Siheyuan: If you ruin the reputation of the whole courtyard, I will move out

Zhang Yu has already started thinking about how to catch that seemingly unattainable "red patch" - even a tiny part could be sold at an astronomical price. Just like the precious Monkey Year stamps in the early 80s, if you collected of them, you could guarantee your life for the rest of your life, and their initial purchase price was only a few cents.

In the eyes of others, Zhang Yu always squanders money, spending a month's salary quickly without paying attention to savings and future planning, as if he doesn't know how to save. But for Zhang Yu, is this really the way to live? Can his deposit interest rate keep up with the soaring trend of stamp prices?

The male protagonist in the TV series, the old man who was about to retire, had a monthly income of nearly 90 yuan, which is not a small amount in today's view, but he had no descendants to help him accumulate wealth, and he was in a state of poverty in his later years and had to rely on scavenging to make a living. In fact, the meager interest of the bank could not withstand the strong invasion of inflation, and even that nearly yuan might only be enough to eat a few bowls of simple vegetable noodles by the end of the s.

For Zhang Yu, saving money is no longer necessary, because the dawn of the "golden decade" is coming and a better life is just around the corner. However, this expectation for a better future is an unattainable concept for their generation.

With expectations for the future, Zhang Yu was immersed in his dream. "Sister, I know you are struggling, but let's keep some distance! This is not for my sake, but for Xiaoyu's reputation. She hasn't settled down yet, and doesn't want people to say that her brother is vague." He firmly announced to Sister Qin, and then left resolutely without hesitation.

Qin Huairu watched He Yuzhu's determined back gradually go away, and felt that the solid support in life seemed far away. Zhang Yu smiled coldly, and he still remembered that his "lucky" golden finger mission had not yet surfaced, that is, the matter between He Yuzhu and the widow had not yet been finally clarified.

This woman is really difficult to deal with. Even though Mr. He has clearly rejected her, she still refuses to give up. This made Zhang Yu shake his head. He decided to go back and tidy himself up and prepare for the coming of a new day. When he walked past Qin Huairu, he noticed her hidden dissatisfaction and knew that his alienation might make her mistakenly believe that all the changes in He Yuzhu were because of him.

Faced with such complicated emotions, Zhang Yu chose to completely cut off his relationship with her. He left without a smile and without any greetings. After getting ready, he set out on his way to work and soon received the task instructions assigned by Liu Xianjin.

"Xiao Yu, you need to drive a truck in Xinghai City today. I have arranged the order and car keys for you." Every driver must check the vehicle in detail and record the journey before departure. This is a basic requirement of the Red Star Steel Plant for drivers. Anyone who drives here needs to leave a file record. After checking everything, Zhang Yu drove into the busy road and started his duties for the day.

"Master Zhang, you are responsible for delivering the goods today, right?" Zhao Dali handed Zhang Yu a cigarette and asked his co-workers to hand over the loading list.

While smoking, Zhang Yu chatted with Zhao Dali.

"Director Zhao, I can just take you directly to the train station this time. No need to go through the city."

He understood that the reason why Zhao Dali treated him so kindly was mainly because he wanted to use him to deliver supplies to the countryside.

"It's a small matter, don't take it to heart. Don't forget to let me know when you go out next time. I need to prepare some things to send to my elderly parents." Zhao Dali chuckled.

When talking about the food coupons, Zhang Yu asked with concern: "You should have used up most of your food coupons, right?"

The two of them had a long-standing relationship.

"It's almost empty. There's a lot of work at the company. Actually, I miss my hometown very much, but I'm always too busy to get away." Zhao Dali sighed helplessly. He is deeply attached to the simple life in the countryside and is unwilling to sacrifice this lifestyle for the convenience of the city.

Zhao Dali often asked Zhang Yu for help, such as delivering rice coupons or meat coupons to old ladies, and gave him a small reward each time as a token of his appreciation. In the factory, many "Da Li brothers" could save more than ten yuan a month by doing such small favors, even if it was just a small reward.

Although Zhang Yu was sitting and drinking tea and talking to people, he was surprised to see Qin Huairu carrying heavy objects. Usually, such heavy tasks are undertaken by men, and few women take on such tasks.

