[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji":3,"chapter-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-86":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Siheyuan: Food, Love, and Family in 1960s Beijing",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2314136,4526,"Chapter 86","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-86",86,"\u003Cp>Li Xuewu stated the two obvious points, but saw that the Director Ma remained unmoved, squinting at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re both foxes a thousand years old—no need to play ghost stories with each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu knew he couldn’t hold back—he had to tell everything, or the man wouldn’t agree; everyone was afraid of taking responsibility now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, these are all visible benefits. Additionally, my childhood friend wants to do some simple processing on scrap goods, to see if he can turn waste into treasure—after all, there were news reports about this just a few years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lastly, once you hold the proxy purchase contract, no one else in this area can compete with him, and he’ll be better able to fulfill the task, right? Hahaha.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Xuewu’s final words, Director Ma finally smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You young people have so many ideas—I can’t keep up. What you’re really after is the chance to open a scrap goods store, right? We can agree, as long as you get the paperwork done—I’ll report it to the scrap company and sign an addendum.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu jumped to his feet and shook Director Ma’s hand. “Thank you so much—I’ll go handle the paperwork right away. I’ll come back as soon as I have news.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bid Director Ma farewell and headed for the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Director Ma noticed two red objects on the spot where Li Xuewu had been sitting; upon closer look, they were two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes. He hurriedly said, “Li Xuewu, you left something behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu turned back, smiled, and said, “Those aren’t mine—ask around if someone else dropped them. I’m heading out now. Goodbye, Director Ma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>yawenku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Xuewu about to leave, Director Ma called out, “Wait—come back. Give me your childhood friend’s name—I’ll write you a letter of authorization; it’ll make getting permits easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Got it right!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu eagerly took the letter of authorization written by Director Ma and read it: “Due to personnel and space constraints, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative cannot fulfill the scrap company’s assigned tasks. To better support national construction and production needs, we hereby fully authorize Li Wenbiao and others to collect scrap goods on our behalf. The contract with the scrap company is automatically transferred to Li Wenbiao and others to complete, with a supplementary agreement to be signed later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The signature was the full official name of the district’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative, stamped with the official seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn! Without this, all that effort would’ve been for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he first entered the room, he’d observed the glasses Director Ma wore, the watch on his wrist, the cigarettes on his desk—he already knew what kind of man he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he offered cigarettes earlier, he’d refused—this was a cautious man, so while chatting, he’d quietly pulled out two pre-prepared packs of Zhonghua cigarettes from his space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One pack of Da Tuanjie—this wasn’t the best at the time, but it was still quite valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was worth it: with the Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s backing, setting up a stall would be simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Director Ma saw Li Xuewu finish reading, he smiled and said, “I have a copy of the contract here—take it to get your permit. But you must write me a promissory note. Remember: your scrap goods store cannot sell any new goods that our Supply and Marketing Cooperative sells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu had no reason to refuse—going against the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was like an old man eating arsenic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly wrote the promissory note, specifying its purpose and his name as borrower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bid Director Ma farewell again and stepped out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, this contract meant little to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative—it was far more important to Li Xuewu. They handled dozens of such requests daily; everyone begged them for favors, and the scrap company was easy to deal with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the two packs of cigarettes—not everyone likes your true self; sometimes a little pretense is necessary. After all, no matter the social environment, everyone struggles to get by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the door, he found Lin Tingting waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing? Waiting for me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Tingting was unusually direct, looking up at him. “How are you going to thank me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu recognized the clear signal—he wouldn’t turn down something offered so willingly. “Six-thirty tonight, Guozijian Roast Duck. Don’t be late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Tingting smiled back. “Don’t be late,” she said, then ran back into the sales room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older woman who had teased her earlier saw Lin Tingting’s behavior and pulled her aside to question her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Tingting blushed and said, “Nothing much—just asking about some things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, eyes gleaming with gossip, asked, “Looks like he’s from a good family. So? Have you taken a liking to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Tingting quickly denied it. “Sister, you’re imagining things—it’s just helping out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman thought to herself: Don’t fool me—so many people come in to buy things, and you’ve never helped anyone before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t press further. She smiled and warned, “Don’t wait too long just because he has a flaw—grab him early. A steamed bun gets cold fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She left Lin Tingting lost in thought and went back to her work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having secured his win at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Li Xuewu mounted his bicycle and headed for Director Wang’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knocked, and his adoptive mother opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my! Director Wang is home!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu joked as he pushed his bicycle into the courtyard and propped it up on the stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his surprise, his adoptive mother slapped his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Wang scolded, “Li Xuewu, get out! I’m off today—no business. Come back tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu grinned and massaged his adoptive mother’s shoulders. “Alright, I’m sorry—I was just joking with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Wang pinched him again, but Li Xuewu, thick-skinned as ever, didn’t flinch. He pushed his adoptive mother gently toward the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Dad home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Wang scolded, “No more drinking! Last time you got so drunk you nearly knocked your head on the door the next day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha!” Li Xuewu laughed carelessly as he opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shusen was reading inside. He stood up with a smile when he saw Li Xuewu. “Xuewu, you’re here? Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu sat beside Zheng Shusen on the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dad, how about I get some snacks? Let’s have a drink at lunch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Zheng Shusen could answer, his adoptive mother slapped Li Xuewu again, warning Zheng: “Don’t listen to this kid—you’re too old to keep up with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After chatting with them awhile about daily life, Zheng Shusen noticed the file folder in Li Xuewu’s hand and asked, “Did you come here for something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu opened the folder and pulled out the letter of authorization and the copy of the proxy purchase contract, handing them to Zheng Shusen and his adoptive mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They exchanged glances, read through them, then placed them on the coffee table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His adoptive mother said nothing, but looked at Zheng Shusen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Shusen thought for a moment, then asked Li Xuewu, “Xuewu, what’s your plan? Tell me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu began by describing the current market situation: “Dad, both the Handicrafts and Commerce Bureaus can issue business licenses now. I figure scrap collection doesn’t harm public interests—it creates jobs and gives unemployed youth basic labor and income. In the broader picture, it doesn’t cross any red lines.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1240,"2026-06-20T13:46:54.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","bbbefdcd5a7448f78866d7815d8489e182f9feeb1e0f748f77eae68bfa3ced47","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-87","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-85",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-cover.jpg"]