Siheyuan: Starting to work in the security department

Niu Ping'an patrolled a large area and it took him three hours.

When we got back to the steel mill, it was already past nine o'clock in the evening.

Niu Ping'an took out two lunch boxes from the space and then walked into the office.

One contained some braised dishes, and the other contained four steamed buns.

Liu Rufeng was lying on the simple wooden bed, bored, with his eyes closed and humming a tune.

"Brother Liu, nothing happened!

Are you hungry? Can we have something to eat?"

Seeing that Liu Rufeng was not asleep, Niu Ping'an called him to get up and eat something together.

“I’m back safely!

Oh, you brought a lunch box too?"

Liu Rufeng opened his eyes and saw the two lunch boxes in Niu Ping'an's hands. He stood up, put on his coat and walked over.

He took the lunch box from Niu Ping'an's hand. It was still warm.

"Hey, I went home to grab some food on the way."

Niu Ping'an scratched his head embarrassedly.

Liu Rufeng looked up at the clock in the office and said:

"It's still early, let's eat something first.

My wife packed a lunch box of dumplings for me and I just had to heat them up on the stove and eat them.”

As Liu Rufeng spoke, he put Niu Ping'an's lunch box on the table and opened it.

"Hey, is this braised beef?"

Seeing the lunch box full of braised beef, Liu Rufeng sniffed hard.

"It's so fragrant!"

Liu Rufeng opened another lunch box and found four steamed buns inside.

"Hey, I just made this today. Brother Liu, please try my cooking."

"Put the steamed buns and dumplings on the stove to heat up first, and then we can have some wine."

Liu Rufeng not only brought dumplings, but also a bottle of Lianhua Bai.

"Brother Liu, we still have to be on duty, is it okay to drink?"

Niu Ping'an didn't care whether Liu Rufeng drank or not, but he was a little worried that it would be unsafe for him to patrol after drinking.

"Don't worry, let's drink a little to warm ourselves up, two ounces per person will be enough."

Liu Rufeng waved his hand nonchalantly, and Niu Ping'an did not refuse.

Since there were no wine glasses, the two of them used enamel cups for drinking water to drink the wine, and each of them poured about two taels.

"Come on, be safe, and wish us a happy new year too!"

"Happy New Year!"

The two clinked glasses and drank slowly.

After having a midnight snack, Niu Ping'an made his bed and went to sleep.

Liu Rufeng went out on patrol alone in the cold wind.

……

Early in the morning on the first day of the new year, Niu Ping'an was awakened by Liu Rufeng. The two went to the armory to hand in their pistols and then finished get off work.

Niu Ping'an did not rush back to the courtyard, but followed the custom of his previous life and went to sweep Niu Baoguo's grave.

After sweeping the tomb, I went to the post office and wrote a letter to Majiagou Village.

According to regulations, the postal service does not take holidays. Even if a telegram comes in the middle of the night, the postal staff will deliver it to the door immediately.

Niu Ping'an has been out for such a long time, but he still hasn't reported the news to the villagers.

Influenced by the New Year atmosphere, I had some strange thoughts for a moment.

It was almost noon when we returned to the courtyard. It was long past the time for the children in the courtyard to come and pay New Year's greetings, but we managed to save Niu Ping'an a few bucks.

There weren't many people at home in the yard. I guess they went to the temple fair.

Temple fairs are a traditional custom in Beijing, and the enthusiasm for them remains unabated even when life is difficult.

Niu Ping'an did not join in the fun. He went home, ate something, and went straight to bed.

The three-day Spring Festival holiday passed quickly, and we returned to work as usual on the fourth day.

Qin Huairu's belly grew bigger and bigger, and she started her maternity leave after only a few days of work.

And with Qin Huairu going on maternity leave, life for the Jia family became even more difficult.

After all, the factory’s lunch is subsidized, and Qin Huairu can make some extra money in the workshop from time to time.

With the sudden loss of these two sources of income, the Jia family’s food supply became even tighter.

