Siheyuan: My wife is Xu Huizhen

Chapter 645

The family sat in an orderly manner around the old but homely dining table, which was filled with steaming food. The rising hot steam filled the air, emitting an enticing aroma.

The dinner was particularly warm, with laughter and joy echoing in the house, bringing a rare comfort to this cold winter night.

After hearing the news that He Yuzhu had returned from Hong Kong, the neighbors of the courtyard put down their busy work and hurried to visit him.

Everyone’s faces were filled with warm smiles and their eyes were full of concern and joy.

The warmth seemed to dispel all the coldness, making this originally cold winter day feel a little more warm.

He Yuzhu had already made plans in his mind. When he returned from Hong Kong this time, he specially collected some rare items that were rarely seen in China as a gift for everyone.

It was the end of 1961, and the country was still mired in extreme material shortages. Food shortages were particularly prominent, and every household was worried about having enough to eat.

At this critical juncture, hunger lingers like a ghost in every household.

People tried every possible way to find edible things from every corner. Wild vegetables, tree bark, and even some miscellaneous items that they would not care about in normal days became the hope of maintaining life.

He Yuzhu was well aware of everyone's difficulties, so he carefully prepared half a pound of bacon for each family.

This bacon might not be a rare thing when supplies were abundant, but at that time, it was an extremely precious gift.

In the era of material scarcity, meat became almost a luxury, and people could hardly taste meat for months or even years.

For every family, this half pound of bacon is not just food, but also a long-lost warmth and care. It is like a ray of light in the darkness, bringing people a glimmer of hope in life.

At that time, the domestic food supply situation was extremely severe. He Yuzhu was extremely anxious. He mobilized the connections he had accumulated over the years, and after great efforts, he opened up many channels before he finally imported a batch of food.

For this batch of grain, he ran around, contacted foreign trade channels, and repeatedly communicated and coordinated with customs, quarantine and other departments. He prepared a thick stack of materials just to apply for quarantine approval procedures.

But even so, when this batch of grain arrived in the country, it was just a drop in the bucket considering the huge population base.

Domestic demand is like a boundless ocean. Throwing all this grain into it won't even create a ripple, and it's impossible to fundamentally reverse the situation of food supply and demand imbalance.

On the streets and alleys, people are still worried about three meals a day, and life is still tight. Food coupons are extremely precious in people's hands, and every meal has to be carefully calculated. Children look eagerly at the food in the store, and adults have worried faces, trying their best to find food for their family.

Time passed quietly amid laughter and joy, and before we knew it, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening.

The dim light was like a layer of soft gauze, pouring into the courtyard, stretching the figures of everyone.

He Yuzhu sat together with his neighbors, chatting animatedly.

Xu Damao began to talk excitedly about the strange people and things he encountered in the cinema. His exaggerated expressions and actions made everyone laugh so hard that they fell over.

Qin Huairu shared interesting stories about her children at home. She talked about how Xiaodang secretly climbed onto the stove because he was greedy and almost overturned the pot. Everyone resonated with this trivial matter in life and started a heated discussion, talking about the naughty things their children had done.

Everyone was immersed in the joyful atmosphere of the conversation, as if time had stood still, and they were not aware of its rapid passage at all.

Until Liu Haizhong was the first one who couldn't help yawning several times in succession, his eyes began to blur and his eyelids kept fighting.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of yawns spread among the crowd as if it were contagious.

He Yuzhu suddenly came to his senses and subconsciously looked up at the night sky. He saw the moonlight like water, sprinkling in the quiet courtyard. The silvery light outlined the contours of the houses and trees. He was shocked to realize that it was late at night.

He Yuzhu noticed that it was getting late and everyone in the room was still in high spirits, but he was feeling a little tired.

He quickly stood up from his seat, a look of apology appeared on his face, and he bowed repeatedly with both hands, saying goodbye to everyone sincerely.

Then, he walked briskly but slightly tiredly along the familiar path and leisurely returned to the west wing.

