A few people passed by the entrance of the lane, where Grandpa Suo was telling stories to the children!

"Ouch, Grandpa Suo, telling stories!"

Yang Xiaole greeted him with a smile.

The other person was telling a story, and when he heard this, he paused for a moment, nodded gently, and continued telling the story.

Seeing this scene, Yang Xiaole smiled and left with his parents.

"Hey, Xiaole! Did you give the fish to the family we just passed by?"

Wang Qiuju couldn't help but ask him.

"Yes! It's too dangerous to go to the pigeon market, so I just gave it to their family. They need it anyway, it's all the same!"

Yang Xiaole looked around as he walked.

Hearing Mom's words, he knew that Mom was still concerned about a few yuan a week.

After all, the family was too poor.

It was only during this time that he managed to save a little money with various tricks and the 30 yuan given by Uncle.

In this era, the poorer, the more glorious.

But that was just a mindset.

Who wouldn't want to live a little better materially? Other people's children could occasionally eat sorghum candy, while his own children could only watch and drool. Only those who had experienced it would understand this feeling.

Seeing that Mom had nothing more to say, he wasn't in a hurry either.

In this era, it wasn't easy for people to change their mindset.

A few people passed through Xidan Vegetable Market, walked a long way, and turned into Lamb Meat Lane.

"By the way, Dad, Lamb Meat Lane is across from Baita Temple Hospital, with a row of quadrangle courtyards in between. It's very close if you cut through from the inside. It's very convenient to come here."

Yang Guangzhi said to his father, Yang Xiaole.

Yang Guangzhi nodded gently when he heard this. "It's not far."

It's also very close to Fucheng Gate.

It would be convenient to come here in the future.

In no time, they arrived at Old Scrooge Hu's courtyard.

As they entered the courtyard, several men were playing chess, while the women were sitting on the side chatting and cooling off.

Several children were also playing in the courtyard.

Seeing the three of them come in, everyone looked over.

"What are you doing here? You don't belong in this courtyard, do you?"

A short-haired aunt in a light blue floral shirt asked.

Yang Xiaole glanced at Old Scrooge Hu's house with the lights on and smiled at her, "Auntie, we're looking for Grandpa Hu."

Hearing this, everyone looked at the three of them and understood what was going on.

No one said anything.

At this time, Old Scrooge Hu also came out of the inner room and into the main hall.

"Auntie, you're busy, we'll go first."

After speaking, he led the two of them into the main hall.

After entering, Yang Xiaole greeted Old Scrooge Hu, "Grandpa Hu, my parents are here. We agreed on something before, is there any problem?"

Old Scrooge Hu looked at the two of them, nodded gently, and pointed to the big stool on the side, indicating that they should sit down.

"Please sit down first!"

Upon hearing this, they sat down.

Yang Xiaole smiled at him, "Grandpa Hu, what's the plan for the future? Let's settle the matter as soon as possible!"

Old Scrooge Hu pondered for a moment and said with difficulty, "You're not a vegetable farmer nearby, it's too far away. It's not that it can't be done, it's just a bit troublesome to do."

Hearing this, Yang Xiaole didn't know if it was really difficult to do or if he was just trying to raise the price.

Then he said, "Well, Grandpa Hu, if it really can't be done, let's forget it. I don't want to put you in a difficult position. There's a big construction project going on in the city now, and the tone has been set. They're recruiting workers everywhere. Our village has several spots available. If it's not possible, you can refund the money to us, and we'll figure something out at the commune."

Old Scrooge Hu heard this and twitched his mouth.

This time it was really troublesome.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "It can definitely be done, it's just going to take some time. If it doesn't work out, I'll refund your money. How about this, you come with me to the sub-district office tomorrow and say you're my niece. By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, Wang Qiuju!"

Mom hurriedly took over.

Old Scrooge Hu nodded, "Okay, you just say you're my niece, found later. You don't need to know anything else. I'll take care of it when the time comes."

And Yang Guangzhi, who was beside him, asked somewhat worriedly, "Won't there be any trouble like this? They're not incapable of investigating!"

Old Scrooge Hu shook his head, "You don't need to worry about this. My name is Hu Kaihua, whether you can call me that or not doesn't matter. I'll give you a name to remember. Her name is Hu Xiaolan."

After speaking, his eyes darkened, as if he was recalling something.

Yang Xiaole knew that there might really be such a person.

But he was also speechless for a while.

Mom was 35 years old, and if she had been separated for thirty or forty years, it was too long!But Old Scrooge said that they didn't need to worry about the rest, so that's the best outcome. This money isn't easy to come by!

As they were talking, the sound of coughing came from inside the house.

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Old Scrooge got up and poured a glass of water, then went inside.

Outside, Yang Guangzhi looked at Yang Xiaole and asked in a low voice, "Is it reliable? Can it be done? From what he said, it doesn't seem easy!"

Yang Xiaole shook his head. "I don't know! He said if it doesn't work out, he'll refund our money. So let's give it a try. At most, we'll waste a few days' worth of work points. Don't worry."

Hearing this, Yang Guangzhi nodded gently.

Unable to resist any longer, he took out some dried tobacco and started smoking.

