Chapter 81 Escape
Yan Bugui’s moves are old, but they are effective.

"I'll pay it, isn't it okay? Chunyan, come here, let's discuss how many people will watch the movie."

Xu Damao wanted to pay the money quickly and escape from here. He felt it was difficult to breathe if he stayed any longer.

"That's right, we should have a sense of collective honor."

Yan Bugui scolded the man and turned to look for Jia Dongxu. This was the order of collecting money that he and Li Zhiguo had discussed.

"Uncle, I'm going back to eat. Please keep an eye on this."

Li Zhiguo shouted, it was none of his business, the wind was blowing.

"Okay, go to bed early. I'll check with you tomorrow after class."

Yan Bugui was in high spirits. He was not afraid of having a banquet in the courtyard, but was afraid that there would be no activities at all.

Li Zhiguo suddenly stopped and shouted again: "Second uncle, you have to take care of the movie screening. Damao is in the backyard, but he is under your leadership."

"Li Zhiguo, what you said makes sense. Don't worry, the second uncle will keep an eye on him."

Liu Haizhong glanced at Xu Damao and said, "If you dare to run away on Saturday, I will ask Old Xu to take your place and show the movie."

"Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely show you a good movie."

Xu Damao has completely given up resisting. He failed this time, but next time, it won't be so easy to take advantage of him. He has learned a lot of Li Zhiguo's tricks.

……

Li Zhiguo had just returned home when he saw Xiao Jingru coming out of the kitchen carrying dishes.

"Brother-in-law, are we going to play the movie?"

"Well, it's Saturday night. Invite your father and uncle then."

Li Zhiguo waited until his wife arrived before continuing, "Huai Ru, I just discussed it with everyone in the middle courtyard. They all want to hold a birthday party for me. I couldn't refuse, so I reluctantly agreed."

"Birthday party? Brother, isn't your birthday next month?"

Qin Huairu remembered everything and was even thinking of preparing a gift for her.

"It's brought forward. The weather will be hot next month, and it's a good opportunity to watch a movie this Saturday night, so we can get together.

By the way, do you want to invite our mother to stay in the city for a few days?"

Li Zhiguo was also thinking about his mother-in-law and couldn't let her be left behind. His filial piety had not changed.

"My mother won't be needed. She has a lot of farm work to do recently. I'll ask her to come after the busy farming season is over."

Qin Huairu thought that Xiao Jingru was already at home eating for free, and said, "Mom still has to cook for Guangyou."

"That's right. Then our father, Third Uncle, and Guangming, the three of them will come to the courtyard. I will make arrangements in advance."

Li Zhiguo believed that his family members would not speak carelessly and knew the importance of things.

Besides, he was an upper-class resident in the courtyard house and had nothing to show off.

"Brother, we need to set up more than a dozen tables at home? How much will it cost?"

Qin Huairu was thinking about money again. She was willing to spend money on the man's birthday, but she had to ask.

"It doesn't cost any money. The people in the hospital paid for it. It's my birthday, and they should be happy with me!"

Li Zhiguo smiled. He could get the staple food. Otherwise, who would dare to hold a banquet in this month? Would it be enough to feed people?
"Brother, you are so popular!"

Qin Huairu could only sigh that her man was popular everywhere and everyone liked him.

Xiao Jingru suddenly said, "My brother-in-law is very popular."

"Eat your food. White flour can't stop your mouth."

Qin Huairu picked up some Chinese cabbage for her sister, which was fried in oil and smelled very good.

Turning around, he said, "Brother, the cooked food you bought is cold. I steamed it for you. You have to eat more."

"Well! I don't really feel like eating meat today. Give Jingru some. Otherwise, if others see us, they will say we are bullying a child!"

As Li Zhiguo spoke, he picked up a large piece of braised pork with preserved vegetables for Xiao Jingru.

"Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Xiao Jingru also craves meat, but she doesn’t dare to take too much. It’s a habit she developed at home.

"Huai Ru, you eat too. I love preserved vegetables."

Li Zhiguo is cheerful. As long as his family eats well, he won’t be hungry. There is no such good man in the world!
A serving of braised pork with preserved vegetables was prepared for a table of ten people, with exactly ten slices of meat. Xiao Jingru ate two large slices of meat.

Qin Huairu ate three slices, just enough to finish one portion.

That night! Li Zhiguo fell asleep listening to the pedal of the sewing machine. It felt like he was on a train. It was great.

"Brother, are you asleep?"

Qin Huairu covered the sewing machine and went into bed.

