Chapter 182

"Okay, I'm leaving." Li Zhiguo immediately stood up and was about to go out.

"and many more!"

Xu Huizhen suddenly sighed and said, "Why don't I give Huizhi twenty yuan? Although my father-in-law left me this tavern and the backyard, morally speaking, it is the common property of the couple, and half of it belongs to He Yongqiang.

I would have been fine if I hadn't known he was ill, it would have been better if he had died. But if I knew and didn't lend him the money, that would be illogical."

Li Zhiguo sat down again, thought for a moment and said, "Did old man He leave any written documents when he adopted He Yongqiang?"

"Stayed."

Xu Huizhen explained: "The original intention of the agreement was to leave all the property to He Yongqiang after my father-in-law passed away.

But he insisted on eloping with Huizhi back to the countryside, no matter what he said. Before leaving, my father-in-law asked me to tear up the document, but I had kept it.

Later, when Old Cai found out about this, he asked me to burn it so that He Yongqiang wouldn’t have any memories of it.”

"Old Cai, this is fine."

Li Zhiguo thought, who has led Old Cai astray? How could he come up with such a plan?

"Old Cai is doing this for my own good. Brother Li, I want to ask you a favor. Can you pass on the twenty-five dollars to Huizhi for me?

It is not convenient for me to show up, and I don’t want Lao Cai to have anything to do with him. I hope Lao Cai will run away with Huizhi one day. Then I can only…”

Before Xu Huizhen finished speaking, there was a noise outside.

"I won't run, Huizhen, I really won't run!"

Old Cai ran into the house shouting. He was very anxious because Sha Zhu was still single and was waiting for him eagerly.

"No, Lao Cai, you are listening to the wall. Don't you trust me?"

Li Zhiguo felt that Lao Cai had become vulgar and his moral character was not noble enough. This was what a brother should be like.

"Of course I trust you, but I'm worried about Sha Zhu." Cai Quanwu said what was in his heart anxiously.

Xu Huizhen smiled and said, "This has nothing to do with Shazhu. He's a nice guy. Lao Cai, go cook. This has nothing to do with you. If you dare to eavesdrop again, don't come in tonight."

"I'll follow your instructions!" Old Cai ran away, not daring to stay.

Xu Huizhen continued, "Brother Li, can you help me transfer the money? Just say you lent it to her."

"Okay! It's just a side thing, but I'm a little interested in He Yongqiang. When I see him, I'll help you slap him in the face."

Li Zhiguo joked that there was nothing wrong with his skills. Even three or five people couldn't get close to him because he ran so fast.

"Oh, then I have to thank you."

Xu Huizhen took out the money as she spoke. It was already prepared. After all, she was not that cruel.

Li Zhiguo took the money and left with Xueyi. If they were any later, they would miss dinner and it would be bad for their stomachs.

"Brother Li, what did my sister say?"

When Xu Huizhi saw people coming back, she quickly stood up holding the child. She felt a little dizzy. She had not eaten anything that day and had come to the city by ox cart early in the morning.

"Your sister wished He Yongqiang was dead. After much persuasion, she agreed to lend you 25 yuan and asked me to pass it on to you. But she can't tell you about this. You don't understand. I can't tell you."

Li Zhiguo doesn't care about keeping secrets. He can't be a good guy, otherwise he won't be Yi Zhonghai.

"Hey, Brother Li, thank you."

Xu Huizhi happily took the money but did not dare to count it in front of him. She thought that a high-ranking official like him would not cheat her out of such a small amount of money.

Suddenly, Xiao Chunfen said, "Hello, Uncle Li!"

"Oh, this little girl is so smart, she remembers me right away.

Come on, you have borrowed the money, come with me to have a meal, and go back early in the afternoon, otherwise there will be no buses if you are late."

Li Zhiguo looked at Chunfen and Lixia. These two girls would be very pretty and capable when they grew up. He had many sons, so it would be good to have more choices. This meal was not a big deal.

"You're going to treat me to a meal."

Xu Huizhi was confused. This wasn't right.

"Please tell me your daughter's name. She's quite sensible. Oh, it's time. Bring your child and follow me to the front door cafeteria."

Li Zhiguo looked at his watch. It was one minute to twelve. He was late.

"Hey! The older girl is Chunfen, and the younger girl is Lixia."

Xu Huizhi held Lixia in her arms, held Chunfen's hand, and followed quickly.

Li Zhiguo also got off the bike and asked Xue Yi to sit on the back seat of the bike. He pushed the bike and they walked together.

