Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

after three o'clock in the afternoon

Zhang Renkang was catching up on his sleep in the office in the afternoon. Chen Wei and Yu Li were not at home today, so no one disturbed him. Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door. Zhang Renkang was awakened and wondered, who would come back to see him at this time?

When he opened the door, he saw Secretary Liu. After seeing Zhang Renkang, Secretary Liu smiled and said

"Chief Zhang, the factory director asked me to call you to his office."

Zhang Renkang said with his eyes wide open

"I just went there this afternoon, and the factory manager wasn't there."

Secretary Liu smiled

"The factory manager was out on business and just came back. I'm here to see you."

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"Okay, I'll wash my face and go right away."

Secretary Liu said goodbye and went back. Zhang Renkang poured some hot water from the thermos into the basin, added some cold water from the bucket on the side, washed his face, wiped it clean, took two deep breaths, put on his coat, and walked towards the office building.

Yang Weiguo's Office

Yang Weiguo said to Zhang Renkang with a smile

"Renkang, sit down. I'll give you some of the good tea I just got from the big boss."

Zhang Renkang couldn't figure out what Yang Weiguo was up to, so he just said

"Director, you want to talk to me about something, right?"

Yang Weiguo poured water for Zhang Renkang to wash the tea leaves, motioned Secretary Liu to step aside, and said

"I went to see my boss today, and I'm afraid that equipment won't be delivered to our factory."

"Another thing is that the boss wants to hear about the dishes you cooked, so he asked you to go and cook them when you have time in the next few days."

Zhang Renkang nodded and said with a smile

"Then I'll go get some ingredients later today. It's about time for the boss to get off work."

Yang Weiguo nodded and said

"Okay, I'll call and ask later. If the boss is off work, you can go."

"Also, let's just cancel what happened last time."

Zhang Renkang said with difficulty

"Director, I came to see you this afternoon, but you were not in the office. I wanted to tell you about this. They have stopped our business, saying that we are not doing things according to the agreement, and we will no longer cooperate with each other in the future."

When Yang Weiguo heard this, he stood up instantly and said excitedly

"Renkang, you need to explain this to them. Haven't we stopped the project now?"

Zhang Renkang said helplessly

"They said we didn't know the rules, and they don't agree to cooperate with us anymore."

Yang Weiguo walked around the office anxiously, and after a while he said

"Renkang, please discuss this with them. We are not considering this matter anymore."

"This material is related to the lifeblood of the factory and the lifeblood of more than 20,000 workers. There must be no mistakes. You must know the seriousness of this matter."

Zhang Renkang disagreed. It's related to the lifeblood of the chair on your butt. You said it so nicely. It's for the workers, but it's all for your official position. Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"I'll go check it out tomorrow. If they don't agree, there's nothing I can do. They almost broke up with me this time."

Yang Weiguo said without a doubt

"Renkang, no matter what, you must ensure our supply of materials. If you have any requests, just let us know, even if the price is a little high."

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"I will try my best"

Zhang Renkang said goodbye and left. Yang Weiguo looked at Zhang Renkang anxiously, feeling a little worried. If there were really no supplies, what would he give to the workers next week? How would the workers with no oil and water have the energy to produce? Yang Weiguo made a big splash at the Ministry of Industry meeting this month. In the environment of production cuts in various factories, the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill not only achieved its target but also exceeded it.

The Ministry of Industry commended the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill and called on all other factories to promote this spirit and call on all factories to produce for national construction. If the performance suddenly drops again this month, what will Yang Weiguo report to his superiors?

Zhang Renkang didn't care about Yang Weiguo's worries now. Since Yang Weiguo didn't take him seriously, he didn't care what Yang Weiguo would do then. He hummed a little tune and went to the steel rolling mill warehouse to choose a big rooster and a piece of pork belly. He paid the money and returned to the planning department office, then rode his bike out.

It was already past four o'clock when we arrived at the small villa where the leader lived. It was just getting dark. The guard already knew Zhang Renkang and said with a smile:

"Master Zhang is here today"

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"We have time, don't you want to eat some hometown food?"

The guard called the boss's house and came back saying

"Okay, Master Zhang, you can go in now."

Zhang Renkang nodded, rode his bike into the residential area, and parked his bike at the door of the big leader's villa. As soon as he entered the house, he saw the leader's wife and a teenage girl talking and laughing. Seeing Zhang Renkang enter the house, the leader's wife smiled and said,

"Renkang is here. I haven't seen you for a while."

Zhang Renkang laughed

"I've been busy lately, and I heard that my boss wants to eat hometown food, so I came here specially to show you my cooking skills."

The leader's wife said with a smile

"That's great, what are you doing today?"

Zhang Renkang laughed

"I want some spicy chicken, some fried pork with peppers, and some pork slices."

Zhang Renkang looked at the little girl and said

"Is this your daughter? She's so cute."

