Siheyuan: Living in the People's Community, with a Heart for the Red Star

The two spent the whole morning at the Temple of Heaven and the Central Natural History Museum, using up two rolls of film. It was not until 12 o'clock that they went to Fuyuan Restaurant on Tianqiao South Street for a simple meal.

This morning at the military district, Zhao Tiejun followed Zhou Zhennan and several logistics leaders to visit the garrison base, familiarized themselves with the logistics process, and inspected the base's granary and cold storage. Soon everyone came to the whale slaughterhouse, which was a temporary shed built on a piece of wasteland on the west side of the garrison. The shed was mainly used to block the sun's rays. Several scientific researchers in white coats were directing everyone to unload the whale into small pieces. The whale oil was dug out barrel by barrel and transported to the yard next door by a cart for boiling.

This simple shanty town has been working for two consecutive days. All the smaller sharks have been decomposed. Some have been put into storage, and some have been transported away. Only the two largest whales are still being slowly decomposed. Among the busy people are fish experts seconded from the navy and biological experts from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. These people have researched large fish. The most conspicuous are the two seconded state banquet chefs. They have been developing new dishes for two consecutive days and have prepared more than 20 mature new dishes. The base's cooking team and leaders ate with great satisfaction and had endless aftertaste.

Biological experts have recorded and studied the entire process in detail, and have thoroughly analyzed every inch of fish meat and taste, otherwise the whale would have been disassembled. It is because of the need for detailed analysis that the process is so slow, but it will be disassembled today. The complete shark and whale skeletons will also be exhibited in the Central Natural History Museum.

Zhao Tiejun also knew that he was transferred to the Army Logistics Department for the supervision and management of meat, so he took it seriously. After going through the formalities, everyone returned to the administrative building and handed over the logistics work to Zhao Tiejun.

After the handover was completed, Zhao Tiejun came to the logistics office building and called a meeting with the heads of various logistics departments, including Zhou Xiaobai. The work report meeting of the logistics department went smoothly, and everyone reported their main responsibilities to Zhang Tiejun.

After Zhao Tiejun learned about everyone's work status, he announced the end of the meeting and notified all the leaders that he would treat everyone to a fish feast in the cafeteria's private room in the evening. Everyone was very enthusiastic and applauded.

When everyone left, Zhou Xiaobai walked at the end and went to the office with Zhao Tiejun.

Zhou Xiaobai said to Zhao Tiejun coquettishly: "Brother Jun, you have to protect me when you are transferred here! Sister Jingyi told me in advance."

Zhao Tiejun also smiled at Zhou Xiaobai and said, "I'll still have to rely on you to take care of us in the future! If it weren't for your surname Yang, our army wouldn't be so well off, and I wouldn't be transferred here to guard it. Jingyi also said that it's because of you two that we have the sea fish we have now, otherwise how could other military regions not have it? I will take care of you, and you don't have to do other work, just get me the fish meat in time! Of course, other meat is also fine. Don't look at the surname Yang, he is also my brother-in-law, but I really don't know how to ask him!"

Zhou Xiaobai began to make demands, saying, "Let's take care of each other! This afternoon, Luo Yun and I will go to Brother Yang to ask for meat. Please give me a note! And please settle the bills for the last two times!"

Zhao Tiejun didn't act pretentiously. He took out a pen and paper from his bag, wrote a note, stamped it with the logistics stamp, and a pass was ready.

"Xiao Bai, I just took over the job and I'm not familiar with many things. The previous accounts haven't been checked yet, so I can't settle the bill for you. Wait for a few days until I'm familiar with the job and then we can talk. I'm very busy, so why don't you go back and prepare to get the meat first!"

Zhou Xiaobai took the pass and shouted happily: "Thank you, Brother Jun. Brother Jun, you are so kind. Now we are leaving. Goodbye!"

Zhou Xiaobai skipped out of the office with the note in his hand, not worrying about the payment at all.

Zhao Tiejun was relieved when he saw Zhou Xiaobai leave the office. After all, he had just taken over the job and was not familiar with many things. He had not established any relationship with the people. If he rashly settled the bill, he would be in a passive position. Fortunately, Zhou Xiaobai did not have too high a demand for money and never worried that the army would cheat her of her money. After all, her father was the commander of the army, so it did not make much difference whether she settled the bill early or late.

Zhao Tiejun took out the logistic personnel files and the division of work in the rules and procedures and meeting minutes, and read them carefully, seizing the time to familiarize himself with the work. He reached out and picked up the phone and asked his secretary to bring over the recent backlog of work.

