Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation
Chapter 193 The Zhao Family's New Year's Eve
The special train arrived in Northwest China.
Zhao Pingan stayed in the factory for fourteen days, and all five chip production lines were installed and debugged.
Apart from a few minor mishaps at the beginning of the first production line, the installation of the second, third, fourth, and fifth production lines went more and more smoothly.
Before leaving, Zhao Ping'an specifically arranged for Liu Ying to stay behind and keep an eye on the project's progress.
Two days later, Zhao Ping'an returned to the new province.
Ye Juan was waiting on the platform. When the train came to a stop, Zhao Ping'an got off, and Ye Juan went to greet him.
"..." She didn't speak, only her eyes were like autumn water.
Zhao Ping'an nodded. "Let's go check out the North Crea women workers' quarters first. I'll go to Yunnan Province in four days..."
The car drove towards the living quarters of the North Korean female workers.
The residential area is not far from the station, with dozens of four-story buildings lined up neatly.
The boiler room for centralized heating was emitting smoke, and female workers were coming and going on the road, all wearing military overcoats. If you didn't look closely, they would be exactly the same as ordinary workers from the agricultural reclamation corps.
The car stopped at the main gate. Zhao Ping'an got out and walked inside.
Ye Juan followed beside her, while Li Zhenying, who had already received the news, was also waiting at the door. Upon seeing Zhao Ping'an, she greeted him warmly as "Minister Zhao."
Zhao Ping'an nodded. "Come on, show me around. How are you all settling in these days?"
I checked out the cafeteria first.
It was lunchtime, and there was a queue at the window as female workers lined up, carrying their trays as they walked in.
Zhao Pingan leaned over for a look; the plate contained steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water, and it was still the self-service format of ten dishes and two soups.
Today's main dishes are braised pork belly, beef stew with potatoes, Shandong-style stir-fried chicken, and pork ribs stewed with sauerkraut.
"Looks pretty good..." Zhao Ping'an observed the female workers serving food in an orderly manner, clearly having gotten used to this kind of life, and the smiles on their faces proved their satisfaction.
Out of curiosity, Zhao Ping'an asked a female worker next to him, "Do you like it? Is it delicious?"
The female worker didn't understand and looked at him nervously.
Lee Jin-young quickly asked in Korean, and the female worker nodded and mumbled a string of words.
Lee Jin-young translated: "She said it was enough to eat, with several dishes at each meal, something she never dared to dream of before."
Zhao Ping'an nodded and continued walking inside. The system had already translated it for him, but it was even more exaggerated than Li Zhenying's translation.
While everyone was taking their lunch break, Zhao Ping'an went to check out the dormitory again. Eight people lived in one room, the beds were clean, and the radiators were hot to the touch.
Looking into the activity room, he saw some people reading books and others writing letters. When he entered, they all stood up.
Zhao Ping'an nodded and waved for them to continue.
Reaching the end of the residential area, Zhao Ping'an turned back and instructed Ye Juan.
"The Spring Festival is approaching. We should hold the celebration party that last year should be held, and we should also arrange for the movie screenings that were popular last year. We should also solicit everyone's opinions. If there are any good suggestions that we can implement in time, we can do so."
It's their first time spending the Lunar New Year here, so please take good care of them.
New Year's gifts must be distributed accurately to everyone; no one should be missed.
To prevent misappropriation, you must personally supervise the implementation of this process.
Furthermore, during the Lunar New Year, each of them is allowed to send a telegram home.
We also sent people over there, and we covered the cost of the telegrams they sent back home.
Ye Juan nodded: "Yes."
Zhao Pingan then looked at Li Zhenying: "Comrade Li, you are a worker representative, so listen to everyone's thoughts. If you have any difficulties, please report them promptly."
Li Zhenying nodded: "Yes, Minister Zhao."
Zhao Ping'an didn't say anything more and turned to walk out.
Four days later, feeling refreshed, Zhao Ping'an headed south to Yunnan Province.
The special train pulled into Kunming Station.
The platform was lit up, and the guards stood ramrod straight.
Zhao Dongliang stood in front, dressed in civilian clothes, followed by several officers.
After the car came to a stop, Zhao Ping'an got out.
The two brothers looked at each other, neither of them spoke, and then patted each other on the shoulder.
Then Zhao Dongliang smiled: "It's born. A son. Two days ago."
Zhao Ping'an laughed as well: "Are you just waiting for me to name it?"
"Of course, you're his uncle. And you're more educated than me. If it weren't for you, would you have expected a roughneck like me to do it?"
Zhao Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "Let's call him Zhenhua. Zhao Zhenhua."
Zhao Dongliang repeated it twice: "Zhenhua... to revitalize China." He nodded, "Okay, let's call it Zhenhua."
The jeep drove off the platform and headed towards the outskirts of the city.
The car was parked in front of a small courtyard. The gate was ajar, and the aroma of food wafted out.
Zhao Ping'an pushed the door open and ran into Azhuo Ayi carrying a child as she came out.
"His uncle is here." Azhuo Ayi smiled and ushered him into the house. "Come in quickly, it's cold outside."
Zhao Ping'an went over to look at the child. The little guy had just woken up and his eyes were not yet open. Hearing the stranger's voice, he moved his hands and feet around and grabbed at the air with his little hands.
"Give me a hug."
Azhuo Ayi handed the child over.
Zhao Ping'an took it, unsure of what to do with his arms, his back straight, his whole body stiff.
Azhuo Ayi laughed from the side, "Uncle, relax, it's not like you're carrying a bomb."
Zhao Ping'an looked down at the child. The child seemed to sense something and tugged at his clothes with his little hand.
