Chapter 642 Zhao Jianguo’s Dilemma
After leaving Dapeng's house, Zhou Yimin picked up the remaining cloth bag and walked towards Director Li's house.
Although the two people were not in the same system, the street office at that time had great power. It could be said that people's birth, aging, illness and death were all inseparable from the street office.
From this we can see how great the power of the street office is. Moreover, Zhou Yimin has lived in this courtyard for a long time, so it is very necessary for him to establish a good relationship with the director of the street office.
The cloth bag contained two bags of milk powder, a bottle of sesame oil, and some dry goods brought from the countryside, all of which were practical items.
As soon as he reached Director Li's gate, he saw her standing on the steps sweeping snow, the bamboo broom making a rustling sound. "Aunt Li, are you busy?" Zhou Yimin called out.
Director Li turned around and saw him. Her eyes lit up and she quickly put down her broom and came forward. There was still some snow foam on her apron. "Yimin, how come you have time to come here? Come in, come in."
She patted Zhou Yimin's arm and said warmly, "I was talking about you to your brother Jianguo the other day. He said you are a down-to-earth kid and someone who can be trusted to do things."
"It's the New Year now, so I came to wish you a happy new year." Zhou Yimin handed over the cloth bag with a smile.
"It's just a little gift, please accept it."
Director Li quickly waved his hand: "You kid, just come here, what are you bringing? Take it back and give it to your partner."
Although he said he was refusing, his hand involuntarily took the cloth bag and weighed it, feeling that it was not light. Just as he was about to say something to refuse, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the milk powder bag sticking out from the gap in the cloth bag. His grandson was in the process of being weaned, and he was worried about where to buy milk powder.
The words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue suddenly stopped, and the smile on his face became more genuine: "Come in and sit, it's cold outside. We just lit the stove in the house, it's warm."
Zhou Yimin followed him into the house, which was warm and cozy. There was a calendar on the wall with a bright peony pattern printed on it, and next to it was a "Civilized Family" certificate issued by the Zhang Street Office.
Director Li's daughter-in-law was sitting at the table sewing shoe soles. Seeing Zhou Yimin, she quickly stood up, the needle and thread in her hand still pinned to the cloth: "Yimin is here?"
She turned and walked towards the kitchen, "I'll get you a glass of water."
"Sorry to trouble you, sister-in-law." Zhou Yimin said politely.
Director Li put the cloth bag on the counter, deliberately pushed the milk powder inside, and then pulled Zhou Yimin to sit down: "What are you busy with recently?"
"It's still the same thing." Zhou Yimin nodded with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, his sister-in-law came over with a cup of hot water, with steam coming out of the glass.
"Yimin, drink some water." Sister-in-law placed the cup of water on the coffee table in front of him, with two rock sugars at the bottom of the cup.
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Zhou Yimin picked up the water cup and took a sip, and the sweet warmth flowed down his throat.
"Why isn't Brother Jianguo here?" he asked, putting down his water cup.
Director Li quickly answered, "Jianguo, he went out to visit relatives early this morning and won't be back until noon."
She stuffed a handful of fruit candy into Zhou Yimin's hand and said, "Don't leave today. Let's eat here. I'll ask your sister-in-law to kill a chicken. When your brother Jianguo comes back, we'll have a couple of drinks together."
"No, Aunt Li, I have to..." Zhou Yimin was about to refuse when he was interrupted by Director Li.
"Don't say anything, it's settled!" Director Li slammed the table, his tone firm and unyielding.
"You kid, you can't even be invited normally, and you're here today and you want to leave? Besides, the meal is almost ready, and your sister-in-law and I won't be able to finish it if you don't eat."
Zhou Yimin looked at Director Li's insistent expression and knew that this was a genuine attempt to keep him company. Besides, not having to cook was a good thing, so he smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite. Thank you and my sister-in-law for your help."
"Why are you being so polite to me?" Director Li smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits, and stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
"I'll go talk to your sister-in-law and ask her to cook two more dishes so you can taste her cooking skills."
Zhou Yimin looked at the awards on the wall, listened to the voices of Director Li and his sister-in-law coming from the kitchen, and the occasional sound of firecrackers outside the window.
At this moment, there was a creaky sound of the door opening at the gate of the courtyard, followed by familiar footsteps.
Zhao Jianguo opened the door curtain and walked in, still feeling cold. Seeing Zhou Yimin sitting in the room, his eyes lit up. He quickly rubbed his red, frozen hands, strode over and patted him on the shoulder: "Yimin, boy, how come you have time to come here!"
