readsfreenovel Chapter 218 "He Yuzhu" 22
Chapter 218 "He Yuzhu" 22
In the evening, after cooking a meal for the officers on duty, He Yuzhu took his lunchbox back to the courtyard house.
He Daqing wasn't being entertained at the factory today, so he was at home playing with He Yuanchao. Yushui was doing her homework in her room, while Wang Dahe was in the kitchen helping his sister. He Yuzhu came back and handed the lunchbox to Wang Yan, saying, "Aunt Wang, this is my portion that I brought back from the canteen. You can heat it up together later."
"Okay, put it here. From now on, with all the stuff you two bring back, I can cook half as much dinner as I need." Wang Yan said with a smile. No wonder cooks are so popular; look at how well these two are treated.
He Yuzhu pulled Wang Dahe into the main room, and the men sat together chatting. "Zhuzi, were you allocated the east wing room in the front yard?" He Daqing had heard about this from Wang Yan as soon as he returned, and even took the key to the front yard to check.
"Yes, did Uncle Dahe get that room?" He Yuzhu asked, looking at the two of them as he thought of Wang Dahe's house. "Yes, he did. He was promoted to junior worker in September, and the factory allocated houses. I spoke to the head of the logistics department, and they gave him that room. The extra rent they paid was also refunded." He Daqing replied, while Wang Dahe chuckled and teased He Yuanchao.
“That’s perfect. I’d like to do some simple renovations to the east wing, install a ceiling, divide it into a few smaller rooms, and build a kitchen. I’ll renovate it together with Uncle Dahe’s room later.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Master Wang tomorrow and ask him to come and take a look,” He Daqing replied.
"Uncle Dahe, after I left, did you find Teacher Yan to continue teaching you to read?" He Yuzhu asked Wang Dahe. "Yes, I did. I pay Teacher Yan 30,000 yuan a month. He tutors me and Yushui for an hour every evening after dinner. I have an elementary school graduation certificate now. Yushui will have to wait a little longer, but she is already at a fourth-grade level. However, Teacher Yan can only teach Chinese for junior high school; he can't teach math."
After learning cultural knowledge, Wang Dahe felt that learning fitter work from his master was much easier. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a junior worker so quickly. He now earns 30 yuan a month, which is double his previous salary. If he could be promoted to intermediate worker, he could earn 45 yuan a month. So he is now very motivated to learn cultural knowledge, because that's all money! It's a pity that Teacher Yan can't teach all the junior high school knowledge.
“Let’s ask Teacher Yan to inquire around and find a math teacher nearby. Besides hands-on skills, the main thing for a fitter is understanding blueprints and data. If you master solid geometry, the fitter’s knowledge won’t be difficult. She still needs to learn. If Yushui can keep up, we can let her skip a grade next year. Once she’s learned everything, there’s no need for her to stay in second grade. Once we find a math teacher, I’ll listen in too, and then we can both take the junior high school graduation exam together,” He Yuzhu said. Although He Daqing had sent him to learn to read before liberation, he didn’t actually have a junior high school graduation certificate. This one wouldn’t be difficult, so they could get one.
As the group was talking, they heard Wang Yan call out from the kitchen doorway, "Stop chatting, everyone, it's time to eat!" The group quickly got up to get their food; their lack of enthusiasm for eating suggested something was wrong. After the meal, He Yuzhu and Wang Dahe washed the dishes.
Unlike other families in the courtyard, the He family's men acted like lords after get off work, not lifting a finger to help with household affairs. Their wives poured their water and served their meals to them. After dinner, they would take a teacup to the courtyard and chat.
The main reason is that the father and son got used to supporting themselves in the past few years. Also, since they are both cooks, they are very familiar with the kitchen. However, He Daqing is now almost the same as his grandfather. After all, if someone comes to the house and needs to be entertained, wouldn't He Yuzhu be the one to take care of it?
In the following days, He Daqing hired Master Wang to repair the house. He started by repairing the east wing of the front yard. Each of the two east wing rooms was about 20 to 30 square meters, with the door facing west and a window on the east wall. He Yuzhu knocked down the two rooms, leaving only the door farthest from the back house, dividing the house into four rooms, leaving enough space to build a kitchen. He also opened a west-facing window in the room with the sealed door, so it could be considered a fully bright house.
The room you enter is the main hall, and the other three are bedrooms. The three bedrooms have kang beds, which are connected to form a "7" shape. All the rooms have a wooden ceiling. Since the side rooms are not as tall as the main room, the highest point is only a little over 4 meters, so they can't be built with two floors. They simply put a ceiling on it, which makes the rooms cleaner and allows them to store some things. There is an entrance in the ceiling next to the main door.
The kitchen was also built according to the dimensions, since we'll be living here for a long time and can't make do. The roof was also inspected and the tiles were replaced.
As for Wang Dahe's room, it's the same as the Jia family's house. It can only be divided into two rooms, one inside and one outside. The kitchen at the entrance is also much smaller. However, Wang Dahe lives alone. Even if he gets married and has two children in the future, he can make do. If it really becomes too crowded, he can find a way to adjust it.
At this time, houses could still be bought and sold, but buying a house cost a lot of money. Wang Dahe didn't have this idea at the moment, and He Yuzhu didn't try to persuade him either. If he really wanted to buy a house, he could wait until the reform and opening up.
With the houses on both sides repaired, the Lunar New Year was fast approaching, and the family began preparing for the holiday. Wang Dahe had finally mastered cycling skills in the past two years, but he still couldn't carry passengers, only some things. This year, He Yuzhu came back, and Wang Yan went back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year. They couldn't just leave He Yuzhu at home alone, so getting around became a problem again.
Alright, let's buy another bicycle. We should also buy one for Wang Dahe. There will only be more and more people in the family in the future, so we'll need one sooner or later. Besides, it will be easier for Wang Dahe to find a wife if he has a bicycle.
When the He family bought two more bicycles, the people in the courtyard were not calm. They knew that the He family was well-off, but they couldn't be so "extravagant." Did one family need three bicycles? In their eyes, Wang Dahe was also classified as a member of the He family.
A group of people gathered around the He family's two new bicycles and started discussing. Yi Zhonghai asked, "Old He, why did your family buy so many bicycles?"
They're all old neighbors, and we might be living together for the rest of our lives. He Daqing didn't want to be hated too much, so he still had to say some things: "Hey, look at Dahe, he's 20 now. He'll be looking for a wife soon. Having a bicycle will make it easier for him to find one! When he gets married, if the couple needs to go back to Wangjia Village, or if his wife needs to go back to her parents' home, it will be convenient to ride a bicycle."
As for Zhu Zi, he's back at work now. He's also mastered his culinary skills and can now handle banquets on his own. This city is so big; if we encounter a job that's a bit far away, without a bicycle, how will we make it in time?
Moreover, our family is growing larger and larger, and when the whole family goes out, one bicycle simply can't take everyone!" He Daqing's words made sense, but everyone still felt a little sour and resentful.