In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

The next day, Wang Xingguo went to the subdistrict office and explained the matter to Director Zhao in detail.

Director Zhao sneered, "That guy surnamed Wu is smart enough. Do you understand who's been good to you this time? Don't think they're any good people. Anyone who does this kind of business is a saint."

Wang Xingguo said with a forced smile, "That's right, Director is always the best to me. I know that in my heart, and I will never forget your kindness."

Director Zhao looked at Wang Xingguo and sighed, "You idiot, sometimes I don't know what to say to you. Do you think it's because I didn't help you that your factory job was taken by a farmer? Last year, the positions the neighborhood committee could recommend were hardly any good!"

Wang Xingguo paused for a moment, and Director Zhao noticed this slight hesitation in his expression.

He continued earnestly, "You have no idea how bad that job is. Since the founding of the country, two people have died and three have been crippled from that loading job! It may seem like a respectable job with high pay, but it's actually a living hell! It's true that I deliberately assigned the job to someone else, but I didn't want you to become crippled or have an accident one day. How could I face your deceased father then?"

Wang Xingguo was silent for a moment, then said earnestly, "Director, I understand. I was ignorant before and caused you trouble!"

Director Zhao waved his hand, looking helpless, and said, "Originally, the First Steel Plant was going to offer a few openings this November, and I was thinking of arranging for you to work there. Later, seeing that you had some connections in the trade, I also considered arranging for you to work as a purchasing agent at the textile factory. But in the end, I realized that you're a restless little devil, and having you go to work on time every day might not be as good as your current job pedaling a tricycle, so I gave up on the idea of ​​arranging a job for you..."

Wang Xingguo listened attentively to Director Zhao's rambling words without the slightest impatience. In the past, he would have thought that Director Zhao's words were more eloquent than his singing.

That won't be the case now, because he knows many truths and understands that this man who knew his father truly treated the Wang siblings as half-nephews and nieces.

He said "half" because his assistance was limited and he couldn't possibly go all out to help them.

This is understandable. Whenever he helps out, it's because he's thinking about his old relationship with his father. He should be aware of this and not be ungrateful.

The house issue was simple. Since Master Niu had made such a promise, it meant there were no problems. The house and land deeds were registered in his name, and a certificate was issued. Wang Xingguo then took the house and land deeds, along with the certificate issued by the street office, to the housing management bureau in Dongcheng District to apply for a new property certificate.

By noon that day, Wang Xingguo had received the new property certificate and breathed a sigh of relief, finally having his own house.

Wang Xingguo took the key, found his house, opened the door and went inside. He found that the yard was really nice, and the land cleared from the collapsed rooms was indeed used to grow a lot of vegetables.

There wasn't a single piece of furniture in the house, not even a stool. It seems the homeowner sold everything up, leaving nothing behind.

"Damn it, the water tank's all gone? Are you even a true man of Beijing? So stingy, you have absolutely no sense of propriety!"

Seeing the marks where the water tank used to be in the kitchen, Wang Xingguo couldn't help but laugh and curse a couple of times.

Who would have thought the homeowner would be so undignified? Logically speaking, they should at least have left something behind to make it easier for others to use the property temporarily.

The original homeowner left nothing behind; he has no sense of courtesy whatsoever as a Beijing resident.

Holding the property certificate, Wang Xingguo approached Director Zhao again, grinning, and said, "Director, I'd like to trouble you again to get me some furniture vouchers. The homeowner didn't leave anything behind; it's really inconsiderate of them."

Director Zhao nodded and said, "That's no problem. By the way, how are things going between you and the girl from the Li family?"

Wang Xingguo chuckled: "Great! I should be able to ask you, Director, to help me propose marriage soon."

This made Director Zhao very happy, because it was always the elders who proposed marriage, which meant that Wang Xingguo wanted him to be the elder.

Although she and his father were just ordinary friends, she had helped him time and time again out of consideration for their past relationship, and thankfully, she hadn't given him a thankless task.

When asked what was missing from the house, Director Zhao was both amused and exasperated to learn that it didn't even have a large water tank. It was truly the first time he had encountered such an inconsiderate person.

He rummaged through the tickets in the drawer and asked Wang Xingguo what furniture he planned to buy.

Wang Xingguo thought for a moment and decided that he definitely needed to get a new bed. Not only were the beds at home old, but he also couldn't take those two beds with him, and he couldn't do something so immoral.

So we need tickets for three beds, two wardrobes (my older brother is getting married and he'll need a wardrobe too), two dressing tables, a new set of tables, chairs, and benches, and some pots and pans. We already have some at home, but adding some to the new house is a good omen.

So he got a lot of votes, and Director Zhao didn't ask for a penny, treating it as a housewarming gift.

Moreover, Director Zhao repeatedly urged the brothers to get married as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications, emphasizing that getting married and having children early was the most important thing.

After repeatedly thanking the staff, Wang Xingguo left the subdistrict office. He still had a lot to do. He would see how things went with Uncle Li that night and whether they could reach an agreement. If they couldn't reach an agreement, he would need to find other units to sell the eels or fish.

Speaking of which, we should also visit those two hospitals. These two are the foundation for getting invoices and good stuff later, so we can't lose them.

After July 1960, almost everything required ration coupons. The coupons were three types of certificates: grain ration book, non-staple food ration book, and purchase coupon. The coupons were of various kinds, and you couldn't buy anything without either one.

Back then, it was hard to get good stuff on the black market, but you could get all sorts of tickets. You needed tickets to buy a bag of candy or a bottle of wine, and ordinary people had very few tickets, at least half the quota compared to now.

Wang Xingguo took care of the affairs in the space and then went home.

When Aunt Wang saw Wang Xingguo return, she went up to him with a gossipy look on her face and said, "Xingguo, I have something to tell you. A young man came to Grandma Jin's house, saying he's her nephew!"

Wang Xingguo exclaimed in surprise, "What? Grandma Jin's nephew is only arriving now?"

Aunt Wang asked with some doubt, "Yes, he just arrived this morning. He's a thin, dark-skinned young man. By the way, how did you know that Old Lady Jin has a nephew?"

Wang Xingguo realized he had let something slip, but he quickly found an excuse and explained with a smile, "Aunt Wang, you don't know, the old lady told me a few days ago that her nephew wrote to her saying he wanted to come and stay with her, and asked me to help look after him."

Aunt Wang suddenly realized and said, "Oh, I see. No wonder. Everyone knows you know a lot of people. Old Mrs. Jin probably wanted to ask you to help her get some good food to entertain her nephew."