Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 79 Master and disciple turn against each other
West Wing of the Central Courtyard of Siheyuan
Yi Zhonghai was smoking one cigarette after another. Li Cuilan looked at Yi Zhonghai, sighed, walked out of the house and went to the backyard. He wanted to calm his wife down.

Yi Zhonghai overestimated himself. He thought He Yuzhu would help him conceal it, but he didn't. He thought that his loyalty as an eighth-level worker would allow Director Li to handle the matter in a comprehensive manner, but Director Li didn't. In the end, he thought that no matter what happened, Jia Dongxu would not turn against him. After all, he was a recognized apprentice in the factory. He didn't expect Jia Dongxu to turn against him.

The result was unacceptable to him. Jia Dongxu made it clear that the master-disciple relationship ended here and they would go their separate ways from now on.

Yi Zhonghai felt like he couldn't vent his anger. He had trained his apprentice for so many years, but just because of this incident, they became enemies. He couldn't accept this.

Yi Zhonghai thought about it for a long time, and seemed to have made up his mind. He smashed the teacup to the ground.

The next day, Yi Zhonghai, who had just arrived at the workshop, found the workshop director and directly told him that he thought Jia Dongxu had character problems and wanted to terminate the master-apprentice relationship. The workers in the workshop were shocked.

He also said that Jia Dongxu was not suitable to be a fitter, and that anyone who taught Jia Dongxu would not need to learn from him in the future.

The workers started talking again. Jia Dongxu came and stood at the door of the workshop. The workshop director was embarrassed when he saw him. They had a good relationship normally and he thought Jia Dongxu was a good person. But this was a fitter workshop and he didn't dare to disrespect Yi Zhonghai. So, the workshop director asked Jia Dongxu to give up his fitter position and be responsible for moving materials.

Jia Dongxu also accepted it calmly, as he had already thought of this result.

Before going to work, Jia Dongxu asked Jia Geng to find Yan Jiekuang and visit him in the courtyard in the evening.

At night, in the small courtyard of the quadrangle, Yan Jiekuang did not expect such an outcome.

Jia Dongxu told Yan Jiekuang what had happened in the past few days and wanted to see how he could get out of his current predicament.

Yan Jiekuang thought for a moment and said, "I've heard of Li Huaide. He's greedy for money and lustful. Only he can solve your predicament. I think this is an opportunity."

Jia Dongxu said: "I don't know this person."

"You don't need to know him, as long as you know the money. Follow him to his house after get off work, and don't use money." Yan Jiekuang took out three small yellow croakers from the drawer and handed them to Jia Dongxu.

"I'll give you the stuff in exchange. If he finds you a security job, you give him two. If he can get a job in my sister-in-law's warehouse, you give him another one." Yan Jiekuang finished what he said in one breath and then looked at Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu thought about it for a long time and finally left with the gold bars.

Not long after, Jia Geng handed a bag to Yan Jiekuang and said, "My father gave this to you."

"Have you been to the sports school?" Yan Jiekuang took the bag and asked.

Jia Geng smiled and said, "My dad said it will only be in a day or two, so I will definitely go."

Yan Jiekuang also encouraged him and told him about many projects, telling him that he didn't have to run all the time and could try other projects.

Jia Geng left happily.

New Year's Eve, January 1963

The Yan family gathered together, and with the addition of new members, this Spring Festival was filled with laughter and joy.

Yan Jiekuang is a freshman in high school this year, and he doesn't have much time left to review.

A few days ago, Zhang Wenchang and Li Chenggang said they also wanted to take the high school entrance exam, but they didn't expect that they would catch up. Yan Jiekuang was very disdainful, as he had originally planned to take the college entrance exam directly, but he gave up on his own.

Yan Jiekuang held Qingqing in his arms and talked to him. Yan Jiedi also talked beside him, and then said, "Third brother, when I was a child, this is how you played with me."

Yan Jiekuang was stunned and said, "It's true." Everyone laughed.

This year, Yan Bugui finally caught some fish for his family, three in total. Yan Jiecheng also took the pork allocated by the unit, and Yan Jiekuang donated the cured duck, which was one of his few stocks.

This year, no New Year gifts were sent to the front yard because the Yan family really had nothing left. Even Yan Jiekuang’s pickles had been eaten up.

There weren't many things, but the cooking skills made up for it. Yan Jiekuang came online and served pickled fish, seared fish fillets, braised pork strips, marinated duck, candied sweet potato, potato and eggplant, smashed cucumber, mu shu pork, fried mushrooms, fried radish meatballs, and tomato and egg soup.

