Life in siheyuan era

He Yushui's return home disrupted Zhou Zhiyuan's plans, shifting the topic from Bang梗 to his work arrangements, and even bringing up a Han Xue.

However, Zhou Zhiyuan wasn't interested in this topic and promptly changed it: "Comrade He Yushui, your internship should be over, right?"

Uniting comrades starts with caring about them, which is a military approach. Zhou Zhiyuan was familiar with this topic, so he started there.

Bringing up this topic indeed piqued He Yushui's interest, and she replied happily, "Yes, I'm a technician now..."

He Yushui enthusiastically talked about electrical engineering, but these technical terms made Silly Zhu impatiently interrupt her: "No matter how busy you are, you can't just not come home. What's it like living outside all the time?"

He Yushui retorted unhappily: "Do I want to live outside? The nature of the job dictates it..."

At this point, she paused, glanced at Zhou Zhiyuan, lowered her voice, and continued, "Chief Engineer Zhang, who leads us, is extremely strict. We get criticized for even the slightest mistake."

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Strict teachers produce outstanding students."

"That makes sense..." He Yushui said happily, "Chief Engineer Zhang's requirements are strict, but his skills are also extremely high. He's an electrical engineer who returned from studying in D country..."

As He Yushui spoke of Chief Engineer Zhang, Zhou Zhiyuan's heart stirred. When she finished speaking, he asked in a deep voice, "What is Chief Engineer Zhang's full name?"

"Zhang Xueqi, the Xue of learning, the Qi of enlightenment. Chief Engineer Zhang often says, 'Continuous learning leads to continuous enlightenment'..."

He Yushui continued to talk about Chief Engineer Zhang, which Silly Zhu found annoying, but Zhou Zhiyuan recalled a chubby face.

He knew Zhang Xueqi. Zhang Xueqi's wife, Luo Sumei, was his high elementary Chinese teacher, and Zhang Xueqi's son, Zhang Yong, was his classmate. That chubby face belonged to Zhang Yong.

Thus, he became Zhang Yong's classmate and desk mate. After being admitted to middle school, they were still classmates and desk mates. At that time, there were few girls, and boys and girls didn't sit at the same desk.

Thinking of those past events, a smile appeared on Zhou Zhiyuan's face, but he heard an unpleasant voice, "Comrade Zhou Zhiyuan, you weren't listening to me."

This voice interrupted Zhou Zhiyuan's thoughts. He looked up and saw He Yushui looking displeased, while Silly Zhu said from the side, "Zhiyuan doesn't like listening to this. Come, let's drink."

Silly Zhu didn't like listening, but he put the blame on him, shouting and picking up his wine cup.

Zhou Zhiyuan picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and put it down, saying solemnly to He Yushui, "Sorry, I was distracted just now."

Zhou Zhiyuan apologized, and seeing He Yushui's unhappy expression, he explained, "I was distracted because you mentioned Chief Engineer Zhang. His wife, Luo Sumei, was my high elementary Chinese teacher, and his son, Zhang Yong, was my classmate."

Since it was their first meeting, Zhou Zhiyuan wanted to leave a good impression on He Yushui, and mentioning this relationship was also a way to get closer to her.

Upon receiving this news, He Yushui exclaimed happily, "Really?"

Seeing him nod, He Yushui asked eagerly, "Can you talk to Chief Engineer Zhang?"

He Yushui was anxious because she would face reassignment issues after her internship ended.

She had her own ideas, and continuing to study with Zhang Xueqi was the best option, but many people thought the same way, and many people were pulling strings and going through back doors. But no matter who they found, Zhang Xueqi's consent was ultimately required.

This situation troubled He Yushui, who had no connections. Hearing Zhou Zhiyuan say that he knew Zhang Xueqi, she was overjoyed and immediately asked him to speak to Zhang Xueqi on her behalf.

Thus, Zhou Zhiyuan once again entered self-reflection. 'Too much talk leads to mistakes' was exactly about him, and the side effects of the language mastery artifact were once again manifesting.

But at this point, he couldn't refuse. Zhang Xueqi was good to him, so saying a word wasn't a problem. The question was whether he would accept that word?

"If it really doesn't work, I'll go find Teacher Luo." He thought of a solution, but he didn't want Zhang Yong to get involved. Zhang Yong was like a little mouse in front of his father.

Zhou Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, looked up at Silly Zhu and He Yushui, and seeing their eager eyes, Zhou Zhiyuan said solemnly, "I can go find Chief Engineer Zhang. If it really doesn't work, I'll go find Teacher Luo. Comrade He Yushui, you arrange the time."

Seeing him agree, He Yushui replied happily, "Chief Engineer Zhang has gone to the Northwest. I'll take you when he comes back."

Silly Zhu was also happy, raised his wine cup, and said, "Zhiyuan, I'm counting on you for this. Let's have a cup."

Zhou Zhiyuan followed suit and raised his cup, and the two of them finished another cup.

Putting down his wine cup, Silly Zhu brought up the neighbors in the courtyard, cheerfully recounting the various embarrassing things about Xu Damao and Yan Jiacheng.

Silly Zhu looked down on Xu Damao and Yan Jiacheng, and he didn't like any of the young people, including Zhou Zhining.

He was very lazy, but he looked down on Zhou Zhining's laziness. Mentioning Zhou Zhining, he heard He Yushui cough softly, immediately remembered the relationship between Zhou Zhiyuan and Zhou Zhining, and quickly changed the subject.

He also looked down on Lou Xiao'e, who was delicate and didn't do any work. All the housework was Xu Damao's job. Lou Xiao'e married Xu Damao to find herself a male servant.

He also looked down on Yu Li. On the surface, she seemed like a silent gourd, but she was very calculating. Whenever something happened, she would have Yan Jiefang ask the Third Master to stand up for her.

