Chapter 70 Going out
In the afternoon, Li Zhiguo came out of the house with a notebook and saw that Lao Xu's door was locked. It's good to have money, so you can go out and have fun anytime.

So he had to let Chen Xueru earn more money to support two small families, so that women could also hold up half the sky.

"Uncle, are you home?"

"Yes, come in, I'm waiting for you."

Yan Bugui came out of the house happily, holding the child in his arms.

"Where are the three aunts?"

Li Zhiguo saw that there was no one in the main room. The furniture in Yan Bugui's room was much older than those in the Jia family's room. It was estimated that it had been used for several generations.

"Take the kids out for a walk."

Yan Bugui didn't say it clearly, "Aren't you asking us to plant potatoes in pots? The soil outside Dongzhimen is fertile, so I went to dig soil for you."

"Well, give Jie Di to me. It won't affect your writing."

Li Zhiguo held his little sister in his arms. It was not the first time and she was not shy.

"Giggle!"

Little Yan Jie Di stretched out her little hand and touched his chin. Even at such a young age, she could already tell who was the handsome guy.

It's a pity that this little girl became ugly when she grew up, probably because she didn't get enough nutrition.

Among the four children in the Yan family, only the eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, is doing okay.

Yan Bugui had already spread out red paper on the table and asked, "What slogan do you want to write?"

"It's simple. Just write one sentence: end of season clearance, selling at a low price!"

Li Zhiguo held the child in his arms, took out an orange from his pocket, peeled it, and fed it to little Yan Jiedi.

"Hey, where did you get those oranges? They're still fresh."

Yan Bugui was stunned. Fruits are rare. The cheapest one costs ten cents per pound. Wouldn't it be better to use the fruit to buy cornmeal? The key point is that there is no fruit in this season!

"This is Chunjian, a southern variety. In spring, the fruit is still on the tree, blooming and bearing fruit at the same time."

Li Zhiguo talked a lot of nonsense, but it’s not that it’s impossible to buy oranges. Oranges, like sweet potatoes, can be stored over the winter.

"You still have an easier life. Look at me, I'm writing now."

Yan Bugui also coveted the oranges, but he couldn't snatch them from his daughter.

Then Li Zhiguo took out another orange and handed it over.

"That's good. Uncle Sanye will definitely write it for you."

Yan Bugui just felt full of energy and didn't care where the oranges came from. He was just taking advantage of it.

"Eat, and eat more!"

Little Yan Zhaodi was so fed up with the food that she can now speak coherently. She used to call her mother.

"Call brother!"

Li Zhiguo teased his little sister and told her not to become heartless when she grows up.

"father!"

Little Yan Jiedi smacked her lips and said something directly.

Li Zhiguo was stunned for a moment. He couldn't shout this casually. The friendship between him and the third aunt was pure.

Suddenly I thought of the unborn son of the Jia family. Now that there is nothing for Shazhu to steal, if he gets really greedy, he might recognize the thief as his father.

Well, he has already snatched away brother Dongxu’s wife, so he might as well leave his son to them!

"It's brother!"

"Dad, eat!"

Little Yan Jie Di’s IQ is not up to par.

Li Zhiguo shook his head and then fed him a slice of orange.

Yan Bugui listened nearby and didn't care. He still had confidence in his daughter-in-law, the third aunt.

"I've finished writing it. Li Zhiguo, what else do you want to write?"

"You're writing about a store closing down, only selling for three days! Then two days, one day, morning, afternoon, the last night, three days back, two days...

I am continuing to write, the renovation will be upgraded and it will open tomorrow!"

Yan Bugui was stunned. The more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong. This was very Li Zhiguo, exuding an immoral atmosphere. Who on earth did you fool to come up with such a bad idea and slogan.

"Uncle, don't just stand there, keep writing. There's more to come."

Li Zhiguo lifted little Yan Jiedi up high and touched her forehead.

"Okay, don't worry, there's plenty of red paper!"

Yan Bugui wiped his forehead, steadied his hand holding the brush, and continued writing.

In the end, after writing a large stack of red paper, Yan Bugui felt that his soul had been cleansed and his whole being was sublimated.

Fortunately he doesn't buy things in the store. If you put up this slogan every day, it would make him angry.

"Li Zhiguo, who did you come up with this idea for?"

"I don't know either. It was Qin Huairu's relative who asked me to help. She was the one who arranged the job for her brother. I just got a little help from her. You understand, right?"

