Chapter 106

Sitting in a Cantonese tea restaurant, Chu Jiujiu looked at the surrounding environment with curiosity.

The decoration style here is different from other places. After being used to the same old state-owned restaurants, Chu Jiujiu felt it was quite fun to suddenly come to a tea restaurant full of Hong Kong retro style.

Director Ma went to order food. He asked Chu Jiujiu to sit here and rest for a while. This morning, Chu Jiujiu had been reading and talking to people. There was no need for rest. However, when she saw Director Ma's attitude change 180 degrees, she blinked and did not refuse him.

The last time Director Ma invited her and Han Shengyi to dinner, the meal only cost one yuan and fifty cents, but here, a cup of milk tea is two yuan. Director Ma ordered a cup for Chu Jiujiu and asked for free boiled water for himself.

After Director Ma came back, Chu Jiujiu and he sat in the window seat, looking at each other face to face.

Chu Jiujiu took a sip of milk tea and said, "If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move."

Director Ma: "As you can see, our institute is really short of staff right now. I know you're very interested in historical research, Jiujiu. If you come to help us, you'll have access to all the materials within the institute. You can learn and enrich your summer vacation at the same time. Why not?"

Chu Jiujiu thought for a moment, then asked him, "Give me money?"

Director Ma: “…”

Talking about money is so vulgar.

His frowning face twitched for a moment, and after a moment, he lowered his voice, "Well... the institute's funding is not sufficient..."

He spoke slowly. Chu Jiujiu could hear his embarrassment and couldn't help but sigh, "Director Liang said that if I went to their lab, he could get me 30 cents a day."

Bah! Liang must be planning to forge Chu Jiujiu's name or age to make her an assistant in the research lab!

He would never do something that violates the rules and regulations!

He was filled with righteous indignation, but seeing Chu Jiujiu's nonchalant expression, as if she didn't care at all, Director Ma gritted his teeth and compromised. "Come to our place, and I can pay you thirty cents a day. I'll list you as a first-level assistant, and give you a share of the monthly benefits."

I thought Chu Jiujiu would be willing to accept it, but unexpectedly, she picked up the milk tea cup and shook it slowly, as if she was not drinking white milk tea, but noble and cool red wine.

"Director Liang said the same thing. If they're all the same, why should I go to your institute? I prefer our own country's history."

Director Ma: "...Let's stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what you want."

Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu's eyes flashed, which made Director Ma's heart skip a beat, fearing that she would even give away her own family property.

…

After some negotiations, Chu Jiujiu successfully got what she wanted most - a long-term pass to the Cultural Relics Archives.

From the very beginning, she wanted to ask Director Ma for this. As for the wages, that was the icing on the cake. If Director Ma gave it to her, she would accept it. If he didn't give it to her, it would not affect her decision.

Director Ma had no idea about this; he just felt like he was being robbed.

Forget it, considering that the institute is about to have a new strong person, he should stop being stingy.

The comrades in the institute work six days a week. Chu Jiujiu is nominally an assistant, so naturally she has to arrive on time like them. They agreed to start from tomorrow. After eating here, Chu Jiujiu said goodbye to Director Ma, and then rushed all the way back home despite the scorching heat.

When she got home, she opened the door and announced to the whole house with great energy: "I found a job!"

Three seconds passed, and it was still as quiet as a chicken.

...Everyone went out.

Chu Jiujiu silently retracted her excited expression, then turned and went to the Han family.

Fortunately, Grandma Han and Han Shengyi were both there. Chu Jiujiu told them the news. They were both surprised. After asking about the whole story, Grandma Han and Han Shengyi looked at each other.

How should I put it? It was originally a shocking thing, but when it happened to Chu Jiujiu, it seemed very normal.

Going to the research institute to help is a respectable thing to do. Besides, it's vacation time and you don't have to go to school. You can find something to do at the research institute and avoid being lazy at home all day.

