Restarting life in Siheyuan

When Liu Guangqi heard the voice and saw that it was Zhu Xuefeng, he greeted him happily and walked a few steps forward with a smile.

"Xiao Feng, this is perfect. It saves me from running around. Come here, your sister-in-law asked me to bring this to you. When I came here last year, no one was home. This time is perfect, haha."

Zhu Xuefeng wanted to refuse, but Liu Guangqi smiled and said, "It's nothing valuable, just some specialties from my sister-in-law's family and Shandong Province. I haven't had a chance to say thank you. Hurry up, I have to go home to see my mother."

Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to take it. "Thank you, Brother Liu, for taking the time to come and sit with me. Time flies. It's been more than a year since we last met."

"That's right, brother. I'll go back first and we'll talk another day." Seeing Zhu Xuefeng accept the gift, Liu Guangqi said goodbye happily and went straight to the backyard.

Watching Liu Guangqi leaving in a hurry, Zhu Xuefeng was also emotional. No matter how difficult it was, everyone always rushed home with great difficulty to visit their parents and celebrate the New Year together. Most of the factories were on holiday yesterday, and they only had one day off today. Liu Guangqi must have asked for leave again, and his wife and children did not come back with him. Well, calculating the time, their children are probably only a few months old and cannot withstand such a long journey.

I returned home with the small bag and opened it. There weren't many things in it, but they all looked good. It was obvious that I had put a lot of thought into selecting them. Grocery stores don't allow that.

There were six large fragrant apples, a small piece of donkey meat, a small bag of golden dates, a small bag of dried shrimps, a bag of large peanuts, and two sausages at the bottom. They were obviously specialties from several places and it looked like a lot of effort had gone into making them.

I had to drink soon, and since I had nothing to do, I simply fried the peanuts with a little oil on the coal stove (no deep-frying). The fire was not big, just the right amount. I slowly stir-fried the peanuts with a little oil. After a while, I heard slight popping sounds coming from the peanuts, and the color began to turn golden. I removed the pan from the heat and let the peanuts sizzle in the pan with the residual heat.

I washed four more apples, put the peanuts on a plate and sprinkled some salt on them. Just as I finished cleaning up, I heard a noise outside, followed by a creaking of the middle door.

"Xuefeng, what are you doing? It smells so good. Fried peanuts?"

"Well, this is what Liu Guangqi gave me just now. I think it's quite rare. It should be Wei Hai peanuts. I made a plate of it. You came just in time. Take it over."

As he spoke, he brought out the peanuts. He Yushui took them and smelled them. The peanuts were still crackling and were not completely cold.

"It's really big, and it smells really good. Let's go. My brother has packed everything. When Sister Ezi heard that you were going, she felt a little embarrassed. Haha, aren't you from the same office?"

"Oh, it's an office. I don't go there often, only a few times a month. Come on, I'll take this apple with me. It looks good."

"It's quite rare. It looks better than the ones sold in grocery stores and is also bigger. Was this also given to me by Liu Guangqi?"

"Well, there's a little something else, but I don't think I'll need it today. It's all on the cabinet. Let's go."

"Liu Guangqi is quite a polite person. I never realized that before." He Yushui looked at the cabinet and saw that there were indeed several kinds of apples. Zhu Xuefeng followed He Yushui out with the apples in his hand and closed it casually.

A few children were still playing wildly in the yard, throwing small firecrackers from time to time, then running around, spreading laughter to every corner of the yard.

"Xiaoben, come back for dinner!" The voice of Lao Niu was heard from the backyard. After a while, a few little kids wiping their noses came out from the patio behind the utility room. The first one was Niu Xiaoben, the only son of Lao Niu. When he saw Zhu Xuefeng, he called out to him with a grin again.

"Uncle, Happy New Year."

Zhu Xuefeng knew what the boy was thinking. He held the apple in one hand and grabbed a handful of candy with the other.

"Hurry up and separate, and go home for dinner. I can hear your father calling you. If you are late, you will be beaten."

"No way, my dad won't beat me during the New Year."

As he said this, he wiped his snot with the sleeve of his cotton coat, happily took the candy, asked his friends to share it, and then held his head high.

"Thank you, Uncle Feng." He quickly went through the middle door and disappeared.

"This brat." Zhu Xuefeng scolded with a smile, and He Yushui said with a smile, "I finally know why Xiao Ben always talks about you. It turns out that every time you call me uncle, you will get candy."

"I wanted to do this when I was little, but no one gave it to me. Now I have it in my pocket, so I will be happy to give it to him. Haha, let's go."

