Siheyuan: Breaking up with Shazhu at the beginning

66

"She explained the situation. There were traces of cooking on her hands, so she gently wiped them off on her apron and handed a file bag to Yang Jun.

"This is Secretary Jiang's retirement certificate. Remember to help him complete the employment formalities tomorrow.

"He said, pointing to Jiang Haitao next to him.

"Secretary Jiang?" Yang Jun looked at Jiang Haitao again and asked in confusion.

"Look, now that you've been promoted, you've got to have someone caring around you, so I spent the whole afternoon trying to convince Uncle Guo to assign Secretary Jiang to you." Yi Qiu Shui hugged his arm and said coquettishly with a smug expression, as if she was showing off how considerate she was.

Jiang Haitao responded with a smile: "Brother Yang, please take care of me in the future."

Yang Jun looked at the two of them helplessly, suspecting that Jiang Haitao was deliberately invited by Yi Qiu Shui to supervise him.

Even though he said it was to help, he secretly thought with disdain: Tsk!

What a sharp and sensitive woman.

Forget about surveillance, it loses its fun when it's said in such a righteous way.

Even so, he could understand that Yi Qiu Shui's good intentions were undeniable. As the most trusted person of the big boss, it would definitely be of great benefit for Jiang Haitao to be able to lend a hand by his side. He could be both a secretary and a bodyguard, which was really invaluable.

Of course, he also noticed how much the big boss doted on Yi Qiu Shui. The security guard who had followed him for many years was replaced with just a few words, and Jiang Haitao completed the transfer procedures without hesitation.

In fact, there is nothing wrong with letting Jiang Haitao be his secretary. In all aspects, his abilities and qualifications are more than enough for the job.

Yang Jun was very satisfied with Jiang Haitao's role as secretary. Jiang Haitao's experience of working for a big boss was enough for him to handle the trivial matters in the steel mill with ease.

"Brother Jiang, you are too polite. With your ability and qualifications, you can easily be a section chief.

Otherwise…” Before he could finish, he felt his waist being gently pinched.

Yi Qiu Shui rolled her eyes at him and put her fingers on his waist, playing with it.

Jiang Haitao pretended not to see the interaction between the two, and still said with a smile: "Brother Yang, don't waste your saliva.

You also know that I am best at handling minor matters, so if I let you give it a try, I really won’t accept the reward without any merit.”

"Did you hear me? Did you hear me? He specializes in repairs. Don't force him." Yi Qiu Shui said as he jumped lively.

Yang Jun knew in his heart that Jiang Haitao would not dare to say even the slightest desire. He was loyal to his boss. Since he came to help him, he would naturally do his best without any ulterior motive.

"Well... okay, I'm sorry to have wronged you, Brother Jiang, but don't worry, I will never let you suffer any loss." He took the opportunity to accept Jiang Haitao's arrival.

Yi Qiu Shui's busy afternoon dispelled his worries and made him feel relieved.

Afterwards, they talked for a long time about the steel rolling mill until Yi Qiu Shui came over and called them to eat, and their conversation ended.

Yang Jun naturally invited Jiang Haitao to stay for dinner, but Jiang Haitao firmly declined.

Seeing him like this, Yang Jun could only go out to see him off.

Although they seemed to have a close relationship on the surface, Jiang Haitao quickly acted like a subordinate and secretary and understood his own position.

This is the proper behavior of a secretary. Subordinates will naturally not have lunch at their leader's home.

After seeing Jiang Haitao off, Yang Jun was about to return when he was surprised to find the yard suddenly full of people.

People from every household ran out and looked at him with smiles on their faces.

"Junzi, congratulations on your promotion."

"Uncle Yang, congratulations."

Yang Jun reacted immediately and realized that everyone in the yard knew about his promotion and came to congratulate him.

"Thank you all for your concern." He bowed in thanks.

The second uncle pushed through the crowd and walked up to him with his big belly.

"Junzi, Yan Da and I have been thinking about this for a while. Your becoming the factory director is a big deal. It will bring honor to our entire factory. We must celebrate it with great fanfare."

The Third Master quickly added: "We have discussed this. Every household will contribute some money and we will treat them to a big meal and have a good time."

