Chapter 6

The current flour milling technology is not very good; the cornmeal is ground unevenly coarse and fine, making it harsh on the throat when drunk. Bang Geng ate two bites at home and then refused to eat more.

He pestered Qin Huairu to eat white flour steamed buns and large slices of meat.

"Hurry up and eat, what conditions does our family have to be able to eat white flour steamed buns?" Qin Huairu patted Bang Geng's head, "Having grain to eat is already not bad; in a few days we'll have to eat wild vegetables."

This made Bang Geng's and Jia Zhangshi's faces turn green.

"How do you manage the household? You can't even fill your stomach; where's your money? Are you keeping a pretty face outside?" Jia Zhangshi, furious because Yi Daye failed to persuade He Yuzhu, was also seething with anger.

"It's all the damn idiot's fault; that fool doesn't know what's wrong with him, actually refusing to give us anything—isn't he deliberately trying to starve us?" Jia Zhangshi muttered there, "Bang Geng, go look for that fool; maybe he'll give you something to eat if he sees you're small."

Hearing about food, Bang Geng bolted out running.

Outside the sky was completely dark, He Yuzhu's home also had its lights out; Bang Geng hid in a corner, his eyes filled with excited light, so he could get more food.

The peanuts hidden under the bed.

The tickets inside the iron box,

And the steamed buns in the kitchen.

All of them must be gotten.

But He Yuzhu's home was already tightly guarded, all windows shut tight; Bang Geng leaned on the window to look inside, and in the moonlight he saw only a large bowl filled with dumpling soup.

Bang Geng's mouth watered immediately.

Really unable to find any opening, Bang Geng could only go into the cellar, dig out some cabbage hearts to eat, and while eating he made up his mind.

Tomorrow I must eat dumpling soup.

The morning sun brought a hint of warmth; He Yuzhu had tidied up the house before heading to work. He had already adapted to this life, feeling that the daily routine of going to and from work was very peaceful.

Seeing that there were hardly any people in the central courtyard, Bang Geng brought his two sisters out of the house; his thieving heart was not dead, he still wanted to steal from He Yuzhu's home, but the Iron General guarded the door, leaving him with no recourse.

"Brother, I want to eat meat."

Bang Geng rolled his eyes and ran toward the back courtyard again.

The Steel Rolling Mill still had customers today; He Yuzhu instructed everyone to work, then began preparing the noon meal, as the visitors today might be of higher rank.

There were fish and meat, plus a fat chicken.

"Ma Hua, come over and handle the materials." He Yuzhu said, holding his tea cup, "Watch closely how I do it, pay attention to the heat."

Hearing He Yuzhu instructing Ma Hua there, the fat worker Pang Zi was jealous to the point of distortion, thinking he himself was the most talented, and this skill should be given to him.

Everyone in the cafeteria was doing their own job; a small figure sneaked in, looking left and right, seeing no one paying attention, he went to the soy sauce storage area.

He Yuzhu, knowing there was chicken, had always been paying attention in the cafeteria; seeing Bang Geng this brat come in, he knew that Xu Damao's chicken was probably already dead.

"Damn it, it's a dead person; I can't see anyone stealing." He Yuzhu chopped down on the cutting board, "Catch him and send him to the Security Section."

Pang Zi felt his chance to perform had arrived; he grabbed Bang Geng's clothes and dragged him straight outside the kitchen. He turned to look at He Yuzhu, seemingly hoping for praise.

Bang Geng kicked him in the belly, jumped up and shouted, "Silly Zhu, you dare let him hit me? Wait till I go home and not tell my grandma."

Pang Zi was annoyed by that kick; he slapped Bang Geng's mouth twice, then kicked him to the ground, intending to beat him severely. Bang Geng instantly curled up like a quail, holding his head and lying on the ground.

"Stop." Xu Damao suddenly came from outside, pushed away the Pang Zi who was about to hit, "What's the point of bullying a child?"

Pang Zi naturally was not convinced, but Xu Damao told him that the Factory Director would soon invite him to a meal; if he dared to strike again, the leadership would expel him.

"Bang Geng, hurry up and go; don't forget to go home and tell your mom that today I saved you, and have her come to my house to properly thank me." Xu Damao said with a grin.

He Yuzhu came out laughing; this unlucky Xu Damao was thinking about Qin Huairu's tofu, while Bang Geng was actually eating his chicken.

"Master, hehe." Pang Zi smiled all over his face.

"Don't call me Master." He Yuzhu grunted, "You can't even tell who's older or younger; better go back and think it over properly."

Xu Damao learned from Yi Daye why he got beaten; this time he came specially to show off. But He Yuzhu paid no attention to that, kicked him out of the cafeteria with a few blows.

This was the start of the chicken-stealing incident; after He Yuzhu finished preparing this meal, he brought nothing with him, leaving all the remaining stuff for Ma Hua.

Finding an opportunity, he slipped out of the Steel Rolling Mill.

Seeing Ma Hua so happy his back teeth were showing, Pang Zi felt unhappy inside; today it was his own effort, yet all the good dishes went to someone else.

"Sister Liu, this Master He is too hard to serve; why does he still not want to see me?"

Pang Zi knew that Liu Lan's backer was Li Deputy Factory Director, and planned to give He Yuzhu some eye drops.

"Who is Bang Geng, you don't know? He's not the first time coming to steal things; when has anyone ever stopped him? It's just you being clueless—look, does anyone else try to stop him?"

"Maybe those two have made up again."

"The people in the cafeteria began to speculate wildly."

"The most outrageous person suggested a shocking idea: He Yuzhu had previously let Bang Geng steal things; he might be trying to use someone else's hands to send Bang Geng to prison."

"By then, Qin Huairu will still have to rely on He Yuzhu."

"Kill two birds with one stone."

"He Yuzhu, back at the grocery shop, had no idea there were such outrageous speculations; he had tidied up the goods and was waiting for customers. As for the current purchasing power, he didn't hold much hope."

"The main thing is being able to reach the 1980s—that's when the golden period was."

"He intended to go to the library to borrow two books to pass the time; just as he was wondering what to read, Xu Damao burst in angrily."

"\"Shazhu, did you steal my chicken? \""

"I never expected it—I hadn't even stewed anything, yet Xu Damao still found me; it's truly 'sitting at home, the pot falls from the sky'."

"Looks like I can't just stand by and watch the fight."

"It's really a pity."

"\"Let me say this first, you can't avoid this beating. \" He Yuzhu stretched his muscles, \"If there's no evidence, I'll beat you twice today. \""

"Xu Damao kept retreating under pressure, stammering: \"In the courtyard house, the most shameless is you, so you're the most suspicious; plus you're a cook, it's convenient to handle. \""

"\"That's all. \""

"\"Besides, we have a grudge between us; you're taking out your anger on my chicken. \""