Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office.

He Daqing took advantage of Sunday to go to the neighborhood office alone. As soon as he reached the entrance, he was stopped by an old man.

"Who are you looking for? What do you need?"

He Daqing took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, quickly handed one to the old man, and said with a smile:

"Hey sir, are you smoking? I'm a resident of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. I'm looking for Director Wang."

Upon hearing that the person was looking for Director Wang, the old man took the cigarette and waved his hand, saying, "Go in."

"Oh, thank you, big brother."

He Daqing thanked him and went straight to the director's office, knocking on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

"Please come in."

When He Daqing entered the office, he saw Director Wang, who had short hair and looked very capable.

When Director Wang saw that the person who came was He Daqing, she recognized him at a glance. After all, He Daqing had abandoned his children in his early years, and it was she who helped him apply for his grain ration book when he came back recently.

"Comrade He Daqing, what brings you here?" Director Wang asked directly.

He Daqing nodded slightly to Director Wang, then gave a wry smile:

"Director Wang, I've come to see you today to ask if you could help my son, He Yuzhu, find a job that will provide him with a living."

Looking for a job?

Director Wang glanced at He Daqing with surprise, then immediately shook his head.

"Comrade He Daqing, I remember your son, He Yuzhu, wasn't he the head chef at the steel rolling mill? Did he resign?"

He Daqing shook his head with a wry smile: "He Yuzhu did work as a chef at the steel rolling mill before, but he was fired because he made some mistakes."

After a pause, He Daqing continued, "He Yuzhu used to be a skilled cook. Even after being fired from the steel mill, he could still make a living by cooking for others. But just two months ago, He Yuzhu was attacked by thugs one after another, which has made him unable to do heavy work now."

As he spoke, He Daqing handed over the certificate issued by Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Director Wang took the certificate and stared wide-eyed. It clearly stated that He Yuzhu's genitals had been removed and one of his kidneys had been cut off. The doctor advised that He Yuzhu's injuries had caused serious aftereffects, and even if he recovered, his health would not be as good as before. He was advised to avoid heavy work as much as possible in the future.

Seeing the official seal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital on the certificate, along with the doctor's signature and recommendations, Director Wang had no choice but to believe it.

After a moment's thought, Director Wang said, "Comrade He Daqing, you should know that there are still a large number of people in Nanluoguxiang who are unemployed. Our street office has limited resources, and it is impossible to arrange employment for everyone who is unemployed. We can only arrange employment for those from the most difficult family circumstances."

He Daqing nodded: "Director Wang, I understand that." Then he said with a wry smile: "But you know He Yuzhu's situation. He can never do heavy work again, and no company is willing to take him in. I'm getting old, and I can't support He Yuzhu for the rest of his life. What will happen to He Yuzhu when I can't work anymore? I can't just watch him starve to death."

This time, He Daqing did not lie. Lying to Director Wang was definitely not an option; assigning work was no small matter, and he would certainly investigate thoroughly.

Upon hearing this, Director Wang fell silent. After a long while, she sighed deeply and said:

"Currently, the only jobs our subdistrict office can arrange are cleaning the latrines and sweeping the streets. Cleaning the latrines is also heavy physical labor. If I verify He Yuzhu's situation, I will let He Yuzhu sweep the streets. The monthly salary is 12 yuan."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Director Wang. I thank you on behalf of He Yuzhu. I will tell He Yuzhu the good news right away."

Hearing that he could get a street sweeping job, He Daqing was overjoyed. Sha Zhu was still so young, and his injuries had healed. He couldn't let his father support his son forever, could he? Twelve yuan wasn't much, but if he was careful with his spending, it would be more than enough to support himself.

Director Wang waved his hand: "You can go back now. I'll let you know when I have any news."

"Yes, yes, thank you, Director Wang. I'll head back now."

He Daqing closed the office door and walked out of the street office happily.

Shortly after He Daqing left, Director Wang made a call to the steel rolling mill.

"Hello, is this Minister Ma? This is Wang Xia from Nanluoguxiang. I'd like to ask if your factory had a head chef named He Yuzhu before? Yes, yes, could you tell me what he did to get fired?"

After hanging up the phone, Director Wang fell silent.

When He Daqing returned to the house, he saw Sha Zhu lying dead on the bed, and he was furious.

"Shazhu, I just went to the neighborhood office to see Director Wang and found you a job sweeping the streets. It's 12 yuan a month. If nothing unexpected happens, you can start working in the next few days."

"Sweeping the streets?"

Sha Zhu suddenly sat up, looking at his father He Daqing in disbelief, and refused without even thinking.

"I'm not going to sweep the streets. You want a cook like me to sweep the streets? People will laugh at me to death!"

"Smack."

He Daqing slapped Sha Zhu hard on the back of the head and shouted sternly:

"If you dare not go, I'll break your legs. Don't you even know your own situation? Don't you know? Do you really think you're still the head chef at the steel mill? In your current state, tell me, besides sweeping the streets, what else can you do? Do you expect me to support you for the rest of your life?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu fell silent.

After a long while, he nodded with a bitter smile, his eyes full of desolation.

Sha Zhu analyzed what his father said. With his current physical condition, he really couldn't do anything. Not only could he not become a chef in the future, but he couldn't even do the relatively easy job of a fitter at the steel rolling mill. Besides, he was caught and fired on the spot for stealing public property from the steel rolling mill, and no factory would want someone with a bad record.

Seeing Sha Zhu nod, He Daqing smiled with satisfaction, then gently advised:

"Shazhu, it's not that your father is forcing you to go to work and earn money. I earn 56.5 yuan a month now. Our family has urban household registration and we all have a quota. I can totally support you."

"But your father is getting old. He can only work in the factory for another ten years or so at most. But you're only in your twenties. After I retire, who will support our family? My pension is barely enough to support myself. What will you do then? I'm doing this for your own good."

"I just went to the neighborhood office and begged Director Wang for a long time before he finally agreed to arrange a street sweeping job for you. You also had a job with the sanitation team, which pays better, but are you physically capable of doing that work?"

"Dad, stop talking, I'll go, okay?"

Sha Zhu's brows were furrowed, his face full of wrinkles, and his eyes were filled with loneliness and sorrow.

He Daqing nodded: "Yes, it's good that you can understand. It's their business if others laugh at you. There are plenty of people who would kill for this job. As human beings, we must first find a way to survive. If you can't even survive, then all talk about face is bullshit. Only by living can there be hope."

"Do I still have hope?" Sha Zhu muttered to himself with a bitter smile.