"Uh, I almost fell asleep. Jingru fell asleep."

Li Zhiguo slowly let go of the child in his arms. He was very good at coaxing children to sleep.

"Brother, I'm three months pregnant. Doctor Liang said it's safe."

Even though Qin Huairu was pregnant, she still remained shy.

"Then just do it for a little while, don't wake Jingru up!"

Li Zhiguo propped himself up and pulled the light cord. It was safe even in the dark.

Later! Li Zhiguo turned over and hugged Xiao Jingru to sleep.

Qin Huairu pulled the light cord, lit up the room, tidied up a bit, and then lay back down.

Suddenly, she asked in a low voice: "Brother, who is Aunt Thirteen? Why did you just keep talking about her? Is there such a relative in our family?"

"Oh, you're talking about this! I was reading a book recently, and my mind was distracted for a moment, and I thought of the character in the book.

Stop asking nonsense questions and go to sleep. You have to go to work early tomorrow morning."

Li Zhiguo yawned and went to sleep!
……

Time passed quickly and it was Friday in a blink of an eye. Li Zhiguo took a nap and waited for Yan Bugui to come back from get out of class.

"Brother-in-law, wake up quickly, the Third Master is back."

Xiao Jingru was waiting in the front yard, and now she trotted to the backyard to report.

"Come back now?"

Li Zhiguo looked at the watch in the space and realized that it was not yet half past three.

Today's primary school students are so lucky. At this time, their teachers can already walk home.

No wonder Yan Bugui’s salary has always been low, his working hours are often short, and there are winter and summer vacations.

It’s just that the teacher’s identity is a bit embarrassing. He actually belongs to the petty bourgeoisie. How can someone like Yan Bugui be considered petty bourgeoisie?

"Li Zhiguo, are you up?"

Yan Bugui came with a bag. He wanted to make money, so he needed to equip himself with all the tools.

"Uncle, I'll be right here."

Li Zhiguo was wearing the straw sandals he had found at Sun Er's mother's house last time. As the weather was hot, he didn't need to wear socks and looked very fashionable.

Soon, Yan Bugui came into the room and took out the list for him to review.

Li Zhiguo himself was the one who cooked the books, and he was wrong. He is a master at accounting, and after reading it, he didn't think there was anything wrong.

There was no doubt about it, because Yan Bugui's strength was to take advantage of things after he got them, rather than to be greedy for money from the source. He still had a bottom line.

"Let's do it this way. I'll get the flour and prepare it at the original price. Also give me the liquor. I have a way to buy it cheap.

It's my birthday, everyone is happy, and costs have to be kept down."

He is not greedy for money. He doesn't care about this little money. At most, he will take the remaining change. This is basic operation.

"Li Zhiguo, everyone can rest assured when you do things.

Then I will arrange for He Daqing and the others to go shopping tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon, Sha Zhu will also take a leave to come back and help in the kitchen. The aunties in the courtyard are all here, so there will be enough manpower."

Yan Bugui has also changed his classes and will return to the school at noon tomorrow.

"When will Xu Damao bring the equipment back to the hospital?"

Li Zhiguo asked Xiao Jingru to go out and play first, and he lit a cigarette.

"It will be tomorrow afternoon too. Your second uncle has already visited Lao Xu. Lao Xu will also be in the yard tomorrow night."

Yan Bugui knew that this was a trick suggested by Li Zhiguo. Having two projectionists was a double insurance.

"That's good! Uncle should bring the grill back today, you follow up."

Li Zhiguo inexplicably experienced the feeling of being able to plan and win a battle from thousands of miles away.

"Li Zhiguo..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly saw Tang Chunyan approaching the door.

"The Third Master is here too!"

Seeing that there was no one in the room, Tang Chunyan walked in.

"Chunyan, you came at the right time. I was just about to talk about the barbecue."

Li Zhiguo waved his hand and talked about another aspect. He also wanted to have some barbecue.

"I'm asking about this too. What ingredients should I prepare?"

Tang Chunyan decided to go to the market in person tomorrow, because she had invited her family and good sisters over tomorrow night and she couldn't lose face.

"It's simple. I'll say it and let Uncle San write it. You just need to prepare it according to the list.

The amount of ingredients depends on you. There are so many people in the courtyard, you can't take care of them all." Li Zhiguo immediately read out. He was familiar with the vegetable market and asked people to prepare all the seasonal ingredients suitable for barbecue.

"You'll also need bamboo sticks to string the meat together. You can find them at Chunqiao Grocery Store. Prepare more mutton. It will be delicious when roasted."

