Zuo Lin was secretly pleased when he heard this. He had always said that Xiao Wu was a very thorough and thorough person. If it were any other person, they would be so happy that they wouldn't worry about his influence. They would have rushed to find Old Ye. He knew Old Ye was a veteran. Every time he saw Zhang Guoqing, he would sigh that he didn't join the army and looked at him differently. He had a very good personal relationship with Zhang Guoqing, and if he asked, Old Ye would definitely find a solution.
"Xiaowu is always thorough and considerate of his uncle. I usually don't suggest this. There are two vacant rooms in the bureau this time, so Lao Er can take them first. When you settle down in the city and a colleague has housing difficulties, you can give them up. It will be a favor and will also look good to outsiders."
After hearing this, Zhang Guoqing gave a thumbs up and said with a smile: "Uncle is a man of many talents. We will listen to him. I will go to find Uncle Ye later. Uncle, do you have anything else to tell me?" After that, he asked Zhang Guoqiang to sit down, and he picked up the thermos to refill Zuo Lin's cup with boiling water.
Zuo Lin watched his every move, nodding secretly. He truly admired Zhang Guoqing's methods. Look at how he poured the water—respectful and natural, without a hint of flattery. He was serving him like a junior, not treating him like an outsider.
Zuo Lin nodded with a smile and said, "Are you waiting for your second brother's affairs to be settled, leaving only your eldest brother? I have two pieces of news that your Aunt Zuo asked me to pass on to you. Consider it for yourself. One is that a warehouse at the textile factory caught fire, and they are dealing with the warehouse employees, so there are vacancies. The factory has suppressed this matter and has not made it public. Also, the supply and marketing cooperative is also recruiting internally, but it has not been announced to the public."
Zhang Guoqing was silent for a moment, then looked up at Zuo Lin. "Uncle, thank you and Auntie. I have some concerns. I originally planned to wait until next year to discuss my eldest brother's matter. Three brothers going to the county town at once would be too eye-catching. It would have a bad impact on you, Auntie, and Uncle Dashan. I can't help but consider your status. Now that we have the opportunity, I can't think of a proper solution at the moment, so I'd better go back and discuss it with Jiaojiao. I'll find Auntie myself later on how to proceed."
Zuo Lin nodded approvingly. "That's a good idea. Think it over carefully before you act. There are always opportunities, so don't rush. I'm fine now. Lao Er will go down and take them to the county restaurant for dinner. Remember to watch more and talk less. Pay attention to what they say. Some information may be very useful to you. Give these clothes to Xiao Wu."
Zhang Guoqiang stood up and said seriously, "Uncle, I understand what you mean. I'll go downstairs first. Call me if you need anything."
Seeing him go out and close the door, Zuo Lin said, "Your second brother is fine, you can rest assured. If you are fine, pack these things and go find Old Ye. I guess he will be waiting for you. Everyone in the whole organization knows you are coming this morning. Didn't you see that the people from the Women's Federation across the street are watching the show?"
Zhang Guoqing, who was busy using string to pack the clothes into small balls, smiled and said, "It's okay. The women from the Women's Federation are just taking advantage of Aunt Cheng's absence. I'll go complain to Aunt Cheng later, and we'll see what they do."
"You're full of bad intentions. Wait till they find out and see how they deal with you. When are you planning on starting work? I heard the documents have all been sent down."
Zhang Guoqing straightened his clothes and sat down. "Yes, I have indeed come down. I discussed with Uncle Dashan that we should transfer our household registration first, report at the end of the year, and start working before the recruitment next year. I will transfer my household registration in the next few days. In December, our family will return to Beijing for the New Year. We will return after the end of the month and then go back to work. Uncle, is there anything you need to bring? I will tell you when we leave, so you should prepare in advance."
Zuo Lin shook his head. "I don't have anything to bring back. My grandfather and his family are all in the south. I don't need to deal with the social interactions in the capital."
Zhang Guoqing thought about it and said something more: "Uncle, if you go back in a few years, you have to prepare for your brothers at home early. You can't leave them here while you struggle alone. No matter how good your brothers are, they still have their own sons and your sister-in-law's family. While the old man is here, let the brothers go to the south during the New Year to see him and have a good chat with him. How can we cultivate relationships when he is far away?"
Zuo Lin stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a sigh, "You're really thoughtful. To be honest, your aunt has also taken these things into consideration. She plans to go south for the New Year this year, but the journey is too far. I'm hesitant. You're right, kid. We haven't seen each other for so many years, so it seems I should take the kids there once."
"Haha, I'm sorry for being nosy, uncle, please don't take it personally. It would be great if the old man could return to the capital early, and it would be good for your little brother to stay in the capital to accompany the old man. The salary is only a few dollars, and I heard that big cities are pretty good."
Zuo Lin laughed heartily. "Don't be surprised. I'm glad you're talking to me about this. Tell me if you have anything to say next time." He was secretly pleased. He knew Zhang Guoqing didn't like to meddle in other people's business. But he still reminded him to take the old man to Beijing as soon as possible to meet some people and not rely on his brother for everything. The youngest son just wanted to accompany him to meet people and have more social connections. When he returned on his own, the relationship would be better. What do you think about the big city? I didn't know this kid's temper and thought he was inexperienced.
Seeing that the conversation had reached this point, Zhang Guoqing didn't dare to continue and said goodbye quickly, "Uncle, I'll go find Uncle Ye first and not disturb you at work. If you have anything, just call my second brother to tell him." After saying that, he saw Zuo Lin nodded, picked up the big bag, waved his hand and left.
As he walked, he considered what he had just said. There was nothing wrong with it. No matter when Zuo Lin returned to Beijing, being able to open up the situation ahead of time would be beneficial to him. Furthermore, the couple had treated him like a nephew even when he was poor. They were trustworthy people, and providing timely assistance was always better than adding icing on the cake.
Zhang Guoqing spotted Uncle Ye outside the gate from a distance and knew he was waiting for him. Uncle Ye hadn't been at the bureau the day before yesterday, and he had asked someone else when he came to do something. He probably thought Uncle Ye thought he had something to ask him.
Mr. Ye, a tall man in his fifties, lost an arm in the war. He retired in 1949 and stayed on at the bureau, boasting numerous military accomplishments. He could have retired in a retirement home in a major city, but, unwilling to burden the government, he declined the offer and returned to his hometown with his wife.
Old Mrs. Ye now works in the county hospital. She has a unique skill in setting bones. It is said that no matter how serious the fractures of her patients are, they can be healed intact by her hands, just like normal people.
The couple never had a son or daughter, but they had a very good relationship and never had a quarrel. They met Zhang Guoqing by chance. One day, Mr. Ye went to the street to buy Chinese cabbage. It was winter, and there were only two elderly people pushing a cart full of cabbages. Zhang Guoqing happened to be passing by, and without saying a word, he casually pushed the cart himself and let the two lead the way. That's how they became familiar with each other.
Afterwards, Mr. Ye often said that he was born with supernatural powers and should join the army. Because he refused to join the army last year, he was angry for a whole month and his face was sullen whenever he saw him.
The old couple treated Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao like their own children and grandchildren. Since the birth was safe, they sent a lot of white fungus and brown sugar. Zhang Guoqing would also often bring some wild animals to visit them.
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