Wang Yuying frowned and said, "There are only a little over thirteen grains left, and only half of the meat coupons. The family may not even be able to eat this month, so how can there be any extra food and grass to prepare for the engagement banquet?"

Yang Mei suggested: "My brother and sister-in-law still have some quota..."

Wang Yuying immediately waved her hand to interrupt her: "When your brother got married, the ration was already used up. Where can he squeeze out food?"

Originally, on the wedding day, Brother Yangmei only took out the ingredients from his storage space and did not consider the food issue.

As a result, Wang Yuying had already used up all her surplus food for the wedding banquet, and now she had to prepare for Yangmei's engagement, so of course there was no extra food left.

In the early years, the whole family lived on a monthly ration of only 24 kilograms of bayberry, which was obviously not enough to fill their stomachs, so they had to exchange refined rice for coarse grains. Every kilogram of fine grains could be exchanged for three kilograms of coarse grains to support family expenses.

If food is in short supply, they have to exchange food stamps at the pigeon market at a price several times higher than usual and then go shopping to replenish the food.

Recently, in preparation for Yang Jun's wedding, the family's food coupons and rations have run out, and Yang Mei herself has also used them up.

There is still more than half a month before the next monthly ration is due, which makes Wang Yuying very anxious. The deep wrinkles on her forehead show how heavy her worries are.

"How about... going to Pigeon Market to exchange some food coupons?" Yang Mei made a final suggestion.

"Are you crazy? Do you know how valuable food coupons are? You have to pay three times the price to get one kilogram of food coupons, and then use the premium on food coupons to buy grain. The whole process will cost at least four times the money!" Wang Yuying scolded her in an extremely harsh tone.

Wang Yuying's merciless words made Yang Mei bow her head in silence, only muttering, "Otherwise... let Liu Zhi's family do it."

Usually the engagement party is hosted by the man. Yang Jun held his engagement ceremony at Yi Qiu Shui's house because he took into account the other party's higher status.

By the same token, Liu Zhi's family was worse off than his own, so it was natural to hold the ceremony at Wang Yuying's house.

When it comes to Liu Zhi's engagement party, Wang Yuying gets emotional and accuses him, "Shut up! You can find any good candidates to pick and choose, but you have to cause trouble."

She rolled her eyes at Yang Mei and continued, "Do you think I'm holding this party for you? If your brother hadn't just gotten a promotion, would you have done it? You should just marry her off."

These words left Yang Mei speechless. Her eyes turned red and tears of grievance rolled down her cheeks.

Yang Jun saw it and smiled bitterly in his heart.

He knew that his mother was dissatisfied with Yangmei's marriage, but she didn't say it out loud for the sake of her face. Now she is having trouble with food, and a momentary provocation caused her to vent all her anger on her daughter.

He hurriedly comforted her, "Mom, don't be angry. The engagement party is just an engagement party. What does it have to do with my job promotion?" Then he took out some food coupons and money that he had prepared earlier, "Go buy some food. You don't have to worry about food."

Yang Jun thought that some things must be prioritized. After all, there was someone else around him now, and he had to control the use of his supernatural powers to reduce the risk of leakage.

Although he could provide food directly, he chose not to do so: first, to avoid causing speculation at home; second, he hoped to experience through actual operations whether he could still cope with the various needs of life without relying on storage space.

Although ideals are beautiful, the reality is harsh.

Holding a wedding has made him deeply experience the hardships of life. He began to doubt whether he would be able to complete such a decent wedding without the support of supernatural powers.

“You don’t know how difficult it is to afford food and daily necessities unless you experience it yourself.” Just now, when he heard his mother muttering, he realized that even if one was frugal throughout his life and saved money, it might not be enough to support a decent ceremony.

Chapter 253 After comforting Wang Yuying, Yang Jun returned home with Yang Mei.

The brother and sister entered Yang Jun's study and sat down face to face. Yang Jun lit a cigarette and looked at her quietly.

He wondered how to start, for he had no idea what to say.

After taking a deep breath, Yang Jun squeezed out the remaining cigarette and asked firmly, "If you really feel dissatisfied with this marriage, I can find a more ideal partner for you."

Hearing this, Yang Mei burst into tears and sobbed, "I am interested in Liu Zhi himself, it has nothing to do with his family. I hope my brother can respect our feelings."

