Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

"He Yuzhu, come here, I have something to talk to you about."

"Sister Qin, what's the matter?" A middle-aged man wearing a brown-green cotton jacket and with an anxious face happened to open the door and came out. Hearing the call, he ran over happily.

The two talked in low voices, and Qin Huiru looked towards Li Xiaodong from time to time, obviously intending to use Sha Zhu to intercede.

The original body and Shazhu were both oppressed parties, and their relationship was pretty good.

Li Xiaodong was not impatient. He put his hands in his sleeves, squatted on the ground and waited patiently. He was determined to get the money.

It is only natural to pay back debts. Even if the king of heaven comes to power, you dare not shirk your responsibility.

Qin Huiru and Sha Zhu whispered for a while, nodded to each other, and walked over one after the other.

"Brother Xiaodong, Sister Qin just told me that she is short of money recently and Banggeng's tuition has not been paid yet. How about you give her some more time?" Sha Zhu said carelessly. He thought that Li Xiaodong would not reject his proposal.

"He Yuzhu, I also want to wait a while, but you know, I still owe an old man a hundred dollars. If I can't pay it back on time, the old man will take away my house." Li Xiaodong gave his usual excuse.

As someone who is familiar with the plot and understands Qin Huiru's situation, he knows that now is the best time to collect the debt.

"That won't do. How could a good man like him do that kind of thing?" Sha Zhu shook his head in objection.

Li Xiaodong patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder with a serious expression: "Since you trust the old man so much, if he takes my house away, can you sell your house to me when I get a hundred yuan?"

Sha Zhu's house is the east wing, which is more than 50 square meters, with two rooms and a small 20-square-meter ear room next to it. It is the main house in the courtyard and is extremely superior.

In comparison, although the Jia family's west wing also has three rooms, they are divided into three small rooms and are far inferior to Sha Zhu's house.

If you want to be a good person, you have to pay a substantial price.

Sha Zhu was not stupid. When he heard that Li Xiaodong wanted to buy his house, he naturally would not agree.

"No, I can't let an old man take advantage of my family."

"Since you are not sure, then don't act so arrogant." Li Xiaodong was too lazy to pay attention to him and turned to Qin Huiru, "Sister-in-law of the Jia family, I am in a hurry to make money. Are you going to pay me back? If not, I will not pursue the money!"

"I'll pay it back right away." Qin Huiru responded quickly, fearing that she would be left with a bad reputation for not paying back the money, which would make it difficult for her to ask for it back in the future.

How could a shrewd person like Qin Huiru damage the reputation of the Jia family for just one dollar and thirty cents?

She blamed Sha Zhu in her heart. She had just vowed that dealing with Li Xiaodong would be a piece of cake, but now he was easily controlled by the other party.

Her white teeth gently bit her light red lips, her eyes were red, and her white fingers gently stroked her hair. The aura of a green tea bitch instantly filled the air. She stared at Sha Zhu with a hint of sarcasm on her face.

"He Yuzhu, do you have any money? Lend me some first, and I'll pay you back when I get my salary next month."

"I, I, I have no money either. I just lent you six dollars a few days ago, and He Yushui has to pay tuition soon, and this is all I earn in a month." Sha Zhu hesitated, looking a little guilty.

Chapter 6

Haha, this guy is clearly lying!

Li Xiaodong knew that Sha Zhu actually had some private money.

When we were drinking together a few days ago, he boasted that he had saved twenty yuan for pocket money.

Li Xiaodong was a little surprised that he was unwilling to lend money to Qin Huairu.

Isn't he said to be a brainless bootlicker?

Come to think of it, in the original novel, Shazhu had no intention of coveting Qin Huairu at the beginning.

It was only because he saw that the Jia family was in difficulty and wanted to do a good deed that he brought her leftovers every day.

As for money, I must have lent her some, but not much.

Sha Zhu's current salary is 37.5 yuan, and it may have been less before, around 20 yuan.

This money is used to support the life of the two brothers and sisters.

Sha Zhu is fine, he works as a canteen chef and has no worries about food and clothing.

But He Yushui is a person who spends money like water.

In the past, the tuition for junior high school was eight yuan per semester, and all food and other expenses depended on Sha Zhu.