As soon as he entered the house, he skillfully made his bed, ready to have a good rest and end this fulfilling and busy day.

The next morning, the dim morning light was like a naughty elf, shining through the gaps in the carved windows and falling softly and delicately on He Yuzhu's face like a golden gauze.

He Yuzhu slowly woke up under the caress of the warm light, feeling lazy all over.

He stretched out comfortably, and his bones and joints made a series of "cracking" sounds.

Then he stood up and walked to the sink, scooped up a handful of cold water and splashed it on his face. In an instant, the remaining sleepiness was dispelled without a trace.

After washing up, he was getting ready to go out, but was surprised to see his father He Daqing dressed neatly. Normally, he would have gone out to work at this time, but today he was nowhere to be seen.

After asking carefully, I found out that He Daqing had taken a special leave, looking forward to taking advantage of this rare leisure time to visit Qianmen with his family.

In He Daqing's mind, this is such a rare opportunity for family reunion, and he hopes that his family can enjoy the warm time during the trip.

The streets of Qianmen are like a vivid scroll of the city, bustling with activity.

The crowd surged like a tide, bustling and shoulder to shoulder, and every face was filled with the flavor of life.

The hawking sounds that come one after another are like lively notes, interweaving into a unique urban melody.

A vendor selling candied haws stood not far away, holding strings of candied haws in his hands. The red haws were like round gems, wrapped in crystal clear, cicada-wing-thin sugar coating, reflecting an attractive luster under the bright sunshine.

The children's eyes were attracted by the candied haws. They pulled their parents' clothes and clamored to buy them.

The childish voices were full of longing, and some children even stood on tiptoe, trying to reach the candied haws in the vendor's hands.

On the other side, the stall selling buns was crowded with people.

The steamer is steaming hot, and the buns just out of the steamer are white and plump, like well-behaved dolls.

The aroma is everywhere, and the rising hot steam carries the mellow aroma of wheat and the fresh fragrance of the filling, which hits your nose.

Passersby all looked sideways, and some were in a hurry, but they couldn't help but slow down and take a deep breath of the tempting aroma.

Some people stopped and bought a few without hesitation.

After getting the buns, they couldn't wait to take a bite. The tender meat filling and the soft dough blended in their mouths, and a sense of satisfaction instantly bloomed on their faces, as if this bite of bun could dispel all fatigue.

He Yuzhu and his family strolled leisurely on the bustling street. The street stalls were full of goods, and shouts and laughter were intertwined.

They walked at a leisurely pace, fully immersing themselves in and feeling the long-lost lively atmosphere. Everyone's face was naturally filled with a happy and satisfied smile, as if they wanted to blend this joy into every inch of the air.

However, this freshness, like the morning mist, did not last long under the caress of sunlight.

Just two days later, the huge gears of life creaked again and began to turn in an orderly manner.

First, the work tasks in the factory came like a tide, and He Yuzhu had to get up early and rush to the workshop.

Family members are also busy with their daily chores. The sounds of bargaining in the vegetable market and the clashing of pots and pans at home have once again become the main theme of life.

Everyone gradually withdrew from the brief novelty and excitement, and returned step by step to the familiar rhythm of life in the past.

After those long and busy days, He Yuzhu finally had the long-awaited leisure time.

Inside the house, he sat alone in front of the slightly old wooden table, his brows slightly furrowed, as if a thousand thoughts were entangled in his mind.

The sunlight outside the window shines through the mottled window lattice and falls on him, with light and shadow interweaving.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, making a rhythmic sound, as if he was having a silent conversation with his inner thoughts.

Time passed minute by minute, He Yuzhu thought for a long time, and gradually came up with an idea in his mind.

He secretly decided that he should first visit the powerful leader.

Looking back on the past few days since I returned safely, I have been overwhelmed by all kinds of complicated and trivial matters every day, and I have been so busy that I have not yet expressed my respect to this leader who has always taken good care of me and extended a helping hand without hesitation at many critical moments.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu felt full of guilt. This matter could not be delayed any longer and had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

He Yuzhu was a little nervous and wandered in front of the big boss's office for a long time, feeling both nervous and expectant.

