Restarting life in Siheyuan

Chapter 263 A late reunion dinner
  As long as there are not multiple tight spells, everything else can be discussed. What is the danger? It does not mean that the task is difficult. I still have some means to save my life. In the future, I will only get stronger and stronger, so it is not a big problem.

"Uncle Kong, there is no problem if my life is in danger. No task is dangerous. As long as there is a need or a call, I will go forward bravely and face it bravely to complete the task."

Uncle Kong stood up with a smile, patted Zhu Xuefeng's shoulder hard, and then quickly lowered his voice and spoke softly.

"Good boy, I saw you right."

The door was suddenly pushed open. Director Wang stood at the door with a frosty face, staring at Uncle Kong, and it took him a long time to say anything.

"Are you forcing Xiaofeng to agree to you again? Why? Xiaofeng has his own way to go. Why are you trying to force him to follow your path?"

Uncle Kong obviously felt guilty for a moment, but he stood up again immediately, and those eyes came back.

"What am I forcing? Xiaofeng should go to his school, do his research, and make his inventions."

He has a dark and thin face with a pair of big, deep eyes, and speaks sonorously and forcefully.

Director Wang was frightened for a moment, looked at Zhu Xuefeng, held up his hand and asked.

"Xiao Feng, tell me if your uncle lied to me."

Zhu Xuefeng was struggling with how to answer, so he listened to Uncle Kong.

"I just asked him to help us when we need help, that's all!"

Director Wang stared at Uncle Kong closely.

"Even if what you say is true, why do you need his help? Hundreds of millions of people are not enough for you to choose from. Why do you have to choose my son!"

Director Wang's tears came down again. He raised his hand to wipe them away and sat down on the stool. Zhu Xuefeng could only comfort him.

"It's okay, godmother. I usually work on my own. I'll go when you really need me. Besides, in the face of the country's needs, every young man should stand up bravely. I am the same. I believe you can understand me. .”

Director Wang had a confused face and held Zhu Xuefeng's head in his hands.

"Son, my last son told me the same thing..."

After choking for a long time, he continued.

"You are a new generation of young people with ideals and ambitions. I can't stop you, nor am I qualified to stop you, but can you promise your godmother not to make unnecessary sacrifices when there is real danger? If the mission fails, you can come back again. , if people are gone, they will really be gone..."

The godmother hugged Zhu Xuefeng and burst into tears, so Uncle Kong had no choice but to sneak away and close the door.

We simply had lunch at the godmother’s house, but Zhu Xuefeng took the initiative and chatted briefly for a while.
  Saying goodbye to my godmother's house, now I know that when my godmother wanted to recognize him as her godson, the second child had been sacrificed for less than three months. At that time, Kong Xuecheng (the second child) also said goodbye to his parents at home during the Spring Festival and moved forward without any further obstacles. , and then….

The third child (Huo Chaoyang) is not a biological son, but also the orphan of a comrade. Now Zhu Xuefeng finally understands why his godmother is so excited. She is dedicating her youth, her whole life, and her whole life to her children and grandchildren.

Thinking about the conversation with Li Zhenhua just now, the idea slowly took shape and I had to wait for the opportunity.

Director Wang stared hard at Uncle Kong. Zhu Xuefeng had already left. Although he stopped Uncle Kong from further thoughts, Director Wang was very angry.

"Why, you can't let this child go his own way and say when he is needed. This is just a cover and excuse. As long as you want to use him, he will be needed whenever he is needed."

Uncle Kong felt a little guilty, but he didn't show weakness.

"He has unique conditions, as you can see. What I value is his identity and knowledge. In some places, we people will be exposed when we go there, but for him, this is his profession, and no one can compare with him. He's more suitable."

"You don't need to tell me, I like this kid very much. I won't let him do anything that requires risk. We can't afford the loss. Besides, he has never been exposed to relevant training. How could I be stupid enough to let him do dangerous things?" Task."

Director Wang then softened his expression. What Lao Kong said was very reasonable. He had no training and knew nothing. There was no way he would die in vain on dangerous tasks.

"I believe you this time. If there is any danger, don't blame me for falling out with you..."

...

