Chapter 22: Zigong's Story of Redeeming a Man

"It's all as it should be."

He Yuzhu exchanged a few polite words with the big leader, who then turned around and finally told him the real intention of asking Director Yang to invite him over.

He Yuzhu has made such a great contribution to the country, so naturally the leaders will no longer treat He Yuzhu as an ordinary cook.

"Comrade Xiao He, the things you brought back last time are very helpful to our country. After some time of thinking, they have been put into practical use."

The leader paused for a moment, then said with a hint of shame on his face:

"Comrade Xiao He, these things are very valuable. The country cannot take your things for free, and you should not refuse. I think you understand the story of Zigong redeeming people. If the country takes your donations for free, it will slowly cut off the path for newcomers. However, the country is in a difficult situation now, and the financial subsidies may not be too much. After we have studied and decided, you can make some other requests."

"Thank you for your concern, leader," He Yuzhu wanted to be polite at first.

However, after the boss mentioned the story of "Zi Gong redeeming someone", I knew I couldn't refuse.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Lu had a national policy that if its citizens encountered captured Lu people abroad and helped redeem them, the State of Lu would compensate them with money.

Zigong, a student of Confucius, redeemed a person for the country but refused compensation.

After hearing this, Confucius predicted that gradually no one would help the country redeem its compatriots.

The reason for this is that Zigong had money to do good deeds, and he suddenly raised the country's social morality to a level that is difficult for everyone to achieve.

This is how the world is. If you do something good within your ability and let everyone contribute, I believe most people will not be stingy.

But if ordinary people are asked to do things with noble sentiments and selfless dedication, few people can do it.

Previously, during years of famine, He Yuzhu proposed a grain purchasing plan that included similar compensation, which is why everyone participated so enthusiastically.

Today, He Yuzhu has put in a lot of effort to help the country get back so many good things.

If a country pretends to know nothing and does not provide any compensation, then the country's credibility will gradually be lost.

The country will not do such an unwise thing.

Therefore, He Yuzhu's request for compensation now is not unpatriotic, but helping the country build its national credibility.

"If you want something, you can go back and think about it slowly. There's no rush," the big boss said with a smile, pulling He Yuzhu. He had too many goals.

But today, it’s hard to say too much.

At the evening banquet, Director Yang sat with He Yuzhu.

After the banquet, Director Yang was almost depressed to death.

After asking the driver to send He Yuzhu away, Director Yang couldn't help but turn back to find the senior leader to inquire about the news.

The big boss was just about to promote it, so he didn't mind saying it.

Only then did Director Yang realize how big a fuss He Yuzhu had caused for the country.

After returning to the courtyard, Lou Xiao'e told He Yuzhu that Director Wang from the street office would come over in the afternoon and asked him if he was free tomorrow.

If you are free, please help prepare a few banquets for lunch tomorrow.

Director Wang’s grandson Zhu Jiuyan invited his daughter-in-law’s family to come over.

Director Wang's in-laws are from other places, and it is not easy for them to come to the city. This time, they agreed to bring a lot of people with them.

Director Wang's family all hold public office, so it's not convenient to take them to big hotels or restaurants for meals, for fear of a bad influence.

But he was also afraid that if he didn't entertain well, he would be blamed by his daughter-in-law.

Director Wang thought of He Yuzhu and asked him to help prepare a few tables for the banquet.

Director Wang was the matchmaker between him and Lou Xiao'e.

When Lou Xiao'e saw her coming, she naturally agreed without hesitation. Not to mention that He Yuzhu was free, even if she was not free, she would squeeze out time to come.

He Yuzhu heard it but didn't say anything.

Without even entering the house, he pushed the cart and went out again.

When we arrived at Director Wang's house, Director Wang and his wife were both in the house.

Minister Qian is now a full-time official and is considered the fourth most important person in the district. If he can show outstanding work ability, he may be able to make further progress, which would be amazing.

It was also for the sake of Minister Qian's future that Director Wang came up with the idea of ​​holding a banquet at home.

"Aunt, have you eaten yet?"

"Hey, Zhuzi, why are you here at night? Come in and warm yourself by the fire. It's so cold, don't catch a cold."

He Yuzhu was naturally not afraid of the cold, but when he entered the house and suddenly came into contact with the fire, he still broke out in sweat.

"Come, Zhuzi, have a cup of hot water."

Minister Qian personally poured a tub of hot water for He Yuzhu, which made He Yuzhu so excited that he quickly bowed to express his gratitude.

"Uncle, please don't be so polite. You have to torture me to death."

He Yuzhu's words brought the two closer after not seeing each other for half a year.

In the more than ten years since He Yuzhu got married, he would visit Director Wang's home every Chinese New Year.

Sometimes when we bring our children here, Director Wang will give them New Year’s money.

Therefore, He Yuzhu was not lying when he said that the two families had a close relationship.

"Zhu Zi, your brother got married late and had children late. Your uncle and I were envious of your four little ones. When we went to see them today, we saw that the youngest one, the fourth child, was already in elementary school."

Director Wang did not start talking about business, but started chatting about family matters, sighing as he spoke.

He Yuzhu laughed after hearing this: "Aunt, don't envy me. When my brother and sister-in-law have more children, you will know how much of a headache it is to have too many children. These four little ones make a fuss every day. I am so annoyed just staying at home."

"You are annoyed, but I am not. If you are really annoyed, just send the child to me. Then you will be reluctant to let go."

