Siheyuan: I am the seventh uncle of Banggen

After leaving home, He Daqing returned to his unit and went directly to the factory office to get a divorce certificate.

"Mr. He, how old are you? What's so hard to get over that you have to get a divorce?" The factory office director persuaded He Daqing.

"Director Zhang, she and I have been married for more than eight years, and she went to the hospital to secretly get an IUD. Is this living with me? She is asking me to help her," said He Daqing, the factory office director.

"There is such a thing?" Director Zhang of the factory office looked at He Daqing with sympathy. He was a leader and had heard more about gang-ups and scams. There were not many people like He Daqing who could stop the loss in time.

"Go to the street office, Director Zheng, I'll call him." Director Zhang did not try to persuade him any further. He was also a man, and any act of wanting to wipe out a family was unforgivable.

He Daqing got the letter of introduction and returned to his rest room in the cafeteria. He was lucky that his child came to see him, otherwise he would have been deceived by this vicious woman. He Daqing thought, raising a son for someone else, what else could this be but insanity? He Daqing figured it out. He was a broad-minded person and slept until dawn.

Zhang Dabao and his two companions strolled around Baoding City. By the afternoon, there was basically nothing left in the market. Zhang Dabao specifically asked someone about the black market at night, because the black market exists in every city and cannot be eradicated. As long as there is demand and profit, some people are willing to take the risk.

In He Daqing's courtyard, He Yuzhu and his sister started to clean up after returning from the street. By the evening, the place finally looked like a home. Originally, He Yuzhu wanted to go to the black market with them, but was rejected by Zhang Dabao.

At two o'clock in the morning, Zhang Dabao came to the Baoding black market. Now all over the country, the most sold item in the black market is food. Baoding is a place where donkey meat is produced, but there is not much fresh donkey meat in the black market. Zhang Dabao bought about 100 kilograms and dozens of kilograms of dried donkey meat.

He came to the black market for two purposes. The first was to buy food, and the second was to see if there were any ancient books or something.

Baoding was a place of strategic importance in ancient times. During the Qing Dynasty, the governor of Zhili was stationed in Baoding. Baoding was the capital of Zhili Province and had many wealthy families.

There was not much to eat, but there were a lot of antiques, including weapons, hand-held items, and of course a lot of ancient books. Zhang Dabao did not do much research on these, but fortunately, counterfeiting was not prevalent nowadays and the prices were not high. He bought a large number of them, and after leaving the black market, all the items were put into the space, leaving those who wanted to do good things disappointed.

Zhang Dabao didn't want to cause trouble, so he ignored them and quickly returned to He Daqing's courtyard.

He Daqing originally wanted to go to the street office, but when he got there he found out that today was Sunday and the divorce could not be processed, so he returned to his own courtyard. He had made an appointment to go find his son-in-law to buy a donkey, and he could not go back on his word.

As a well-known chef, He Daqing had some channels. He took the three people to Baoding and finally arrived at a large courtyard.

"Old He, are you going out to host the banquet?" The person inside knew He Daqing.

"Old Fifth, my son, daughter, and son-in-law are here to see me from the capital. Take them to buy some donkey meat and bring it back. It would be best if they could buy a donkey," He Daqing said to the people in the yard after he came in.

"Your son and daughter are here, what rare guests! Please take a seat." Lao Wu gave face to He Daqing.

"We still have a few donkeys. Go and pick some, young man. We have no meat today. If you want any, I will save some for you tomorrow. Old He is not a stranger. We have been good friends for many years," Lao Wu said to He Yuzhu and Zhang Dabao.

"Thank you, uncle." Zhang Dabao and He Yuzhu came to the backyard. Zhang Dabao saw seven or eight donkeys in the pen, none of them were fat. He thought that his second uncle Zhang Dalin was still idle at home, so he could buy a donkey and equip it with a cart to deliver goods. They were all cousins, so they could not favor one over the other. As for who Zhang Dalin wanted to ask to join him, they could decide for themselves.

You have to pick a strong one when delivering goods, as it doesn't matter if it's for eating meat. It's better to buy one more. The factory is short of meat now, and I, as the head of the supply and marketing department, can't always be idle. I still have to buy meat to give to others, and I won't be able to do without enough.

The two looked around in the circle again and again and returned to the front yard.

"Uncle, how much can I buy at most?" Zhang Dabao said.

