"Have a good New Year, have a good New Year, it's New Year even if it's not the first month. I wish you and me a happy old age."
After Zhou Wenzhong walked into the house and bowed his hands, he began to rummage through the boxes and cabinets of Yi's house to find something to eat.
"Hey~ It must be said that my uncle's family is very wealthy. This is a big white flour steamed bun, and I don't eat it often. Mom, you steamed it, right? The craftsmanship is quite good, you see... eh? Where are the people?
?”
Zhou Wenzhong held the steamed bun in his mouth and looked for his aunt in the house. She was still here just now.
"Leave? Go lead your toothless old dog. Master, come out quickly. I brought you some Tianjin specialties! Hurry up!"
The bedroom door opened with the shout, and Yi Zhonghai walked out of the bedroom with a smile on his face. Zhou Wenzhong stepped forward and put his arm around Yi Zhonghai's shoulders. At the same time, he unbuttoned his cotton coat with his left hand.
"Come on, come on, I brought you something good, a specialty from the Qinghe Labor Camp! I won't let most people see it. We are the only ones who have a good relationship. You can touch it, come on!"
"No need, you should keep the good things for yourself. It's not easy for you to make two bucks."
"Don't bother! I let you touch it to give you face. If you don't touch it, you're looking down on me?"
"No, you are overthinking."
"Then touch it. Quick, quick, quick."
Yi Zhonghai put down the pipe and pot in his hand and reached into Zhou Wenzhong's waist. However, the smile on his face gradually disappeared.
"Did you touch it?"
"Um."
"Is it hard?"
"hard."
"Is it cold?"
"Um."
Zhou Wenzhong scratched his head and said with a puzzled look on his face: "It shouldn't be. I've been keeping warm for a long time. I'm afraid I'll freeze you. Will it feel cold if you touch it again?"
"A little warm."
"That's right."
Zhou Wenzhong took out Yi Zhonghai's arm, buttoned up his coat, walked to the chest of drawers, squatted on the ground and started looking for things.
"What are you looking for?"
"Nothing, just looking for some letters from Baoding. Where did you put them?"
"What letter?"
Zhou Wenzhong looked at Yi Zhonghai pretending to be confused. He smiled and pushed Yi Zhonghai down on the chair.
"Let me tell you a story. I guess the old lady in the backyard has never heard of it."
"It's so late. You should go to bed early. If you have a story, we'll tell it next time."
"Then I'll wait until the old lady comes?"
"You'd better talk now, we can't delay the old lady's rest."
"The story is very simple. There is such a person. He is quite famous. He earns a lot of salary every month, but no one at home helps him spend it. I don't understand why he loves money so much. He has a friend.
When he went to other places, he sent money and letters to him every month, asking him to transfer the money to his children. Do you know what he did?"
Looking at Yi Zhonghai with a fake smile on his face, Zhou Wenzhong was holding a potato in his hand and tossing it back and forth with his left and right hands.
"He squandered the money! And he also sent false news, writing back to his friend that his children were doing well. What did you learn from this story?"
"I do not understand."
"Haha... Before 1956, there was no 8-level technician system. At that time, it was only divided into: junior, intermediate, and senior technicians. You were rated as an intermediate technician at that time. After the rating system came out, you, the junior high school student, have never been to junior high school.
A person has become a level 7 worker. What does this mean? Even I can’t understand the Pythagorean theorem, but you can skillfully apply it to workpieces. It shows that you are smarter than me, so,
What do you think you learned from this story?"
Seeing that Yi Zhonghai remained silent, Zhou Wenzhong took out more than 30 kilograms of fine grains from his noodle vat. He gently placed the grain bags under his feet and clapped his hands.
"The truth in this story is very simple. It is that people cannot make mistakes, and they must understand that if you stretch out your hand, you will be caught, and you will be caught ten thousand times. I can tell this story for more than 20 years, are you right?"
"right."
"That's right. I'm borrowing these grains from you. Do you want to borrow them?"
"You just came out and you don't have a job, so just take the food and eat it."
"Look! What did I just say? I am the only one in this courtyard who treats me well. What did you just say? Work? You still want to find a job for me? Thank you very much."
The corners of Yi Zhonghai's mouth twitched when he heard this.
"I can only help you inquire."
"Don't worry, you know me, Zhou Wenzhong. I never pick a job, and I don't expect it in the military factory. I think your Red Star Steel Rolling Plant is very good. A large factory with ten thousand people is also respectable. We are not that kind of people.
Greedy people.
I don't dare to ask for a technical job, and I still have 3 years of apprenticeship, and I have to be beaten and scolded by the master all day long.
It would be too embarrassing for me to sweep the floor.
Should I sit in an office? I don’t have enough education.
I'm not interested in being a cook either, as they are just servants. I, Zhou Wenzhong, was born with hard bones and I can't bend my waist.
Boiler workers are no good either. That stuff is dirty, tiring, and hazardous. Pressure tanks can easily explode.
Cutting workers, loading and unloading workers, and mold turning workers are also not allowed. I am not physically strong enough to do such tiring work.
Not even the spray paint shop, which is also a hazardous type of work.
I don’t work as a mechanic either. If I repair the machinery in the factory, I can’t afford to pay for it.
Not even the projectionist, who has to carry the machine around all day long. If the projector is lost, I can't afford it.
I don’t want to be an electrician either, electric tigers eat people!
Not even in the hot rolling workshop, I'm afraid of the heat.
The cold-rolling workshop is even worse. I'm afraid that the hoisting machine above will hit me. I've heard of many accidents where many workers died because the wire rope of the hoisting machine broke!
I don’t want to be a buyer either. Going to the countryside every day to collect things is too tiring, and it also delays my search for a partner.
