Era: Craftsmen in the Siheyuan

Chapter 284 Reception
Seeing that Xu Deyong didn't respond, Chen Xueru quickly walked a few steps to catch up with him, and glared at him angrily, "Xu Deyong, is there something stuck in your ears? Didn't you hear it?"

"Ah...!" Xu Deyong was stunned for a moment and said, "Oh, Manager Chen, I'm sorry, I was a little distracted just now."

"Manager Chen..." Chen Xueru smiled and said, "Why, you want to draw a clear line between this temporary labor assignment and me!"

"Ahem..." Xu Deyong coughed and said in a lower voice, "This place is not like the old city. Everyone knows each other well. Besides, there is also Fan Jinyou, a gossipy fellow..."

Before Xu Deyong finished speaking, Chen Xueru interrupted him and said, "Tsk, Manager Xu, you must have thought I was doing something to you. And you only took one bottle of wine, who would drink it? You are so stingy."

After saying that, he rolled his eyes, picked up a sausage, and walked away with his long legs in quick steps.

Xu Deyong: "..."

Blink blink eyes, damn, this woman.

Then he followed Chen Xueru slowly two meters behind her, his eyes occasionally glancing at her.

This woman's pants have definitely been altered, revealing the curves of her waist and hips when she walks, unlike most people's clothes which are loose and baggy nowadays.

If some conservative old ladies in the village saw this, they would probably say, bah, this woman is indecent and coquettish!

The two of them walked one in front and one behind. Occasionally, some children looked at them curiously, and some bold boys followed behind them, treating them as "scenery".

Of course, most people were looking at Chen Xueru, because they had never seen such a beautiful person in their lives.

Even a three-year-old child understands this basic aesthetic, but in later generations there are some public intellectuals who brag about the so-called "high-end beauty" that is sought after by foreigners.

Isn’t “Smecta” better at licking the boots than you guys?

I haven't seen them all get high-end beauty.

A bunch of Shabby!
The two arrived at Zhou Shan's house one after the other. Fan Jinyou and Yang Dian had already arrived earlier.

Zhou Shan saw them coming and greeted them with a smile: "The two managers are here, come in and have some tea."

Then he frowned slightly and said, "Hey, why are you still bringing things!"

Chen Xueru smiled and said, "Captain Zhou, you are too polite. This is my first time here, and I am here to eat. I can't come empty-handed."

Xu Deyong said: "I'll bring a bottle of wine, and we'll each have a glass later."

Zhou Shan said a few polite words and didn't say anything else. He just asked his wife to cut the sausages that Chen Xueru had brought.

Seeing this, Fan Jinyou narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Yang Dian, who was standing by, whispered to him, "Secretary Fan, they have taken things, so we are here empty-handed, right..."

Fan Jinyou whispered, "They are all bosses, they are rich, we can't compare, we can just save some food coupons after dinner."

Yang Dian nodded with a bit of pain, hoping that Director Fan wouldn't be "too generous".

Zhou Shan had two sons and one daughter, all of whom were of school age. When they saw strange city dwellers coming to their home, they all leaned against the door and watched them.

Seeing this, Zhou Shan waved his hand and said, "Go have fun, guys. Don't get in the way here."

The three children grinned and were about to leave when Xu Deyong stopped them and "took out" a handful of candy balls for them.

This thing can be regarded as Xu Deyong's "little killer weapon" for children. It is cheap and useful, and can win great favor from these children. The key is that Xu Deyong is very "self-sufficient".

The three kids' eyes suddenly lit up and they were eager to make a move, but no one dared to reach out first. They all looked at Zhou Shan.

Zhou Shan hesitated for a moment, then seeing the eager eyes of the children, he waved his hand and said, "Just take what Uncle Xu gives you, and go play after you have taken it."

At the same time, my feeling towards Xu Deyong also improved a little.

"Thank you, Uncle Xu." The oldest sister, who was in her early teens, thanked her in a more sensible way.

The two boys also hurriedly followed.

After receiving the candy balls, the three of them ran to the kitchen to share their joy with their mother, and they also wanted to give one to their mother.

However, he was soon chased out because he was in the way, and started showing off to his friends who came outside to watch the fun.

Fan Jinyou remained calm on the surface, but in his heart he was somewhat unhappy with the small favors Xu Deyong had shown him.

