dognovel Chapter 25 Chen Xueru's Silk Shop
Chapter 25 Chen Xueru's Silk Shop
There was a Chen family silk shop near Qianmen. He Yuzhu saw the silk shop once when he passed by outside.
So, out of curiosity, I went inside to take a look, but I didn't see Chen Xueru. Instead, I met Old Chen, who even had two sets of clothes custom-made for me.
Later, when He Yuzhu went to pick up his clothes, he finally met Chen Xueru, who was only eighteen years old.
The other party was also a little stunned when they saw He Yuzhu, after all, He Yuzhu's skin has become better and better.
He wasn't the scruffy, unshaven type he had when he first arrived; instead, he was impeccably clean and tidy.
Standing there, the young man looked quite handsome, riding a gleaming bicycle and wearing a watch.
With his short hair, he looked particularly energetic. Unlike others of this era, his carefree and unrestrained demeanor was very eye-catching.
He Yuzhu was also somewhat attracted to Chen Xueru, but he hesitated because of her personality, temper, and terrible views on marriage.
He Yuzhu politely declined, saying, "Xue Ru is good, but don't overindulge in alcohol!"
He couldn't just fall in love with every girl he met; he wasn't Xu Damao. Of course, He Yuzhu knew that Chen Xueru was clear about her likes and dislikes, and if he were really with her, he couldn't act recklessly.
He Yuzhu was naturally dissatisfied with being tied to a crooked tree. He was rich, had plenty of free time, and was in good health. How could someone as handsome, wealthy, and carefree as him risk his future for a woman?
I came here simply to see the real-life Chen Xueru; as for anything else, forget it. She probably has her own storyline, and who knows, maybe she also has a time traveler paired with Chen Xueru.
He Yuzhu turned around and looked around Zhengyang Gate again. Hmm, the tavern was there too.
On the way, I also saw Cai Quanwu, who was indeed similar to He Daqing, though they didn't actually look exactly alike.
He is a younger version of He Daqing, a mutated version of Daniel Wu.
He Yuzhu even went up and chatted with the other person for a long time, feeling like he was experiencing a game. He Yuzhu felt that he was a little obsessed, having been in this world for quite some time now.
He Yuzhu still didn't feel a strong sense of belonging to the world and kept reminding himself not to give himself away. However, he still treated the characters in the story like he was playing a game, even when facing them.
Even when he poured water for a deaf old woman at her door at night, causing her to break her leg, he didn't think anything of it.
The deaf old lady wasn't a good person to begin with. If you feel guilty about plotting against someone like that, you might as well not have time-traveled at all.
He Yuzhu and Chen Xueru gradually became acquainted and became friends.
However, He Yuzhu had no intention of marrying her; he still preferred gentle and considerate women of this era.
The reason I came to meet Chen Xueru was simply to satisfy my own perverse sense of humor.
Chen Xueru liked He Yuzhu's honesty, even though he sometimes looked at her lecherously. If she hadn't realized that He Yuzhu didn't want to marry her, Chen Xueru would have dared to date him.
The two even went to a tavern for drinks, which was quite a bold move for the time. He Yuzhu was indifferent, while Chen Xueru was the type to do whatever she wanted.
After becoming friends with Chen Xueru, He Yuzhu advised her to prepare more cloth as soon as possible. Chen Xueru asked He Yuzhu why, and He Yuzhu said it was a secret.
From initial unfamiliarity, they gradually became close friends who could talk about anything. This provided He Yuzhu with a great place to relax on his days off.
He Yuzhu is now eighteen years old, or seventeen years old in Western age.
He Yuzhu plans to go to the countryside next year when he turns nineteen (by Chinese reckoning) to find a beautiful wife, and then get married at the beginning of the year.
He didn't want to be like Sha Zhu, fixated on a pretty widow. As long as he kept his eyes on the countryside, there were beautiful wives everywhere.
As for the rumors about him in the neighborhood, he had no intention of finding a city girl through a local matchmaker.
Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman—they've planned this quite well, thinking they've ruined Sha Zhu's reputation. They figured matchmakers wouldn't introduce anyone to someone like that, giving them the opportunity to manipulate him.
Because they refuse to admit that Sha Zhu has become smart, and that as long as he doesn't get married, he won't escape their grasp.
They never imagined that He Yuzhu never intended to marry a city girl from the very beginning when he transmigrated here.
Otherwise, if he were acting, he wouldn't have needed to end up in this situation with Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady.
The main reason is that He Yuzhu doesn't want to wrong himself by having to fawn over his enemy; it would be unbearable.
If there are no city girls, then forget it.
Those village girls, eager to enjoy a better life in the city, don't care about a man's reputation at all. Some men, even disabled ones, can marry beautiful wives.
For example, Liu Lan. He Yuzhu originally thought that Liu Lan had joined the steel rolling mill later.
It wasn't until he saw her at the guesthouse that he gradually learned about Liu Lan's marriage.
Liu Lan's hometown is Liujiazhuang Commune in Changping. She found her current husband in order to move to the city.
The husband has an elderly mother who has been ill for many years. The husband used to work in a steel rolling mill, but he was injured in an accident and became disabled.
