Siheyuan: It’s so nice to be Lao Liu

After Yan Jiefang came out of Qinjia Village, he found an empty corner, put all the saplings on the car into the space, planted them evenly on the land in the space, and rode towards the city with the empty car.

After riding for more than half an hour, Yan Jiefang arrived outside the Hongxing Courtyard, put the sweet potatoes exchanged for food coupons on the back seat, and pushed the bicycle into the courtyard.

As soon as he entered the front yard, he saw his father and He Yuzhu chatting there. Seeing He Yuzhu holding two bags in his hands, Yan Jiefang recalled the plot and guessed that He Yuzhu might want to ask his father to introduce him to Banggeng's teacher Ran Qiuye.

"Dad, what are you and Brother Zhuzi doing? What are you thinking of doing so much in public?"

Yan Jiefang walked over to the two of them with a smile, and saw clearly the two bags in He Yuzhu's hands. As expected, just like what was shown on TV, these were two bags of local specialties, all of which were ingredients from the kitchen, including garlic, onions, potatoes, and ginger. The two bags were full, and it seemed that they were brought out from the canteen of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

Although it seems that garlic, onions, potatoes, and ginger are not presentable as gifts now, and even a bit embarrassing, but at that time when people were starving, these things were good things.

He Yuzhu saw that it was Yan Jiefang, so he didn't hide it and said directly: "It's Jiefang. I have something to ask the third uncle, and I want him to help me."

Yan Jiefang deliberately looked at his father and asked, "Dad, what did this Zhuzi brother ask you to do? How could he be willing to give so many things to our family?"

The third uncle Yan Bugui, who had been silent the whole time, glanced at his son and said, "Shazhu wants me to introduce him to a female teacher in my school. Look, I'm still considering it!"

Yan Jiefang looked at the things in He Yuzhu's hand, then looked at his father, and thought to himself, "You are worthy of being the most calculating third uncle in Siheyuan. He has given you a lot of things. Now He Yuzhu just wants you to help him with some connections, but you still want to manipulate him."

He didn't know what to say after hearing what his father said, so he said, "Brother Zhuzi, Dad, you guys chat first. I'm going to push the sweet potatoes home first and I won't chat with you anymore."

After saying that, he ignored the two of them and pushed his bicycle towards home.

"Mom, come and help me, hold the bicycle for a minute so I can unload the bags." Yan Jiefang saw the third aunt sitting in the house and shouted to her.

The third aunt recognized Yan Jiefang's voice and hurried out, asking with concern: "Jiefang, why are you back so late?"

After Yan Jiefang put the two bags of sweet potatoes on the ground, the third aunt quickly took out a scale to weigh them. Seeing that there was no problem with the weight, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, the weight is fine."

When Yan Jiefang saw his mother's actions, he couldn't help but sigh. They were really a couple. His mother had learned most of his father's calculating skills.

After weighing and putting the sweet potatoes away, Yan Jiefang saw his father coming in with the two bags of local specialties that He Yuzhu had brought with him. He walked over and said, "Dad, have you agreed to He Yuzhu's request to introduce him to Teacher Ran?"

The third uncle Yan Bugui weighed the two bags of local specialties in his hand and said with disdain: "I didn't agree. He only gave me such a small gift. How could I agree?"

"Besides, what kind of family does Teacher Ran Qiuye come from? Both of her parents are top students who studied abroad. Now they are middle school teachers and are high-level intellectuals. How can he, Sha Zhu, be worthy of her, just a cook?"

Yan Jiefang thought about He Yuzhu stealing his wheel, and his father had a bad reputation for taking things but not doing anything for them, so he couldn't help but remind him: "Dad, what you did is a bit unkind. You took He Yuzhu's things but didn't do anything for him. If He Yuzhu spreads the news, your reputation will be ruined."