Li Zhiguo felt that many people in the courtyard were capable of doing the work. Dongxu's wife was already learning to make underpants using a sewing machine.

Besides, Jia Zhang's cloth shoe craftsmanship is top-notch, and he just found out yesterday that Sun Erniang is also an expert at making cloth shoes. Even Damao's wife can be ordered to run errands...

On Monday morning at 8:30, Li Zhiguo, biting a piece of white flour in his mouth, pushed his bicycle to the Central Courtyard to work a day's work on the street.

Work one day and rest six days, which is acceptable.

"Old Cai, I'm busy."

He took the white flour and pinched it in his hand and ate it dry. Even the fine grains were choking.

"It's almost done. I'll go out and ride my tricycle after it's dried."

Cai Quanwu is drying his quilt covers. He washed everything at home yesterday, but the spring sun was not strong enough to dry them, so he will continue drying them today.

"Okay, I have something to do and I'll leave first."

Li Zhiguo looked at the clothes, quilt covers and other things that were scattered around in the middle courtyard. Sha Zhu had been busy washing them from early morning till night yesterday. This was indeed a lesson for the Confucian scholar.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the street, and as soon as they entered the door, they grabbed Wang Qinian.

"What's wrong?"

Li Zhiguo handed over a cigarette, but he didn't smoke it himself.

"I mentioned what you said the other day to the director. The director really took care of us. On Thursday, he arranged a small courtyard with a private entrance for Fan Jinyou. The rent for six rooms was 27 yuan."

Wang Qinian felt that if he didn't have to save money to marry a wife, he would at least live in such a nice courtyard.

"Of course! Fan Jin has a salary of 37.5 yuan, which leaves him with 10.5 yuan. There are only two people in his family, and he has an old mother, so this is enough for him to spend. It exceeds the per capita standard of 5 yuan."

Li Zhiguo did not expect that things would go so smoothly, allowing Fan Jinyou to start living the life of a rented slave early.

"That's right. Fan Jinyou is so happy that he can't speak. He has been very depressed these past few days. I guess he is afraid that we will be jealous. He wants to laugh but dares not."

Wang Qinian had seen through everything. He was just jealous and didn't pay for the rent.

"He is so lucky!"

Li Zhiguo sighed and said that he was late. Without chatting much, he went to the accounting office to settle the accounts.

As usual, leaning back in the chair, legs on the desk, with a cup of tea next to me.

I leaned over and picked up the account and looked at it. The sound of plus plus plus, zero, started to ring in my mind again.

Because I had experience, I finished the calculation in just over an hour, and after handing the job over, I was ready to leave.

"Li Zhiguo, wait a minute. I'll raise your salary by another five yuan. You'll probably be busy for a while. You can come to the street every Monday, but you don't have to work all day. You can leave when you're done."

Director Li held the account book and sighed again, what a talent! There are so many accounts to be calculated, and you finished them in just over an hour. If everyone is like you, many people will be laid off!
"That's a good feeling!"

Li Zhiguo knew he couldn't escape it, so any extra money he earned was good money, as it was truly legal income.

"Okay, go eat and take care of yourself."

Director Li happily took the bill and wrote the work report. He often appeared in the district recently, saying that his work was done well and there were no mistakes!

"okay!"

When he came out of the office, he met Fan Jinyou who had a numb look on his face.

"What's wrong with you? Are you lost?"

Li Zhiguo greeted him with a smile. There was no deep hatred or grudge on his part.

"It's Director Li!"

Fan Jinyou came back to his senses, and suddenly an idea came to him. He said hurriedly, "Secretary Li, can we chat for a while? Let's go to your office."

"Sure! It's not even dinner time yet."

Li Zhiguo was not familiar with this person, they just met each other often. Among the formal cadres in the street, he had the best relationship with Wang Qinian.

Then he went back to the accounting office, just in time to finish his tea.

"Officer Fan, if you have any problem, just tell me. I am a public-spirited person and I am willing to help."

Li Zhiguo did not give out cigarettes, and Fan Jinyou's family was poor, so he did not dare to have this money-burning hobby.

Fan Jinyou sat there and said awkwardly, "It's like this, last Thursday, you were not on the street.

I don't know who the director heard from. I wanted to improve my housing, so he rented a small courtyard for me. The courtyard was nice, with a separate door and a separate household, but the rent was too high, 27 yuan a month. Water, electricity, coal, etc., all cost money. I have an old mother at home, and I am the only one working. I can't make ends meet if I rent this courtyard.

