Chapter 239: Work Starting After the New Year

"Ping'an, come over here for a moment."

"Alright, Dad."

Inside the inner room, Wang Zhangzhi did not speak immediately; instead, he lit a cigarette and began to smoke, as if deliberating on how to bring it up.

"Ping'an, our whole family might have to leave Sijiucheng within these two years. Xiao Ling and your children will have to come along too."

"Mm."

"Hm? You already knew?"

"I had roughly guessed. The current environment isn't friendly to you, and neither your personality nor Second Uncle's is one that compromises easily. Being able to endure until now is already quite good."

"Ping'an, since you already knew, you don't oppose it?"

"I don't know either. Perhaps leaving would be better for you all."

"Ping'an, I'm sorry. Once we leave, you..."

"Dad, let's not say such things. When I married Xiao Ling, I naturally didn't want her to suffer, and I wanted to keep her safe. But I also know my own abilities are limited. Following you all might truly be the right choice."

"Ping'an, I really didn't misjudge you. It is Xiao Ling's blessing to be able to marry you. However, try not to let her know about this for now; you know that girl's temperament."

"Mm, Dad, since you've been honest with me, it shows you trust me. When the time comes, tell me in advance, and I will prepare some things for you to take along."

"Mm, that's good too."

After speaking his mind, Wang Zhangzhi felt much more relaxed, yet he felt even more guilty toward Zhang Ping'an. This son-in-law not only didn't blame him for the previous concealment but instead supported him.

"By the way, I plan to have Xiao Ling's mother resign from her job after the New Year, claiming she is staying home to recover from an illness."

"That works too." Zhang Ping'an knew his father-in-law wanted to minimize the impact on him and arrange everything in advance.

"Dad, Brother Ping'an, what are you two talking about? So mysterious?"

"Nothing much, I was exchanging notes on medicinal herbs with Ping'an. He is a disciple even your grandfather values; I can still learn a thing or two from him."

"You can, you definitely can. It would be even better if Brother Ping'an could be at the Pharmacy."

"Hahaha, it's good to be stuck together every day, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You girl, you have no shame."

Wang Zhangzhi could do nothing about this daughter who never grew up. Even though she was already a mother of five, she still looked like a silly girl to the outside world.

It was evident that Zhang Ping'an protected her very well, and her parents-in-law must treat her extremely well too. It was precisely because of this that Wang Zhangzhi was willing to tell Zhang Ping'an about their plan to leave.

"Hee hee."

At one o'clock in the morning, Zhang Ping'an arrived at the Black Market again. He first conducted a transaction with Tong Siye before going to find Daoba.

"Brother Daoba, this is the last time before the New Year, the quantity is a bit large."

"Little brother, don't be afraid. Your big brother can handle however much you have." Now that he had the old Squad Leader taking his side, he naturally had plenty of confidence.

"Alright, 400,000 jin of grain, 30 Wild Boars, 1,000 wild rabbits, and 50 baskets of eggs."

"Good, good, good."

Daoba hadn't expected that not only would Zhang Ping'an have an unprecedented number of Wild Boars, but he had also added new varieties. Eggs were also good things for nourishing the body in these times.

The four items added up to exactly 100,000 yuan and 45 Big Yellow Fish. This was the largest transaction Zhang Ping'an had ever made with the Black Market, but Zhang Ping'an was also preparing to stop.

After the great disaster passed after the New Year, agricultural production would likely recover in all regions. Although people might still go hungry, it wouldn't reach the point of starving to death.

Even if he made moves later on, he wouldn't be as unscrupulous as this year with large-scale investments. At most, he would change his identity, do some small-time business, and trade for antiques.

Soon it was New Year's Eve. The workers at the Rolling Mill were all full of joy. This year's bonus was one jin of pork per person. Everyone had nothing but praise for the logistics department, especially the workers at the pig farm.

"Hahaha, Ping'an, look at the acclaim from the workers in the factory. There's no one else but you." Li Huaide laughed heartily. It was almost a certainty that he would be promoted to the top position; at the latest, it would happen within these two years.