A grown girl cannot dress too poorly. If she buys two more sets of clothes, half a month's salary will be gone.

Also, He Yushui's bicycle was also bought by Sha Zhu.

At that time, a bicycle cost about 180 yuan, and including the ticket it might cost more than 240 yuan.

The money that He Daqing sent to He Yushui was withheld by Yi Zhonghai, and Sha Zhu and He Yushui were unaware of this.

Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that Sha Zhu would lend too much money to Qin Huairu.

Later, Qin Huairu had no choice but to introduce her cousin Qin Jingru to Sha Zhu, and Sha Zhu was quite happy about it.

If Xu Damao had not interfered and ruined Qin Jingru's innocence, Sha Zhu might have married her.

This is enough to show that Sha Zhu did not have any improper thoughts about Qin Huairu at the beginning.

However, Qin Huairu was very clever and set traps step by step, making him fall into them and unable to extricate himself.

Seeing that Sha Zhu was unwilling to pay, Qin Huairu had to go home embarrassedly and took out a roll of crumpled money from the drawer.

He hesitated for a long time holding it in his hand, sighing continuously.

Jia Zhang had been watching her from the side, and she blocked Qin Huairu's way.

After Jia Xudong passed away, Jia Zhang spent all day sitting at the door mending shoes.

She did not love labor, nor did she do it for the sun, she just wanted to monitor Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu is 31 years old this year, which is the age of a wolf and a tiger by modern standards. She is outstanding in appearance and extremely charming.

Jia Zhang was worried that Qin Huairu would commit bigamy, so she abandoned her.

At that time, she, an old rural woman, would have nowhere to go.

Jia Zhang enjoyed happiness in the city for most of her life. When Old Jia was alive, she enjoyed Old Jia's happiness. When Jia Xudong was alive, she enjoyed Jia Xudong's happiness.

After Jia Xudong passed away, she could only rely on Qin Huairu to live.

I have long been unable to do farm work.

Asking her to return to Jiajiazhuang as a member and engage in farm work was undoubtedly a fatal blow to her.

Therefore, she decided to keep a firm control over Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, you look so anxious, where are you going?"

"Pay back the money, return Li Xiaodong's money. Didn't we borrow a few dollars from Li Xiaodong when Xudong got into trouble before? Now he is in trouble and urgently needs money." Qin Huairu was heartbroken at the moment, her tone slightly displeased.

Although Jia Zhang was dissatisfied with her attitude, she was unwilling to argue with her.

She widened her eyes and said forcefully: "We borrowed the money with our own ability, so why should we pay it back? Besides, Li Xiaodong is cowardly and incompetent. Even if we don't lend him his money, it will be divided up by Yi Lao and Liu Lao."

Cowardly... Li Xiaodong today is definitely not like that.

Although he did not refute directly, his words left me speechless.

Qin Huairu knew Jia Zhang's stubbornness very well, so she had to explain patiently:

"Li Xiaodong is in a difficult situation now, so let's help him pay off his debts first. When he becomes a truck driver, we'll find another opportunity to lend him money. By then, I can lend him more money and buy you a new cotton-padded jacket."

"That's reasonable." When Jia Zhang heard about the new cotton-padded jacket, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly and her expression softened a little.

She has full confidence in her daughter-in-law.

On the other side, Li Xiaodong was chatting with Sha Zhu.

It's mainly Shazhu who's expressing his opinions.

"Brother Xiaodong, what's wrong with you? Sister Qin is having a hard time. As neighbors, we should do our best to help her. How can you let her pay back the money?"

"Go talk to an old man about this. I still owe him a hundred dollars. Ask him to stop pushing me."

"...I told you, I'm not that kind of person..."

"He Yuzhu, we had a good relationship in the past.

But in the future, if you are willing to help the Jia family, that is your choice, don't drag me into it.

Whether the old man is kind or not has nothing to do with me.

Debtors should pay their debts. I only pay off his debts.

Lu Zhishen once said that one cannot rely on the mercy of others for one's fate.

Let’s not talk about this anymore. Qin Huairu is here with the money, so I have to find a way to make money quickly.”

Li Xiaodong took Qin Huairu's money, ignored the two of them, and quickly walked out of the courtyard.