"Young man, a donkey weighs 300 kilograms and can produce more than 140 kilograms of meat. I have eight donkeys now, and I can get a few more tomorrow. Can you take them?" Lao Wu heard Zhang Dabao's arrogant tone and said to him with a smile.

Zhang Dabao took out a letter of introduction from the Red Star Steel Mill from his pocket and gave it to Lao Wu.

"You are not very old, but you are already the head of the supply and marketing section? A retired soldier?" Lao Wu asked Zhang Dabao.

Zhang Dabao nodded.

"Young hero, I'm sorry, can you really buy all of them?" Lao Wu asked again worriedly.

"Uncle, you and my father-in-law are old friends and you are also my elder. How can I joke with you about this?" Zhang Dabia said with a smile.

"Okay, can the cart at the door of your house load it? That cart is fine for hauling some meat, but if it's for hauling donkeys, it can only carry two at most, and the tailgate is low, so the donkeys might fall off the cart," Lao Wu said to the cart at the door.

"Uncle, I can coordinate a vehicle from the transport team. I will go find a vehicle today and load it tomorrow morning. I will load the meat on my vehicle and find a truck to load the donkeys," said Zhang Dabao.

Lao Wu also agreed readily and repeatedly promised to give Zhang Dabao the lowest price.

The three of them returned to He Daqing's courtyard from Lao Wu. Zhang Dabao dropped the three off and went to the Baoding Transportation Company himself.

"Are you from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill in Beijing? You want to buy a donkey? Your leaders are really good at eating. You want to use a truck, right? I'll report this to the leader." The comrade on duty in the transport team went to talk to the leader about the situation. Zhang Dabao showed the letter of introduction to the leader on duty. They were all public institutions and it was not like they were not willing to pay, so the leader agreed. It was agreed that Zhang Dabao would come with the truck at 8 o'clock tomorrow to go load the donkey together.

On He Daqing's side, three people were talking, "Zhu Zi, Yu Shui, Zhang Dabao is not an ordinary person, he has his own way of looking at things. I went back and thought about it yesterday, Bai Lianhua just wanted me to join forces, I want to divorce her, I have saved some money over the years, the money I deposited with Bai Lianhua, I am going to return it, you can take it with you when you leave, Zhu Zi, when you get married, send me a telegram, I will go back, there are too many people in Beijing who know me, I can't go back" He Daqing said to the two children.

"Dad, I have money. I have been working for several years and have saved some money. Yu Shui also has a job now. She works as an accountant in the post office. Zhang Dabao arranged for her to do this. The 480 yuan that uncle gave me is all here." He Yuzhu didn't want his father's money.

"The four hundred and eight are for Yu Shui, and the one thousand are for preparing things for your wedding. Buy the four major items. Although your father is not in the capital, he is not dead." He Daqing felt particularly guilty towards the two children.

"No, I don't need it. He gave me the tickets for four large items with big labels. I don't need so much money," He Yuzhu refused.

"Zhu Zi, you are my son. It is only natural that I give you money for your wedding. Go back and repaint the house. After you buy the four major items, buy a decent dowry for Yu Shui," said He Daqing.

Seeing that his father insisted, He Yuzhu accepted the money.

Chapter 188 Clues

He Daqing spent the whole day with his son and daughter. He really enjoyed this family happiness and said it would be even better if he had two or three grandchildren. He Yuzhu and He Yushui also said they would visit him often.

Zhang Dabao went out and found the car and came back. The three of them drank the wine that Zhang Dabao brought. At night, Zhang Dabao went to sleep in the car, while He Daqing and his son slept with their feet touching. The two talked all night. At dawn, Zhang Dabao went to load the car and He Daqing went to divorce. Amid He Yushui's tears, the three of them parted with He Daqing. Seeing his son and daughter waving at him in the car, He Daqing also shed tears. It's all for life. Life is so hard.

When they arrived at the street office, Bai Lianhua did not show up. Director Zheng of the street office sent someone to call Bai Lianhua to the street office. He Daqing was unmoved by Bai Lianhua's crying. In the end, the street office handled the divorce procedures for the two. In order to avoid Bai Lianhua, He Daqing temporarily lived in the unit.

