Restarting life in Siheyuan

Chapter 436 All Grow Up
"Teacher Zhu, you are looking for me."

"Well, come, sit down and talk about two things. One is the report from last time. After our investigation and verification, we found that you are indeed classmates and have never had any bad behavior on campus. It is a fabrication. The matter has passed, and your studies have not been affected or disturbed."

Damn, this guy didn’t withdraw his report at all and he still has an IOU in his pocket.

"Oh, it's okay. In fact, I haven't been affected at all these days. I'm doing what I need to do."

"That's good. Here is a document forwarded by the school. They want to recruit you to a certain unit to participate in a classified operation. The school has agreed. You don't have to participate in the military training. Your credits will be calculated as usual. Someone will contact you when the time comes."

"I understand. I'll just wait, okay?"

Teacher Zhu was very pleased when he saw this young scholar. The department had just received a commendation from the Navy. This matter could not be made public, but the certificate and prize were still very telling and were now collected in the department's honor exhibition room.

Now he has been called up again. It seems that this student has achieved a lot in addition to studying. This is what the school has always advocated, that knowledge must be put into practice.

"Student Zhu Xuefeng, the school leaders asked me to tell you that you are doing very well. I hope you can keep doing it."

It turned out that the school leaders learned that their students had participated in a key project when they were praised at a meeting of a certain department's scientific progress award.

This was an accident and a bit high-profile, but these things were out of control and Zhu Xuefeng had no way to refuse. Not everything can go according to one's wishes, so just let it go.

On the way home, I unexpectedly met the Banggeng brother and sister. From a distance, I saw them at the entrance of the alley, happily sharing something. After a while, they peeled the food and put it in their mouths. Xiaodang followed his brother and ran away happily.

Qin Huairu is really nice to children. It’s not a holiday, but she even bought some candies for them. It seems that life will be better now.

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng riding a bicycle towards him, Bang Geng hurriedly grabbed his sister, held her in his arms, closed his mouth, and watched the vehicle pass by.

Zhu Xuefeng ignored them. Tomorrow is Labor Day, so he can have a day off. He should come back early to cook for his younger brother and sister. They had discussed it yesterday that they would be back a little later after school today because the school required them to come back only after they had cleaned up the playground and the vegetable garden used for teaching.

It just so happened that the steel rolling mill had distributed some seafood, some of which were not easy to store, so we had to finish them off in the next two days. The weather has turned warmer, and even if there is ice in the cellar, it won’t be able to be stored for long.

After a short while, dinner was ready. Looking at the table, Zhu Xuefeng was very satisfied with his cooking skills. His younger brothers and sisters didn't know how to clean crabs and thought it was troublesome to eat them, so they simply made a pot of spicy crabs according to their memory, which looked quite tempting.

"Oh, it's all done. My brother came back late and told me to do it. Hey, this is crab. How do you cook it? Chop it up?"

Sha Zhu arrived and pushed the door open happily.

"I'm just thinking about it. I'll try it later to see how it tastes."

Sha Zhu took off his coat and washed his hands. "I say, why haven't the two kids come back yet? My people who got off work have all returned home. They came earlier than us."

"The school is doing labor today. I said I would be back later. Is Sister Yushui home yet? I didn't pay attention when she was cooking."

"She said when she left yesterday that she had something tonight and would be back tomorrow morning. We don't need to wait for her. It seems that she made an appointment with a high school classmate to see someone in the evening. She told me about it, but I don't remember."

Yesterday was Sunday, and there is no adjustment for the day off. I had to work one day on Monday, and Tuesday is May Day, so I have one day off.

The two children came back not too late. The second child was still quiet. He said hello and went to wash his hands. The youngest sister was a little abnormal. She didn't have the usual clear laughter and warm greetings. She said hello to Sha Zhu and went into the house to change clothes.

"There's something wrong with the little girl. I think she's been wronged."

Sha Zhu looked up with eyes wide open and said, Zhu Xuefeng put down the bottle, "It's normal for children to have some conflicts. Don't worry about her. Let's drink something later. It was you who said that we should drink white wine when eating seafood."

Zhu Xuefeng was not worried about his younger sister being bullied. With her skills, a junior high school student would be no match for her. The little girl was also smart, so she was the only one who could bully others.

Looking at the little sister who had changed her clothes and came out, he still asked.

"Did you have a quarrel with your classmates? I see there's a wet spot on the back of your shirt."

The second brother also came out and glanced at the youngest sister. The youngest sister glared at him. The second brother hesitated and didn't say anything.

"Hey, sister, you are so awesome. Even your second brother is afraid of you."

