Chapter 533: Making Trouble, a Chance Encounter with Qiao Sanmei

Shazhu, unaware that his own child He Weiguo was fighting with the Jia family, followed the plan made last night and carried Yu Li to the Red Star Photo Studio.

Buy film rolls and batteries.

He parked his bicycle, pushed the door open and went inside.

A young man who didn't know him mistakenly thought Shazhu had come to take photos, hurried over, was about to speak, but suddenly saw the camera hanging from Shazhu's neck.

His expression changed instantly.

In an era when bicycles were rare, seeing someone with a camera, he thought Shazhu's identity was not ordinary, felt guilty, and stood still.

Greeting him was not appropriate.

Not greeting him was also not appropriate.

Shazhu chuckled, told him to call the person in charge of the photo studio, Old Wang, saying he had something to discuss with Old Wang.

It took about thirty seconds.

Old Wang lifted the curtain and came out from the back room.

The two exchanged a few polite words.

Shazhu stated his purpose, saying he wanted to buy several rolls of film and batteries, taking advantage of the holiday to have time to take his wife and child around the Capital City.

Old friends for many years.

He would naturally help with this small favor.

Old Wang sold Shazhu five rolls of film and four batteries.

After buying the film, Shazhu left the photo studio, carrying Yu Li on his bicycle, and headed toward the square.

Yu Li had ridden on Shazhu's bicycle many times before.

But this time the feeling she got was somewhat different.

Shazhu felt much the same.

They both had that feeling of being in love.

Their initial union.

It was purely a union of circumstance; they had only briefly gotten to know each other, learning each other's names, occupations, and personalities, but otherwise knew nothing, relying entirely on post-marriage exploration.

Many years ago.

There was a film called Xiao Hei's Marriage, which tells the story of a couple dating after marriage.

Shazhu carrying Yu Li to the square to stroll and take photos was purely the rhythm of dating.

Arriving at the square, he found a place to park his bicycle, locked it, greeted the old woman watching the bikes, who recorded the parking time and charged accordingly.

He took Yu Li and walked toward the square.

A sea of people.

No matter the time.

There are always a lot of people here.

What surprised Shazhu was that the square also had many vendors selling goods; some sold from baskets on bicycles, some from donkey or horse carts, offering all sorts of things—pears, apples, ice pops, and soda.

One mao per bottle; after drinking, return the bottle and get five fen back.

Shazhu paid for two bottles of soda, drank one himself, and gave the other to Yu Li.

Being a mother, looking at the soda in her hand, Yu Li suddenly remembered the five children they had deliberately left at home.

Shazhu comforted her with a few words, saying he would take the five kids out tomorrow to continue strolling.

Only then did Yu Li's mood improve.

After finishing the soda.

He took Yu Li's hand, and they began to stroll around the square, backs to the surroundings, taking photos of each other.

Shazhu took four photos of Yu Li, and Yu Li took four of Shazhu, but when it came time for them to take a joint photo, things didn't go smoothly.

Those who knew how to take photos were the photo studio's workers, doing business here, and they flatly refused to take a joint photo for the couple.

Unless they paid.

The problem was that the couple didn't want to pay that money.

Mainly because they had just had an unpleasant incident.

When the couple was taking photos, those people came to cause trouble, insisting the couple was stealing their business, demanding Shazhu's camera be confiscated and that he be punished.

Fortunately, Yu Li happened to have the relevant documents on hand, stating they were a married couple and proving the camera was hers, which settled the matter.

Those who wanted to take a joint photo for them either didn't know how to use a camera or were afraid of breaking Shazhu's camera.

Just when the couple didn't know what to do.

A clear female voice rang out.

It flew into Shazhu's ears.

"Comrade, do you need my help?"

Shazhu turned his gaze in the direction the voice came from.

He saw a young woman about twenty-five or twenty-six, looking at him earnestly; the question had just come from her mouth.

He quickly widened his eyes and pointed at himself, meaning to ask if she was speaking to him.

The girl nodded.

"Do you know how to use a camera?"

"I know; this is a Seagull 60, mass-produced since 1960."

Shazhu didn't expect the girl to name the model of his camera outright.

He immediately became interested.

Mainly, the girl's attire did not match her knowledge: she wore cloth shoes, her left toe almost poking out, her black trousers were patched, her top was a dull gray jacket—actually a man's jacket—but on the left chest she wore the emblem of Capital City University.

