Siheyuan: Learning to be the sixth

Arriving at the street office, He Yuzhu found an empty corner, took out a few kilograms of fruit produced in the space, and then strolled towards Director Wang's office.

Arriving at Director Wang's office, he knocked on the door and walked in. Looking at Director Wang, who was writing with her head down, He Yuzhu called out with a smile, "Auntie Wang, you are busy."

Director Wang looked up and saw that it was He Yuzhu, so he said, "Zhuzi, you haven't come to your Aunt Wang's place for a long time. What have you been busy with recently?"

He Yuzhu said without blushing: "The steel mill will be expanded soon, and I am working hard to cook for the workers."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang said, "Zhu Zi, if I hadn't heard you from more than one friend, I would have believed you."

He Yuzhu hurriedly asked, "Auntie Wang, who is this? You are so talkative. Isn't this ruining my reputation?"

Director Wang said with a smile: "Okay, Zhuzi, you've made me proud. I went to a meeting in the district that day, and a factory manager from the next street came over and asked me if Master He was from your street. We talked for a long time before I figured out that he was talking about you. You're good now."

He Yuzhu scratched his head awkwardly, thinking, "Has my fame become so big? This is not a good thing. It seems that I have to practice in seclusion in the cafeteria for a while."

Director Wang looked at He Yuzhu's awkward expression and took the initiative to change the subject: "Zhuzi, what do you want to see me about today?"

He Yuzhu put the fruit in his hand on the table and said, "Auntie Wang, I'm here to consult you. I want to renovate my rooms. What procedures do I need to follow?"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang said, "Just write an application and I'll have someone do it for you later."

Director Wang added: "I will regard this fruit of yours as your filial piety to my aunt, so I will accept it without hesitation." After saying that, he casually placed it at his feet.

Since crossing over, He Yuzhu has always felt that Director Wang and his wife are nice people, so he said: "Auntie Wang, it would be awkward if you don't accept me."

Director Wang suddenly asked, "Zhu Zi, I just want to ask you something. What's going on with the Jia family in your courtyard? Why did they suddenly marry a daughter-in-law and put her name on the house deed?"

When He Yuzhu heard this, he thought, it seems that Uncle Zhou did not tell you about the good things he did. After thinking for a while, he told Director Wang the general course of events.

Upon hearing this, Director Wang slapped his thigh and said, "There must be someone behind Liu Xia who is giving advice. Now there is someone who can take care of Jia Zhang and her son. If I knew who this person is, I would definitely bow to him and thank him."

When He Yuzhu heard that Auntie Wang was indeed an excellent subdistrict office director, he knew that there was someone behind him who was giving him advice. He thought to himself, "Auntie Wang, you will probably never know who is behind this. One reason is that I dare not tell you, and the other is that the person next to you cannot tell you."

He Yuzhu, who felt quite happy after thinking about it, said: "Auntie Wang, can you arrange a job for Jia Zhang?"

Director Wang looked at He Yuzhu and asked in surprise: "Zhuzi, as far as I know, you don't have a good relationship with the Jia family. Why did you think of asking for a job for Jia Zhang?"

He Yuzhu said righteously, "Auntie Wang, you misunderstood me. As a responsible young man, how can I watch my neighbor Jia family pay the fine but have no money to marry a daughter-in-law and remain indifferent? So I request that the sanitation of our alley, including the public toilet, be contracted to Jia Zhang so that she can earn some money to supplement the family expenses."

When Director Wang heard this, he thought, "You are not sympathizing with the Jia family, you are just trying to please Jia Zhang. But why is this guy's proposal so tempting? Maybe if we give Jia Zhang some work, she will have less energy to work. The more Director Wang thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to him."

Director Wang thought for a while and said to He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, your suggestion is very good. We will hold a meeting in the subdistrict office to study it later."

As soon as He Yuzhu heard it, he knew that Director Wang would generally agree with his proposal. It was just a matter of going through the meeting procedures. After all, Jia Zhang was too noisy. Finding a job for her would be in the interests of most people. This is called spending little money to accomplish great things.

So He Yuzhu hurriedly asked: "Auntie Wang, do you know anyone who is good at repairing houses? I'm thinking of repairing it and making it straighter and stronger."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang said with a smile: "I actually know such a person. His name is Jin Tong. His craftsmanship is impeccable, but his price is a bit high."

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "I'm not afraid of your high price, I'm just afraid that your work is not good. Director Wang said he has good skills, so it shouldn't be bad. So He Yuzhu said, "Thank you Aunt Wang for the recommendation. Please tell me the address of Master Jin. I will visit him when I have time."