"Who made this braised crucian carp? It's really good. It tastes amazing and looks great."

Uncle Xie stood up quickly and let Zhu Xuefeng signal him to sit down again.

"This little old man prepared this a year ago, so it's not too much trouble. If my boss likes it, I can prepare more at ordinary times. It won't take much trouble."

"That's not necessary. I only need one bite during the New Year. I have to remember this good thing. If I eat it every day, it will be a waste of good things. You think so."

Uncle Xie was a little proud. It was a great honor for his boss to like his dish.

I picked up another chopstick on another plate. It was pork kidney. It didn't have any fishy smell. After one bite, it felt salty, tender, rich in sourness, delicious and appetizing.

Looking at how many slices of liver and pork there were on the plate, Zhu Xuefeng stopped his chopsticks and thought for a while. Several other people also looked at it. Even his younger brothers and sisters watched curiously as his elder brother tasted it. Lao Zhang was waiting with hope. Owner comments.

"Not bad, salty, tender, and rich in sourness. This should be the famous Jinhai dish "Lao Pao San". It must be the creation of Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Qing nodded quickly, with a smile on his face.

"I haven't done it for several years. It makes my boss laugh. I am indeed the "old boss". My boss is awesome."

"The meat in this jar is also good. It's soft and rich, melts in your mouth, and has a delicious salty aroma. It's a pity that it's not pork belly. If it tastes better, it should be Mr. Zhang's handiwork."

Old man Zhang said with a smile. "I should have chosen good pork belly to make this jar of pork, but during this Chinese New Year, pork belly is really hard to buy, so I made do with it. I will make authentic jar of pork for my boss again when I have the opportunity."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and pointed at the jar of meat.

"I'm lucky enough to be able to eat this. Let's talk about the rest later."

I reviewed a few dishes one by one, and they were all pretty good. There were also three girls’ handiwork, which was a little bit off, but still pretty good.

"Everyone eat, use your chopsticks, don't just look at me, the food will get cold after a while."

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng's urging, everyone started using chopsticks. The little girl bit into the oily jar of meat and praised it profusely.

"This meat is so delicious. Uncle Zhang, please teach my second brother how to cook it for me in the future."

"Xuemei, if you want to eat, come here. The old man will cook it for you. It's easy. How can I let Brother Song waste his time learning this."

Zhu Xuesong was holding a crispy crucian carp in his mouth and quickly expressed his stance.

"Uncle, this, I really want to learn. I have learned several dishes in the past six months, and I think cooking is quite interesting. My brother said that I am good at cooking and that I have the potential to be a cook."

"Okay, don't think about all the good things. You can buy meat. Daya, fill up the wine for the two uncles and let's have a drink together."

There is no family at this table, and there is no chance to have a reunion dinner together. Now that the owner is in charge, we are very grateful to sit together.

"There's not much else to say. From now on, we are a family. Let's raise a toast together and live a more prosperous life together."

The two old men were also filled with emotion. They had been alone all their lives, and now that they had a big family, they burst into tears. The third girl, too, was helpless and suddenly became part of the owner's family, and she was also very excited.

"I didn't say anything, we all did it together. This family will have to listen to the boss in the future, so we two old men did it first."

Everyone sympathizes with each other, and a late reunion dinner brought everyone closer and closer. The younger brothers and sisters also kept in mind the elder brother's instructions. They didn't mention a word about the situation at home and just chatted with a few people. chat.

"Uncle Zhang, with your skills, you can only cook for a few carpenters. It's really an advantage for them. When the opportunity comes, I will help you open the restaurant again. At that time, you and Uncle Xie will cook and sell the food together." Selling steamed buns is guaranteed to be a prosperous business."

Even though he knew it was impossible to open a restaurant now, Uncle Zhang still liked to hear these words.

"That's good. Lao Xie's cooking is pretty good. We're just waiting for this day."

Uncle Xie waved his hands repeatedly.

"This is a daily meal for me, but I can't get on the stage. I'll give you a little help, old Zhangtou." The two old men talked happily and took the initiative to drink.
  ...

The three girls didn't drink, but they looked the same as if they had. Their faces were flushed and their eyes were watery.

