Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

Today's conversation is over!

Li Xiaodong rode his bicycle back to the courtyard.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw the old woman from the Wang family coming towards him with a stool. She stood in front of Li Xiaodong with an angry look on her face and said sternly, "Boy from the Li family, you are committing a sin!"

The dissatisfied expression and serious tone made Li Xiaodong worry that she would hit him on the head with a stool.

What sin have I committed?

What made Li Xiaodong even more puzzled was that the old ladies and wives under the big tree were staring at him with scrutiny.

It seemed as if the next moment they were going to drag him out to the street and publicly accuse him.

Damn, who did I offend?

When he returned to the backyard and opened the door, he saw Yu Li drinking boiled water and eating a steamed bun.

That pitiful look is heartbreaking to look at.

Li Xiaodong now understood the crux of the problem.

"Brother Xiaodong, you're back." After Yu Li finished the last bite of the steamed bread, she stuck out her tongue to lick the crumbs at the corner of her mouth.

"Why are you eating this? There's more in the cupboard..." Li Xiaodong said halfway and suddenly slapped his forehead.

He forgot that in order to prevent theft, he stored the meat and refined flour in the space warehouse.

"…Didn't I leave five dollars for you last night? Why don't you go out to eat?"

Li Xiaodong took Yu Li's red, frozen little hand and felt a surge of pity in his heart.

"It's such a waste to eat out. A bowl of noodles at the street corner costs ten cents. We have to live frugally." Yu Li's cheeks flushed and her heart was filled with sweetness. Being praised by the man she loves is the greatest happiness in the world.

…Could this girl be taking the fake predicament seriously?

However, diligence and thrift are the main theme of this era, and Li Xiaodong has no way to refute it. It seems that the family will have to prepare more food in the future.

"I will buy some vegetables and food tomorrow and store them. You can cook for yourself when you come. Don't treat yourself badly. After you get married, you have to continue the incense for our Li family as soon as possible."

"Yeah." Yu Li nodded vigorously.

The two chatted for a while, and Li Xiaodong suddenly remembered something and asked, "Did you walk here?"

"Yeah, there's only one bicycle at home, and my dad has to ride it to work."

"Tomorrow is the weekend, I'll buy you a bicycle."

"Really?" Yu Li suddenly opened her eyes wide.

What she wanted most was to own a bicycle.

In the original book, Yu Li made a lot of efforts to exchange for a bicycle.

"Of course it's true. I still have work to do. You don't need to clean this afternoon. Just have a good rest."

After giving a few instructions, Li Xiaodong quickly rode his bike back to his work station.

Just kidding, if Yu Li continues to act this way, Siheyuan will soon discuss his problems publicly.

However, Yu Li knew nothing about this and thought Li Xiaodong was concerned about her health.

In fact, she didn't feel tired, but felt a sense of accomplishment from cleaning the house.

After all, this is her nest where she raises her offspring.

This is how women work; once they choose a mate, they begin preparing for reproduction.

Bed sheets, quilt covers, curtains... a basin full of clothes, she moved to the faucet to wash.

Seeing that Yu Li has been busy since yesterday and has not had a rest yet, the neighbors, aunties and wives around her, couldn't stand it anymore.

Aunt Zhang said, "Miss Yu, don't be fooled by Li Xiaodong. No one in our courtyard treats their daughter-in-law like this."

"I'm happy to. Brother Xiaodong is so good to me. I'm willing to help him do these things." Yu Li opened her eyes as big as Caroline's and responded sincerely.

The aunts and young wives started talking about it.

"Look, Li Xiaodong is really too much. He didn't even pay the bride price, but he made the girl work so hard."

...

"yawn!"

In the lounge, Li Xiaodong took the hot tea handed to him by Niu Meng and sneezed involuntarily.

Who is missing me?

He glanced at Li Zheng who was still concentrating on calculations, frowned, and said, "Engineer Li, don't you have a calculator at FAW? Bring it to me tomorrow."

Li Zheng raised his eyes from the complicated numbers, massaged his temples in distress, and said, "The factory has three hand-cranked calculators captured from the battlefield, but only chief engineers can use them. I, a level nine engineer, cannot apply for them."

"So, your FAW company intends to keep taking advantage until the end?" Li Xiaodong asked seriously.

He discovered in the afternoon that designing the central support structure was more difficult than he had expected.

He already had a clear idea of ​​the principles and concepts, but the key was that it required massive amounts of data calculations.

In particular, the support structure requires extremely high precision and cannot tolerate any carelessness.

"Take advantage?" Li Zheng pointed at Niu Meng helplessly, almost crying: "You don't know how much money your disciple spent on me at noon!"

Li Zheng was really unlucky. At noon, the factory improved the food and slaughtered a pig, and the cafeteria provided meat and vegetables.

Niu Meng had someone pay for the meal, and it was someone she hated, so she was naturally very satisfied with the meal.

Li Zheng spent three dollars on the meal, and he felt very distressed.

"That's what you wanted! My master worked so hard to help you design the support structure and solved a big problem. Shouldn't you show some appreciation?" Niu Meng retorted bluntly.

Li Zheng lost to Niu Meng in the verbal battle, and was a little scared, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.

After a long while, he sighed deeply and said, "I will go back this afternoon to report the situation here to Chief Engineer Wang. I hope I can apply for a calculator."

He also understood that Li Xiaodong's request was not excessive.

For such complex numerical calculations, it would probably take a full two months using an abacus.

...

As the sun set and the broadcast ended, Li Xiaodong did not return immediately, but gathered with the old drivers who were returning.

Listen to their bragging while smoking and chatting.

In this age of information scarcity, there are only a handful of radio stations.

Drivers traveling long distances have become the main source of the latest information.