When Lao Yang and Zhao Jingyi rushed home, they were already sweating profusely and their shirts were soaked. The weather was already scorching hot and it was not suitable to go out at noon. After returning home, they boiled hot water to wash their bodies before changing into pajamas and turning on the fan to rest.

There were knocks on the door and Luo Yun called out, "Brother Yang, Sister Jingyi, come and open the door! We are back."

Lao Yang walked to the door and opened it. Luo Yun jumped in first, hugged Lao Yang and kissed him, then hurried into the house. Zhou Xiaobai, who came in later, also kissed Lao Yang on the face and quickly hid in the house. After checking that there was no one outside the door, he closed the door and locked it.

Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun had already run to the refrigerator, took out two bottles of iced cola and started drinking them, burping comfortably while drinking.

Zhao Jingyi also came out of the bedroom, looked at the two people drinking soda and asked, "What's wrong with you two? Why did you come out in such a hot day?"

Zhou Xiaobai ran to Zhao Jingyi with a Coke, pulled her to sit next to the table and said, "Today, Jun was transferred to the logistics department as the director, and he is in charge of us. I asked him to issue a pass, and I came back with Xiaoyun. With Jun's protection, we can come back to see you often. As long as my husband gives us some fish often, our mission will be accomplished."

Zhou Xiaobai was now more relaxed and flirted with Lao Yang. Lao Yang shrugged indifferently and said, "As long as you are happy!"

Zhao Jingyi said to Zhou Xiaobai, "You two should keep an eye on him in the army. My brother is too much like my father, he is a male chauvinist and looks down on women. He keeps things to himself and doesn't say anything when he's angry, so he's easy to be framed. Keep an eye on him and tell me if anything happens. Otherwise, we won't even know how he died!"

Luo Yun came over and interrupted, "Sister Jingyi, what you said is too exaggerated. I don't think Jun is such a bad person. He is very clear about right and wrong. I don't think anything can happen. Besides, Jun has been in the army for so many years and has never had any problems. Don't worry too much and just give Jun some confidence!"

"He has not gotten into trouble for so many years, mainly because he has been under my father's command, and any problems can be suppressed for him. In addition, he is honest and obedient, so he can barely survive without making any achievements. After being transferred to the Army Logistics, he will have to rely on himself and can no longer be protected under his wing."

Zhao Jingyi was still somewhat worried about Zhao Tiejun's future and was very pessimistic about things.

Old Yang walked behind Zhao Jingyi, patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't think too much. It was my idea to transfer Big Brother to the Army Logistics Department. Since I transferred him there, I won't let anything happen to him. Although there may not be much room for promotion, his life safety can still be guaranteed. You have to have confidence in me!"

Zhao Jingyi was relieved when she saw Lao Yang's statement. She turned to Zhou Xiaobai and asked, "Did you two come to eat at this time? How did you get here?"

Luo Yun said, "Of course I didn't eat. The food in the army is too bad. We all saved our stomachs for delicious food when we came back! Husband, please take it out. I want to eat braised prawns, five-spice pork elbow, four-happiness meatballs and shortbread."

Zhou Xiaobai also started ordering dishes: "Another serving of smashed cucumber and crystal steamed dumplings!"

Lao Yang took out the food they ordered and placed it on the table. The two of them grabbed their chopsticks and started eating. Zhao Jingyi and Lao Yang, who had not eaten much at noon, were also tempted to eat some. Finally, Lao Yang took out the sealed Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the four of them ate it all!

After eating and drinking, Luo Yun couldn't wait to take a nap with Lao Yang.

Zhao Jingyi and Zhou Xiaobai chatted and laughed while they cleaned up the table. They turned on the TV and sat in the living room, watching TV and chatting about family matters while paying attention to what was going on in the house.

When Li Yuping returned home at 6pm, she saw Lao Yang sitting at the octagonal table in the living room, reading a book, with a program still playing on the TV. Li Yuping hung her coat and handbag on the hanger, washed her hands and came to the table.

"Why are you alone? Where's Zhao Jingyi? Did she go back to her parents' home?"

Li Yuping sat down, picked up the kettle and poured a cup of boiling water.

Old Yang answered while reading a book, "No, Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun also came this afternoon. They challenged me and they haven't woken up yet. It's getting late. Go wake them up, have dinner early and let Xiaobai and Xiaoyun go back early!"

After listening to what Lao Yang said, Li Yuping imagined it and her face immediately turned red. She quickly walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of iced watermelon juice and drank it. Only then did she feel physically and mentally relaxed and suppressed her rising anger. She took out a small piece of frozen crushed ice from the refrigerator and ran into the inner room.