Zhang Dabao bought fifty kilograms of donkey meat and put it on his pickup truck. When he returned the truck, he gave it directly to Yu Sinian. There were twelve donkeys on the transport team's truck. Zhang Dabao took two and sold ten to the factory donkeys. After buying the donkeys, Zhang Dabao was running out of money. He had a lot of money, but he spent it too much. It seemed that he had to think of a way out after returning to Beijing.

There was no conversation along the way. They arrived at the steel rolling mill at noon and were taken directly to the door of the small canteen. "Uncle, I bought these on my way to Baoding to visit my future father-in-law. I'll keep two, one for delivering goods, and one for eating meat, as my two brothers in my hometown are free. I'll treat everyone to a meal later, and you have to hold the second position for me," Zhang Dabao said to Li Huaide.

"You only know how to eat. Is this your girlfriend?" Li Huaide asked Zhang Dabiao.

"Yes, her name is He Yushui. She is Brother Zhuzi's biological sister, and Yushui is her cousin," Zhang Dabao introduced the two to each other.

"Cousin," He Yushui called out, feeling a little shy.

"Good boy." Li Huaide searched his pocket, wanting to give a gift, but he was standing at the entrance of the cafeteria and had nothing in his pocket, which was a bit embarrassing.

"Uncle, I give the bicycle you gave me to Yu Shui. You won't mind, right?" Zhang Dashi said immediately when he saw Li Huaide was a little embarrassed.

"The things are yours. Do you need to discuss with me before giving them to your partner? I'll write you a note and transfer the money directly to Yu Shui's name." Li Huaide walked down the steps handed to him by Zhang Dabao.

"Uncle, you are so polite," said Zhang Dabao.

"Get out, take your donkey with you. You can't keep it if you're late. You should have informed us in advance when you invited us. Zhuzi can't go back. He has to stay here to work overtime. After these donkeys are weighed, you can go to the finance department to settle the accounts." Li Huaide pretended to be angry and told Zhang Dabao to leave quickly.

"Uncle, please keep the skin for me. This donkey skin can be used to cook donkey-hide gelatin, which is very good." Zhang Dabao turned around and said, and he and He Yushui each led a donkey, left the factory, and went to Chunfeng Hutong.

"Brother Dabiao, this is your courtyard. I've only heard about it from my brother. This is my first time here." He Yushui went to look at every room.

"Will we move here after we get married?" Zhang Dabao asked He Yushui.

"I'll listen to you." He Yushui felt a little shy when she heard about getting married.

"We still have to go back to the factory. The car is still parked at the factory gate. I have to return the car to Director Yu," Zhang Dabao said to He Yushui.

"I'm not going. You can go and send me off yourself. I'd better go home. My father and brother talked all night yesterday and I couldn't sleep," said He Yushui.

"Let's go to the factory, get in the car, I'll take you back first." Zhang Dabao gently hugged He Yushui, and He Yushui rested her head on Zhang Dabao's shoulder. The two of them were affectionate for a few minutes.

After getting in the car, Zhang Dabao sent He Yushui to Yard 95 and returned the pickup truck to Yu Sinian, including the kilograms of donkey meat in the truck.

"Uncle Yu, I also brought back a donkey. In a few days, I'll ask someone to kill it and we'll have a donkey feast," Zhang Dabao invited.

"Dabao, you're too polite. You're giving me so much meat when I get off the car. How can I say hello to you?" Yu Sinian was very satisfied with Zhang Dabao's behavior. Friends should reciprocate courtesies. People who always want to take advantage of others will have no friends.

Since there were still two live donkeys, Zhang Dabao went to the street coal factory and found his sixth brother Zhang Dasen. "Sixth brother, I went to Baoding to buy a donkey. Please go back when you have time and ask fifth brother to take a donkey cart. I will contact the coal factory in Dongfang Street. All three groups of you can deliver the goods. This will also save fifth brother from being blamed by his sister-in-law at home," said Zhang Dabao.

"Who should we ask to be the other person?" Zhang Dasen asked Zhang Dabao.

"You guys discuss it yourselves. Zhang Dasong can't come. I see he's not feeling well," said Zhang Dabao.

"His family is good at maintaining the status quo and preserving everything." Zhang Dasen still has the mentality of a good guy.

"You just decide. I have brought the donkey back. Isn't the cart a little small to use as a donkey cart?" Zhang Dabao asked Zhang Dasen.

