Chapter 284: Sharing Dried Fish

Zhou Yimin hopped into the small car and headed toward Forty-Nine City.

Unlike a truck, the car didn’t require any special procedures to start—it just drove off directly.

So the two of them chatted as they traveled toward Forty-Nine City.

After more than ten hours on the road, they finally made it back.

Shang Jianguo let out a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected the car to be so unreliable—it had even broken down once on the way. Thankfully, with Zhou Yimin’s help, they managed to fix it quickly. Otherwise, they’d probably still be halfway there.

Seeing that it was already dark, Zhou Yimin said, “Brother Jianguo, it’s not very safe to keep driving at night. Why don’t you come to my place and stay the night?”

Traveling at night wasn’t safe, and since the car had already broken down once, it left Zhou Yimin feeling uneasy. Not to mention, cars didn’t have seat belts back then—one hard brake and people could get thrown right out of the cab.

Shang Jianguo checked the time—it was indeed late. He had a wife and child to think about and needed to prioritize safety. “Then I’ll trouble you, Yimin,” he agreed.

Zhou Yimin pointed out the way, and soon they arrived at the courtyard compound. Luckily, the alleyways around the siheyuan were still wide enough to drive through—not like in the later years, when the hutongs were so tight that only expert drivers could manage to park there.

He remembered in his past life, in the capital, some people were parking masters in these alleys—literally calculating down to the millimeter. If someone could park in those alleys, it basically meant they had top-tier parking skills in all of China.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think they built the walls after parking the car.

Truly impressive.

He parked the car just outside the courtyard.

The sight of a car there drew curious onlookers from nearby courtyards.

Cars weren’t exactly rare in Forty-Nine City—many important people had them—but one showing up on their street was still quite a spectacle.

Everyone was curious to know who was inside.

Once they saw it was Zhou Yimin, the crowd relaxed.

On their street, only Yimin had the privilege of being driven home in a car.

No doubt the neighborhood parents would use this as a teaching moment with their kids tonight.

Look at Yimin…

Zhou Yimin and Shang Jianguo carried the “local specialties” sent by the factory into the courtyard.

Auntie No. 1 and the other residents came up to greet them.

“Yimin, you’re finally back! So, how was the trip? Was it fun?” Dapeng came up excitedly.

Zhou Yimin took out the dried fish and handed it out—every household got some.

“It was alright. But I was there for work, not for fun. I caught these fish myself when I went out to sea. Take a couple home to try,” Zhou Yimin said.

Everyone was thrilled—dried fish was still meat, after all!

The younger ones like Dapeng were especially envious when they heard Zhou Yimin had gone out to sea. Most of them had never even seen the ocean, let alone been fishing on it.

“Alright, stop crowding around. Let Yimin get some rest,” said Eldest Uncle, shooing them away.

When they reached Zhou Yimin’s house, Shang Jianguo was surprised by the interior decor. He hadn’t expected something this nice—it was refreshingly well done.

Zhou Yimin reminded him, “Brother Jianguo, if you want to feel more comfortable, go take a shower before bed.”

“But it’s already late—the bathhouses must be closed. Even if I wanted to shower, there’s nowhere to go,” Shang Jianguo replied, puzzled.

Cold water? Even though it wasn’t winter, it still got chilly at night. A cold shower could easily lead to catching a cold.

“No worries. You can shower here,” Zhou Yimin said.

He pointed toward a door, opened it, and revealed a squat toilet and a shower head.

Shang Jianguo was stunned again—he didn’t expect Zhou Yimin to have a private bathroom. He was seriously impressed.

“Then I’ll take a quick shower before bed!”

After over ten hours of driving and fixing the car, he was filthy. If not for the lack of options earlier, he would’ve showered long ago.

He grabbed the clothes Zhou Yimin had prepared and went into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yimin cooked up three packets of instant noodles and even added eggs. On the road, they’d been living off dry rations, which Zhou Yimin found barely edible. He couldn’t just pull things out of his space either, so he had no choice but to eat what Shang Jianguo ate.

