Chapter 1: Reassignment

Beijing, 1957, Winter.

Last night's heavy snow turned the world into a vast expanse of white.

At the Jiaodaokou Community Committee, Wang Zhendong, dressed in an old military uniform, wearing a Lei Feng cap, and draped in a brand new military overcoat, walked out with a smile.

Accompanying him was the community committee officer, Li Changshun.

Wang Zhendong had been reassigned from the military, and his employment procedures were already completed. He was now the deputy director of the scrap collection station.

This scrap collection station was a subordinate unit of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, managed by the community committee.

It was also a newly established unit.

The scrap collection station was a department-level unit, and Wang Zhendong was also rated as a department-level official, with an administrative rank of 17.

In the military, he was a battalion-level officer. After reassignment to a civilian position, his administrative rank remained unchanged, but his job level was deputy department.

The scrap collection station was a position he had actively requested. This unit was very good, low-key, and not eye-catching.

The key was that it was easy, with few responsibilities.

It was very suitable for his desire to live a quiet life in a secluded corner.

After traveling through time to this era, he had no grand ambitions; he just wanted to live a leisurely life.

His salary was also good, 101.5 yuan per month, plus disability benefits, totaling about 120 yuan.

Originally, he was to be reassigned to the Third Rolling Mill of Beijing, also known as the Red Star Rolling Mill.

He declined, and was then reassigned again.

From the moment he learned about the Red Star Rolling Mill, he realized he might have traveled to a world from a film or TV show.

He knew that if he joined the Red Star Rolling Mill, there would be too many responsibilities.

Especially after 1966, he might be in a high position in the mill, or still in a middle position.

In such a situation, as someone who was not good at power struggles and intrigue, he would easily get into trouble.

Especially facing someone like Li Huaide, who had a background and was cunning, his personality would not mesh well with him.

Therefore, it was better to stay at the scrap collection station, neither advancing nor declining, living a low-key life where no one paid much attention.

Since he was reassigned due to injury, the organization also considered his condition when placing him.

Initially, he was to be placed in a leisurely position at the Red Star Rolling Mill, in the logistics department, which was equivalent to managing a warehouse.

Another option was the political work department, both positions being deputy department level, with the benefits of a department-level official.

Now, he requested to be placed at the scrap collection station, which was also a leisurely position.

Of course, the nature was different. One was a large factory with tens of thousands of people, and the other was a small scrap collection station with just a few people.

The rank and benefits were the same, but the power and influence were vastly different.

Now, the street office director was a deputy division-level official, which gives you an idea.

"Director Wang, there are still houses available in No. 95 courtyard. There are two rooms, one large and one small, on the east side of the middle gate between the front and middle courtyards.

One is a main room and the other is a side room, but the main room is near the middle gate passage, so it might be a bit noisy..."

Li Changshun, the community committee officer, was about the same age as Wang Zhendong, around 27 or 28.

But he showed great respect to Wang Zhendong.

The aura around Wang Zhendong was not something he could easily overlook.

It was the aura of someone who had survived countless battles, commanding respect without anger.

He was a combat hero, known to be covered in scars, having narrowly escaped death several times in North Korea.

When Wang Zhendong heard about No. 95 courtyard, he smiled. Indeed, it seemed he was in the right place.

When he first traveled through time, he opened his eyes on a battlefield.

After merging with the original host's memories, he understood what had happened.

He fought in North Korea for a few years and then was stationed in Northeast China for a few more years.

After that, he didn't want to climb higher, so he claimed his old injuries had flared up and applied for reassignment back to Beijing, wanting to change his lifestyle.

He wanted to experience life in this era.

However, he didn't expect to find out that he was in a world from a film or TV show, or perhaps a parallel world.

Now, he accepted it calmly. After all, he had a special ability when he first traveled through time, which was already abnormal.

So, appearing in the world of "Qingman Sihuan" (A Courtyard Full of Love) was reasonable.

And the special ability was the reason he survived in North Korea.

Without it, he believed he would have long been a fallen hero.

