Break out of the courtyard

When it was time to get off work in the evening, all the small vendors near Houhai suddenly withdrew, leaving Zhang Heping stunned.

Zhang Heping looked at the children squatting at the door eating popsicles and ice cream, and asked his eldest niece Zhou Xiaochun in the middle, "Xiaochun, what's wrong with these people? Do you want to move to another place to set up the stall?"

"No, Third Uncle!" Zhou Xiaochun took away the popsicle and replied, "The inspectors are coming. These people must leave before they come. Otherwise, they will check their individual business licenses. If they don't have a license, they will be fined!"

"Heh...these two groups of people seem to have a good understanding of each other." Zhang Heping laughed and said, "Will they come back? Who will be responsible for cleaning up the garbage on the ground?"

"Those people won't be back, and they are not allowed to set up stalls at night. They have paid cleaning fees to the street office before, so the street office will arrange people to come and clean up." Zhou Xiaochun answered, and when she saw her third cousin Zhang Heping nodded and stopped talking, she started licking her popsicle again.

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing a red armband rode past the door on a 28-inch bicycle. He just glanced at the messy garbage on the ground and rode away straight to the west.

Zhou Xiaochun pointed at the middle-aged man who had just passed by and said, "Uncle San, the one wearing the red armband, he is in charge of checking this area, and his home is not far ahead."

"Ok!"

Zhang Heping simply responded, already having a guess in his mind.

In order to solve the employment problem of the unemployed, the street office came up with such a stupid move of setting up stalls without a license.

As far as Houhai Street is concerned, there are relatively few unemployed thugs. I heard that most of them followed Biaozi to the south to make money after the New Year.

If not for this, Zhang Heping would not have stopped at the door when he came back, simply because those vendors were all strangers.

Of course, except for Zhou Laoer who was selling socks at the stall in front of No. 8 Courtyard.

With the return of my eldest sister, second sister and two brothers-in-law, my eldest cousin Ma Lili and her husband also came back one after another.

After a while, Zhang Yi, Zhou Xiaopeng and other nephews who had gone out to play also returned home.

Comrade Lao Zhang, on the other hand, has been out fooling around and hasn't come back yet.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Zhang Heping returned to the yard and asked his second sister and the others, "Who knows where Dad is? Go pick him up on your bike. We'll go to the restaurant first."

"I'll go!" said my second brother-in-law Zhang Yong. "Dad told me where he was going at noon."

The second sister Zhang Pandi followed him out of the courtyard and whispered to her husband, "Brother Yong, go over and tell him that my brother is back, or else dad won't go with you. Also, when you bring dad to the restaurant, don't mention Zhang Cuishan. My brother doesn't like them."

"Yes! I know this!" Zhang Yong responded and rode his 28-inch bicycle towards Qianmen.

Before leaving, Auntie Chen Liqin from the Zhou family next door did not come out. Zhang Heping gave his eldest cousin Ma Lili a questioning look. She came over and whispered, "The second son Zhou Chengwu is in my yard and wanted to go to dinner with me, but my mother-in-law didn't agree."

Zhang Heping frowned and glanced at Courtyard No. 8, then asked, "Is that kid still gambling recently?"

Ma Lili frowned and said, “I heard that he still wants to play cards, but the wins and losses are not as big as before.”

"Then don't call him. Just bring some more food to your mother-in-law from the restaurant later."

After he finished speaking, Zhang Heping called everyone outside the door to set off and enjoy the scenery of Beihai, Zhonghai and the Imperial City.

When they got around to the big square, they happened to see the people from the state-owned photo studio packing up. Ma Xiuzhen, the mother, couldn't help but say to Zhang Heping, "Xiao San, did you bring your camera back? Let's take a family photo tomorrow morning!"

"Didn't Xiaobei leave that camera at home? Did he use it up after handing in the papers?" Zhang Heping asked casually.

"My grandfather gave it away..." Zhang Yi said half a sentence indignantly, but his mother glared at him and he didn't dare to say anything else.

Zhang Heping just frowned and didn't ask about the whereabouts of the camera.

There is no need to guess, you can tell that he was definitely sent to Zhang Cuishan by Old Zhang.

Otherwise, my second sister Zhang Pandi wouldn’t be so nervous.

"Tomorrow morning, I will buy another camera for Xiaoyi." Zhang Heping casually replied to his mother Ma Xiuzhen.

Give it to the eldest nephew Zhang Yi. Those are Zhang Yi's things. There is no reason for Old Zhang to give away his grandson's things. But as for the film, Old Zhang might ask for some to give away.

Zhang Heping did not think too much about it. He just gave Lao Zhang a few small amounts of money and let him go.

The main thing is that talking too much makes you tired and both parties get annoyed, so it’s better to pretend you don’t know.

"Uncle, those people are practicing qigong!" Chang Le, the 15-year-old nephew, pointed at a group of people on the square and asked Zhang Heping anxiously, "Uncle, is there really qigong?"