Wang Hongxiu hit He Yuzhui, just like the mother and daughter.

Minister Qian also said a few words with a smile.

He Yuzhu slowly led the topic to his in-laws.

There are some particularities to preparing a banquet.

Because it is difficult to satisfy everyone, spicy food is generally not prepared, and some other local customs should also be avoided.

He Yuzhu was experienced and came so late to get things clear, so as not to do something bad with good intentions. Wang Hongxiu and Minister Qian also tried their best to explain the matter clearly.

If things are done well, everyone will feel good.

If things go wrong, the daughter-in-law may become disloyal to me in the future.

In the end, He Yuzhu decided to set up a shared table, with some dishes using Tan's cuisine, some using local cuisine, and also preparing a few roast ducks.

When outsiders come to Beijing and there is no roast duck on the table, they always feel that the host is not putting much effort into it.

He Yuzhu wrote down what he needed to prepare.

He Yuzhu can go to the vegetable market early tomorrow morning to help buy some things.

But some things depend on the relationship between Minister Qian and Director Wang.

After the three people divided the work, He Yuzhu divided the things into two parts and packed them separately.

As for the question of remuneration, we will talk about it later.

He Yuzhu won't take any money anyway.

However, before leaving, Director Wang stuffed a hundred yuan into He Yuzhu's pocket, which was the money for buying groceries the next morning.

When they got home, the four children had already gone back to their room to sleep, and only Lou Xiao'e was still waiting for news.

What was surprising was that both Auntie and Qin Huairu were actually at the He family.

"Hey, Auntie, Sister Qin, you are here too."

"The pillar is back."

Auntie Yi and Qin Huairu each had their own thoughts, and when they saw He Yuzhu coming back, they both greeted him with smiles.

Lou Xiao'e came over, helped He Yuzhu take off his thick cotton-padded jacket, and pulled him to sit next to the stove.

"Auntie and Sister Qin saw that I was alone at home, so they came over to sit with me for a while."

As soon as Lou Xiao'e spoke, she asked He Yuzhu to accept two favors. She was indeed worthy of being called a silly girl.

However, He Yuzhu did not say anything. No matter what Auntie and Qin Huairu planned, he would just go ahead with it.

When the aunt saw He Yuzhu coming back, she just said a few words and left.

Late in the winter night, it’s more comfortable to lie down at home.

Qin Huairu did have something to say, but when she saw that He Yuzhu had no intention of talking to her, she also knew that the relationship between the two families had been too cold before, and if she rashly brought it up, she would definitely be rejected.

When the aunt suggested going home, Qin Huairu also stood up.

Lou Xiao'e saw them off.

He Yuzhu then told Director Wang about what he had discussed at his home.

Because he had to go to the vegetable market to buy things tomorrow, He Yuzhu needed to get up early. After washing his feet, he hugged his wife and went to sleep.

The next day, He Yuzhu got up at around five o'clock, prepared a meal, ate it himself, and left the rest on the stove before calling Lou Xiaoe to get up.

It was only six o'clock.

The school hasn't closed yet and all four sons have to go to school.

After the man left, Lou Xiao'e locked the door again and went to bed for a nap.

After the children woke up, Lou Xiao'e got up, washed, and had dinner with the children.

Now the eldest He Xiao and the second He Yong are in junior high school, and the third He Zheng and the fourth He Xiu are in elementary school.

The four children did not need to be picked up by adults. After Lou Xiao'e cleaned up the dishes, she went to chat with the aunt again.

Today is not the weekend, Qin Huairu and the old man both have to go to work.

Nowadays, many people have bicycles in the courtyards.

Some families even have two or three bicycles.

In a few years, Flower Country will become the "bicycle kingdom".

The aunt was quite happy that Lou Xiao'e came to chat with her.

During the conversation, the aunt was also asking about the situation of Lou Xiao'e's parents.

He Yuzhu said before that Lou Xiao'e's parents were in poor health, and as the only child left with them, Lou Xiao'e had to often stay at the Lou family to take care of her parents.

The aunt wanted to find out whether Lou Xiao'e would return to the Lou family after the Chinese New Year.

Lou Xiao'e did not hide anything about this question, because He Yuzhu said that he would go to Hong Kong after the New Year.

When the time comes, Lou Xiao'e will also bring her children to live in the Lou family.

"Ezi, what kind of job did Zhuzi find in the south? Does he earn a lot? Why did he give up his job as a chef in a steel mill?"

The aunt just couldn't understand why. The job of foreman and chef in a steel rolling mill is something that many people dream of.

As a result, He Yuzhu actually resigned on his own initiative.

"I don't know either. Zhuzi didn't tell me either," Lou Xiao'e was not lying. She really didn't know. Seeing the suspicious look on Auntie's face, she quickly explained, "I heard my dad mention it once. It seemed like he was working for some ministry. I don't know the details."

"Oh, it turns out that I have changed to a better place."

The old lady actually believed Lou Xiao'e's guess.

This is also true.

You know, jobs in the old city are very popular.

He Yuzhu quit his job as head chef, which is definitely a sign of people moving to higher places and water flowing to lower places.

If you work in a ministry and cook for senior leaders, it will definitely be more promising than cooking for a group of workers.

The aunt thought she had found out the truth, so she prepared to wait for the uncle to come back and report the news she had found out.

Silly girl Lou Xiao'e doesn't even know how many people are trying to take advantage of her family.

(End of this chapter)