Siheyuan: 55 years, starting from a buyer

Before returning home for the New Year, Chen decided to slaughter a pig: he would store some for himself to eat for the whole year, and bring the other part back home, because the meat ration was extremely low at the time, so if he took more home he would have a much richer meal.

Since the middle period, since refined rice and noodles were no longer supplied to Yang Qiong, Mr. Chen hadn't been to that place for a long time. The main reason was that he was too busy... Well, actually it was mainly because he was lazy.

He thought about it these past few days and finally decided to make the trip, mainly for two urgent matters: there might be an opportunity for a business trip after the New Year, but he had a feeling that the national food coupons allocated by the unit might not be enough, so he decided to go and exchange them himself.

Another reason is to take advantage of the popularity and see if you can buy something special.

At one o'clock in the morning, Mr. Chen arrived at the area.

He looked around and saw Yang Qiong's group again.

He thought to himself that the capabilities of this group of people should not be underestimated. Although another year had passed, they still seemed to be in control of the place and he had never heard of any problems. He believed that they must have strong support behind them.

Mr. Chen didn't want to be recognized, so he wore a thick scarf and a hat to hide himself.

Even if they ran into Yang Qiong's men, or even if Brother Yan Fuqiang saw him holding half a piece of fat meat in both hands, they might not recognize him.

Walking into the inner market, Mr. Chen saw that Yang Qiong and his gang were doing a prosperous business, much more lively than last year.

Before long, he saw some products that caught his eye.

There were two bottles of foreign liquor in a wooden box. He picked one up and checked the label, but couldn't understand the words on it.

So he simply asked the price, and after some bargaining, he took two bottles of wine for thirty-five dollars.

Then he put the wine into his private space in a secluded corner and continued to stroll around the market.

Chen found a grain coupon seller and paid three hundred yuan in exchange for a stack of grain coupons. He took all the grain coupons from the seller, thinking that he might need them during his journey. He realized that grain coupons were more practical than currency in such situations, would not depreciate, and would even appreciate in value in the next few years.

When Mr. Chen left the grocery store, he had a watch on his wrist. Although he didn't know what brand it was, he could tell from the price of 70 yuan that it was made in a foreign country.

During this period, high-quality goods in grocery stores were always in short supply and could not meet the general demand.

Many wealthy families still miss the old way of life and choose to bring their ancestral wealth to this store to sell in order to obtain more comfortable material enjoyment.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, we have arrived at the critical moment before the Spring Festival.

At exactly seven o'clock in the morning on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mr. Chen finished washing up, walked out of the house, and set out on his way to work.

At this moment, there was already a crowd of people outside the grocery store.

He struggled to squeeze through the crowd and into the store, and a colleague opened a gap in time to allow him to enter.

The store is bustling with people in all positions devoted to their work: employees in the candy section are busy piling up several full boxes of candy under the counter to prevent any accidents; the butcher and his assistant are sharpening their knives in preparation for a busy day; and colleagues in the vegetable section are like mountain movers, piling up fresh vegetables high before our eyes, which is amazing.

The comrades from the police station were not willing to lag behind. The leader arranged a series of duty arrangements. Four people were guarding the door, and the key locations in the meat and vegetable areas were under strict surveillance. The rest of the comrades were spread across key areas inside and outside the store.

For them, this was the first time to participate in the duty at the grocery store during the Spring Festival. The owner had already prepared generous gifts: a piece of fat pork for each person, and a small bag filled with peanuts, melon seeds and various candies and cakes.

Therefore, everyone takes their duty very seriously.

The back-end operations were also busy. Mr. Li from the purchasing department arrived earlier than Mr. Chen. At the order of the salesperson, he moved two large barrels of soy sauce and vinegar to the store. When he saw Mr. Chen coming, he shouted anxiously:

"Mr. Chen, come and help!"

Mr. Chen arrived quickly and helped place a heavy bucket of soy sauce next to the counter.

Putting down the bucket, Master Li wiped his sweat and panted: "This thing is really heavy."