"It's a little small, but it's okay. Nowadays, the deliveries are not that large each time. A few hundred kilograms for one household is a lot. One hundred or two hundred kilograms at most. After modifying the cart, it should be enough," said Zhang Dasen.

"I happen to have a cart. If not, I can send both the donkey and the cart to you. You can ask Shoumin to go home and call someone," said Zhang Dabao.

"Good idea. There are still two trucks of goods, each weighing 100 kilograms. I can do it by myself. Shoumin, you go back now and come with your fifth brother and the others tomorrow morning. Call Shoucheng too, as he is the eldest grandson after all." Zhang Dasen said to his nephew, gave him one dollar and asked him to take a bus to the commune.

Zhang Shoumin looked at Zhang Dabiao and saw that he had no objection, so he got off the cart, took the money and left. Zhang Dasen continued to deliver goods. In the evening, Zhang Dabiao called Jia Dongxu. Zhang Dabiao led the donkey and Jia Dongxu pulled the cart to where Zhang Dasen and others lived. Of course, Zhang Dabiao had already bought the tires and other things.

In the evening, Zhang Dabao and Jia Dongxu had dinner here with their brothers and nephews. During the meal, Zhang Dayang said something that caught Zhang Dabao's attention.

"Over here in Xiangyang, there is a family that has shaved their heads and is in very good condition. I have delivered goods to him twice this month. Every time I go to his house to deliver goods, I can see him eating meat. He also drinks beer, the same color as urine," Zhang Dayang said enviously.

"Do you work in a government office?" Zhang Dabao asked.

"Not like that. He looks like he's dressed normally. He must be a worker, or a night shift worker. He's the only one at home, so he must use a lot of coal. How could the stove not go out?" Zhang Dayang's face was full of envy.

"Where is home?" Zhang Dabao asked casually.

"He lives alone in No. 18, Jinyu Hutong, a small courtyard. His family conditions are so good." Zhang Dayang's mouth was full of envy, but Zhang Dabao heard something wrong.

How can a person who lives alone be so rich? It is not enough to just have money. Where did he get all these supplies? Most importantly, who gave him the money?

Chapter 189 Little Donkey

No. 18, Jinyu Hutong, Zhang Dabiao put this

"Seventh Uncle, ever since I got a bicycle, I don't want to walk anymore. I didn't walk for long today, but I always felt tired. I used to walk every day and never felt tired," Jia Dongxu said to Zhang Dabao as they walked.

"Dongxu, it's like you eat meat and fish every day, and suddenly these things are gone, and replaced by steamed bread and stubble porridge. You may not be able to get used to it," said Zhang Dabao.

"Yes, I don't feel like swallowing the steamed bread now. It's too rough. I used to eat it every day and didn't think it tasted bad." Jia Dongxu asked.

"Why? Because people cannot enjoy happiness. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Don't you know?" Zhang Dabao asked Jia Dongxu.

"I've never heard of this. What does this mean?" Jia Dongxu didn't understand what Zhang Dabao said.

"This is a famous saying by Sima Guang, haven't you heard of it? It is easy for him to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality." Zhang Dabao looked at Jia Dongxu with contempt.

"I haven't heard of this guy named Si. Is he from your army?" Jia Dongxu asked.

Zhang Dabiao was speechless. He wanted to scold Jia Dongxu, but he really didn't know. He was in his twenties and just had little experience. It wasn't like he made any mistakes. "Dongxu, this man's surname is Sima, and he was a prime minister in the Northern Song Dynasty. Forget it. You wouldn't know even if I told you. You're pretty smart. Jia Youfu and Zhang Cuihua spoiled you too much. You didn't study hard and you don't know anything."

Jia Dongxu did not answer but smiled awkwardly. He never felt that he had little knowledge when he was working at the steel rolling mill, but now that he was at the post office, he found that his colleagues knew a lot. Sometimes when everyone was talking about something, he could not get a word in, so he did know less.

"Banggeng is smarter than you. If you train him well and study hard, he should be able to become a talent," Zhang Dabao said seriously to Jia Dongxu.

"Seventh Uncle, Banggeng listens to my mother now. He doesn't listen to me and I can't do anything about it. As soon as I try to control him, my mother will beat me," Jia Dongxu said aggrievedly.

Zhang Dabao was speechless again, and smiled and said, "Take some time and I'll talk to you about your mother."

The two talked as they walked and soon returned to Yard 95.