Sha Zhu filled his own cup and said with a smile, "Hurry up and wash your hands. Your brother has come up with a new trick. We have to give him some face. If you have any grievances, I will take care of it for you later."

After a while, when all four of them sat down, the younger sister gave a brief explanation.

"It's nothing, actually. When I was watering the vegetable garden, a new girl went crazy and played some kind of fairy scattering flowers, and she got me all over. We had a fight for a while. Just now after school, she blocked me at the door, and I dealt with her. As a result, my second brother criticized me, saying that she was the one who provoked me."

"No one was hurt."

"No, I just kicked her and she sat on the ground. I ignored her and rode away on my bike. Then my second brother came to pick me up and thought I was bullying her."

"It's good that no one is hurt. You two have practiced this before. You don't know how to control the severity of your attacks, so it's easy to hurt people. But if someone causes trouble, we won't indulge her. Come, try Big Brother's new method."

After getting the affirmation from the eldest brother, the younger sister regained her lively nature. She even winked at the second brother, picked up a crab and started eating. There was nothing she could do as the dish was too fragrant.

"It's delicious, big brother. Let's do it this way next time. It's fragrant and tasty. The last time you steamed it, it wasn't as good as this. It had no taste at all, not much meat, and it was hard to eat."

"Xuemei, you are wrong. The proper way to eat crabs is to steam them. Although your brother's method tastes good, it was considered unorthodox and improper in the past. Let me tell you, there are many things to pay attention to when eating crabs, and the ingredients are also very particular. Also, didn't you say it was troublesome to eat? That's because there is no tool to use. To eat crabs, you need tools. You know the eight tools of crab, special tools, that's what we call being particular..."

When talking about how to eat it, Sha Zhu started to show off again. The younger sister asked in confusion, "What is the eight pieces of crab? Can't you just break the shell and eat it? There are also tools. Brother, have you heard of it?"

"Don't disbelieve me, the old lady in the backyard has crabs. I brought two over on the day the crabs were distributed, and the old lady ate them very swiftly. You can tell she's a very particular person."

"Yes, but we ordinary people usually can't eat it. It's good to have it. There's no need to be so particular. Eat it. I'll chop it up. The nine pieces of crab are here and can only be placed on the table. It's the easiest to get started."

The few of them were having a great time eating. Sha Zhu was so happy that he drank a lot. After chatting for a while, he left in a crooked manner.

"Are you okay? How about I take you there?"

"Brother, this is just the beginning. However, you are thick-skinned as a brother. Do you still have that wine? Give me a bottle, hehe."

Shazhu was a little excited after drinking, and his little eyes turned red.

"Wait a minute, it's in the cupboard, get it yourself when you want to drink it."

Sha Zhu carried the wine bottle, put his hands behind his back, and strolled back to the central courtyard.

"Don't look at it, you two are still young, don't be greedy, and this wine is not ordinary wine, don't touch it."

Seeing that the eldest brother was speaking seriously, the two children nodded in confusion. "Brother, you said you would take us to see twins tomorrow. Should we bring anything? Have you bought anything?"

The second brother asked as he was clearing the table, and the youngest sister cleared the chairs and helped to bring in the dishes.

Zhu Xuefeng answered as he put the table back in its place.

"Everything is ready. We'll go tomorrow morning. By the way..."

"Brother, excuse me..."

I was unexpectedly interrupted by Yan Jiecheng, who looked very happy. Yan Jiecheng pushed open the door and greeted me with a smile.

"Brother, I just came to tell you that my wife and I are getting married and are planning to set up a table in the yard. The wedding day is set for May 20th. I hope your family will give me some face when the time comes..."

They really gave us early notice. We are all in the same courtyard, but they gave us twenty days’ notice in advance. These three uncles are quite particular.

"Brother Jie Cheng, we live across from each other and will be neighbors in the future. I should attend even if I am taking a leave."

"No need to ask for leave, no need to ask for leave, my dad picked the day, it's a day off."

Yan Jiecheng became anxious when he heard this. The Zhu family was now prosperous and living a good life. Although none of them worked, many people were jealous of their well-fed and well-clothed life. If their family came, the wedding money would be...

"I know, I know. It's just unfortunate that your birthday coincides with our military training, so we can't come back for the training. So, let me be the one to represent our family, even though I'm not there. But you have to leave me some wedding candy so that I can also share in the good fortune."

"That's fine, that's fine, let's just say that. Well, you're busy, I have to go to the next store, see you later."

When the second brother heard that he represented the Zhu family, he felt a little nervous.

