Chapter 210

He could still take the college entrance examination, but in the end he thought better of it. If he failed, it would be so embarrassing. It would be better to leave it blank and let others imagine.

"So will you become a cadre after you graduate?"

"Well, usually they work as clerks in an organization, become teachers, or do research."

To be honest, the current graduate prospects for Chinese majors are not very good, and becoming a professor is the best option.

But he doesn't make a living from his major, he just wants this degree and studies literature every day, and that's it for four years.

Qin Huairu quickly asked: "What kind of job do you plan to do?"

"Go back to the steel mill! Don't tell anyone about this yet."

He had many better options. Even staying in the water pump factory was not a bad choice, but the risks were still considerable and it was not a familiar place.

In order to be safe, they had to go to the steel rolling mill. Director Yang was demoted to the lowest position and in the end he was just cleaning the place.

So I planned to stay in the steel mill for about ten years, and when the educated youth returned home one after another, good days would come.

"Ah, after graduating from college, you still go back to the steel mill!"

Qin Huairu didn't quite understand, but she was very happy, as she was worried about being abandoned.

"I'm the factory manager, otherwise why would I come back? Okay, this is not your place to worry about. Take good care of your baby and give me a daughter."

Li Zhiguo didn't say much. As the head of the family, he could make the decision.

"Hey! Then I'll go see if the food is ready."

Qin Huairu hurried to the kitchen, where Jingru was busy.

Li Zhiguo went outside and lit a cigarette. After taking two puffs, he saw Xu Damao coming in with something.

"Li Zhiguo, congratulations, you will be a college student in the future, otherwise how can I say that you have a good brain."

Xu Damao couldn't be said to be envious, as he was not good at studying, but his family member Hongxing was good, which was inherited from him.

"Da Mao, look at you, you just send blessings, why do you also send gifts, this is so embarrassing."

Li Zhiguo hurriedly held a cigarette in his mouth and freed his hands to take the gift. This was a blessing, so he would not be shy about receiving anything.

"Let's not be polite to each other. If it weren't for the disaster, I would have prepared a table for you to celebrate."

Xu Damao gave a lot of things and received a red envelope, but he couldn't treat anyone to a meal because no one had good things to offer, let alone food.

The average pork ticket in Beijing this year is eight taels per person, not for one month but for a whole year. Can you believe it?

Four taels of pork coupons are issued on New Year's Day and Spring Festival.

Fortunately, in the first few months of this year, some meat coupons were still issued every month, but they were not pork. Instead, they were fresh pork replaced by canned chicken, duck and fish, which tasted like chewing wax.

"Write it down first, and make it up to me when you are better off."

Li Zhiguo exchanged some greetings but did not invite Damao into the house because there was not enough food at home.

After Xu Damao left, the second aunt came. Such a big thing happened in the courtyard, and the bad boy was admitted to the university, so she had to express her gratitude.

In addition to being afraid of being cheated by bad boys, he also wanted to maintain the relationship. A college student carries too much weight in the courtyard.

No matter how others got in, it’s a skill, and their future jobs will be different.

"Li Zhiguo, congratulations on getting into college. I've prepared some things for you. Don't be disgusted."

"Second Aunt, you're too polite. We are close friends! Don't worry, I've kept Guangtian's matter in mind. There was originally a vacancy in a small factory with a hundred employees, but Guangtian is my brother, and it would be a waste of his talent for him to go to a small factory.

Let him wait patiently. I will inform him if there is any news from the street."

Li Zhiguo also wanted to ask Liu Guangtian to run errands for free for a year, which would make him feel much more relaxed.

"Hey, I'll do whatever you say."

The second aunt went back happily. The bad boy might not be good in other aspects, but he was reliable when it came to doing things for money.

After Xu Damao and the second aunt came, it seemed as if the curtain had been raised. The residents in the courtyard came to give gifts one after another. There were more than 20 households, and not a single one ran away.

The deaf old lady donated ten kilograms of food coupons that she had saved, including six kilograms of flour coupons, which was not easy to come by.

Yi Zhonghai directly gave Li Zhiguo a big red envelope of fifty yuan, which surprised Li Zhiguo. This was not a small amount of money.

Even Yan Bugui gave a big red envelope and three pounds of dried sweet potatoes.

"Uncle, I've taken the money. You can take the dried sweet potatoes back. Your children don't have enough to eat."

Li Zhiguo said this because even at this time of year, Yan Bugui was still selling noodle tickets to him.

Besides, these dried sweet potatoes have been stored for almost a year since last year, and I’m worried that his stomach won’t be able to handle it.