Seeing Qin Huairu working hard alone without support from others, it is obvious that her social network is not very strong, which makes Zhang Yu speculate the reason: after Jia Dongxu's death, Qin Huairu took over his position. Because her husband was only a fourth-level maintenance worker before, her initial status was relatively low and she joined the assembly line as an apprentice.

In terms of qualifications, many years have passed. If Qin Huairu was smart and hardworking, she should have reached the level of at least a second-level worker, instead of still doing low-skilled jobs such as carrying.

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Yu asked Zhao Dali: "Director Zhao, why would you let a woman like her become a member of the material-moving team?" He had guessed that it might be because of their neighbor relationship or gender advantage, but he had no special prejudice.

Zhao Danian responded: "That was the role left behind by Qin Huairu's husband after he took over briefly. She herself did not receive much education, had limited literacy, and had little ambition. Naturally, she could not get a first-level worker certificate, but she was quite suitable for doing these jobs." He explained in detail.

Hearing this, Zhang Yu was puzzled: "It would be great if she could clean the workshop, why let her just do the loading and unloading." He had fantasies about Qin Huairu's beauty, but he was more worried that she might not be strong enough and might be slow in moving the goods, affecting efficiency.

Zhao Danian approached and whispered jokingly, "Little brother, you should be careful. That woman has a bad reputation. It is said that there are many shady things in her factory. It is best to keep a distance from such people."

Zhang Yu listened and was surprised that his original impression of Qin Huairu, who was simple and honest, did not match the image in front of him: "I thought she was a simple and honest person and would not get into trouble." He realized that the factory director's tolerance towards female employees would only breed more gossip, reminding himself that he still had to rely on himself and could not rely entirely on others.

After the loading work was completed, the two chatted and left. Seeing Qin Huairu carrying materials with sweat and trembling fingers, the other men avoided her intentionally, as if they were afraid of being contaminated by her bad luck, which made her feel angry. When Zhang Yu left the truck site, he did not say goodbye to her to show his apology.

Looking at the train going away, Qin Huairu secretly vowed that she would teach the child named "Banggeng" how to properly operate the truck to load materials. The indifference and dissatisfaction she felt yesterday made her determined to improve her own abilities and change others' unfair views of her.

Zhang Yu arrived at the factory entrance and handed the security guard his access card and a cigarette. The security guard took the card, then took the cigarette and quickly put it to his ear. He asked, "Team leader, what are you busy with?" Noticing that Team Leader Qian only had a few cigarettes left, Zhang Yu stuffed the whole pack into his hand, "Let the brothers have a taste."

Team leader Qian accepted the money with a smile, put it in his pocket politely and unabashedly, and immediately let them go. They drove to the city, saying hello to their colleagues on the way, and headed straight for Beijing Sijiucheng Railway Station.

There was not much traffic on the road, the road conditions were smooth, and there were few vehicles and pedestrians on the road. Forty minutes later, Zhang Yu arrived at the railway station smoothly and entered the freight unloading area with his steel plant pass.

On the platform, the staff had been waiting for a long time. Zhang Yu carefully backed up and drove until the rear of the truck was close to the loading and unloading platform. Following the instructions, he easily moved the truck to the appropriate unloading position.

After unloading was completed, Zhang Yu got out of the car, walked to Boss Kong Lianshun and said with a smile: "Master Kong, it's time to collect transportation payment again!" As he said that, he checked his freight list.

"Xiao Zhang, your driving skills are getting better and better. The parking position is only five centimeters away from the platform, which is just right." Master Kong looked at the goods with satisfaction and made a note. "It's just to make it easier for my partners to carry it."

"That's exactly what I mean." Zhang Yu smiled slyly, "I naturally don't want to waste too much energy on my brother's affairs."

After Master Kong instructing the workers to move the metal raw materials with satisfaction, he walked over to Zhang Yu and said, "Xiao Zhang, the ordered goods have arrived. When do you want to clear them out?" he asked.

Zhang Yu's eyes flashed with alertness, "It just happens to be vacant today, so we can move right away." Master Kong agreed, rubbing his hands and asking a little embarrassedly: "Xiao Zhang, when will the money be available?"