Grandma Han still wasn't very good at praising people, so Chu Jiujiu focused her attention on Han Shengyi. She sat next to Han Shengyi and didn't stop talking all afternoon, talking about things related to the research institute. Han Shengyi didn't find it annoying, but listened with a smile and occasionally agreed with her.

Grandma Han sat in the living room sewing. The sound of Chu Jiujiu's chattering mixed with the whirring of the electric fan, making her ears buzz and her brain go fuzzy. Shaking her dizzy head, Grandma Han glanced at Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi, who were sitting not far away.

Jiujiu's mouth is really powerful. So far, she has only seen Han Shengyi be able to withstand it. Others can't stand it after listening to her for half an hour.

Grandma Han thought that this was because Han Shengyi always listened to Grandpa Han talking nonsense when he was a child, so he developed antibodies to nonsense at a young age.

…

After sewing a few more stitches, Grandma Han stood up and prepared to go to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and rest her eyes and ears.

After Grandma Han left, she never came back. She went back to her room to take a nap. Not long after she left, Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi heard someone shouting outside the door.

The person who came was a man, and his name was Han Shengyi.

Han Shengyi heard it and glanced towards the gate. Then he told Chu Jiujiu, "It's my friend, his last name is Wang, he used to live in this area. I'll go out and ask him what's going on."

He didn't ask Chu Jiujiu to go out with him and get to know the man outside the door, and Chu Jiujiu didn't ask him to do so. She nodded obediently and watched Han Shengyi leave. After two seconds, Chu Jiujiu stood up and went to the kitchen. The Han family's thermos was always full, filled with steaming water. Chu Jiujiu poured out a cup and waited for it to cool. She quietly walked to the kitchen window and looked through the window at the two people standing outside.

The man surnamed Wang looked quite old, at least in his early twenties. He was broad-shouldered and had a completely different style from the elegant Han Shengyi. He looked very happy, and when he was excited, he patted Han Shengyi's back hard. Han Shengyi had his back to the window, so Chu Jiujiu could not see his expression or hear what he said. She only saw the man surnamed Wang showing an embarrassed expression. He withdrew his hand and never touched Han Shengyi again.

Chu Jiujiu leaned against the window, looking thoughtful, and at this moment, the phone in the living room rang. The ringtone was so loud that Chu Jiujiu was startled and almost knocked over the hot water in her hand.

She was eavesdropping and peeping, and she was already feeling guilty, with a string always tense in her heart. Suddenly there was such a big noise, and she thought it had something to do with her.

Finding that it was just the phone ringing, Chu Jiujiu quickly put down the water cup and ran out to answer the call.

Picking up the receiver, Chu Jiujiu asked cheerfully, "Hello, who is this?"

"you……"

With a snap, the opponent died.

Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a moment, and she subconsciously looked at the receiver. At this time, Grandma Han, who was taking a nap, and Han Shengyi, who was talking outside, walked in.

Grandma Han: "Is there a phone call?"

Han Shengyi asked, "Who called?"

Chu Jiujiu looked at them in confusion, "I don't know either. I just asked who it was, and the other party hung up the phone."

——

Chu Jiujiu was very surprised, and Han Bantian was not much better. The receiver in her hand was suddenly snatched away by someone and hung on the phone. She was a little slow to react.

After a second, she raised her head and looked at the middle-aged man beside her.

"Dad, why did you hang up so soon?"

Han Jibin: "If it wasn't your grandparents who answered the phone, then there's no need to continue."

Han Bantian was still puzzled, but she still said "oh" obediently. After a while, she asked again: "Dad, was the person who answered the phone just now that Chu Jiujiu?"

Almost the entire capital area now knows that the Han family and the Chu family have a good relationship. In the eyes of outsiders, these are two small families that have experienced pain and have formed a big family together. In the past, they shared hardships, and now they share happiness.