"Hey! Then I'll take it. Li Zhiguo, now that you've been admitted to university, will you still live in this courtyard in the future?"

Yan Bugui was a little worried. Others were becoming rich and getting good jobs in the future, so they might move out.

"Live here. My ancestral home is here. There are three rooms."

Li Zhiguo said this, but he planned to move out in 1966 or 1967.

Move to Qianmen Street and spend more time with his concubine. He also has to go over to guard the compound. In special times, living in a private house makes it difficult for people to find fault with him.

"That's good!"

Yan Bugui left happily, thinking about his three children finding jobs in the future, he also came to ask Li Zhiguo for advice. Although it felt a bit of a rip-off, the money was not wasted, and he could save up the money from the children's wages later.

Li Zhiguo was about to go back to the house when Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru were counting gifts and registering red envelopes. Guan Xiang was also helping, and the whole family was involved.

Suddenly, Shazhu came. This kid came back late today.

"Li Zhiguo, congratulations."

Sha Zhu was carrying a net bag with a lunch box in it. He had just arrived at the yard and had not yet returned home.

"Don't congratulate me. Yu Shui still has a good chance of getting into college after this."

Li Zhiguo just said that Yu Shui's grades might not be enough to get him admitted, it all depends on luck. As for tutoring, it's not necessary, nowadays it's popular to study and rely on fate.

Even Xu Zhimo said, if I get it, I'm lucky, if I lose it, it's my fate!
"Of course I am. Here is the red envelope and lunch box for you. There are goodies inside. I found them all. Don't eat them all. Leave some for Sister Qin and Guan Xiang."

The factory had a treat today, with just two meat dishes. Sha Zhu took the risk and intercepted two taels of braised pork and brought it back.

"I've taken the red envelope, you can take the lunch box back and give Yu Shui some nourishment. She's lost a lot of weight recently, and being too thin doesn't look good."

Li Zhiguo didn't take the lunch box. Everything else was fine, but he still wouldn't cheat others of their food this month. This was different from the deaf old lady. The old lady had a small appetite and couldn't eat that much!

After sending Sha Zhu away, he went back to the house and closed the door because all the residents had been there.

"Huai Ru, here are the red envelopes from Sha Zhu and the Third Master, don't make any mistakes."

Li Zhiguo handed over the red envelopes one by one. This was the start-up capital for his college studies, a small profit.

"Brother-in-law, there is a lot of money."

Qin Jingru is also a little money-grubber and has learned to save pocket money since she was young.

"Well, everything is registered. If anyone's child is admitted to university in the future, we have to return it."

Li Zhiguo almost laughed when he said this, and he was afraid it would be difficult to return the greeting.

"Zhiguo, I'll keep these things you sent me, and I'll give you the money."

Qin Huairu took out the red envelope and put the money together. It was really a lot. Although it was a disaster year, everyone's salary was not bad, so they could afford to give red envelopes.

"You keep it. Give Jingru ten dollars. She's not young anymore and has a lot of things to spend money on. And give Guan Xiang one dollar."

Li Zhiguo did not accept the money as he could not spend it all, so he asked Chen Xueru to open an account for him to deposit household expenses and earn interest.

Otherwise, if you give him cash, it will be difficult to change to the new version of Great Unity in the future.

"Ten dollars is a bit too much!"

Qin Huairu felt distressed. How much money had her family spent on Jingru since she was a child, not to mention her food and clothing, and even pocket money.

She would feel that it would be a loss if she got married in the future, so she decided to let him stay for a few more years to help her raise the children.

"Give it to me when I tell you to."

Li Zhiguo once again used the dictatorial trick. This is what a master should do. He has the final say.

"Well, I'll get her the money right away."

Qin Huairu had no choice but to give Jingru a ten-yuan note, a large denomination, which should be saved and not spent.

"Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Qin Jingru got the money but only thanked her brother-in-law. She knew how stingy her sister was since she was a child.

"Mom, here's my dollar."

Guan Xiang has learned to save pocket money since he was young. Even this semester's tuition was paid by himself, as his mother did not give him any money.

"You can't miss it, save it, and when your brother comes back, give him some to spend."

Qin Huairu originally wanted to bring her youngest son back this year, but in this year of disaster, it has become even more difficult. It would be better for her to keep him in the compound over there and eat good food in secret.

"Okay, let's eat!"

Li Zhiguo took out a lunch box from the cupboard. It was filled with sausages. The weather was hot, so they could be eaten without steaming them.

"Dad, the little sausages you bought are so delicious."

