allendalepharm Chapter 274 Xu Wannian Passes Away
Chapter 274 Xu Wannian Passes Away
Xu Huizhen said, "Aunt Han, you've worked hard raising the children these years, so just take a good rest at home. After the restaurant opens, if necessary, I will retire early and go to work at the restaurant. Dad will be in charge of the kitchen, and I will support the front desk. Many years ago, I was able to run a tavern and it was very prosperous, and now I can make a lot of money from the restaurant."
Xu Huizhen is 42 years old this year. Although she is not yet of retirement age, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. In this era, many people retire early, many of whom do so to make room for their children, who are unemployed, to take over.
Han Qingqiu smiled and said, "I believe Huizhen. I believe she can do better than others in everything she does."
All the restaurants in this era were state-owned. The waiters inside were all very arrogant and looked down on people with pride. They treated customers with an impatient attitude, as if to say, "If you like the food, eat it, and if you don't like it, forget it."
Some restaurants even put up signs on the wall that read: No beating of customers without reason! Isn't it infuriating? Customers who come to eat here may get stomach problems and indigestion.
As long as Xu Huizhen applies a little of the business philosophy of later generations and adds the chef's cooking skills, it will be hard for her business not to prosper.
One Sunday, He Daqing and He Yuzhu prepared a table of delicious food and invited relevant personnel from the Shichahai Sub-district Office to have a meal, under the pretext of asking everyone to appreciate Master He's cooking skills.
After a meal, everyone was very happy and even though they were not convinced, they were convinced. So He Daqing successfully signed a contract with the street office.
The contract clearly states the respective responsibilities of both parties, and also stipulates that the hotel must pay 600 yuan in management fees to the street office each year.
600 yuan may sound like a small amount in modern times, but it was not a small amount in 1978, equivalent to more than a year's salary for a person. The street office did not have to worry about anything, and it was a good thing to have 600 yuan in revenue every year.
Next, the He family started to get busy. They needed to build a house in the backyard. The second floor had been vacant for many years. Although opening a restaurant in this era did not require luxury, it still needed some simple renovation.
As for the new house in the backyard, Xu Huizhen suggested that it be built directly into a two-story building. The second floor can be used as an office or staff dormitory in the future. With such a large yard, someone will need to look after the restaurant at night after it opens.
Since the subdistrict office has approved the materials and the He family is not short of money, it is not difficult to build a few more houses.
You have to know that the housing supply in Beijing will become more and more tight as time goes by, and the price will soar like a rocket, especially in this place where every inch of land is worth a lot of money.
He Daqing began to recruit people, because a restaurant cannot do without a chef. He Yuzhu did not plan to resign from his position at the food factory for the time being. He Daqing could not do it alone. He Yuzhu's two apprentices, Ma Hua and Feng Dashuan, had honed their cooking skills. They worked in the factory and got off work early. Therefore, they could come to help after get off work in the evening. But there had to be a chef at noon.
Young chefs all prefer state-owned enterprises and will not work in their small unit. He Daqing had no choice but to turn his attention to his old friends. Those who are retired and healthy can be hired to be chefs, and a few young apprentices can be hired. The odd jobs and waiters can wait for the street office to arrange them.
Before he knew it, it was June. One day, Xu Jianshe received a call from Xu Jishuo in his hometown, saying that Xu Wannian was dying and asked him to go back and see the old man for the last time.
Hu Yingzi ran to Xu Huizhen to ask for her opinion. Xu Huizhen recalled that Xu Wannian in her previous life also died in 1978, but it seemed that he died in winter, just before the Chinese New Year.
Xu Huizhen said, "Go back. After all, he raised Xu Jianshe. If he doesn't go back, people back home will gossip about him. But you guys have stolen the treasure buried in the wall. Will there be trouble? Xu Jianshe's eldest son is not a good person. You should be prepared if he does something stupid."
Hu Yingzi said: "We will never admit it. What can they do to me without any evidence? My two sons and I will go back with them, and visit my parents at the same time. We are inseparable, so nothing should happen to us."
Xu Huizhen said, "Let Xu Jianshou go back with you. Xu Jianshou has a good relationship with your family over the years, so he can help out if anything happens. Also, bring some gifts back to his three uncles. As long as the three uncles don't favor Xu Jianzhu, it'll be fine."
Hu Yingzi nodded and said, "If the old man passes away, we plan to sell the house in our hometown and never go back."
Xu Huizhen said, "That's fine. I'm just afraid that Xu Jianshe's family will make trouble and prevent the villagers from buying. You should prepare for it. I'll call Xu Jianlin tomorrow. He's the deputy secretary of the commune now, so his words still carry weight. If there's any dispute, let him take care of it."
So, the next morning, Xu Jianshe took Hu Yingzi and their two sons, carrying bags of gifts, and boarded the train back to their hometown.
After returning to Xujiawan, I saw the old man. He was breathing more than breathing in, and it seemed that he would not live long.
Xu Jianshe looked at the old man, his eyes reddened. When he was young, his father was always indifferent to him, but kind to his brother. How much he longed for his father's love at that time!
He was well-behaved and obedient, always eager to do the dirty and tiring work, never dared to eat meat, and wore his brother's smaller clothes. But no matter how hard he tried, he still could not get his parents' approval.
After I grew up, the old couple oppressed me even more and supported their eldest son.
Later, when he found out that he was not Xu's biological son, he felt relieved and didn't hate his adoptive father that much. After all, he was not Xu's biological son, and he didn't expect to receive fatherly love, so he just let each other live happily.
Xu Jianshe pulled the corners of his mouth, mustered up his courage, and shouted, "Dad, I'm back."
Xu Wannian's wrinkled face turned slightly, looking at Xu Jianshe, opened his mouth, opened and closed it, but said nothing, tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes. I don't know if these tears are tears of regret or tears of sadness?
Not long after, Xu Wannian died, ending his life just like that.
Second Uncle Xu, Third Uncle Xu and other elders took care of the funeral arrangements.
On the night of the burial, Xu Jianshe and Hu Yingzi were unable to fall asleep for a long time because they were worried.
In the middle of the night, Hu Yingzi heard some noise in the west courtyard. The two of them got up from the bed and tiptoed to the base of the wall, where they heard some clanking sounds. Xu Jianshe poked his head over the wall and saw Xu Jianshe and his two sons dismantling the wall in the moonlight.
Xu Jianshe grinned and thought to himself, "Let's tear it down. It's all in vain." He gave Hu Yingzi a look, and the two of them tiptoed back to the bed, pretending they knew nothing.