Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

"Haha, no way, An'an will only become more outstanding, she won't be eaten."

I picked up my daughter and lifted her high in the air, instantly dispelling her little worries.

After playing for a while, Yang Jianguo put her on the kang (a heated brick bed) and lay down with his son: "You two stay here, I'll go see if the food is ready?"

The large bed in this room was specially made by a carpenter.

The 2x2.2 meter wooden bed has a 1-inch high openwork wooden railing along the inner wall.

There are no complicated carvings or designs at the headboard and footboard.

It's a thick board cut from a real wooden stake, joined together using mortise and tenon joints, and planed to create a slight curve.

It wasn't even painted; it was just sanded smooth.

Even now, you can still see the tiny scratches left from the polishing process.

There were two solid rectangular backrests on the bed, which Yang Jianguo used to support his back when reading at night.

The mattress on the couch was quite thick; it was made of 25 jin of cotton, with 8 jin of cotton extracted from it.

Lying on it is both warm and comfortable.

There was no distinction between winter and summer quilts; I just fluffed up two thin summer cotton quilts weighing 3 jin each.

Nine pounds of cotton make one bed, and two beds make a total of 18 pounds.

In winter, with a stove, the house is not cold at all; but if the temperature really drops, even the stove won't help.

Just put the two quilts together, and that will be enough.

Don't be fooled by the small amount of stuff; it cost fifty or sixty yuan to get everything together.

Cotton is expensive, but the bed is even more expensive!

It's not that the workmanship is complicated; it's that he wanted very high-quality materials, and he used too much material.

There's no kang (heated brick bed) in this room, and the old bed wasn't enough for the whole family.

So, Yang Jianguo made this wooden plank bed.

As for the old bed, it wasn't thrown away; it's still placed against the wall in the main hall near the entrance.

That night, Zhiyuan and Zhiyi were sleeping on that bed.

The two of them, one on each side, slept soundly.

Every night I would get up to check on them, and there they would be, holding my little hand between our legs...

These two siblings are destined to have a great relationship in the future.

A short while later, Yang Jianguo returned to the house carrying the food on a tray.

Serving dishes and doing other tasks can be done in one trip.

Deciding not to use the stove in the main house and to cook in the old house in the middle courtyard, Yang Jianguo had this steel pallet made at the factory.

The tray is deeper than usual, and it has a lid on top.

They're always carrying things around in the yard, and they always have oil or grease on them.

If people see it too often, it's hard not to think about it.

With this lid, you can just snap it on and save so much trouble, how great is that!

Yingzi followed her in. "Pingping, An'an, dinner's ready."

The two little ones lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), then shuffled back off the bed and ran over.

Yingzi also took the steamer off the cast iron stove.

Lifting the lid, a wave of heat hit me, and I picked out four whole eggs.

These steamed white flour buns, steamed in two layers, look delicious!

Pork stew with cabbage and glass noodles, a bowl full of vegetables and soup.

Just these white flour steamed buns, homemade pickled white radish strips, and fermented soybeans.

Soybeans are pickled in soybean paste, making them more flavorful the more you chew them.

Because of the generous amount of salt sprinkled on it, it's a perfect accompaniment to rice.

However, the most impressive dish today is not any of these, but the squirrel fish placed in the middle of the tray.

"Zhu Zi's cooking skills are getting better and better." Yang Jianguo remarked after tasting the chopstick fish.

She got married early and focused on her own life.

With all those messy, trivial matters gone from the courtyard, Sha Zhu had more time to hone his culinary skills.

Now, the dishes I cook are getting better and better.

Before me lay a table laden with a sumptuous meal, including meat, eggs, fish, and steamed buns.

Yingzi still looked uneasy, with a forced smile.

It was all because of what Ran Qiuye said when they met earlier.

"Founding the Nation~"

Unable to contain her worry any longer, Yingzi finally spoke up, "Do you know about that? It's about Imperial University, the students who were arrested?"

Seeing the panic in her expression, Yang Jianguo smiled gently and said, "I heard about it, but it's nothing, it has nothing to do with us."

"No, I heard it's really chaotic outside." Yingzi also works outside.

There are many women in the food factory, and many of them are quite capable.

The factory offers good benefits and easy work, so it would be perfect to arrange a marriage between one of my own women or something.

Therefore, this information is exceptionally well-informed.

Sometimes, rumors start circulating in the factory even before there are any signs outside.

