Chapter 93 Heartbroken
"Okay, you're so good at feeding me! Huairu, you should eat more too."

He greeted everyone, peeled half a fish head in the bowl, drank a little wine, had a dumpling from time to time, and chatted about family matters, all in a happy mood.

In the end, they didn't finish it, so Chunyan took a bowl back for each of Damao. There were actually some left over, mainly because Xu Damao fell down after drinking before he could show his best.

"Save the dumplings for breakfast tomorrow, and then go buy some soy milk.

The fish has been eaten, and there is no way to heat it up if we keep it. We will go out for lunch tomorrow."

It's the weekend already, and I still have to go out to eat. That's how I spend my days. Next Monday, his composing fees will be settled.

It just so happens that I’m going to Beihai Park tomorrow and will also go to the west of the city to visit Xidan Shopping Mall, which was transformed into a public-private partnership two years ago and is now a state-owned store.

Working part-time in the street office, he was able to see a lot of internal information and became more and more familiar with the public-private partnership system.

This is actually a reincarnation. The end of big capitalists is to be merged into public-private enterprises and accept socialist transformation, even if it is decades later...

"Brother, we're going to eat out again tomorrow!"

Qin Huairu felt bad about the money again, even though her salary had increased and she was only receiving 33 yuan a month.

Add to that the ten yuan the man earned from his part-time job on the street, the fifty yuan he earned from his part-time job at the silk shop, the one hundred and thirty-five yuan rent for the shop, the salary he saved for Guangming, and the bonus from the factory...

But we still have to be frugal. We can eat delicious food at home, which is better than other people's New Year celebrations.

Li Zhiguo smiled and said: "Cooking at home is called filling your stomach, while eating out is called enjoying life!
You have followed me, so you must enjoy yourself, our family has never lived a hard life."

"Hey!"

Qin Huairu was delighted to hear that. She stopped being frugal and picked up her chopsticks to eat the fish. However, Xiao Jingru couldn't eat anymore and waited by the side to clean up the dishes with her sister.

Li Zhiguo reached out and grabbed some peanuts from the plate, then went for a walk in the front yard.

After returning this afternoon, he hadn't seen Yan Bugui. Where did he go? He didn't even say he was here to get some fish or something?

It's so late and no one comes to water the flowers. The weather is getting warmer and I have to take care of the potted plants every day.

When I got to the front yard and asked, I found out that the person had not returned yet.

"Li Zhiguo, your uncle went fishing this afternoon. It's so late now, I don't think anything will happen to him."

The third aunt was also getting anxious now. The family hadn't had dinner yet and was just waiting for the head of the family to bring home the hairtail and put it in the pot.

"It's quite late."

Li Zhiguo looked at the time. It was almost eight o'clock. Don't think it was early. It was time to go to bed in this era. Many children did not go to bed past ten o'clock at night until they reached adulthood.

"Third Auntie, why don't I go take a look?"

The potted plants outside his house haven't been watered yet, so the uncle can't be absent from work.

"Li Zhiguo, thank you...your uncle is back."

Turning around, I saw that Yan Bugui came back with three fishes with a happy face. The big one weighed more than one kilogram, and the small one weighed three or four ounces. He really caught some fish.

"Boss, our family has become rich."

The three aunts' eyes lit up, finally the good days had come.

"Li Zhiguo, I fished at the place you mentioned."

Yan Bugui looked very excited, this broke the record.

"Well, that's the place I carefully selected. Go back and have your meal. Don't forget to water the flowers."

Li Zhiguo was also happy for the man. If he had known this would happen, he should have fished for a while longer. Never mind. One should not be too greedy and should not use up all his luck in one go.

"I can't forget it. I remember it all."

Soon, the news that Yan Bugui had also caught a fish spread like wildfire, causing another uproar in the courtyard.

Jia Dongxu, who was working overtime washing clothes, looked excited. After finishing his work tomorrow, he would go fishing, which was much better than going to work.

He had seven cents for buying vegetables, and saved three cents to buy fishing line and fish hooks. If he could make a profit, the Jia family would rise.

……

Early the next morning, Xu Damao woke up slowly and immediately realized that he had lost a lot of money.

"Wife, I'm going to buy groceries. You should get some more sleep."

"Da Mao, I left some food for you last night."

After saying this, Tang Chunyan turned over and went back to sleep.

Xu Damao saw dumplings and fish on the table in the outer room. He thought that Li Zhiguo had some conscience this time, but maybe he was drunk. He was happy when he thought about it.

When he arrived at the central courtyard with his vegetable basket, he unexpectedly met Jia Dongxu, which was bad luck.

