040 Penalty Result
After subtly showing off enough, Guan Yuehe stopped mentioning "my bicycle" and "my radio" in every two sentences and became a normal little Guan again.
Having bought a bicycle and a radio, and with over two hundred yuan in savings, Guan Yuehe didn't want to deprive herself. She bought several boxes of biscuits from the state-run store that didn't require coupons, and also asked Sister-in-law Zhou to help her roast a few pounds of melon seeds.
Every time I open the dresser in my bedroom, I feel especially satisfied: it's so nice to have everything I need!
After work that day, Guan Yuehe went to the post office to pick up a package.
The letter I sent at the end of last year didn't arrive until the beginning of this year.
"Ding Xuewen told us we don't need to send him supplies anymore. He's amazing! He became a teacher in the brigade, so we don't have to worry about food anymore." Lin Sitian happily read the message aloud again, making sure she hadn't missed anything, before continuing to read after confirming the good news.
“Some fellow villagers even offered to introduce him to potential partners, but he said he’s not considering marriage for the time being.”
We don't know how future policies will change. Now that we're married, I'm worried it will be difficult to come back later. After all, it's always easier for one person to transfer their household registration and relationship than for two.
Guan Yuehe, annoyed that Lin Sitian was reading too slowly, leaned closer and quickly flipped to the next page, which was also a whole page filled with dense text.
The letter didn't mention his family, but it praised their progress for half a page.
Lin Sitian pointed to the last sentence: "Learn from Comrade Lin Sitian and Comrade Guan Yuehe, and always strive for progress!" She laughed, "Take this to Xu Chengcai tomorrow and let him reflect on it carefully!"
Guan Yuehe smiled and thought to herself, "Xu Chengcai is going to say I'm showing off again."
Inside the house, they were sorting through the dried goods that Ding Xuewen had sent, while in courtyard number three, Aunt Ding also received a letter from Inner Mongolia from the mailman, another letter asking for money and ration coupons.
But this time, Aunt Ding wasn't like before; she wouldn't feel sorry for her eldest grandson who was going to the countryside after reading the letter.
Going to the countryside was hard work, and life in the city wasn't much better. I couldn't stand the monthly letters asking for money and coupons, and each time they would ask for ten yuan.
Just as he was looking miserable, he saw Aunt Xie running back cheerfully, clutching the telegram.
"A letter from my hometown—is there some good news?"
"Not really. Zhenxing from my family said he got the necessary documents and came to the city to see me."
Aunt Ding gave a sneer, "Your second son is coming to stay with Zhenhua and Axiu? Does Axiu know about this? I'm not saying this outright, but you're not being polite at all in staying in your daughter-in-law's house!"
"What daughter-in-law's house? Half of this belongs to Zhenhua, okay!" Of course, if Liu Axiu's family hadn't been so capable, and if she hadn't been the group leader, she wouldn't have gotten the entire side room. But Aunt Xie wouldn't give all the credit to Liu Axiu.
Hearing the bicycle bell coming from the alley entrance, Aunt Ding chuckled. She was just waiting to see what would happen.
To Aunt Ding's disappointment, the Xie family didn't start arguing. In fact, Aunt Xie even went to the No. 2 courtyard to ask Aunt Zhao to reserve a cot, saying that her youngest son would be coming to stay for a few days.
When listening to the radio that evening, everyone was speculating about what Aunt Xie's youngest son was doing in the city. Could it be that Liu Axiu's family had found him a job?
"Impossible!" Grandpa Zhang said firmly. "I asked around, and the factory isn't hiring this year. Even if they are, they can only hire the children of factory workers. Teacher Xie's brother's household registration doesn't meet the requirements."
Not to mention the significant gap between urban and rural household registration. There aren't many state-owned factories like Zhuoyue Garment Factory that have been established for a short time; most state-owned factories don't actually lack workers.
Currently, at least tens of thousands of junior high school graduates face the problem of being sent to the countryside or being assigned jobs every year, while the entire city of Beijing can only release three or four thousand recruitment quotas, or even fewer. With such a huge shortage, now when various units recruit, they can almost only accept applications from their own employees' children.
"I've noticed that Aunt Xie has been seeing Matchmaker Liu quite often. Could it be that she wants Matchmaker Liu to introduce a woman from the city to her youngest son?"
Everyone nodded; that must be it.
Then, everyone couldn't help but glance at the second aunt.
Among them, Zhang Chaonan from the second aunt's family is the one who wants to marry into the family, and Aunt Xie might have her eye on Zhang Chaonan. Moreover, Zhang Chaonan has found a partner himself and doesn't want to marry into the family anymore, which has caused him to argue with Uncle Zhang and the second aunt quite a bit.