"Brother, what should I say when the time comes? You have to tell me what the etiquette is for this banquet, otherwise it will bring shame to the family."

"You are just a child, there is no need for you to speak, it's nothing special, just eat and drink, no one will take it seriously."

"But, but, I'm already sixteen, and other people who are sixteen go to work, so I can't be considered a child. What if I have to tell you?"

"Then just say a few auspicious words, wishing the newlyweds a happy marriage and happiness and good fortune. If you can't remember, then just say what others say."

It's true. My second child will be sixteen this June and can no longer be treated as a child. My youngest sister will be thirteen in July and is no longer the little girl who always had a runny nose from two years ago.

"How about this, I'll write some auspicious words for you, and you can write them down and say them when the time comes."

The second child, who seemed a little depressed, immediately perked up. Zhu Xuefeng looked at him and realized that he really couldn't keep treating the second child as a child.

"Everyone usually donates fifty or eighty cents. We and Uncle San are pretty frequent. When the time comes, you can put a dollar in a red envelope yourself. Don't tell anyone. Just write that it's your donation."

"Brother, you are afraid that people will see us together and it will be embarrassing, right?"

The younger sister interrupted with a smile, and Zhu Xuefeng smiled. The younger sister has always been thoughtful.

"That's right, it's enough for the Third Master's family to know. Girl, you are too insightful, nothing can be hidden from you."

"That's right. Our teacher always praises me for being smart and making rapid progress in my studies. Brother, I'm in the top three in the class again this semester. Hehe, you'll have to reward me when the time comes."

"Well, if you can get into the top three in the high school entrance exam, I'll send you to see the sea."

"Great, second brother also likes the sea, so will Sister Yushui take us there when the time comes?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. Probably not. Sister Yushui also has an internship during the summer vacation, so she probably won't be able to leave."

Nowadays, universities arrange internships every summer vacation for credits, and occasionally arrange them during winter vacation. However, schools are now responding to the requirements of their superiors and have shortened the normal class hours to allow students more time to choose courses that interest them.

"If no one is with you, would you two dare to go there by yourselves?"

The little girl looked at the second oldest. She was only thirteen years old and didn't dare to brag. The second oldest felt a sense of accomplishment when she saw her little sister looking at her.

"Don't worry, big brother. It will be no problem. I know how to buy tickets and stay at a guest house. I can check the map and take the bus by myself."

"Well, that's it. If you really can't find a suitable person to accompany you, just listen to your second brother and look around to broaden your horizons."

That being said, I'm still a little worried about letting my younger siblings go out alone. I'll decide when the time comes. At worst, I can just say hello to Coach Gao and ask Gao Bo to accompany them. This kid has been training for so long, there shouldn't be any problem.

"By the way, little sister, before dinner you said that the girl you were having a quarrel with was a new transfer. What's her name? Do you know what her family does?"

"Her name is Ma Dongmei, from the class next to her. She is so arrogant because she has a brother who is a section chief in a steel mill. She just transferred here this semester and has already offended many people in school."

"From the steel mill? Chief, what the hell is that? There should be a lot of children of department heads, directors, and section chiefs in your school. Is it her turn?"

The little sister said angrily, "That's right, but she is quite strong and likes to play with those girls who don't like to study. There are actually a few girls who are very close to her. But I'm not afraid of her. There are a lot of classmates in our class who have a good relationship with me, hehe."

"It seems that you always take candies from the cabinet to fool your friends. Let me tell you, if you eat too much candies at your age, your teeth will decay quickly."

The little sister didn't care and grinned, revealing a row of neat white teeth.

"Look, it's okay, brother, how did you find out that I took the candy?"

Zhu Xuefeng glanced at him unhappily and said, "I didn't even know what I bought. There are only three of us in the family, and your second brother doesn't like sweets, so who else can blame you?"

Since he traveled through time, Zhu Xuefeng always had the habit of stockpiling some candy at home. At that time, he was afraid that his body could not keep up, so he would buy some White Rabbit and the like whenever he had the chance. However, he found that the candy in the cupboard was consumed very quickly. Since there were no outsiders at home, he didn't take it seriously.

"Eat if you like. Don't look at me and act pitiful. Watch your teeth."

A little White Rabbit shouldn’t have much impact. It’s also good for my younger sister to use it to build her own circle of friends. I just don’t know about the second one, which is almost sixteen years old.

"The most important thing in making friends is to be sincere. You can't make true friends by tempting them with gifts. Be smart."

Zhu Xuefeng didn't say much. My younger sisters were all girls of thirteen or fourteen years old, at an age full of innocence. A reminder was enough and there was no need to worry too much.

(End of this chapter)