Siheyuan: Shazhu's Leisurely Life

Chapter 29 Spring River Plumbing Duck Prophet

After bringing the things, He Yushui volunteered to go to the yard with the aunt to wash and pick the vegetables... Of course, when it came time to cook, the chef He Yuzhu was still in charge.

Inside the house, He Yuzhu helped the deaf old lady over and sat her on the newly made chair. He also poured a cup of hot tea for the old lady and Yi Zhonghai, and the three of them started chatting casually.

"Zhu Zi, after the New Year, your sister-in-law Huai Ru will go to the steel mill. You know about her family's affairs. You work in the kitchen. If possible, please give her some convenience."

Yi Zhonghai mentioned Qin Huairu. Although Jia Dongxu was dead, the Jia family still had to live. As the eldest uncle in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai should ask more questions. Among them, the one who needed the most attention was Qin Huairu.

After all, this woman is still pregnant with Jia Dongxu's child, and it has been more than five months now. Under normal circumstances, it is estimated that the child will be born in another three or four months. The so-called pregnancy lasts for ten months. In this era, women can give birth to children in eight or nine months under normal circumstances.

After hearing what Yi Zhonghai said, He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, I understand Sister Huairu's situation. I can take care of her, but everything must be done according to the rules. After all, I can't make mistakes, right? What's more, I'm going to find a wife soon, and things will be even more different by then. I have to consider my wife's opinion, right?"

He Yuzhu's words were well-reasoned and Yi Zhonghai couldn't say anything else after hearing them.

"That's true. But speaking of which, Zhuzi, have you made your decision about your wife? I've heard some different rumors recently."

Thinking about it, Yi Zhonghai didn't dwell on this topic, but brought up this matter instead.

"My gossip?" He Yuzhu was a little stunned. He was busy with the decoration and shopping for the New Year, so he didn't have time to listen to gossip.

"Didn't you meet a lot of girls a few days ago? Someone said that you are rich now, and your eyes are up to the sky. You look down on girls." Yi Zhonghai was observing He Yuzhu when he said this. Although he didn't believe the rumor, he also wanted to see what He Yuzhu meant.

Hearing what the old man said, He Yuzhu laughed out of anger. Which bastard spread this message and looked down on others? It was just a normal blind date, so it was normal that they didn't like each other? Besides, his requirements were not too high. With the current conditions of his family, he could definitely match his ideal wife.

Before He Yuzhu could say anything, the deaf old lady at the side said rudely, "My grandson is so outstanding, he must marry someone from a good family. Who is this bastard who is talking nonsense outside? I think it's probably that kid Xu Damao in the backyard! I saw this kid doing some tricks a while ago!"

The deaf old lady is not confused. On the contrary, she is one of the smartest people in the hospital.

After hearing what the old lady said, He Yuzhu also remembered that if there was really someone who spread this matter, it would probably be Xu Damao.

No wonder, no wonder he hardly saw Xu Damao these days. When he occasionally glanced at him, the kid seemed to be hiding from him. Now it seems that he had done something wrong and was afraid of getting beaten!

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu suddenly felt a little unhappy. If he hadn't been chatting with the old man here, he wouldn't have known about this.

"Just wait for this bastard. I'll kill him tomorrow when I get the chance!"

Yi Zhonghai looked at He Yuzhu's expression and knew that Zhuzi was not that kind of person. This matter was just Xu Damao's fault and he deliberately provoked Zhuzi. Knowing the relationship between the two, Yi Zhonghai could only say something to ease the situation: "Zhuzi, after all, you are from the same compound. Xu Damao was a little too much this time, but... you should also be careful and don't make a big fuss."

...New Year, new atmosphere. Amid the sound of firecrackers, people in Beijing welcomed the year 1960.

In the past year, people have had a hard time. Although the impact of food shortage is not as great as in the countryside, as a part of this era, every household is hard to stay out of it. At the beginning of the new year, all kinds of joyful scenes also express people's vision for the new year.

After New Year’s Eve, He Yuzhu and his sister also enjoyed a rare leisurely holiday.

After all, they were not like other families whose relatives were leaving. After He Daqing left, they didn't have many relatives in the city. Now, they could lie comfortably in the room, light the kang, crack melon seeds, and enjoy the quiet time.

Because He Yuzhu was generous in buying New Year's goods, there were all kinds of snacks at home. Many children came over to ask for some snacks under the pretext of playing in the rain. He Yuzhu was not stingy and gave each child a share, just for good luck.

Of course, a few days after the New Year, several groups of matchmakers came to He Yuzhu's house and introduced him to several blind dates. However, there was still no fate and He Yuzhu did not find anyone he liked.

Although He Yuzhu was anxious about this, he also knew that this important event in life had to be done step by step.

……

More than half a month passed in a flash.

The afterglow of the Spring Festival gradually faded away, and with the end of deep winter approaching, the workers in the city began to go to work and resume production.

He Yuzhu also returned to the kitchen of the steel rolling mill canteen, taking charge of his own little piece of land.

However, in this new year, the situation has obviously become more severe. Even a large factory with tens of thousands of employees like the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill has been affected.

As the canteen team leader, He Yuzhu was the first to receive the notice from Director Cai Youle.

Starting from the New Year when the people go back to work, the meat supplies in the steel mill kitchen will be reduced by 30%, vegetables and fruits will be reduced by 40%, and white flour, cornmeal and the like will also be reduced by a certain amount.

Now, according to the previous dining standards, the food in the warehouse is definitely not enough. However, the steel mill is a large unit after all, and the front-line workers account for a large part of it. These comrades complete production tasks and consume a lot of physical labor, so the quota for meat and fine grains has been reduced, but the proportion of coarse grains such as sweet potatoes and cornmeal has also been increased to a certain extent.

Of course, compared to the previous days, life is definitely more difficult now, but the situation is like this, even if some workers complain, they can only tighten their belts and grit their teeth to persevere.

As the saying goes, a duck knows first when the river water warms in spring. The impact of the disaster has only now been manifested in the city to a certain extent, which is already quite difficult. The city can at least guarantee the supply of food, but in some rural areas, food shortages have long been commonplace.

(End of this chapter)