Finally, he took a deep breath, raised his slightly trembling hand, and knocked lightly on the thick wooden door with his knuckles. A crisp sound echoed in the quiet corridor.

After a moment, a steady and powerful voice called "Come in" came from inside the house.

He Yuzhu slowly pushed open the door, straightened his back, and tried to hide his inner nervousness. He walked in with steps that seemed steady but were actually a little restrained.

"You kid, you've been back for several days, and you only remember to come to me now." The big boss was sitting behind a large desk. When he looked up and saw He Yuzhu, a smile instantly appeared on his face, but his tone was full of pretended blame.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu scratched his head sheepishly, a simple smile plastered on his face. After a chuckle, he quickly explained, "Big boss, you don't know, I just got back, and my old mother hasn't been feeling well. She's been coughing for quite a while, so I have to take care of her myself. And then there are all these miscellaneous matters at the compound that have come my way. Early this morning, someone started a dispute over the communal kitchen space, and I was asked to mediate, but I was really busy, so that's why I'm delayed. Please be magnanimous and don't take offense."

As he spoke, he hurriedly picked up the carefully prepared gift from his side. The gift was carefully wrapped in several layers of newspaper and tied with a red wool thread as a decoration. He handed it over respectfully with both hands.

The big boss reached out to take the gift, his eyes scanned the packaging from top to bottom, nodded slightly, and a look of satisfaction unconsciously revealed in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

At this moment, He Yuzhu stepped into the office and keenly noticed that the atmosphere was different from usual. In the past, the office was always filled with the faint fragrance of tea, but today there was a hint of unfamiliarity.

His eyes quickly locked onto a completely unfamiliar face. It was a young woman wearing a simple but neat shirt, with short hair that reached her ears, and a capable look in her eyes.

Before he could ask, the big boss stood up with a smile, walked around the desk, walked to the woman enthusiastically, and introduced that this was his new secretary, who had just been transferred from another department and would be busy in this office in the future.

It turned out that due to the overall arrangement of work within the factory, the former secretary was transferred back to the factory.

The new secretary in front of me was wearing a meticulously ironed shirt with a straight collar, exuding a sense of competence.

He Yuzhu narrowed his eyes slightly and tried to search his memory, recalling several important meetings and large-scale events organized in the factory. It seemed that he had had a quick glance with her, but he never had the opportunity to communicate in depth.

After hearing the leader's introduction, the new secretary quickly and neatly stood up from his seat, put on a professional smile on his face, and walked lightly towards the tea cabinet beside him.

She skillfully picked up the teapot and poured boiling hot water into the teacup. The tea leaves in the cup instantly rolled and expanded, and the rich tea aroma spread.

When serving tea, the secretary bowed slightly with an elegant posture and polite and natural movements, fully demonstrating her professionalism.

After handing over the tea, she politely took two steps back, turned around gently, and closed the door gently. The whole process was quiet and smooth, without making any unnecessary noise.

The big boss sat on an antique mahogany chair, his posture relaxed yet dignified.

He raised his hand and picked up the teacup with exquisite blue and white patterns, took a sip, his movements graceful and slow, his expression showing some concern.

The leader's gaze lingered on He Yuzhu for a moment, and then he subtly turned the topic back to business.

His eyes were gentle and sharp, as if he could see through people's hearts. He looked straight at He Yuzhu, his voice steady and powerful, and slowly opened his mouth to ask about He Yuzhu's situation in Hong Kong.

When He Yuzhu heard this, his expression changed slightly. His originally relaxed brows unconsciously frowned slightly, and he fell into a brief contemplation.

In an instant, all the experiences in Hong Kong flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope, including the hurried running on the bustling streets, the tense situation when dealing with various forces, and the confusion and contemplation when I was alone.