"Yeah, I'll go buy it early tomorrow."

Tang Chunyan asked some more details and left with the list.

At this time, Yan Bugui said, "Da Mao's wife looks good. She doesn't fight or compete with others. But she has been married for a while, so why is there no sign of pregnancy?"

"Hey, Uncle Third, don't worry about it. The couple is still young and they may not be in a hurry to have a child."

Li Zhiguo had originally planned to live as a couple for two years, but time waits for no one.

I just wonder if Xu Damao will be able to have a child in this life just because he followed the trend and married a wife?
"I just mentioned this, I won't say anything nonsense."

Yan Bugui discovered early on that although this kid had poor moral character, he rarely gossiped behind others' backs and was quite smart.

"Uncle, it's settled. Go about your business tomorrow and make sure my birthday party is well organized and meaningful.

There is still a long way to go, so we should try to make it a traditional festival in our hospital."

Li Zhiguo saw the guest off. He usually did not drink tea when discussing serious matters, otherwise he would become more thirsty the more he drank.

It was still early after Yan Bugui left. I should have slept a little longer if I had known.

"Jingru!"

"Here comes my brother-in-law!"

Xiao Jingru can also play with other children in the yard.

"Brother-in-law is asking you, are you used to living in the city?"

Li Zhiguo had already put out his cigarette and made some tea himself.

"It's a good place to live, brother-in-law. I don't want to go back."

Xiao Jingru really didn't want to go home. She had an older brother upstairs, and she couldn't eat good food at home, nor did she have new clothes to wear.

"If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Wait until your father finishes making the furniture, and I'll find you a job. You might as well stay in the city and study.

The third uncle just mentioned is a teacher at Hongxing Primary School, and he wrote the Spring Festival couplets in our house.

As for you, you can go to a high school for your brother-in-law. Once you learn how to use a fountain pen, you can help him write and draw in the future."

Li Zhiguo picked up little Jingru as he spoke. He didn't want to have a child so early because he thought it would be troublesome. But now it seems that children are easy to take care of.

The younger ones include little Yan Jiedi from my third aunt’s family, and the older ones include little Jingru. The adults don’t have to worry about them.

"Oh, brother-in-law, I can really go to school in the city!"

Little Jingru almost jumped up, but she was being held and couldn't do anything.

"Just stay in the city! Otherwise, you won't have food coupons, and you'll have to bring your own food every day when you go to school, or ask the canteen to give you steamed corn bread, black steamed buns, or something like that."

Li Zhiguo shook his head and said, "Wait a minute, it's really hard for children in rural areas to study, because farmers don't have food coupons. Even if you have money, you can't buy staple food at school."

Many children have an enamel cup with a lid prepared by their families in the winter. Otherwise, they cannot afford an aluminum lunch box, which requires tickets or industrial coupons that were issued later.

Wrap a cup with a handkerchief or a piece of cloth, put lunch in it, and go to study. The lunch would get cold halfway through the journey. You also have to bring a backpack and cut grass for pigs to earn work points!

Fortunately, he traveled through time to the city and became a trend-setter after all!

"Brother-in-law, I don't understand!"

Xiao Jingru is really not that smart and has limited knowledge.

"You'll understand later. Have fun by yourself, brother-in-law, go take a walk."

Li Zhiguo left with the teacup. With little Jingru at home, he was not so bored. He didn't have to lock the door, so it was convenient to go in and out.

"Brother-in-law, you haven't brought the bench yet."

Xiao Jingru chased out holding a bench.

"No need, your brother-in-law has a ticket to go anywhere."

After a while, he walked through the corridor and arrived at the central courtyard. It was April, and the weather was still quite cool considering the current climate. The public area of ​​the central courtyard was large, and many sisters chatted here in the afternoon.

"Li Zhiguo, you are willing to come out. I am talking to you."

Mrs. Chen stood up and gave up the bench. Her house was right next to Yi Zhonghai, and she could just walk a few steps back to get another bench.

"No, I'll just sit with our second sister."

He walked to Sun Erniang's side wearing straw sandals. Others had brought long benches, which were just right for two people to sit on.

"Li Zhiguo, you actually wore these shoes."

Sun Erniang looked at it strangely. In this new society, things were no longer so shabby, but the bad boy actually looked quite good in the outfit.

"It's really comfortable to wear. It doesn't rub my feet! Can you prepare a pair for me when you have time? Just as a birthday present for me?"

They say that taking a walk should have some value.

"Hey! I'll prepare a pair for you next week."

