After coming out, it was already very late, and he hurriedly rode his bike towards the guesthouse.

"Hey, comrade, stop for a moment!"

In his thoughts, three old ladies in front blocked his way.

They made him stop.

Yang Xiaole knew at a glance that this was a check.

Really, at such an old age, they stay up so late to check on people. Why bother!

Although Dad had proof, he still didn't want the trouble.

The front of the bike turned, and he brushed past the three people, riding quickly into the distance.

"Hey, stop, beep beep beep..."

The old lady behind him was getting anxious and even blew a whistle.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole turned the front of the bike and rode into the nearby lane, so as not to attract a crowd.

Huff, huff, huff...

The bike sped through the alley.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

In the darkness, Yang Xiaole saw two people climbing the wall outside a quadrangle courtyard, one crouching and the other stepping on the back.

As a righteous person, he had to stop them!

"Ouch!"

The person below, who was being stepped on, was probably startled and fell down.

"Who's the sneaky one shouting! What are you shouting for!"

The person who fell rubbed his bottom, then shouted at Yang Xiaole not far away.

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Yang Xiaole was surprised and stopped the bike.

"Feng Aijun?"

He only knew a few city people, and he didn't expect to see him here.

Feng Aijun was startled when someone called his name, thinking it was someone from the large courtyard!

Squinting in the darkness for a while, he couldn't tell who it was.

When he saw Yang Xiaole pushing the bike out of the darkness, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yang Xiaole? What are you doing here?"

After speaking, he complained, "Why are you shouting? If the security guard hears you, we'll be in trouble."

Yang Xiaole came closer and smiled at him, "What are you doing? Climbing walls in the middle of the night? I thought you were a thief! Ready to sacrifice yourself for the people!"

The person next to him was also startled and, upon closer inspection, seemed to recognize him.

Isn't he the one who went to the movies the other day?

Feng Aijun rolled his eyes.

Then he said, "Nonsense! We're going home!"

"Going home? Have you ever seen anyone climbing walls to get back to their own home?"

Feng Aijun smiled bitterly, "There are rules in the large courtyard. After 9 o'clock at night, unless you've made arrangements with the guard at the main gate in advance, everyone who comes in has to contact their family. We played too late today, and I'm afraid of getting a beating. So we're climbing the wall to go back with Dongzi. What are you shouting for!"

Yang Xiaole nodded.

The families of these people are seasoned warriors, and the best way to discipline children is to spank them, as long as it's not too harsh.

Then he smiled at him and said, "So your family lives here! Okay, you guys go in, I'm leaving! I'll come find you to play next time!"

This is a big thigh to hold onto.

It might come in handy in the future!

After speaking, he left directly on his bike.

Seeing this, Feng Aijun didn't say anything.

The bike arrived near the guesthouse, and he secretly put the bike in the space before walking towards the guesthouse.

But the gate of the guesthouse was already closed at this time.

Yang Xiaole frowned and had to call someone.

Before long, the previous service lady came to open the door and complained when she saw him, "Why are you running around so late!"

"Sister, when we come from the countryside, it's usually for urgent matters. If we delay a day, we delay a day's work points, and the accommodation fee is expensive!"

Yang Xiaole could only speak kindly.

Calling her "sister," the other party was overjoyed and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm about the same age as your mother, you should call me auntie! Come on in."

Yang Xiaole went in with a smile.

Thinking of the bed in the room, he took out 50 cents and handed it to her, "Sister, we've also rented another bed. It's a bit small for two people to sleep in. Can you not tell my mother? She's reluctant to spend money!"

Seeing this, the service lady smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."

She took the money and handed him a ticket.

Yang Xiaole took the ticket and left.

Back in the room, the two of them were sitting on the edge of the bed and hadn't gone to sleep yet.

Seeing him come in, Yang Guangzhi asked while smoking, "What are you looking for? Why are you back so late? By the way, where did you put the money?"

"Oh, she asked me to bring her something next time I have the chance. City people are particular about quantity, so she asked me to bring them something if I can. Then I don't have to go to the black market."

After speaking, he took out the money, "Here's the money! 170 yuan. Grandpa Hu already gave me 30 yuan. When everything is done, I'll give the remaining 200 yuan to Grandpa Hu."

He handed the money to Dad, who sat down on the nearby bed.

"Hey, this bed hasn't been paid for, don't sleep on it!"

Seeing this, Wang Qiuju hurriedly shouted at him.

Yang Xiaole said nonchalantly, "It's okay. The auntie just now said that if no one sleeps in this bed at night, I can sleep here and fold it up for her in the morning. She told me not to make a fuss."

Hearing this, Wang Qiuju nodded gently. They had encountered a good person!

Seeing the two of them sitting there, he asked curiously, "Have you taken a bath? Why aren't you sleeping? It's so late."