The middle courtyard is quieter, probably because the eldest uncle is in the middle courtyard. These little brats always like to play in the outer courtyard and the front yard. The eldest uncle's house is quiet. Banggeng and Xiaodang from the Jia family have built a small snowman at the door. When they see Zhu Xuefeng, they seem to be struggling a little. They seem to want to avoid him, but they still want to play with the snowman with their sister. Qin Huairu is busy in the house, and it seems that she is also preparing dinner.

There was a noise coming from Sha Zhu's main room, vaguely the voice of a deaf old woman.

"I say, Ezi, if you marry Zhuzi, you will definitely enjoy this blessing, so you two should hurry up. I think you should get the certificate after the New Year, find a suitable day to get married, and live a happy life. Grandma will be happy just by seeing that..."

It really is a deaf old lady. Well, it’s New Year’s Day, and Sha Zhu must take care of the deaf old lady. Zhu Xuefeng looked at the four apples in his hand and felt a little embarrassed. He thought there were only four people, but he didn’t expect that the voice of an old man could be heard in the room.

"Well, good things never come too late. If we didn't get it done last year, it's not too late today. Zhuzi, just listen..."

Well, there aren’t enough anyway, so we’ll share it later. If the uncle is there, the aunt will definitely be there too.

He Yushui opened the door and said, "Brother, Xuefeng is here. I've added a dish for you. Take a look."

Sha Zhu had just finished cleaning the table and was chatting with the deaf old lady with Lou Xiao'e when he stood up.

"You're here, so why bring any dishes? You haven't even celebrated the New Year here, so where did you prepare these dishes? Wow, this is something. Old ancestor, please take a look at where this is from, and it's so big."

Zhu Xuefeng entered the house and immediately greeted the deaf old lady and the uncle and aunt.

"Old lady, uncle, aunt, good luck to you all."

The deaf old lady opened Shazhu's hand, stood up with her cane, and replied with a smile.

"Good luck, good luck, good luck! The college student is back, and everything is fine at home."

"Everything is fine, thank you for your concern!"

The old man also forced a smile, "Zhu Zi said you were back, but I didn't believe it. If it wasn't for Yu Shui saying you were at home, I would have thought Zhu Zi was lying to me. Come on, come on, everyone is here, let's try Zhu Zi's cooking together."

"Team leader, happy new year."

Lou Xiao'e greeted him with a red face, and Zhu Xuefeng quickly gave way, "I can't bear it. I'm at home now, and there's no team leader. From now on, I have to call you sister-in-law, haha, happy new year."

I was a little surprised that Lou Xiao'e came out on New Year's Day, but seeing her rosy face, I didn't dare to ask.

Sha Zhu put a copper hot pot on the table and prepared a lot of cabbage, vermicelli, meatballs and mutton, as well as a plate of tripe and beef tripe. He roasted an eggplant, stir-fried a liver tip, got some pieces of frozen tofu from somewhere, cut a large plate of potatoes, and some cold dishes. He Yushui put peanuts on the table, and the big table was full.

The old lady naturally sat in the main seat, followed by the eldest uncle, and Sha Zhu and the other two sat at the side.

"Today, I'm not particular about anything. My hot pot is not authentic. It has all kinds of stuff. Please tolerate it and don't be picky. But the taste is definitely good. Come on, let's drink with the old lady."

As he spoke, he opened the wine and started to pour it for everyone.

"In this year, if there is a table like this, 99% of people in the whole city will be disappointed. Zhuzi, please sit down. Everyone can pour as much as they want to drink."

Sha Zhu held the bottle, leaned forward, and said with a smile, "Grandma, I can't listen to you. I have to help fill the first glass. You can do whatever you want with the rest. Come on, come on, Auntie, don't you want some?"

"Pillar, no, I won't use it."

The auntie protected the cup and refused to let anyone pour more wine. The uncle stretched out his hand to stop her and explained, "Your auntie can't drink in this condition. She has never been able to drink alcohol. She hasn't touched alcohol since she left the hospital last time."

Sha Zhu had no way of persuading her. He looked at the aunt and then at the old lady. The deaf old lady spoke.

"Let's tip the pillars a little, to show our appreciation. It's New Year's Day, let's have some fun together."

After hearing what the deaf old lady said, the uncle had to take his hand away, and the aunt had to follow Sha Zhu. They were relieved when they saw that Sha Zhu only touched it lightly.

"That's all. It shouldn't be a problem."

It was the first time for Zhu Xuefeng to have dinner with people other than Sha Zhu and his sister, so he felt a little uncomfortable. However, Sha Zhu didn't feel that way. He filled Zhu Xuefeng's glass and even poured half a glass for He Yushui and Lou Xiao'e before sitting down.