"Da Ya, we are not going back today. We will take you to visit the temple fair tomorrow. You have worked hard these past few months. Come and let me toast you."

The three girls also stood up holding the cups, their mouths almost opened. They held the cups with one hand and covered their mouths with the other. It was the big girl who spoke on behalf of them.

"Thank you to my boss for taking care of me and giving us three sisters a place to live. We also found a master for us and taught us how to make a living. We have to respect you..."

The late reunion dinner was a lively one, and the two brothers enjoyed themselves even more. They performed an impromptu opera and remembered that the three girls also knew how to play ditties.

"Da Ya, don't the three of you know how to sing a little tune? One of you will be the representative later and come up with a few words to cheer up the two gentlemen."

The three girls tried to refute each other, but Zhu Xuefeng finally made the decision.

"Okay, last time you seemed to say that you knew how to play "Beiban Dagu". Let's play "Hairheaded Phoenix" and let the two old men appreciate it."

The three of them discussed it, and Daya nodded.

"Boss, we don't have enough composers. We'll do our best. Don't laugh at us."

Also, it is more appropriate for Beiban Dagu to have four or five people to perform the music. Now there are only two people. "Beiban Dagu" is also called "Plum Blossom Dagu" or "Plum Blossom Tune". It is a representative type of northern drum music and is also used in Beijing and Tianjin. A unique type of drum music in the maritime region.

After a while, Erya and Sanya fetched the pipa from the backyard, which was quite harmonious. Uncle Zhang also had itchy hands and picked up the four-stringed instrument. Erya picked up the three-stringed instrument, Sanya held the pipa, and Daya set up the drum. , holding board in hand.

After a few sizzling sounds and a simple closing, Da Ya opened her mouth.

Zhu Xuefeng couldn't help but close his eyes and hummed along with the tune. In later generations, he often heard this part when he went to Jinhai teahouses and parks, and he just listened to Daya continuing to sing.

"It represents that after Lu You and Tang Wan got married, the cousins ​​became deeply in love..."

It seems that Da Ya has put in a lot of effort. The singing voice is melodious and graceful, the articulation is round and polished, and the charm is long. Paired with the beautiful tunes and long melody, it is indeed a pleasure.

It was just a song, and the room was quiet for a while before everyone yelled "Hello" together. Unexpectedly, the level of the ditty these three girls said was really good. An unexpected bonus was that Mr. Zhang's Sihu level was also good.

"Okay, okay, come on, have a drink of water, let's sit down and talk."

"Sister Ting sings so well!" The younger sister applauded enthusiastically.

Da Ya said a blessing. "It made everyone laugh. We haven't touched her much for more than half a year, and we've had a lot of babies."

Zhu Xuefeng was stunned, that's right. These three people obviously learned well, but he had never heard of it before, so he arranged for them to abandon their previous skills, practice martial arts, and become apprentices. Is it really appropriate?

Shaking his head, he put aside all the miscellaneous things. He didn't have the ability to ask them to learn opera, so they might as well just follow him.

The reunion dinner had already been dispersed, because they were going to the temple fair together tomorrow, so the three brothers and sisters did not go back and rested directly in the courtyard.

It was rare for the two old men to be so happy. They both drank a little more and had already confessed their crimes and rested. Zhu Xuefeng also supervised his younger brother and sister as they practiced the martial arts, so they also took a rest and continued playing with guns for more than an hour.

Now I was soaking in hot water for cleaning. When I saw the shadow of Zhuozhuo at the door, I knew that it was Da Ya who was still guarding outside. I didn't want her to wait inside, so I ran outside to stay. The temperature outside was very low at night, and I couldn't help but feel... Called out.

"Big girl!"

Da Ya heard the greeting and quickly opened the door and came in.

"Master, do you want some more hot water?"

Zhu Xuefeng waved to come over to talk, and Daya leaned over with a blushing face.

"Rub your back and let me ask you something."

"You have been studying for several months. What progress have you made now?"

Da Ya is full of confidence, and her master praises her for her spirituality and her ability to learn anything.

"Boss, I have more strength in my hands now, and the master taught me very seriously. I can almost complete some small things by myself. The master said that to improve my level, I need to be proficient. Once I am proficient, I can learn more complicated things. of."