Xue Yi looked at the little girl following behind him curiously, but then he lost interest because he liked to play with Li'er.

After a while, they arrived at the front cafeteria. Chen Xueru was waiting at the door, wearing a plaid dress.

"Hey, Zhiguo, you went around and brought people back."

Chen Xueru didn't recognize Xu Huizhi, but she didn't think about it that way. Even if her husband wanted to take a concubine, he would have to find someone young and beautiful, which didn't fit.

"This is Xu Huizhi, Huizhen's cousin. I met her on the road and asked her to have dinner with me."

Li Zhiguo stopped the car and carried his son down.

"Huizhi, let's go, this is Chen Xueru, my... my friend."

"Hey!"

Xu Huizhi was just a country girl, and she felt ashamed of herself when she saw the glamorous Chen Xueru.

After entering the cafeteria and going to the private rooms upstairs, Xu Huizhi was amazed. This place was so high-end, beyond her imagination.

"Here it comes, Dongpo elbow."

He Daqing brought a few apprentices to serve the dishes. They prepared two main dishes, one vegetarian dish, and a soup.

As soon as he entered the room, he found that there was someone else, so he asked hurriedly: "Li Zhiguo, who is this? Can you introduce him to me?"

"She, Xu Huizhi, Huizhen's cousin, almost became your daughter-in-law, but it didn't work out."

Li Zhiguo joked and said, "Huizhi, this is He Daqing, Lao Cai's elder brother and Sha Zhu's biological father. He is the canteen director here."

"what!"

"Ah, she is?"

Both Xu Huizhi and He Daqing were stunned.

Xu Huizhi didn't expect to meet Sha Zhu's father like this. This relationship is somewhat awkward.

He Daqing felt a little regretful. The young widow came too late. Fortunately, Sha Zhu didn't like her. He couldn't even get her, so no one envied him.

"Huizhi, eat and try my cooking. I'll add two more dishes."

After saying this, He Daqing went to work.

"Brother-in-law!" Guangjun and Guangyou were helping to serve the dishes.

"Well, go ahead and get busy. I'll find you guys another day."

Li Zhiguo couldn't care less at the moment because he was hungry.

"Huizhi, pick up your chopsticks. Chunfen, pick up whatever you want to eat, but fish has bones, so be careful."

"Chunfen, say thank you to your uncle quickly."

"Thank you uncle!"

Xu Huizhi was so hungry that she was drooling over the big pork elbow, a braised fish, stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of egg soup on the table.

Chen Xueru said, "Eat quickly!"

"Hey!"

The meal started immediately. Li Zhiguo didn't eat much. Even though he said he was hungry, he was not really hungry.

Xueyi eats his fill at home every day. His appetite is not as good as Guanxiang's, so he doesn't eat much either.

Not to mention Chen Xueru, she has to maintain her figure so that she looks good in clothes.

After a while, He Daqing came and ordered another dish of vermicelli and a portion of salted duck eggs.

The boy came with a winnowing basket filled with flour, seven in total. It was a year of disaster, so it was not easy.

After the meal, Xu Huizhi and the two maids were so full that they didn't finish the dish, and there was even a bowl of white flour left in the winnowing basket.

"Huizhi, take the children back as soon as possible! But next time you have trouble, you must bring He Yongqiang with you. I want to see how stubborn he is."

Li Zhiguo wiped his mouth with Chen Xueru's handkerchief and handed it back.

"Hey! Brother Li, Sister Xueru, what about these?"

Xu Huizhi wanted to eat more, but she couldn't eat any more as only half of the pork elbow was left.

"If you don't mind, pack it up and take it back."

Li Zhiguo smiled, reached out to touch Xiao Chunfen's head, and stood up to leave.

Chen Xueru said, "I'll ask Lao He to come up and help you pack. You're pretty good, better than Xu Huizhen."

She figured out the situation. She didn't expect that Xu Huizhen's ex-boyfriend ran away with her cousin. This was far worse than her. She had snatched half of him from Qin Huairu.

"Thank you, Sister Xueru!"

After seeing everyone leave, Xu Huizhi hurriedly took the flour and put it in her bag. After waiting for a while, she saw He Daqing coming.

"Brother He, thank you. I'll pack all these and take them back." "What are you thanking me for? We almost became a family. Huizhi... forget it."

He Daqing thought that he had to leave a way out. Bai Yanni was good, but she just refused to give birth to a child for him. What if he got old and couldn't work anymore and was despised by her? He would have to look for another one.

