Siheyuan: Start with a big car

Seeing Zhang Xiuhua’s angry face, Liu Guangtian also became angry.

Liu Guangtian was panting heavily. He didn't bother to calm her down and asked directly, "Where is that pair of lambskin shoes that I gave you? Tell me now!"

Zhang Xiuhua's eyes changed instantly when she heard this. She was a little flustered at first, but then she pretended to be calm and said with her neck stiff, "Those are my shoes. I hid them. What's wrong? Why are you asking about this?"

As she spoke, she pulled the quilt upwards, as if to protect some secret, her eyes full of vigilance.

Liu Guangtian was so anxious when he saw this that he almost jumped up, veins popping out on his forehead. "Why did you hide it? Do you know that we are in big trouble because of these shoes? Brother Qiang is waiting for them. You should take them out quickly, or we will all be in trouble!"

Zhang Xiuhua widened her eyes, her face full of disbelief, "Brother Qiang? Which Brother Qiang? How are you related to him? How did I get into trouble for hiding a pair of shoes? Explain it to me clearly!" She put her hands on her hips, showing an attitude of not giving in, but her voice still revealed a bit of guilt.

Liu Guangtian was so anxious that he stamped his feet and paced back and forth in the room. He recounted the whole cause and effect of the incident, from agreeing to help Zhang Li get the shoes, to getting the wrong one, to Brother Qiang pulling out a gun to threaten her. He spoke as fast as a machine gun and spit flying everywhere.

Zhang Xiuhua was anxious when she heard that Liu Guangtian was going to return the pair of lambskin shoes. She threw back the quilt, jumped off the bed in her slippers, rushed to Liu Guangtian in two steps, stretched out her hand to grab his arm, and her voice changed: "What? Return it to someone? That's not possible! I have coveted this pair of shoes for a long time, and it took a lot of effort to get them. Why should I return them?"

Liu Guangtian staggered and almost lost his balance when she pulled him. He was anxious and angry, and shook off Zhang Xiuhua's hand. He widened his eyes and shouted, "What do you know? Brother Qiang is not someone you can easily mess with. He pointed a gun at my head today. If I don't return the shoes, my whole family will suffer. You are still thinking about these shoes. It's already this late. Can you be more considerate?"

Zhang Xiuhua was so scared by Liu Guangtian's yell that she took a step back. She still muttered unwillingly: "You can't just return it like that. These shoes were originally given to me by you. How come they belong to someone else now? Besides, how can Brother Qiang be so powerful? What can he do to me?" Although she said so stubbornly, she was actually a little scared in her heart. After all, from what Liu Guangtian described, Brother Qiang was indeed not a good person.

Liu Guangtian was angry and helpless when he saw Zhang Xiuhua's stubborn look. He raised his hand and slapped his thigh fiercely. "Oh, my aunt, why don't you understand? Brother Qiang is a big shot in this area. He has a bunch of little brothers under him. If we offend him, we won't have a peaceful life in the future. I took the wrong shoes by accident. They originally belonged to Zhang Li. Now I have to return them quickly to calm Brother Qiang down, otherwise I will really be in trouble!"

Zhang Xiuhua bit her lip, tears welled up in her eyes. Although she still couldn't bear to part with the shoes, she also knew the seriousness of the matter. She stamped her feet and said in a crying voice: "Well... okay, but I really can't bear to part with these shoes. I haven't worn them much." As she said that, she turned around and slowly walked to the closet, squatted down, took out a small cloth bag from the bottom corner of the closet, gently opened it, and the pair of lambskin shoes lay quietly inside.

Zhang Xiuhua picked up the shoes and gently stroked the uppers with her hands. Tears fell down and landed on the uppers, leaving a small wet mark. Liu Guangtian felt a little bad when he saw her like this, but he couldn't take care of comforting her at the moment. He stepped forward and snatched the shoes away, saying, "Okay, okay, don't cry. When this is over, I will buy you a better pair. Now I have to return these shoes to Brother Qiang quickly. It will be too late if I am late."

Liu Guangtian trotted all the way to the courtyard. He was already panting with exhaustion, and beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe them off. He saw Zhang Li standing there, with her arms folded across her chest, looking at him with a half-smile, and her eyes were full of obvious mockery.