"Yes!" Zhang Heping said with a smile, "It's just that Qigong is not easy to practice. If you can't even stick to the basic boxing practice, don't even think about learning Qigong. You can't bear that kind of hardship!"

Zhang Bei also looked at the group of old men and women in the square, "Dad, those people are not practicing qigong!"

"I'm just practicing blindly!" Zhang Heping explained casually, "If you can't sense the Qi in your body before your muscles and bones are formed by the age of 16, you will never be able to learn Qigong in this life."

Nephew Chang Le asked excitedly: "Uncle, do you think I can still learn Qigong? I'm not even 16 yet!"

Zhang Heping smiled and said, "In the next year, if your mother agrees that you don't need to study, and if you can endure hardships, you may be able to learn it."

Chang Le glanced at his mother Zhang Zhaodi and said dejectedly, "Forget it, my mother will definitely not agree."

The whole family chatted and laughed all the way to the Capital Hotel next to Wangfujing.

Old Zhang and his second son-in-law Zhang Yong had been waiting at the hotel entrance for a while.

When Zhang Bing saw his son Zhang Heping for the first time, he felt a little embarrassed because he had been giving money and gifts to others recently.

However, after Zhang Bei, Zhang Nan and others called Zhang Bing "Grandpa", Comrade Zhang immediately suppressed his uneasiness and greeted his grandson and granddaughter with a smile.

……

Just as the Zhang family was starting their family dinner, Director Wang was still holding a meeting to discuss the information Zhang Heping had brought back.

"Semiconductor lasers, chips, circuit boards... the manufacturing of optical card readers is no problem. It's similar to the production line at the Shenzhen CD factory. It's all existing technology."

"I heard that a company in Magnesium is working on this optical card technology. I wonder if it will conflict with their patents?"

"Has anyone heard of this kind of 7-layer storage medium being available overseas?"

"I've seen magnetic cards and IC cards, but the structure of this optical card is different."

dong dong!

"Everyone, time is running out. I still have to respond to the Hong Kong businessmen." Director Wang knocked on the table and urged: "Just tell me if you can send someone to do it if you have sufficient funds!"

"It can definitely be done!" An old man in blue work clothes picked up a piece of paper and said, "It's a good idea to use optical cards as ID cards to electronically identify personal identities. However, it's not appropriate to let foreign companies make our ID cards because there are security risks."

Director Wang frowned and said, "That's something the higher-ups are considering, it's not our turn to worry about it!"

The old man in blue work clothes was scolded, but he didn't care. He frowned and asked, "Who is the other party? Not only did he give us the full set of light card technology, but he also listed a series of uses for light cards. He..."

"Engineer Qin!" Director Wang interrupted the other party's question, "You just signed a confidentiality agreement before you were allowed to attend the meeting. As an old comrade, you should be very clear about whether you can ask some questions."

"I know that!" Old Man Qin in blue work clothes said seriously, "I want to ask if the person who provided the information is reliable? Can we ask him to help us get some information on microelectronics technology, optoelectronics technology, etc."

After hearing that the other party's original intention was not to inquire about Zhang Heping, Director Wang softened his tone and said, "You can go through the consultation channel for this question when you go back!"

"Is it the channel for writing letters to consult about technical issues?" Old Man Qin said in surprise, "Can you write a letter and ask for the technical information I mentioned?"

"I don't understand the technology, so you need to consult on your own. As for whether you can get it, I don't know." Director Wang explained, then looked at the other people in the meeting room and said:

"After reading the information, everyone should be able to see that this is a major project that will change the banking and mobile communications business. If we can win this project, it will generate at least 1 million magnesium yuan in revenue for the country!"

"So, give it to them! If not, you can do it yourself!"

After she finished speaking, Wang Sumei looked at the old men and women present with a serious face.

"Director Wang, can we discuss this?"

"No one! The students I released to Zhujiang last time have not been released yet!"

"Director Wang, although your matter is very important, our research cannot be neglected. You should ask other research institutes or factories!"

……

"Your cousin has it so hard! He's 40 years old, but he can't even keep someone to take care of him in his old age!" Zhang Bing drank a few cups of horse urine, climbed on Zhang Heping's shoulders and acted crazy while drunk, but in fact his mind was very clear.

"In the early years, he had to take care of the three children brought by his wife, as well as his own son Zhang Xin, and he also had to send money to his parents in his hometown. Oh! It was so hard..."

"In the past few years, he had finally arranged jobs for three other people's children, but his own son ran off with Lou Xiao'e and kowtowed to Sha Zhu, claiming to be his master, saying that he would take care of Sha Zhu until his death!"

"I just figured it out recently. It's all because of money. Tell me, if you can find a good job for the new kid..."

As Zhang Bing finished his words, Zhang Heping, who was originally smiling, gradually became gloomy.

Looking at the adults at the same table and the children at the table next to them, they all noticed something was wrong and fell silent!

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Lao Zhang muttered a few words, then pretended to be drunk and lay on the table, snoring.

