Siheyuan: He Yuzhu since 1958

Chapter 208 Cui Qinghai prepares to split the family

Lu Guoliang arrived at Cui Qinghai's house very quickly. As soon as he entered the house, Lu Guoliang saw Cui's family eating, and his two sons were also mixed in. Lu Guoliang glared at his two sons, looked at Cui Qinghai, and greeted him: "Uncle, are you eating?!"

Cui Qinghai asked: "Have you eaten?!"

Lu Guoliang said: "I have eaten!"

Cui Qinghai nodded slightly and said, "Please sit down for a while. If you have anything to say, we can talk after I finish my meal."

"Hey!" Lu Guoliang responded and walked to the side and sat down. Cui Qinghai knew that his nephew would not come to visit easily. He must have something important to tell him. So Cui Qinghai finished his meal in two or three bites, walked to Lu Guoliang's side, and asked, "Guoliang, what's the matter?!"

Lv Guoliang took out his work certificate and told Cui Qinghai what happened. After listening to Lv Guoliang's narration, Cui Qinghai frowned and said, "Niu Baitian is still calculating as before."

Lu Guoliang said, "After this incident, our family has nothing to do with them. Uncle, if this job was somewhere else, I really couldn't do anything. But this job is at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. Don't forget, Zhuzi is the deputy director of the canteen there. He has a good relationship with the leaders of the factory. It's not difficult to get this job. We don't have anyone of the right age. So I thought of you. If your family sends another one, come with me to Sijiucheng tomorrow."

Cui Qinghai hesitated for a few seconds, nodded silently, and said, "Okay! No matter who in our family gets this job, we will follow Dongzi's calculation. I will give you five yuan a month until you get five hundred yuan!"

Lu Guoliang's face changed and he said, "Uncle! You are being polite. I got this job in exchange for 200 kilograms of fine grain. 200 kilograms of fine grain is now only 300 yuan at most. If you really want to give, give me 300 yuan. I don't want a cent more. Otherwise, I will leave now."

"Okay!" Cui Qinghai agreed with a smile, and said, "You are still the same as before, there is nothing I can do about you!" Then he asked, "When will you go to Sijiu City tomorrow?!"

Lu Guoliang replied: "I'm worried that the night will be long and full of dreams. Let's meet at the village entrance when the rooster crows for the first time tomorrow."

"Okay!" Cui Qinghai agreed readily. Lu Guoliang looked at his two sons. Hu Tou felt his father's unfriendly gaze, smiled at his father, and then ran away with his brother.

Lu Guoliang said: "Uncle! I'm going back first!"

"Be careful on the road!" After Cui Qinghai sent Lv Guoliang out, he returned to the table, sat down, looked at everyone present, and said, "You all heard what Guoliang said just now. I won't say much. Those who are willing to go, raise your hands."

All the men of Cui Qinghai's family who were of age raised their hands. Cui Qinghai said, "Since you all want to go, let's follow the old rules and draw lots!" Then he looked at his wife and said, "Old woman, go get the jar."

"Hey!" Wang Huilan responded, took out the jar used for drawing lots at home and handed it to Cui Qinghai.

Cui Qinghai took the jar, shook it, and said, "It's still the same old rule. Whoever touches the red bone goes." After that, Cui Qinghai put the jar in his hand on the table.

Everyone present looked at each other, and finally turned their attention to Dongzi's younger brother. Cui Tianhao said, "My family will be the last one to draw."

"My father is the eldest in the family, I'll smoke first!" After saying that, Cui Jun couldn't help but put his hand into the jar first, touched a bone, and took his hand out directly. Seeing that it was just an ordinary bone in his hand, he angrily slammed the bone on the table and turned around and walked out of the hall.

Cui Qinghai's face changed instantly when he saw Cui Jun's reaction. He never expected that his grandson would have such an attitude. One after another, the job quota finally fell into the hands of Cui Qinghai's youngest son Cui Tianming. Cui Qinghai reminded: "Tianming, get up early tomorrow and don't waste time."

"Hey!" Cui Tianming responded, saying, "Dad, Mom! I'm going back to sleep first."

"Go!" Wang Huilan responded, and watched her youngest son leave the house. She sighed unconsciously and said, "Master, I am not dreaming, am I?!"

Cui Qinghai sighed and said, "Old lady, good days are still to come!"

Wang Huilan came back to her senses, looked at her husband, and asked, "Then why are you so sad?!"

Cui Qinghai said: "When a tree grows big, it will branch out. The same is true for a family. The children are all grown up, and it is time to separate."

Wang Huilan said: "Old man, you have been thinking about this for a long time, right?!"

Cui Qinghai nodded and said, "I was thinking about this the last time Dongzi went out to work. I was still hesitant and wanted to wait until the famine was over before dividing the family. But Junzi's reaction today reminded me. It's better to divide the family sooner rather than later."

Wang Huilan asked: "Who are we going to live with?!"

Cui Qinghai replied, "With the second brother's family. We can still move now, so we won't live with them for now. We'll decide in a few years. The pots and pans in the house will be divided among the people. We'll give each family 100 yuan. We'll keep the rest. We'll just build a wall around the house where they live now."

While Cui Qinghai was discussing with his wife how to divide the family property, Cui Tianhao was sitting at the end of the kang, smoking a cigarette with a sad face. Zhang Erya, who was sitting at the head of the kang sewing clothes, looked up at her husband and asked, "I noticed something was wrong with you after dinner. What's wrong with you?!"

Cui Tianhao said: "Old man, you are really going backwards as you get older. This time, Junzi must have hurt our father's heart a lot."

Zhang Erya said: "Ever since Dongzi went to work in the city, the old lady has started to dislike us."

Cui Tianhao said: "Dad had already found some connections to send Junzi and his brother to the army. It would only take a few months. But they couldn't stand it anymore."

Zhang Erya asked, "Since the old lady doesn't want to go, why don't we talk to Dad and let our best friend go?!"

Cui Tianhao said: "There is no rush for this matter, let's talk about it after the New Year."

I guess he was too excited because he was going to get a job soon. Cui Tianming tossed and turned on the kang and didn't fall asleep all night. He got up before the roosters crowed. He washed up, found a steamed bread left over from yesterday in the kitchen, put it in his pocket, took the certificate his father gave him before he went to bed yesterday, and hurried out.

When Cui Tianming arrived at the entrance of the village, he waited for a short while before Lv Guoliang appeared on a bicycle not far from the entrance. Cui Tianming waved and called out, "Third Brother!"

Lu Guoliang stopped beside Cui Tianming and asked, "Is it you, kid?!"

"Hehe!" Cui Tianming smiled at Lu Guoliang and said, "I'm lucky! I was chosen in the draw."

"Okay!" Lu Guoliang responded and urged, "Hurry up and get in the car!"

"Hey!" Cui Tianming immediately got on the back seat of the bicycle. Lu Guoliang turned on the electric motorcycle lights, pedaled, and rode the bicycle towards the direction of Sijiu City.

When Lv Guoliang and Cui Tianming arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the gate had just opened. Liu Haizhong, who was about to go to the toilet, saw Lv Guoliang and Cui Tianming and asked, "Who are you looking for?!"

Lu Guoliang replied: "I am He Yuzhu's third uncle, I am looking for He Yuzhu." After that, Lu Guoliang took Cui Tianming and walked directly past Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong looked at the backs of Lu Guoliang and Cui Tianming and muttered, "Who are they?!"