Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

"Today is your first day at work, and even the rain has returned. Isn't this a slap in my face?" Sha Zhu rushed out of the house holding a kitchen knife.

He Yushui played with the matchbox for a long time and said softly, "Brother Xiaodong, can you help me persuade my brother? Tell him to stay away from Qin Huairu."

Li Xiaodong looked up at He Yushui for a while, confirmed her sincerity, and immediately felt happy.

Indeed, those who achieve success solely through their own strength are superior wherever they go.

Dealing with such a small chicken theft incident actually gave He Yushui a new insight.

In the original work, He Yushui is Qin Huairu's loyal ally. The reason why Sha Zhu can't get rid of Qin Huairu's influence is largely due to his simple sister.

It even made Li Xiaodong have an illusion, has He Yushui really turned bad?

She seemed to be deliberately pushing Sha Zhu into the control of the vampire Count Qin Huairu.

He was left to have his blood sucked dry, and was eventually kicked out of his home, where he died under an overpass.

However...

Li Xiaodong pondered and said, "It's hard to change one's nature. I will do my best, but I'm not sure whether Zhuzi will listen to me."

"Then thank you first." He Yushui smiled for the first time tonight.

It is undeniable that her smile is quite refreshing.

Then they discussed the marriage. To Li Xiaodong's surprise, Sha Zhu only prepared a quilt for He Yushui.

Is this too little?

Although the man says he doesn't care, the woman often feels embarrassed in her husband's family if she doesn't have a dowry.

Li Xiaodong thought of the money He Daqing sent back.

Well, if I have the chance to go to Baoding, I must find He Daqing and find out the origin of the money.

——Since the little girl sincerely calls him "big brother", he naturally has to take on the responsibility of being an older brother.

During the conversation, Sha Zhu came back with a bunch of leeks.

Li Xiaodong was stunned, and pointed at the leeks and said, "Zhu Zi, you are not trying to fool me with leeks, are you? If you don't have vegetables, I still have some here."

"Chives? These are not leeks. Just wait and see!" Sha Zhu took the leeks and walked to the stove, busying himself with processing them.

Then he found an egg from the cupboard, put the frying pan on the coal stove, and started to work.

Not long after, Sha Zhu came over with a plate of steaming light green dish.

He Yushui smiled secretly: "Brother, isn't this fried eggs with leeks?"

Sha Zhu glared at her and said, "What do you know? This is called Golden Branches and Jade Leaves. It is said that Empress Dowager Cixi likes it very much. If she doesn't eat a plate of it a day, she will be so greedy that she can't sleep."

"Puff," He Yushui covered her mouth and laughed, "The Empress Dowager Cixi loves to eat leeks? Then why don't you say that Emperor Qianlong used a golden shovel to dig the ground?"

"It's all talk and no action. You won't know if it tastes good until you try it." Li Xiaodong picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.

The eggs are soft, the leeks are fresh and tender, and the taste is really good.

“Where did this leek come from?”

“It was planted by an old lady in the flower bed on the west side.”

"Oh, you really can't change this bad habit of yours..."

"Auntie is not an outsider."

Seeing that the conversation was getting to the point, He Yushui poured some wine and brought it to them.

The two of them raised their glasses and talked, drinking and chatting, and soon the pot of wine was empty.

Slightly tipsy, Li Xiaodong took advantage of the alcohol and stood up and patted Sha Zhu's shoulder heavily.

"Zhu Zi, although you are older than me, we grew up together. Although I have never called you brother, you have always taken good care of me. I must say a few words to you about what happened today."

"Go ahead and talk. I'm listening." Sha Zhu was already a little drunk, and his words were unclear.

Li Xiaodong stood there, looking down at me, and said seriously, "Do you know what the security chief said to me outside the factory gate just now?"

"Security Chief?" Sha Zhu was sweating profusely, and suddenly came to his senses. He smiled awkwardly and asked, "What did Chief Zhou say?"

"He said..." Li Xiaodong imitated Section Chief Zhou's words. Sha Zhu lowered his head and remained silent.

——Fortunately, Li Xiaodong stopped him today, otherwise his chicken stealing would have been exposed long ago.

He hesitated for a moment and said awkwardly: "Thank you!"