Although the third uncle Yan Bugui was stingy, he also cared about his reputation. He quickly said, "Jiefang, then tell me what I should do? It's like Shazhu, who is helping the Jia family. If Teacher Ran marries him, she will definitely not have a good life. I can't harm him."

Yan Jiefang looked at his father, and after a moment of silence, he said, "This matter is actually easy to handle. He Yuzhu asked you to help him connect with Teacher Ran. Qin Huairu definitely doesn't know. If she knew that the big enemy was going to get married, she would definitely ruin his marriage."

"Since you have taken He Yuzhu's things, you have to do the job. But when you tell Teacher Ran about this, let Banggeng hear it. According to Banggeng's character, he will definitely tell her mother when he gets home. You don't have to worry about He Yuzhu's revenge afterwards. What do you think?"

The third uncle Yan Bugui nodded, feeling that there was nothing wrong with what his son said. He not only preserved his reputation but also achieved his wish, killing two birds with one stone.

"Jiefang, you will graduate from high school this year. What are your plans? Do you want to take the college entrance examination or find a job after graduation?" asked the third uncle Yan Bugui.

This year is June 4th, and there are still two years before the dark decade. If I get into college, I don’t know what will happen to me. But if I work in a factory or become a chef with my skills, and ask my father to quit his job as a teacher in two years, my Yan family will have been poor farmers for generations, so they can live a stable life in the storms ahead.

The most important thing is that he has a golden finger. He can grow crops and raise livestock in the space. He can accumulate capital during the turbulent years, and when the space is opened up in the future, he will be able to do whatever he wants.

"Dad, I don't plan to go to college. I will graduate in a few days, and I plan to work as a worker in a steel mill." Yan Jiefang replied.

Hearing Yan Jiefang's plan, the third uncle Yan Bugui said, "Okay, I'll find a chance to ask Lao Yi if he can help get you in."

Seeing this, Yan Jiefang said, "Dad, don't look for Uncle Yi Zhonghai anymore. You'll owe him a favor if you look for him, and a favor is the hardest to repay."

He smiled and continued, "I don't need anyone's help. I can get into the steel mill with my own ability."

Yan Jiefang had the confidence to say this. After a month, when the food in his space was harvested, he would go to the black market to buy some animal cubs. By the time he graduated, there should be no shortage of animals in his space.

Although the three-year disaster period has passed, supplies are still in short supply, especially meat, which is hard currency. Not only can you get a job in a steel mill, but you can also get a job in a street office.

"How can you get in without my help?" Uncle Yan Bugui asked, "How can the leaders of the steel mill let you in without giving you some gifts?"

Yan Jiefang would not tell anyone that he had a portable space, so he could only mention that he could cook, and said, "Dad, my cooking skills are better than He Yuzhu's. Do you think I can get a job in the steel mill?"

Hearing Yan Jiefang's reasons, the third uncle Yan Bugui showed disdain on his face, shook his head and said, "Don't brag. I've tasted Shazhu's cooking skills. Although he's not good, his cooking skills are beyond reproach. If it weren't for his bad mouth, he could have been a canteen director with his skills."

"How about I prepare a few dishes for you tonight and let you try them to see whether my cooking skills are better or He Yuzhu's is better?"

Yan Jiefang's current cooking skills are on par with those of the state banquet chefs, and are certainly not comparable to He Yuzhu, so he is naturally confident when he says this.

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Why are you preparing several dishes? Don't you know what's going on in our family? It's good enough to cook one dish for a meal!"

"I have to save the money to find you a job, get married, and find you a wife!"

The third uncle Yan Bugui rolled his eyes at him unhappily. According to Lao Kou's personality, it was better not to cook any dishes, just steamed corn bread and pickles. In any case, the more money he could save, the better.

Yan Jiefang was also helpless. There was no way he could change his father's calculating personality in a short time. He could only wait until he graduated and got a job to change his personality.

Since his father didn't allow him to show off his cooking skills, Yan Jiefang didn't know what to say. He just said hello and went back to his room to rest.