Soon, several sharp screams came from the inner room. It seemed that Li Yuping, the bad guy, had thrown ice chips on the three people. Then there was a burst of shouting and fighting, accompanied by Li Yuping's laughter and begging for mercy. It seemed that the three women united to suppress Li Yuping.

Auntie Sun called out from outside the door: "Xiao Yang, Xiao Zhao, are you home? What happened? Open the door and talk to me, or I'll knock on the door!"

Old Yang put down the book and walked to the door. He opened the door and saw several old women blocking the door, and a group of old men standing behind them.

"I'm really sorry to bother you all! Jingyi and her girlfriends were playing around, and their movements were a bit too loud and disturbed everyone! Just now, they were playing around and threw ice cubes into their collars, so the screams were quite loud. They will be out soon!"

Lao Yang quickly apologized.

Several aunties were blocking the door, and Lao Yang did not let them in. However, their eyes fell on the TV that was playing programs. Their eyes were attracted by the TV. However, there were still a few people observing other things in the house and discussing them. It was a matter of envy and jealousy. In this era, if a family had a radio, it would be a great family, not to mention a TV, a refrigerator, and an electric fan, which were only available to cadres' families. It was reasonable to say that Zhao Jingyi was the president of the public sales cooperative before, but it was human nature to hate others for having money and dislike the poor family. Since Zhao Jingyi was no longer the president, it would be very glaring to have these things.

Soon, Zhao Jingyi, Zhou Xiaobai and Li Yuping came out from the inner room. Due to the tight schedule, their appearance was a little messy. Zhao Jingyi led the two women to the door to block everyone's sight.

Zhao Jingyi smiled and apologized to Auntie Sun, saying, "I'm so sorry, Auntie. We played a little too much and didn't pay attention to the impact! It's a sin to disturb everyone's rest. I promise I won't do this again in the future. Auntie Sun, please let everyone go back first. It's not good to gather around like this!"

Aunt Sun looked back at the young men and old men who were blocking the archway of the west wing and looking in eagerly. Zhao Jingyi and the other two girls still had red faces from their playfulness, which made the young men around them drool and stare with their eyes wide open.

Aunt Sun also realized that the situation was not good, and immediately put her hands on her hips and shouted loudly: "What are you doing here, you old bastards? Go back quickly, don't you want to eat dinner? Well, there is nothing for you to do here, so go back!"

Aunt Sun scolded the group of old ladies around her, "Why don't you take your husbands back? What are you doing here? What if I kick you out later? Since there's nothing wrong, let's go!"

After saying that, Aunt Sun pushed a few people away and walked outside.

The old men and young men blocking the door dispersed and disappeared without a trace when they saw Aunt Sun approaching aggressively, leaving only two children of seven or eight years old standing at the archway looking inside. Since there was nothing to gossip about, the old women followed Aunt Sun and left the West Wing together. As they walked, they discussed the electrical appliances in the room, especially the TV, which was the first one in the yard.

I have only seen these appliances in shopping malls before, but now I find that they are also in the courtyard, and they must have been there for quite some time, but no one has noticed. So can I come to visit and watch TV at the same time? The more active ones are thinking about whether to persuade Aunt Sun to ask Zhao Jingyi for advice and put the TV in the courtyard for everyone to see.

After Zhao Jingyi watched everyone leave the west wing, she slammed the two doors shut, pushed the bolts and locked the door. Zhao Jingyi and Zhou Xiaobai immediately grabbed Li Yuping's shoulders and took her back to the inner room, where they heard the playful voices criticizing Li Yuping.

Lao Yang cleared the table and took out a table of food from the space. He shouted loudly into the room: "You guys hurry up and come out to eat, it's getting late!"

The room soon calmed down. Li Yuping ran out first, sat at the dining table, looked at the dishes on the table, and found her favorite ones and put them in front of her.

After Zhao Yijing and the other two girls came out, they opened the door and went to the toilet outside the courtyard. After about 10 minutes, the three of them came back to wash up. They also sat at the table and began to choose their favorite food and put it in front of them.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Lao Yang announced that they were ready to eat, and they began to eat heartily. Especially Zhao Jingyi and the other two girls, the food they had eaten at noon was completely consumed in the afternoon.

The meal was soon over and the food on the table was almost finished.

This time, Lao Yang simply waved his hand and put everything into the space. The desk was clean and tidy, saving everyone the trouble of cleaning up.

Taking out some more fruits and drinks from the space, Lao Yang looked at Zhou Xiaobai and Luo Yun who were touching their bellies and began to ask them the purpose of their return.