Seeing Yang Mei so worried, he actually already realized that she and Liu Zhi were in love with each other, so he had no intention of breaking them up.

He has always fully supported his sister's love.

Poverty is not a big deal; what matters is whether the couple's married life is happy.

For Yang Mei, there is no need to worry too much about the future, but for Liu Zhi, it is not the case. After all, he still has a family to take care of. How can he only care about himself and ignore his siblings after getting married?

---

After marriage, Liu Zhi's salary will inevitably be spent at home, and disagreements between the couple may arise as a result.

But this will not affect Yang Jun. At most he can just provide more funding.

Money problems can be solved eventually.

"Silly sister, I'm just worried that you'd get hurt.

You see, you have already given too much to this family, and I don't want you to feel wronged because of this." He gently held her shoulders, his eyes full of determination, and made a promise seriously, "Don't worry, I will take care of the real estate and the wedding.

I will spend the days ahead with you and I will take care of you for the rest of my life."

After hearing his words, Yang Mei was deeply moved and burst into tears, "Brother, you are so kind."

Yang Jun gently stroked her shoulder: "Don't blame mom, she is doing this for your own good."

"I understand. I don't blame her."

The brother and sister talked in the study for a long time and didn't go to bed until nearly ten o'clock.

Day two.

As soon as you step into the office, what catches your eye is a cup of steaming fragrant tea and a warm environment with a blazing fire. The desk is tidy and clean, with documents waiting to be read.

Yang Jun was not in a hurry to sign, but held the teacup to warm himself up.

There was a knock on the office door and Jiang Haitao walked in.

"Director, this is the gas card I just got."

Unlike the recharge cards of later generations, this is actually a small booklet that records the car model and the owner's name and position. With this card, you can get free gas at the steel plant.

Only a few senior executives have the privilege of using special cars and enjoying publicly-paid refueling services. In the past, Yang Jun did not meet the qualifications.

However, now that he has been promoted, he has a private car and driver, so he needs to apply for this gas card. Although he often drives the Willys Jeep, free gas is still his benefit.

However, Yang Jun did not accept it, but let Jiang Haitao keep it. After all, he was his assistant and driver, so he didn't need to worry about such trivial matters. In addition, there was an oil field in Yang Jun's space, so he didn't need a gas card to refuel.

Jiang Haitao's many years of service spirit was indeed in place. He had made all preparations before Yang Jun took office, which made Yang Jun even more satisfied.

Then he asked, "Have you reported to the Personnel Department?"

"I haven't gone yet. I'll make arrangements after you're settled, Director." Jiang Haitao maintained his military habits, standing neatly and respectfully.

After discussing the cost of the dinner, they turned to negotiate the issue of imperial bricks.

After using the imperial bricks, Yang Jun was deeply attracted by their simple charm.

Every day when he got home from get off work, he walked on it barefoot. Although the floor was cold, it was not chilling, especially after being fired for seven or eight hundred days. The fire inside had become mild and he could no longer feel the scorching heat.

Lao Wu said to Yang Jun with a bitter face, "Brother, I really don't know how to start talking about the price of floor tiles."

Yang Jun waved his hand and said, "Master Wu, this is our second cooperation, but please speak up, don't hesitate."

"Well... you know, Hei San proposed... he wanted to add this extra amount to each brick." Lao Wu said as he held up five fingers.

Yang Jun was stunned for a moment. It was not five cents, but five dollars.

An inexplicable anger suddenly rose in his heart.

He secretly cursed: This bastard, he treated me as a...

Although he had enough money to pay, he still felt extremely depressed.

I had discussed with Heisan before and he would give me a slightly better discount on the subsequent decoration.

Not long after, Heisan changed his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book and asked for a sky-high price, even adding five dollars for each brick!

Yang Jun wasn't sure whether Lao Wu and Hei San were working together to plot against him, or whether Hei San was just greedy for money, but he definitely didn't intend to be slaughtered.

He stared at Lao Wu silently, his face showing no sign of hiding his dissatisfaction.

Sensing Yang Jun's unfriendly look, Lao Wu felt uneasy and quickly raised three fingers, swearing firmly: "Brother, listen carefully, this has nothing to do with me.