Because of the pig farm, the major steel mills were almost responsive to every request from the Rolling Mill. The factory's production targets could be exceeded, and the logistics department deserved some of the credit for that.

Originally, this credit was meant to be monopolized by Yang Zhiguo, but now that he, Li Huaide, could get a foot in the door, how could he not be happy?

"Factory Director, these achievements are all to your credit. As the saying goes, if a train wants to go fast, it depends on the engine. Hasn't the overall situation of logistics always been under your control?"

"Hahaha, you."

Li Huaide had initially connected with Zhang Ping'an because of his brother-in-law, but he hadn't expected Zhang Ping'an to be a treasure of a boy.

Their whole family seemed to be getting better bit by bit because of Zhang Ping'an: his wife's improvement, his brother-in-law's show of goodwill, and his father-in-law's high regard—there was Zhang Ping'an's shadow in all of this. The look in Li Huaide's eyes toward Zhang Ping'an became increasingly satisfied.

"Ping'an, at the latest, you will also be able to move up next year. I can rest easy handing the entire logistics department over to you."

"Alright, I will listen to the Factory Director."

"Mm~"

After eating the New Year's Eve dinner in the evening, everyone started making dumplings. The task of rolling the dumpling wrappers had already been handed to the younger brother, while Zhang Ping'an made the dumplings. He had improved; the dumplings no longer lay flat but could sit up properly.

The three-day holiday passed in a flash, and everyone threw themselves back into their busy work. After the first lunar month, the mother-in-law resigned from her job.

Zhang Ping'an thought about it but couldn't find a suitable candidate to inherit the position. After all, this Recorder not only had to be literate but also had to be good with numbers and possess a certain level of education.

"Factory Director, Deputy Section Chief Zhu from Procurement Section 1 is here to see you."

"Mm, let him in."

"Alright, Factory Director."

"Ahem, Director Zhang."

"Yo, Section Chief Zhu, is there something up? Sit." Zhang Ping'an watched his fidgety appearance.

"It's like this, I heard that a Recorder position has opened up in Procurement Section Three, and since Aunt Liu (Zhang Ping'an's mother-in-law) is your elder, I was thinking..."

Ever since Zhu Jianshe returned from Beijiang and learned of Zhang Ping'an's attitude toward them, and now knowing that Li Huaide's promotion was almost a foregone conclusion, the Zhu family had quickly adjusted their stance and were exceptionally friendly to those in Li Huaide's faction.

"Mm, very well. However, this position is not something just anyone can handle."

"You can rest assured about that. My younger sister, Zhu Jianmei, is a junior high graduate, and she is very meticulous in her work."

"Alright then, have your sister prepare her documents."

Since Zhu Jianshe was willing to show goodwill after returning from his business trip in Beijiang, he wouldn't hold onto grudges. Plus, he would be in charge of the entire logistics department in the future, so it was best to keep things stable.

"Alright, good."

Afterwards, Zhu Jianshe placed an envelope on the corner of the office desk; Zhang Ping'an saw it and the corners of his mouth twitched, but he paid it no further mind.

The next day, Liu Shuhua brought her "distant relative" Zhu Jianmei to complete the hiring process; it was a matter everyone understood clearly, so no one made things difficult.

By mid-March, the West Cross Courtyard had already begun overall renovations, with construction expected to start by early April, and the general boundaries for each household had been marked out.

Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng had secretly taken a tape measure out at night to measure, and they were secretly delighted to find their family's area exceeded the limit by three or four square meters.

Not long after Yan Bugui and his son had left, Lao Wu and his son from the Back Courtyard also came over secretly to measure.

"Dad, if we go by this standard, our family has at least five extra square meters."

"Shh, keep your voice down; let's help measure the Yan and Jia Family plots too."

After the father and son finished measuring Yan Bugui's plot, they found it also had three or four extra square meters, but it wasn't as large as theirs, which made them feel much better; just as they were about to measure the Jia Family foundation as well, they heard footsteps coming from behind.

"Let's go, let's head home first; I reckon the Jia Family is about the same as our two families, all with four or five extra square meters."

"Mm, alright." The two figures quickly disappeared into the night.