The voice is loud and cheerful.
"Since I'm free today, I came over to wish you a happy new year." Zhou Yimin also stood up and patted him back with a smile.
"I was just talking about you, now here comes the devil."
Zhao Jianguo grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "That's right. I went to visit Mr. Wang in the east alley today and wished him a happy new year. We talked for a while, so I came back late."
He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair. There were still some snow particles on it. "You are a rare guest. Come and sit down."
As the two were talking, Director Li came out of the kitchen carrying a plate. Seeing Zhao Jianguo, he casually asked, "Jianguo, you're back?"
"Mom, I'm back." Zhao Jianguo responded, picked up the water cup on the table and took a big sip, with a hint of imperceptible loss in his eyes.
Li Zhuhe was very smart. He could tell at a glance that his son's face looked unhappy and there was a frown between his brows. He guessed in his heart that what he went out to do today might not have been accomplished.
Although she was a little anxious, she didn't ask any more questions in front of Zhou Yimin. She just raised the plate in her hand and said with a smile, "Dinner is ready."
My sister-in-law also brought out several dishes, including steaming chicken soup, shiny braised pork, green stir-fried vegetables, and a plate of golden fried meatballs, filling the small eight-immortal table.
Director Li took out another bottle of wine from the cabinet, poured half a glass into each of the two glasses, and pushed them in front of Zhou Yimin and Zhao Jianguo: "Come, Yimin, try this wine."
Zhao Jianguo picked up the wine glass, clinked it with Zhou Yimin, tilted his head back and took a big sip. The wine slid down his throat, but there was not much of a smile on his face.
Director Li picked up a chicken leg for Zhou Yimin and said, "Hurry up and eat your food. Try your sister-in-law's cooking. Her chicken soup is one of the best on this street."
Zhou Yimin tasted the chicken leg and nodded in delight: "Sister-in-law's cooking skills are really amazing, even better than those in restaurants."
My sister-in-law felt a little embarrassed by the compliment. She lowered her head and poured a bowl of soup for Director Li: "Mom, you should have some too."
At the dinner table, Director Li kept picking up food for Zhou Yimin and chatting about interesting things about the neighbors. Zhao Jianguo occasionally interjected a few words, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
In this way, the meal was finished in a cheerful atmosphere. After the meal, Zhao Jianguo's wife began to clean up.
Director Li, Zhou Yimin and the other two sat at the table drinking tea.
While eating, Zhou Yimin could feel that Zhao Jianguo was worried and drank more than usual. Although Director Li did not say it, he glanced at his son from time to time with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Brother Jianguo, are you in trouble? Tell me and see if I can help you."
Zhao Jianguo also understood that Zhou Yimin had good intentions, but Zhou Yimin had already helped him a lot, and if he asked for more, it would be a bit greedy.
“It’s all just a small matter!”
Director Li saw all of this. Her son had been staying up late these days for factory work, and now he was so worried that he couldn't even eat. She really couldn't bear it.
She looked at Zhou Yimin and pleaded, "Yimin, can you help your brother Jianguo again? He's shy and embarrassed to ask for help."
"The workers are short of oil and water. Jianguo has been running around to solve this problem, but it has not been solved."
Zhou Yimin looked at Director Li, then at Zhao Jianguo, who was looking anxious, and he already had an idea in his mind.
He put down his teacup and said seriously, "Aunt Li, Brother Jianguo, don't worry. I'll think of a way to deal with this. I'll see if I can get some big fat pigs. The pork is rich and oily."
Zhao Jianguo's eyes lit up, and the worry on his face faded a lot: "Big fat pig?"
"Yimin, are you telling the truth?"
Zhou Yimin said, "Brother Jianguo, I definitely wouldn't joke about something like this."
"When the time comes, report it to the factory manager and tell him you've found a special channel."
Director Li also breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on his face: "Yimin, you are smart. Now I feel relieved."
Zhao Jianguo scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "That's right, Yimin, you have the solution. If this works, not only will the workers be happy, but I'll also be able to stand up straight in logistics. I really don't know how to thank you."
"Why are you being so polite to me?" Zhou Yimin waved his hand.
"We're all neighbors, so it's only natural that we help each other. Once I've finalized the pig issue, I'll tell you the details."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became much more relaxed. The sadness on Zhao Jianguo's face completely disappeared, and he began to chat with Zhou Yimin.
The two chatted for a while, from the selection of pork to Zhou Yimin's current position as section chief, and it would probably not be long before he would be promoted again.