Zhao Ping'an's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.
Zhao Dongliang walked in from behind. "Alright, leave it to your sister-in-law. I'll show you my skills today and let you taste my cooking."
Zhao Ping'an, holding the child, didn't move: "Brother, is what you made edible?"
"Hey, who do you think you are? I specifically learned from a third-level cook in the army, my skills are really good."
Azhuo Ayi laughed out loud.
The kitchen was filled with the smell of cooking oil. Zhao Dongliang, wearing an apron, stood in front of the stove, where the pots sizzled.
Zhao Ping'an stood to the side, responsible for handing out scallions, ginger, and garlic.
As Zhao Dongliang chopped vegetables, he casually remarked, "Over in Shan State, Wang Yaowu has been doing exceptionally well lately."
He now commands a population of over 200 million and an army of 5, a strong and well-equipped force. I asked him about it, and he said, "We're waiting for the right opportunity. When the time is right, we'll liberate the entire Shan State."
"Let him calm down first. The intelligence department's analysis suggests there might be a window of opportunity soon. We'll wait until the time is right." Zhao Ping'an handed over the garlic. "By the way, brother, everything's fine with Liu Dazhu in Cambodia. Prince Siha is cooperating quite well."
Zhao Dongliang nodded: "Training here hasn't stopped either. The Yunnan Provincial Column is now ready to go out and fight in the jungle, they're not afraid of anyone."
A few days ago we had a drill; those kids spent three days in the mountains, and they still had the energy to sing when they came out.
The oil in the pan was hot, and Zhao Dongliang put the vegetables in with a sizzling sound.
Zhao Dongliang suddenly remembered something:
"By the way, those things you had me plant a couple of years ago—mushrooms, truffles, tea leaves, coffee—"
This year's harvests have been good. The mushroom and truffle crops, thanks to the management of the state farms, have seen significant increases in yield. The tea harvest has also been abundant.
Zhao Ping'an leaned against the stove: "Where's the coffee?"
Zhao Dongliang smiled: "This is the first year for coffee beans, and I heard it's a bumper harvest."
The other day, someone from the state farm delivered a packet of tea. I tried brewing a cup… ugh, the taste was like Chinese medicine. Our tea is still the best.”
Zhao Ping'an laughed too: "You didn't add sugar or milk."
Zhao Dongliang, stir-frying the vegetables, didn't even turn his head: "Why add all that stuff? If you're going to drink tea, just drink it plain."
"Tea is a high-end product abroad, targeting the upper class," Zhao Ping'an said. "Coffee is targeted at the mid-to-low end, sold in large quantities, and is cheap, mainly for workers and soldiers."
Zhao Dongliang turned to look at him: "You can drink that stuff?"
"Adding sugar and milk makes the flavor smoother. And—"
Zhao Pingan paused for a moment.
"Caffeine can be purified and used in military supplies. It's worthwhile to grow this stuff."
Zhao Dongliang didn't ask any more questions and continued cooking.
After a while, Zhao Dongliang said, "Alright, let's serve the dishes."
The dining table was packed full.
Braised pork belly, stewed chicken, sweet and sour fish, stir-fried cured pork, cold black fungus salad, and garlic-flavored greens.
There were also several plates of local Yunnan dishes that I couldn't name. In the middle was a large bowl of steaming hot dumplings with chives and pork filling.
Azhuo Ayi sat beside him holding her child, while Zhao Dongliang poured wine for Zhao Ping'an.
With his glass full, Zhao Dongliang glanced behind Zhao Ping'an and then at the doorway.
"That's not right," he put down the wine jug, "Didn't you say you'd bring someone this year? Where is they?"
Zhao Pingan picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "I'm busy with work, I've arranged everything to be done."
"They've all been arranged?" Zhao Dongliang paused for a moment, then laughed. "Your three secretaries?"
Zhao Ping'an didn't say anything, picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
Zhao Dongliang leaned closer, lowering his voice, but couldn't hide the smile on his face: "Liu Ying? Zhu Hui? Or that Ye Juan? Could it be... all three?"
Azhuo Ayi gently nudged him from the side: "Don't talk nonsense."
Zhao Ping'an chewed on the meat, looked up at him, and said, "Guess."
Zhao Dongliang was stunned for a moment, then slapped the table and burst into laughter.
"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore, I won't ask anymore." He raised his glass and clinked it against Zhao Ping'an's.
"Anyway, as long as you know what you're doing, that's fine. Your sister-in-law was saying she had a few nice girls in the education system and wanted to introduce you to them. This saves you a lot of trouble."
Azhuo Ayi laughed from the side, "I didn't arrange this; he just came up with it on his own."
Zhao Ping'an smiled and looked at the child in Azhuo Ayi's arms: "Sister-in-law, don't bother me. Just take good care of Zhenhua. This kid will amount to something in the future, that's more important than anything else."
Azhuo Ayi looked down at the child and said with a smile, "That's all thanks to his uncle."
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Zhao Dongliang poured more wine, then suddenly remembered something and glanced at Azhuo and Ayi.
"By the way, according to your sister-in-law's Yi custom, women don't sit at the table. How about..."
"Brother, what are you talking about?" Zhao Ping'an quickly pressed down on Azhuo Ayi, who was about to get up.
"We live in a new era now, let's not stick to those old habits."
"See, I told you so," Zhao Dongliang said with a smile and a wink at Azhuo Ayi.
"Well, bro, after all that, you've only messed with me?"
Zhao Pingan smiled and picked up his wine glass.
"Come on, I wish everyone good health in the new year, and I wish our country prosperity and strength..."
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