It was a very sumptuous meal; the Yan family had barely eaten any meat that year.

Yang Ruiping specially steamed a bowl of egg cake for Qingqing.

Yan Bugui raised the wine offered by his son and said, "I wish our motherland prosperity!"

Everyone toasted together, and then started eating. While Yan Jiekuang was eating, he missed Laogui. He had money but no tickets, and he had no way to buy milk powder for Qingqing. He had good things but no tickets.

The dinner was over very quickly, and everyone was so full that they didn't want to move.

Just at the dinner table, chatting about family matters.

Yan Bugui talked about the Jia family and said that the current Jia family is really amazing. Jia Zhang always comes to their house to show off whenever she has nothing to do.

Everyone was curious and asked what happened.

Yan Bugui said, "Jia Dongxu was transferred to the security department as an officer. It was said that his salary was reduced to 38.5 yuan, but his wife went to work as a manager in the warehouse and earned 20 yuan a month. Her household registration was transferred here, and the children's household registration was also transferred here. Jia Geng was selected by the Municipal Sports School, with food and accommodation provided, and a salary of 8 yuan. Who can you complain to?"

People in the compound envy Jia Dongxu very much. Zhang Erzhu is one of them. Zhang Erzhu now lives on his salary, as all the money he had before has long been gone.

Zhang Erzhu now approaches Jia Dongxu again, hoping to find a job for his wife. Jia Dongxu ignores him and says, "You have no money, what can you say? I have spent more than a thousand yuan."

"He Yushui is back." Yan Jiefang interjected.

"No one has seen it. Is he in the Intermediate Court now?" Yang Ruiping asked.

Yan Jiefang continued, "He should be here. I saw him at the door and he said he came back to see his sister-in-law. She is pregnant."

Yan Jiecheng continued, "No wonder He Yumei asked for leave. I said I haven't seen her in the factory."

Yan Bugui drank tea and said, "This is a string of births. Xu Damao's wife is also pregnant."

Xu Damao has a child now. Yan Jiekuang smiled knowingly and said to himself, "Is it the world that changed me, or am I the one that changed the world?"

1963 was a difficult year. Yan Jiekuang still had more than 20,000 yuan in savings, which he could not spend. He had never been to the ghost market or the night market. There was nothing big in the family, except that his eldest brother bought a bicycle.

Yan Jie Di was a girl who was easily satisfied, she would eat if she had it, and would not ask for anything if she didn’t have it. This made Yan Jie Kuang always feel that he owed her something, and it seemed that he was not quite satisfied with what he had promised to dote on her.

On January 24, the Spring Festival, people in the front yard greeted each other. Old Zhao took Yan Bugui home to chat.

Yan Jiekuang was accompanying Yan Jiedi in the front yard, while Yan Jiedi, Xiaodang and Wu Jiao were playing Kalaha.

Yan Jiekuang stayed by his side quietly. The front yard was quite lively. Yan Jiefang, Sun Xiaolong and Zhou Nianping went out early in the morning, saying that they were going to wish their classmates a happy new year.

Xu Damao came in supporting his wife Wang Meili. Xu Damao was very cautious and it was obvious that he cared a lot about the child.

Xu's father and mother were holding a big bag, and Xu Xiaoling was holding a small bag. As soon as they entered the house, they greeted the neighbors in the front yard.

It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Xu have moved back again, and his family attaches great importance to Wang Meili.

The Xu family didn't even notice Yan Jiekuang and the others in the southwest corner and went straight into the central courtyard.

Yan Jiekuang didn’t know much about the current Xu Damao, he only knew that he was the propaganda chief of the steel rolling mill and the real leader.

Although He Yuzhu is the canteen director, he is still no match for Xu Damao.

Yan Bugui came out of Lao Zhao's house, frowning, and walked towards home. Yan Jiekuang saw that something was wrong and hurriedly followed him.

"What's wrong? Dad?" Yan Jiekuang asked.

When Yan Bugui saw that it was Yan Jiekuang, he said, "Early in the morning, before daybreak, Yi Zhonghai and his wife left. It was Lao Zhao who opened the door and said they were going back to their hometown to stay for a few days."

Yan Jiekuang said: "What's my problem? They are going back to their hometown, why are you frowning?"

"No, it's Lao Zhao. He came here to escape the war and wants to go back. He asked me if I wanted a house." Yan Bugui said.

Yan Jiekuang said firmly: "Yes, of course."

(End of this chapter)