Siheyuan: Bringing Warehouses to 1959

Do you have face?

Zheng Yilin had thought of many scenarios after meeting Zeng Wangcai, but he had never thought that Zeng Wangcai would be so disrespectful to him.

He and Zhao Yilin froze on the spot, too embarrassed to know how to respond.

Go ahead and turn against each other, the work hasn’t been done yet.

If you don't turn against each other, where will you put your face?

"Hahaha, I'm just kidding!" Zeng Wangcai stood up with a smile and took out cigarettes to pass to the two of them. "Xiao Linzi, you're still so ignorant of humor. When you were in the army, you had a stern face all day long."

"Haha, just kidding, just kidding..." Zheng Yilin awkwardly took the cigarette handed to him by Zeng Wangcai and motioned Zhao Yilin to take it quickly. It was good enough to have a step, so he should come down quickly.

"After I came back, I met a lot of old comrades, but I haven't heard from you." Zeng Wangcai said perfunctorily, "What are you doing now? Aren't you working in the system? How did you get out? Are you greedy for money..."

Who is greedy for money? Who is greedy for money?

Who told you...

Zheng Yilin roared inwardly, but he did have something to hide.

The reason why Zeng Wangcai changed his attitude was not to give face to Zheng Yilin. He made the decision on the spur of the moment when he saw Zhao Yilin. Zhao Yilin came here definitely to install the telephone.

This is a good opportunity to ask about the charges.

"Just kidding, just kidding, you haven't eaten yet, right?" Zeng Wangcai waved his hand and called the girl in the store without waiting for the two to answer, "Jinhuan, bring two hot pots and two bottles of beer."

What can Zheng Yilin and the other person say?

Just sit down and eat!

It was the first time for them to have such a treated meal. Whenever others invited them to dinner, the lowest level was always the eight-story building like Fengzeyuan.

"Come on, let's go!" Zeng Wangcai raised the bottle and clinked it with Zheng Yilin. "We haven't seen each other for so many years. No matter what the matter is today, I will definitely give you face. But you brought Director Zhao here, it must be to install the telephone, right?

"I know about the post office. Go ahead and install it. It's only 4,600 yuan. Give it to me... But you know, I installed this phone to make it convenient for the neighbors, so I have to pay for it. Can you tell me first, how is the phone fee calculated?"

Do you agree?

Zhao Yilin couldn't help himself and picked up the bottle of wine and said, "Thank you. I'll have one first."

Gududu!

After taking a big sip of Wusu, Zhao Yilin frowned and then relaxed his brows and said, "The current usage fee for private telephones has been announced. Approved by the Ministry, the monthly usage fee for a telephone is 60 yuan..."

Wow, that’s 60 yuan for the landline phone bill.

Zeng Wangcai sighed inwardly, it’s so damn expensive.

He can no longer clearly remember the era of landline phones when he was a child. He only vaguely remembers that the monthly landline fee was cheaper than it is now. But that was in the late 1990s, and the installation fee was also cheaper than it is now, about 1,500 yuan.

"There are two types of phone calls," Zhao Yilin continued. "Ordinary city calls are charged by the minute, 60 cents per minute. There is also a long-distance call, which is charged differently depending on the distance, with a starting price of 80 cents..."

Zeng Wangcai nodded. He remembered that in the original book, Sha Zhu went to the Post and Telecommunications Bureau in the 1980s to make a long-distance call to Jiangdao, but was charged dozens of yuan, which was a very high phone bill.

"Thank you, go ahead and install it!" Zeng Wangcai gave an affirmative answer. It would be a loss of one hundred yuan every month.

But it doesn’t matter, the loss won’t last long.

Zheng Yilin and Zhao Yilin finished their hotpot and exchanged some pleasantries before leaving. On the way, they were still discussing why Zeng Wangcai was so easy to talk to.

Siheyuan, Zeng family.

"Sankouyou, thank you, Sankouyou, thank you..." Xiaoqiang was memorizing English words in the north room, "Kom, come, Kangmu, come..."

Lai Fu unconsciously drew circles on the draft book with the pencil in his hand.

"Crack!"

Shi Yan pushed the door open and came in: "How are you two doing in school?"

