Chapter 1

1965.

Si Jiu Cheng.

Nanluoguxiang Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Shazhu stood at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, holding a glass bottle in his hand, lost in thought as he gazed at the street.

"Shazhu! Shazhu!" Liu Lan called out loudly from across the street.

Shazhu showed no reaction.

Damn it!

It's a穿越 (time travel) again! And this time, it's in the plot of a Siheyuan drama.

That's not all; I've ended up as Shazhu, the most foolish and simple-minded character in the drama.

What have I done to deserve this? When people time travel, they either make a fortune or get a girlfriend. What am I here for?

To fawn over Qin Huiru?

Absolutely not!

I want to rise up and sing like a liberated serf, and from now on, take charge of my own life.

Since I'm here, I'll live a wonderful life for that oppressed cook.

At the very least, I should find a girl to marry.

" Ding! "

"Player awakened with a mission reward system. Complete missions to receive rewards."

"Mission One: Successful Matchmaking

Time Limit: Three months

Requirement: The other party's age must not exceed 25 years

Reward: To be determined (based on the other party's age, appearance, and family conditions)"

Shazhu matchmaking?

This system is pretty foolish, doesn't it know he's a widow lover?

But that's not quite right; he's just controlled by widows.

However, since I'm here, I'll change the plot!

I believe in repaying virtue with virtue and repaying grievances with righteousness, so from now on, I won't be so stubborn.

This might not be what Laozi said, but I like Laozi!

"Shazhu, Shazhu."

"Huh! Someone is calling me. Is it me?" Shazhu looked around uncertainly and then saw Liu Lan pushing a 26-inch bicycle across the street.

She's prettier than in the TV drama. Makes sense, if she wasn't, how would she have hooked up with Deputy Factory Manager Li?

And how would she have gotten a bicycle?

In this era, a bicycle is a valuable item. It's not just expensive, but also hard to get tickets for light industry products.

Whenever the factory issued tickets, no matter what kind, all the politeness and courtesy went out the window.

It was a mad rush.

Look at Liu Lan, with her flirtatious eyes, Deputy Factory Manager Li immediately fell for her, and she got a light industry ticket, a 26-inch bicycle under her.

But there's no such thing as a free lunch; there must be a price to pay.

Only Liu Lan knows the bitter sweetness of it all.

Liu Lan clearly cared a lot about the bicycle, and even had a black wool cover on the crossbar.

"Shalan!" Shazhu pointed at Liu Lan and called out loudly.

Liu Lan was taken aback, caught off guard.

"Who are you calling?" Liu Lan said unhappily.

Because of her relationship with Deputy Factory Manager Li, Liu Lan was a special presence in the factory canteen, even the canteen director Liu Datou had to give her some face.

And the previous Shazhu, even if he spoke a bit oddly, never made her look bad.

What's going on today? Is he really that foolish?

Even though Liu Lan thought this, she couldn't afford to offend him today.

Liu Lan pushed the bicycle across the street and said with a mix of a smile and a scowl, "Shouting what! Who is Shalan!"

Shazhu smiled and said, "You call me Shazhu, so I call you Shalan. We're two fools meeting happily."

Liu Lan's eyes widened, then softened, and she forced a smile, "Shazhu, what's wrong with you today? Everyone usually calls you that."

"Starting today, it's not allowed," He Yuzhu said calmly.

Everything starts with a name. From now on, Shazhu is no longer Shazhu, but He Yuzhu, the real deal, the head of the kitchen at Hongxing Steel Plant.

"Then what should I call you?" Liu Lan said, almost laughing in anger.

How can he change so much in just one day and not allow her to call him Shazhu?

"Anything is fine. He Yuzhu, Zhu, Head He, Master He, these are all acceptable. But no more 'fool' in my name. If you're not foolish, don't make me foolish."

He Yuzhu said it like a tongue twister, all in one breath.

"Fine! I won't call you Shazhu anymore. From now on, I'll call you Old He!" Liu Lan said in a huff.

"I can't accept that. Only repairmen are called 'Old.' I'm only 28 years and 7 months old, not even 29 yet. How can I be 'Old'? And I still need to find a wife," He Yuzhu said calmly, not at all worried.

He Yuzhu wasn't worried at all. What did he have to worry about?

It was Sunday, and he was resting at home. He planned to have zhajiangmian for lunch and came to the supply and marketing cooperative to get some dry yellow sauce. Coincidentally, he ran into Liu Lan.

Liu Lan must have something to do; her home wasn't on this street, so she must have come here for a reason.

Sure enough.

Liu Lan didn't want to waste time with He Yuzhu; she had important matters to attend to.

"Changyou asked you to help at his place. He's inviting people for lunch," Liu Lan said with a smile.

"Changyou? Who's that?" He Yuzhu asked, slightly puzzled.

"Deputy Factory Manager Li! You see him every day, how can you not know his name!" Liu Lan said with a hint of mischief.

Liu Lan didn't want the factory workers to miss her ambiguous relationship with Deputy Factory Manager Li, always mentioning it subtly, leaving room for speculation.

"Rubbish! We all call him Deputy Factory Manager Li. Who can be as casual as you, calling him Changyou? You two must be very close, to call each other by name!" He Yuzhu said with an exaggerated smile.

Liu Lan seemed to enjoy it, pushing He Yuzhu's shoulder and laughing, "You're such a sly one!"

"Alright, I got it. I'll go over later. You can go back and tell Ma Hua to come along."

Liu Lan was taken aback. He Yuzhu turned and walked away, saying casually, "If Ma Hua doesn't come, you'll be the one chopping vegetables."

"Fine! Even though it's not on my way, I'll still call him for you!" Liu Lan said with a hint of resentment.

"It is on your way! It must be on your way," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

Liu Lan glared at He Yuzhu's back, thinking, "What's wrong with Shazhu? He's different from before."

Liu Lan suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but smile.

"Head He." Liu Lan called out again.

"What is it?" He Yuzhu turned around with a serious expression.

"If Deputy Factory Manager Li calls you Shazhu later, what will you do? Are you going to call him 'Foolish Factory Manager'?" Liu Lan asked with a smile.

He Yuzhu was taken aback, thinking, "This Liu Lan is really cunning."

"Don't worry, Deputy Factory Manager Li won't. From today on, he'll call me He Yuzhu."

He Yuzhu said this and then ignored Liu Lan, humming an opera tune as he entered the Siheyuan.

"Fine! I'll see. If Deputy Factory Manager Li calls you Shazhu and you respond, we'll still call you Shazhu."

Liu Lan muttered to herself, smiling, turned her bicycle around, and rode off towards the steel plant, passing by the Nanluoguxiang Supply and Marketing Cooperative.