The support from Sha Zhu alone could not satisfy Jia Zhang's appetite.

There was no other way, Qin Huairu could only continue to try to borrow grain from Yi Zhonghai.

That evening, after Qin Huairu finished cooking dinner for Yi Zhonghai, she asked him hesitantly:

"Uncle Yi, can I borrow some food from you?

The rice jar at home is empty!"

During the Spring Festival, the Jia family lived a very luxurious life, eating white flour and meat every day.

The New Year's goods that Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai had brought were all gone in just a few days.

It is easy to go from simple to luxurious, but it is difficult to go from luxurious to simple!

After only a few meals of corn noodles, Jia Zhang and Bang Geng started complaining.

Even so, it still couldn't stop the two of them from eating, and they had almost finished this month's ration.

"Huai Ru, my family doesn't have any extra food!"

Yi Zhonghai was not clear about the situation of the Jia family, but he was very clear about Qin Huairu's situation in the factory.

At the beginning, Qin Huairu was able to get a lot of things by working together.

Gradually, the workers came to their senses and Qin Huairu's income plummeted.

During this period, I could only do some minor things and could not help the Jia family at all.

What's more, Qin Huairu is now on maternity leave, which is simply adding insult to injury.

But even so, Yi Zhonghai did not give in easily.

Qin Huairu was anxious. Sha Zhu's food rations had been almost drained. Continuing to put pressure on him might backfire.

If they still can't find a way out, the Jia family will run out of food.

The price of grain in Pigeon City is not low, and Qin Huairu is reluctant to spend money to buy it.

Jia Zhang was even more of a miser, and Qin Huairu had no confidence at all in getting money from her.

"Uncle Yi, my family is really running out of food. For Dongxu's sake, please help us!"

Qin Huairu started to cry as she spoke, and her pregnant figure made her look even more pitiful.

Yi Zhonghai had a blank expression on his face, but he was thinking secretly in his heart.

Qin Huairu might really be in trouble this time!

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai began to observe Qin Huairu's expression carefully.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up when he saw this.

Qin Huairu was originally good-looking, but after three difficult years, even though Qin Huairu had good innate conditions, her complexion was no longer good-looking.

After Jia Dongxu's death, the Jia family actually lived a better life than before.

Qin Huairu had a full meal and her complexion looked much healthier, whiter and more charming.

Moreover, Qin Huairu has started her maternity leave and will give birth to a baby soon. Once the child is born, she will be like a fish in water.

Judging from the nature of the workers in the workshop, they would just let her do whatever she wants.

At that time, his chances of becoming Yi Zhonghai were slim.

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai became a little uneasy. He had to control Qin Huairu now and reach an agreement with both parties.

"Huai Ru, I don't have much surplus food, but I can still give you some."

When Qin Huairu heard Yi Zhonghai relax, a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, Master Yi!"

"Don't be impatient, just listen to what I have to say."

Yi Zhonghai said calmly.

"Huai Ru, the current situation of the Jia family will drag you down sooner or later. You should think more about yourself."

Qin Huairu's face froze, her smile became a little forced, and a hint of bitterness appeared at the corners of her mouth.

"Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. For the sake of Banggeng, no matter how hard or tiring it is, I have to persevere!"

A look of relief appeared on Yi Zhonghai's face. He was right about the person and it was not too late.

"Huai Ru, it's not a good idea to always rely on borrowing to get by. I have a suggestion. Think about it."

"Master Yi, please tell me!"

Qin Huairu was curious about what solution Yi Zhonghai could come up with, and pretended to listen attentively.

"Huai Ru, you also know that Master Yi has no children. I would like you to give me a child!"

Yi Zhonghai stated his purpose directly. Time waits for no one. If he doesn't act now, it will be difficult to succeed after Qin Huairu gives birth to a child.

Qin Huairu was stunned for a moment as if struck by lightning.

Yi Zhonghai did not disturb her, as he knew how outrageous this proposal was.

But he was unwilling to give up. Besides, his reputation was ruined and he didn't care what others thought of him.