Director Li, you are good at accounting. Can you help me talk to the director about this situation and cancel the lease of the yard? I haven’t dared to tell my mother yet and haven’t moved in yet.”

Li Zhiguo has not seen the rental bill yet. The grain station’s bill is calculated every week, and the street’s bill is due on the second of every month.

When meeting Fan Jinyou, he looked sad. He deserved it.

That day he wanted to deceive Chen Xueru about renting the yard. If he hadn't been at work, it would have been a problem.

"Cadre Fan, if you don't want to rent it, why don't you tell the director?"

"I do want to, but the director is doing this for my own good, so I can't refuse."

Fan Jinyou hated that talkative person in his heart. Wasn't this just a trap for him?

"Well, the director has nothing to say about us."

Li Zhiguo drank a sip of tea, thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you just rent out your original house?"

"Hey! My family used to live in a slum, with only one room. We were lucky to get two dollars for rent, which is not good enough."

Fan Jinyou had been thinking about a way out of the impasse for several days but couldn't find one. The reason he went to find Li Zhiguo this time was because he took into consideration that this man was rarely on the street and couldn't gossip with others.

Besides, he is sick and does not have enough education. Even if the director favors him, he is not his competitor.

Li Zhiguo suddenly said, "Sell it!"

"What's for sale?"

Fan Jinyou was unable to react.

"Just sell the house in your compound and trade time for space.

If you are short of money now and sell your house, you will have sufficient funds in a short time, and then you will become a homeless person, which will be a better situation for you.

But you suddenly changed your status and lived in a private courtyard, and with the identity of a street cadre, you became a perfect golden bachelor.

With the director's high regard for you, you will be promoted in a few years and your salary will increase rapidly.

Then you can just buy this small courtyard. Just think about it, you are young, rich and well-known, you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to finding a wife, and your mother will be delighted.”

Li Zhiguo was not talking nonsense. Houses can be bought and sold now, but it will not be possible in the future.

If you want to buy a yard from the street, just dream on, because it is collective.

"Oh, Director Li, you are indeed a mathematician. This method is really good."

Fan Jinyou felt as if the situation in front of him suddenly became clear, and the problem that had troubled him for a long time was solved at once.

But soon he thought of a problem, "Secretary Li, this is a good idea, but how can I explain it to my mother?"

"It's a lie!"

Li Zhiguo smiled and said: "You just said you want to get married, your mother won't care. Besides, you have to become a homeless person, so you can buy this small courtyard.

Others can't buy it, but you are a street cadre and the director values ​​you, which is not easy.

If I didn’t have so many houses, I would envy you.”

Fan Jinyou suddenly became numb. Yes, Secretary Li has a lot of real estate. Never mind. He has a high position and high education. These are spiritual wealth, no worse than that of other people.

"Secretary Li, I will do as you say. Thank you so much. I will trouble you again if I encounter any problems in the future."

"We are all colleagues in the neighborhood office. We should help each other in the future. I also have a small matter that I would like to ask you for help.

My father-in-law is from the countryside. He studied in a private school for a few years. He is a poor peasant and farms at home.

My wife is pregnant, and my mother-in-law will be here soon to help me take care of the child, so I want to find a job for my father-in-law, even a temporary job, in this area of ​​Qianmen Street, and I am not familiar with it.

If you have any way to find me a job, I would thank you for that."

Li Zhiguo is not one to suffer losses. Since he has made Fan Jinyou a poor urban peasant, he has to make up for it.

Fan Jinyou thought for a while and said, "There are jobs. There are many merchants and state-owned stores on Qianmen Street. Let me think about it. Yes, there is a registration position vacant at the state-owned grain store over at Qianmen Building.

There is only one requirement, which is to be able to write and register the income and expenditure of grain. The salary is lower than that of an accountant, but it is also a formal position and is a state-owned store clerk. Your father-in-law has never worked before, so he will have to work for three years before he can become a formal employee.

But there is one advantage to that position. There is only one salary level during the internship period, 18 yuan, and after becoming a regular employee, it is 20.5 yuan. There are also other benefits, but it is difficult to move up."

"Cadre Fan, this is great. Today is Monday, please help me with the formalities. I'll ask someone to tell my father-in-law to come to the city, and he'll be able to start work in a few days."

Li Zhiguo really thought that the salary was very good. The grain store belonged to the General Grain Corporation, and the income was guaranteed regardless of drought or flood. As long as he had a job, he would have a fixed amount of money when the time came.