This is just like the Jia Zhang family, except that Jia Dongxu died later.
The man's family was devastated. Later, someone suggested that he marry a girl from the countryside and let his wife take over his job.
This way, their family could have a worker to support them, and he could also continue the family line. The man naturally thought it was a good idea, and that's how he met Liu Lan.
Seeing the man's family's circumstances made Liu Lan feel uncomfortable, but it was still better than letting her marry into the village.
Under these circumstances, Liu Lan married a man in the city and got a job at a steel rolling mill.
He Yuzhu also learned that Liu Lan's husband had actually had one leg amputated. Apart from having difficulty walking and not being able to work, it didn't affect him in any other way.
Perhaps because of his physical disability, he became somewhat repressed, which is why he and Liu Lan often argued.
The main problem is that the man himself is already insecure, and Liu Lan is a beautiful woman. Men understand men best; how could he not imagine what Liu Lan would encounter in a male-dominated environment like a steel mill?
How to put it? Liu Lan chose this kind of life in order to move to the city, so she has to bear these consequences.
While she might seem pitiful, compared to the girls who married into the village, she was actually quite lucky.
The lives of village wives in those days were truly miserable. Even during the ten months of pregnancy, they had to work, and some even gave birth in the fields.
Compared to those who toil in the fields year after year, not eating or dressing well, and having no money, can you say Liu Lan is suffering?
Whether Liu Lan is suffering or not, I don't know, but at least the women in the village are definitely suffering.
Why does Xu Damao have young wives in every village? It's all for those few dollars.
The courtyard house has been very peaceful lately. Yi Zhonghai stays home every day to take care of his wife and do housework.
Neither Jia Zhangshi nor Jia Dongxu continued to pressure Qin Huairu to go to the He family for benefits.
The main problem is that Jia Dongxu cares a lot about his reputation; he's been getting slapped in the face by his coworkers at the steel rolling mill.
Qin Huairu herself didn't know what she was thinking; perhaps she had just gotten used to it.
As for what the Jia and Yi families discussed, no one knows the specifics, but the two families have now returned to their previous state.
Jia Dongxu continued to follow Yi Zhonghai, serving him.
It was only when Xu Damao came to find He Yuzhu that he learned about the negotiations between the Jia family and the Yi family.
Or rather, Yi Zhonghai always had this idea. Jia Zhangshi grasped it accurately and told Yi Zhonghai that even if he had his own children, by the time the children grew up, Yi Zhonghai would be old.
Yi Zhonghai is already thirty-eight years old. By the time his children grow up, he will be almost sixty.
Yi Zhonghai will definitely retire by then. The steel rolling mill is physically demanding. Unless you are a technician, you will basically retire at the age of fifty, or at the latest fifty-five.
Yi Zhonghai's children will definitely not inherit his technology.
It's impossible for Yi Zhonghai to work at a steel mill for free after his child graduates and starts working there.
Therefore, the best solution is for Yi Zhonghai to hand over the technology to Jia Dongxu now, and then Jia Dongxu can teach it to Yi Zhonghai's children.
This orderly succession, coupled with the fact that Yi Zhonghai's children had a powerful backer in the steel rolling mill, further solidified the family's position.
It must be said that Jia Zhangshi had a knack for it; with just a few words, she managed to win over Yi Zhonghai and Luo Qiaoyun, who then agreed to her request.
This is indeed a very sad thing. You finally got to see your child, but you can't even wait to personally teach him the skills.
There was something else Jia Zhangshi didn't say, because at this time it was very difficult for a child to grow up peacefully.
Take the Jia family for example. Jia Zhangshi actually had more than one child, Jia Dongxu.
Jia Dongxu had a son, but his older brother died in an accident.
Luo Qiaoyun's pregnancy is a good thing, but given her age, it's impossible for her to have a second child this time.
If something were to happen to this child, Yi Zhonghai would still rely on Jia Dongxu for his retirement.
What made Jia Zhangshi think she was so great was that she was a woman who raised her child alone and was able to help her son get married and have children, which was a remarkable thing at that time.
Jia Zhangshi cursed inwardly, hoping the child would die young. Or perhaps it would be a girl, which would give Yi Zhonghai another headache.
Girls are considered a financial burden these days; they're raised to get married anyway, and it's very difficult to find a son-in-law to come and live with the family.
Who would be a good son-in-law who marries into a family?
Those inferior ones would probably be a burden even if they came to our door.
Yi Zhonghai also considered another danger, or rather, he always likes to have an extra layer of insurance for his retirement.
Just like when he plotted against He Daqing, wasn't it all to have a backup plan?
It's a pity that his backup plan didn't listen to him, and now his behind-the-scenes strategist has also been sent away, so he himself doesn't have a good way to outmaneuver Sha Zhu.
He Yuzhu spent his days at the guesthouse cooking large pots of food for the work group, something Guo Wei and Lu Yi couldn't do.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it's just a big pot of food; the two of them are now learning cooking from scratch, focusing on knife skills.
Director Liu of the guesthouse seemed to realize that he would most likely leave after the public-private partnership ended, so he was now giving He Yuzhu more authority.
The entire management team of Lou Bancheng at the steel rolling mill will basically be gradually purged.