"Everyone, please sit down and have some tea first. The food will be ready soon. It's just home-cooked food. Don't be disgusted." Zhou Shan greeted.

After some politeness, they sat down and started chatting.

Talked about their future work situation.

Zhou Shan said: "Now some of the young and strong laborers in the team have been called to the commune to participate in the large-scale steel production. There is a shortage of labor for the autumn harvest. Tomorrow you will work with the members to earn centimeters."

Fan Jinyou said: "We came down here to work with the peasant comrades. Just arrange any work for us. We will never hold the people back."

Yang Dian agreed, "Yes, I will never fall behind." Xu Deyong and Chen Xueru also nodded. Apart from anything else, Fan Jinyou at least spoke beautifully.

Zhou Shan smiled and said, "You will definitely need a few days to adapt when you first arrive, so don't worry."

"As for the issue of eating later, some communes across the country have already established public canteens, and the leaders of the commune are also discussing it. Most likely, they will also set up canteens. Before that, you will eat with the other members in your place of residence."

"We have no problem. After coming here, we obey the collective arrangements in both work and life..."

Fan Jinyou started talking again.

Xu Deyong listened with a smile on his face, occasionally sipping tea, and looked noncompetitive.

Of course, there is nothing to argue about.

The reason why Fan Jinyou is so active is, of course, that he wants to perform well and hand in a good answer sheet so that he can regain his status as a reserve cadre.

Chen Xueru's peach blossom eyes moved, and seeing the reactions of the two, she felt more and more that Fan Jinyou was just a superficial guy.

Fortunately, I didn't give this guy any chance before.

As for Xu Deyong, humph, he doesn't seem to be a good guy now.

The table soon became Fan Jinyou's "one-man show".

After all, he came from the old city, and his knowledge in all aspects was higher than Zhou Shan's. He nodded frequently and showed admiration for what Zhou Shan said.

We were talking about the people's communes at this moment, and then turned to praise the collective farms of the Soviet Union. After all, we were learning and imitating them.

At this time, although there were some differences among the top leaders of both sides, the lower levels still had a good impression of "Big Brother", which is an example for us to learn from.

Of course, because they were led by Dasu, they made many of the same mistakes that we all made.

Let’s not talk about the major issues, such as the urban waterlogging problem that is still criticized today, which was originally learned from the Dasu’s pipeline method.

Dasu chose the pipeline because of their geographical geology and the small urban population.

But we just copied it completely without considering our own actual situation.

It is precisely because of this previous car that we have avoided many fundamental problems...

While they were talking, the meal was ready. The simple dishes were all greasy, and the main dish was the sausage that Chen Xueru had brought.

Xu Deyong said, "Sister-in-law, please ask the children to come and eat together."

Zhou Shan's wife smiled and said, "No need, just eat. I still need to clean up."

Zhou Shan also greeted them: "Don't worry about them, come on, have a homely meal, don't be polite."

When guests came to the house, women and children did not sit at the table.

Several people shared the wine that Xu Deyong had brought among themselves. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, it was completely dark.

Zhou Shan also lit kerosene lamps at home.

Xu Deyong and his companions did not stay long and stood up to say goodbye.

Zhou Shan sent them out and said with a smile: "The village has not yet been connected to electricity, and the conditions are a bit poor, but the lines are being repaired. Maybe we will be able to use electricity by the end of the year. After all, our place is now part of the capital."

"That's a good feeling."

The two sides said goodbye. Zhou Shan wanted to give them the only electrical appliance in the house, a flashlight, so that they could see the way, but they smiled and refused, saying that it wasn't too dark tonight because of the moon.

After leaving Zhou Shan's house, the four of them spoke less. Their footsteps could be heard clearly, and occasionally there were a few dogs barking.

Chen Xueru was a woman after all. She felt insecure in such an unfamiliar dark environment and subconsciously moved closer to Xu Deyong.

Fan Jinyou and Yang Dian are closer and will arrive first.

Only Xu Deyong and Chen Xueru were left. Xu Deyong sent Chen Xueru to her residence before going back.

Silent all night.

The next day, at daybreak, the sound of roosters crowing could be heard in the village.

There are not many entertainment activities in the village at night, so everyone goes to bed early and gets up early.

When Xu Deyong opened his eyes, he heard the sound of Aunt Sun getting up.

Today, we have to go to the fields to work!

……

(End of this chapter)