After talking about the two wives, Shazhu said, "Only Qin Huairu is alright. She's pretty and hardworking..."

As he said this, Shazhu heard another cough.

Hearing the cough, Zhou Zhiyuan turned to look at He Yushui and asked in a low voice, "Do you have a cold?"

"No, my throat is just a little itchy..." He Yushui retracted her gaze and turned to Zhou Zhiyuan, saying, "Chief Engineer Zhang is usually very serious and never participates in matters outside of technology..."

He Yushui winked at Shazhu and snatched the right to speak, talking about Chief Engineer Zhang. Zhou Zhiyuan looked at Shazhu's expression and saw that he had understood, so he lost another opportunity.

The younger sister was more clever than the older brother. Zhou Zhiyuan could only be a good listener, interjecting a few words from time to time, just enough to make He Yushui's interest in talking even stronger.

This meal and drinks didn't end until after eight o'clock.

Shazhu didn't dare to talk, so he could only drink. He accidentally drank a little too much, barely maintaining a trace of sobriety.

The two of them drank a bottle of Erguotou, but Zhou Zhiyuan seemed unaffected, his face unchanged and his feet firmly planted.

After he said goodbye and walked out the door, Shazhu said with a thick tongue, "Zhiyuan can hold his liquor."

He Yushui, however, remembered something and said regretfully, "I forgot to ask, what's wrong with his right hand?"

He Yushui's interest in talking was extremely high tonight. This was because Zhou Zhiyuan had used the function of the artifact, opening up the language meridian. The artifact wasn't just for talking yourself; making the other person talk endlessly was the correct way to use the artifact.

But Shazhu didn't know about this artifact and called out unhappily, "I've only heard you talking all night. How could you remember anything?"

He Yushui retorted, "What I said was all important."

"It's all about you..." Shazhu muttered as he climbed onto the bed, finally calling out, "Zhiyuan's right hand was crippled when he fought against the enemy. That kid went crazy at the time."

"Crippled?" He Yushui muttered in surprise, and seeing Shazhu fall onto the bed, she immediately called out, "Take off your shoes and clothes, and put on the bedding before you sleep."

"No time for that." Shazhu muttered, closing his eyes, still smacking his lips as if savoring the taste of the wine.

Seeing him like this, He Yushui turned and went out to find the First Master. Shazhu had drunk too much, so she could only ask the First Master for help.

At this time, Zhou Zhiyuan walked into his parents' room and saw Lin Shurong busy at the cutting board, preparing to make him two new sets of clothes.

Zhou Dehou was sitting in a chair, seriously reading a book on lathe technology. He wanted to pass the exam for an eighth-grade worker as soon as possible.

Zhou Zhiyuan stood by the cutting board, watching Lin Shurong cut the fabric, and said softly, "You don't need to rush. I'll wear this military uniform to report for duty. It'll leave a good impression on the leaders."

He didn't want to tire Lin Shurong, but Lin Shurong replied while busy, "You can wear the military uniform to report for duty, but you'll have to change into new clothes in two days at most. We can't let the leaders think you're sloppy."

Lin Shurong thought it through. Zhou Zhiyuan could only think of another way, saying softly, "It's fine to cut it out tomorrow. There are still two evenings, Monday and Tuesday, to hand it over to Qin Huairu to make."

Zhou Zhiyuan's words made Lin Shurong vigilant. She stared at his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "You want to use Qin Huairu?"

The commotion here attracted Zhou Dehou's attention, and he turned to look over.

Zhou Zhiyuan replied softly, "Helping Qin Huairu can be done this way. How much does it cost to sew a set of clothes? How much does it cost to wash a set of clothes? Clear prices, no owing each other."

Hearing him say this, Lin Shurong replied coldly, "My family is really rich."

Zhou Zhiyuan smiled and turned to look at Zhou Dehou, but Zhou Dehou shook his head at him.

Zhou Dehou wouldn't speak up when it came to money, and he didn't agree with Zhou Zhiyuan's idea either.

In order to add a few more digits to the savings book, Lin Shurong carefully calculated and saved every penny every day. Zhou Zhiyuan actually wanted to use money to make clothes. It was already good that Lin Shurong didn't scold him.

This was the consumption concept at the time. If you could do it yourself, you would never spend money to do it.

Zhou Zhiyuan didn't want to challenge the consumption concept at this time, but he remembered Lin Shurong's later years. Cervical spondylosis caused her a lot of suffering, and rheumatism made her legs often ache unbearably.

This was the result of Lin Shurong often bowing her head to sew clothes, knit sweaters, weave slippers, and wash clothes with cold water. Not wanting to repeat it, Zhou Zhiyuan had to think of a way. After pondering for a moment, he said softly, "Mom, if you save fifty yuan a month, that's only six hundred yuan a year, but do you know how much money people will earn every year decades later?"

He was going to give an economics lesson, and Zhou Dehou could listen in.

Before giving this economics lesson, there needed to be a premise: he had a good relationship with the logistics director of the army.

This logistics director was proficient in economics and had given him systematic lessons, and had envisioned an economic prospect of tens of thousands of yuan in personal annual income.

When he said this, Lin Shurong exclaimed in surprise, "How much?"

Zhou Dehou put down "Must-Read for Eighth-Grade Lathe Workers" and got up and walked over. The couple was frightened by the personal income he mentioned.

Zhou Zhiyuan raised his left index finger and said "Shh" softly, "The director repeatedly told me that this must not be said outside, otherwise I will be arrested, and the crime will be creating rumors and causing trouble. If it's not done well, I will be shot."

The best way to keep his parents from talking outside was this sentence. Parents could risk their lives for their children, and they would close their lips even more tightly to protect their children.