I don’t even work as a driver. I have to get under the car every day to learn how to repair it. I get all covered in engine oil. Buying soap every month is a big expense. Teacher Yan has said that you have to learn to calculate to live your life."
Yi Zhonghai said with a smile: "Then what kind of job do you think is suitable for you?"
"I can do it. I still say the same thing. I don't choose my job."
"The workers in our steel rolling mill are all registered on the roster of the Municipal Labor Bureau. So we can't rush this matter, we have to take our time."
"Don't be in a hurry. One month is enough for you, right? I happen to be busy with some things recently. Maybe I have to go to Baoding again to meet my classmate."
Zhou Wenzhong put his hands on Yi Zhonghai's shoulders and asked: "Master, you haven't given me any accurate words yet. Is one month enough?"
"I guess it should be about the same."
"Okay, I'll take it as your promise."
"Well, you should go back and rest early."
"Don't worry, I haven't finished talking yet."
"Just say what you have to say, and you still treat me like an outsider?"
Zhou Wenzhong let go of his hands and sat opposite Yi Zhonghai, holding a chopstick in his hand and turning it on the table.
"I came to you to borrow some money for spending money, and I will pay it back to you after I have paid my salary. As the saying goes, you are a guest when you come to the door. You won't refuse me, right?"
"It's rare for you to talk to me. I also have some spare money at home. As long as the amount is not too much, just tell me and I will help you get it together."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... I didn't expect that your home is not spacious. Just give it to me."
"You'd better say it directly."
"Then lend me 200 yuan first. Just now you said it's not easy for me to open my mouth to you. If I borrow less, I'll be looking down on you. Can you think of the amount of 200 yuan?"
"Haha, you borrowed it quite accurately."
Yi Zhonghai got up and left the dining table and walked into the bedroom. Zhou Wenzhong emptied everything from his chest of drawers.
On the floor are 5 pieces of soap, 1 small bottle of sesame oil, 1 wine bottle of soybean oil, 1 jar of lard (about 4 pounds), 3 pounds of fine salt, 11 eggs, 1 small bundle of green onions, 3 bunches of dried shiitake mushrooms, and 1 bunch of dried chili peppers.
, about half a pound of peanuts and melon seeds, 1 small piece of tofu.
"belch…"
Zhou Wenzhong ate three white flour steamed buns before he was full, and then put the remaining four pancakes on the plate into the space.
"squeak…"
The door to the main room opened, and the aunt and the deaf old lady walked into the house.
"what are you doing?"
"This is something the uncle gave me. If you don't believe it, just ask him."
After hearing this, the aunt quickly ran into the bedroom, and then there was no more movement. The deaf old lady pulled out a chair and sat down on crutches.
"I heard that you have just been released from the farm. Now that you have come out, you should behave well. Leaders from the subdistrict office will come to our courtyard every now and then to ask about the recent situation of you and Yan Bugui. I will ask Xiao Yi to help you later.
Say a few nice words."
"Hiccup... you should take care of your business first. I, Zhou Wenzhong, was not released from prison. I was invited back from the farm by the police comrades. It was a misunderstanding that they said my case has been cleared up! I guess it will be over soon.
Someone helped me promote it in the courtyard. And this person also lives next door to your house."
"Haha, why did you come to see Xiao Yi? Tell me and I will think of a solution for you."
"Old lady, since you have asked this question, I can't hide it from you. The first uncle said that he wants to find me a job, so I can't refuse, right?"
"It should, it should. Xiao Yi has watched your child grow up since he was a child. If any family in this courtyard has difficulties, Xiao Yi will help."
"Maybe so. Anyway, my work matter has been solved. Now there is still something I need your help with."
"Say it and I'll listen."
"The work matter has been settled, but the house I live in has not yet been settled. Is there anything you can do?"
The old deaf lady's pale old face now looked even more gloomy.
"I'm not in a hurry. You'd better ask me about the specific situation later. I'll give you a small gift."
"Haha, you are interested."
Zhou Wenzhong walked to the chest of drawers, bent down to pick up the small piece of tofu on the ground, and placed it on the dining table in front of the deaf old lady.
"You always like to eat something tasty. When you were young, your teeth must have been very good. Now your teeth are not good. You can't chew things that are too hard, and your teeth are prone to chipping. This piece of tofu is my filial piety to you, Zhou Wenzhong.
Yes, remember to dice it and boil it for 3 minutes to get rid of the beany smell... Forget it, you are asking me, Brother Zhuzi, to help you make it anyway. Remember to chop some green onions and put them in. This is called tofu mixed with green onions.
Innocent."
After Zhou Wenzhong said this, he began to move the things on the floor out, and immediately put them away in the space as soon as he walked out of the door.
After running back and forth four times, Yi Zhonghai also walked out of the bedroom with a gloomy look.
"Give."
"Thank you, sir. Can you use me to write you an IOU?"
"No, how can I still not trust you as a person?"
"I have to say that I am very particular. Since you don't need me to write an IOU, you won't be allowed to write a receipt after I pay you back. Thank you!"
"You're welcome."
Zhou Wenzhong folded up the 20 large black sheets and put them in his trouser pocket, walked up to the deaf old lady and asked: "Old lady, you see that I just came back from abroad, and I wanted to give you a small gift. Why don't you give me this?"
As a senior's expression?"
"Haha, it should mean it should mean."
The deaf old lady took out a blue handkerchief bag from her waist, opened it, took out 2 yuan and handed it to Zhou Wenzhong.
"Thank you, old lady. If I need anything in the future, I will come and sit in your room. Let's go, there are still many days to come, and we have plenty of opportunities to get along slowly."
Zhou Wenzhong opened the door and walked out. Yi Zhonghai quickly closed the door and fastened the bolt.