Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 5: Uncles with Their Own Thoughts
Because the third uncle was born into a small business family, he deliberately created a persona for himself as a poor scholar. In fact, as an old teacher and an excellent teacher, this guy earns at least more than 60 yuan a month. Otherwise, how could he have so many children?
Although life is a bit tight, that is only relative to the people in this area. On a national scale, it is above average. Otherwise, in the plot, would the money be used to buy bicycles, buy a TV, support his son's entrepreneurship, or sell blood?

As his thoughts raced, Ma Qing took the initiative to speak up for the sake of his character: "Uncle, are you watering the flowers?"

"It's Qing'er, have you eaten yet?" The third uncle said, looking at the bowl and chopsticks in Ma Qing's hand.
"Well, the food in the cafeteria is good, with both meat and vegetables. Have you eaten?"

"My old man brought it back for me. I ate it. It seems that you have come out. We were really scared at that time. You are the only child of the old Ma family, and nothing can happen to you."

"Thank you for your concern and help, Uncle San. I have also figured it out. Life must go on, right?"

"That makes sense. Then I feel relieved. Your class teacher asked me to ask him when you will return to school for classes."

Hongxing Primary School and Middle School were the schools for the children of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and most of the teachers knew each other, so they asked the third uncle to pass on the message.

"I have basically finished my work here and will go to school tomorrow."

"You have finished your business, so you..."

"I am the only one left in our Ma family, so of course I have to be the pillar of support."

"Okay, okay, that's good. Come back soon. It's almost dark. Have a good rest. You have school tomorrow."

Ma Qing said "OK" and walked towards the middle courtyard. Yan Bugui put down the kettle and went back into the house. Yan Bugui's wife, Auntie San, quickly followed him. "Did I tell you? Let me tell you, a lot of people came to his old Ma's house this morning. They are obviously leaders. I have seen one of them. He is the chairman of the trade union."

"What are you talking about? His parents just died, and I'm talking about the workstation. How will they look at me? Do I still have any shame? Should I pay attention to the impact? Besides, buying a workstation costs a lot of money. I have to think about it again. How can I spend the least amount of money without getting criticized?"

The third aunt couldn't help but said angrily: "It's already this time, and the eldest son doesn't have a formal job. This is a golden opportunity. Don't you know what kind of unit the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill is? If you miss this opportunity, you'll never have it again. You're still putting on airs as a scholar at this time. You can't even eat hot shit. Can you eat your face, marry a wife, or get a house?"

"You, you," the third uncle pointed at his wife and said dejectedly, "I'll think about it again. I'll tell the Ma family kid tomorrow at the latest. It looks like he's going to have to bleed a lot this time. I'll have to ask the eldest brother to write an IOU and calculate the interest. He'll have to pay for it himself."

As soon as Ma Qing left the third uncle who "could not even eat hot shit", he entered the middle courtyard and saw a middle-aged man with thick, straight hair, thick eyebrows and a square face. He was standing under the eaves of the east wing. He was wearing a military green coat and holding a large teapot in his hand. There were four big words "Technical Model" on the teapot, and he was blowing the foam in the teapot.

Ma Qing sighed inwardly. His home was at the innermost part of the courtyard. Every time he went out or came home, he had to greet his neighbors and pay his respects to these old men. It was really annoying.

"It's Qing'er. I'm back. How are you? Are you feeling better? If you need anything, just tell your uncle. Your grandfather and I are from the same group of workers. I watched you grow up. If you have any problem, just tell him and he will definitely help you."

This Old Deng is taking advantage of me. He is actually of the same generation as my grandfather. Although my grandfather and you, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Jia Dongxu's father Jia Fugui all joined the factory before liberation, even if the three of you have better working qualifications and higher work grades than my grandfather, when you first entered the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai was assigned to the east wing of the central courtyard, Old Jia was assigned to the west wing of the central courtyard, Liu Haizhong was assigned to the main room in the backyard, and my grandfather was assigned to the northeast corner courtyard, but they were still ten years older than you, Yi Zhonghai. You, Old Deng, took this opportunity to promote yourself by half a level. Forget it, I won't bother with you.

"I am the only one left in the Ma family, so I will have to support the family. I will have to trouble you in the future. I want to thank you first. Please enjoy your tea slowly. I will go back first. I have classes tomorrow and I need to make up for the missed classes these days."

"Okay, let's go back soon." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, and Ma Qing walked to the backyard again. Yi Zhonghai stood under the eaves of his house, and another person came up to him. It was his wife, the aunt.

"This child is so pitiful. He is only a little old, but his parents are gone, leaving him alone as the head of the family. What do you think if we can make him a family member with us and take care of him in our old age?"

"Stop it. Woman, you have long hair but little knowledge. Stop thinking in your rural way. In the countryside, when a family without children grows old, they can't farm and have no income. They are also afraid that they will be bullied and their property will be swallowed up, and the family will be wiped out.

But who am I? I, Yi Zhonghai, am a level 107 fitter at our Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, and I will be a level fitter in the future. My current basic salary is yuan per month, and that doesn’t include other things. When I get old and retire, the state will also give me a pension of more than yuan per month, plus the salary I have deposited in the bank for so many years. When I retire, not to mention the principal, how much will the interest alone be every year? Besides, I am a master chef, with the support of the factory and the state behind me. Who can eat up my entire family?

If we go back to our hometown, with an income of more than 200 yuan a month, our relatives will treat us like emperors. Do you believe it?

Even if I don't go back to my hometown, can I hire someone or go to a nursing home? It's not more reliable than finding a child.

I'm telling you, don't get involved too much with outsiders. We are now porcelain, and we will suffer a loss no matter how we look at it if we hire someone to take care of us in our old age. You said that although Jia Dongxu of Westinghouse is now a level 4 fitter and earns 66 yuan a month, he has a big family to support. I think he can only be promoted to a level 6 fitter at best. Not everyone can be a level worker."

Yi Zhonghai pointed at Jiangshan proudly, took a sip of tea and continued, "Let's talk about He Yuzhu in the main house. He's a cook. He says his meals are delicious, but so what. He can only make about fifty yuan in his lifetime.

As for Ma Qing, who can say for sure what his future will be like, whether he will be successful, how much money he can earn, how many children he can have after marrying a wife? They will provide for my old age, so are they supporting me or am I supporting them? Don't get too involved with them, because if their family encounters difficulties, will you help them or not?

We have to find people who are not eligible to inherit our property and can only rely on our retirement salary to support us in our old age. Only such people will expect us to live a long life. It is not reliable to rely on people like Jia Dongxu, He Yuzhu, and Ma Qing who have good jobs and good incomes. Don't let others eat up your family. It is not wrong to say that you have long hair and short knowledge. As long as the national policy does not change, you don't have to worry about our old age. If you have money, why worry about old age? Are you afraid of not finding someone to take care of you? "

(End of this chapter)