Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

Chapter 96 Union Borrowing a Car

The next morning, after cleaning himself up, He Yuzhu went to the steel rolling mill.

Taking advantage of the little time he had before starting work in the morning, He Yuzhu went to the trade union.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the union's office, he saw Officer Yu, whom he had met at the last dance.

"Good morning, Officer Yu," He Yuzhu greeted with a smile, holding a letter of introduction in his hand.

Just as Officer Yu put down his things, he saw He Yuzhu approaching: "Good morning, Master He. What brings you here so early today?"

"Officer Yu, it's like this, I'm getting married, so I wanted to come and discuss with you whether I could borrow your bicycle?" He Yuzhu said succinctly, stating his request.

Upon hearing that He Yuzhu was getting married, Officer Yu immediately congratulated him, saying, "Congratulations, Master He! I didn't expect you to be getting married so soon. I wonder if it's the girl I met at the dance last time?"

When Officer Yu asked about this, He Yuzhu nodded and said, "Yes, it's the one I met at the dance last time. Her name is Yang Lifang."

Officer Yu seemed very pleased: "That's good. It seems that our factory's social gathering was a great success. Besides you, there are two other couples who have also gotten together."

He Yuzhu didn't have time to care about which two couples it was, and continued, "Officer Yu, could I borrow one of the bicycles from that factory for my wedding?"

"No problem, of course no problem. The role of the trade union is to solve problems for the workers. Don't worry. But Mr. He, please wait a moment." After saying that, Secretary Yu sat back down at his desk, took out a notebook, which was covered with writing, but it was unclear what was written on it.

He Yuzhu only saw him write his name on it, and then ask about his partner's name and job. After filling it out, he took out some receipts from the drawer.

"Master He, this is a wedding gift from the union to you. We wish you and your husband a happy marriage and many children."

He then handed He Yuzhu some receipts.

He Yuzhu took the receipts and saw that they were receipts for everyday items, not for very valuable furniture, but for small things that are used every day, such as soap and match receipts. The union's arrangement was very thoughtful.

"Thank you, Officer Yu, and thank you to the union." He Yuzhu was very happy, and put the tickets into his pocket.

"You're welcome. Let's go to the logistics warehouse now, and I'll show you which vehicles the factory has to offer." After saying this, Officer Yu picked up a notebook and led He Yuzhu to the logistics warehouse.

Unlike the carport He Yuzhu visited last time, this time they came to a separate warehouse.

This warehouse is where the logistics department stores miscellaneous items. Officer Yu opened a small door next to the warehouse.

"Come in, Mr. He. This bicycle also belongs to the logistics department, so we need to go through the proper procedures first."

Officer Yu explained.

Soon, the two arrived at a place covered by a canvas. After Officer Yu and He Yuzhu pulled the canvas back, a cloud of dust rushed towards them. When the dust settled, they saw the bicycle underneath.

The bicycles were a mix of new and old; He Yuzhu even saw some that were half broken, with only the crossbeam and handlebars remaining.

Officer Yu fanned away the lingering dust and said with a smile, "These bicycles have been here for a long time, some even predating the founding of the People's Republic of China."

He Yuzhu didn't mind the dust; instead, he excitedly went forward to check it out.

"Officer Yu, can we choose any of these bicycles?" He Yuzhu asked Officer Yu. He noticed that many of these bicycles were newly manufactured, also known as the "28-inch" bicycles.

"Of course, some of the bicycles here are original assets, and some were allocated from above. But our factory is a subsidiary of the steel industry, so we have many bicycles, but we don't need them." Director Yu also let He Yuzhu choose whatever he wanted.

Finally, He Yuzhu picked out a 28-inch bicycle. He touched the dust off the bicycle, revealing a brand-new paint job underneath. The only flaw on the bicycle was that the tires were a little flat.

"As long as the frame and other parts of the bicycle are fine, it's all good. We can just take the bicycle to the transportation department and get the tires inflated there," Officer Yu said after seeing the bicycle's tires.

"Okay, this is it." He Yuzhu patted the seat heavily, which kicked up another layer of dust. He blew on it and waited for the dust to dissipate before pushing the bicycle in front of Officer Yu.

Officer Yu took out his notebook and copied down the number on a white sign above the dragon head.

"I'll write down the bicycle's number, then you can take it away," Officer Yu said as he wrote.

