Break out of the courtyard

Just as Zhang Heping was listening to gossip outside the door, the phone in the right lobby rang.

The person who called was actually Sha Zhixiang, the director of Shenzhen Science Printing Factory.

"Deputy Director Zhang, welcome to join us, haha!"

"Why do I feel like I've been cheated?" Zhang Heping thought about what had happened recently and suspected that he had been tricked when he changed departments this time.

"I suddenly learned about the disbanding of the department last night, and was only verbally informed this morning that I would join a new department. It still feels a little unreal. Some things are inconvenient to talk about over the phone. When you come over, we can discuss it in detail."

"Ok!"

……

At lunch, Zhang Heping said to his mother Ma Xiuzhen in front of the family, "Mom, Director Wang is going to retire. I have been transferred to the south for work today and will no longer be the deputy director of the subdistrict office. You can just wait for retirement in April this year."

When these words were spoken, the one who reacted the most was Changsheng.

This guy looked at Zhang Heping with suspicion, probably wondering if Zhang Heping had gone bankrupt and been dismissed from his post!

Next came the second sister Zhang Pandi, "Brother, have you been promoted?"

"Not sure yet!" Zhang Heping replied calmly, "I haven't decided what job I'll do yet."

The name in his file was changed to "Zhang Ping'an", but it was only changed for outsiders to see; if Zhang Heping didn't say it, it would be difficult for his family to know.

After all, the confidentiality of the scientific printing factory is still very high.

However, in order to ensure the long-term operation of the Science Printing Factory, Zhang Heping had to find some printing tasks for them from time to time.

Ma Xiuzhen, who was standing by, was a little melancholy. "Son, you are transferred to work in the south. Will Xiaobei and Xiaonan come back to study?"

"not sure for now!"

Zhang Heping is still a little confused. Grandma Yang hasn't retired yet, and Grandpa Zhuang has only retired to the second line. Director Wang is more than ten years younger than them, so how could he retire?

His job was just a transfer that had little impact, but the Zhou family next door was about to break up.

While eating, I could hear the second daughter-in-law of the Zhou family crying next door, blaming Ma Lili for not being able to borrow money yesterday.

Ma Xiuzhen had not yet gotten over the thought of her son going south to work, and she had to comfort her depressed niece Ma Lili.

"Don't worry about her. Zhou Laoer's gambling is her problem. She can't even control her own man, who can she blame? In the beginning, Heping asked them to move to Courtyard No. 8, but she was the one who was so cunning and insisted on staying in Courtyard No. 95."

"Aunt, Second Aunt wants to share our house." Zhou Xiaochun, who will turn 13 next month, revealed the ultimate purpose of the second daughter-in-law of the Zhou family's crying.

"If we don't divide the house, she wants a divorce!" 11-and-a-half-year-old Zhou Xiaopeng echoed.

"Humph! How can she, a daughter-in-law, have the nerve to ask for a separate room!" Zhang Pandi, the second sister who has been in charge of personnel for many years, asserted: "If the Zhou family is stupid enough to really divide the room, that woman will really dare to divorce."

"Come here!" Zhang Heping reminded calmly.

Not long after, Chen Liqin from next door walked into the doorway of Yard No. 7 with her eldest son Zhou Chengwen.

"Liqin, are you done?" Ma Xiuzhen stood up and left the main room. "I left some food in the pot for you. I'll bring it over to you right away."

"Thank you, Sister Xiuzhen!" Chen Liqin said somewhat awkwardly, "I want to talk to Heping about something."

"Let's go! Let's talk after dinner!" Ma Xiuzhen pulled Chen Liqin's arm, looked back at Ma Lili who stood up, and then pulled Chen Liqin, who looked tired and hesitant, out.

After the two old maids entered the kitchen, Ma Xiuzhen closed the kitchen door, leaving Ma Lili and her man outside.

Then, Ma Xiuzhen took out a brown paper envelope from her cotton coat pocket and said, "Here!"

