Siheyuan: I can always stay out of it

When Chen Xu woke up, it was still dark.

If you go to bed early, you will naturally get up early. This feeling is something Chen Xu has not experienced for a long time. In his previous life, he could not go to bed before the early morning every day. Now he is forced to join the ranks of those who go to bed early and get up early.

Only after hearing some movement outside did Chen Xu get dressed and get up.

After cleaning up the space, Chen Xu went out directly. As for the fact that others didn't see him washing up, he was too lazy to care for the time being. He was not the only one who didn't wash up in the courtyard. Sha Zhu basically just went with the flow.

Besides, even if he wants to wash, he needs a toothbrush...

Fortunately, he left early and there were not many people in the yard, and there were some people whose names Chen Xu could not remember. It was estimated that they were just passers-by and residents in the play. Most of these people were like him, and they were the first group of people who fled to the old city last year.

These people are lucky. If it is late at night and there is no room for people in the city, they can basically forget about getting a house. Even if they have money, it is not easy to rent a house.

The general layout of the courtyard house: Chen Xu's house is in the corner above Xu Damao's house.

Chen Xu's room in the courtyard was considered good, but there were also other people who lived with their families in the same house.

From these places, we can also see how good the conditions are, as Sha Zhu occupied three main rooms by himself. As for Yu Shui, the little girl only had an east wing room that was about the same size as Chen Xu's as a bedroom. After she got married, this house would naturally belong to Sha Zhu.

There is also the deaf old lady. The three rooms in the middle of the back house are all hers. In fact, the deaf old man and Chen Xu are neighbors, but the room closest to him is used to store miscellaneous items.

Then the other three masters plus Xu Damao and the Jia family all lived in the east wing or the west wing. In short, they were all rooms with the best locations. In the courtyard with four entrances, only the east wing opposite Yan Bugui's house in the front yard was occupied by passers-by, and the room was divided into several families.

After leaving the courtyard, Chen Xu walked towards the steel rolling mill while eating a steamed bun, thinking about when to buy a lunch box. He didn't know whether he needed a ticket. As for today, Chen Xu threw two bowls and a pair of chopsticks in the space and would make do with them for the time being.

After walking a few steps, Xu Damao's voice came from behind.

"Chen Xu, wait..."

Chen Xu stopped in surprise and turned to look at Xu Damao who was running towards him. He didn't expect this guy to get up so early, and he didn't see him in the yard just now.

Xu Damao caught up a few steps and took a few deep breaths before he recovered a lot.

"By the way, what are you doing up so early? Digging wild vegetables?"

Xu Damao didn't see any bags or baskets in Chen Xu's hands, but it was not surprising. Many people dug up wild vegetables and simply tied them up with vines. Many people in the Siheyuan used to do this.

"No, I'm going to work."

Chen Xu told the truth. It was impossible to hide this kind of thing from others, so it was better to explain it directly.

"work...?"

Xu Damao looked at Chen Xu in surprise. He had been in Siheyuan for almost a year, and he was just doing odd jobs to make a living. Besides, shouldn't Chen Xu go to the street office to wait for work? This is not the way to the street office.

Seeing Xu Damao's puzzled expression, Chen Xu could only explain it in detail.

"I got a job at the steel mill yesterday."

Xu Damao was shocked. As far as he knew, although the steel mill was recruiting people during this period, only a few people could get in.

Although there are many positions, the workshop equipment is not in place yet. Only three new workshops have been opened, and the workers who have been merged need to be arranged. In addition, the leaders of the factory also need to share some of the work, so the number of people actually recruited from outside is very small.

There were many people who went to Siheyuan to participate in the recruitment, but Chen Xu was the only one he knew who was successful.

"You can do it, kid..."

Xu Damao didn't feel jealous. His Xu family's conditions were there. Chen Xu's current situation didn't make him jealous, and it was good enough that he didn't feel pity for him. It was just a little bit unbelievable, as if he had gotten to know Chen Xu all over again.

"Nothing, it's different from what you think. I'm applying for the position of buyer."

"buyer..."

Xu Damao muttered to himself, and there was a hint of weirdness in the look he gave Chen Xu.

"Are you planning on working in the steel mill for a month to make a living?"

Xu Damao guessed this at his first reaction. The Propaganda Department and the Purchasing Department were not far from each other, and Xu Damao had seen such things before. Especially during the two years of famine, many people wanted to sneak into the steel mill to eat in the cafeteria. Gradually, the Purchasing Department became more strict.

In the past, as long as you were willing to work, anyone could give it a try. But that’s no longer possible. Since more than half of the dozens of people in the purchasing department were idle and couldn’t purchase any supplies and were severely criticized by the factory leaders, it has become a lot more difficult to get in.

It can be seen from the fact that when Chen Xu went to apply for the job, he actually met the head of the purchasing department directly.

Xu Damao patted Chen Xu on the shoulder.

"It's not bad. You're quite capable to be able to get in. At least you won't have to starve for a month."

Chen Xu did not give too much explanation, but instead began to ask Xu Damao, an old employee, some basic common sense.

For example, the issue of eating is what he is most concerned about now.

There is a saying that food is the first necessity of the people.

Once you start to feel hungry, you don’t have to think about anything else. In this world, eating is the most important thing.

Since he was bored anyway, Xu Damao was happy to tell Chen Xu about some things in the steel mill, such as which cafeteria was delicious, which department had pretty girls, etc...

Chen Xu was skeptical. The name of a steel rolling mill did not sound like a place where beautiful women would be born.

There shouldn't be too many burly men, and forget about women. Dealing with steel all day long, even a cute girl can be trained to be a burly man. Maybe even if there is a female worker coming out of the workshop, she will be a man with great strength and courage.

In the original novel, Yu Haitang can become the most beautiful girl in the steel rolling mill, which shows that she is the tallest among the short ones.

Chen Xu did not refute Xu Damao's words. He knew basically nothing about the details of the steel rolling mill. He mostly made some guesses based on the perspectives of film and television. Naturally, it was better to listen and watch more.

Xu Damao was very satisfied with Chen Xu as a qualified listener. This made him feel like he was taking care of a younger brother. In addition, Chen Xu was able to confront Sha Zhu head-on yesterday, so he now looked at Chen Xu with a much friendlier look.

Of course, the biggest reason is that Chen Xu and Sha Zhu don't get along. In Xu Damao's view, they are on his side and are natural allies, at least in the past month...

"You better be careful. If you can get by, do it. If you go to the countryside, you better be careful. People who don't have food to eat will do anything."

Xu Damao naturally didn't want the little brother he just met to disappear, so he kindly gave him a reminder.

He seldom goes to the countryside to show movies now. Firstly, in the current environment, no one cares about watching movies. The most important thing is safety. Xu Damao always carries a gun when he goes to the countryside. As a projectionist, one of the eight major members, he not only needs to show movies, but also needs to protect the safety of the projection equipment.

Those devices are not cheap, so it is inevitable that some people will have bad intentions and try to exchange them for something on the black market.

Chen Xu listened seriously. Although he had some guesses about what Xu Damao said, the actual situation must be that Xu Damao, as a veteran, knew more about it. It always does good to know more.