Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

"Xu Damao, what are you busy with?"

Xu Damao had lunch on Monday and was taking a nap in the information room when Wu Lingjuan suddenly knocked on the door.

"Wu Lingjuan, do you want me to write an article for you or..."

"Xu Damao, can't I come to you for something else? Really, it's not that I can't write articles, it's just that you write better than me, isn't it for the face of the Propaganda Department? Otherwise, I wouldn't take such a job. It's the gate guard who wants to see you. He said that there is a pretty girl looking for you at the door. Are you doing something outside and bullying the girl, and now you come to my door?"

"Wu Lingjuan, please stop slandering me, okay? I, Xu Damao, am not that kind of person."

Xu Damao was very confident. If it was a woman who approached him, he might still be worried, but now that it was a young girl, he was not afraid at all. He wanted to provoke a mature woman.

However, Xu Damao really didn't know who came to the factory to look for him.

He quickly closed the door of the document room, rode his bicycle and rushed to the factory gate.

"Hey, Wanxi, why is it you? Aren't you going to school?"

"Brother Xu, wow, your factory is so big."

"It's OK. This isn't that big. There are many factories that are bigger than ours. Wan Xi, do you want to sit in my office for a while? Now that you're here, I'll take you on a tour of our factory."

"No, I have classes in the afternoon, so I'll come to see you during my lunch break."

Xu Damao pulled Hu Wanxi to the side and parked the car. "Wanxi, what's the matter? Tell me. There's no need to be polite with Brother Xu."

"There is indeed something going on. Brother Xu, do you have a way to buy some food for my family? We are about to run out of food." Hu Wanxi said softly.

"Ah... it's my fault, it's my fault. Brother Xu has been a bit busy recently. Your sister-in-law gave me another son not last month, so I really don't have time to go to your house. Don't worry, I'll go there after get off work today."

"Brother Xu, do you really have a solution?"

"Well, I have to find a way even if there is no other way. Although your father did not accept me as a student, I have to recognize your father as my teacher. Teachers are like parents, and I have to do everything I can to solve the teacher's difficulties. Don't worry." By the way, Wan Xi, which university did you get into? I think you are in college, right?"

"I just enrolled in Kyoto Normal University this year. My parents told me to become a teacher in the future, and I thought that would be fine. Being a teacher doesn't have to be too hard, so I applied for the university as my first choice and was accepted."

"Sure, Imperial Normal University is the highest-level institution for teachers. What major do you study?"

"What else? History."

"History is history, it's good." Xu Damao didn't expect that Hu Wanxi would actually be the senior schoolmate of his future Xu Damao, no, a junior-level figure.

He then took out ten yuan from his pocket and handed it to Hu Wanxi, "Sister Wanxi, Brother Xu didn't know you were admitted to university. Here, this is a gift from Brother Xu. Keep it and you can buy some snacks at school."

"Brother Xu, I can't take this gift. Besides, I'm not short of money. I have money. If you really want to celebrate for me, take me to Bian Yi Fang to eat roast duck when you have time. Hehe. Ten dollars is still a lot, okay?"

"Okay, let's make an appointment then. I'll treat you to a meal at Bian Yi Fang, and I'll introduce you to my wife and children if I have the chance."

"Okay. Then, Brother Xu, I will go back to school."

"How about I take you there on my bike?"

"No, there is a direct bus over there, and it only takes five stops to get to our school."

Seeing that Hu Wanxi insisted on taking the bus, Xu Damao let her do what she wanted. After all, if a grown-up girl sat in the back seat of a bus, people might gossip about her. Xu Damao didn't care, but Hu Wanxi was a student, so he had to be careful about the impact.

Watching Hu Wanxi walk away, Xu Damao pushed the cart to the guard room and distributed cigarettes to everyone.

"Xu Fangying, you are amazing. Such a beautiful and elegant lady came to you."

"Everyone, please don't spread rumors. This is the daughter of one of my teachers. She is a college student this year. She came to me for something. Please don't ruin her reputation. Thank you for passing on the message. I will treat you to a drink some other day."

"Xu Fangying, then we'll wait for you to treat us to a drink."

"sure."

Xu Damao rode his bike back to the information room and stayed there until four o'clock. He packed up the new antique books that Hu Tianhua had given him and put them in his bag. He said goodbye to Li Huaimin and rode his bike directly to the yard on Dongsishitiao.

Guo Xiaosan and Zhang Lingyun's family were not in the yard.

Xu Damao packed ten kilograms of white flour, thirty kilograms of corn flour, two bundles of dried kelp, and a bag of dried shrimps, put them on his bicycle, and rode directly to Zhuanta Hutong.

The gate of the Hu family's courtyard was open. Xu Damao drove the car directly into the courtyard, half-closed the gate, and parked the car in the courtyard before going forward.

"Is anyone in the room? Professor Hu, are you home?"

Mrs. Hu lifted the door curtain and said, "Hey, Xiao Xu, why are you here today? Old Hu hasn't gotten off work yet. He won't be home until around six o'clock. Come in and sit for a while and have some hot water." Xue Jieying enthusiastically wanted to pull Xu Damao into the house.

"Mrs. Hu, this is what happened. Wan Xi came to the factory to look for me today and said that her family might not have been able to buy rations at the grain station. So I thought of a way to get some for them. I'll bring the flour into the house for you first."

Only then did Xue Jieying notice that there were three bags tied to the back seat of the bicycle in the yard. They must be the flour or something like that Xiao Xu mentioned.

Xu Damao untied the ropes and carried the three into the house at once.

"Mrs. Hu, there are only ten kilograms of white flour, and the rest is corn flour. Make do with it for now, and I'll find a way for you later. There's also a bag of dried kelp and a bag of dried shrimp."

Xue Jieying almost burst into tears. She is also a teacher, but she doesn't teach in colleges and universities, but in high schools. The food rations are scarce, and Hu Tianhua's ability to make a living is limited. The family actually relies on Xue Jieying to take care of everything. This month, when Hu Tianhua bought the food on his own food ration book, the grain station said that it was gone, so he kept making ends meet. The family was originally going to eat porridge tonight, and the food Xu Damao brought just solved the urgent need.

"Xiao Xu, I won't say thank you. Take this ten dollars. If you buy this much food on the black market, you might not even be able to buy it with ten dollars. This has really helped me a lot."

"Mrs. Hu, don't worry. This amount of food is nothing. I often deal with business units. I get it at a fair price. It's not worth much. You keep the money. I will find a way to replenish your supplies every month. You can pay me when the time comes."

"Xiao Xu, I have to accept the money, otherwise how can I accept your things? Although I have never been to the black market, I know that there is a shortage of supplies across the country. You can exchange these grains for a pair of gold bracelets now."

Xu Damao couldn't refuse, so he accepted the five yuan.

"Mrs. Hu, five dollars is enough. If you insist on giving me ten dollars, I won't be able to send you anything next time."

Xue Jieying also gave in, five dollars is five dollars. She talked to Xu Damao for a while, and finally let him go out of the hospital on the legitimate grounds that he wanted to go home to take care of his wife who had just finished her confinement. She watched Xu Damao ride away on his bike before going home.

Xu Damao was indeed short of time and he really had to go home to take care of Lou Xiao'e and Xu Ning.