Guan Xiang ate a piece of sausage, then took a bite of mixed noodles, enjoying it very much.

"If it tastes good, eat more. Remember, if someone asks you, just say it's small rice noodle sausage, made of starch."

Li Zhiguo felt that he could still deceive the child. At this time, Qin Huairu picked up a steamed bread that had been placed in the bowl in advance. Just as she was about to break it open, she suddenly held back and took a bite. She saw that there was white flour hidden inside, and only the outer layer was corn flour.

There is no other way. We have to do it secretly and be careful when eating behind closed doors.

Li Zhiguo was also full after eating two specially made steamed buns. He went to bed early and had a good rest for three months before preparing for university life.

The next morning, Li Zhiguo was still asleep, Qin Huairu went to work, Qin Jingru went to school, and Jia Zhang went to the backyard to pick up Guan Xiang as usual, and then took Banggeng to school together.

As early as September last year, Li Zhiguo had reached an agreement with Jia Zhang that he would be responsible for picking up and dropping off Guan Xiang every day, and would be paid five cents a day as a reward.

Jia Zhang was very dedicated and responsible. She was paid one dollar and thirty cents a month. Where could she find such a good thing? She didn't tell anyone about the money, for fear that others would snatch away this easy job.

"Jia Zhang, Li Zhiguo doesn't even go to school anymore, and you're still helping him send off the guards!"

Aunt Jiang happened to come out to pour water and saw Jia Zhang helping Guan Xiang carry his schoolbag, while Bang Geng carried his own schoolbag. Although she saw this almost every day, she still found it ridiculous.

The Jia family has been badly exploited by the bad boy!

Not to mention that she robbed Qin Huairu, but when Qin Huairu was pregnant and had a big belly, it was Jia Zhang who followed her to and from get off work and took good care of her.

As a result, up to now, Jia Zhang is still helping to take care of other people's children. This should at least be a conscience. However, the old Jia family seems to be quite happy about it.

Before Jia Dongxu rode a tricycle, he was used to pick up and drop off people at customs.

"Alas, Li Zhiguo is not in good health. He needs to get more sleep. Only when he is well can he go to college."

Jia Zhang took her two children and left in a hurry. She wanted to inquire about this good job and rush to make money, but it was impossible.

"A sin!"

Aunt Jiang sighed and went home to sew shoe soles. Her skill was not bad. When the bad boy went to college, she would give him a new pair of shoes. He would definitely remember her kindness.

……

Li Zhiguo woke up and took the watch from the bedside table. It was early, not even ten o'clock. The bad thing about hot weather is that it's easy to get up early.

I haven't shared the fact that I'm studying at Peking University with my wife yet, and I happen to be going there today.

Some time ago I heard that the neighborhood committee director was going to retire. I guess the new director will be decided soon.

"Hello, Manager Li!"

When He Yumei saw the person coming, she hurried to greet him. Although Li Zhiguo was no longer the manager and had been replaced by Chuntao, his influence was still there.

"Well, Yumei, is your sister Xueru in the store?"

Li Zhiguo looked around but didn't see anyone.

"Sister Xueru went to the neighborhood committee for something, and Sister Chuntao also went to the second store."

He Yumei also knew that Manager Li was in high school, so she wondered how he had time to come here today.

"Okay, wait until she comes back and ask her to meet me at the tavern."

Li Zhiguo followed him and left. There was nothing to do in the store, so he might as well go have a drink to nourish his stomach. Niulanshan Erguotou is brewed with sorghum, which is roughly equivalent to eating coarse grains without impurities, how good.

Nowadays, many people use wine to replace staple foods, and there is no lack of nutrition.

"Brother Li!"

Suddenly, he heard a strange voice calling out. Looking up, he saw Xu Huizhi standing in the alley with her two children.

"Huizhi, why are you here?"

Li Zhiguo stepped forward and stopped his bicycle. In fact, he was asking the question even though he knew the answer. It was a year of disaster. If you came here, it must mean that you can't make a living.

"Call Uncle Li quickly."

Xu Huizhi instructed her two daughters to call for help.

"Hello Uncle Li!"

The two girls are no longer young. The older girl, Chunfen, is over five years old, only one year younger than Lier. The younger girl, Lixia, is almost four years old, about the same age as Xu Jingping.

"Are you here to see Huizhen?"

Li Zhiguo reached out and touched the heads of the two girls. They were both thin, pale-faced, and poorly dressed.

But when they grew up, the two girls of He Yongqiang were both very pretty. I guess it was true that ugly men are more likely to give birth to pretty daughters.