Chen Sheng asked, "Anything else?"

"Not for now. Everything in the warehouse has been moved."

The busy sales clerks are dressed in festive attire and wear badges on their chests.

"Let's go back."

Master Li took Mr. Chen to the back office.

After taking a sip of water, he said in annoyance, "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have worked overtime last night. Now I have been working non-stop.

I even helped unload the goods in the early morning."

Mr. Chen put down his bag and said, "You should go back and have a rest instead of hanging on here.

I'll just take care of things here."

However, Purchasing Manager Li shook his head and said, "No, the leadership had a meeting last night. Today and tomorrow, except for the accountant, all back-end staff must come to the counter to help."

Then he asked Chen Sheng: "Where do you want to work? I'll go to Director Sun to make arrangements. I'll be busy soon."

After thinking for a while, Mr. Chen replied, "For me, the candy counter is more suitable, as it is relatively clean.

If you go to a butcher's stall, your clothes will be in a mess. "

“Okay, I’ll talk to Director Sun right away.

But you got it wrong. It's not easy for you to go to the meat stall, because that's a place that many people are fighting for."

Master Li was about to leave, and it was obvious that he had noticed the difference in consumption concepts here - at this time people tended to look for more value for money.

A moment.

"Attention everyone, the store is open!"

As the staff inside pushed open the door, the crowd outside the store cheered instantly.

"Don't push or shove. Line up and come in one by one."

The colleague in charge of maintaining order shouted quickly, and his voice cut through the bustling crowd.

After hearing the order, the crowd, which was originally a little agitated, gradually calmed down.

Mr. Chen, who was standing behind the candy counter, was surprised to see Purchasing Manager Li, who was sitting on a small stool next to two buckets of soy sauce, holding a large spoon, waiting for the hustle and bustle to begin.

Chapter 7 Mr. Candy, good seat!

Mr. Li chuckled and whispered to Mr. Chen, "Dude, you picked a good spot, didn't you? I can have a leisurely chat next to you. Wouldn't it be nice for us to have a chat?"

Mr. Chen also smiled and said, "Mr. Li, why don't you quickly move a chair for me? The line outside the door is like a long dragon, where can I sit leisurely?"

Only then did Mr. Li realize that he had no chance and sat down.

Seeing that Li the purchaser stood up, Mr. Chen moved his chair behind him and said with a smile, "It's just right to sit here. It's my job to be responsible for weighing the candies for the guests."

Everyone watching this scene couldn't help laughing.

During the day, Mr. Chen's responsibility is to use an abacus to settle customers' accounts in front of the scale. Although the crowd outside is still surging, the shift staff in the store have already begun to rotate.

Only then did Li Caigou finally have a chance to catch his breath. In less than an hour, his clothes were soaked with sweat from work.

In the evening, after extending business hours, the busy snack shop finally came to an end and people collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

Mr. Chen and Mr. Li also breathed a sigh of relief because tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Although they are busy in the morning, they can close their stalls and have a good rest after two o'clock in the afternoon.

When he returned to the courtyard filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year, Mr. Chen could hear the laughter of children, probably because of the upcoming New Year atmosphere.

Pushing open the door, the courtyard was bustling with activity. The adults gathered together eating fried beans and chatting, while the sound of children playing and firecrackers could be heard everywhere.

As soon as he entered the door, the neighbors greeted Mr. Chen warmly.

"Xiao Chen is back!"

"It's time to get off work. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Chen!"

The welcome this year was particularly warm because the delicacies that were hard to buy came from the grocery store where Xiao Chen worked.

In traditional Chinese culture, New Year's Eve symbolizes the arrival of the new year.

In the evening, when the year-end bonus was distributed, Mr. Chen and Mr. Li went to the warehouse. Jobs at the grocery company became popular, not only because of their convenience, but also because of the generous bonus benefits.

The first thing he got was a full pound of fatty pork. Mr. Li got a larger portion, about one and a half kilograms.

