Chapter 7 Memories from a few years ago Ning Weidong walked around the room and came out to check the time. Fifteen minutes to eight. I sat down on the chair without any intention of doing things like 'boiling water, wiping the table'. The original owner was a young and inexperienced person and had never done such a thing since the day he called. Ning Weidong didn't want to change either. At this moment, there was a sound of stomping outside the door, followed by a "creak" and "bang" as a person came in. A man in his early forties walked in wearing a military coat. "Squad leader..." Ning Weidong called out. The person who came was Xu Jinshan, the squad leader of their class. "Oh~ You're here so early today!" Xu Jinshan smiled, revealing a mouthful of blackened tetracycline teeth. He shrugged his shoulders and lifted his coat up a bit, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and gave it to Ning Weidong: "I have something to do this morning, so please keep an eye on it for me..."

"Don't worry." Ning Weidong took the cigarette with a smile and glanced at the cigarette box in Xu Jinshan's hand calmly. It turned out to be a box of peonies! Considering Xu Jinshan's salary, it is obviously abnormal to take the money from Mudan. He was a state-owned enterprise worker, but his monthly salary was only 40 yuan. A box of Mudan cigarettes costs 49 cents. Xu Jinshan is a heavy smoker, smoking at least a pack a day. That costs 15 yuan a month. He can’t make ends meet! There is a clear mismatch between income and consumption. The original owner was a blockhead and didn't consider these things at all. Xu Jinshan handed him cigarettes several times and thought this guy was quite nice. At this time, another person came in. He was Wang Yong from the same class. Wang Yong is not tall and always has a smile on his face when he meets everyone. Seeing Ning Weidong, he was stunned for a moment: "Weidong, you came so early today." As he spoke, he took off his coat and got busy. He first looked at the coal balls in the stove, poked them twice with a fire chopstick to make the flames start. Then he picked up the kettle, filled it with water, and put it on the fire. After a few minutes, At eight o'clock, the factory bell rang. Almost at the same time, there were two knocks on the guard room window. Ning Weidong opened the small window below the desk, and a postman pushing a green 28-bar bicycle stuffed in a large bag of newspapers and a few letters, then pushed the cart away without saying a word. Inside the factory gate, there is a row of newspaper racks along the cement road. The guard room is responsible for replacing the newspapers in the newspaper racks. This has always been Ning Weidong's job, and there is no particular reason. It's just that because he is tall, he can clip the newspaper to the clips on the top row of the newspaper rack without standing on a stool. After changing the newspaper, Ning Weidong had nothing to do that day, so he sorted out his memories while chatting with Wang Yong. Xu Jinshan said he had something to do in the morning, but he was gone all day and was not seen until the end of get off work.

Ning Weidong and Wang Yong did not make a fuss. They helped sign the attendance sheet and waited until four o'clock in the afternoon when the middle shift came to take over, and then they could leave. Ning Weidong got on the bus. It was four o'clock in the afternoon and there were not many people on the bus. Find a seat and sit down. The leather seat is cool to the touch. Ning Weidong sat down, looked out the window, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was his first day at work, and everything went smoothly without any troubles. This was very good. …… Get off the bus. By this time the sky was dark and a few cawed crows flew overhead. Walking west along Fuchengmennei Street, you can see the scaffolding on the top of the White Pagoda Temple from afar. After passing the White Pagoda Temple, Ning Weidong planned to take the west fork of Gongmenkou to the north and go directly to Gongmenkou Hutong. Unexpectedly, just as he reached the fork in the road, he suddenly exclaimed "Huh?" I saw a dump truck parked on the south side of the road, facing the west fork of the palace gate. Next to the truck is an excavator, which is rare in this era, and is loading construction waste onto the truck. There was a large group of old men of all ages gathered nearby to watch the fun. Even in such a cold weather, it was really addictive. Everyone was watching with great interest as they could smell the diesel coming from the excavator. Ning Weidong stopped where he was and looked across the street. At this moment, some memories of the original owner from a few years ago emerged in his mind. As these memories came to mind, Ning Weidong frowned slightly, but unexpectedly discovered a figure. He crossed the road, walked to the outside of the crowd watching the excitement, and shouted "Xiao Lei". Ning Lei, who was squeezed in the crowd and wearing a green cotton jacket and a woolen hat, turned around and said, "Uncle San, you're off work~" "What time is it? Why aren't you home yet?" Ning Weidong came up to him. The naughty kid wasn't afraid of him and just smiled. Ning Weidong asked casually: "What is this for?" Ning Lei was just watching the fun and had no idea what was going on. But there were people who were willing to join in the conversation. A man with his arms crossed said, "You don't know, I heard that the First Light Industry Bureau is going to build a residential building for employees, and more than a dozen courtyards in this area have been demolished..." Ning Weidong was startled and pretended to be surprised: "Wow~ It's all demolished! Such a huge project." As soon as the topic was brought up, others also started to interrupt: "Of course~ I heard that they are going to build a building with an elevator, taller than the Fusuijing Building..." Ning Weidong listened, feeling skeptical, wondering where this person got the news from.

The Fusuijing Building is the earliest high-rise residential building in Beijing. It was completed in 60 and was a model at the time, but it does not conform to the current trend. However, judging from the situation on the scene, it is certain that they will be demolished and a new building will be built. Ning Weidong looked far ahead, past the excavator to the large group of bungalows behind, his mouth corners turned down and he pursed his lips. "Xiao Lei, do you want to go home with me or watch for a while longer?" Ning Weidong gathered his thoughts. The memories that just popped up were unexpected to him, and he needed time to think and sort them out. "I'll watch for a while longer. You go back first, Uncle San~" Ning Lei hadn't seen enough and was reluctant to go home. Ning Weidong didn't care about him. At that time, children were allowed to roam outside, especially during the winter and summer vacations. (End of this chapter)