When Director Wang heard this, he knew that He Yuzhu was trying to make things better, so he wrote down Jin Tong's address and handed it to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu took the note, took a look at it, and put it in his pocket. After chatting about family matters for a few more minutes, He Yuzhu stood up and said goodbye.

After leaving the street office, He Yuzhu thought that since he was planning to renovate the house, it would be better to do it today, so he went straight to the address of Master Jin's house given by Aunt Wang.

When he arrived, He Yuzhu carefully looked at the house number, confirmed it was correct, and knocked on the door. After a while, he heard someone walking inside and shouting, "I'm here, please wait, I'll open the door right away."

Soon the door opened. A thin old man in his 50s or 60s opened the door. He looked at He Yuzhu and bowed, asking, "What are you knocking on the door for today, young friend?"

He Yuzhu also hurriedly bowed and returned the greeting, saying, "The old man is Master Jin. My last name is He. I live in the alley next to yours. I was introduced by Director Wang of the street."

When the old man who opened the door heard this, he thought that Director Wang had introduced him, and this was a big money man, so he said happily: "I am Jin Tong, Comrade He, please come in for tea."

So he opened the door and invited He Yuzhu into the courtyard. When He Yuzhu entered, he saw that it was a small courtyard with one entrance. Although it was small, it was obvious that Master Jin had put a lot of thought into it. The whole courtyard gave people a small and exquisite feeling, which made people feel comfortable just by looking at it.

Following Master Jin to the living room, He Yuzhu sat down and drank a sip of tea. Then he said, "Master Jin, I came here today to trouble Master Jin to help me renovate a few rooms. I wonder if Master Jin has time recently."

Master Jin thought this was a job, and hurriedly said: "To be honest with Comrade He, I always use good materials and my work is all based on old skills. It's not only slow but also expensive. Comrade He, would you like to consider it again?"

When He Yuzhu heard this, he thought that the craftsmen of this era really abided by their own principles. He immediately showed respect and stood up, bowed and said: "Master Jin, none of what you said is a problem. My only requirement is that it is sturdy."

Upon hearing this, Master Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was also afraid that he would lose another business. He had not opened a shop for a long time. So Master Jin also stood up and bowed and said, "Thank you Comrade He for taking care of my business. Otherwise, I will go with you to take a look at the house. What do you think?"

When He Yuzhu heard this, he thought to himself that he just likes dealing with straightforward people, so he said, "Then please come with me, old man."

After they got out of the door, He Yuzhu asked, "Master Jin, in order to save time, let me give you a ride."

Although Jin Tong was a little older, he was not pedantic, so he cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll trouble Comrade He."

After a while, the two came to the central courtyard where He Yuzhu lived and looked at He Yuzhu's three main rooms and the kitchen.

Master Jin said: "Comrade Xiao He, these rooms are all main rooms, and they are not small in size. What do you think? Tell me now so that I can go back and draw the drawing paper. As for the materials, we can choose them after I finish the drawing. What do you think?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "Master Jin, I just want a separate toilet and a shower, and the rest just needs to be sturdy and durable."

Master Jin thought for a moment and said, "A separate toilet can only be used for urination. As long as you use good materials and enough, you won't have to worry about the dragon turning over."

He Yuzhu said happily when he heard it: "Then I'll leave it to Master Jin. How about I make some side dishes today and we have a few drinks?"

Master Jin, who rarely had a job, hurriedly bowed and said: "Comrade He, it's not too late to treat me to a drink after the job is done. I will go back now to draw the blueprint for you." After that, he refused He Yuzhu's farewell and left.

Having resolved one of his worries, He Yuzhu returned to the kitchen and took out some fresh ingredients from the space, preparing to make a delicious meal for himself, Xiao Yushui, and the old lady to celebrate.

During dinner, He Yuzhu told the old lady and little Yu Shui the news about the renovation of the house. They were very happy to hear the news. The old lady took the initiative to let Yu Shui live with her while the house was being renovated.

When He Yuzhu heard this, he felt that having an old man in the family is like having a treasure. He only thought about renovating the house and had not thought about where to live while the house was being renovated. Anyway, there was still some time and he could think about it slowly.

After sending the old lady home, He Yuzhu simply washed up and then, lying on the bed, a sudden idea came to him. While the house was being renovated, He Yushui would go to live with the old lady, and he could live in Xiao Yushui's room first. He could also take care of the materials at night. After figuring it out, He Yuzhu fell asleep happily.

The next day, He Yuzhu, who had just strolled into the cafeteria, was called to the office by Director Qian.