My mother-in-law doesn't work and her household registration has always been in the countryside, so she can also occupy the residential land. When it is opened up, she can build a small manor and go back occasionally to escape the summer heat.

As for the ration of my mother-in-law, she would never lack food with him around.
After negotiating a job with his father-in-law, Li Zhiguo left the street office and went to the silk shop to make a living.

"Li Zhiguo, I'm waiting for you."

Chen Xueru has been waiting for her lover at the counter. Although they have only not seen each other for a few days, it feels like a long time.

“Isn’t it coming?”

Li Zhiguo looked around and parked his bicycle at the door of the next store to avoid suspicion.

Then he took out the big bag and picked it up. Inside was the slogan written by Yan Bugui. This is popular now, and it is the same as posting on WeChat Moments.

"Well, everything is ready, the new store is officially launched."

He said as he handed the item over.

Chen Xueru took a look into the bag and realized that it was full of slogans, so she didn't take it out to take a closer look.

"Dinner is about to start. Come with me to the inner hall to eat."

"Okay! How was your conversation with Aunt Fang? Have you started work in the backyard?"

As they talked, the two of them went to the inner hall, which was like a small reception room.

"We had already discussed it after you left that day. Aunt Fang is moving the tailor shop to the backyard. Once we clear out the inventory in the front shop, we will break through the wall and open a door to the backyard..."

Chen Xueru talked about the progress of the past few days.

"Well! Take out the sign and I'll tell you the process."

The meal hasn't arrived yet, so let's talk about work first. This is related to the big issue of supporting the family.

"it is good!"

After Chen Xueru finished reading the slogan, she felt a little dizzy, "Li Zhiguo, isn't this cheating?"

"What a lie! All is fair in war. We are clearing out the stock for real benefits. Let's do it this way. Put up the signs tomorrow morning. I have numbered them, so just follow the order.

As for your spring clothes, let Aunt Fang lead the team to make finished clothes. Make classic styles first, and I will come up with the clothing design drawings later..."

After chatting for a while, lunch was served. It was nice to eat and drink for free.

"By the way, Xueru, Fan Jinyou has rented a small courtyard..."

He told the gossip of the street.

"Then Fan Jinyou will be poor again. Was this your bad idea?"

Chen Xueru had long discovered that her lover was quick-witted and very smart.

"How can this be called a bad idea? I was helping him. I talked to him for a while before I came here and advised him to sell the house he was living in before..."

Li Zhiguo didn't mind striking a blow to Fan Jinyou to avoid causing trouble for him in the future.

"Ah! He sold the house. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Chen Xueru couldn't tell the difference for a moment, and felt that it wasn't that simple.

"Of course it's a good thing."

Li Zhiguo didn't say it clearly. After eating and drinking, he said, "Last time I was resting in that small office, you covered me with that blanket, which was very nice."

"Oh, they're imported from Australia, 80 bucks a piece. If you like them, use them. Anyway, mine is not yours."

Chen Xueru didn't care because she had more at home.

"No, I want to use it now. Come on, tell me how good this blanket is."

Li Zhiguo took the teacup and rinsed his mouth with the black tea.

"Ok!"

Chen Xueru seemed to understand something, and then she shouted to the front hall: "Chun Tao, I'm going to the backyard, you keep an eye on the store."

"Okay Sister Xueru!"

Chuntao was a little confused. The door was not open and she couldn't go to the backyard.

In the small office, later, Li Zhiguo leaned on the sofa, covered with the Australian blanket, and watched Chen Xueru tidy up a red cloth. This was the same as Qin Huairu did at the beginning. Thinking about it, he had not lost out in this life.

Soon, Chen Xueru also came over and leaned over. They were both wrapped in a blanket. Wasn't that warm?

"Li Zhiguo, I will let Hou Cheng go to Chouguo next week. You have to come more frequently in the next two weeks."

"Okay! I have to take care of things in the store, so I will go to work even though I am sick."

Li Zhiguo took out the cigarette box and smelled it without lighting it. He just wanted a feeling.

"Tell me the truth, are you sick or not?"

Chen Xueru was suspicious. In this state, did she look sick? There were traces of tears on her face.

"Ahem... I'm really sick. It's a stomach problem from before. It's not a big problem. I can slowly get better if I pay attention to my diet."

Li Zhiguo didn't dare to tell the truth, for fear that the rich young woman would let the cat out of the bag.

(End of this chapter)