"Sister... the foreigners' bird language is too difficult." Xiaoqiang cried, "Please spare me, I memorized the front part and forgot the back part, memorized the back part and forgot the front part."

"If you want to beg for mercy, go beg your brother." Shi Yan said with a smile.

The college entrance examination was resumed this year. Shi Yan took the exam and was admitted to Peking University as she wished. She and Huang Liang became alumni.

Xiaoqiang and Laifu, perhaps, were not cut out for study and failed the entrance exam.

Zeng Wangcai felt that it was not right not to study, so he asked his two younger brothers to continue studying and prepare to take the exam again next year.

So Xiaoqiang and Laifu became miserable, especially Laifu. Laifu was young, less than 20 years old this year. In Zeng Wangcai's words, Xiaoqiang was in his twenties and there was nothing he could do if he really couldn't continue his studies, but Laifu had to study.

"You're back?" Zeng Youqian looked up at his eldest son who had come into the room. "I told you not to force the second and third children to study. They are so anxious that they shout 'Grandpa bless you' eight hundred times a day. Your grandpa won't be able to rest in peace even after he dies."

"......" Zeng Wangcai covered his face, went to the wash basin to wash his face and came back and said, "I don't force them to study, and it's not impossible for them to work, but things are changing very fast outside now, and there will be more and more temptations. My mother is soft-hearted towards them and always gives them money. It's easy to become bad when you have money, and there are more and more bad people in society."

"Brother, I won't learn bad things." Xiao Qiang ran out when he heard the noise, "Brother, please forgive me, I really don't want to study, please find me a job, if it doesn't work, I will go to the store to help our mother, Jinhuan can go to work, why can't I?"

"You really don't want to study anymore?" Zeng Wangcai sat down and said.

"I really don't want to!"

"Okay then, I'll assign you a job. Don't regret it later."

"Really?" Xiao Qiang jumped for joy, "I absolutely don't regret it. Whoever regrets is a grandson. Oh, grandpa's spirit in heaven bless me, I don't have to study anymore. Big brother, you are my second parent..."

Snapped!

Zeng Youqian slapped his son lightly in annoyance: "What nonsense are you talking about? You got carried away, didn't you?"

"I said it wrong, I said it wrong... We are of different generations." Xiao Qiang said with a wry smile, "I'll say it again, big brother, please accept my humble kindness..."

"Bye, bye, bye, bye!" Zeng Wangcai scolded with a smile, "Go and call mom back for dinner. We're having a family meeting today, a meeting about your future."

"Night market..."

Half an hour later, the Zeng family gathered together, including Huang Liang who had rushed over, and Shi Yan who had arrived earlier.

"Wife, let me tell you something. Xiaoqiang said he doesn't want to study anymore!" Zeng Wangcai finished his meal in a few bites, put down his bowl and chopsticks and said.

"Sister-in-law, my brother said he would arrange a job for me, is that okay?" Xiao Qiang looked at Zhang Xiuzhi nervously.

"Your eldest brother has the final say!" Zhang Xiuzhi said calmly.

"Sister-in-law, what about me?" Lai Fu asked with hope, his head raised.

"I have the final say in your affairs. You continue to take the college entrance examination next year. If you fail, I will break your legs." Zhang Xiuzhi said calmly.

"Ah..." Lai Fu looked at his parents with tears in his eyes.

His parents were busy eating while one was drinking, so they didn't see it.

In fact, regarding the matter of his two younger brothers, Zeng Wangcai not only discussed it with Zhang Xiuzhi, but also talked about it with his parents several times. Xiaoqiang was indeed not suitable for studying and could not enter.

But Lai Fu is different. Shi Yan said that Lai Fu is very smart, but he just can't calm down. If he studies hard, he will have no problem getting into university.

Now that the two of them are studying together, Xiaoqiang's study attitude has more or less influenced Lai Fu, making it even more difficult for Lai Fu to concentrate on his studies.

"Where do you plan to arrange Xiaoqiang?" Zhang Xiuzhi asked after putting down her bowl and chopsticks.

Zeng Youqian and his wife quickly pricked up their ears. They were feeling more and more comfortable in this family. They didn't have to make decisions or worry about big or small matters, as their son and daughter-in-law could take care of it.

"Go to work in Wangfujing..." Zeng Wangcai said.