Zhu Xuefeng nodded. Practice makes perfect. Now the progress is considered very fast.

"Don't worry too much about what level you can reach now. Figure out the technique first, and then I'll give you various jade objects. Can you clearly tell the origins and tell the story?"

Da Ya thought for a moment about the master's usual explanations.

"This, the master will explain it carefully every time he brings the ingredients, and I have memorized a lot of them."

After flushing his upper body with water, Zhu Xuefeng was ready to come out.

"I didn't expect you to be able to learn jade carving to a high level in a few years. It's a bit unrealistic. Qualifications are recognized in this industry."

When Da Ya heard this, she was a little disappointed and confused. She had worked very hard, but since her boss had no such expectations, what on earth did she want her to do.

Seeing that Daya didn't say anything, Zhu Xuefeng knew that Daya must be confused, so he asked her to turn around, got out of the bathtub, wiped herself off, and put on clothes.

"I want you to know more about this knowledge. In the future, if you bring a piece of material, you can explain it clearly. If you take a piece of jade, you can also explain it clearly. What you need to practice now is your eyesight. These are all You have to rely on your daily accumulation. You will have to pay more attention to this aspect in the future, and you may need to use it in the next few years."

Daya nodded drowsily, helped Zhu Xuefeng get the cotton-padded clothes and trousers, and handed them over.

Zhu Xuefeng pinched his tender little face gently.

"What are you thinking about? I'm going to bed, not going out. Okay, you guys should go and rest too. Let's go to the temple fair together tomorrow."

...

After breakfast, I said hello to the two old men and went out with my younger brothers, sisters and three girls.

The three girls also changed into neat clothes and looked even more refreshed. They had already changed the girl's dress according to Zhu Xuefeng's request. After working as an apprentice on the street for half a year, their mental outlook has indeed changed a lot, at least now it seems. She looks like the girl next door.

The temple fair in Changdian opened yesterday. I vaguely remember that the temple fairs in this city will be closed in a few years due to various reasons. There are not many opportunities to visit temple fairs. The temple fairs in the suburbs are not affected. Open normally.

In fact, there are several temple fairs nearby that you can go to, but the younger brother and sister just want to go to Changdian. The three girls have no idea. According to them, in the past, when the master's family went to temple fairs, they could only stay at home. , this is the first time I go out to visit a temple fair.

There is also a large-scale temple fair in Baita Temple nearby. There used to be a Huguo Temple Fair. After liberation, when the stores in front of Huguo Temple were jointly operated by public and private companies, this temple fair disappeared and has completely disappeared since then.

The Baita Temple Fair should disappear in a few years. Now the Baita Temple Fair will open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays after liberation. It will not open today.

"Little sister, please show me the way, they have never been there."

"Okay." The little girl responded crisply. She liked all three young ladies, and she was having fun chatting with them now. The three girls were now more relaxed and no longer so reserved.

The second child followed the example of the elder brother and followed leisurely.

The Changdian Temple Fair starts from Heping Gate in the north, Liangjiayuan in the south, Nanbeiliuxiang in the west, and Yanshou Temple Street in the east. It covers a huge area, and the core of the entire temple fair is Haiwang Village located on Xinhua Street.

A few people didn't want to go shopping from beginning to end. Just like last time, they went directly from Hepingmen without any plan.

After more than ten days, I came to the south entrance of South Xinhua Road again. The flow of people was obviously much larger. It was bustling and crowded, at least half of which were children. This place is the favorite of children. Many parents have to go to work today, so this The proportion of children is huge.

Groups of children must have taken their New Year's money and came to Taobao. Most of the toys in Changdian are famous.

Both sides of the road are already filled with closely connected stalls, shouting, and from time to time, the sound of firecrackers, the whine of diabolo, the roar of windmills, and the noise of gongs and drums from far away are mixed with the surroundings. The joy and laughter, looking at the smiling faces, this is the atmosphere of the Spring Festival.

The stores are all open, and the doors are still brightly lit to celebrate the Spring Festival. People keep shouting to come in and have a look, but the crowds still prefer to stay at the stalls on the roadside.

(End of this chapter)