Sun Erniang did not shirk responsibility, since it was her husband who made up the story.

At this time, Jia Zhang said somewhat unhappy: "Li Zhiguo, you have already held a second banquet, but our Jia family has not even held one."

"Jia Zhang, please stop it. You hold a banquet to collect money, but Li Zhiguo invites everyone to eat and drink. How can it be the same?"

Sun Erniang rejected it directly, saying that the two families were neighbors and there were always minor frictions between them.

In the past, Sun Erniang kept a low profile because she had three children in her family. Her husband was a taciturn person who didn't make much money and couldn't even sit at the main table when drinking in the courtyard.

But now she has Li Zhiguo's support, so she can sit on the same bench and is not afraid of Jia Zhang.

"My family will also treat you to a feast. Next time my eldest grandson is one month old, we will also set up more than a dozen tables for a festive occasion!"

Jia Zhang was just waiting to hear this, thinking about making a lot of money.

Li Zhiguo did not attack anyone because by the time Banggeng was born, food coupons in the capital would have been issued, and he would then encourage thrift.

He listened to the family talk for a while and almost finished his tea.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, go back to your room and get me some water. Ask your daughter Bihua what's wrong. She hasn't come to see me recently."

Li Zhiguo handed over the teacup and Jia Zhang sat next to him.

Jia Zhang took the cup and said, "She is still thinking about the clothes you mentioned last time. It's been so long, and she can only make pants."

"Hey, it's not enough to just think about it! Let me teach you after my birthday. Go and get some water. I'm thirsty."

Li Zhiguo had long discovered that Jia Zhang was also a caring person, the key was to make her obey you.

"Hey, I'll go right away."

Jia Zhang stood up, put her shoes on the bench, took the cup and quickly went back to the house.

At this time, several middle-aged women started talking.

"Li Zhiguo, you still have a way. Jia Zhang has never been treated like this since she married into this courtyard. When Old Jia was here, she didn't enjoy it as much as you do."

Mrs. Chen was the oldest, but she arrived at the courtyard earlier than Mrs. Jia Zhang.

"I have never seen Jia Zhang treat anyone well. Only He Daqing showed some signs of being nice to her at the beginning."

From where Sun Erniang's house is located, she can see the Jia family and the He family at any time.

Li Zhiguo said hurriedly: "Jia Zhang is so nice to me because I teach her daughter-in-law. After a while, when Bihua can use the sewing machine, will she be so nice?"

He saw Jia Zhang very clearly. Life was bearable now, but there was no guarantee about the future.

Okay, Jia Zhang came back with a cup of tea and didn't talk about gossip.

……

Beijing, Metallurgical Department, First Conference Room.

There is a reason why Bi Jianhua chose this time to hold the meeting.

He was waiting for more samples to be delivered, which had already been distributed and demonstrated.

“You have all seen the practicality of these two razors.

This simple one is okay. There are similar products abroad, but none of them are as simple as ours, which means they are cheap and affordable for ordinary people.

This complex model is the first of its kind in the world and is of great significance. It also has broad prospects in the foreign exchange market.

Both of these razors were independently designed by Li Zhiguo, the first-class fitter who invented the pencil sharpener last time."

“Here I propose to build a razor factory to produce simple models and place it under the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

A second razor factory was also established to produce foreign exchange funds and was directly managed by our Ministry of Metallurgy.

Now let’s discuss how to reward Li Zhiguo since he is on sick leave.

As far as I know, his talent is not only invention, he is also a master of arithmetic. He was invited by Qianmen Street Office to be an accountant. He works one day a month to do the accounting and is given a subsidy of five yuan.

During busy periods, I work four days a month and receive a ten-yuan subsidy. My position is that of an eighth-level street official.”

Bi Jianhua was promoted again. With his level, it was very easy to investigate Li Zhiguo. He only needed to send people to two places, the Dongzhimen and Zhengyangmen street offices.

Of course, if you only check the main information, there is no need to involve privacy.

When everyone in the conference room heard this, they were a little confused!
“Director Bi, you are talking about Comrade Li Zhiguo, who is on standby at the steel mill and doesn’t earn a penny;

While working in the Qianmen Street Office, I also served as an accountant and only worked one day.

Even if he works four days, he only makes ten dollars a month, so what about his daily living expenses? How does he make ends meet?"

Some cadres asked in doubt, this comrade is not simple, how can the resume of a first-level fitter be so diverse?

"Well, his wife has taken over and started working at the steel mill. She is currently an apprentice fitter and earns 27.5 yuan a month."

(End of this chapter)