A hundred students were arrested, and then my big-character poster was put on display. The wind was finally about to blow down.

Even the Red Guards could be transformed into a legitimate organization because of a letter of commendation.

That massive movement involving over 13 million people, and so on...

These things will all happen this year, so it's normal that things aren't going well.

Fortunately, I had four years to prepare, and now the steel rolling mill is practically impenetrable.

Even if someone wants to stir up trouble, they have to ask the tens of thousands of workers in the steel rolling mill first.

With dozens of subordinate factories and organizations, will they agree or not?

“Recently, the Revolutionary Committee in our factory has been particularly active. Judging from the factory director’s appearance, he’s under a lot of pressure.”

With Yang Jianguo's assurance, Yingzi felt a little more at ease, but she still told him what she knew.

The existence of the Revolutionary Committee is no secret.

Moreover, the power they wield is terrifyingly vast.

From high-ranking officials to ordinary workers, everyone has the right to inquire and offer opinions.

They call it 'opinion,' but they basically follow it every time.

There was no dissent in the factory, and even after a few days, they changed their story.

In short, this office, which looks like it only has two or three people, is very strange.

"These are things you can say at home, but no matter how close you are to someone outside, you can't mention them."

Now it's time to explain everything to Yingzi.

She was never one to talk big.

But who doesn't have a few close girlfriends around them? When talking to each other, they naturally don't hold back as much.

But now, what was previously unsaid will continue to be kept.

Those who used to say they were just idling around should stop now; this gust of wind is the fiercest yet.

A movement that involved 13 million people over four months, and whose instructors personally received them each time.

Unless we can turn back time and have a proper showdown.

Otherwise, who could stop this?!

"Don't go anywhere before the end of the year. Go straight home after work."

"Keep the Little Red Book in your bag at all times, and don't forget it even if you lose something else."

"Have the portraits and signs been put up and displayed in that room over there?"

Hearing Yang Jianguo's question, Yingzi nodded and said, "They're all pasted up, right in the center. They've been pasted up in both rooms."

"And the signs, they were all specially supported by wooden frames and placed under the portraits, exactly the same."

With these responses, Yang Jianguo's lips curled up again, and he said with a light laugh, "That's good. A few months will pass in the blink of an eye. As long as we work diligently, everything will be fine."

……

P.S.: To avoid saying goodbye to everyone, I'm carefully working through the plot!

Chapter 255 Big-Character Poster Parade, Xu Damao Takes Power

As expected, it happened.

But for most people, it was just something to watch and have some fun, which gave them plenty of topics to talk about after meals.

"I heard they released him on the spot, and the counselor even met with him!"

"That's nothing, the Red Guards are really something else now..."

"Let me tell you, when I came back, the streets were full of students marching with big-character posters, they were all going to rebel..."

"Really? You can't go to school anymore?"

"Why bother going to school? Everyone's off to rebel now."

"Hey, we've only had two good years, and the world is about to fall into chaos again."

"Shh, what nonsense are you talking about? Let's go back and go cook."

"Yes, yes, look at my mouth, I'm cooking, my husband should be back soon."

As I rode my bike home, I saw a procession along the street holding up big-character posters and portraits.

The streets on both sides were packed with onlookers, and Yang Jianguo quickly rode his bike close to the procession.

It's just the beginning; the heat is still warm.

I'm not afraid of being suddenly stopped.

Besides, he was wearing a work uniform with the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill printed on it!

I'll have to tell all the workers to wear their work clothes when they go out and not to try on any trendy outfits.

That hair, those skinny jeans I altered myself—I should put them away in the trunk as soon as possible.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law!" Upon seeing Yang Jianguo in the distance, Li Aimin quickly kicked his legs a few times and caught up with him.

Upon seeing him, Yang Jianguo slowed down.

Once they were side by side, she asked, "Why did you end up here?"

Li Aiguo has been working at the factory for a year and a half, and he is now his third apprentice.

Yang Jianguo only took on three apprentices.

There was some gossip beforehand, but Li Aiguo's performance was commendable.

He became a full-time employee after half a month in the factory, passed the Level 1 exam after six months, and was promoted to Level 2 after a year and a half.

I just finished the exam a little over ten days ago, and the brand new certificate is still fresh in my mind!

Yang Jianguo did not participate in either of the two assessments.

Moreover, it was made clear and publicly stated that he would be treated equally and handled according to strict assessment standards.

Taking his path, though called a shortcut, is actually fraught with thorns.