Behind him, Sha Zhu touched his head, looking confused: "Did Lu Zhishen really say that?"

After collecting the four yuan and fifty cents owed by Qin Huairu, Li Xiaodong had a total of twenty-one yuan and seventy cents in his pocket.

This money is enough to support him to do something big.

Leaving the courtyard, there are houses made of blue bricks on both sides of the street, with rough slogans painted on the walls, which look simple and solid.

The pedestrians were wearing worn thick cotton-padded jackets and felt hats, covering their mouths and noses, and exhaling puffs of white air.

Most people choose to walk, and occasionally you can see a respectable person wearing a gray Zhongshan suit and a middle-parted hairstyle riding a bicycle passing by.

Although not as prosperous and lively as later generations, this place is filled with a tranquil and enterprising atmosphere.

Such an atmosphere made Li Xiaodong refreshed, and he strode towards the chemical materials store five miles away.

Of course, there will also be buses running along the way.

It is different from modern buses.

Each car has a huge gas tank on top, which is jokingly called a "big balloon".

In times of scarcity, buses were forced to install stoves to burn charcoal or wood to produce gas.

This gas replaces gasoline to power the buses.

You need to buy a ticket to take the bus, but Li Xiaodong is reluctant to spend the money.

The chemical raw materials store is located on Qianmen Street.

It extends from Qianmen Arrow Tower in the north to Tianqiao intersection in the south, and is connected to Tianqiao South Street.

There is a saying in old Beijing: "Dongsi Xidan in front of the Drum Tower".

These locations were once bustling commercial centers, with Qianmen Street being the most prosperous.

Before liberation, various professional markets gathered here.

Such as the fresh fish market, meat market, fruit market, cloth market, grass market, pig market, grain market, jewelry market, melon seed market and so on.

There are also theaters, teahouses and other places.

Although these shops are now state-owned, the buildings themselves have not been changed and still retain their original appearance.

Surrounded by green trees, many buildings with unique styles appear magnificent.

When Li Xiaodong arrived at the chemical raw materials store, the sun was already high in the sky.

As soon as he entered the store, the saleswoman behind the counter, Sister Niu, greeted him with a smile: "Xiaodong, how come you are free today? Did you come to see me specially?"

"Yeah, I've been away from the store for more than a month, and I miss you so much." Li Xiaodong said with a grin.

"You're so smooth-talking. Now you've learned how to speak in a smooth way." Sister Niu casually handed a bag of copper ore powder to a gentleman wearing black-framed glasses, exuding an elegant temperament. Then, ignoring his request to weigh the goods, she stood up and waved to Li Xiaodong.

"Xiaodong, I heard that your father passed away." Sister Niu asked with concern.

"Yes, it happened not long ago."

"Will you go back to the sales department? Do you want me to tell the section chief?" Sister Niu obviously didn't want Li Xiaodong to leave.

This young man works diligently and never slacks off.

One person can do the work of two people and even takes the initiative to tidy up the counter when it is almost time to get off work.

With him around, Sister Niu no longer has to worry about handling heavy objects.

The new guy is said to be a relative of the deputy section chief. He always hides in the warehouse to chat and gossip with the aunties.

"No need for that. In a couple of days I will take over my father's job and work as a truck driver in the Third Steel Rolling Mill's fleet." Li Xiaodong replied gratefully.

"That's a good position. I heard that truck drivers earn that much per month." Sister Niu stretched out a hand to gesture, her eyes flickering, and she lowered her voice: "You don't look like you're married yet. I have a niece who works in a textile factory. She's very good-looking. Do you want me to introduce you to someone else?"

Li Xiaodong declined politely: "Sister Niu, I already have a partner."

"What a pity. If I had known you had such an opportunity, I would have introduced it to you earlier." Sister Niu showed a regretful expression.

If she had known that Li Xiaodong could take over his father's position, she would have made arrangements for her niece long ago.

After the two chatted, Li Xiaodong finally waited for the person he had been waiting for.

Three young men in black uniforms, with badges on their chests and black caps on their heads, walked in, chatting and laughing.

"Hu Guangliang, tube radios have become popular in Shanghai. Crystal radios are outdated and can only receive radio signals.