So there's nothing wrong with getting to know a few more young widows.

Xu Huizhi didn't think much about it and was busy packing the food, not even leaving out the oil and water.

I had money in my pocket, so I took the bus home and arrived in the village in the evening.

"Where are you three? Huizhi, I'm telling you, don't even think about remarrying. I won't agree unless I die. No, I can't die."

He Yongqiang was lying on the bed in the dilapidated house. He was really sick. There were five people in his family and he was the only one farming. He was so tired that he got sick.

"Where else can I go? I went to see my sister and brought you some delicious food. There's even meat here."

Xu Huizhi put the net bag on the table. There were three large lunch boxes in it. She borrowed them from Brother He and would return them next time she went to the city.

"It's just cold. I need to warm it up for you. I borrowed twenty dollars and will take you to see a doctor tomorrow."

"So many delicious foods, can your sister be so willing to give them away?"

When He Yongqiang saw the meat dishes, he quickly got out of bed, feeling that he had recovered from his illness. He didn't care whether the food was cold or not. He grabbed a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. It was so delicious.

"How could my sister be willing to give it up? This was invited by Brother Li, and he is a very nice person."

When Xu Huizhi thought of Li Zhiguo, her eyes lit up. He was so handsome.

"What Li Ge'er? Who is this? Okay, this time it's not Sha Zhu, it's Li Ge'er. Are you going to remarry again?"

Although He Yongqiang screamed loudly, he was actually extremely panicked. He was afraid that his wife would remarry and take his two daughters with her, and then everything would be over for him.

"He Yongqiang, don't talk nonsense. Brother Li is a senior cadre of Qianmen Street. I knew him when the old man was here. Now the tavern is under his management.

My sister calls him brother. Besides, he is so handsome. Even my sister is not attracted to him, so how can it be my turn? "

Xu Huizhi thought, you are just yelling here, but if you really meet Brother Li, I’m afraid you won’t dare to say a word.

"He knows my uncle, and Xu Huizhen didn't fall for him? That's fine. No, why would he help you?"

He Yongqiang no longer had any doubts, but he felt something was wrong.

"They pity me. It's not easy for me to take care of two children. Brother Li also said he wanted to meet you to see how stubborn you are."

Xu Huizhi thought of Li Zhiguo and became distracted again.

"Then I won't meet him. What if he hits me? Oh, I remember who he is. When my master was here, he mentioned him once as a descendant of Xin Yuan Zhai. He also said that this person is not easy to mess with, so don't offend him."

The uncle that He Yongqiang mentioned is the deceased old man He, his father's brother.

"Tuk-tuk!"

Li Zhiguo now arrived at the third courtyard and knocked on the door. Seeing that it was not closed, he went in first with his bicycle and then took down the bag of corn cobs.

During this time, 50 kilograms of white flour have been replaced. The child can eat as much as he can. After the summer vacation, Guan Xiang will have to go to elementary school.

Then you have to endure hardship. The cafeteria in the primary school now only sells steamed bread, not white flour, and the children all use coarse grain coupons.

Now there is an extra piece of meat on the handlebar, which was taken from the supermarket as a reward.

"father!"

Guan Xiang suddenly ran over. He was playing with his younger brother in the front yard.

"Oh, do you miss Dad?"

Li Zhiguo was carrying flour and couldn't hug the child. Guan Xiang was much heavier than Xue Yi and taller. Although they still looked alike, they looked like brothers rather than twins.

Guan Xiang can eat, but the ones over there need to be raised more carefully.

Not to mention that they are not twins, even if they are, as long as they are raised separately, especially if one is in the countryside and the other in the city, the gap will be huge.

"I miss my dad and my mom too."

Although Guan Xiang is almost six years old, he still doesn't quite understand why he was sent here.

"Come, help dad carry the meat in. Wait two months and I'll take you back to the yard."

"Brother-in-law!"

"father!"

As he was speaking, Xiao Jingru and Xiao Chaoyang came over.

"Go to the yard first."

Li Zhiguo carried the flour bag to the kitchen first, and then his mother-in-law came over.

"Son-in-law, you have sent me so much flour. We still have some at home. You should keep it for yourself."

Although Qin's mother loved fine grains, she couldn't let her son-in-law starve.

"Mom, I still have some. I exchanged it with someone. You and the children can't be deprived of nutrition."

When Li Zhiguo saw Xiao Jingru put the pork away, he washed his hands and picked up his youngest son Chaoyang. He was almost three years old and could eat and had a good appetite.