He had felt a bit restrained at the Hua family's house and hadn't dared to smoke.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiaole was thinking about whether he could sneak out for a bit later!

Since the matter had been settled, the three of them said their goodbyes and left.

Once they were out of the large courtyard, Yang Xiaole led them to the other end of the lane.

Pointing to the road, Yang Xiaole said, "Mother, look, the intersection at the end of this road is the White Pagoda Temple Hospital where you just stayed. If you go north along this road, you'll reach Big Brother's place. He's at West Fourth North Eighth Lane. The lanes near the hospital are numbered from one to eight. It's very close if you ever want to visit Big Brother in the future."

As they walked, Yang Xiaole introduced the two of them.

It was only a short distance of two li, and before long, the three of them arrived, but it was already past eight in the evening.

Upon arriving at the paper mill, Yang Xiaole went straight to the security department, leaving the other two standing at the entrance in confusion.

Seeing that the main gate was closed but the side gate was open, he knew that there was a night shift.

He walked over, and two security guards were taking a break in the courtyard.

Seeing him approach, one of the middle-aged men asked, "Young comrade, who are you looking for?"

"Uncle, I'm looking for Yang Xiaogang, who just arrived at the factory a few days ago. We came from the countryside to visit him. Do you know where he is now?"

The man nodded. "Which workshop is he in?"

"I don't know! It wasn't mentioned in the telegram which workshop he's in."

After thinking for a moment, the man turned to a young man beside him and instructed, "Go and ask. If he's not in the workshop, he must be in the dormitory."

The young man hurriedly got up and walked inside.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Yang Xiaole expressed his gratitude and waited nearby.

About ten minutes later, two figures emerged from inside.

The young man who had just gone in was naturally his older brother.

"Hey, Big Brother, over here!"

Seeing Yang Xiaogang, he greeted the person next to him and hurried over.

"Xiaole, why are you here? I was just planning to handle the formalities and go back the day after tomorrow!"

"Let's go, let's talk outside. Mother and Father are here."

"What?!"

Yang Xiaogang was surprised and quickly looked outside, only to see two figures near the main gate.

He then quickly went outside.

"Father, Mother!"

Wang Qiuju looked at her eldest son coming out and felt a pang of sadness. She had never been separated from him before.

She patted his arm and smiled, "Not bad, you look better than before. The clothes you're wearing look good. Did the factory issue them to you?"

At this moment, Yang Xiaogang was wearing a standard dark blue work uniform.

Hearing this, he chuckled, "Yes, issued by the factory. We get two sets a year! We can also get a bar of soap each month, and they issue protective gloves. I was thinking of handling the formalities the day after tomorrow and bringing these things back for you to use. You can use the gloves when you're working."

Wang Qiuju felt a pang of sadness at his words.

She quickly instructed, "You keep them for yourself! It's different in the city compared to our village. Make sure to keep yourself clean."

Yang Xiaogang chuckled, "It's okay, I made a deal with my roommate. We'll share a bar next month."

After saying this, he looked at the two of them strangely. "Father, why did you come at this time? Did you go to see Uncle?"

Yang Guangzhi had been smoking and hadn't said anything.

He finally stopped and said, "Xiaole found a job for your mother, not far from here, about two li away."

"What? Is it true?"

Yang Xiaogang's voice suddenly rose by eight degrees.

Then he looked at Yang Xiaole. "Third Brother, is it true?"

Yang Xiaole nodded, "We'll go take a look tomorrow. It's not certain yet. By the way, Big Brother, which workshop are you in now? Why are you still wearing your uniform at this hour?""Oh, I'm currently moving goods in the warehouse, working the night shift! Right, I can't talk too long with you, it's busy inside! I'm off tomorrow during the day, where are you all heading later? Going to Uncle's? I'll come find you."

Wang Qiuju, hearing that he was still at work, hurriedly urged: "Ouch! You're still working, then you better get back, can't delay your job, you need to perform well! Xiao Hu has been sent back already."

Yang Xiaogang was startled upon hearing that Xiao Hu had been sent back.

He asked about the situation.

After learning about it, he nodded: "I understand, I won't fight! Uncle has instructed me to seek out his comrades if there's any trouble. No one's bullying me."

Some people were puzzled why it was the Sub-district Office, and not the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Back then, state-owned stores did not extend to the countryside.

Hence, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative system emerged, responsible for transporting rural goods to the City, and then city goods back to the countryside.

The Supply and Marketing Cooperative was basically located at the county (suburban areas), townships (Communes), and Production Brigade (Agency Stores), while there were only a few in the City, mostly management institutions.

However, the various trades and shops of all sizes in the City did not disappear.

For instance, those making clothes, they still made clothes, with ordinary tailor shops and many time-honored clothing stores.

Just like the Grocery Store, there are specialized stores selling ordinary Staple Foods, as well as time-honored brands like Liubiju Pickled Vegetables. These have been preserved, not all in Grocery Stores, the larger ones are managed by the corresponding commercial departments, while the smaller ones are managed by the Sub-district Office.

For example, the Xidan shopping center, at that time, was managed by the City, and it took a long time before it was handed over to the District management. This is one of the larger ones.