"Little man!"

Jia Dongxu muttered to himself as he also carried a basket of vegetables.

"Who are you scolding?"

Xu Damao disagreed. He couldn't figure out who the villain was in the courtyard. Was there any need to think about it?

"Humph!"

Jia Dongxu snorted and walked out, not wanting to bother with this villain.

"Virtue!"

Xu Damao muttered something and followed him to buy vegetables.

When I arrived at the front yard, I saw Sha Zhu and Cai Quanwu lifting a car. They were going to ride a tricycle.

Cai Quanwu almost never rests, and only He Daqing takes one day off on the weekend and gives the car to Sha Zhu for use.

The only young generation left in the lower house is Li Zhiguo. Cai Quanwu is also a young man, just of a higher generation.

"Shazhu, how about taking a ride and taking me to the vegetable market?"

Xu Damao felt that he could learn more from Li Zhiguo. If that villain were here, he would definitely be able to convince Sha Zhu.

"Xu Damao, you're dreaming. I'm the one making the money, but you don't even want to pay me."

Shazhu started to show off. He said that there were three people in his family earning money and they were from a family of three-wheelers. He would be able to marry a rich wife in the future.

"Lao Cai, why don't you pull me over."

Xu Damao wanted to deceive Cai Quanwu. After a long period of observation, he found that his uncle Sha Zhu was an honest man. He was often ordered around by Li Zhiguo and never resisted.

"I can't do this. I agreed to do this job and now I have to go."

Cai Quanwu is not stupid at all, he is smarter than Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao is just not capable of dealing with him.

Soon, the uncle and nephew of the He family both ran away on their bicycles.

Jia Dongxu taunted, "Xu Damao, if you don't have Li Zhiguo's ability, don't learn how to cheat others."

"Jia Dongxu, what's wrong with me learning? At least I'm not as shameless as you. You actually learned to retire due to illness. See how you live a good life now, virtue."

Xu Damao ran away after cursing. Don't fight on Sunday. He might not be able to beat Jia Dongxu.

"I bother!"

Jia Dongxu muttered to himself and followed behind.

Xu Damao went to the market and bought a lot of things. He was cheated by Li Zhiguo yesterday, so he wouldn't get into trouble today.

I'm not going out to eat out today, I'm just going to eat good food at home.

In contrast, Jia Dongxu asked several street vendors at the entrance of the vegetable market and finally bought a head of loose cabbage for only three cents, leaving four cents left.

I went to buy fishing line and fish hooks and spent three cents, so I saved one cent. It's worthwhile and a little bit adds up to a lot.

In the courtyard, Li Zhiguo got up early today to go to Beihai Park. His song has been fermenting for so many days. If it is feasible, he can continue to have bursts of inspiration in the future and make money without doing anything.

"Hey, Li Zhiguo, you got up early today! Damao just went out to buy groceries."

The second aunt came out to wash clothes. As for buying vegetables, there was no need to do so. The head of the household liked to eat fried eggs, and there was also cabbage at home.

"It's the weekend, I'm going to go visit my father-in-law. Second Aunt, you're busy, I'm going to buy some soy milk."

Li Zhiguo tied a pot to the back seat. If he wanted to drink, he could drink to his heart's content; an enamel cup wouldn't be comfortable.

If I have the chance I will buy this stone mill today. In the future I can not only drink soy milk but also eat tofu. Even though beans are not easy to buy now, it’s not a problem.

He pushed his bicycle, greeting people along the way, and headed straight to the vegetable market, where there was a shop selling the most authentic soy milk.

The Beijing soybean milk is also a specialty. People from other places will vomit after drinking it because it tastes so sour.

When he arrived at the place, he had just packed up the soy milk and was about to leave when he saw Jia Dongxu appear in front of him with a basket of vegetables. This was great.

"Dongxu, are you busy?"

"It's you, you're up so early? Just in time, I forgot to ask you about fishing techniques yesterday."

Jia Dongxu was in a good mood. His hatred was currently directed at Xu Damao. Li Zhiguo was fine these past two days. He had given him dumplings and fish yesterday, but he didn't eat them.

"You want to go fishing too?"

Li Zhiguo was a little confused. He thought it was so easy to catch fish. He only succeeded once, and that was with Xiao Jingru's help in the kitchen. He felt that the luck belonged to Xiao Jingru.

"Of course. You and Uncle San have both made money, so I have to keep up. I have to find something to do to supplement the family income."

Jia Dongxu was talking about big truths, saying that from now on he and Li Zhiguo would be on the same level.

"Okay, I support you."