"What are you thanking me for? I'm not doing this for you, but for He Yushui's sake." Li Xiaodong pretended to be drunk, his body swaying. He Yushui wanted to help him, but he pushed her away, "I'm not drunk!"

Then, he glared at Sha Zhu and said sternly, "Don't think I don't know your little tricks. You want the Jia family to take the blame for stealing chickens so as to clear yourself of the suspicion of taking public property and gain Qin Huairu's gratitude. Have you ever thought about how He Yushui will live in the policeman's house with a chicken thief in her family? How will she live in the future?"

"I, I..." Sha Zhu's thoughts were exposed by Li Xiaodong, and his face turned red.

At this moment, He Yushui had already burst into tears.

When she learned that her brother was going to admit to stealing the chicken, she was almost in despair.

"What about me?" Li Xiaodong pretended to be drunk very realistically, even his anger after being drunk was performed vividly.

He pointed at Shazhu's nose and scolded:

"Back to the Jia family, Qin Huairu is a widow, and you are a bachelor. Is there any point in following her around all day?

And the children of the Jia family, you treat them like your own children, how do they call you? Silly uncle!

What, are you a eunuch? Without that thing, you can't have children like me, right?"

"The master is not a eunuch, I have seen him..." Sha Zhu defended.

"Don't interrupt! I haven't finished yet!" Li Xiaodong shook his head and pointed his finger at Sha Zhu again: "By the way, where was I just now?"

"The master is a eunuch." Sha Zhu replied.

"What the hell, am I a eunuch?" Li Xiaodong slumped in his chair in confusion.

"..."

Seeing that Li Xiaodong was indeed drunk, Sha Zhu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and hurriedly called He Yushui, and the two of them worked together to send him back to the room.

The next morning.

Li Xiaodong got up early because he had to prepare for the driving test.

I originally planned to make a bowl of corn noodle porridge, but found that the coal balls in the coal stove had gone out.

Only then did he remember that he had drunk too much last night and forgot to add coal in time.

Forget it, let’s go out and eat something.

As soon as he went out, he saw Qin Huairu standing under a big camphor tree, looking at him timidly, while Jia Zhang quickly hid back in the house like a mouse, peeking at them through the crack in the door.

Hey, this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are quite interesting! "

Before Qin Huairu opened her mouth, Li Xiaodong had already picked up a cigarette and said in a nonchalant tone, "Sister Qin, are you short of money? Let's go inside and talk it over."

Qin Huairu was stunned and didn't understand what "explain slowly and clearly" meant.

But she was an experienced person after all, so she immediately understood the situation. She felt nervous and her hands and feet felt weak.

She said softly: "No, I'm not borrowing money, I'm just thanking your mother-in-law for her help yesterday."

"Oh, I really forgot about that. Let's go inside and talk about it."

Li Xiaodong pretended to go in, but Qin Huairu hurriedly ran away.

Once inside, it seemed as though this rugged man might actually take action.

Watching her hurriedly leaving, Li Xiaodong curled his lips and said, "This is too unprofessional. Do you think you can take advantage of me just by talking?"

At the Jia family, Jia Zhang was lying in the crack of the door. When she saw Qin Huairu reject Li Xiaodong, she stomped her feet in anger.

"Why don't you go in?!"

When Qin Huairu returned to the house, she hurriedly asked, "What a good opportunity just now, why did you miss it?"

"Mom, Li Xiaodong is different from Sha Zhu..." Qin Huairu blushed and was speechless.

Jia Zhang was so angry that she didn't notice her daughter's embarrassment and kept nagging: "What's the difference? They are still just as stupid!"

Qin Huairu pursed her lips and said nothing. She couldn't tell anyone that she was being taken advantage of.

She failed to borrow money from Li Xiaodong, so she had to go to Sha Zhu, but Sha Zhu said he wanted to help He Yushui buy a dowry, but in the end she got nothing.

Back in the house, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked worried.

"Mom, why don't you take the passbook? I'll return it to you when I get my salary next month."

"What are you going to take? Our bankbook can only be used to deposit money but not to withdraw money. We have to borrow money from others."

