Siheyuan: Survival Guide for Courtyard No. 95

Zhao Shanhe originally thought that Yang Liming was a good leader. Although he was portrayed as a bit flattering in the TV series, what leader who wants to make progress is not like that?

Now after hearing what Uncle Yao said, I realized that the other party was the same kind of person as Li Huaide. In the end, he didn't defeat him. It was probably because of his own problems, not just his stance.

However, as a result of these leaders' actions, the factory workers are in big trouble. Originally, they had enough meat to eat for half a year, but now they only have enough to eat for three months, which is considered generous of the superiors.

Zhao Shanhe, who had never experienced the darkness of officialdom in his two lives, pushed his cart out of the steel mill and went to the textile factory and the thermos factory to find a few new friends he met on the grassland to have dinner and drinks. As the old saying goes, how to relieve worries? Only Du Kang.

The next day after getting drunk, he stopped thinking about these things. The factory director took the lead in eating public food, so what could he do? Who was he?

On New Year's Day, January 60, 1, the factory distributed a towel to each employee. Zhao Shanhe, a deputy section-level cadre, was given a towel and a washbasin, while Yao Decai, a section-level cadre, was given a thermos. Zhao Shanhe didn't bother to inquire about the officials above him, as they were definitely different from his.

When they returned to the courtyard, it was very deserted on New Year's Day this year. There was not even a smell of meat. Zhao Shanhe didn't want to be too high-profile, so he took the opportunity when Chen Xueru took Hou Kui, who was on vacation, to the store and secretly went to the small world to cook four dishes and a soup.

As long as you don’t smell meat, you wouldn’t guess I eat meat at home.

The Northeastern dish of Stir-fried Pork Cutlets was Zhao Shanhe’s favorite in his previous life; the Harbin specialty of Sweet and Sour Pork was Chen Xueru and Hou Kui’s favorite; the scrambled eggs with leeks was probably the first thing to eat in the city in the middle of winter; eggs were a luxury in the 60s; and the last dish was a grassland delicacy of cold bracken, which looked shiny and glossy after being garnished with sesame oil.

After Chen Xueru came back, Zhao Shanhe pretended to make a mushroom soup in the kitchen. The mushrooms from the Mongolian grasslands were thick, delicate, rich and mellow, and extremely delicious. Although it didn't taste like meat, it made the third uncle next door very greedy.

When Chen Xueru entered the room and saw the fried eggs with leeks on the table, she stumped Zhao Shanhe with her first question.

"Shanhe, where did you buy these leeks?"

Zhao Shanhe touched his nose. This was his advance move to prepare for a lie. Unfortunately, he and Chen Xueru had been together for a long time, and he was exposed by the other party right away.

"Okay, stop talking. I can tell from your posture that you are going to make up another story. Hou Kui, wash your hands and eat. Today your uncle Zhao made your favorite sweet and sour pork for you."

"Hey, try my cooking. I didn't see any pork when I went to the market. This is made with wild boar meat."

No matter what kind of meat it is, in this era when other people have to count the pickles before eating them, being able to eat meat is a kind of happiness.

After New Year's Day, the whole city seemed to be struck by some large-scale forbidden spell. All the street vendors disappeared overnight. The breakfast shops closed, as did the stalls selling roasted chestnuts and roasted sweet potatoes. Even the people selling melon seeds in front of the cinema disappeared.

On Sunday, January 1, clerks from the street office came early in the morning and notified every household.

"Boss Chen hasn't come to the store yet? Section Chief Zhao is also at home? That's great, I don't have to come again.

Director Wang will be disseminating the above document to each courtyard today. Please leave someone at home. This notice is very important, so don’t miss it.”

Zhao Shanhe and Chen Xueru had originally planned to go shopping in Wangfujing today, but after hearing what the street staff said, they decided not to go out.

At around 11 o'clock in the morning, Yi Zhonghai struck the gong, and the two of them, along with Hou Kui, carried a stool and went to the central courtyard.

At the round table, three old men sat around Director Wang like stars surrounding the moon.

After everyone arrived, Director Wang stood up and said with a serious expression.

"The reason why we are so anxious to convene a meeting today is mainly because there is an important notice from above. Because many places suffered serious natural disasters last year, there are problems with the food supply in the city this year.

Starting today, the supply of all commercial grains will be reduced by 20%, and vegetables will also need to be purchased with receipts. I hope everyone can understand the difficulties above, and the reduced supply will be restored to its original state when the autumn harvest comes."

This was the first time the ration had been reduced since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and many people felt like they were hit hard by the news.

Many families in the courtyard depend on the ration to survive, for example, Old Man Xing who lives in the back house, his eldest grandson is 17 after the Chinese New Year, and his second grandson is 15 after the Chinese New Year. The little boys have eaten their father out of money, and he usually has to rely on steamed buns to survive. After the ration was reduced, his family has no way to live.

There is also Kang Ruofei's family in the back room. The eldest son's ration is not enough after the New Year. Zhao Shanhe even suspects that he will sell his second daughter because he can't make a living.

Of course, the worst-hit must be the Jia family in the Central Courtyard. Originally, only Jia Dongxu in the family had a ration, which was not enough to eat. Now it has been reduced by 20% at once, which is fatal.

Director Wang left immediately after giving the notice. She knew that there would still be some trouble, but the documents from above had come down, so what else could the people do except accept it?

She left, but the people in the courtyard stayed behind. They were all discussing the reduction in the ration. Jia Zhang, who had not appeared for a long time, walked directly to the Eight Immortals Table and grabbed Yi Zhonghai.

"Old Yi, you have to help our family, otherwise we really won't be able to survive."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Jia Zhang, who was as fat as a gas tank, and was a little puzzled. Your family has the smallest ration in the yard, so why are you still so fat?

However, some things can only be said in private, and he didn't dare ask in front of everyone. Seeing that Jia Zhang was holding his arm and wouldn't let go, he had to steady her first.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, this time it's not just your family that will be affected by the quantitative reduction, but also other residents in the yard. Let me and the second and third uncles study it and see if we can come up with a good solution.

Dongxu is my apprentice after all, I will definitely not watch him starve."

Jia Zhang really believed what Yi Zhonghai said. The other party was a senior fitter and a big boss in the yard. If his words were as unreliable as farts, she would definitely make Yi Zhonghai's family restless.

After everyone in the courtyard left, Yi Zhonghai returned home and thought for a long time. Finally, he came to the conclusion that if he didn't want to bleed heavily, there were only two ways. One was to find a scapegoat to help the Jia family, and the other was to let people in the courtyard donate money to needy families.

He planned to take a two-pronged approach, and the one who would be taken advantage of was naturally Shazhu. The cooks in the factory could bring back some leftovers every day, and it would be a waste if they did not fleece the wool of socialism.

He planned to make the donation just like the first time and first "communicate" with the two uncles, otherwise if Yan Bugui gave him another 5 cents, all his efforts would be in vain.