Mr. Chen then received cigarettes, peanuts, melon seeds, cakes and candies, and an unexpected surprise, a whole bottle of sesame paste, because that was only available during the Spring Festival in the past year.

After packing up all the prizes, Mr. Chen did not forget to bring back New Year's goods from his home - a few pieces of lard, as well as meat and fresh fish, considering that he would not visit Uncle Wang's family until the first day of the new year.

It was already 3:30 in the afternoon when I got home.

My parents have already returned home and are busy preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, and my sister-in-law is taking care of the baby who is just one month old and four years old.

With the addition of a new member, this year's family feast is obviously much richer than usual.

Chen Sheng's lucky brother Chen Yi saw the pile of food in his younger brother's hands and joked, "Wow, this is a lot of food, take it all?!"

Mr. Chen shook the pork in his hand fearfully, showing off.

The mother heard laughter at the door, and the person who came out to greet her was her youngest son, Chen.

She immediately shouted, "Don't dawdle at the door, come and help me light the fire."

Urged by his mother, Mr. Chen interrupted his chat with his eldest brother, parked the car in a hurry, picked up things in one hand, and ran back to the kitchen.

Mr. Chen put all the items on the table, then leaned over to help his mother add firewood to the fire.

The grandmother was busy helping, and when she saw Mr. Chen bringing a bunch of things, she examined them carefully out of curiosity.

"Hey, there's so much lard!"

Grandma exclaimed in surprise.

"These are all benefits provided by the company. We have a new child this year, so we need to improve his nutrition. In the future, we will also share some of the good lard we make with my eldest brother's family."

He explained.

"Well done, the child has grown up and become sensible."

The father praised Mr. Chen for his filial piety.

"It's really well done. Other families may not gain so much after working hard for a year.

Ask your brother to return your share of the money later."

The mother was equally pleased.

"As it should be."

His father agreed and recognized Mr. Chen's efforts.

In fact, Mr. Chen initially felt a little unfamiliar with this new family after his rebirth. However, over the past year, his original family has been very good to him. Even though he has moved out to live alone, his parents still respect and care about him.

Therefore, Mr. Chen deeply feels the warmth of the family. He is willing to live with his family. This harmony and comfort makes him feel that all his efforts are worthwhile.

He no longer values ​​money and material things as much as he did before his rebirth.

On New Year's Eve, although the dinner was warm and cheerful, the crying of his naughty nephews made him, a man who loved tranquility, a little troubled.

His eldest nephew was four years old and stuck to him, so he generously gave him many treasures, including the chocolate he bought.

After dinner, the eldest brother was drunk and his parents were worried, so they asked Mr. Chen to escort him back.

By the time Mr. Chen returned home, it was already past 8 o'clock in the evening.

As soon as I entered the gate of the compound, I saw Liu Haizhong teaching his children.

Seeing children getting hurt every day, Mr. Chen couldn't help but feel sad.

He knew very well that no matter what the future would be like, he should not be so harsh on his children, so whenever there was such an opportunity, he would do his best to persuade them.

"Uncle Liu, are you still so strict with your children when you are thirty years old?"

He teased Liu Haizhong with slightly sarcastic words.

When he noticed that the children were hiding behind Mr. Chen, the anger in Liu Hai subsided a little and he stopped.

Now, he was still somewhat polite to Mr. Chen, after all, his status was no longer the same as before.

"Brother Chen, you're back."

Liu Haizhong said while panting.

"Yeah, I just went to have dinner with my parents."

Mr. Chen, who usually loves to joke, teased Liu Haizhong and said, "Uncle Liu Haizhong, has Guangqi come back to celebrate the New Year?"

"Which idiot is gone as soon as he comes back?"

Liu Haizhong was very angry. After cursing, he turned around and went back to the yard to deal with other matters.

Early in the morning of the New Year's Day, Mr. Chen, who was originally planning to slack off, was awakened by the sound of firecrackers.

He had no choice but to get up.