Soon, the savory aroma of instant noodles filled the room. For anyone not in the mood to cook, instant noodles were truly convenient—no complicated prep, just hot water, and a tasty meal was ready.

Shang Jianguo had originally planned to enjoy the hot shower a little longer, but once the delicious scent wafted into the bathroom, his stomach started growling.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Yimin to be so good at cooking. Unable to resist, he wrapped up his shower in ten minutes and came out.

Seeing him, Zhou Yimin said, “Brother Jianguo, perfect timing. Let’s have some noodles—must be hungry.”

He placed two bowls on the table.

Shang Jianguo meant to be polite at first, but the smell was just too tempting. “Then I won’t hold back,” he said and dug in.

He didn’t even mind that it was hot—he wolfed it down. In under five minutes, the big bowl was empty.

Patting his stomach, Shang Jianguo exclaimed with satisfaction, “Yimin, I didn’t expect you to be such a good cook. Is there anything you don’t know?”

“My cooking’s nothing special. It’s just instant noodles—you just need to soak them in boiling water for a few minutes,” Zhou Yimin waved it off.

Shang Jianguo didn’t buy it. “No way, Yimin, don’t be so modest.”

He had never even heard of instant noodles before. Was this some new kind of noodle?

“Instant noodles are mostly exported right now—they’re used to earn foreign currency, so most people haven’t heard of them,” Zhou Yimin explained.

He didn’t mention that he had actually invented them—he wasn’t the type to brag.

“Never thought I’d get to eat something that’s exported,” Shang Jianguo said with amazement.

The next morning, Shang Jianguo drove off in the small car.

It was only after he got some distance away that he realized there were two whole boxes of instant noodles in the car.

Shang Jianguo was deeply touched by how thoughtful and generous Zhou Yimin was. That was real camaraderie. These were export-quality instant noodles! And Zhou Yimin gave him two whole boxes.

This wasn’t just food—it was a rare treat, and even more, it was bragging rights! Chances were, even some factory leaders had never tasted this stuff.

But he had two whole boxes.

Perfect to give out as gifts—definitely earned him face. Thinking of this, Shang Jianguo started humming a tune, feeling great.

He couldn’t wait to let his family try them—this was a chance to broaden their horizons.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yimin rode his bicycle to work. After being away on a business trip for so many days, he definitely had to check in at the factory.

As soon as he got to the factory—before even entering the office—someone called him away.

Before long, Zhou Yimin was standing outside Factory Director Hu’s office. He knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Zhou Yimin opened the door and stepped in.

When Factory Director Hu saw it was Zhou Yimin, he immediately gave him a resentful look.

He had heard how Zhou Yimin made a big impression at the rice cooker factory—even came up with a safety manual, earning praise from higher-ups. Originally, this kind of achievement should have belonged to the steel factory, but the rice cooker factory had snatched the credit. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got.

Seeing the look in Hu’s eyes, Zhou Yimin felt a chill and goosebumps rose on his arms. He said in a low voice, “Director, I swear I didn’t embarrass the steel factory on this trip!”

“Yimin, of course you didn’t embarrass us. But next time, if there’s an opportunity like this, you have to think of our steel factory first!” Director Hu said seriously.

Zhou Yimin slapped his forehead. So that’s what this was about. He quickly promised, “Don’t worry, Director. Next time I’ll put the steel factory first. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. With your word, I feel reassured,” Director Hu nodded.

Then he pulled some tickets and a hundred yuan from the drawer and added, “These are rewards from the higher-ups.”

Zhou Yimin didn’t stand on ceremony—he took them right away. Then he remembered something and said, “Director, I thought of an invention on the way back, but I’m not sure if it’s useful.”

Hearing that, Director Hu’s eyes lit up. Could it be another export-level product?

The small frustration from earlier vanished in an instant. “Yimin, what is it? Don’t keep me guessing!” he asked eagerly.

(End of chapter)