The complexion was somewhat dark.

It was not the darkness of illness, but the darkness from years of working in the fields, tanned by the sun.

It was quite obvious.

This was a sent-down youth who had returned from the countryside.

Moreover, through their own effort, they became one of the first college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination.

A true prodigy.

"Thank you."

Shazhu casually handed his camera to the young girl.

During the process of handing over the camera,

Unintentionally touched the girl's hands.

Shazhu's heart.

A sudden pang.

The girl's hands were covered with cuts.

Shazhu suddenly thought of Yushui; back then he had desperately arranged things for Yushui so that she wouldn't be sent down to the countryside—if that girl had been sent down, she would likely end up as worn out as the young woman before him.

"Miss."

"My surname is Qiao, and my given name is Sanmei."

"Classmate Qiao, thank you."

"How do you know I'm a student?"

"I saw the school emblem on your clothes, you prodigy." Shazhu explained, pointing to the background in all four directions, and said to Qiao Sanmei: "These four sides will be the background; help us take four photos, and for the last one, include the flag—can you do that?"

"No problem."

Qiao Sanmei helped Shazhu and Yu Li take photos.

They had just taken the first photo.

The bald photographer who had just given Shazhu and his wife trouble came running over angrily; even before he reached them, his voice shouting at Shazhu and his wife reached their ears first.

"Who let you take photos? Is this your photo-taking spot? I can tell you're just looking out for your own interests—get lost, come with me to the Public Security Bureau."

That really proved the saying.

"Brothers who fight tigers together, father and son soldiers in battle."

Seeing the bald photographer provoke Shazhu, the remaining few photographers also surged forward, surrounding Shazhu and the two others; one of them even clenched his fists, ready to beat Shazhu at the slightest disagreement.

As the Siheyuan War God,

Shazhu was not afraid of this scene.

But he was worried about hurting Yu Li and that kind-hearted girl.

Just as he was about to step forward,

Qiao Sanmei spoke up.

"The square belongs to everyone; everyone has the right to play and stroll in the square. Who gave you the right to drive away those playing in the square? How is your behavior any different from that of bandits who break into homes to rob? Under the bright heavens, I really don't believe you can cover the sky with one hand."

The bald photographer hadn't expected Qiao Sanmei to label them.

Moreover, Qiao Sanmei's words were too bizarre.

So he changed the subject.

He reiterated the earlier accusation about stealing business, insisting firmly that Qiao Sanmei had taken money from Shazhu and his wife for photographing them.

Qiao Sanmei chuckled, pulled out her student ID from Capital City University, and showed it to the several people causing a scene.

She put the ID away.

She said proudly: "I am a student of the Economics Department at Capital City University; my name is Qiao Sanmei. You just saw my ID, and you claim I took money from these two comrades to photograph them—a view I cannot accept. From the moment I took this comrade's camera to when you came over to cause trouble, less than five minutes have passed; can't you see whether we had any transaction? Or do you now think you can freely slander a university student doing good deeds in the square?"

The bald photographer felt bitter inside.

He realized he had apparently kicked an iron plate.

His original intention was just to vent the anger from being talked down to by Shazhu earlier.

But he hadn't expected Qiao Sanmei to be so tough.

Capital City University.

Even using his toes to guess, the bald photographer could tell what these people would become in the future.

They all ended up as leaders.

He was just an ordinary staff member at the photo studio, relying on his brother-in-law being the manager, and had become somewhat arrogant.

"When something happens, lending a hand appropriately is our fine tradition; I don't know who told you that, or who gave you the courage to turn doing good deeds into evil in your eyes. If you insist on framing me, a university student doing good deeds, as a wrongdoer, well, I have a few classmates—I could go with you, but after that, what would happen? I think you need to consider the consequences carefully."

Having said that much,

Only a fool would provoke someone's bad luck.

He found an excuse.

He slunk away in embarrassment.

Thus ended an incident that wasn't really an incident, yet it gave Shazhu a strong sense of shock.

That girl Qiao Sanmei.

Her future prospects are limitless.

After the photo session ended,

Shazhu took out fifty yuan from his pocket and handed it to Qiao Sanmei.

"I said earlier, I am just a university student who does good deeds."

"I think you've mistaken me; I feel you need money right now, so this money is a loan from me. When you have money, repay me; as for the repayment location, go to the Bai Xu restaurant at the intersection of Red Star Street and Liberation Road—just find someone named He Yuzhu."