Wang Qiuju urged him, "We've both taken a bath. Go wash up and go to bed. Don't dirty the sheets."

Yang Xiaole got up and went to take a shower.

There was a towel on the washstand, and he took the enamel basin and went out.

There was a thermos flask on the floor in the washroom, and he poured some hot water into it for a bath.

After washing and drying off, he returned to the room, and the two of them had already lain down.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole climbed into the covers directly, ready to go to sleep, after all, it was too late.

After turning off the light, Wang Qiuju's voice came from the darkness, "Xiaole, where am I going to sleep after coming here?"

"You should go rent a room to stay in!"

"Huh, aren't we sharing a room? We still have to rent a room? How much will that cost?""Eldest Brother is now a worker and the leader at his unit; they have their own factory dormitories, which is different from your situation. If you don't want us to come over, the Sub-district Office should also have dormitories, with several people sharing a room."

Hearing her son's words, Wang Qiuju felt a wave of dizziness.

They still need to rent a place!

"What about food? Where will I eat? Is it expensive to eat here?"

Yang Xiaole, groggy, replied, "Mom, won't you find out tomorrow when you go? You're asking me, but I don't know either. Let's sleep! I need to sleep."

With that, he turned his head and went to sleep.

Yang Guangzhi and Wang Qiuju, however, couldn't fall asleep and kept muttering to themselves.

...

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Dad and Mom got up out of habit.

Yang Guangzhi was smoking.

Wang Qiuju sat there in a daze.

And Yang Xiaole was still sound asleep.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

A knocking at the door interrupted their thoughts.

"Hey, Xiaole, stop sleeping, get up, come here."

Wang Qiuju thought it was the attendant and hurriedly called Yang Xiaole over; otherwise, how would they handle the payment?

Yang Xiaole woke up in a daze.

It didn't take long for him to realize what was happening.

It must be Eldest Brother coming over.

Indeed, as Yang Guangzhi opened the door, Eldest Brother was already standing at the entrance.

"Why are you here so early?"

"Not too bad, we work in three shifts, only eight hours each. I finished my shift and went home to sleep before coming over."

The two entered the room.

Yang Xiaole also got dressed and got up.

"What time is it?"

Yang Guangzhi asked his eldest son.

"It should be before six-thirty."

Hearing there was only an hour and a half left, Yang Guangzhi hurried them to fold the quilts and leave.

Yang Xiaole sneaked off to the sink to brush his teeth, and by the time he returned, Wang Qiuju had already folded all the quilts.

After everything was sorted, they checked out and left.

Outside, they walked towards Mutton Lane. It wasn't far, and they reached their destination in half an hour.

Yang Xiaole looked at the breakfast shops near the lane and asked Yang Guangzhi, "Dad, didn't you bring the Food Coupons? Let's have some breakfast! It's only about seven o'clock now, we've got plenty of time! We don't know when we'll get everything sorted today!"

Yang Guangzhi hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

The four of them went to a breakfast shop, and Yang Guangzhi asked for all the prices.

He ignored the expensive items like noodles, stir-fried liver, and marinated meat.

He ordered four bowls of Porridge and a few plain Steamed Buns, but for his two sons, he ordered two Fried Dough and two meat-filled buns each.

When it came time to pay, Yang Guangzhi felt the pinch.

After all, they still owed a huge debt of 400 yuan at home!

But they still had to eat!

This was different from cooking at home.

However, while eating, Yang Guangzhi muttered to himself that the expensive food really did taste different.

While eating, Eldest Brother kept chatting with them, talking about his situation at the unit.

When he learned how much money Mom's job had cost, he nodded gently and said to Yang Guangzhi, "Dad, don't worry. I earn 18 yuan a month, plus a 2 yuan Subsidy. I don't have to pay for living in the Factory dormitory, nor for clothes. I'll send 15 yuan a month to Mom. With Mom's salary, we'll definitely be able to pay it off in two years."

Yang Guangzhi pondered and nodded, "Alright, it'll be a relief to pay it off sooner."

Owing money was very uncomfortable, especially such a large sum.

Yang Xiaole shook his head upon hearing this; if he only kept five yuan, that would basically mean returning to a rural standard of living, unable to buy anything.

Just food and drink.

After breakfast, everyone was sweating.

The warmth of the breakfast.

After they finished, they headed towards Old Scrooge Hu's house.

Upon arrival, the other party was already waiting for them.

Seeing them arrive, he said, "Alright, follow me to the Sub-district Office. It's not far, just past two lanes."

With that, he led them to the Sub-district Office.

On the way, Old Scrooge Hu asked Wang Qiuju, "Did you remember the name I told you? What's your mother's name?"

Wang Qiuju hurriedly replied, "Hu Xiaolan."

"Mhm, don't slip up later. Leave the rest to us."