Siheyuan: Five mouths waiting for food at the beginning

Zhao Shanhe's family sat at one table, and Li Huaide joined them. Gao's relatives included an uncle and a young man from the technical department who sat at one table.

It really proves the saying that if you are poor in a busy city, no one will care about you; if you are rich in a remote mountain area, you will have distant relatives. The Gao family has been so poor in recent years that even their relatives don't recognize them.

"Shanhe, have you heard that the wind is quite strong this time? I don't know when it will stop. It will affect us," Li Huaide whispered in Zhao Shanhe's ear.

"Brother Li, didn't you notice that there were signs since the second half of last year? Some people will definitely take advantage of this opportunity. This is probably just the beginning. The wind will probably get stronger and stronger.

After all, our factory belongs to the Ministry of Industry. Industry is of top priority, so there shouldn't be any problems. We just need to be careful so that the wind doesn't blow in," Zhao Shanhe said cryptically.

"Shanhe, do you know any inside information? Tell me so that I can have a better idea of ​​it," Li Huaide said

"Brother Li, I just read the newspaper and made random guesses. I don't have as many connections as you do. If there is any news, you must know it earlier than me," Zhao Shanhe said.

"Shanhe, come to my office later and let's have a good chat," Li Huaide said

After having a good meal and a few drinks, Zhao Shanhe said, "Brother-in-law, I'll leave it to you from now on. We'll leave first. Today doesn't count as the weekend, so I'll give you three more days off so you can have some fun together."

After work on Monday, Qin's father came over and said, "Son-in-law, the date has been set. Xiaojun is getting married on Saturday. Someone calculated it and it's a good day. The banquet will be held in Qinjia Village. You know that all the relatives are there. You can treat friends from the factory to a meal at the weekend. Do you think it's okay?"

"Dad, you guys make the decision, you don't have to ask me about everything. I don't know as much as you do about marriage, and I don't understand a lot of the rules. If you need any help, just let me know," Zhao Shanhe said.

"Shanhe, can you spare some time to be the witness and say a few words on stage?" said the father-in-law.

Zhao Shanhe said, "Dad, I'm not suitable. Aren't witnesses only respected elders? I can just serve dishes, but forget about being a witness."

"Shanhe, I have discussed this with my in-laws, and you are the most suitable witness. You are a leader in the factory, and you graduated from college, so you are well-educated. Others can't speak clearly on stage. If you are the witness, we will all have face if the news gets out. So you should be the witness," said the father-in-law.

"Okay, then I'll give it a try," Zhao Shanhe said

Zhao Shanhe looked at his father-in-law who was still hesitant and had something to say, "Dad, just tell me what you want to say. We are not strangers."

"Shanhe, can you lend two of your bicycles to Xiaojun to pick up the bride? Xiaojun has boasted to the girl that he wants to ride a bicycle to pick up the bride, and there is not even a bicycle in the village," the father-in-law said embarrassedly.

"Dad, I thought something was wrong. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Two bicycles are no problem. But when are you going to go back to your hometown?" Zhao Shanhe asked

"Your mother-in-law didn't come this time. She's in her hometown packing up. We can take a leave on Friday afternoon and go back. We can still catch the bus to work," said the father-in-law.

"Okay, you ask your uncle to wait for me to get off work and go ride my bike. You take Xiaojun back to pack up first. Your uncle and I will go later. But Dad, I have something to say to you," Zhao Shanhe said.

"Shanhe, you talk, I listen to you," said the father-in-law

"Dad, I just want to gossip a few words. Xiaojun is about to get married. You let him handle everything by himself. You always have to take the lead. When will he grow up? Xiaojun's boastful and impulsive personality should be curbed. He should support the family after getting married and take responsibility. He can't be that way anymore."

"Yes, he is already 19 years old, but he still has the temper of a child. It's all his mother and I's fault for spoiling him too much. Shanhe, you are right. It's time for him to change. I won't care about him anymore after he gets married," said the father-in-law.

"Dad, will the house be big enough for Xiaojun to live in after he gets married and has a child? I have an idea for you. Don't save the money you earn. Buy a house. The house will definitely be valuable in the future and you won't suffer a loss."

"Shanhe, you are definitely not wrong. I will listen to you and buy a house when I save some more money. But the country does not allow the buying and selling of houses," said the father-in-law.

"Dad, there are countermeasures to every policy. Houses cannot be bought and sold, but they can be mortgaged. If you change the date, you will get the house. It's just a different way of saying it. Many people do this."

"Okay, I'll tell Xiaobing and Xiaojun to take out all their savings. If it's not enough, I'll go borrow some more and buy the house. Shanhe, can you help me ask if the house we live in now is for sale?" said the father-in-law.

"Dad, the house you live in is still too small. It won't accommodate so many children. I suggest you buy a bigger one. Don't be afraid to spend money. The house will definitely be more valuable than money in the future," Zhao Shanhe said.

Zhao Shanhe, I am really embarrassed to say that the house you are living in now is my own. It is your girl who wants to collect rent from you. If I sell it to you, it will be exposed. When you find out about it later, I will say that I bought the house.

"Okay, then we'll probably have to wait a little longer. Although four of us earn a salary, it's not enough to buy a big one," said the father-in-law.

On Friday afternoon, Zhao Shanhe took Qin Jingru and his brother-in-law back to Qinjia Village. They left the children behind. One of the bikes was Zhao Shanhe's, and the other was the one Zhao Shanhai used to ride to school. He rode here today, so he would let Shanhai walk for a day tomorrow.

In the evening, the Qin family wiped the dirt-covered bicycles until they were shiny, even the chains were cleaned. Many people in the village came to see, many of whom had never seen a bicycle before.

Early on Saturday morning, Qin Xiaojun took a few friends from the same village to pick up the bride. The others were killing pigs or doing some work, but Zhao Shanhe was a bit idle. He was not allowed to do any work because they were afraid that he would be bored. A few elders also chatted with him, which made Zhao Shanhe uncomfortable.

The girl was brought back at around ten o'clock in the morning, and the wedding began at twelve o'clock. Zhao Shanhe, as the witness, said a few words, which were nothing more than thanking the Party and the country, and finally blessing the newlyweds.

The bride's family members were discussing why they had found such a young man. The host from Qinjia Village explained, "You know who he is, so why are you talking nonsense? This is the son-in-law from our Qinjia Village, and the brother-in-law of the groom. He is a high-ranking official in the city. I heard from the village party secretary that he is the chief engineer."

"The chief engineer sounds impressive, but I don't know who has higher authority between him and the commune director," said a woman's family member.

"The commune director is nothing. Our village party secretary can tell you that he is on equal footing with the director of the steel mill. What kind of place is a steel mill? It's a factory with tens of thousands of employees. His rank is the same as that of a district chief. Who has a higher rank between him and the commune director?" explained a man from Qinjia Village, with a proud look on his face as if he was his son-in-law.

"Oh my god, that's incredible! No wonder we asked him to be the best man. I can brag about it when I go back. I had dinner with the district chief," said a member of the bride's family.

If Zhao Shanhe knew about this conversation, he would definitely be in tears and laugh. The district chief of the capital must be much more powerful than himself.

Zhao Shanhe didn't return home until the weekend morning because the villagers were so enthusiastic on Saturday that they surrounded him and toasted him, getting him drunk.