Life in siheyuan era

The meeting lasted for more than two hours. It was almost eleven o'clock when Li Huaiyi finally announced, "Meeting adjourned."

Hearing the words "Meeting adjourned," Sun Qiang immediately stood up and said, "Director Li, I have some other matters to attend to. I'll be leaving now."

He probably really did have something to do. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, making it impossible for Li Huaiyi to stop him.

Meanwhile, Hu Biao also stood up and stretched languidly. He seemed to think the action was very dashing, extending his arms for a few seconds, during which he had to look at Han Xue, a lewd smile on his face.

Then, he exclaimed, "Finally, it's over!" perhaps to remind Han Xue to look at him. Then, he walked out with disappointment. Reaching the door, he turned back to take a deep look, continuing to wear a disappointed expression, shuffling slowly out.

Given the attitude of the director and deputy director of the Sanitation Office, Zhang Fugui, the director of the Housing Management Office, was relatively polite. He stood up but didn't move. Seeing Hu Biao walk out, he politely said, "Director Li, do you have anything else? If not, I'll be leaving."

Although he spoke politely, he clearly signaled that regardless of whether Li Huaiyi had anything else, he definitely had to leave.

This attitude manifested in his actions. Without waiting for Li Huaiyi to speak, Zhang Fugui left without looking back.

Strangely, Li Huaiyi seemed used to it, not taking their attitude to heart at all. He turned to Han Xue and said, "Section Chief Han even knows shorthand, which is very rare."

He praised Han Xue, and Han Xue politely replied, "I didn't write it well. Please don't blame me, Director Li."

After saying this, Han Xue lowered her head to tidy up her desk, putting the notebook into the drawer, then the pen. Then, she stood up and said, "Director Li, excuse me."

She wanted to go to the washstand to get a rag to wipe the table. Although the table was very clean, she felt it necessary to wipe it again.

Li Huaiyi moved his feet to make way. Han Xue walked to the washstand. Li Huaiyi looked at her back and walked to Zhou Zhiyuan, saying, "I heard your writing is excellent. Your calligraphy should also be excellent. Let me admire it."

Zhou Zhiyuan opened the drawer, took out his notebook, stood up, and handed it to him, saying, "Director Li, please don't laugh. I've only been practicing left-handed writing for a month. It looks like a child's."

He expressed modesty, but Li Huaiyi didn't reply. He took the notebook and flipped through it, only to see a flurry of strokes, but he couldn't recognize a single word.

Not to mention him, even Zhou Zhiyuan might not recognize all of them.

Zhou Zhiyuan hadn't learned shorthand but had learned cursive script, but the purpose of writing cursive script was to practice the flexibility of his wrist, with no connection to calligraphy. He had practiced his left-handed cursive script for two years, so freely that he himself didn't recognize many of the characters. Li Huaiyi would recognize even fewer.

To avoid Li Huaiyi misunderstanding, he felt it necessary to explain, "This is the wild cursive script the political commissar taught me, but my left hand is like an aftermarket part. Only I can recognize the characters it writes. Director Li speaks quickly, so I can only keep up by using wild cursive script."

Zhou Zhiyuan explained, but Li Huaiyi remained silent, looking at the notes, but thinking in his heart, "These two are a bit difficult to deal with."

Han Xue should have quite a temper. She's also beautiful and a cadre on temporary assignment. These three things combined made Li Huaiyi cautious.

Although Zhou Zhiyuan's words and actions made him dissatisfied, he couldn't find any fault, giving him a feeling of not knowing where to start.

He had already decided to instruct Zhou Zhiyuan to 'kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.' Unlike Han Xue, Zhou Zhiyuan was officially assigned to the street office. Regardless of what he did before, he was now his subordinate, so there was no need to be polite to him.

The idea was good, but Zhou Zhiyuan's clumsy performance put him in an awkward situation. Zhou Zhiyuan was disabled, and he had instructed him without any pity, violating the leadership's working style of caring for subordinates, which would be very detrimental to him if it spread.

He knew that this matter would definitely spread. Not to mention the three directors, Wan Chunfang's mouth alone was enough.

To mitigate the impact, he should show some concern. Having made up his mind, Li Huaiyi closed the notebook and said gently, "Director Qiu wants you to come up with a governance plan as soon as possible. You can come to me for advice if there's anything you don't understand."

"Also, take the time to practice your regular script. You can't use wild cursive script when writing the plan. You have to write each stroke carefully."

After saying these words, Li Huaiyi raised his wrist to look at his watch, lowered his arm, and continued, "Seize the time to study and familiarize yourself with the work as soon as possible. I have high hopes for you."

Li Huaiyi openly expressed his intention to win him over. Seeing Zhou Zhiyuan nod slightly, he looked back at Han Xue, only to see her wiping the table meticulously with her head down. Judging by her movements, she could probably wipe this table for an hour.

Han Xue didn't give him a chance to speak, expressing it through her actions. Li Huaiyi saw it, turned around, and walked out.

The door closed, and Wan Chunfang withdrew her cold gaze, turning to look at Zhou Zhiyuan, smiling, "Comrade Zhou Zhiyuan, Deputy Director Li has high hopes for you. We'll be following you from now on."

Her words had the suspicion of sowing discord.

But Zhou Zhiyuan had a way to deal with it, smiling, "Sister Wan is joking. You and Brother Wang are veterans, and you are my teachers in terms of work. I also want to thank Sister Wan for her help just now."

"And Section Chief Han's performance just now fully demonstrates her working style. She dares to protect her comrades in the face of the responsible leader and steps forward in time to resolve conflicts when Sister Wan and Deputy Director Li may have disagreements. She is very capable and responsible."

"I am very fortunate to have such a leader and such teachers in my new position."