Liu Guangtian hurriedly took a few steps forward and handed over the pair of lambskin shoes that he was holding tightly in his hand. His voice was somewhat flattering and anxious: "Sister Li, the shoes... the shoes are back for you. Please take a look. Are they... not wrong?"

Zhang Li slowly reached out her hand and took the shoes. She glanced at Liu Guangtian nonchalantly at first, and then carefully examined the shoes. She looked at the shoes over and over, touching the uppers and looking at the soles, as if she was examining a newly acquired trophy, deliberately stalling for time just to make Liu Guangtian anxious.

After a while, Zhang Li nodded with satisfaction, put the shoes away, and said with a scornful smile, "Hey, Liu Guangtian, you are really capable to spend so much time on just a pair of shoes. Humph, if it weren't for Brother Qiang's order, I wouldn't let you go so easily just because of your procrastination."

Liu Guangtian's face turned red and white after hearing this. He felt very aggrieved, but he didn't dare to get angry. He could only smile and nod and say, "Yes, yes, Sister Li, this time it's all my fault. I didn't do my job well and caused you trouble. Please be magnanimous and don't bother with me."

Zhang Li rolled her eyes at him, turned around and walked away, muttering, "Humph, I knew you didn't have any skills. Be smarter in the future and don't embarrass Brother Qiang all the time." As she spoke, she twisted her waist, took small steps, and left the courtyard without looking back.

Liu Guang was so angry that his teeth were chattering, but he could do nothing. The anger in his chest was burning, but facing Zhang Li's ridicule, he could only swallow his anger.

Yan Jiecheng rushed to find Liu Guangtian early the next morning, his face full of anxiety. As soon as they met, he pulled Liu Guangtian's arm, pulled him to the corner, and said in a low voice: "Guangtian, we can't delay any longer. Brother Qiang's meaning is very clear. We have to steal the information about the new energy vehicle quickly. If we delay any longer, we will suffer the consequences."

Liu Guangtian frowned and shook off Yan Jiecheng's hand, his face full of helplessness and resistance, "Jiecheng, do you think I don't want to get this over with quickly? But Li Weidong is very smart. After the last incident, his office has become a key defense target. There are surveillance cameras everywhere, and additional patrols have been sent. There is no way to start. This is just asking for death!"

When Yan Jiecheng heard this, his eyes widened, the veins on his forehead bulged, and he stamped his feet anxiously, "We have to find a way. Don't you think about what kind of person Brother Qiang is? If we can't do it, he will definitely not let us go. When that happens, both of us will be in trouble!"

Liu Guangtian looked at Yan Jiecheng, who was in a state of panic, and felt both angry and amused. He could not help but sneered, "You are so stupid and naive that you have to rush into trouble. Why can't we delay for a while? Just tell Brother Qiang that we are looking for opportunities and making preparations. Every time we make a small move, we will let him think that we are really trying hard, but we are just not ready yet. Let's stabilize him first."

Yan Jiecheng was stunned for a moment, scratched his head, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes, "Will this... work? Brother Qiang is not someone who is easy to fool. If he finds out, it will be even worse." Liu Guangtian crossed his arms and analyzed confidently, "Think about it, Brother Qiang also needs our help now. He can't find a more suitable person to do this for a while. As long as we don't behave too outrageously and report some "progress" to him every time, even if he gets suspicious, he won't turn hostile immediately. If it's delayed for a long time, there may be a turnaround, or Brother Qiang may be busy with other things and forget about this."

Yan Jiecheng still had a worried look on his face, his brows furrowed, "But if things don't turn around, Brother Qiang is determined to pursue the matter, and we can't get anything back, we'll still be in trouble."

Liu Guangtian sighed and patted Yan Jiecheng on the shoulder. "Now we can only take one step at a time. It's better than going straight to die. Let's drag it out like this for now and find other ways out privately. If we can get rid of Brother Qiang's control and avoid getting involved in this mess, that would be great." After listening to this, although Yan Jiecheng still had doubts, he also felt that what Liu Guangtian said made sense, so he could only nod helplessly.
...

On the other hand, after seven or eight months of hard work, the first batch of new energy vehicles was finally produced, a total of 4 vehicles. There were no S stores in those days, so Li Weidong built a store outside the steel mill that specialized in selling cars.
Outside the steel mill, in front of the brand new car shop, two hundred new energy vehicles are lined up neatly, their bodies shining brightly in the sunlight, like a "forest of the future" made of steel.