He Yuzhu asked Officer Yu curiously, "Officer Yu, how long can I borrow this bicycle?"

Officer Yu smiled, lowered his voice, and said to He Yuzhu, "Well, Master He, there are plenty of bicycles here. No rush, take your time riding them. There's no need to return them."

Seeing the enigmatic smile on Officer Yu's face, He Yuzhu glanced at the dusty bicycles and suddenly realized what was going on.

I'm afraid that once you borrow a bicycle, you don't have to rush to return it, just like Xu Damao's bicycle, which was clearly given to their film projection team by the factory to transport projection equipment.

Xu Damao would ride the bicycle home every time he rode it, never thinking of returning it to the factory.

The bicycle he borrowed could probably be borrowed in the same way, but unlike Xu Damao's bicycle, once he returned it, he wouldn't be able to borrow it again.

Of these, only Officer Yu had a record of this bicycle.

After He Yuzhu understood, he immediately said to Officer Yu, "Officer Yu, thank you. When are you coming to the third canteen? I'll treat you to a meal."

Upon hearing this, Officer Yu smiled and did not refuse: "Okay, we'll talk about it later."

After the two left the warehouse, Officer Yu went straight back to the union office. He Yuzhu checked the time and realized it was getting late. He pushed his bicycle into the bike shed and hurried back to the canteen to get busy.

After being busy until the afternoon, He Yuzhu finally pushed his bicycle to the transportation department.

This is a department near the security department. The department is not large, but it has a very large square and a car repair workshop.

After parking his bicycle outside, He Yuzhu went into the department.

It was called a department, but it was actually just an office with only two or three people inside. After seeing the two people, He Yuzhu took out a cigarette and offered it to them.

"Hello, I'm He Yuzhu. I'd like to inflate my bicycle tires here," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

One of the younger men took the cigarette and stood up immediately: "Master He, don't be so formal. Every time we eat at the factory, the dishes you cook are really delicious."

"Yes, Master He, there's no need to be so polite. Just treat this place as your own," another person said.

Finally, the young man led He Yuzhu to the workshop.

On the way, He Yuzhu learned that the young man's name was Li Ming, and that he was a driver in the transportation department.

Upon hearing that he was the driver, He Yuzhu became even more enthusiastic. Drivers at this time were quite different from those in later generations.

Not only do you need to learn to drive, but you also need to be proficient in driving and possess strong physical strength.

Being a driver at this time is not easy. Cars don't have power steering, so turning them requires a lot of effort. If you're driving a truck, sometimes the driver might have to stand up and bend down to turn it.

Besides driving, the more troublesome thing is maintenance. It's not just the lack of parts, but also the fact that no one can fix some minor problems. If you don't know how to fix it yourself, you might have to stay in the remote mountains for several days.

The two issues mentioned above actually involve drivers fighting. After all, the local customs were very simple and honest at that time. In some poor and remote areas, people who were desperate for money would definitely rush up to rob these cars. These drivers would have to be strong to survive.

Of course, what He Yuzhu cared about most was that these drivers traveled all over the country, not only were they well-informed, but they were also able to buy ingredients or other supplies that were hard to find anywhere else.

So He Yuzhu started to flatter them intentionally, and the two quickly became close.

He Yuzhu also realized that these drivers truly knew his culinary skills. When they weren't out driving, they would eat at the third canteen just to enjoy the dishes He Yuzhu cooked.

They could easily buy these ingredients, but they didn't know how to cook them, so they wanted him to cook a meal for them when they had a gathering.

He Yuzhu couldn't have been happier to accept such a thing.

Although you won't get any money for cooking for them, it's good to gain their favor. If you want to buy something in the future, just ask them for help, and it will be very easy.

Upon arriving at the workshop, Li Ming took out an air pump and pumped up the tires on his bicycle. The bicycle was quickly inflated.

He Yuzhu pushed it and found it was a bit blocked.

"This bike might be covered in dust, it's not easy to ride. Wait here, I'll put some oil on it." He glanced at the bicycle, then turned around and scooped some black oil out of a metal bucket.

He Yuzhu rubbed the oil on the bicycle's axle, pushed it around, and after confirming that there were no problems, he smiled and thanked Li Ming.

Soon it was time to leave work. After saying goodbye to Li Ming, He Yuzhu rode off on his bicycle.