Siheyuan: Survival Guide for Courtyard No. 95

No one in the yard can compare with Sha Zhu. He is the chef in the steel rolling mill canteen and can go to work later. As for the three uncles in the front yard, they have already gone to school at this time. The children go to school earlier than the adults go to work.

I rode my bicycle all the way to the steel rolling mill. On the way, I saw Jia Dongxu and an old man with lame legs. It was a pity that the bicycle bells of Xu Wude, Xu Damao, and Zhao Shanhe were all broken. Otherwise, if they ringed "ring ring ring ring" a few times, it would amuse them, right?

They rode all the way to the gate of the steel mill, parked their bicycles in the carport at the entrance under the watchful eyes of armed security personnel, and then walked towards the administrative building together.

The administrative building is a typical Big Brother-style building with a total of 3 floors.

The purchasing department is on the first floor and the publicity department is on the second floor, so Zhao Shanhe said goodbye to the Xu father and son on the first floor and went to their respective departments.

The large office of Group 1 of the Purchasing Department is on the left side of the administrative building. It is mainly responsible for the unplanned purchase of fish, meat and eggs. This is also the group with the largest number of personnel in the Purchasing Department, with a total of six members including the group leader.

As mentioned before, the purchasing department has more flexible working hours, so when Zhao Shanhe arrived at the big office, no colleague was there yet. He was used to it, so he started to fill a row of thermoses on the windowsill with water as soon as he entered the room. After that, he used the basin on the shelf at the door to get some cold water, and started to sprinkle water and sweep the floor. As a newcomer, he had to go through these tasks himself, so he had to be more discerning and not wait for others to tell him.

As he was sweeping hard, he heard the "click, click" sound of small leather shoes. As the sound came from far away, the office door was pushed open and a person walked in. Zhao Shanhe looked up and saw that it was the only female colleague in the same group, Sister Chen.

Yao Decai had given this person some special warning on his first day at work. It was said that his "background" was so powerful that even Li Huaide didn't dare to offend him. He was only working in the steel mill as a transition period and he might be transferred away at any time.

The purchasing team is almost entirely composed of men because they need to go to the countryside frequently. One reason is that it is convenient for men to pass cigarettes and drink with the villagers, and the other reason is that it is not safe to go to the countryside now, so the people who go to the countryside for purchasing are all equipped with guns.

However, Sister Chen seemed to have never gone out. She completed the monthly 50 yuan task in the first week. Moreover, she came and went and her whereabouts were uncertain. Zhao Shanhe hadn't seen her for two weeks.

Zhao Shanhe had been a human being in two lifetimes and had worked as a takeout boy, so of course he had learned what to say to different people. Seeing that it was this person who came to work, he straightened up and nodded to greet him.

"Good morning, Sister Chen. Are you here today to take on this month's mission?"

Chen Lijuan was a little upset today because of some things at home, so she came out early. Unexpectedly, someone from the Purchasing Department came earlier than her. Seeing Zhao Shanhe greet her, her good upbringing also made her reply.

"Good morning, Xiao Zhao. You're here early. Why haven't the others come yet? Have they stopped sweeping the floor since you arrived at the purchasing team? Stand up a little bit. The weaker you are, the more they will bully you."

"That's not the case. I'm a newcomer and I need to learn from other colleagues. Besides, I haven't completed the task quota for three consecutive months and have been a drag on the team. It's only right that I do more work."

Zhao Shanhe was speaking from the bottom of his heart. The characters of the people in Group 1 were acceptable after all. If he delayed everyone's rewards for three months, people in other departments would have been anxious long ago. Of course, this was also related to the fact that not many people could complete the task in the middle of winter.

Chen Lijuan walked to the window, picked up the thermos on the windowsill and saw that it was full. She opened it and saw steam coming out. She knew that this boiled water was also made by Zhao Shanhe, and her impression of him improved a little. It was just that he was not competitive and it would be difficult for such a person to survive in the purchasing department.

She didn't stop Zhao Shanhe from sweeping the floor, and of course didn't offer to help. She was afraid that her newly bought Lenin suit and leather shoes would get dirty. Fortunately, she had sprinkled water on the floor in advance, so there was no dust when she swept the floor.

Chen Lijuan had just poured herself a cup of hot water when two people passed by the office door. One was the team leader Wang Tiecheng, and the other was the deputy section chief Yao Decai. When they saw Chen Lijuan sitting and Zhao Shanhe sweeping the floor, they just nodded and went to Yao Decai's office together.

When Zhao Shanhe had almost finished sweeping the floor, the other people in the group came over one after another as if they had agreed on a time. Zhang Li, the second oldest person in the group, walked into the room and said when he saw the clean floor.

"Is it Xiao Zhao who swept the floor again today? The floor was swept clean enough, and the water was boiled? Ladies and gentlemen, we must learn from Comrade Xiao Zhao, and learn his spirit of serving the people."

Zhang Li is considered a good guy in the group. He is in his 30s and just retired from the army a few years ago. I don’t know why he didn’t go to the Security Department but came to the Procurement Department instead.

Zhao Shanhe's understanding of him was limited to these three months. He only knew that he usually did not offend anyone and would speak up when he saw someone performing well. Such a person was good at building relations with the masses. Unfortunately, he came to the wrong department. He should have gone to the street office or the neighborhood committee.

As soon as Zhang Li finished speaking, someone behind him took over the conversation.

"Don't learn from Brother Zhao, or we won't be able to complete the mission. Brother, if you really can't find a way, just go with me today. I can't guarantee how much we can buy, but it will definitely be more than your 20 eggs."

The man who was speaking shared a desk with Zhao Shanhe in the group. His name was Wang Gang. He was also a relative of a wealthy man and a rich young man. The biggest impression he gave people was his 3:7 split hair. No one knew what he used to apply on his hair, but it was always shiny.

"Okay, Brother Wang, if you say so, I'll rely on you today. Which village are you going to purchase?"

During the three months that Zhao Shanhe had been on the job, although he had figured out the rules of being a buyer, there were not many ways out. Wang Gang was five years older than him, and because of their similar age, the two could still get along well in the group.

In the past, he didn't let Wang Gang take him to the countryside because he was afraid that he would owe him a favor and could not repay it, which eventually led to a rift in their friendship. Now that he has the Small World, it is really difficult to purchase living things in winter, so he has given up his previous principles and is ready to start first.

Wang Gang was also surprised when he heard what Zhao Shanhe said, and quickly responded.

"You finally got it, kid? Every time I wanted to take you to the countryside, you always refused. But today you finally got it. I have contacted a good place.

Do you know Qinjiatun? It's the one in Dayangshan to the north.

The militia captain of that village has a good relationship with my father. I will take you into the mountains to hunt with a gun later.

Even if you only shoot one pheasant, it is worth more than the 20 eggs you got last month."

As soon as he said this, someone at the door refuted him.

"Who said Zhao Shanhe only brought back 20 eggs last month? He showed off on the last day. He brought back two hens and more than 50 eggs."

The person who said this was Yao Decai. Probably he thought it was almost time, so he brought Wang Tiecheng to the big office to hold the regular meeting at the beginning of each month with a group of people.