"Alas! Brother Li, my family can't make ends meet anymore. We have no food. If I don't ask my sister for help, we will starve to death."

Xu Huizhi's lips were dry. She had brought her two children to the city on a ox cart at dawn and had not had a single sip of water.

"No, I think I said two years ago that if you have any difficulties, you must bring He Yongqiang with you. I want to meet him."

As Li Zhiguo was talking, Chunfen suddenly grabbed him and said, "Uncle, I'm hungry!"

"Hey, do you still remember your uncle?"

Li Zhiguo stretched out his hands and picked up Chunfen. She felt light and weightless, as if she was not getting enough nutrition.

Xu Huizhi said hurriedly: "Chunfen, uncle once brought you candy, and the candy wrapper is still at home."

"Remember Uncle!"

Chunfen herself couldn't figure it out, but she remembered the candy wrapper.

"So good!"

Li Zhiguo doesn't mind this little bit of time. In the end, it will be Xu Huizhen who will pay for the relief. But Chunfen is really a cute girl.

"Uncle, I'm hungry. My father only gave me boiled sweet potato vines, which were not enough to fill me up."

Chunfen said she was hungry again. She was over five years old and was left to roam freely, so she had no problem talking and communicating.

"Brother Li, the two girls haven't eaten anything since last night."

Xu Huizhi had no choice. If she didn't find food, the children would starve to death.

The sweet potato vines had only been planted for a month. If we picked all of them, there would be no sweet potatoes in the fall. Besides, they were from the production team, so we could only pick the leaves secretly and not too many.

"Alas! Even disaster years are not easy."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and said that everything would be fine after he could get through one or two years.

"Where is He Yongqiang? What is he doing? Huizhi, help me push the bike and talk while we walk."

Li Zhiguo reached out and picked up Lixia as well, making the girl even lighter.

"He, he still has to work and earn work points. He tried to trap rabbits last night but didn't catch any.

After work, he went to the mountains to pick wild vegetables, but the children couldn't wait. "

The situation in Xu Huizhi's family is indeed not good. She has a father-in-law and a family of five.

"Well, your sister wouldn't let me tell you about the money I lent you last time. Don't let it slip, or I'll be embarrassed."

Li Zhiguo reminded him that he was the most trustworthy person.

"Hey! I won't tell you. I was at the entrance of the alley today and wanted to wait and see if I could see my brother-in-law and you."

Xu Huizhi was afraid to see her sister. Her life was not going well and she was too embarrassed to see her.

"Okay, I'll take you to the small cafeteria in front to eat something to fill your stomach. You wait there while I go to the backyard to look for your sister."

Li Zhiguo shook his head. His brother's wife was very powerful. Sooner or later, they would snatch the two girls from him and make He Yongqiang isolated from his friends and relatives.

But the man holding these two girls in his arms is not an ungrateful person. Xu Huizhen is quite good at raising daughters.

"Thank you, Brother Li. Chunfen, come on, thank your uncle."

"Thank you uncle!"

"Okay, we're here."

Then, Li Zhiguo took everyone to the small canteen and asked Lao Ma to prepare some food, which was just some noodles with pickles.

"Thank you uncle!"

Chunfen took the steamed bread and carefully memorized her uncle's appearance in her mind, so as not to forget it.

"Come on, eat quickly! Old Ma, I love this girl. Go and boil three eggs."

"Okay, Manager Li!"

Lao Ma hurried to get the eggs. The small canteen had about a dozen eggs in stock.

After Li Zhiguo left, Xu Huizhi hurriedly said, "Chunfen, Lixia, you must remember that Uncle Li is a capable man and an important figure. You must be polite and remember Uncle Li's kindness."

"Mom, I remember."

"Mom, I remember that too."

The two girls found the steamed bread very delicious. It was a hybrid flour, with white flour added to corn flour. It tasted softer and was more filling.

The steamed buns in the north are different from the steamed buns in the south. Not to mention the shape, chewiness and taste, the quantity used is different. The steamed buns in the south look big, but they are soft. If you press them with your hand, they are actually very small.

This resulted in the need for two taels of food coupons to buy a steamed bun in the capital, while only one tael of food coupons was needed to buy a knife-cut steamed bun in the south, meaning one was worth two!
Li Zhiguo went to the backyard and saw Xu Huizhen playing with building blocks with her child.

"Brother, why are you here?"

Xu Huizhen stood up with her hands on her hips. She was about to give birth and the due date was this month.

"Hello Uncle Li!"

Xu Jingping shouted hurriedly and trotted over.

(End of this chapter)