But in Han Jibin's eyes, they were just a few unlucky guys who had come to occupy his position.

Just now, when Han Bantian was on the phone, Han Jibin was listening next to her. When he noticed that the voice on the other end was wrong, Han Jibin was quick to hang up the phone immediately.

He asked Han Bantian to call the Han family, and the person who answered the call had to have the surname Han. Otherwise, if Han Bantian didn't perform well, not only would he not get the desired effect, but he would also end up making things worse.

Thinking of the clear female voice he had just heard, Han Jibin was silent for a moment, then smiled at Han Bantian, "That should be it. Apart from her, it seems that no one else would appear there at this time."

Han Bantian frowned. She usually listened to Han Jibin, but now, seeing the forced smile on Han Jibin's face, she couldn't help but feel distressed for her father. "Dad, can't you just go to the Second Master directly? Tell him everything that happened back then, and he will forgive you!"

Han Bantian looked at Han Jibin anxiously, but when Han Jibin heard what she said, his expression suddenly fell, "What did you call him?"

Han was stunned for a long time.

Han Jibin stood up and looked down at his daughter with a cold expression: "He is your grandpa! Call him grandpa, remember!"

Han Bantian shuddered, lowered her head, and nodded quickly.

This was not the first time that Han Bantian had experienced such a scene. A long time ago, when the Han couple were just sent down to the countryside, she accidentally called Han Tinghui "Grandpa". Then, Han Jibin got angry with her and asked her to call Han Tinghui "Second Master" from then on.

As time goes by, nothing around me has changed, yet it seems like everything has changed.

Dad is still the same moody person. Han Bantian admires him, but is also afraid of him.

But she didn't understand. When Han Tinghui was demoted, he was very angry. Why did Han Jibin still look unhappy now that he was back?

Seeing his daughter's timid appearance, a trace of disappointment flashed across Han Jibin's face. It was he who scared his daughter like this, and it was also he who disliked his daughter like this. However, after a moment of silence, Han Jibin sat down again. He patted Han Bantian's shoulder and comforted her, "I'm sorry, Dad was just too worried."

After a pause, he changed the subject. "When school starts again, you'll be a high school student. I know you've been upset about not doing well on your last exam. Haven't you always wanted to go to XX High School? I found two people, and they said that as long as you pass the entrance exam, you can transfer to this high school."

Han Bantian hesitated for a moment. She didn't really want to go to XX High School, but she had mentioned it a long time ago, saying it was a good place to study and that you could get out early in the evening. She knew many people in the high school she got into, so even though she didn't do well on the test, Han Bantian wasn't too disappointed.

XX High School is more famous than the one she applied to. Han Bantian was torn between face and friendship for a few minutes. Finally, she nodded to Han Jibin and said, "Thank you, Dad."

Seeing this, Han Jibin also smiled with satisfaction, "You will like it there."

——

XX High School is the school where Chu Jiujiu and her friends are attending now.

School starts in a month. Chu Jiujiu has never worked before, so she was very excited on the first day.

But when she got there, she didn't even have time to greet Director Ma. Then, Director Ma brought a huge stack of information and asked her to read it quickly. On the first day, Chu Jiujiu did nothing but read. The same was true on the second day. Until the third day, she vaguely felt that she had read nearly ten million words in the past few days. Finally, the time had come when the institute needed her.

Chu Jiujiu sat numbly in the middle of the office. A small table was specially set up for her. Chu Jiujiu sat beside the small table. There were researchers all around her. Those researchers were writing furiously. Only when they encountered difficult problems would they look up and discuss with their colleagues. During their discussion, Chu Jiujiu played her role.

"Hey, how long is a Majiayao bronze knife?"

Chu Jiujiu replied expressionlessly: "12.5 centimeters."

"Hmm," the man wrote quickly on his paper. "I remember it lacking the usual rings on knives. It also seems to have another feature. What is it?"

