Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Director Yang did not completely believe Yi Zhonghai's guarantee.

He picked up the envelope on the table again and checked it again, not leaving out any flaws. It took him five full minutes before he put it down.

Looking at Yi Zhonghai, he spoke again: "What do you want to exchange for this favor?"

"This is the last favor I owe to the deaf old lady. I didn't expect she would write a letter and give it to you."

"I am a man of my words."

"Since I promised to repay her one last favor by giving her this letter, I will definitely fulfill my promise."

Yi Zhonghai didn't expect that this letter could actually win a favor from Director Yang. He was so excited that he quickly replied, "Director..."

"I want to use this favor to exchange for jobs for Bang Geng and me at the steel mill."

"The two of us can be punished at the steel mill, but the steel mill cannot fire us."

To Yi Zhonghai's disappointment, Director Yang did not nod immediately.

After thinking for a minute, he shook his head and replied: "No..."

"This favor is not worth the price. At most, it can only guarantee one person's job. And he has to start as an apprentice and become a regular employee after two years."

It was Director Yang who promised Wang Dong to kick Yi Zhonghai and Banggeng out of the steel rolling mill.

If neither of them were kicked out of the steel mill in the end, then his original promise to Wang Dong would become a joke, and might even cause Wang Dong to be dissatisfied with him.

But if he could only keep one person's job and let him start as an apprentice, Wang Dong would have to give an explanation.

Director Yang's answer obviously did not meet Yi Zhonghai's expectations, and he subconsciously refused.

But in the end he held back.

Now they are at the mercy of others, and Yi Zhonghai and Banggeng have no room for bargaining with Director Yang.

It's good enough that they promised to save one person's job.

I could only sigh and answer: "Thank you, Director Yang..."

"I will go back now and discuss who to give this job to?"

"I'll give you an answer tomorrow morning..."

Director Yang nodded and said, "Then I will tell the broadcasting room that the disciplinary decisions for you and Bang Geng will not be announced for the time being."

After saying that, he started to deal with the work at hand and no longer paid attention to Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai was also a man who was very good at reading people's expressions, so he quickly left Director Yang's office.

…………

The central courtyard of the quadrangle is Yi Zhonghai's home.

Jia Zhang was like a madman, pointing at Yi Zhonghai's nose and cursing at him.

"Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai...what did you promise us in the beginning?"

"There will definitely be no problem reporting Wang Dong to the new factory director..."

"now what?"

"The only workstation that my Jia family has at the steel mill is about to be lost. Even the house that my Jia family has lived in for more than 20 years will be taken away by the steel mill..."

"You are the one who caused all these problems. You must give the apprenticeship quota that Director Yang promised to Bang Geng, and you must also compensate Bang Geng 200 yuan."

"As long as Bang Geng is still working at the steel mill, even as an apprentice, the mill will not take away the house in Zhongyuan."

Qin Huairu's face was also full of disappointment.

He was prepared that Yi Zhonghai would be treated as a confidant by the new factory director, and that he would be promoted to deputy director of the workshop before his retirement, and that he himself would become an official's wife. However, he was greatly disappointed.

Not only did she fail to become an official wife, but she also lost her son and husband's jobs at the steel mill. More and more educated youths were returning to the city, and Xiaodang and Kuihua were about to return. If Banggeng lost his job, how would the Jia family survive in the future? They might not even have a place to live.

After thinking for a long time, he said to Yi Zhonghai: "Old Yi..."

"I also think that the apprentice position that Director Yang promised should be given to Bang Geng."

"You instigated Bang Geng to do this. You are the mastermind and must bear the main responsibility."

"Besides, Bang Geng will get married in the future and will have to provide for our retirement, so he can't be without a job."

Although Yi Zhonghai didn't say anything, he already agreed with Yi Zhonghai's analysis in his heart.

Besides, Director Yang only promised an apprentice position, and the worker must work for two years before being converted to a regular employee.

Yi Zhonghai couldn't afford to lose face by asking a former eighth-level fitter to be an apprentice.

Moreover, he still has more than a year before retirement, which means he cannot be converted to a regular employee until retirement.

Apprentices do not receive a pension when they retire, so they have to take over the manual position in the steel rolling mill and serve as an apprentice for another two years.

More importantly, once the Jia family loses their workstation, the house in Zhongyuan where they have lived for more than 20 years will be taken away by the steel mill.

When Banggeng takes over his job at the steel rolling mill in the future, as an apprentice he doesn't know when he will be able to get a house.

Therefore, even if it is for the sake of the house where the Jia family lives in the Central Courtyard, the work position that Director Yang promised should be given to Bang Geng.

But Yi Zhonghai will not give Banggeng directly, but will exchange enough benefits from the Jia family through this work position.

Because this work station may be the last time for him to hold the lifeline of the Jia family and plot against them.

Once the work station falls into Banggeng's hands, Yi Zhonghai will become an old man without a job or income, and will completely lose his usefulness.

By then, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi might kick me away at any time.

Therefore, he must use this incident to tie Qin Huairu and Banggeng firmly to himself.

Even if he loses his job and has no income, Banggeng and Qin Huairu will provide for him in his old age.

After thinking for half a minute, Yi Zhonghai slowly came up with a complete idea in his mind.

Facing their gazes, he answered, "I can give Bang Geng the job Director Yang promised me, and keep Bang Geng's job in the steel mill, and keep the Jia family's house in the courtyard."

"But you must agree to my three conditions?"

Qin Huairu was particularly worried that Yi Zhonghai would refuse to give his work position to Banggeng for the sake of his own retirement.

At that time, the Jia family will not only lose their work station, but also the house in the central courtyard.

When Xiaodang and Kuihua returned to the old city from the countryside, they had no place to live.

When Qin Huairu heard that Yi Zhonghai agreed to give the work station to Bang Geng, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As for the three conditions proposed by Yi Zhonghai, as long as the Jia family can keep their work station and the house, it would be fine to agree to Yi Zhonghai temporarily.

He immediately asked Yi Zhonghai: "What are the conditions?"

Yi Zhonghai answered without thinking, "The first condition is to sign a divorce agreement with me... If we divorce due to some irreconcilable conflicts, you, Qin Huairu, must leave the house with nothing. You cannot take a dollar or a pound of food from the family. The house we live in also belongs to me."

Qin Huairu was stunned.

The reason why she plotted against Yi Zhonghai and risked being laughed at by others to marry him was just to get Yi Zhonghai's house and retirement money.

If I really signed this letter of commitment with Yi Zhonghai, wouldn't all the years of serving Yi Zhonghai have been in vain?
In the future, you must obey Yi Zhonghai's orders, otherwise you will be kicked out by him and leave the house with nothing.

Qin Huairu couldn't accept anything he said and subconsciously wanted to refute it.

(End of this chapter)