On the way, he saw the Beixin Bridge Department Store and the Beixin Bridge Subsidiary Food Store next to it.

Seeing the bustling scene, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

The life of ordinary people, the scenes in the streets and alleys, were full of the flavor of the era.

"Director Wang, you can come here to buy things in the future. It's complete, but a bit far. However, there's a closer place.

There's also a Supply and Marketing Cooperative in Nanchang Alley, where you can buy rice, flour, oil, and vegetables more conveniently."

Li Changshun introduced as they walked.

He knew that Wang Zhendong's hometown was in Miaofeng Mountain, Mentougou, so he was naturally unfamiliar with the Dongcheng District.

Wang Zhendong just nodded with a smile.

As they walked through the alleys and passed the public toilet at the alley entrance, he saw a woman who looked familiar.

The woman had just come out of the public toilet and didn't look at them as she hurried into the alley.

Wang Zhendong recognized her; she should be the famous Qin Huiru.

Indeed, she was even more charming than in the TV show.

Especially her figure and skin, plump and fair, with a natural allure and charm.

He wondered how he could tell she had a good figure under such thick winter clothes.

Perhaps it was the first impression effect!

Wang Zhendong sighed in his heart, no wonder this woman could captivate Shazhu, willing to be drained by her.

She was indeed very attractive.

After passing through the small alley and turning right, they arrived at No. 95 courtyard. On the left was a closed Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

The sign on the door read "Lao Dao Kou Supply and Marketing Cooperative," but the door was closed, indicating it had been abandoned for a long time.

Wang Zhendong frowned, thinking the public toilet was too far away.

Would it be inconvenient to use the toilet in the future?

But then he smiled, thinking he didn't need to worry about it.

Would people question him if he didn't run to the toilet early in the morning?

On the right side of No. 95 courtyard was a wall, and he didn't know which courtyard was on the other side.

Directly opposite the entrance of No. 95 courtyard was another wall, which was the back wall of a quadrangle courtyard.

On this wall, there were blackboards with propaganda slogans.

Seeing No. 95 courtyard in reality, Wang Zhendong realized it was completely different from what he had imagined from the TV show.

There were five rooms in the row of houses facing the street, with small windows that were a bit high.

The entrance to the quadrangle courtyard was on the right side, between the second room on the right and the third room on the left.

The door was not very large, a double door, with a house number sign, "Nanchang Alley No. 95," nailed to the door.

Following Li Changshun, they entered the courtyard.

First, there was a moon gate on the right, through which you could see two rooms in the row of houses, which were occupied, with clutter piled up at the door.

There were also coal briquettes and stoves, indicating that cooking was done outside.

Turning left, they saw the hanging flower gate and three rooms in the row of houses on the left, also occupied, with clutter at the door indicating two families lived there.

The living conditions were indeed poor.

After all, there were about 20 households in the courtyard, which was quite crowded.

It was quite a coincidence that there were empty rooms for him.

Were they just coincidentally vacant?

The hanging flower gate faced the middle gate, which was the entrance from the front courtyard to the middle courtyard.

There were steps, and all the houses were about three to four steps higher than the ground. Passing through the hanging flower gate, Li Changshun led him to the house on the right side of the middle gate.

The snow in the front courtyard had been cleared into several piles.

Wang Zhendong looked up and saw two rooms, one high and one low, next to the right wall. The corridor leading to the middle courtyard had been blocked.

In the past, servants and the like could not use the middle gate and had to use the side corridors to go to the middle and back courtyards.

The east and west side rooms in the front courtyard were closed, seemingly unoccupied.

But Wang Zhendong thought they were not empty. Even if it was the afternoon and people like San Dama were at home, no one would leave their doors open in this weather.

They probably heard the commotion and were hiding behind the windows.

Li Changshun took out the key and opened the door, "Director Wang, come in and see if you are satisfied. The rooms are not very large, but there are two.

You can live alone, and if better housing becomes available in the future, I can help you move..."

(End of Chapter)