Zhang Yu took out three hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it over, smiling and saying, "Don't worry, I've prepared it long ago." Master Kong looked at the sudden cash, his eyes gleaming, but for the sake of decency he did not extend his hand to accept it. Zhang Yu personally put it in his palm and said firmly, "Please keep these three hundred yuan. The rest of the money will be transferred as soon as possible after receiving the goods."

Master Kong smiled and said, "No need to count it, just accept the kindness." He carefully put the money into his pocket and promised, "I will immediately ask someone to help you load the truck after the goods are unloaded."

Zhang Yu opened the cigarette box again, took out a cigarette and handed it to Master Kong. The two chatted and laughed: "Master Kong, it's time for your son to fall in love, right? Does he have a partner?"

Master Kong's face was filled with joy: "She's from a small country village, and she got engaged in the spring."

After the funds were settled, Master Kong became more confident about his son's marriage and his smile became brighter. "Remember to notify me when the time comes. Although I may not be there, I will definitely give you a generous red envelope."

Zhang Yu said, "You understand me so well that it couldn't be better." The two smiled knowingly and understood each other tacitly.

At this moment, Zhang Yu's savings were basically used to pay for the train carriage. In Daxing, Beijing, piles of crisp pears are very common. Farmers grow them in large quantities and the price is very low, even a dime can be packed into a box. A fully loaded truck may be loaded with about 50 tons of pears.

The temperature in Beijing continues to drop, approaching the severe winter of minus 22 degrees Celsius. Fresh fruits, especially pears, are becoming more and more valuable. A train full of pears will become a hot commodity in the market.

Zhang Yu read a book about Siheyuan before his death. The protagonist of the story started by selling Daxing pears. This inspired him to notice that the price of local pears was relatively low when he went to Daxing to handle things, and thus came up with the idea of ​​selling them around Beijing. Due to the small space in the ring, he initially tried to use train carriages to transport pears. His social networks over the years allowed him to find the possibility of transporting the pears by truck, and he invited his master, Master Kong, to assist in management and supervision.

Soon, the trucks loaded with pears filled up the steel plant's trucks. Zhang Yu set out from the train station and chose a hidden spot. With the help of his gold ring, he moved a truckload of pears into the space, then returned and did the same operation dozens of times. Eventually, 50 tons of pears were fully stored in his ring, and the space seemed full.

After making preparations in advance, he used barter to deal with the inventory in preparation for the bumper harvest of pears. Although the ring is small, it is now filled with pears that cannot be moved. Thanks to his dexterous manipulation and the lack of physical movement, the speed of processing this batch of goods is much faster than that of Master Kong's workers. After the goods were inspected and accepted, Zhang Yu said a simple goodbye and drove back to the factory until night fell.

When he returned to work, most of his colleagues had already left work, but the team leader An Xianjin was still in the office. Zhang Yu reported to him the details of his work, handed back the car keys, and handed over two bags of fresh pears. "This is good stuff from Daxing." Without hesitation, An Xianjin accepted it with a smile and commented, "It's not easy to find such good fruit outside the city."

Smiling, Zhang Yu explained, "I carefully selected these in Daxing." An Xianjin joked, "It seems that your business trip was very fruitful. No wonder you came back late."

No one was surprised by the extra income of the drivers. An Xianjin originally thought so and did not mention it much. But if he knew that Zhang Yu actually returned with a truck full of pears, he might feel envious.

In downtown Beijing, crisp pears are still very popular, and the output of a train can help him earn thousands of yuan. But this money will not be put into the market for the time being, and he plans to save it for the winter season, when the market is the highest. The biggest advantage of having the gold ring is that it can stop time. The pears put in during this period will still be the same even in winter.

Imagine the taste of fresh pears in winter, Zhang Yu plans to sell them in installments, after all, "scarcity makes things valuable". The new year means the beginning of a new chapter for everyone.

He finished his trip at the factory, but did not go home directly. Instead, he took out two bottles of Moutai, ten kilograms of pork, and various pears from Daxing from his area of ​​competence, and went straight to the apartment building of the factory staff dormitory.

This high-rise building is mainly used by senior management, and they are familiar with the route. When he reached the door of Apartment 302, Zhang Yu knocked gently.

