Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 70 Li Huaide Arrives

In April 1957, a new person was transferred to the steel rolling mill. He became the new head of the logistics department, Li Huaide. In his thirties, he spoke with impeccable eloquence.

On the day he reported for duty, Yang Honglin chatted with him for half an hour, then led him to the logistics department and returned to his office.

Yang Honglin's leg had long since healed, and he no longer limped, but his right shinbone still ached slightly every time the weather changed. Of course, he harbored resentment, but He Yuzhu had a much better relationship with the old leader than he did, so he could only bury his hatred deep in his heart.

Li Huaide took a look around the canteen, and his face darkened. The stoves were greasy, the vegetable leaves on the cutting boards were wilted, and there were hardly any meat pieces in the dishes the workers were carrying. He called the canteen manager over and asked what was going on with the procurement channels.

The canteen manager stood ramrod straight, reporting off items one by one. The meat was allocated by the Beijing Food Company, and the vegetables were provided by the Beijing Vegetable Company, all supplied by the Dongcheng District Vegetable Station.

Soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and peanut oil were all rationed with oil coupons. Workers had specific quotas for their jobs, and there was no surplus. White sugar, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, yellow bean paste, fermented bean curd, cigarettes, and liquor were all controlled by the Sugar, Tobacco and Alcohol Company. The monthly quota was fixed, and unless you had special connections, you couldn't expect to get even a pound more.

The purchasing department usually has a good relationship with the Dongcheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative. There's a purchasing agent there named He Yuzhu who's a hunter. They used to be able to buy wild boar, blue sheep, badgers, and rabbits regularly, but their numbers started to decrease in the second half of last year, and by the end of the year, they stopped altogether.

They went to ask, and the person said they had a back injury and couldn't hunt.

Li Huaide asked the man where he lived. The canteen manager said it was in Nanluoguxiang, in a courtyard house he built himself; anyone could find out by asking around.

The next day, Li Huaide went to the supply and marketing cooperative. The office staff said He Yuzhu hadn't gone out that day and was resting at home. He then went to Nanluoguxiang. Someone at the alley entrance gave him directions, saying that the courtyard was there.

The courtyard gate was closed, so Li Huaide raised his hand and knocked.

In April, the pomegranate tree was just sprouting new leaves. He Yuzhu was lying on a deck chair under the pomegranate tree, his face covered with a straw hat. On the stool next to him were an enamel teacup and half a pack of cigarettes.

Upon hearing the knock, his spatial awareness spread out, and a person stood at the gate, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and with shiny leather shoes.

He Yuzhu recognized the face. It was Li Huaide, the deputy director of the steel mill and the director of the Revolutionary Committee in his previous life. He had beaten Li Huaide for the sake of Widow Qin back then, but Li Huaide never retaliated. In the end, he just wanted Li Huaide to be his guest.

Is this the kind of life I'm going to have to come knocking on his door begging for help?

He sat up from the recliner, put his straw hat on the stool, picked up the white Zhonghua cigarettes and put them in his pocket, then walked to the gate and unlatched it.

"Who should I look for?"

Li Huaide stood at the door, a smile plastered on his face. "Are you Comrade He Yuzhu? My surname is Li, and I'm new to the logistics department of the steel rolling mill."

He Yuzhu leaned against the door frame, sizing him up. "Director Li? Come in."

He turned and walked inside, with Li Huaide following behind. They went around the screen wall and through the gate in the wall into the inner courtyard.

As Li Huaide entered the courtyard, he noticed the surrounding environment: a screen wall, a south-facing room, pomegranate trees, osmanthus trees, holly bushes, and various flowers and plants. He then glanced into the main room, where he saw a long table, an eight-immortal table, and a grand master's chair made of rosewood, its surface smooth and glossy.

This He Yuzhu is no ordinary person.

He Yuzhu led him into the main room and pointed to the armchair.

Li Huaide sat down, his gaze sweeping over the long table and the eight-immortal table once more.

He Yuzhu picked up the teacup from the table, brewed some tea, then took out the white-covered Zhonghua cigarette from his pocket, pulled out one, and handed it over.

"Director Li, have a smoke."