"Who in this yard is willing to lend us ten dollars? The first grandfather always has several kilograms of corn flour, the second grandfather doesn't get along with us, and the third grandfather is stingy..." Qin Huairu counted on her fingers.

"Third Grandfather! Oh, how could I forget about him. Daughter-in-law, don't worry, I will take care of the loan."

Jia Zhang stood up suddenly and walked out in a hurry.

Qin Huairu didn't understand, so she stopped her and said, "Mom, Yan Bugui is a stingy person, will he lend it to us?"

"You are too young and don't understand the ways of the world. Yan Jiefang's wife was taken away by Li Xiaodong, and now she is too sick to get up. Yan Bugui found several matchmakers, but they all said he was stingy and no one was willing to introduce him. I have a girl, and I guarantee that Yan Bugui will be satisfied." Jia Zhang explained.

Jia Zhang was unemployed and stayed at home. Everyday she either made insoles or visited people and chatted, and she got to know quite a few people.

however……

Qin Huairu was puzzled. "The gift money for marriage proposal here is at most half a pound of pork belly, which is not even worth one dollar. How could Yan Bugui lend us ten dollars?"

"If Yan Bugui doesn't lend it, there must be someone willing to lend it!" Jia Zhang mentioned the matchmaker and left in a hurry.

Is there anyone willing to lend it... Qin Huairu's face suddenly changed. Could it be that Jia Zhang was up to something again?

She wanted to call Jia Zhang, but she was reluctant to spend the ten dollars. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly, wash her hands and prepare to cook for Banggeng.

……

the other side.

Li Xiaodong rode his bicycle to the small state-owned restaurant at the entrance of the alley.

The restaurant has a small storefront, and the owner places a large iron pot for stewing outside the store. It is steaming hot, and the moment you open the lid, the aroma fills the air, making people linger.

After eating a bowl of hot braised pork and steamed buns, Li Xiaodong felt warm all over, and then rode his bike to the convoy.

After a night of severe cold, the truck body was covered with rust and a cold white frost, shining with colorful light in the morning sun.

As Li Xiaodong was searching one by one, a voice came from behind him asking, "Are you looking for your father's car?"

The person who came was the team leader Niu Yong.

Li Xiaodong nodded and said, "If no one is driving, I want to take over."

Niu Yong replied: "It has just been repaired and is still in the repair room. But are you really so confident that you can pass the driving test?"

Li Xiaodong chuckled and said, "I've always been steady in my work."

Niu Yong: “…”

Although Li Xiaodong was full of confidence, Niu Yong still explained the exam rules in detail.

Before we knew it, it was already eight o'clock and the convoy began to get busy.

After assigning today's tasks, Niu Yong took Li Xiaodong to the examination room, and of course his assistant Niu Meng came with him to cheer for the master.

The truck cab of this era only had one row of seats, but there were three positions. As a senior driver, Niu Yong rushed all the way to the Huling test site in northwest Beijing.

Due to the scarcity of vehicles, most people who obtain a large vehicle driver's license are veterans, and they are required to have continuous driving experience before they are eligible to practice.

Li Xiaodong and his men were wearing blue work clothes, which made them particularly eye-catching among the yellow-brown military uniforms.

Sure enough, the captain of the machinery factory's fleet recognized them at a glance.

"Old cow!"

"Old Zhang!"

After the two hugged each other warmly, they looked at each other with expressions of disgust.

"Lao Niu, are you still gambling today?" Captain Zhang was a thin middle-aged man, smoking one cigarette after another in his mouth. He was a real chain smoker.

"Bet! What's the bet?"

"Don't be impatient, let me see your team members first."

Captain Zhang looked at Li Xiaodong and was secretly delighted: "So you are a newbie. I won't bully you today. Let's bet on a pack of Daqianmen. I am not used to other cigarettes."

"How can one box be enough? Wouldn't that be an insult? Otherwise, just bet them all at once." Niu Yong was stunned for a moment, then he saw the team member with trembling calves behind Lao Zhang and understood instantly.

Is this old man trying to take advantage of the situation?

Captain Zhang looked at Li Xiaodong as if he were examining livestock, trying to find out the old cow's reliance from his eyes, but in the end he found nothing.

Although this young man looks handsome, his good looks are a minus when driving.