Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1137 Visiting the White Pagoda Temple (Revised)

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on this historic temple, and the high monks in the temple began chanting sutras to see off the guests.

People gradually dispersed. Wang Zhan and the two little girls were also in the group, but instead of returning the way they came, they went out through the back door.

Passing through the back door, there was another alley, but the alleyway was wider than that of Nanluoguxiang. Wang Zhan saw a sign on the wall that read "Yuanbao Hutong". This was a bird market, but unlike Guanyuan, it only sold flowers, plants, birds, animals, fish and insects. There were very few animals, mostly cats and dogs. Jinbao was already enough for the siblings to keep busy, so Wang Zhan wasn't very interested in this kind of thing.

Wang Li had been playing in the Jade Void Flower Sea for almost a year. As for the flowers, the outside world didn't really attract her much. Zhang Erya was interested, but she could only look at them.

After the three of them left the bird market in the back street, Wang Zhan said, "Are you hungry? How about we go out and get something to eat before going back?"

Wang Li nodded and said, "Okay, I want to eat roast duck."

"That's perfect, it's on my way. I'll head straight back after dinner," Wang Zhan said with a smile.

Zhang Erya hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. Wang Li immediately noticed that the girl was afraid of spending money. Wang Li pulled Zhang Erya and said, "Come on, just consider it as accompanying me. Uncle Zhang won't say anything, don't worry."

Wang Zhan nodded and led the two to Quanjude. The two entered Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant. The spacious and bright hall had more than 30 tables. Although the decoration was not luxurious, it was exquisite in every way.

As a popular venue for entertaining foreign guests, it is said that many international tycoons have dined here, so it can't be too bad.

Wang Li felt a little embarrassed looking at the bright environment, and tugged at Wang Zhan's clothes, wanting to leave.

Wang Zhan didn't care at all and walked straight to the waiter, asking, "Hello, how much is the roast duck?"

"Seven yuan and eighty cents each," the waiter replied.

It wasn't very expensive. Wang Zhan then asked how much the duck liver and gizzard cost, and they were only two or three yuan.

So he ordered a roast duck and a serving of duck gizzard and liver, paid thirteen yuan and seventy cents, and sat down at an empty table with Wang Xiaodong.

Wang Li looked around and whispered, "Brother, this place is so expensive! A meal costs so much. But really, we don't need tickets?" Wang Zhan could tell that Wang Li was very distressed.

Wang Li saw through Wang Zhan's thoughts, took out a ten-yuan note and handed it to him: "Brother, take this money first, I'll give you some more next month, but my money is my money, you can't take it, understand?"

Wang Zhan didn't answer immediately, but instead asked with a smile, "Didn't I give you that money? Are you going to return it to me?"

"Yes, I used a little. Don't ask so many questions," Wang Li said impatiently. "Take it if you want, or leave it."

Wang Zhan looked at the money, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted it.

He was very curious about how much money Wang Li had hidden away.

Wang Zhan also mentally calculated the money he had recently. The Ke family gave him thirty yuan, and he received three hundred yuan from selling meat last time. After deducting various expenses recently, he had about 70 yuan left.

He felt that money should be spent, so why save so much?

It's not like we won't be able to earn it later.

The roast duck restaurant is mostly frequented by foreigners, government officials, or capitalists; ordinary people like them rarely eat there.

Wang Li whispered to Wang Zhan, "Brother, if anyone asks about it in the future, or if someone sees us eating here, remember to say it's your treat, don't mention me."

"And you're not allowed to tell anyone about my affairs, understand? Otherwise, I won't give you any money."

Still reeling from the shock of losing 13 yuan, Wang Zhan instinctively nodded in agreement, "I know, even if the King of Heaven himself asked me, I wouldn't tell." "That's right!"

Wang Li stood up and brought back two bottles of Beibingyang soda. "Brother, try this. You should have seen it in the commune. It tastes pretty good."

Wang Zhan knew perfectly well that he couldn't afford a bottle of soda that cost only 15 cents.

He picked up the glass bottle, took a sip, licked his lips, and said, "Mmm, it's delicious!"

The brother and sister chatted while waiting for the food to be served. Suddenly, Wang Li thought of something and said to Wang Zhan, "Brother, after you go back, talk to the others and ask them to rent you a place too."

"That way you can go home to live in the future, and you'll have a place to get married. You can't expect your future sister-in-law to squeeze into your dorm room, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhan blushed slightly, but his expression betrayed him as he didn't respond.

After a while, the roast duck was finally ready. The waiter skillfully sliced ​​the skin and meat, and the duck gizzard and liver were also served.

Wang Li picked up a thin pancake and showed Wang Zhan how to eat it: "Brother, look, put two slices of duck meat on a pancake, add some shredded green onions and cucumber strips, spread some sauce on it, and then take a bite."

After demonstrating, he stuffed the duck into his mouth in one gulp.

As expected of Quanjude, it's delicious.

Wang Zhan followed his example, rolling up the duck meat and stuffing it into his mouth.

Unlike later years when Quanjude would remove the duck carcass after slicing it, nowadays they leave it there while the waiters leave.

The duck siblings and Zhang Erya finished their meal quickly, devouring the duck liver and gizzards, and even gnawing the duck carcass clean.

After finishing their meal, Wang Zhan paid the bill and strolled home with the two girls. Wang Zhan wanted to ride his bike, but the two girls were too full and said they would walk to help them digest.

When they passed the grain store, Wang Zhan remembered that he needed to buy grain the next day, but it was also his first day reporting to the steel mill. The two plans clashed. Wang Zhan called out to his sister and Zhang Erya, and then led them straight to the grain station across the alley.

By this time, the grain station had already put up most of the door panels, leaving only half of the door closed. It seemed that there was nothing left to sell, so they closed early.

Wang Zhan told the two women to wait at the entrance. He parked the car, walked to the entrance of the grain station, knocked on the door, and heard an old man's voice from inside, calling out, "Who is it? We're off work. Come back early tomorrow morning."

Wang Zhan called out from the doorway, "Grandpa, I'm not buying anything, I'm here to ask you something."

After a while, the half-open door was opened from the inside, and a man who looked to be about fifty years old came to the door, looked at Wang Zhan, and asked, "Kid, what do you want to ask?"

"Sir, hello. I'd like to ask if there will still be any grain if I can't come to buy it tomorrow and come back in a few days?" Wang Zhan asked.

"No, I'm not that old yet. Just call me Uncle. By the way, what you asked about is no big deal. The ration has been reduced, not canceled. The government can't prevent you from going hungry, can it? Just buy the same thing in a few days," the uncle said.

Wang Zhan quickly took out a pack of cigarettes, handed one over, and then looked at the uncle at the grain station with a questioning look.

The uncle lit a cigarette and said, "I can tell you don't buy grain often. These days, coarse grains make up 70% and refined grains 30%. If you wait a while, refined grains won't be a problem, but coarse grains might become mixed grains. You should weigh the pros and cons yourself."

Wang Zhan understood. As they progressed, they might not even have enough cornmeal, so they would have to make do with mixed grains. If it were regular mixed grains, that would be fine, but it probably wasn't.

After leaving the grain station, Wang Zhan stopped thinking about it. As long as he could buy the grain, that was fine. He didn't expect much from the grain; he was just afraid of wasting his and his sister's grain rations.

(End of this chapter)