"Bai Xu restaurant? He Yuzhu?" Qiao Sanmei muttered these two names, her eyes suddenly lit up, her tone a bit excited, "Are you He Yuzhu?"

"Yes, I am He Yuzhu."

"Comrade He Yuzhu, hello, I am Qiao Sanmei, I have seen reports about Bai Xu."

"As for Bai Xu's matter, I don't want to talk about it now; I today just brought my wife out for a stroll, take this money and keep it, when you have money, pay me back."

"I'll write you an IOU."

Qiao Sanmei took out paper and pen from her pocket.

She found a small stone stool.

She leaned on it and began writing the IOU.

What Shazhu said was correct; she really needed this money.

Fifty yuan.

"An ordinary person's monthly salary, but it could greatly help Qiao Sanmei; just now I saw Shazhu and his wife taking photos in the square, I guessed they would ask someone to help take a group photo, so I deliberately went up to them and struck up a conversation, originally intending to find a money-making opportunity through Shazhu, but I didn't expect the bald guy to cause trouble, forcing Qiao Sanmei to adopt a tough stance against the enemy."

"Even more unexpected for Qiao Sanmei was that Shazhu could actually lend her fifty yuan all at once."

"Not far away."

"That bald guy, who still wasn't completely resigned, is now utterly resigned."

"The person who lent fifty yuan all at once, and who also had his own camera, apparently even his brother-in-law couldn't afford to provoke him; worried about being settled later, he slunk away."

"On the way back to the Siheyuan by bicycle."

"Yu Li suddenly asked out of the blue."

"\"Dad, aren't you afraid of being cheated for lending money to Qiao Sanmei? \""

"\"I don't know. \""

"That answer."

"This was beyond Yu Li's expectation."

"She had thought Shazhu would say something like 'not afraid'."

"But he ended up saying 'I don't know'."

"\"I believe you. \""

"\"Actually, I saw Yushui's shadow in her; do you remember back then, to prevent Yushui from going to the countryside, I ran around connections all day, and finally, before Yushui went to the countryside, I helped her secure a job; that Qiao Sanmei, using her busy farming break time, got into Capital City University; without saying anything else, just this confidence makes me look up to him. \""

"\"I also think this Qiao Sanmei will amount to something in the future. \""

"\"Are we going home now, or somewhere else? \""

"\"Let's go home, after being out for a day, I've been thinking about those little brats. \" Yu Li full of resentment: \"At home, facing the five kids, I'm very annoyed; out here, not seeing the five kids, I miss them terribly. \""

"\"Okay, I'll listen to you. \""

Shazhu rode his bicycle, speeding like the wind toward the Siheyuan.

"On the way."

Bought some things.

He Yuzhu, as a father, and Yu Li, as a mother, went to tour the Capital City; they had to buy something for the five kids, otherwise the youngest daughter would surely feel wronged and tearfully look at Shazhu.

Yagangchang

Conference room

A newly arrived Deputy Factory Manager who didn't understand Bai Xu's internal affairs openly attacked Bai Xu at the Yagangchang's weekly safety production meeting.

"Factory Director Yang, as a member of Yagangchang, I have reason, as well as duty and responsibility, to uphold Yagangchang's honor."

Factory Director Yang now bears the burden alone.

He is fully responsible for all management and production work at Yagangchang.

"Let me first say what I heard: last night, when I went to the toilet, I heard someone say this: the current Yagangchang is no longer the previous Yagangchang; the current Yagangchang has changed its nature; at first I thought they were saying something else, but after hearing the rest of their words, I realized they were talking about Bai Xu, about the former canteen chief of Yagangchang, He Yuzhu."

Speaking of this, he got excited.

This Deputy Factory Manager also slammed the table hard.

"\"As the old saying goes, one piece of rotten meat spoils a whole pot of soup; a factory of tens of thousands, just because of a tiny Bai Xu and a tiny He Yuzhu, has ended up with a foul reputation far and wide; I believe this is irresponsibility toward Yagangchang, and irresponsibility toward the tens of thousands of people in Yagangchang; taking advantage of this safety production meeting, I propose to take strict punitive measures against Bai Xu and He Yuzhu who have tarnished Yagangchang's reputation; Yagangchang's reputation must not be tarnished. \""