Li Zhiguo did not hide anything and briefly talked about the precautions for fishing. It is a skill but it is easy to lose the skill.

As the two were chatting, Xu Damao came over with a basket of vegetables.

"No, what are you guys talking about?" "Jia Dongxu wants to go fishing, I told him, it's almost done."

Li Zhiguo tied up the pot, got on his bike and left. Ever since he got a bicycle, he didn't want to walk anywhere because riding a bicycle is so much faster.

He did leave. Xu Damao looked at the only cabbage in Jia Dongxu's basket. What a waste of time. He was just a fool. He dared to get close to Li Zhiguo. He didn't even have time to hide.

"Xu Damao, what are you looking at? I can eat fish today without spending any money."

Jia Dongxu ran away and started kneading dough to make breakfast when he got home. As for the clothes, he had washed them last night. There was not much work to do today, so it was very relaxing.

……

Here, after having breakfast at home, Li Zhiguo took his wife and Xiao Jingru out and headed straight for Beihai Park.

Wow, I heard songs playing on the speakers before I even reached the ticket window.

"Let's swing the oars and let the boat push away the waves..."

"Brother-in-law, I heard this song on the radio."

Xiao Jingru listens to the radio when she has nothing to do at home, and she knows how to use it.

"Okay, that's good. You can learn it when you have time. When you go to school, your teacher will also teach you to sing. Let's learn it in advance."

Li Zhiguo was happy. This song would definitely be a hit. It was a classic and would last forever.

Even if it is opened up in the future, the copyright will actually still be with him, and he might even be able to charge a little money for it.

Not to mention when we got to the park, we saw children humming and it was packed with people.

After satisfying his curiosity, he went to Xidan Shopping Mall. It was a change of place and a bit of novelty to shop.

If you go out of Xidan, the Beijing Iron and Steel Corporation is located in Shijingshan in the western suburbs.

Li Zhiguo remembered that in the movie "Man is Iron, Rice is Steel", the machine repair factory was a subsidiary of the Iron and Steel Corporation. He wondered if it would appear there too.

However, it is still early in the plot of "Man is Iron", so he doesn't think about it because no one inside can support him.

"Brother, what are you looking at over there?"

Qin Huairu was puzzled. There was nothing over there, just a chimney.

"Uh, I just got distracted."

Li Zhiguo didn't care. Strictly speaking, the metallurgical department and the steel company complement each other, but are also opposites.

Steel mills make steel, and the metallurgical department rolls steel. The former deals in steel ingot raw materials, and the latter mainly converts them into cash.

After a long time, the steelmakers will definitely be unhappy. Why do you earn more than me by picking up the left and right?

It's noon now. After lunch, I'll go to my uncle's place in the afternoon. I'll see when I'm done with my work and bring the chicken to him in the village.

At the same time, Uncle San's job was also completed earlier. As the people from Lao Qin's family moved into the city one after another, his team became stronger and stronger. Even if they were fighting, there were many people behind them!

In the afternoon, in the three-story courtyard, Li Zhiguo saw that most of the furniture had been completed, including the dining table and cabinets, so he decided to move in on June 1st.

"Brother, our compound is so nice!"

Qin Huairu couldn't get enough of it every time she came here. She had never dreamed that her home would have such a big yard.

"Is good!"

Li Zhiguo could only sigh that he was born at the wrong time. It was still risky to move in now, but it was not a big problem to stay there occasionally.

He owns a lot of properties, including two rooms in the Siheyuan, seven rooms in the small courtyard in Nanluoguxiang, and dozens of rooms in the three-story large courtyard in Dongliuchang.

There is also a two-story house at my concubine Chen Xueru's place, which makes life more fulfilling.

"Brother-in-law, can I have a room?"

Xiao Jingru had lived in the city for some time and had become more clever. She knew how to seize the opportunity to say this.

Who knew that Qin Huairu would directly say: "I have to pay rent!"

"Oh!"

Xiao Jingru stopped talking. Her sister is not good, her brother-in-law is better.

"Sir, in four or five days, the furniture will be finished. There's still a lot of wood left. Shall we continue?"

Qin Changqing is living a good life now and doesn't want to go back.

"I'll put the wood aside for now. My three-story courtyard exceeds the standard, so I'll just need enough furniture.

Uncle San, after these few days of work are over, I will pay you your wages. You can go home and stay for a few days, and then come back.

Nominally, I will rent you the backyard as well. You can choose two rooms to live in and I will find you a job.

Jingru will stay in the city, I will take her with me first."

Li Zhiguo didn't mind giving the extra house to Lao Qin's family. He only needed three main rooms, and there would be no room for more.