Zhou Zhiyuan expressed his attitude, obeying Han Xue's leadership and respecting Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang as his teachers.

His attitude was very proper. After he finished speaking, Han Xue glanced at him, then turned to Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang, saying seriously, "I am a cadre here for temporary training. I will leave in six months to return to my original unit. The time is short, but I hope to learn some knowledge from Sister Wan and Brother Wang, and I hope to establish a deep friendship with you both."

These words were very skillful. They expressed her status as a trainee, implied that she would not harm anyone's interests, showed respect for Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang, and conveyed a desire to befriend them.

These words sounded high-sounding, but they contained a hidden meaning: "We are both newcomers and should help each other so that we can gain a firm foothold."

Zhou Zhiyuan also understood and nodded slightly, praising her silently in his heart, "Impressive." He was about to reply when he heard a "Hey" from the doorway. He turned his head and saw Zhang Yong opening the door and waving at him.

Zhou Zhiyuan got up and walked out. Zhang Yong closed the door, and the two stood in the courtyard talking.

Wan Chunfang turned to look at the two figures outside the window, then turned back and said, "Does he know Zhang Yong?"

Han Xue also looked out the window. Zhang Yong was the head of the general office, and she would inevitably have to deal with him in the future. Taking advantage of Wan Chunfang's words, she asked in a low voice, "What about Zhang Yong?"

Wan Chunfang smiled and said, "Zhang Yong's character is not bad, but he is good at pleasing leaders. Director Qiu and Secretary Zou treat him very well. Nie Yucheng and Li Huaiyi are also good to him. He is a well-rounded person, but only Hu Biao often teases him."

"What is the result of the teasing?" Han Xue continued to probe for information.

Wan Chunfang replied helplessly, "What can happen? Hu Biao has practiced martial arts and is a notorious troublemaker. He knows many people in society. Zhang Yong is timid and can only endure it."

Han Xue continued to ask, "Doesn't Director Qiu care?"

"He has criticized him a few times, but what else can he do?"

Wan Chunfang's answer was somewhat helpless. She turned to look out the window again and saw Zhou Zhiyuan's sunny smile. She said regretfully, "Little Zhou is quite handsome and has a good temperament, but it's a pity that his right hand is crippled. He is clumsy and can spill water even when pouring it. He is also someone who doesn't do housework."

She expressed her opinion of Zhou Zhiyuan, but Han Xue did not respond. Zhou Zhiyuan's experience and words made her think deeply.

His appearance and temperament were very similar to a civilian officer, but he had served as a squad leader for four years and was even promoted to deputy company-level cadre before his transfer.

And Qiu Jianye's attitude towards him was also very strange, first fierce, then turning gentle, and even calling him "a good soldier."

She knew something about Qiu Jianye, a deputy regimental-level cadre who had transferred from the army. He had outstanding military achievements and was quite experienced. If it weren't for his low level of education, he wouldn't be working in the street office.

According to Qiu Jianye's style, Zhou Zhiyuan's right hand must have made him see something. Thinking of this, Han Xue became interested.

Wan Chunfang was also curious about Zhou Zhiyuan's right hand and asked in a low voice, "How did Zhou Zhiyuan's right hand get crippled?"

Han Xue replied in a low voice, "I don't know. We just met."

At this time, Wang Dagang spoke, "We'll know when he comes back and we ask him."

Everyone has a gossipy heart, and Wang Dagang was no exception.

They reached a consensus. Seeing Zhou Zhiyuan enter the room, Han Xue asked in a deep voice, "Comrade Zhou Zhiyuan, did you transfer from a plateau unit?"

She seemed to be asking a question she already knew the answer to, but she was asking for Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang.

Hearing this question, Zhou Zhiyuan looked at her, then at Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang. Wang Dagang, who had been silent all along, was also looking at him.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhou Zhiyuan understood that he still had to repeat some things. After sitting down, he replied indifferently, "Yes."

Wan Chunfang immediately asked, "Did you participate in the plateau self-defense counterattack?"

He knew that this question would come up, and he replied solemnly, "I participated. It was a inexplicable war. The enemy inexplicably invaded our territory. At first, our army regarded them as formidable enemies..."

He didn't want to talk about his own affairs, so he wanted to lead the topic away, avoiding the individual and talking about the overall situation: "Our army first adopted a strategy of luring the enemy deep, annihilating the main force of the enemy, and then launching a counterattack. In a month, the national defense war was turned into the enemy's capital defense war. At that time, the vanguard was only fifty miles away from the enemy's capital, just one charge away."

Speaking of this, he was quite regretful. At that time, his right hand was crippled, but to attack the enemy's capital, he could still charge in with a gun in his left hand.

He had this confidence and was eager to try. At that time, they were betting, "Who will be the first to rush in?"

Zhou Zhiyuan firmly believed that it was himself, and he hoped that the scene in his dream would not appear. At this time, he was the acting platoon leader, looking forward to the beautiful scene of leading the entire platoon to charge in and raise the red flag, but the order he received was to retreat. Reality and the dream were completely consistent.

This was his regret. He would never have another chance. His story in the sharp knife platoon came to an end.

After he finished speaking, Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang began to discuss, their tone full of pride.

But Han Xue focused on the key point and asked in a deep voice, "How did your right hand get crippled?"

These words reminded Wan Chunfang and Wang Dagang. The two stopped discussing and looked over together.

For Zhou Zhiyuan, this question was quite sharp. A bad answer would have a bad impact, testing his intelligence.

So, after pondering for a moment, he said in a low voice, "It was a mistake. It was a night battle at the time, and when I pulled out my bayonet, I accidentally used the blade as the handle."

This statement was very similar to Shen Lanyin's idiot formula.