This can only mean that Qin Huairu is good at breastfeeding and his mother-in-law is also good at taking care of children, so both of his sons grew up well.

"The children are not hungry. They are all given a diet of fine grains."

Qin's mother looked very happy. Even in a year of disaster, there was still food at home, and so much of it. What a good life it was.

"Mom, don't just give him fine grains. Mix them up. Guan Xiang will be in elementary school soon. He'll have to eat steamed bread at school for lunch. He needs to get used to it in advance, otherwise he'll be uncomfortable."

Li Zhiguo thought about it and decided to bring his son back to the hospital early to live a hard life?

Let the son eat coarse grains and go to bed first, while he and his wife secretly eat white flour, fish and meat. This is a good idea.

"Hey! It's still early. Let's talk about it next month."

Mother Qin has been taking care of Guan Xiang all the time and feels sorry for him.

"Okay, I'll leave in a while. I have something to do in the afternoon. Huairu and I will come together in two days."

Li Zhiguo had no choice. His mother-in-law and Xiao Jingru both had rural household registration and no rations. If they stayed in the courtyard, what would they eat?
But when school starts, Jingru will have to go back and take care of him.

"Dad, I can write now. My aunt taught me."

Little Chaoyang started to perform well and wanted to hear his father’s praise.

"Oh, you're so smart."

Li Zhiguo kissed his youngest son, but Guan Xiang refused and also wanted a hug.

He had no choice but to take his two sons to play in the yard for a long time, willing to be their servant.

"Brother-in-law, drink some water." Xiao Jingru handed over the teacup at the right time, and then said, "Brother-in-law, I want to go back to the courtyard."

"Not now. You have to go to the countryside to work during the summer vacation."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and refused. He reached out and touched little Jingru's head. "Jingru, after the summer vacation, you will go to junior high school. Study hard and try to get your junior high school diploma. Otherwise, you won't have a job and can only stay at home to take care of your two nephews."

He was not worried about Xiao Jingru's going to the countryside in the future. Others had rural household registration and could not go there even if they did not have a job.

Hey! This gave him a new idea! Forget it, it's troublesome to operate, and there's no food.

"Oh, then after the summer vacation, I will go back to the hospital."

Although Xiao Jingru has gotten used to living here since the yard is so big, her brother-in-law is not here.

"Okay, let's do this. Take good care of your two nephews. Your brother-in-law will come to see you in a couple of days and take you out to play when he's free."

Li Zhiguo looked at his watch and decided to go.

Before four o'clock, he went to Zhao Yali's place, met other people's eight sons, used old props, and gave them 20 kilograms of flour. For a family of ten people, an average of two kilograms is enough. Don't underestimate it, as it is related to whether they can have enough to eat.

"Manager Li, you are so kind to me and the children, woo woo..."

Zhao Yali burst into tears without holding back for a moment. To be honest, she was quite ugly, and when she cried, she was so ugly that she could rival Jia Zhang.

"You're one of us, so I have to take better care of you. Come on, the kids are watching."

Li Zhiguo also gave them a bag of candy, then walked over and rubbed the heads of the eight children before leaving.

The living conditions at this house were a bit poor, with eight children squeezed onto two beds, like dumplings.

There were three beds in one room. Zhao Yali and Lao Bao also lived in this room. There was only one room for a family of ten. It was in an old alley where cars couldn't enter.

Zhao Yali accompanied the person all the way to the entrance of the alley before reluctantly going back.

"Children, you must remember Uncle Li's kindness."

"Mom, Uncle Li is the best. He gave me so many candies and even flour."

"Mom, when I grow up, I want to be like Uncle Li."

The eight children said a lot of nice things and finally their mother gave them candies. They were so happy when they tasted the sweet candies.

"Hey! Mom will steam a large bowl of white flour for each of you tonight."

Zhao Yali wiped her tears and thought to herself that she must take good care of the tavern to repay Manager Li's help.

There are eight children in the family. Even though they may be a burden now, they will be a huge help when they grow up.

Especially in those days, the fighting power was strong. One family could take on an entire courtyard of others. With eight sons, who would dare to fight?
Li Zhiguo took a walk outside today and is not in a hurry to go back. His wife hasn't gotten off work yet, so who will cook for him?
I simply went to the steel mill and waited for my wife at the door until she got off work, as it was almost time.

He was still quite young and could stand at the factory gate leaning against his bicycle to look cool and attract the attention of young girls.

(End of this chapter)