Zhou Yimin looked at the sky and saw that the sun was gradually setting, so he stood up and prepared to say goodbye. "Brother Jianguo, Aunt Li, it's getting late, I should go."
Zhao Jianguo quickly stood up and warmly tried to persuade him to stay: "Yimin, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let's have dinner here tonight. I'll ask your sister-in-law to make a few more dishes so we can have a couple of drinks. You've helped me so much, I'd feel bad if I didn't treat you to a meal."
Zhou Yimin smiled and waved his hand: "No, Brother Jianguo, I have to go somewhere else to celebrate the New Year, so I really can't have dinner here. It's not too late to treat me to a drink after this is done."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Zhao Jianguo knew he couldn't keep him, so he stopped trying to persuade him. He just turned around, took out a red envelope from the house, and stuffed it into Zhou Yimin's hand: "Yimin, this is a little gift from me. Take it. It's the New Year, so I'll bring you good luck."
Zhou Yimin was stunned for a moment and quickly declined: "Brother Jianguo, this won't do. How can I accept your red envelope?"
"Take it, it's not something valuable." Zhao Jianguo held his hand and said sincerely.
"You've helped me so much, this little thing is nothing. Besides, I should give you a red envelope for the New Year."
Director Li also chimed in: "Yimin, just accept it! This is a little gift from your brother Jianguo."
Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Zhou Yimin had no choice but to accept the red envelope and put it in his pocket: "Then I won't be polite. Thank you, Brother Jianguo, and thank you, Aunt Li."
"Why are you being so polite to us?" Director Li said with a smile, "Be careful on the road."
Zhou Yimin nodded, said goodbye to them, and left Zhao Jianguo's house.
After leaving Zhao Jianguo's home, Zhou Yimin went to Zhou Dazhong's courtyard as planned.
As soon as I pushed open the gate of the courtyard, I saw figures moving in the yard. When I got closer, I saw that it was Zhou Dazhong and Zhou Dafu.
The two men had obviously just returned from the village, still smelling of country soil, and were sitting on a stone bench in the yard packing their things.
When they saw Zhou Yimin come in, they were stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up and walked forward: "Uncle Sixteen, why are you here?"
Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "I came here to wish you a happy new year. I didn't expect you two to come back too."
Zhou Dazhong scratched his head and said, "It's almost time to go to work, so I should come back early to clean up and avoid being in a rush."
Zhou Dafu also nodded: "Yes, Uncle Sixteen, please come in and sit down. I'll go get you a glass of water."
Zhou Yimin agreed with a smile and followed them into the house. The yard suddenly became lively.
After entering the house, Zhou Yimin looked around at the furnishings inside. It was not spacious but it was tidy and clean. There were several New Year pictures on the wall, which gave off a strong New Year atmosphere.
He sat down on a chair against the wall and glanced around the room. Seeing no one else, he asked, "Where are your two wives? Why aren't they here?"
Zhou Dafu was placing teacups on the table when he heard this and was the first to speak: "Uncle Sixteen, we thought they didn't have to go to work, so they didn't need to come over for now."
"You know, we've only been married a few months. Before that, he spent most of his time in the city with us and never really stayed in the village."
"This is a good opportunity to let them stay in the village for a few more days, get to know the villagers and get familiar with the neighbors, so that they can feel more at ease when they return."
Zhou Dazhong listened from the side and nodded repeatedly in agreement: "Dafu is right. There are many people in the village who interact with each other, so it would be good for them to get familiar with each other sooner."
"Besides, there are elderly people taking care of them at home, so we don't have to worry about them. Once we finish our work, we'll go back and pick them up."
Zhou Yimin listened and nodded in understanding: "You are quite thoughtful. Since you have just married, you should spend more time in the village and interact with the villagers. Only when you get along well with them can you live a comfortable life."
He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, the warm tea sliding down his throat. "Are the elders in the village treating them well?"
Zhou Dafu grinned. "They're all pretty good. The aunts always chat with them about family matters and teach them needlework. My wife even sent a message yesterday saying that they're getting along very well with the sisters in the village."
Zhou Dazhong also smiled and said, "My wife also said that the people in the village are warm and welcoming, and it's much more comfortable than in the city."
Zhou Yimin looked at the relaxed expressions on their faces and felt relieved. He smiled and said, "That's good. As long as they can adapt, we men will feel more at ease working outside."
The three of them chatted about the village affairs, the atmosphere in the house became more and more lively, and the sky outside the window gradually darkened.
(End of this chapter)
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