation down there."

If he wants to go to the countryside, he not only needs an excuse, but also a letter of introduction or something. This will make it a business trip, and not only will there be subsidies, but it will also be easier to get things done when the time comes.

For example, if you stay in a guesthouse, there will be people to receive you, you can find an organization, and you can also raise a big banner. There are so many benefits.

"You want to go to the countryside, how about I arrange a car for you?"

Director Fang found it strange that the iron tree had finally blossomed. He finally remembered that he had received subsidies for so many years, and now he felt guilty?

"There's no need to drive. I'm going to Fengtai for research, not just a quick tour."

Li Zhiguo paused and said, "But I will go to the fleet to learn and I may be able to get a driver's license."

Of course he can drive and has the skills of a veteran driver, but it also takes time.

"This is a small matter. The ministry has several official buses. Once you get your driver's license, you can use them as you like. The gas and other expenses will be reimbursed.

You are on a business trip to Fengtai. I will ask someone to issue a certificate and you can go to the grain station to exchange for national grain coupons..."

Director Fang gave some instructions but didn't ask specifically what they were going to do in the countryside. It was so hard to get people to come here, so don't ask them away.

"That's a good feeling!"

After getting what he wanted, Li Zhiguo did not leave in a hurry, but asked to check the grain production data of the years after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Although this thing was mentioned in the newspaper, it was not comprehensive enough and might be fake. He could see the real thing here.

In the year of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the national grain output was 8 million tons, the per capita food ration was 35 kilograms, and the average per person per month was kilograms of food. Under completely average circumstances, it would be enough to eat, but in reality it was not enough.

After that, it continued to grow. By last year, 300, grain production had reached nearly million tons, with per capita output reaching kilograms. The population had also increased by million, otherwise the per capita output would have been even higher.

Under the unified sales and purchase system, regardless of the proportion of fine grains, at least there was enough to eat, and the city was not so short of food.

However, natural disasters will soon cause the per capita food ration to drop to the level before the founding of the People's Republic of China, a sudden drop of one third compared to today. This is equivalent to eating one kilogram of food a day before, but now only getting more than six taels. If the work intensity does not drop, people will definitely not be able to bear it.

The main cause of this disaster is drought, so no matter what you plant, it will be useless.

And it cannot be a simple average calculation. In some places, there was no harvest at all and the entire country had to rely on emergency grain transfers, but the grain-producing areas were also affected.

Who can bear a reduction of tens of millions of tons of grain production a year?

Human power cannot stop this natural disaster, but more lives can be saved through self-rescue and rescue by others.

The next morning, Li Zhiguo left the hospital. He had already told his family last night that he would be away on business for a few days.

In a blink of an eye, I arrived at the station where I had agreed to meet Liang Ladi. As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Liang Ladi waiting there alone, carrying a large bag in her hand.

In contrast, Li Zhiguo only carried a canvas bag and traveled lightly. It was just for show. The space was fully stocked with pots, pans, tents and so on.

He looked at Liang Ladi, then looked away, pretending not to know her, and went to park his bicycle first.

Seeing that Liang Ladi had already reached a car, and only when Li Zhiguo looked over did she turn around and get in the car, her heart already pounding.

Li Zhiguo also got on the car and naturally sat next to Liang Ladi, in a seat further back.

It is more than 20 kilometers away. In later times, it is not as far as other people’s commuting to work, but now it is really a business trip. It takes five hours to walk, and even if the bus runs slowly, it will take a long time.

He placed the canvas bag in front of him and reached out to grab Liang Ladi's slightly rough hand.

Liang Ladi blushed instantly, from her ears to the base of her neck, and she turned her head awkwardly to look out the window.

It was not until the ticket seller got on the bus that Li Zhiguo let go of his hand and bought a ticket by himself. Liang Ladi next to him also bought a ticket by herself. The two did not speak throughout the whole process.

In a blink of an eye, it was past nine o'clock, ten minutes past the time limit, and the bus was almost full before it started.

Li Zhiguo held Liang Ladi's hand again, and he held it all the way, sweating a lot.

The bus stopped at Taiping Bridge and both of them got off. There were several other passengers getting off at this stop, so it was not conspicuous.

Then the passengers dispersed into smaller groups. When they got here, Li Zhiguo had no more scruples and asked, "How far is your home from here?"

"what!"

Liang Ladi was stunned for a moment before she reacted and said quickly, "We still have to walk a few miles. There are no buses."

"Let's go then!"

Li Zhiguo shrugged his shoulders. He was able to walk.

"Yes! Brother Li, I'll help you carry your backpack."

Liang Ladi didn't ask why she had to go home, her mind was in a mess at the moment.

"No, just walk."

Li Zhiguo thought, how can a grown man like him let a woman carry his backpack? At least he should wait until there is no one around!

"Hey!"

Liang Ladi brought Li Zhiguo and soon arrived at a deserted path. However, there was no one on the road. There were still many people working in the fields on both sides, but it didn't matter because they were far away.

Li Zhiguo thought for a moment and asked, "Liang Ladi, do you have anything to say to me?"

"what!"

Liang Ladi was confused, but she reacted quickly and said, "I, I love you."

"How rare is it? Can you not ask for a name, can you not make it public?

If you can do it, you can be my mistress. If you can't do it, I will transfer you from the steel mill to the excavator factory and pretend that I have never met you."

Li Zhiguo said it very directly. Otherwise, considering Liang Ladi's age, even if she could delay it a little longer, it wouldn't be long. It would be better to make it clear. If it works, then it works. If not, then ask a few more times.
"Ah!" Liang Ladi didn't expect the question to come so suddenly, and she was not mentally prepared at all.

"What? No, then do as I say."

Li Zhiguo stopped and turned back to Taiping Bridge to find the organization to arrange the investigation. After all, he didn't want to make a wasted trip.

"Okay, Brother Li, whatever you say, we'll do. But what should my family say?"

How could Liang Ladi refuse? She had been thinking about it for years. Her family had urged her to get married several times, but she had rejected them every time.

Otherwise, with her status as a worker and a monthly salary, how could she not be able to get married? Even many people in the factory have tried to ask her for marriage in various ways.

(End of this chapter)