Director Qian told He Yuzhu that Director Yang would be entertaining him in the cafeteria at noon and asked him to prepare well.

As an aspiring chef, He Yu felt that it was time for him to show his talents, so he assured Director Qian: "Director Qian, don't worry about me doing the work. I will go and prepare first."

He Yuzhu, who hadn't prepared a banquet for a long time, felt a little itchy, so he returned to the kitchen and carefully checked and prepared everything.

At noon, Director Yang and his guests arrived as scheduled. He Yuzhu also worked at full capacity and soon a table of exquisite dishes was brought into the box.

Director Yang and his friends in the box were enjoying the meal very much. The atmosphere became more and more lively, so the two sides quickly reached a cooperation agreement.

After Director Yang sent the guests away, he asked Secretary Song to call He Yuzhu over and said to him: "Zhuzi, you have nothing to do this weekend. I will ask the driver to pick you and your sister up and send you to Minister Li. You must behave well."

When He Yuzhu heard that he was going to the big boss, He Yuzhu hurriedly said: "Director Yang, don't worry, I promise I won't embarrass you."

Director Yang patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and said, "Work hard and strive to join the organization so that you can strive for progress in the future."

When He Yuzhu heard about this good thing, he quickly said, "Then I will hurry up and write the application. I'll ask Director Yang to correct me when I have time."

Director Yang looked at the sensible He Yuzhu and said, "After you finish writing it, just ask Secretary Song to give it to me."

He Yuzhu agreed repeatedly: "Thank you, Director Yang, and please trouble Secretary Song."

After watching Director Yang and Secretary Song leave, He Yuzhu, who had nothing to do, didn't cause trouble for others and just lay down on his recliner and continued to develop.

On the weekend, He Yuzhu woke up Xiao Yushui early in the morning. The brother and sister reviewed the manual that He Yuzhu had recently taught them about what to pay attention to when visiting a leader's home. Finally, under Xiao Yushui's impatient urging, they absent-mindedly went to make breakfast. By the way, they took out the ingredients and fruits for lunch today from the space.

After finishing their breakfast, the brother and sister took the packed food and fruits and went to wait at the gate of the courtyard.

After a while, he saw Director Yang's car drove up to the door. He Yuzhu looked into the car and saw that not only the driver, Xiao Cao, came, but Director Yang's secretary was also sitting in the passenger seat. So He Yuzhu hurriedly took out two boxes of peonies from his pocket and handed one box to each of them while greeting them.

Secretary Song said, "The factory director is afraid that you will go to Minister Li's place, and the guard will not let you in, so he asked me to accompany you."

He Yuzhu quickly said: "Thank you, Secretary Song and Master Cao." After that, he and his sister got into the car with the ingredients and fruits.

Master Cao stepped on the accelerator and the car quickly stopped at the security guard at the gate of the compound where Minister Li was. Secretary Song took He Yuzhu and his sister to the guard to register. After sending them in, he drove back with Master Cao.

Arriving at the gate of Minister Li's house, He Yuzhu calmed himself down and raised his hand to press the doorbell.

After a while, Aunt Liu came out of the house with the nanny and said, "I guess you two will be here soon. This is little He Yushui, right?"

He Yushui replied sweetly: "Auntie, you look so young. I am He Yushui. You can just call me Little Yushui. That's what my brothers usually call me."

Aunt Liu liked Xiao Yushui, who was full of childishness and polite in speech, very much, so she took the initiative to hold Xiao Yushui's hand and walked into the yard. He Yuzhu declined the nanny's help, picked up the ingredients and followed her into the villa yard.

When they arrived at the living room, the nanny poured a cup of tea for He Yuzhu and Xiao Yushui and left. Aunt Liu took the initiative to ask: "Zhuzi, what have you been busy with recently? Is there anything I can help you with?"

He Yuzhu listened to Aunt Liu's caring greetings, and felt warm in his heart. He then picked out some of his recent work and briefly told Aunt Liu about it. Finally, he asked, "Aunt Liu, where is my Uncle Li?"

Aunt Liu smiled and said, "Your Uncle Li is still busy in the study. He said it's the weekend, but when he comes here, he has no say."

After hearing this, He Yuzhu had a deeper understanding of the contributions of these founding fathers. Since he was lucky enough to meet one of them and had no other ability, he would do his best to cook a few more of Uncle Li's signature dishes to show his respect.

So after chatting with Aunt Liu for a while about the people and things in the courtyard, He Yuzhu looked at the time and took the initiative to get up and walk towards the kitchen.