Liu Hai Zhong: “Ahem, Hui Zhen, Old Yi is right. Your rural hukou is the foundation of your family! If you give it up, how will you raise your three children in the future?”
Yan Bu Gui remained silent. In fact, he secretly hoped Liu Hui Zhen would abandon her rural hukou, and even lose her temporary job at the street office.
That way, if Liu Hui Zhen couldn’t make a living in the city, she might have to sell her house at a low price.
He could then seize the opportunity to bargain for a lower price!
Jia Zhang Shi also had a look of schadenfreude on her face.
This Liu Widow, she had to adopt a child, giving away such a good courtyard to a foundling, why not give it to her grandson instead!
Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu were also gleefully looking at Liu Hui Zhen!
Ultimately, Liu Hui Zhen didn’t have a formal job. If she had a formal job like Jia Dongxu, giving up her rural hukou wouldn’t matter.
Liu Hui Zhen: “I’ve made up my mind, Director Wang. Let’s move our family’s hukou here. As long as I have something to eat, I can raise the three children!”
Director Wang: “Alright, if you’re moving your entire family’s hukou, it’ll be quicker. I’ll get it done tomorrow. Just come and get your household registration booklet from me.”
Everyone in the courtyard thought Liu Hui Zhen would be doomed without her rural land.
But Director Wang didn’t think so. Since adopting Shen Yuan Chao, Liu Hui Zhen had been working hard, receiving praise for her performance at the relief station.
Now she’s also attending literacy classes. With her efforts, finding a formal job shouldn’t be too difficult!
So, she actually supported Liu Hui Zhen moving her hukou.
Of course, she also had her own selfish motives. She hoped Liu Hui Zhen would keep adopting Shen Yuan Chao and not send him back to the street office.
If Shen Yuan Chao could talk right now, lying in his little bamboo stroller, he’d definitely be humming a tune.
It seems he, like Gao Han Wen from the Great Ming Dynasty, is a blessed child.
He was worried earlier about how hard it was for a baby to solve the hukou issue.
He never expected the street office to send him a pillow when he was feeling sleepy.
To adopt him, they had to move their hukou. From now on, Liu Hui Zhen and her two bean sprout sisters would all have Beijing hukou.
With her efforts in literacy class, it shouldn't be too difficult for Liu Hui Zhen to get a formal job in the future!
Especially now, after the new nation was established, there were too many illiterate people. They desperately needed people who could read.
Actually, in the original story, Qin Huairu had a chance to change her fate when she just got married and moved to the city. She could have actively participated in literacy classes and volunteered for more labor.
If she had improved her political awareness, she could have found a job when she first moved into the courtyard, and her children could have had access to rationed food.
Unfortunately, Qin Huairu's intelligence was used for scheming, not for pursuing the right path.
Even now, she and the others in the courtyard were laughing at Liu Hui Zhen for being unwise to give up her rural hukou for Shen Yuan Chao.
But Shen Yuan Chao believed that by next winter, they would not only stop laughing, but they would even cry. Especially Qin Huairu, except for Jia Dongxu, the whole family would still have rural hukou.
Liu Hui Zhen handed her and Shen You Chu, Shen You Tian’s information to Director Wang, then took Shen You Chu and Shen You Tian home.
After returning, Liu Hui Zhen first made Shen Yuan Chao a bowl of rice gruel and fed him. Then, she started tidying up the house and cleaning.
Shen You Chu and Shen You Tian, their chins resting on their hands, were lying on the bed, carefully observing Shen Yuan Chao. “Brother is so white!”
“Brother's eyes are so big!”
“Quick, touch the bedding. Did brother pee?”
Shen Yuan Chao, with a face full of black lines, was constantly being played with by his two bean sprout sisters.
Tired of being messed with, Shen Yuan Chao simply rolled over to the other side.
But as he rolled, he kicked off the blanket.
“Plop!”
Shen Yuan Chao stiffened. His butt was not clean…
Giggle, giggle, brother's whole body is fragrant and soft!
Liu Hui Zhen laughed, "Cover brother with the blanket. It’s cold. He can’t catch a cold!”
Shen Yuan Chao continued his mission to roll over!
I roll!
I roll!
I roll again!
[Infant Stage: Growth Task: Roll over 1000 times. Current progress: 30/1000]
I can’t anymore. I’m too tired. Time to sleep…
Shen Yuan Chao quickly drifted off to sleep. In his dream, he was held tight by two octopuses and couldn’t escape!
In reality, Shen You Chu and Shen You Tian’s little arms and legs were draped all over him.
Luckily, the two bean sprout sisters were malnourished and only three years old. They weren’t heavy. Otherwise, they would have definitely crushed Shen Yuan Chao.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Director Wang arrived early at the street office and looked at the documents in her hand.
Since the new mayor of Beijing arrived in August, he had proposed six campaigns:
The Patriotic Increase Production and Thrift Campaign, Patriotic Sanitation Campaign, Eradicate Illiteracy Campaign, Progress Campaign, Care for Workers and Students’ Health, and Municipal Construction.
Every campaign required the grassroots to relay and implement the instructions diligently.
Director Wang was busy every day and didn’t even touch the ground.
“Director Wang!”
Director Wang looked up and saw Bai Ling and Zheng Chao Yang wearing beige military uniforms.
“Officer Bai, Officer Zheng, have you found any news about the child’s identity?”
Zheng Chao Yang: “We have some leads, but there’s a minor hiccup. We have to report it to our superiors for further investigation.”
Director Wang’s heart tightened. This situation meant the child’s family background was sensitive. “Is there any trouble?”
Bai Ling: “Don’t worry, Director Wang. It might be a good thing. But nothing is confirmed yet. We can’t say anything. We went to the orphanage today and found out that the child has been adopted?”
Director Wang smiled, “Yes, he was adopted by the Liu Widow, at No. 95, Nanluogu Lane. I even gave him a name, Shen Yuan Chao.”
Bai Ling: “That’s great! We’ll go see the child when we patrol in a couple of days!”
As Bai Ling and Zheng Chao Yang left the street office, Zheng Chao Yang sighed. “The name Yuan Chao, such a coincidence. His relatives might have died in the Korean War…”
Bai Ling’s eyes were slightly red. The cruelty of the Korean War far exceeded their imagination. This child is so pitiful…
Liu Hui Zhen, realizing it was daybreak, carefully got up. She first checked Shen Yuan Chao’s diaper and changed it, then took out the phonetic alphabet from her pocket and started reading it carefully.
She wasn’t fast, but she was very focused.
In the courtyard, Yi Zhong Hai saw Sun Xiu Ju getting up early and his face darkened. “Where are you going again? You haven’t been taking good care of Old Lady recently. It’s just one child, you weren’t allowed to adopt him.
You don’t even care about Old Lady now?”
Yi Zhong Hai didn’t let her adopt the child. Yi Da Ma didn’t blame him, only that she couldn’t earn money.
But she begged Old Lady to speak up for her, and Old Lady refused.
All these years, Yi Zhong Hai’s so-called filial piety towards Old Lady was all talk. In reality, he always took care of Yi Da Ma.
But all these years of tireless care, day and night, did not earn her a word of justice from Old Lady.
Even if Old Lady’s words were useless, Yi Da Ma wouldn’t blame Old Lady so much.
Yi Da Ma: “I’ve been feeling unwell lately, and I really can’t take care of Old Lady. You know, I have heart problems!”