"This is..." Chen Liqin felt the thickness of the envelope and guessed that there was money in it, but she hadn't asked to borrow it yet.

"800 yuan!" Ma Xiuzhen pulled Chen Liqin and whispered:

"Heping told me last night that if you wait until Chengwu comes back to split up the family, his wife might stay because she has no job. If you agree to split up the family now..."

Zhang Heping didn't say what would happen if the property was divided up. Ma Xiuzhen thought of several possible outcomes, but she followed her son's example and left half of the answer for Chen Liqin to figure out on her own.

"Sister Xiuzhen, I'll give you the IOU later."

"No need! Just keep a record of it, so you don't have to write a new IOU every time you pay back the money."

"Thank you..." Chen Liqin couldn't help but wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"What are you thanking me for? Bring the food over first and we'll talk about the future after we eat."

……

In the afternoon, when Zhang Heping took his wife and children out shopping, his mother Ma Xiuzhen accompanied the old couple of the Zhou family, as well as Zhou Chengwen and others, to the police station to see them separate from Zhou Chengwu!

When Zhang Heping and his friends came back in the evening, his mother Ma Xiuzhen gossiped about the Zhou family's division.

Because Zhou Jinyi, the father, was not dead yet, he only verbally gave 400 yuan to Zhou Laoer, which put an end to the idea of ​​Laoer's wife to share the house.

The final decision was to take 400 yuan out of his 20 yuan share of the family income every month and give it to his wife as living expenses before Zhou Chengwu was released, to see if they could keep this second daughter-in-law stable.

As for the remaining money... Zhou Laoer, as a victim, reported those gangsters who cheated people by gambling, so he can be treated leniently and the term of labor reform can be negotiated.

No one mentioned whether those thugs would take revenge on the Zhou family after being released.

The gambling debt of more than 20,000 yuan has forced Zhou Laoer to leave his wife and children. What is there to be afraid of?

What happened to the Zhou family was undoubtedly a huge earthquake for everyone in their family.

But to outsiders, it is just gossip in the alleys and topics of conversation after dinner.

That night, the old couple of the Zhou family moved to the east wing in the front yard of No. 95 courtyard, but they were still unwilling to give up the two rooms there.

The next day, Zhang Heping took his wife and children out to see some dilapidated historical sites. When he returned home in the evening, he learned from his mother Ma Xiuzhen that the director of the Nanluoguxiang Sub-district Office had been replaced. Director Wang had handed over his work to the new Director Li today, and he would not come to work here tomorrow.

Zhang Heping didn't expect Director Wang's retirement to come so soon, as if someone was in a hurry to get rid of her.

That night, Zhang Heping went to the black market and bought two ancient paintings from the Ming Dynasty. Early the next morning, he took the paintings to Director Wang's house.

He had originally planned to confirm the donation process for the Hope Primary School with Director Wang, and then return to Hong Kong Island that afternoon to finalize the 1 million yuan charity fund, but he was stopped by Director Wang, who asked him to wait until the conference was over before leaving.

After leaving Director Wang's house, Zhang Heping went to the neighboring bank and did not find out the reason why Director Wang retired early.

Time slipped away quietly, and Zhou Laoer was taken to a nearby reservoir for three months of forced labor.

And those dozen or so hooligans who set up gambling games to cheat people out of money seemed to be in big trouble; the young hooligans who confessed first reported that the three leaders had killed people!

February 1980, 2, Saturday, sunny.

As the conference lasted for a week, Zhang Heping learned about its content through television, radio, newspapers and other channels, and gradually realized what message Director Wang wanted to convey to him.

The storm that had gradually formed 15 years ago...

This year, it finally disappeared!

The most intuitive manifestation was that on the afternoon of March 3, the Lantern Festival, Lou Xiao'e and her elder brother returned to the capital and came to ask for the house and dividends.

In addition to a group of foreign businessmen, Zhang Heping's father-in-law Tang Ming, mother-in-law Xu Jiefeng, and brother-in-law Tang Ren also came with them.

……