The leader's wife said with a smile

"I think so, but unfortunately we only have one son."

Smiled and said

"If you two weren't too old, I would like to bring you together."

Zhang Renkang said with a black line

"This little girl is only about 11 or 12 years old? She is too young. You must be joking."

“How could we be a good match?”

Seeing that Zhang Renkang still looked down on her, the little girl pouted and said angrily

"I'm fourteen years old"

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"You're not even as big as my sister."

The leader's wife said curiously

"Renkang, aren't you alone? When did you get a sister?"

Zhang Renkang laughed

"She was a neighbor in our yard. She often came to our house when she was a child. My mother liked her very much at that time. But something happened to her some time ago, so I adopted her."

Then he told the boss's wife and the little girl about He Yushui's situation. The boss's wife was so angry that she said

"How can He Yuzhu and He Daqing be so rude? Yushui is a child with a miserable life, but fortunately he met you."

The little girl was so sad when she heard about this that she almost cried.

"This sister Yushui is so pitiful. She has no mother, her father has never cared about her since she was a child, and her brother is even like this."

Then he said to Zhang Renkang

“You are such a nice person”

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"I'm not necessarily a good person, I just act according to my conscience"

The leader who had just returned heard Zhang Renkang's words and laughed.

"Renkang, what are you talking about?"

"A good person with a good conscience"

The leader's wife told him what had just happened, and the leader sighed.

"There are so many different kinds of people in the world. Renkang, you are good at doing things according to your heart."

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"Leaders, you guys go ahead and do your work. I'll go to the kitchen to clean up first, and then I'll let you satisfy your craving later."

The leader laughed and said

"Then I will be very rude to refuse and wait for your feast."

Zhang Renkang went to the kitchen. Suddenly, the little girl stepped forward and said seriously:

"My name is Zhou Xiaobai, you must remember it, big brother"

Zhang Renkang was stunned for a moment. Could this be that? Maybe they have the same name. He said with a smile

"Okay, I'll remember this, Sister Zhou Xiaobai"

Then he went to the kitchen and sat down and said

"Xiaobai, is your dad back?"

Zhou Xiaobai said with a smile

"Uncle, my dad doesn't come home all year round, how could he come back?"

The leader smiled and said

"How are you doing in school recently? Where's Zhang Haiyang?"

Zhou Xiaobai said with an unhappy face

"I'm fine at school. The teacher even praises me. As for him, what's wrong with him? He just hangs out with some boys every day."

The leader laughed

"Little boy, be a little naughty. His father and your father were a golden pair. I think you two can get along well."

Zhou Xiaobai blushed and said unhappily

"I don't like it. All they do is fight with each other all day long."

(Zhou Xiaobai's father Zhou Zhennan, Lieutenant General, Deputy Commander of the Military Region, resident troops)

The big boss laughed, and the three of them chatted on the sofa.

Less than an hour and a half

Zhang Renkang brought a plate of fragrant spicy chicken, stir-fried pork with peppers, braised pork slices, etc. to the table. The big boss smiled and said,

"Let's eat now and see if Renkang's cooking skills have improved recently."

Zhou Xiaobai looked at the delicious food on the table curiously, and his stomach suddenly growled, causing several people to laugh. Zhou Xiaobai explained awkwardly:

“I didn’t have enough lunch today.”

The leader laughed

"Then you are blessed tonight. You must eat well and make sure you are full, but don't overeat."

He asked Zhang Renkang to sit down, and they all started to eat with relish. Zhou Xiaobai became more and more curious about Zhang Renkang, and asked him:

"What's your name? You don't look that old. Why haven't you told me yet?"

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"My name is Zhang Renkang, I am exactly 21 years old, and I work at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill."

Zhou Xiaobai asked curiously

"Are you a worker? How come your cooking is so delicious?"

The big leader laughed and said

"This Renkang is not a worker, he is a young section-level cadre in our city. There is a reason why his cooking is so delicious."

Zhou Xiaobai asked impatiently

"What's the reason? Please tell me."

The leader said with a smile

"He is a cook himself, isn't it normal for him to cook delicious food?"

Zhou Xiaobai suddenly realized and said

"Oh, Brother Renkang is a chef. I was wondering why his dishes are so delicious."

The leader clinked glasses with Zhang Renkang and said after drinking

"This is the youngest chef. I think the chefs at state banquets may not be as good as Ren Kang. Especially this Sichuan cuisine is absolutely amazing."

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"I can't compare with the master chefs at the state banquet. I just learned a few tricks."

(Beginning to foreshadow the introduction of Bloody Romance. There is no plan to go deeper into the plot of Bloody Romance for the time being. The main storyline is still in the courtyard, mainly to foreshadow the later period. Bloody Romance began in the winter of 69)

Seeking "Generation of Love"

Seeking "Generation of Love"

Seeking "Generation of Love"