At this time last year they would have a group gathering in the courtyard, but due to a conflict with the mentally retarded Pillar Xu Damao, they lost the honor of being a "civilized courtyard". I wonder if they can resume the event this year?

As expected, I heard a knock on the door as soon as I got up.

"Brother Chen, your father asked me to tell you that there is a meeting in the hospital."

This was Liu Guangtian's rusty accent.

After washing up, Mr. Chen took a small stool and went to the area, and the neighbors joined him.

Finding a sunny spot, Mr. Chen sat down to rest.

Sitting next to him was Xu Damao, but people's attitudes towards the two were very different. Everyone greeted Chen Sheng repeatedly, while most others chose to ignore Xu Damao.

He didn't seem to care too much about it.

"Brother Damao, how is your health lately?"

Mr. Chen whispered his concern.

Xu Damao looked around and said cautiously, "It's OK."

Mr. Chen was only half-joking when he suggested, "It's best to have regular checkups, as this disease is prone to recurrence."

In fact, because of their busy work recently and Xu Damao spending less time at home, they haven't seen each other for a long time.

"Don't worry, brother. I'm as strong as an ox."

Xu Damao said this and patted his chest to give himself courage.

Suddenly, Sha Zhu appeared out of nowhere, heard their conversation, and teased sarcastically: "Hey, Brother Damao, are you really 'incapable'?"

"Hey! Stupid Zhu, it's you who can't do it!"

Xu Damao immediately fought back with a roar, but he was actually extremely panicked inside.

He knew that once Sha Zhu found out, his privacy would be ruined. Rumors of syphilis would spread throughout Nanluoguxiang in three days, and it would be difficult for him to find a wife.

"Don't talk nonsense. Damao just fell a few days ago. I think he should go get a check-up to prevent any further damage."

Mr. Chen had to come out to explain again to avoid angering Xu Damao.

As the saying goes, I am not afraid of offending a gentleman, but I am most afraid of encountering a villain.

After hearing the lies made up by Mr. Chen, Xu Damao's mood eased a little, but before they could talk for a few words, he was interrupted by Sha Zhu.

"Why didn't you die when you fell down?"

The ridicule came flooding back again.

Faced with the accusations, Xu Damao knew he was in the wrong and decided to ignore Sha Zhu and look away.

Sha Zhu hit a snag, shrugged his shoulders and found a corner to sit down.

Soon, everyone gathered together.

Secretary Wu walked onto the stage and delivered an opening speech to celebrate the New Year, elaborated on the new policy, and reminded everyone to pay attention to fire prevention when setting off firecrackers during the New Year to ensure the safety of children.

The meeting ended hastily, and Mr. Chen was thinking about his future action plan.

After visiting teachers and paying New Year’s greetings, I have relatively more time.

He decided to take this opportunity to conduct free medical consultations, using his spare time to hone his medical skills and expand his reputation.

What's more, he now has the official right to practice medicine.

Taking immediate action, Mr. Chen found Secretary Wu to discuss his idea.

After final discussion, it was decided to open the clinic in the compound in the afternoon, and the street would assist in publicity for the next two days, encouraging the elderly to participate, and allowing residents to participate voluntarily to show their support for the work.

After gaining support from the street, Mr. Chen rode his bike to his master Wang Shun’s home to wish him a happy new year and also received a red envelope.

Originally, Wang Shun wanted to invite him to have dinner, but after hearing that Chen was going to provide free medical treatment, he gave his full support and suggested that if there were any problems, they could be referred to him to avoid unnecessary disputes.

Mr. Chen was not too worried about medical disputes because in the society at that time, only serious mistakes would cause public resentment.

After returning home, Chen set up a makeshift clinic and hung the license in the reception room to deal with any possible situations.

After a simple lunch and a short rest, Mr. Chen informed Secretary Wu to arrange for the patients to be treated.

He also assigned two young assistants to maintain order.

The first person to arrive was a deaf old lady, accompanied by Yi Zhonghai and Aunt Yi.