Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

After dinner, Xu Huizhen took out a set of clothes, handed it to Xu Jianshe, and said, "This is the new clothes I prepared for you. I'll ask Cai Quanwu to take you to take a bath later, and you can wear new clothes to report tomorrow. Oh, by the way, you should stay at Cai Quanwu's house tonight, and don't go to see your father. I'm worried that he will do something weird again."

Xu Jianshe held the clothes in his hands, tears in his eyes. He had worn new clothes only a few times in his life, and basically wore what his brother left behind. He said with emotion: "Thank you, Sister Huizhen, you are so kind to me. I will take care of you in your old age and see you to the end of your life."

Xu Huizhen chuckled and laughed out of anger, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm only a few years older than you. If I live longer, it's not certain who will be buried first between us."

Xu Jianshe blushed with shame, "I'm not good at talking. Anyway, I will treat you as my real sister from now on. Just watch me do what I do."

Xu Huizhen patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll remember this sentence."

After Cai Quanwu led Xu Jianshe away, Second Aunt Xu asked Jianmei, "My daughter, what do you think of him? Can you marry him?"

Xu Jianmei lowered her head, a little shy, and said, "I think this man has no other problems except that he looks a little ugly. Mom, I will listen to you. If you say it's okay, I will marry you."

The two of them started pushing each other around. In the end, it was Aunt Xu who made the final decision: "If he is good at everything, he still can't look down on us, right? I feel relieved that your sister Huizhen is here to take care of us. Just go with him. Whether it is a blessing or a curse is up to you."

After a good night's sleep, Cai Quanwu brought Xu Jianshe over the next morning. Xu Huizhen called Cai Quanwu aside and asked, "Cai Quanwu, what do you think of Jianmei?"

Cai Quanwu: “Very good.”

Xu Huizhen smiled and said, "Jianmei is willing too. Then it's settled. After dinner, I'll take Jianshe to report. You discuss with Second Aunt what to do next."

Xu Huizhen packed a few boxes of cigarettes and some candies in her bag, took some materials, and went to the Personnel Section of the Commercial Bureau, where they were received by a section chief named Tang.

Xu Huizhen: "Chief Tang, I'm sorry to bother you. Xu Jianshe is my brother. I brought him here to complete the employment formalities."

Section Chief Tang asked, "Have you brought all the materials? Let me see." Xu Jianshe quickly handed over various materials, including his employment certificate, a letter of introduction from the village, and his graduation certificate. There were two boxes of cigarettes under the materials. Section Chief Tang picked up the materials and put the cigarettes in the drawer. After looking at the materials, he asked, "Are your household registration and food allowances registered with the unit?"

Xu Jianshe didn't know how to answer, so he looked at Xu Huizhen, who said, "Okay, let's leave it at the company."

Section Chief Tang took out a form and asked Xu Jianshe to fill it out. It was nothing more than basic information such as name, age, ancestral home, family composition, political status, etc. The unit would create a file based on these information.

Xu Jianshe graduated from junior high school. There were few children in his family and his father was the head of the clan, so they were well off, so he was able to study for a few years. This was considered lucky in the countryside, as most people were illiterate.

Section Chief Tang took the form and handed her a letter of introduction, asking her to take the letter to the police station to apply for a household registration transfer certificate. This way, she could transfer her household registration from her hometown and become a city dweller.

Section Chief Tang gave a few more instructions, saying, "When you first join the company, you are an apprentice, and your monthly salary is 18.5 yuan. You will be reclassified after you complete your apprenticeship. But you will receive a subsidy for driving a car. You will receive 4 cents a day when you go out of town, and cents a day in the city."

Xu Jianshe nodded excitedly. This salary was not bad. In his hometown, a strong laborer would have less than 30 yuan left after working hard for a year and collecting food rations. So he was very satisfied.

The formalities went smoothly. Xu Huizhen thought that the Daqianmen cigarettes might have worked. Section Chief Tang had a really good attitude. What she didn't know was that the deputy director had already made advance arrangements for Han Qingqiu's sake. There is no absolute fairness in this world. There are privileged classes in every era. Section Chief Tang also led the two and sent them to the motorcade.

The team leader was a tall middle-aged man. Section Chief Tang greeted him with a smile: "Captain Li, I'm sending you a newcomer named Xu Jianshe. Please arrange for a reliable trainer to take care of him."

Captain Li responded generously: "Chief Tang, don't worry, leave it to me."

After Section Chief Tang left, Xu Huizhen took out two more boxes of cigarettes and handed them to Captain Li, saying, "Captain Li, share these two boxes of cigarettes with everyone. I'll ask you to take care of my brother in the future. He's still young and not very sensible, so please take care of him."

How can a man, especially a man who drives, not like cigarettes? Captain Li took the cigarette with a good attitude. He patted Xu Jianshe on the shoulder and said, "You are a good-looking young man! But a little thin. Driving is also a hard job!"

Xu Jianshe quickly said, "Don't worry, Captain. I can endure hardships."

Captain Li: "Well done. You can be an apprentice to Lao Guo. Master Guo is a retired soldier with good character and high skills. He just came back from a long trip and is resting at home today. I will introduce you to Lao Guo tomorrow."

Xu Huizhen asked: "Captain Li, do we have a dormitory here?" Although her house had a room where Xu Jianshe could live, there was no man in her family, so it would not be appropriate for Xu Jianshe to live in.

Captain Li: "Yes, if you want to live in the dormitory, bring your luggage tomorrow and I will arrange it for you. You can go home and prepare today, and you will officially start work tomorrow."

On the way back, Xu Huizhen said, "Jianshe, remember, when you go to work, you must be diligent in thinking, quick in action, and slow in speech. What does it mean? It means thinking more, doing more, and talking less. To learn the craft well, you must not only be able to drive, but also be able to repair cars. Be diligent and maintain a good master-apprentice relationship, so that the master can sincerely teach you the craft. Finally, don't say things that you shouldn't say casually."

Xu Jianshe nodded: "Yes, Sister Huizhen, I will remember it."

Xu Huizhen: "As for the matter of relocating your household registration, don't worry about it. I'll let Second Aunt take care of it for you. You can go to work steadily starting tomorrow."

After returning home, Mr. Xu and Xu Jianguo were sitting at home. Second Aunt Xu and Jianmei had gone out, probably to buy things for the wedding. Seeing them coming back, Mr. Xu asked, "Jianshe, are you done?"

Xu Jianshe: "Dad, everything is done. We will start work tomorrow."

Old Master Xu: "Well, that's good. Your second aunt said she would stay here for a few days and leave after Jianmei gets married. Your brother and I are leaving today. If you have anything, just write to your family."

Xu Jianshe said hesitantly, "Dad, I just started working and haven't received my salary yet. Can you leave me some living expenses?"

Xu Huizhen was surprised. This Xu Jianshe was not stupid. He could still be saved. He knew that crying children get milk, but he still dared to ask Mr. Xu for money!

Old Master Xu looked unhappy and said, "I didn't bring much money when I came here. You can borrow some from your sister Huizhen first and pay her back after you get your salary."