After the children are born, we will allocate the eldest son’s room, the second son’s room, etc.

Personally, perhaps he had gotten used to taking care of little Jingru and wanted a daughter instead.

But in this era, you must give birth to a son, otherwise your spine will be bent.

For most people, if they don’t have a son, they have no goal to strive for, so they will come up with all kinds of tricks, such as adopting a child, or finding a mistress or a live-in son-in-law...

"Son-in-law, you are so kind to our Qin family. Jingru follows you, and you beat her hard if she doesn't obey you."

Qin Changqing beat his son many times, and he had beaten his daughter before as well.

"Jingru is obedient."

Li Zhiguo smiled and did not correct his educational philosophy. What's wrong with beating? If the big trumpet is broken, practice the small trumpet and have as many children as possible.

We stayed here for more than two hours in the afternoon, mainly because Qin Huairu was reluctant to leave and wanted to see more.

We also had dinner outside, it was quite simple, two dishes and a soup, which was more than enough.

By coincidence, I met Sha Zhu, a tricycle rider, on the way back.

"Sister Qin!"

Sha Zhu was the first to see the people, so he quickly rode his bike over. When he got close, he quickly bent down and pulled the handbrake. The tricycles at that time were designed with multiple handbrakes to make it easier to stop.

"Shazhu, did you earn much today?"

Qin Huairu sat on the back of the bicycle with a bag in her hand. She had spent a lot of money today.

"Hey, it's OK. It's much better than going to work."

If Sha Zhu wasn't reluctant to give up his glorious identity as a cook, he would have wanted to ride a tricycle.

"That's good. You should be careful when you are outside."

Qin Huairu felt that Shazhu was a little silly, but he was a nice person and was willing to help.

"Hey! I'll listen to Sister Qin."

In Sha Zhu's eyes, Li Zhiguo has nothing to do with him.

Li Zhiguo knew Sha Zhu's character, but that couldn't stop others from being jealous.

"Shazhu, I'm taking your sister Qin back. She needs to rest more since she's pregnant."

Li Zhiguo didn't know whether his words could cause a critical hit, but he wanted to give someone a wake-up call.

"Yes, you need to rest early! Li Zhiguo, don't always let Sister Qin do the work. Don't you still have your mother-in-law? The busy farming season is over, why don't you bring her to the city?"

Wow, Shazhu remembers it clearly!
"Soon! By the way, what has your father been busy with recently? He either stays at home or wanders around outside every day. Does he have a new goal?"

Li Zhiguo actually admires He Daqing very much. He is still active even at the age of eighty. This spirit is worth learning!
"I don't know! Anyway, I save all the money I earn from riding the tricycle."

Sha Zhu patted his wallet, now he had some pocket money.

"You are doing the right thing. You should do this. And your father and uncle both earn money. Why should you hand it over to them? Save it. You will need to buy something big when you marry a wife. That will make you look good."

Li Zhiguo felt that everyone in this courtyard knew how to resist. This was a bad sign. He hoped it would lead his wife astray.

Sha Zhu said cheerfully: "I won't pay you wages next month. I'm already in my second year as an apprentice."

"Well, if you think this way, I'm relieved as your brother. If you have any problems in the future, come to me as soon as possible."

Li Zhiguo felt the advantage of being older. There were four young men in the hospital, five in total including Cai Quanwu. He was the eldest brother!
Sha Zhu didn't respond. He didn't want to acknowledge this brother because he was not nice to Sister Qin.

"Tricycle, tricycle..."

"I'm here, I have a guest, Sister Qin, I'm leaving first!"

After saying hello, Sha Zhu went straight to a middle-aged woman. When he got up to her, he talked to her for less than five seconds and the deal was done. He was becoming more and more proficient in his business.

"Shazhu has changed! He is down-to-earth and hardworking now."

Li Zhiguo muttered that with him, the messenger of justice, coming to the courtyard, he guided everyone in the right direction, and hard work makes people rich!

When he returned to the yard, he saw Auntie No. 3 taking care of the children in the yard, so he casually asked, "Where is Uncle No. 3? Is he fishing again?"

"Yes, he went there. And that shameless guy Jia Dongxu also went fishing."

The third aunt gets angry when she talks about this. The Jia family is shameless.

"Does Jia Dongxu have a fishing rod?"

Li Zhiguo was stunned for a moment. It was not easy to find bamboo in the city. He had to go far to the suburbs to cut it.

"He took the kitchen knife and went to the suburbs. He and your uncle didn't come back until noon. I don't know what happened to them."

The third aunt wanted to go and take a look, but she had children at home and couldn't leave.

(End of this chapter)