Li Huaide took the cigarette and glanced at it. It was a white-label Zhonghua cigarette, a special internal supply. His father-in-law only got two packs a month, so he didn't get to smoke many. His brother-in-law only got two packs.

This guy served his guests special-supply Zhonghua cigarettes like they were some kind of premium brand. He brought the cigarette to his nose, smelled it, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke was rich and mellow, exactly the same as his father-in-law's special-supply cigarettes.

He Yuzhu lit one for himself, sat down on the armchair opposite him, and crossed his legs.

"Comrade He, did you build this courtyard yourself?"

"That happened a few years ago. It was an abandoned courtyard; we salvaged it brick by brick." He Yuzhu put a cigarette in his mouth. "Director Li, what brings you to see me today?"

Li Huaide flicked his cigarette ash into the ashtray on the table. "There's not enough meat in the canteen. The workers work so hard, and they're all cursing because they can't get meat. I went to ask about the procurement channels, and everything is rationed and requires coupons, except for the wild game from the supply and marketing cooperative. They said that wild game supply stopped at the end of last year."

He leaned forward slightly, looking at He Yuzhu. "Comrade He, is your back injury any better?"

He Yuzhu took a drag of his cigarette. He had told people about his back injury before the Lunar New Year to reduce his hunting trips. He was originally a purchasing agent; hunting was just an extra activity.

The supply and marketing cooperative transferred him to a full-time purchasing position, where he would travel to Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Tianjin, and surrounding areas, transporting more than ten tons of goods each time, mainly fish, eggs, dried fruit, and miscellaneous items.

Others might find business trips arduous, but he enjoys them nonetheless. When the rains are heavy, he doesn't need to take care of her; just prepare good food and clothing, as she can cook several dishes herself.

He was confined to Beijing in his past life, and now he's particularly eager to escape. He can even use his back injury as an excuse to openly avoid the Great Leap Forward's steelmaking campaign in 1958.

"Thank you for your concern, Director Li. My back injury won't heal; I can't stretch it. The company has transferred me to a full-time purchasing position, and now I travel to other places, like Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, and Tianjin, sourcing fish, eggs, and dried fruit. Each trip takes several days. It's really tough traveling, but I can't help it."

Li Huaide stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "I asked the freight people at the station, and Comrade He can transport several tons of goods in one trip. Could the steel mill's canteen send a batch through you?"

He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair and exhaled a puff of smoke. "I can leave. The steel rolling mill has several thousand workers, so procuring a few more tons of goods is nothing. But..." He paused, flicking the ash into the ashtray, "Director Li, the supply and marketing cooperative's purchasing plan is already set, and my workload is quite heavy. To purchase an extra batch for the steel rolling mill, I'll have to make extra trips. And those extra trips will mean..." He smiled, not finishing his sentence.

Li Huaide's eye twitched again, but he still smiled. "Comrade He is a very honest person. Feel free to make any requests, and I will do my best to fulfill them."

He Yuzhu put a cigarette in his mouth. "Special supply cigarettes, special supply liquor. I help the steel rolling mill with sourcing goods, so the steel rolling mill has to let me smoke a few good cigarettes and drink a few sips of good liquor. You help me with this, and I'll help you with the meat. It's that simple."

Li Huaide nodded. "Okay, I'll go back and think about it, see how much tobacco and alcohol I can scrape together. I'll treat you to dinner another day, and we can talk in detail over the table." He stood up and extended his hand.

He Yuzhu also stood up and shook his hand. "Take care, Director Li. I still have more than half a pack here, you can take it and smoke it on the way." He picked up the white-covered Zhonghua cigarettes on the table and stuffed them into Li Huaide's hand.

Li Huaide looked down at the cigarette pack in his hand, said nothing, put the cigarettes in his pocket, and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he looked back at the furniture in the main room, and then went out through the courtyard gate.

He Yuzhu stood at the courtyard gate, watching Li Huaide turn out of the alley. He went back into the courtyard, closed the gate, and returned to the pomegranate tree, where the recliner creaked open.

He pulled his straw hat back over his face. Since Li Huaide had come to him for help, he figured he could befriend Li Huaide first, which was much better than going against him.