Chapter 5: Arranging Work

Grandma Li touched the quilt folded by her grandson and patted it.

"Xuewu, is the quilt dirty? Do you need Grandma to help you take it apart and wash it?"

"Grandma, it's not dirty. I washed it once when I came out, and it has been wrapped in the outer skin on the way."

"Good, good, it's not dirty."

Li Xuewu took out his spring, summer, and autumn clothes again and folded them in piles, some new and some old, all neatly folded.

Finally, he took out the documents and the JG seal wrapped in a handkerchief from his bag. The documents and JG seal were for reporting to the neighborhood and the factory. Now he took them out to show his grandmother, grandfather, and mother.

Seeing Li Xuewu tidying up the items he brought back, Liu Yin, who wanted to help her son tidy up, sat on the edge of the kang, looking at the three JG seals in the handkerchief, and shed tears silently. Whoever's son it is, whoever feels heartache.

This small JG seal was exchanged for his son's life, and it felt heavy in his palm.

Li Xuewu wiped his mother's tears and patted his mother's back.

"It's all in the past. Isn't your son back? I will be filial to you in the future."

Liu Yin's tears flowed even more.

Grandma Li leaned forward, moved to the edge of the kang, and patted Liu Yin on the shoulder.

Big Grandpa smoked his tobacco pipe fiercely.

Liu Yin calmed down for a while before looking at Li Xuewu tidying up the documents and asking, "Do you know where you are assigned?"

Li Xuewu: "I don't know. Before I left, they said there was resettlement and asked me to bring the introduction letter, documents, and proof to the neighborhood."

Liu Yin wiped her tears and said, "Then go today, don't delay."

"Hmm, I'll go right now."

Li Xuewu put away the documents and JG seal, put them in his satchel, put on his military coat, put on his winter cotton hat, and went out.

Once he went out, he carefully looked at this courtyard. It was roughly the same as what he saw in the future, a standard courtyard structure. Every household had cotton door curtains and small glass windows. Looking at it with current eyes, it was broken and dilapidated, but this brokenness was full of fireworks.

Li Xuewu lifted his legs and walked toward the screen door and the second door. On the way, he nodded and greeted everyone older than him. When crossing the threshold, a thin figure in front was lifting a broken bicycle to move it out. Li Xuewu hurriedly helped lift it.

The person in front felt someone helping and turned to look at Li Xuewu, saying, "Thank you!"

"Yo! You are?! Li Xuewu? Heh, you've changed! Why are you back?"

Li Xuewu was stunned.

This person's glasses legs were wrapped with white medical tape, his small eyes were squinting, and he was looking at him.

Why was this person so familiar? Wasn't this the Third Master Yan Fugui from the TV series?

"I am Xuewu, Third Master."

Li Xuewu greeted him.

"Hey, I say, you've made something of yourself! Your father said you were promoted, why did you suddenly come back?"

This old man, he was stubborn and drove him away this morning, scolding him, and yet he had been bragging about him to others early on.

Li Xuewu let the others pass, walked out of the door hole himself.

"Injured, demobilized, so I came back. Third Master, are you going fishing?"

Looking at this Yan Laoxi holding two fishing rods and a white iron bucket, it was clear he was going to do some "free" "serious business."

Few people went fishing in the moat around Beijing because there were mostly catfish, and it was rumored that many dead bodies that couldn't be handled during the chaotic period were thrown directly into the river. Those fish grew up eating human flesh, so gradually no one ate fish from the moat.

But Third Master was different. He moved from the south. As long as it didn't cost money, he could do it.

"Sigh, just this little hobby. I have no class today and can't stay idle at home. How about it, come with me for a stroll?"

Li Xuewu didn't have that leisure, and besides, this polite talk was just for fun. He hurriedly declined: "I don't have your patience and technique. I wish you success and catch a lot. I have something to do, so I'll go first."

Actually, Li Xuewu didn't believe those things either. If he was starving, let alone fish, he would even peel the bark off trees. Besides, didn't people die in every river and lake? But he didn't need to squat for an afternoon to compete with fish. He would wait until he thought of a good way to go to more distant rivers to catch fish to eat.

Hahaha, although he said he didn't believe it, it felt disgusting to eat after hearing the rumors.

Yan Fugui looked at Li Xuewu's back and muttered.

"Heh, haven't seen him for two years, the little bastard also knows how to say polite words! The melting pot is really not called in vain. Heh, why did he demobilize? What injury did he suffer? Can't be that his face is ruined... so he can't be... anymore... or maybe he caused trouble again? Eight out of ten, it's possible..."

Is he dead or not? Does it matter?

Li Xuewu didn't know that this Third Master was muttering about him behind his back. Thinking of this courtyard plot world, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He opened his legs and walked to the neighborhood office, asked several passersby before entering the courtyard of the office.

It was similar to the courtyard structure. When he entered the door, he first handed a cigarette to the guard. The guard was quite careful and took the cigarette only after looking at Li Xuewu's documents.

"Grandpa, I'm from the 95th courtyard, back from the military to report. Can you see which room I should go to and who I should look for?"

The old grandpa took the cigarette, looked at Li Xuewu's face, and felt that he could see the righteousness on his face, so he pointed to an office in the courtyard.

This one also had poor eyesight, otherwise, he couldn't be a guard.

"There, the third room, look for Director Liu, go."

"Thanks! You!"

Li Xuewu nodded and walked toward that office. When he got close, he knocked on the door, heard a man's voice answer, and then pushed the door and walked into the office.

The office was not big, and a bald man in his forties was sitting there, wearing glasses, looking up at him.

"Director Liu, hello, I am the second son of Li Shun's family in the 95th courtyard. My name is Li Xuewu. I left from here two years ago. This year, I demobilized due to injury. According to the resettlement plan when I left the team, I was asked to report to the neighborhood first."

Director Liu looked at Li Xuewu carefully and said: "Ah, you are the one from Dr. Li's family, oh, his second son. Your father helped you transfer your files from here the year before last. Some time ago, people from the courtyard and the ministry came to explain that there is such a thing about you. Sit down and have a cup of water."

Li Xuewu smiled and took out two bottles of Fenjiu from his satchel and put them on the desk.

"My father is busy going out today, so I can only come by myself. This was arranged by my father in advance, saying that you are a good friend of his, and asked me to bring his greetings to you."

Director Liu smiled and pushed the wine over.

"Oh my, why is Dr. Li so polite? This is such a small matter. Usually, we sit together. This is not good. Put it away quickly."

Li Xuewu certainly wouldn't take it back. This wine wasn't left by his father at all; it was bought by him at the supply and marketing cooperative at the door. How could he come empty-handed when asking someone to do something? It's the same principle at any time.

"Uncle Liu, I can't take this back. My father said it was for his friend. If you want to return it to him, you have to wait until he comes back, hehe." ===== CHAPTER 6 =====