Chapter 36: Joining the Recycling Station

Some things should be spoken out.

Better than hiding it.

In this current environment.

You can't hide it either.

Speaking up shows you have a clear conscience.

Wen San's exclamation gave Station Chief He the opportunity to clarify the relationship between Shazhu and He Daqing.

"Comrade He Yuzhu has already severed ties with his father; all residents of Red Star Courtyard can vouch for him, the neighborhood committee and police station have filed the paperwork, He Yuzhu coming to our recycling station is good—can we also let Comrade He Yuzhu show his skills at an appropriate time?"

These people at the recycling station.

They've heard of Tan Family Cuisine's reputation.

But they've never eaten it.

Station Chief He's words.

That's exactly what these people wanted to hear.

They all cheered.

"You're busy; I'll take He Yuzhu to complete the paperwork."

They said it was for processing.

Actually, it was just to give.

Shazhu's work permit for the recycling station.

Station Chief He had it ready this morning.

It counts as handing over to Shazhu.

Seeing the work permit stamped with the recycling station's seal, Shazhu's heart finally settled.

On one hand, it's because of his primary education; on the other, it's because he's an inheritor of Tan Family Cuisine—Station Chief He thinks highly of Shazhu.

Shazhu, who was just over seventeen after the New Year, was given a mid-level grade one position by Station Chief He on his first day at the recycling station.

The recycling station's work grades are divided into high, middle, and low three levels, each level further split into grades one, two, and three, with grade one being the lowest and grade three the highest.

Shazhu is now a mid-level grade one recycling worker.

His monthly wage is forty thousand, equivalent to forty dollars in 1955.

When it comes to scrap recycling, people's first impression is that it's useless stuff—some throw it away directly, some sell it for money.

Scrap recycling and reuse have long existed in our country, especially flourishing in the early years after the founding; enemies unwilling to accept defeat deliberately sabotaged it, tearing apart this important facility in chaos, scattering its parts everywhere—so the scrap recycling program emerged to rebuild the nation.

Its positioning is as a resource.

The categories of recycling are so fine they're nauseating—everything that flies in the sky, swims in the water, or runs on land falls within the recycling scope.

Chicken and duck feathers plus hair, old batteries plus toothpaste tubes, animal bones plus orange peels—even this shattered glass, torn cotton wadding, fabric scraps, eye drop bottles, and various containers were not overlooked.

Various newspapers and magazines, as well as scrap copper and iron, belong to the VIP tier, which is even more important.

Those usable nuts, bolts, and other steel items are the super‑VIP within the VIP tier, growing ever more important.

The recycling facility Shazhu previously wanted to join handles this kind of work, and it's a bit more high‑end than the scrap recycling he does now.

That also shows its importance.

Identity checks became much stricter as well.

In short.

If you disdain to throw away something for petty profit, there's nothing the recycling station won't take—even excrement is treated as treasure and sent to the countryside.

Shazhu spent the whole afternoon learning from Station Chief He about the scrap recycling workflow, such as how to classify the scrap and how to do it.

Before Shazhu arrived, the recycling station had four workers.

Station Chief He Daqing.

Apart from the last character, He Daqing, Shazhu's father, is the same.

Accountant and cashier Zhou Xianghong, whose name means "a red heart toward the sun."

She is a young woman in her early twenties, full of vigor; upon meeting Shazhu, she immediately urged him to go with her to the place the motherland most needs and where it is most arduous.

The remaining two are one in his fifties and one in his early forties; the older seems about to retire, while the younger has five children.

There are none of those later‑era workplace rules.

They warmly welcomed Shazhu's arrival.

As for Wen San and the others Shazhu saw when reporting, they have a temporary employment relationship with the recycling station; the station sorts and tallies usable items, then transports them via Wen San's handcart to where the materials belong—if it's scrap copper and iron with no reuse value, it goes to the steel mill; items like nuts and bolts that still seem useful are sent to the repair shop or steel factory to be used as spare parts.

After an afternoon, he had a preliminary understanding of the recycling station.

He checked the time.

It was time to knock off work.

He left after greeting everyone.

Thinking the evening dumplings might not be tasty and he might not get to eat them, Shazhu first went to the vegetable market and bought half a catty of pork.

He had originally planned to buy two catties.

When it was Shazhu's turn.

Only half a catty remained.

It was still the kind of pork with more red meat.

He didn't think much about it.

He just took it.

If he doesn't buy it now, he estimates there won't be any pork left later.

He wanted to render some lard to cook with when making meals.

He stuffed the pork into a cloth bag, picked up the bag and returned to the Siheyuan.

He originally thought no one would come looking for him.

Wrong.

At Xu Daming's door, an infatuated woman waited for a man as if waiting for a husband.

Shazhu instantly got a headache.

Inviting Xu Daming to a meal also brought trouble; at the first meal, because Yushui drank alcohol, Xu Daming paid the bill; at the second meal, both Shazhu and Xu Daming drank too much, and Xu Daming paid the bill again.

Xu Daming, who always felt he was losing out, had even learned to block the door.

"Xu Daming, don't you treat me as your brother? It's just two meals; I can still owe you. I'll put the things inside, let's go out to eat now; I'll pay the bill before we eat, so you won't worry I'll trick you again."

Yi Zhonghai heard the commotion from the next room.

He hastily threw on his clothes and walked out of the house.

This whole afternoon.

Yi Zhonghai was as if he had lost his soul, had no mind for anything, and almost caused this processing accident.

The root of the problem lay with Shazhu.

It was Xu Daming saying Shazhu no longer worked at the Yagangchang that made Yi Zhonghai instantly lose his temper.

Although he had confronted Xu Daming to confirm it.

But Xu Daming was after all not the party involved.

Yi Zhonghai still harbored a tiny hope, hoping Xu Daming was just talking nonsense, randomly fabricating the rumor that Shazhu didn't work at the Yagangchang.

Thus.

There was still hope to make up for Yi Zhonghai's retirement.

The words of Long Laotaitai.

Yi Zhonghai believed.

Long Laotaitai said Shazhu was more suitable than Jia Dongxu to support Yi Zhonghai in his old age, so he was more suitable than Jia Dongxu.

"Xu Daming, it's not the eldest uncle saying this, you and Zhuzi—one is a film projection apprentice at the Yagangchang, the other is a canteen apprentice—you don't earn money, you eat out every day, and in a few days you'll be drinking northwest wind."

A hypocrite is a hypocrite.

Taking the opportunity to lecture Xu Daming, he threw out words to test Shazhu.

He deliberately emphasized the words "canteen apprentice" in his tone.