The second aunt's face darkened. "Bah! Even if we don't take in a son-in-law, we would never marry into her family!"
Zhang Chaonan added fuel to the fire: "How many good men are willing to come to your door? They don't have jobs, they're not city residents, and once they're in, they'll have to share the family's food rations. If you take in Aunt Xie's youngest son, will his father come along too? If you don't bring him, there will be trouble later... Ah! Brother-in-law Jin, I'm not talking about you, I really am not talking about you."
Jin Junwei smiled broadly, not minding at all, and even chimed in to help analyze: "Not only that, what if we hire someone who's lazy, good-for-nothing, and ugly, who acts like a king at home every day? Wouldn't that be a nightmare? Second Aunt, you have to be careful. What if he sets his sights on Uncle Zhang's job and then treats the Super Girl badly? Wouldn't that be like jumping into a fire pit?"
"Yes! Mom, listen to what your brother-in-law said. He's been there, so listen to his experience. It's not easy to find someone like him. We should just date normally and get married."
"That was really difficult!" Zhou Hongqi thought to herself: She was selected from among thousands.
The second aunt wanted to refute, but Jin Junwei was a living example, and what he said was the most worthy of reference. She couldn't find anything wrong with what he said for the time being.
"That's strange," Aunt Bai suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention. Everyone looked over, waiting to hear what new story was about.
"Many families in other courtyards can become in-laws, so why do the young people in the courtyards around here not like each other?"
Upon closer examination, everyone realized it was true!
Not to mention anything else, just look at courtyards one, two, and three. There are quite a few unmarried young people of similar age in these three courtyards, but there's just no sign of anything happening between them.
"What else could it be?" Zhou Hongqi said, "The women in our department are all good-looking, but the men... well, they're all men, it would be strange if they could even spark a romance!"
The men present all looked livid.
It may sound harsh, but that's really the truth.
“In our No. 3 compound, Xu Xiaomei and Yuehua are both beautiful and have jobs. They would have plenty of suitors in the factory. And in your compound, all three women of marriageable age have jobs. Look at Yuehe, she has a house, a job, and is a soon-to-be college graduate. None of the women in our factory are good enough for her.”
Guan Yuehe looked at Zhou Hongqi with bright eyes: If anyone says that Sister Hongqi only knows how to throw punches and not how to say nice things, she will be the first to disagree!
Chang Zhengyi couldn't help but stand up and say, "Sister Hongqi, I'm not bad, am I? Why is it that only men are considered men?"
"Hehe." Zhou Hongqi and Guan Yuehe's gazes met through the neighbors, and they rolled their eyes in unison.
Guan Yuehe: Skinny bamboo pole!
Zhou Hongqi: Not as good-looking as my Junwei!
Guan Yuehe then remembered that ever since she got her university spot, no one had offered to introduce her to a potential partner in front of her.
Xu Qianjin was the only one who actually tried to ask her to go to the movies. But it seems that Xu Qianjin doesn't dare to contact her anymore.
It saved her a lot of trouble.
However, many people are eyeing her job and house. Relatives are eyeing them, and even neighbors dare to covet them.
But no matter who asks, she only has one question: "Am I your father or your mother? Why should you take over my job and live in my house?"
They always manage to shut people up.
Actually, she was already very polite. If it were her sister's original words, she would have replied with a whole paragraph, not just a sentence!
Those who coveted her house couldn't gain anything, so they naturally shifted their focus to the Sun family's house, which is still locked up.
By mid-February, a series of cases involving child trafficking and theft of state assets that stemmed from the disappearance of children in Bao'an and Baoning finally came to an end, and the verdicts for Sun Dashan and others were announced.
"Zhou Changshun was involved in human trafficking, he's definitely going to get shot, am I right?"
“The old folks of the Zhou family wouldn’t dare to cause trouble anymore. They’re practically like rats in the street. The rest of the Zhou family have cut ties with Zhou Changshun, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to keep their jobs either.”
Everyone was even more eager to know the outcome of Sun Dashan's case, urging those who knew the news to speak out quickly.
“Sun Dashan was not involved in human trafficking, but he was sentenced to five years and will be sent to a farm in the Northwest for reform.”
"What about the factory's punishment? What about the vacant jobs and housing?" This is what everyone is most concerned about.
Soon, everyone in Ginkgo Alley knew about the car factory's punishment.
Guan Yuehe was very surprised, "Divorced and severing ties, how can she still take over Sun Dashan's job and house?"
That's right, Wu Erni and Sun Dashan got divorced. Grandpa Sun, Grandma Sun, and Sun Jiawang published a notice severing ties with Sun Dashan, and Sun Dashan's job and house were transferred to Wu Erni.
