Chapter 121 Beijing Film Academy Admission Letter

A small restaurant in the center of Haidian Town, not state-owned but owned by a nearby collective.

This kind of collective small restaurant is like the Long March Canteen, whose purpose is to make money, so they only require money, do not require tickets, and close late, but they also have fewer dishes.

Li Changhe ordered a big bowl of shredded pork noodles for Shen Juncheng, and Shen Juncheng quickly finished the bowl.

That posture is very similar to the style of eating noodles performed by Chen Peisi.

After finishing his meal, Shen Juncheng put down his bowl of noodles and patted his stomach comfortably.

"Why do you look like you haven't eaten for days?"

Li Changhe looked at Shen Juncheng with some surprise.

Shen Juncheng sighed: "Not really, it's mainly because I haven't had enough to eat these past few days."

Then, Shen Juncheng told Li Changhe about what had happened in the past few days.

It is true that he received a salary from the Security Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but this salary was not something he could spend at will.

He had to leave some for his family, otherwise the four people in the family would not have enough to eat with just his father's salary.

After paying most of the money to his family, he kept the remaining money for himself, and then he ate and drank with Men San'er and his friends, and soon spent it all.

Moreover, when he was having dinner with Men San'er and the others, it was impossible for him to eat as much as he wanted.

The ration that several people can pool together is just that much. If you have to spend extra money to buy some unplanned side dishes, several old men will share one share and they can hardly eat much.

So these days Shen Juncheng was alternately eating and drinking, and overall, he was still hungry most of the time.

"To be honest, Changhe, I'm here to ask you for help."

"Brother, there's nothing I can do. The copper and iron Buddha thing you mentioned hasn't been done yet. Today I washed the Buddha, and that guy stole the school's salary slips. There's nothing I can do. I've handed them all over to the GA."

"Men San'er's family has used up all their food coupons today. I feel embarrassed to eat at their house anymore, so I came to you for help."

Shen Juncheng did not hide anything and told Li Changhe directly about his current difficulties.

He had nothing to be embarrassed about. In the past, he would always share half of his food with you, without making any distinction between the two.

"I knew you would run into this trouble, but I don't have much on me right now, just about twenty dollars. Come downstairs with me later and I'll get it for you!"

Li Changhe said with a smile.

In disguise, he was also an investor in Shen Juncheng's small team, so giving him some money and food was nothing.

After all, the future returns will far exceed this investment.

"Well, can you go home and tell Zhu Lin about this? Or should I write you a note?"

At this time, Shen Juncheng thought that Li Changhe had to go home to get money from Zhu Lin, and subconsciously said it with some embarrassment.

Just ask Li Changhe directly, he won’t have any psychological burden.

However, if it involves talking to Zhu Lin, Shen Juncheng would feel a little embarrassed.

"No need. Don't ask her for money. I have it myself. I just don't usually carry much money with me. Those Buddha masters are very skilled. I'm afraid they might steal it."

Li Changhe said somewhat helplessly.

He had his own money, and Zhu Lin usually didn't want his royalties. Moreover, the magazine would occasionally send him a lot of letters.

Although the money and food sent by readers in the letters were not as much and crazy as at the beginning, there were still quite a few in scattered amounts.

A little bit adds up to a lot, and Li Changhe has no shortage of money.

"Well, sometimes I don't even realize that you're married."

"Time flies by so fast. So many years have passed."

Shen Juncheng said with emotion.

Li Changhe had no empathy for his sigh. After all, his past experiences were more like memories of movie clips to him, and he had only been here for less than two years.

"Okay, let's go after we're full. I'll give you 200. Is that enough?"

"Enough, enough!"

Hearing Li Changhe mention two hundred right away, Shen Juncheng nodded and spoke hurriedly.

His monthly salary is less than 40 yuan.

Because his mother's position was originally arranged by the school, it was not considered a restoration, and the position was soon transferred to Shen Juncheng.

Therefore, his job salary is just an ordinary entry-level salary, unlike Li Changhe's mother Shen Yuxiu, who receives a fixed grade salary.

This is also the reason why the country encourages older employees to let their children take their place. Many of these replacement jobs are actually vacant high-paying positions, and the children who take their place start out in basic positions.

Then, when he arrived downstairs at Li Changhe's house, Shen Juncheng looked at the two stacks of paper that Li Changhe gave him.

Twenty Great Unity coupons, plus 200 kilograms of food coupons, for the whole country.

“This is too much.”

At first he thought that the two hundred that Li Changhe mentioned was two hundred yuan, but he didn't expect it was two hundred yuan plus two hundred kilograms of food coupons.