"Time flies by so fast. It's already the year of Guimao. The days are getting more and more interesting. Come on, I, an old lady, suggest that we raise our glasses together..."

The deaf old lady raised a half-full glass of wine and greeted everyone, which marked the beginning of the event. Sha Zhu squeezed Lou Xiao'e, and everyone raised their glasses and took a sip.

The deaf old lady put down the cup, pointed at the hot pot and said to Lou Xiaoe, "Life is just like this hot pot. We ordinary people are not as particular as the rich and powerful. Even though there are no delicacies from land and sea, they are just some homely things, but they taste good and real."

"Yes, our ancestors were right. This is how life is. A simple life is the real life." The uncle also nodded in agreement with the old lady. Lou Xiao'e blushed and nodded to show that she had learned something. Sha Zhu quickly got up and prepared some mutton for the old lady and passed it to her.

"Old lady, please try this. It's real lamb meat. It's delicious and tender. It's hard to get it."

The old lady dipped it in the sesame sauce and said, "Yes, it's the taste of Kouwai. Zhuzi is thoughtful. Everyone should try it. I haven't eaten authentic Kouwai lamb for many years. I remember the last time was before the liberation..."

Seeing that the deaf old lady and the old man stopped educating Lou Xiao'e and started reminiscing about the past, Sha Zhu sat down.

During the meal, they kept asking the two when they would get things done and what to do. Zhu Xuefeng and He Yushui could not get a word in and could only work hard.

"Let's do as we agreed last year. Keep it simple and just set up a few tables in the yard. Ezi's family has repeatedly asked us not to make a big fuss. I think that's a good idea, uncle. I'll have to trouble you to help with the arrangements when the time comes."

"No problem, this falls on me."

The old man expressed his opinion readily, and the deaf old lady seemed a little excited. She pulled Lou Xiao'e and kept whispering instructions to her. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Zhu Xuefeng finally understood that Mr. Lou had given in and Lou Xiao'e got the household registration book as she wished. So she took the household registration book with her and went to Sha Zhu's house to report the news, which led to this dinner.

"Xiao'e, I can't tell." Zhu Xuefeng really didn't expect Lou Xiao'e to have such courage.

Lou Xiao'e's face had already turned red, and she didn't dare to say anything. "Brother, you have to call me sister-in-law from now on, haha." Sha Zhu was very happy and pulled Zhu Xuefeng to have another drink.

Seeing that everyone was slowly putting down their chopsticks, He Yushui stood up, cut the apples that Zhu Xuefeng had brought into a plate, and brought it up.

"Old lady, try this again."

"This girl is sensible. Unlike Zhuzi, she only knows how to bully other students and force them to drink endlessly."

The deaf old lady took a piece with a smile and took a bite. It was cool, crisp and sweet. "This tastes like something from Shandong Province. Better than the ones from the grocery store."

"Old lady, you are amazing. This was brought over from Shandong Province by the eldest son of my second uncle."

Sha Zhu explained with red eyes, and just as he finished speaking, he heard a roar coming from the backyard.

"Get out, get out of here, I don't want you, and don't come back again..."

Then there was a noise of pots and pans being smashed, and everyone stared in surprise.

"It looks like Lao Liu. I'll go check it out."

The old man put down his chopsticks, stood up, put on his clothes and was about to go out, and the old woman hurriedly followed him.

"What a jerk! Why are you putting on so much pretense on New Year's Day? Zhuzi, help grandma go and take a look. How can she still not understand what's going on at her age?"

Sha Zhu also wanted to watch the fun, but it was snowing heavily and he didn't want the old lady to get involved. He hesitated for a moment, but unexpectedly the old lady directly grabbed Lou Xiao'e's hand.

"Ezi, go with the old lady to see if that idiot is the one who is causing trouble. It was a happy occasion, but he had to mess it up."

Sha Zhu had no choice but to get up with Lou Xiao'e. Unexpectedly, the old lady got up with a crutch in one hand and supported Lou Xiao'e with the other. Sha Zhu hurriedly helped her put on her cotton jacket and followed her out.

"Let's go and take a look. This happened on New Year's Day." He Yushui also stood up.

The two of them cleaned up the charcoal fire and went out. When they reached the Moon Gate, they saw Liu Guangqi crying, carrying a package, and storming out.

"Brother Liu, what happened? You just got home."

Zhu Xuefeng stepped forward and stopped the person who was asking. Liu Guangqi looked up and saw that it was Zhu Xuefeng. He smiled sadly and said, "Excuse me, brother. I guess we should find another chance to talk next time. I have to hurry to the station to go home."

"It's hard to talk about it. I finally came back and it's Chinese New Year..."