When this result came out, Guan Yuehe doubted that she had heard correctly, and the workers at the car factory were even more unable to understand it.
"There's definitely something fishy going on! Sun Dashan was locked up, so the factory should have fired him! Why should his wife get the job and the house? I'm not having it! I'm going to file a complaint!"
A moment later, a group of people shouted excitedly, "We're not satisfied! We'll file a complaint!"
If Ginkgo Alley weren't so far from the car factory, everyone would definitely have rushed to the factory to demand an explanation from the leaders.
Grandpa Zhang stepped forward with his hands behind his back, and waited until everyone calmed down before saying, "Sun Dashan's job and house originally belonged to Wu Erni's father. He was a hero who sacrificed his life to save collective property!"
Everyone quieted down and looked at the old worker, Grandpa Zhang. Only those who had worked at the factory for over ten years had any recollection of him. Younger workers like Guan Yuehe had no idea that Wu Erni's father was a hero!
After Wu Erni's father sacrificed his life, his job and house were left to her. However, she made a foolish mistake after marrying Sun Dashan and gave up her job to him. Over time, Wu Erni, who did not earn money, became a punching bag and a victim of bullying at home.
Wu Erni's family wasn't originally allocated a house here; they were only reassigned to a place in Ginkgo Hutong after she got married. They had hoped for two rooms, but ended up with only one. As soon as Engineer Zhou left, Sun Dashan started causing trouble. Otherwise, Sun Dashan wouldn't be in his current predicament.
Now that Sun Dashan has been sentenced, Wu Erni, perhaps inspired by her father's old friend, immediately divorced him, pleaded with the factory leaders about their past relationship, and got her job and house back.
A group of people argued for a month, but in the end they got nothing; the Sun family still moved back as before. You can imagine how upset they were.
But who can say the factory's decision is wrong? Wu Erni's father has done a lot for the factory, so the factory can't just ignore Wu Erni.
So, the day after the factory's punishment results were announced, the Sun family, except for Sun Dashan, slunk back to Ginkgo Hutong.
Sister-in-law Zhou didn't like the Sun family, but now she knew that dealing with scoundrels required being ruthless. When Grandpa and Grandma Sun shamelessly came to borrow oil and salt, she chased them away with a broom while cursing them.
As Sister-in-law Zhou became more assertive, Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun learned to behave themselves and dared not spread rumors or try to take advantage of others as they used to. Even Sun Jiawang became timid and hesitant.
When Cai Ying came over to arrest the Northwest and Southwest families, she mentioned the Sun family and said, "They first picked the softest dough in the yard to knead, and found that they couldn't knead it. The other families were even tougher, so they knew to back down."
Guan Yuehe was amused; she was part of the tough team too.
Guan Yuehe gave Cai Ying a thumbs up, "Sister-in-law, you're absolutely right! Some people are just always taking advantage of others, you can't be nice to them!"
But Wu Erni is really disappointing. She's already got a job and a house, yet she still puts up with Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun's bad temper.
If you ask her, those who can't tell the difference between the king and the queen will know how tough it is after a few meals of hunger.
"They are her in-laws, and Jiawang's grandmother, no matter what. If she really goes too far, won't people gossip about her behind her back?" Aunt Erda disapproved of Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun, but she also felt that Wu Erni should support the two old people.
Guan Yuehe subconsciously reached behind her back to touch her spine; poking it a couple of times wouldn't break a piece of flesh.
"You're divorced, why should you still support your ex-husband's parents? They're no good either, they'll corrupt the kids sooner or later."
Auntie Er looked at Guan Yuehe, who was cracking her knuckles, and said, "If everyone could fight like you, things would be much simpler!"
Guan Yuehe was annoyed by Grandpa Sun and Grandma Sun's incessant complaints, and even more disgusted by Wu Erni's silent suffering, so she turned and went to courtyard number three.
The Xie family in courtyard number three was also bustling with activity.
Guan Yuehe finally met the legendary Xie Zhenxing.
Xie Zhenhua was considered tall among gay men. He was handsome, well-groomed, and wore glasses, giving him the appearance of a cultured man.
Xie Zhenxing has a rough, street-smart look and isn't very tall. His facial features do resemble Xie Zhenhua's, but overall they don't look like brothers at all.
Aunt Xie was overjoyed to finally see her youngest son. She ran around preparing food and told everyone she met, "Yes, my youngest son is here!"
Aunt Xie even took Xie Zhenxing to visit everyone, so that everyone could see what her youngest son looked like. It was somewhat like a newlywed bride visiting her neighbors.
The Xie family.
Xie Zhenxing sat to the side watching Aunt Xie make the bed, and asked, "Does that family in the main courtyard have two daughters who are still unmarried?"