"We won't go back to the capital in the next few years!" Zhang Heping stood up, said lightly, and turned to leave the restaurant.

After hearing Zhang Heping's words, everyone had different reactions.

Father-in-law Tang Ming and mother-in-law Xu Jiefeng didn't know the whole story and didn't understand how cruel Zhang Heping's words were!

Ma Xiuzhen understood, and her eyes widened, staring at Zhang Bing who was pretending to be asleep!

If the in-laws had not been present, Ma Xiuzhen would have thrown the dish on Zhang Bing's head.

The two wives looked at each other, and finally the younger wife, Chen Shuting, got up and chased after him, while the older wife, Tang Xin, cleaned up the mess in the restaurant.

The eldest sister Zhang Zhaodi acted as if nothing had happened. She sat there with her husband Changsheng in silence.

I don’t know whether she agrees with her father Zhang Bing’s point of view, or feels that she is already married and it is not appropriate for her to take care of household affairs.

The second sister Zhang Pandi grabbed her mother Ma Xiuzhen's fist and whispered in her ear: "It's okay, Xiao San won't come back, you can take Xiao Yi, Xiao Ting and the others to Hong Kong Island!"

Zhang Pandi, who originally did not want her children to go to Hong Kong Island to receive huge red envelopes, had to sell out her children in order to appease her mother.

The originally cheerful family dinner was turned into a mess by Zhang Bing, who pretended to be drunk and asked outsiders for work.

The leftovers are packed away in a large bowl...

Ma Xiuzhen didn't see her son until she walked out of the hotel and onto East Chang'an Street, which made her very angry!

Not long after they walked away, Ma Xiuzhen suddenly took the pot of food in her hand and threw it over the head of Zhang Bing, who was standing between the two sons-in-law.

Still not feeling satisfied, he heard two more bangs, which was the sound of a vegetable basin hitting his head.

Even so, Zhang Bing still didn't wake up!

"Let go! Let him go!" Ma Xiuzhen scolded her second daughter who was holding her, and then ordered the two sons-in-law who were supporting Zhang Bing. Then she turned to Zhang Bing and shouted angrily: "Pretend! Keep pretending in front of me!"

"How many cups of horse urine can you drink normally? Do you think I don't know?"

"My son can't be angry with you, I'll talk to you on his behalf!"

Bang!

Ma Xiuzhen took advantage of her second daughter Zhang Pandi's failure to hold on firmly and threw a vegetable bowl out, but was blocked by her second son-in-law with his back.

At the same time, the eldest daughter Zhang Zhaodi and the eldest niece Ma Lili, who were holding the vegetable bowls, put down the bowls and hurried over to persuade the fight.

"Let go of that shameless old man!" Ma Xiuzhen, whose vegetable bowl was snatched away, pointed at Zhang Bing and said, "Do you think my son doesn't know that you have been shamelessly supporting Zhang Cuishan's family all these years?"

"You are such a shameless person. You neglect your own children and go to take care of your nephew's family. Do you know what people on the street have been saying about you over the years?"

"You are such a shameless bastard, you are having an affair with your sister-in-law, and Zhang Cuishan is your biological son! You even passed your job to Zhang Cuishan, and my son Zhang Heping is so angry that he doesn't even go home!"

"Well now, you've really pissed off my son so much that he won't come home. Are you satisfied now?"

"Do you still want to bring your own son Zhang Cuishan to live in my house? I tell you, you are dreaming!"

"My son has already transferred the two courtyards to my daughter's name. I have been on guard against you, an old traitor!"

……

"Look!" Zhang Heping held a cigarette with sparks in his right hand, pointed at Ma Xiuzhen who was cursing in the street, and said to his concubine Chen Shuting who was standing in the shadows beside him with a smile: "I said, my mother will deal with Lao Zhang!"

Zhang Heping's tone sounded relaxed, but Chen Shuting could tell from the cigarette in his hand that her husband's heart was not as calm as he seemed.

Because Zhang Heping only smokes when he encounters something particularly upsetting.

After all these years of marriage, Chen Shuting has only seen her husband smoke three times.

So, Chen Shuting simply said "hmm" and silently hugged Zhang Heping's left arm to show her company.

"Old Zhang is a man who doesn't care about his family, but he is very lucky!" Zhang Heping said dimly, "Among the people in the platoon, he and four of his comrades are the only ones who survived with missing limbs. We can't expect too much from him..."

"I think he is lucky because he has such a smart son like you!" Chen Shuting flattered him in a low voice.

"No!" Zhang Heping said calmly, "His son died a long time ago!"

What Chen Shuting didn't know was that Zhang Heping had just revealed his biggest secret. Chen Shuting just thought that Zhang Heping was so angry that he didn't want to acknowledge Lao Zhang as his father.

When she chatted with her mother-in-law Ma Xiuzhen before, she knew some of the stupid things Zhang Cuishan's family had done, but she didn't expect that Zhang Heping had such a big grudge in his heart!

"Yes! Aunt Wang is here to discuss business!"

……