In which towns is it most cost-effective to exchange national food coupons for local food coupons?

When did food prices fall in a particular city?

There is also the freight issue that Li Xiaodong is paying close attention to.

Delivery trucks often return empty.

At this time, the drivers could purchase scarce supplies in the capital locally and earn the difference in the pigeon market.

This is considered extra income for the drivers, and the factory turns a blind eye to it.

After all, the risks of driving a large vehicle are simply too great.

Of course, in order not to attract attention, the amount of supplies carried each time will not be too much.

However, Li Xiaodong is different.

He owns a space warehouse and can take advantage of the opportunity to deliver goods and do something big.

However, the question that arises is how to sell these goods.

......

Materials are strictly managed, and the sudden appearance of unusual goods on the market will inevitably arouse the vigilance of the public security department.

This is also the reason why Li Xiaodong temporarily put the sales of ore machines on hold.

Crystal-crystal receivers are the product of a niche group of enthusiasts, and usually only radio enthusiasts pay attention to them. But with dozens of them popping up all of a sudden, it's hard not to attract attention.

As for daily consumer goods such as food, once they are brought into the mouth, they will soon disappear without a trace. Who can trace their source?

......

What disappointed Li Xiaodong was that the veteran drivers seemed to have their own ways, but no one would share them publicly.

It seems that I have to go to the pigeon market to investigate myself, Li Xiaodong thought to himself and returned to the courtyard.

At the gate, he saw Jia Zhang leading a young girl out.

Afterwards, Yan Bugui, the third aunt and Yan Jiechengdu kept waving to them.

Could this girl be the blind date arranged for Yan Jiecheng?

This matter had nothing to do with him, so Li Xiaodong didn't take it to heart at first.

However, when the girl approached, he couldn't help but frown.

She had a beautiful face, was wearing the blue-black work clothes of the cotton mill, and had a well-proportioned figure.

Although not as stunning as Yu Li, she is also dignified and generous.

If Yan Jiecheng could marry her, he would undoubtedly get a great bargain.

The problem was her eyebrows.

Eyebrows are the most important of the five facial features. A woman’s charm, gentleness, style and loneliness are often reflected in her eyebrows.

The eyebrows of unmarried girls are usually tangled together and closely connected, like a flower bud about to bloom.

For a married woman, after having a man, the first thing that changes is often her eyebrows.

The originally dense eyebrows suddenly became loose, no longer as closely arranged as before, like a fully bloomed flower.

Yan Jiecheng's blind date had eyebrows like this.

Moreover, her gait is still bowed.

It seems that Jia Zhang’s bad luck is about to begin!

...

...

Jia Zhang and three members of the Yan family also saw Li Xiaodong when he was riding his bicycle back home, but they did not say hello.

Qin Huairu's two consecutive failures made Jia Zhang feel that Li Xiaodong seemed ungrateful.

The three members of the Yan family believed that Li Xiaodong had snatched Yu Li away and lacked the virtue of a matchmaker.

The four of them returned to the Yan family laughing.

"Sister-in-law Jia, this time it's really thanks to you. We are very satisfied with Cuihua." Yan Bugui spoke on behalf of the Yan family.

"Cuihua is indeed good, but I still like Yu Li more..." Yan Jiefang said dejectedly.

Yan Bugui glared at him and said, "What do you know? Yu Li may be pretty, but can she make a living? Cuihua is a first-class loom blocker at the National Cotton No. 31.5 Mill and earns yuan a month."

Jia Zhang echoed, "This child is really ignorant. It's hard to find a girl like Cuihua who doesn't want a gift or a dowry in the whole capital."

"Didn't Yu Li ask Li Xiaodong for a gift or dowry?" Yan Jiefang retorted unconvinced.

Jia Zhang: “…”

Seeing Jia Zhang's embarrassed expression, the aunt beside her quickly stood up and smiled apologetically: "Sister-in-law, don't be angry, this child is just stubborn. We agree to this marriage, but there is a small problem, and we would like to ask you to confirm it."

"what's up?"

"Cuihua said she has no father or mother. It's impossible for her to appear out of thin air, right?" said the aunt.

——Cuihua looks good and has a good job. She speaks gently, so she should be a good match for Jiecheng.

But the aunt always felt something was wrong.

Jia Zhang timely put forward the statement that he had prepared long ago:

"Sister-in-law, you don't understand the situation. Cuihua is a girl with a miserable life.

She was not a native of Beijing, and her parents favored boys over girls. Cuihua lived in poverty since childhood and had insufficient food and clothing.

Fortunately, she has a good uncle in Beijing, and she was transferred here through her uncle's relationship."

Then, Jia Zhang emphasized her tone and continued:

“Cuihua doesn’t want to talk about her past sufferings, so you must not ask her about her past.

Otherwise, if the marriage fails, don’t blame me.”

"Oh, it turns out that Cuihua is so unfortunate. Don't worry, sister-in-law, we will never ask too many questions." The aunt promised solemnly.

——She also came from the old society and suffered a lot in her childhood. At this moment, she was full of sympathy for Cuihua.

"I will lend my bicycle to Jie Cheng tomorrow, and let the two of them go to the park for fun." Yan Bugui's worries were also eliminated.

For the old Yan family, the bad relationship between Cuihua's parents is actually a good thing.

From now on, she will devote herself to making money for the Yan family.

Looking at the satisfied expressions of the two men, Jia Zhang was secretly proud, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

——You are far from being able to compete with me, Jia Zhang, in scheming.

Half an hour later.

Jia Zhang left Yan's house carrying half a bag of corn flour.

He was still muttering, "This old Yan is so stingy. He helped you so much, but he is not even willing to give you the refined white flour."