The news was like a whirlwind, instantly attracting people from all around to come. For a while, the store was bustling with people.
"Hey, look at this scene! I've lived for most of my life and I've never seen so many new cars displayed at once!"

"In the past, it was rare to see a car on the street, but now there are so many of them, like dumplings being dropped into the ground."

"That's right! But this car looks weird. Other cars have an exhaust pipe at the back, puffing out smoke, but this thing is so clean, without even a pipe. How can it run? It's not just a fancy thing that looks good but doesn't work."

Several young men gathered at one side, their eyes burning with excitement. One of them, a sturdy young man in work clothes, smacked his lips and said, "Auntie, you don't understand, this is called a new energy vehicle. Nowadays, we all pay attention to environmental protection and high technology. It doesn't burn gasoline, so naturally there is no exhaust pipe! I heard that it can run on electricity, it runs quietly, and there is no noise pollution. It's very advanced."

"Running on electricity? You have to plug it in every day and drag it around like a kite. How troublesome! Besides, our country doesn't have enough electricity. What if you run out of power and it breaks down on the road? What should we do then?"

"Don't worry! I read in a book that there are more and more charging stations now, just like gas stations. You can run for a long time after charging for a while. Moreover, new energy vehicles are environmentally friendly and will not pollute the air. The sky will be bluer in the future. How wonderful!"

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

While they were discussing, Qin Jingru, who was in charge of sales, opened the door of a car, showed off the exquisite interior and smart dashboard, and explained the vehicle's control and functional features. The crowd immediately gathered around, heads pressed together, staring at the car without blinking, exclaiming and asking questions.

As soon as Director Chen of the Xizhimen Supply and Marketing Cooperative stepped into the venue full of new energy vehicles, his eyes seemed to be firmly attracted by a magnet, wandering back and forth on the shiny cars, unable to move away. He first looked around the car carefully, gently stroking the body of the car with his fingers, and occasionally exclaimed in admiration, his eyes full of admiration and desire, just like a child obsessed with toys who saw the treasure he had always dreamed of.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses. Seeing Qin Jingru busy sorting brochures, he hurriedly approached her with an eager smile on his face and an eager voice: "Girl, tell me, how much does this car cost?" Qin Jingru stopped what she was doing, looked up and saw Director Chen's look, raised her mouth corners, revealed a professional smile, and replied crisply: "Director Chen, this car costs 50,000 yuan, but it also requires a special car ticket."

"Fifty thousand yuan?" Director Chen frowned slightly, smacked his lips, and calculated secretly in his heart. Although this price is indeed not low, the supply and marketing cooperative is still well-off. He can afford it with a little effort. But the "special bus ticket" is like a difficult problem that stands in front of him, making him full of doubts. "Girl, what do you think of this special bus ticket? Our supply and marketing cooperative has money, but I have never heard of this ticket, and I don't know where to get it."

Seeing his bewildered face, Qin Jingru patiently explained, "Director Chen, you don't know that these 200 cars were almost booked before they were produced. Now the orders from the workshop are pouring in like snowflakes, and the supply cannot meet the demand! So we can only use this special car ticket method to regulate sales. Only units at the ministerial level can get this special car ticket with relevant approvals and indicators. Ordinary local units and individuals are not qualified for this yet."

When Director Chen heard this, his face instantly fell, and his enthusiasm was completely extinguished as if a basin of cold water was poured over his head.

His eyes were full of helplessness and disappointment. He raised his hand and scratched his head, sighing: "Oh, what can I do? When our supply and marketing cooperative buys goods on weekdays, although we have come across scarce items, we can always find a way if we try hard, but these bus tickets are stuck. Only department-level units have them. We can't afford them with our limited ability."

Qin Jingru smiled and didn't respond.

After all, new energy vehicles are so popular now, and the use of professional car tickets is a helpless move.

At the end of the working day, Qin Jingru finished her work and came to Li Weidong's studio.

"Brother Weidong, there are more than 500 people asking about new energy vehicles today. Should we find a way to increase production?" Qin Jingru said.

…(End of chapter)