"You are someone's big brother, but you can't even feed them. What kind of big brother are you? Take it!"

"Take the national food coupons and exchange them for local food coupons or oil coupons or non-staple food. You can decide for yourself. I have a lot of these."

Li Changhe smiled and said that he didn't have much else but a lot of food coupons, and almost all of them were national food coupons.

He had saved too much before and some of them had expired, so he had to exchange them out later on a last-minute basis.

Later on, he didn't save much. Sometimes he gave it to Li Xiaojun, sometimes to Chen Aiguo, asking them to help him exchange it with classmates or colleagues.

After all, these tickets come from legitimate sources and are not afraid of being checked.

"Well, okay, I'll take it."

Shen Juncheng nodded and took it.

"Okay, I'm leaving now, you should go back now!"

After receiving the money and food, Shen Juncheng waved to Li Changhe.

We have to take so much money and food back quickly.

Li Changhe did not try to keep him, after all, it was late at night and he had important things to do.

Back in the house, Li Changhe changed his clothes.

"Did you give him everything?"

Zhu Lin was sitting at the head of the bed, reading a book. When he saw Li Changhe come in, he asked curiously.

Li Changhe nodded: "Give it to me, take it and go!"

He came up to get the money and food coupons without hiding it from Zhu Lin, and Zhu Lin did not object.

These days, borrowing money and food is very normal. Many teachers' families borrow this month and pay it back next month, and then borrow again when their food rations are finished.

Especially for those who have chronic diseases or elderly people in the family, and do not have commercial grain household registration, life is very difficult even if they receive a professor's salary.

"What are you looking at?"

Li Changhe came over and looked at the book in Zhu Lin's hand, a book on directing theory.

"It's a book that Teacher Yang recommended to me. It's written by a film director from Eastern Europe."

"Hey, don't move"

Feeling that Li Changhe's claws were restless again, Zhu Lin couldn't help but said to him coquettishly.

"Reading at night affects vision and is bad for the eyes!"

Li Changhe said to Zhu Lin with a smile, and then slowly made her feel cooler.

It’s late at night, it’s hot if you wear too much!

On the other side, when Shen Juncheng returned to Men Saner's house, Lutou and the others had already left.

Mensan'er was at home with his sister, and his sister was cleaning up the dishes.

"Brother is here, my brother is lying in the room."

Seeing Shen Juncheng coming in, Men Saner's sister said softly. She didn't like his brother's friends, including Donkey Head, but she still liked Shen Juncheng very much, because she felt that Shen Juncheng was more like a brother than his brother Men Saner.

So she always called Shen Juncheng "Big Brother".

"Brother Cheng."

Men San'er, who was lying in the room, heard the noise and came out. He looked at Shen Juncheng curiously, wondering why he came again so late at night.

"Little sister, come here!"

Shen Juncheng waved to Hu Xiaomei.

Men San'er's surname is Hu, and his sister's name is Hu Xiaomei.

Then, in the surprised eyes of Men Saner, Shen Juncheng took out two stacks of banknotes from his arms and divided them into two parts.

"Little sister, I'll give you this hundred yuan and a hundred kilograms of food coupons. Go back and find someone to exchange these national food coupons for our food coupons. Do you know anyone there?"

Hu Xiaomei nodded: "Yes!"

"Okay, after you change it, keep it for yourself. This will be your rations from now on. Your brother and I sometimes eat our own food. Don't starve, and don't always save it for us. Eat well, okay?"

"Brother Cheng, this."

Men Saner came up hurriedly at this time, and Shen Juncheng threw another hundred yuan and one hundred kilograms of food coupons to Men Saner.

"I'll give you this hundred yuan and the food coupons. Go and exchange them for the national food coupons. From now on, when you eat, you can use this to buy food from Donkey Head and Old Nine. You can ask them to pay for your food quota."

Donkey Head Laojiu and his men had a quota, but they didn't have many food coupons.

"Brother Cheng, where did you get so much money and tickets?"

Men Saner asked in shock.

Two hundred yuan and 200 kilograms of national food coupons in one go. There are only a handful of families in Haidian who can afford this amount.

It is impossible for ordinary people to come up with so much money and grain.

"I went to Changhe to get it. Changhe gave it to me!"

Shen Juncheng took a box of matches from the table and lit a Beihai for himself.

Shen Juncheng likes to smoke Beihai, a habit he picked up when he was a gangster in his youth.