Chu Jiujiu was silent for a moment, then replied, "No trough yet."

"Right, right, right!" the man quickly wrote it down. "So the discovery of the Majiayao bronze knife not only proves that Chinese bronze artifacts can be traced back five thousand years, but also directly reveals the evolution of Chinese knives! Quick, Jiujiu, think of bronze artifacts that are similar to this period!"

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

She is an encyclopedia of emotions.

No, calling her an encyclopedia is an exaggeration. She should be called an emotionless search engine.

She has already thought of the advertising slogan. Have a drink and you’ll know.

…

This wasn't the kind of help she'd imagined. She felt like a mascot, unable to do anything but recall the information she'd read. But Chu Jiujiu couldn't complain, because only by seeing it with her own eyes did she realize how busy everyone really was.

I was so busy that I had to stare at the messy papers while eating.

China has a history of 5,000 years, and the history of bronze ware began in the Neolithic Age. It appeared in an era when there was no formed writing. Engraved on the rusty utensils is the wisdom and spirit of the Chinese nation that has been passed down for thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Seven people have to integrate these things that have existed for thousands of years in just a few months. How huge a project is this? Chu Jiujiu had no idea before, but now she knows.

Therefore, Chu Jiujiu didn't even dare to disturb them, let alone complain. She played the role of a search engine conscientiously. If no one asked her, she would continue to read and try to remember more.

This really proves the saying that fortunes change, and this year it's my turn.

At the beginning, the busiest person was Chu Liqiang, then it became Wen Xiuwei, and now it is Chu Jiujiu. Her working hours are the same as Director Ma and others. Several times, Han Shengyi found that she had not returned yet, so he went to the courtyard to wait for her.

The Han and Chu families always have dinner together. Chu Shao went to pick up Wen Xiuwei and had no time to pick up Chu Jiujiu, so he asked Han Shengyi to pick her up. In fact, even if he didn't say it, Han Shengyi would come over.

The east wing is the location of the research institute. Except for the east wing, the rest of the rooms are bare. The light bulbs are working well, but Han Shengyi doesn't even have a place to sit. After Chu Jiujiu was picked up by him several times, she gave Han Shengyi an idea and asked him to go to Grandpa Wang's house next door to sit for a while. After it was over, she would go to Wang's house to find him.

I had already known Grandpa Wang before. He was also friends with Wang Hongye at school. Occasionally, the three of them, plus Wang Hongye, would eat together in the cafeteria.

When he arrived at the Wang family's house, only Grandpa Wang was there. Han Shengyi greeted Grandpa Wang, and then he was not idle either. He helped Grandpa Wang take care of the plants in the yard.

Grandpa Wang was surprised to find that Han Shengyi could also thrust and thrust. "Shengyi, you can even do this."

Han Shengyi smiled and said, "When I was in Qingzhu Village, I was responsible for a vegetable plot. I planted different things every year. Slowly, I got the hang of it."

Grandpa Wang nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. It's also a good skill."

Speaking of craftsmanship, Han Shengyi asked him, "Has Wang Hongye found a job?"

Grandpa Wang grinned, "I found him. His aunt helped him. He's an apprentice in a machinery factory. He's an apprentice this year and will be a regular employee next year. Actually, I think Hongye is not suitable for this kind of assembly line work. I wanted him to look for a job at home, but he didn't want to. He just wanted to go out and work as soon as possible."

Han Shengyi understood, "He is a sincere person and doesn't want to sit around doing nothing at home."

Grandpa Wang sighed, "I know. It would be great if his parents could come back. I wanted Hongye to join the army, but he didn't want to go. He insisted that he wanted to do what he liked. But when I asked him what he liked, he couldn't tell me."

At this point, Grandpa Wang said angrily, "Joining the army is so great, how can it not be considered something you enjoy? Hongye and Chu Shao, these two people are so stubborn! They don't listen to adults at all!"