Zhu Xuefeng wanted to persuade him again, but Liu Guangqi saw more and more people in the compound being alarmed.

"Brother, don't try to persuade me. Don't let so many people laugh at you. Come to the factory to find me when you have time. I'll get drunk with you."

As he said this, he pushed Zhu Xuefeng's hand away, walked quickly out of the middle courtyard, and left without looking back, ignoring the shouts of his two younger brothers who ran out after him.

"It seems like he's really hurt. Even a man this old is in tears."

He Yushui sighed at the side and no longer had the desire to go in and watch the fun.

"I'll go back and clean up. You can go and have a look yourself."

Zhu Xuefeng looked at the backyard. The eldest uncle should have entered Liu Haizhong's house. Sha Zhu and Lou Xiao'e were supporting the deaf old lady and standing at the door of the old lady's house. He vaguely saw the second aunt sitting at the door, looking outside and crying softly. Young wives in groups of three or four were whispering and pointing at each other in the distance. Zhu Xuefeng lost interest and turned back to help clean up.

"What kind of a jerk is this? It's Chinese New Year. He did it last year and he did it again this year. I feel sorry for Liu Guangqi. He came all the way here and finally came back."

He Yushui carefully lit the charcoal fire again and kept the hot pot warm over low heat.

"Why don't we all leave? I don't think anyone wants to eat this anymore."

"That won't work. You and my brother have been busy drinking and haven't eaten enough."

He Yushui poured a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into Zhu Xuefeng's hand. He also grabbed a small handful for himself and started cracking them.

"Yeah, it tastes good, a little different from the ones my brother fries, and it's quite fragrant too."

Sha Zhu’s peanuts are all fried in the cafeteria, which is of course different from frying them yourself with a little oil.

After a while, Sha Zhu came back alone, cursing.

"What's going on? Where's Xiao'e?"

"Xiao E will chat with the old lady for a while. The uncle and his wife will go back. The pot is still hot. We are not full yet. Let's drink more."

The three of them cleared the table, and Sha Zhu poured another cup for the two of them. He Yushui watched from the side, and simply poured himself half a cup as well, and accompanied the two of them with some peanuts.

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes, took a sip of wine, and then told the story about the bad things happening in Liu Hai's head.

It turned out that Liu Haizhong was very happy to see his son back. He drank a few cups happily and asked about the situation of his eldest grandson. He implied that this grandson should have the surname Liu, and the eldest grandson of the Liu family could not have the surname Zhang no matter what.

Liu Guangqi said that it could not be changed as the household registration had already been made, so a dispute broke out. Liu Guangqi blurted out that when they got married, they had nothing and it was all thanks to the support of his wife's family that they were able to settle in their new home. His wife's family only had an only daughter, so what was wrong with having a son with her surname?

As a result, Liu Haizhong refused to accept it. Liu Guangqi said that if the second child was born, he would take his surname Liu. Liu Haizhong still refused to accept it and cursed Liu Guangqi, saying that he had raised the child for so many years in vain and the child was not worth the small favor from the girl's family. In that case, he should just treat the child as if he had never been raised and told Liu Guangqi to go back and be his son-in-law and not stay in the capital to embarrass Liu Haizhong.

"A live-in son-in-law? Impossible. I've seen Liu Guangqi's wife. She's not from Shandong Province. She followed Liu Guangqi to Chengdu and then to the Shandong Aluminum Factory."

"Of course not. Liu Guangqi denied it. He just saw that his wife's family had no incense and he was grateful for their help. Alas, there is no way to persuade him. The first uncle tried to persuade him, but Liu Haizhong said no. He almost suffocated and went back angrily, which made the first aunt very unhappy. The second uncle, after drinking a little, didn't know who he was. The old lady didn't bother to care and went home by herself."

"Brother, what did the second uncle say that made the first uncle so angry?"

"He said, oh," Sha Zhu hesitated and didn't want to say it, but couldn't resist He Yushui's repeated urging, so he had to say it.

"He said, 'You haven't given birth to a son, why do you have to worry about that?' The uncle got furious when he heard that. He was so angry that he took a long time to calm down and took the aunt home."

"It's outrageous. At such an old age, is this what people say?" He Yushui spoke angrily, speaking up for the old man and the old woman.

"I wanted to scold Liu Haizhong, but when I saw Second Aunt sitting at the door crying, I didn't say anything. To be honest, Second Aunt must be the one who suffered the most. Sigh."

Sha Zhu took a bite of food and continued, "Since Liu Haizhong became the team leader, he has long disregarded the elders. I think something will happen in this yard sooner or later." (End of this chapter)