The old lady didn't intend to bother Liu Huizhen for long. She planned to take on some flexible work and then rent a place to live.
Shen Yuanchao guessed the old lady's intention but felt uneasy.
In July 1952, the capital city, Bejing, established a standard for housing funds. The condition of the house was categorized into eight levels from 80% new to 30% new, with rent calculated in currency. Private rental houses generally charged 4100 yuan per square meter per month.
That is, the value of one square meter in the second set of RMB was around 41 cents!
Meanwhile, there was also a 50-standard, which consisted of depreciation costs, repair costs, management fees, land rent, and real estate tax. Rent was divided into eight categories, including western-style buildings, western-style bungalows, and Chinese-style houses.
Land rent was added according to the construction area and region.
For example, in the courtyards of hutongs in Bejing, areas like corridors, small pavilions, attics, and basements were charged half the rent, at 23100 yuan per month.
Converted to the second set of RMB, it was 2.31 yuan!
Real estate tax was calculated as 10% of the total rent per household. For employees, civil residential buildings could be calculated at 80% of the rent.
According to this calculation, the old lady's monthly rent would be at least 25,000 yuan. If she had a regular job, it wouldn't be a problem. But if she relied on odd jobs, it would be great to make a few thousand yuan a month.
What's more, grain prices are soaring now. By 1953, natural disasters would cause grain prices to rise even more severely!
The money Sun Xiujie earned from odd jobs, after paying the rent, might not even be enough for food and drink!
Shen Yuanchao's eyes lit up. Was this what Yi Zhonghai was up to?
The old lady is old and cannot bear children. If she couldn't make a living outside, she would go back to Yi Zhonghai. If Yi Zhonghai proposed remarriage, wouldn't everyone praise him, saying that Yi Zhonghai in Nanluoguxiang was the best kind of person?
However, Shen Yuanchao wouldn't let the old lady get divorced. In the original story, the old lady died of a sudden heart attack. He didn't believe it was unrelated to Yi Zhonghai.
People with heart problems are sensitive to stimulation. They are prone to attacks and death when stimulated. Perhaps, the old lady in the original story died because she knew something.
Escaping a pit, only to jump into another one.
Shen Yuanchao felt incredibly lucky since his arrival. First, the household registration issue was a huge worry, and now it's solved.
Then there's the old lady's divorce. He was worried that she would have an accident these days. Who would have thought that because of his adoption, the old lady would divorce Yi Zhonghai!
Liu Huizhen pulled the old lady, "Old lady, let's not think about it anymore. Let's have a lively New Year's Eve. I haven't finished cleaning up the dumplings yet!"
Sun Xiujie said, "I brought some dumplings from home. Let's cook them together. You can call me Aunt Sun from now on."
"Alright!"
Sun Xiujie and Liu Huizhen chatted warmly for a while and started getting busy preparing for the New Year!
At this moment, a wailing sound came from outside the door!
Shen Yuanchao had a black line on his face. Although the new country, new things, and new era discouraged wailing, it was still New Year's Eve. After dinner, everyone would visit each other.
Xu Damao was almost finished with middle school, but he was still crying like that. Wasn't he embarrassed?
Shen Youchu and Shen Youtian worried that Shen Yuanchao would be scared, so they quickly covered his ears, "Brother, don't be scared, brother, don't be scared!"
Then they took the opportunity to kiss Shen Yuanchao. Shen Yuanchao was helpless and rolled over.
Forget it, even on New Year's Eve, there was no rest. He continued his quest to turn over his life!
He strived to achieve his first growth reward before the first month of the new year.
"I turn over!"
"I turn over!"
"I turn over!"
In Xu Fugui's house, Xu Fugui pulled Xu Damao into the room. "You'll graduate in half a year. As long as you finish junior high, I can arrange for you to be a projectionist at the steel mill. What are you in a hurry for?"
Xu Damao was stunned, "If I go to be a projectionist, what will you do?"
Xu Fugui replied, "Of course I'll go to the film company. I've already inquired. Projectionist positions are in short supply now. Like this year during the New Year, the new country not only requires movies to be shown in Bejing.
It also requires movies to be shown in the suburbs. There's a shortage of projectionists. You graduate well, and when I take you out, you can be a projectionist at the steel mill. Then, your salary plus subsidies for going to the countryside, even if you're a fool like Sha Zhu, a cook, what can you compare to him?"
Xu Damao, upon hearing this, broke into a smile, "Then I'll go to school!"
"Keep it a secret. Remember this. Don't talk about it before you enter the steel mill, understand?"
"I understand!"
Xu Damao also understood the importance of this. He silently vowed in his heart to let Sha Zhu brag for a while. At most, in a year, he would become a projectionist. Then, he would make Sha Zhu, that scoundrel, envious!
Actually, Xu Damao was too young to enter the steel mill. In this era, people usually started working at sixteen. But Xu Fugui had his ways. He would let Xu Damao learn projection skills at fifteen.
When he learned enough, he could officially start working at sixteen, without delay!
Xu Fugui was aiming at the current situation where the new country had a shortage of projectionists.
At the same time, in Liu Haizhong's house, Liu Haizhong sat at the head of the table, with the air of a leader.
Second Aunt sat beside him, followed by Liu Guangqi, who had just turned fourteen, Liu Guangtian, who was ten years old, and Liu Guangfu, who was five.
There were several plates of dumplings on the table. In front of Liu Haizhong were white flour dumplings with meat and scrambled eggs.
Liu Guangqi and Second Aunt had mixed flour dumplings with meat. As for Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, they had coarse grain dumplings with vegetable filling!
It has to be said that the food chain of this family was clearly displayed through dumplings!
Liu Haizhong's face showed a loving expression, "Guangqi, you topped the class again this time. Good, I'll treat you to a special reward of meat dumplings. You study hard. As long as you can get into high school or vocational school, a cadre position in the future is guaranteed!"
Liu Guangqi said, "Dad, it's not so easy to become a cadre. I heard from Xu Damao that if you find a wife with connections, you'll be promoted without any problem!"
Liu Haizhong nodded in agreement, "That child Xu Damao is not good at anything else, but his insights are not wrong. Xu Fugui also got lucky. The projectionist job, such a glamorous job, was secured by him. He even got a bicycle!
I heard he often goes to places with leaders to show movies for them. I guess Xu Damao heard these things from Xu Fugui!"
Liu Guangqi said, "Dad, don't worry about who taught Xu Damao. There are several girls in our school now whose parents are either military officers or cadres. I want to build relationships with them early on!
Ideally, I can bring them home to play sometimes. If they like me, maybe I'll marry them after graduation and then become a cadre.
At that time, for the sake of me and my in-laws, you can easily become a workshop leader or the first uncle in the courtyard!"
Liu Haizhong nodded, "That's true!"
Liu Haizhong's biggest concern in life was whether he could become a cadre!
"If that's the case, then you need to get a house ready for me. Our family of five, only forty square meters with two rooms, is not as big as the Liu widow's yard!
It's embarrassing to say it out loud!"
"The house...."
Liu Haizhong had been eyeing the west courtyard for a long time. He had wanted to get it, but it was a private house, bought by Liu Huizhen's husband before he died!
The street office had approved it openly. Besides, Liu Huizhen's husband was a worker, and Liu Huizhen was a third-generation peasant. They were pretty well-off.
Liu Huizhen even got the favor of Wang, the head of the street office, because she adopted Shen Yuanchao. He didn't have a chance to make a move!
"Dad, we want to eat meat dumplings too!"