At that time, senior cadres smoked Peony cigarettes, middle-level cadres smoked Xiangshan cigarettes, and workers, peasants and soldiers smoked 2.3 cents.

Two or three cents is Beihai cigarettes, 2.3 cents a box.

Not only Shen Juncheng, but Men Saner and the others also smoked Beihai.

"Where does this long river come from so much money?"

Men Saner said in surprise.

Shen Juncheng smiled and said, "He has a lot of money. He earns more than 100 yuan for writing a novel, and he even published a book."

"I think the food coupons were given to him by readers. Many people from all over the country wrote to him, and some of the letters contained food coupons and money. There is no way to return them."

"Okay, don't worry about it, San'er. Regarding money and grain, I can ask Changhe once, but I can't ask him every time."

"Let's hurry up and get this job done. Even though it's just garbage, I did some calculations the other day and it's really profitable. If we do it well, a few dozen dollars a day won't be a problem."

"Even if we don't have tickets, we can use the money to buy food and supplies at Pigeon Market, which will be enough for us to eat."

Now, in addition to commercial grain in the capital, there is another place to buy grain, which is the countryside.

Unlike previous years, food is not as tight as it used to be. Some rural families with surplus food will sell them, including pork, eggs and so on.

After all, for rural areas, money is hard currency, and food coupons are of little use.

In Haidian, the thing that is least lacking is rural areas. There are agricultural areas all around, and there are many pigeon markets where people privately exchange pigeons for food and other things.

"Brother Cheng, I got it!"

"Also, don't tell Donkey Head and the others about the money and food in my little sister's hand, and don't try to take it. Give it to the girl and let her eat on her own. She will be so thin and weak from hunger when she is growing up, and she will look terrible."

Shen Juncheng gave Men Saner another instruction.

The main thing is that Hu Xiaomei looks thin and weak, exactly like his sister Shen Qingyu.

But now Shen Qingyu has grown up, and the family conditions have improved, so they are slowly raising Qingyu.

Shen Juncheng wanted to be a brother but he had no place to do so, so he was very tolerant towards Hu Xiaomei.

On the contrary, it was the brother Men San'er who ordered his sister around like a fool.

"Okay, I get it. Let her keep it and eat her own food in the future. We won't take up her food rations."

Men Saner nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then you guys take a break, I still have to work the night shift!"

He was on night shift tonight, so he was hanging out during the day.

"Okay, then drive slowly."

After Men Saner sent Shen Juncheng away, he returned to the house and saw that his sister was still holding the money and food coupons.

"Find a place to keep the money and food. Don't lose it. Also be careful not to let rats gnaw on it."

"Ok!"

Hu Xiaomei responded in a low voice.

"Okay, from now on you can sleep in the inner room with our parents. I'll be outside."

There used to be a big bed in the room, which was left by Men Saner’s parents, and Men Saner had always slept in it.

The main reason was that he felt that Hu Xiaomei was too small and it would be a waste for her to sleep in such a big bed alone, while he would feel uncomfortable sleeping in a small bed outside.

But now, Donkey Head and the others came to his house for nothing, so it would be inappropriate for him to let his sister sleep outside.

After all, she is his sister. Mensan is just not that attentive and is careless and unremarkable, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like his sister.

"Go ahead. Donkey Head and the others will come to see me from time to time. It's not convenient for you to stay in the outer room. I'll see and change the bed outside later."

Men San then waved his hand and drove his sister into the house, then lay down on the small bed.

With my eyes open and looking at the roof, the image of Li Changhe appeared in front of me again.

Li Changhe, you are really not from the same world as them.

The days passed and soon it was the end of August.

That evening, Li Changhe and Zhu Lin had just returned home. The guard saw them and started shouting at Li Changhe.

"Long river, long river!"

"What's wrong, Lao Zhang?"

"Someone from the post office came today. No one is home, so they asked me to leave a letter for you saying that the admission letter has arrived and you should go to the post office to pick it up tomorrow."

"Changhe, has someone in your family been admitted to university again?"

"Yes, my wife. Okay, thanks, Lao Zhang. I'll play chess with you later!"

Li Changhe and Secretary Zhang waved and smiled, and then the two of them returned home.

Secretary Zhang looked surprised.

"I remember Comrade Zhu Lin was a college student, so how come he received a college admission letter?"

After thinking for a long time, he still didn't understand the reason and could only shake his head.

When Zhu Lin returned home, he excitedly threw himself into Li Changhe's arms.

"I passed, Changhe, I passed!"

Li Changhe hugged her and turned around.

"We will go get the acceptance letter tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)