Han Shengyi: "Wang Hongye has his own ideas. If you ask me, Grandpa Wang, he is worried about you, so he still wants to find a job nearby."

Unexpectedly, he could see through this. Grandpa Wang looked at Han Shengyi with even greater respect. "I don't usually see you talking to Hongye much, how do you know him so well?"

Han Shengyi just smiled and said nothing. He couldn't tell Grandpa Wang that your grandson has a straight intestine and a brain, and it is easier to tell what he is thinking than drinking water or eating.

…

Wang Hongye is filial, but he really doesn't like military life. He is a person who doesn't like to follow rules. The army has strict discipline. If he goes, his already boring life will probably become even more boring.

Grandpa Wang didn't force him. Now, he just hoped that his children and grandchildren would be safe and sound. As for the saying "wealth and honor are to be sought in danger", let those who have the courage to do it.

Grandpa Wang didn't know that the person in front of him was someone who understood these five words. He chatted with Han Shengyi for a while, looked at the time, and felt that Wang Hongye would be back soon. Grandpa Wang rolled his eyes, walked over to Han Shengyi, and whispered to him, "When you guys go out to play together, how do Hongye and Jiujiu get along?"

Han Shengyi didn't understand why he suddenly thought of asking this.

After a pause of one second, he said honestly, "It's fine."

Grandpa Wang's eyes lit up, "Really? Jiujiu actually likes Hongye, a wooden person like him?"

Han Shengyi: “…”

He said tactfully, "Jiujiu gets along well with everyone. She's very outgoing. Otherwise, Chief Qi wouldn't be thinking of inviting her to his home every day."

What he meant by this was that the special person was Chu Jiujiu, not Wang Hongye. She treated everyone like this, regardless of whether she liked him or not.

It was unclear whether Grandpa Wang understood or not. He nodded silently, then said to Han Shengyi, "Shengyi, I think they're still busy at the research institute. Why don't you just stop coming? It's so hot in the summer, coming and going. I've also noticed that Jiujiu hasn't been out before seven o'clock lately. Hongye gets off work at six and is home before half past six. From now on, have Hongye take Jiujiu home so you don't have to make the trip all the time."

Han Shengyi looked at Grandpa Wang silently, carefully examining the expression on his face. Then, Han Shengyi politely rejected him, "No need, I can do it. If grandma knew, she would definitely not want us to trouble your grandson so much."

Grandpa Wang: "Hey - how can this be a problem? Hongye is kind-hearted, and I have been good friends with Jiujiu's grandfather for life. I look after Jiujiu like my own granddaughter."

At this point, Grandpa Wang wanted to talk again. He would not easily tell outsiders about family matters, but their family members were too small. Apart from him, there was only Wang Hongye left, and the latter did not like him to talk about such things, so he always had no one to talk to.

Pretending to share a little secret, Grandpa Wang said with a smile, "You don't know, when Old Chu and I were young, we talked about bringing our two families' children together. Back then, there was still child marriage. Originally, it was about Hongye and Chu Shao, but who knew that Chu Shao was born a boy? I told Old Chu, then we should wait until your family has an eldest granddaughter. And now, Jiujiu is here."

Grandpa Wang laughed very happily, like an old child. Coincidentally, Wang Hongye came in carrying a bicycle. When Grandpa Wang saw him, he immediately stood up and said, "You're back. I'll go call Aunt Zheng and ask her to cook for us."

Before entering the house, he said to Han Shengyi: "Shengyi, eat too, don't be polite, it's like being at home here, if you don't eat, I will be angry."

After saying that, Grandpa Wang walked in. Wang Hongye parked his bicycle in his yard and turned on the faucet. Wang Hongye quickly washed his face, his chin still dripping with water. He walked over to Han Shengyi and called him, "I'm here. Is Jiujiu not out yet?"

Han Shengyi looked at him and didn't say anything for a while.

Wang Hongye: “……?”