The door opened quickly, and the middle-aged woman Du Weiguo saw him, and was surprised and then smiled happily. She was a good friend of the wife of the factory director Li Baonian. As an important figure in the factory, Li Baonian's influence should not be underestimated. Facing this surprise delivered in person, Du Weiguo's enthusiasm was beyond words.

"Old Li is still busy at his post, so just find a seat and sit down. I'll go to the kitchen to make some simple dishes. How about we have lunch at home?" Du Weiguo poured a cup of tea for Zhang Yu, then hurried to the kitchen.

Not long after, the kitchen door was pushed open again, and Li Baonian, the deputy general manager of the steel plant, appeared in the room. When he saw Zhang Yu, he immediately said with a smile on his face, "Xiao Zhang is here, don't be restrained." Then, his eyes fell on the gift on the table, his eyes full of joy.

"Director, I brought some fresh pears from Daxing so that everyone can taste the freshness." Zhang Yu picked up a basket of pears and walked to Li Baonian, handing him a cigarette and asking, "Has that batch of pears arrived in the capital?"

Li Baonian held a cigarette in his mouth, lay leisurely on the sofa, and put on a leadership attitude: "The truck has arrived in Beijing, Zhang." As a logistics supervisor who manages the canteen, warehouse and driver team, it is natural for him to care about such things.

At first, when Zhang Yu just took over his father Zhang Gui's work, he could not stand the heavy and hard work on the production line and asked Li Baonian for help and asked for a change of working environment. Although Li Baonian's negative image is often shown on TV and he did some questionable things, which led to the decline of Xu Damao's family, in reality, Zhang Yu knew Li Baonian's straightforward personality and believed that his status and ability in the factory could not be ignored.

In order to deal with the problem of truck dispatching, Zhang Yu sought help from Li Baonian. Using his in-laws' relationship - his father's network of connections with the Railway Administration, he quietly handed the prepared envelope to Li Baonian. He was not in a hurry to open it. Just by the touch of its thickness, Li Baonian's face was already filled with a satisfied smile.

At Du Weiguo's home, there was laughter in the kitchen: "It's time to eat, serve the dishes!" At Li Baonian's dinner party, Zhang Yu praised the couple's abilities and praised Du Weiguo's elegant style at the banquet, which made the two of them very happy.

After three rounds of drinks, Li Baonian suddenly said: "Xiao Zhang, I think you are extraordinary. If there is a chance in the future, I can let you take over Master Liu's position." In response, Zhang Yu remained silent, because the connection between them was limited to the level of interests, not a true friendship.

At the time of farewell, Zhang Yu, who had eaten and drunk enough, realized that there was still something to do. He wrapped his headscarf tightly and came to the foot of the city wall again, and saw Niu Meili waiting there. "Brother, are you here?" Seeing Zhang Yu appear, Niu Meili hurried to greet him.

"Did you bring the money?" Zhang Yu went straight to the point.

Niu Meili reached out and took out a stack of banknotes, "It's ready. Do you need cash?" The two began a secret transaction.

Together they walked towards an abandoned house, where Zhang Yu hid twenty bags of cornmeal that he had prepared in advance. Looking at the flour, Niu Meili showed no intention of paying.

"One hand pays the money, the other hand delivers the goods." There was a chill in Zhang Yu's voice.

However, at this moment, three men broke into the house. Niu Meili smiled and calmly responded, "I'm in a bad mood today." The three of them surrounded Zhang Yu, and one of them said proudly, "Boy, the price you offered is a bit too much. We can negotiate again."

Facing these men, Zhang Yu asked provocatively: "Is it always like this?"

Niu Meili explained: "They are protecting me, please don't mind." Her explanation did not dispel Zhang Yu's vigilance.

He sneered and said, "Are you trying to bargain by surrounding me? What other plans do you have?"

Niu Meili shook her head and said, "We have no ill intentions, but the price of this flour is a little high." Then she turned to him and made an offer: "The current market price is 9 cents per pound. I don't intend to cheat you. How about one dollar per pound?"

However, Zhang Yu jokingly pointed out: "Your quote is based on food stamps, but in fact, the food stamps are all in my hands."