Aunt Xie quickly covered his mouth to make him speak softly, "Don't even think about the Guan sisters, you can't out-argue the older one, and you can't beat the younger one."
In reality, the two sisters were too arrogant. She thought that no matter how good her youngest son was, he wasn't good enough for everyone to love.
"Look at what you're saying, she looks quite gentle, the older one is much better." He stood at the Guan family's door and was immediately attracted to the girl with two braids.
"He's got a girlfriend, and I think it'll be a done deal soon." Seeing her youngest son suddenly look disappointed, Aunt Xie patted his arm and said, "Don't worry, the girl I found for you is good-looking too."
Xie Zhenxing nodded perfunctorily, but he still felt uneasy.
The conversation in the living room couldn't be hidden from the people in the master bedroom. Liu Axiu curled her lip in disgust and pushed Xie Zhenhua, who was leaning against the wall, saying, "Your mother says Yuehua is arrogant, but I think your brother is!"
Xie Zhenhua didn't reply. He turned his back to her and made sure to give Tingting, who was sleeping in the middle, more blankets.
Without him saying a word, Liu Axiu could continue talking to herself: "Your brother is so shameless. He lent him a cot, but it wasn't enough for him. He even made your mother sleep on the cot while he slept on the kang (heated brick bed). He's so filial."
"Anyway, we agreed beforehand that he'd only be here for half a month. If he doesn't find a partner after half a month, he'll go back to his hometown; if he does, he'll move out. There's no extra room for him..."
Tingting, who was sleeping in the middle, suddenly pouted and was about to cry. Liu Axiu immediately stopped complaining and patted Tingting's back to lull her to sleep.
Tingting is used to sleeping with her grandma, but now that her brother-in-law is here, she has to be sent back to their room because she's not used to sleeping on the kang (heated brick bed) here.
When Xie Zhenxing woke up, most of the people in the courtyard had gone to work. He went out to use the restroom and happened to run into Guan Yuehe pushing her bicycle out of the No. 2 courtyard.
He habitually whistled at Guan Yuehe, who frowned and stopped moving, turning her bicycle to its side. Xie Zhenxing thought she wanted to talk to him, so he smiled, only to be pinned against the wall.
"Shut for me a couple more times?"
His face was pressed until it was deformed, and he couldn't speak. But when his calves were kicked, he could howl.
"If you do this to me again, I'll shove your head into the broken water vat under the ginkgo tree. If you know you're wrong, then nod your head."
Xie Zhenxing burst into tears. He couldn't move, so how could he nod?
"If you don't speak, I'll take that as a yes." Guan Yuehe released the person, kicked him in the back, and made him kneel down with his back to her.
Chang Zhengyi was stunned as soon as he stepped out of the main gate. "Second Brother Xie, are you going to kowtow? Sister Yuehe, what are you doing now?"
“I saw him kowtowing, which was quite novel. I’ve never seen anyone kowtow to the toilet first thing in the morning before.”
Chang Zhengyi: "Who has ever seen this before?! We don't have these customs here."
He also kindly reminded Xie Zhenxing not to do anything suspicious outside, or he would be reported or seen by the patrolmen wearing red armbands, because he would have to do his share of the farm work.
After the two of them rode away on their bicycles, Xie Zhenxing slowly got up, grimacing and leaning against the wall. He touched his knee and gasped for breath again.
"Oh dear! Zhenxing, what happened to you?" Aunt Xie rushed over to help him up with concern. "You fell? Who was that scoundrel who splashed water against the wall? Get out here..."
The alley suddenly fell silent; no one made a sound.
After Guan Yuehe's outburst that morning, Xie Zhenxing didn't dare to whistle outside, and he didn't even dare to peek inside the Guan family's house when he passed by.
He still had feelings for Guan Yuehua, but it was no use; she was having dinner with her partner's family to discuss marriage.
—
Excellent Garment Factory.
"Xiao Guan, can you give me some advice? We're going to a state-run restaurant this Sunday. What dishes should we order? I'll talk to the chef in advance."
"Braised pork belly, pork stew with vermicelli, roast duck..."
Gu Mannian: "It's best to order some dishes that your parents and sister like to eat."
“They all love to eat meat! Everyone loves to eat meat! Don’t worry, they love it!” Seeing that he didn’t move, Guan Yuehe urged, “Don’t just stand there like an idiot, quickly write it down. I’ll read it to you again…”
Sister Zhu came to the purchasing department looking for someone. "Xiao Guan, you need to go to the personnel department to complete the formalities. You don't need to come to work next month."
Guan Yuehe nodded, then asked, "So, I can still get my salary at the beginning of next month, right?"
"You'll get your share, hurry up."
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