Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1162 Wang Zhan's Doubts
In Gongjian Hutong, the innermost backyard has three main rooms. A brick wall surrounds a large courtyard in front of the house. To the south is a double gate that is nearly three meters high. The Tie family has lived here for generations. To the right of the courtyard is still a shed, which was the blacksmith's workshop. The right side used to be a material storage area, but now three rooms have been built there.

Da Lao Tie's father is now a master forge in the steel rolling mill. Going back a generation, only Da Lao Tie's grandmother remains. She is a woman from Northeast China, over seventy years old, with sharp hearing and eyesight, and can still carry two buckets of water from the front yard to the back yard.

Today is a workday, and Lao Tie's gate is tightly closed. Only Lao Tie's grandmother is in the yard, sorting through her family's beans, drying and picking them as she goes. The old lady has been worried lately. Her eldest and second sons are not young anymore, but they are still not married. Her own simple-minded son, who is in charge of the household, doesn't seem to know how to arrange anything. She is a little anxious, sighing as she picks the beans.

The gate was ajar. This archery compound was famous not only in this area but throughout the entire city of Beijing. No matter how capable a person was, they dared not cause trouble here, so the compound was very quiet.

Aunt Tie was sitting there when she suddenly heard a bicycle bell ring, followed by the sound of a bicycle stopping in front of her house, and then the gate was pushed open with a bang.

Grandma Tie looked closely and recognized the man. She knew him well, but he hadn't come often since her grandson joined the army. Grandma Tie complained, "Little Wang Zhan, what kind of ghost have you been chasing? Why are you acting so crazy? This isn't like you at all!"

As soon as Wang Zhan entered the door, he realized he had been too impulsive. A little embarrassed, he scratched his head and said, "Grandma, you're home. Why are you all alone?"

As Wang Zhan walked towards his grandmother, Aunt Tie said irritably, "You child, isn't that obvious? Everyone's gone to work, so I'm all alone now. Hmm? Wait, what are you doing here?"

Wang Zhan originally wanted to ask if his old friend had come back, but as soon as he entered the courtyard, he knew that his old friend hadn't come home at all. He hesitated, wondering if his grandmother would worry if he told her now.

Aunt Tie was such a shrewd person. Wang Zhan had only come to her house for her grandson. Could something have happened to her grandson? Aunt Tie thought to herself and suddenly became anxious. She grabbed Wang Zhan and asked, "Is something wrong with my grandson? What happened?"

Seeing that Aunt Tie was anxious, Wang Zhan quickly explained, "No, Grandma, don't worry, nothing happened. It's just that a little boy saw him outside Andingmen today. I thought there must be a reason for his return, so I rushed over in a panic."

Aunt Tie frowned and asked, "You're back, so why didn't you go home? What time is it? What time did they see you?"

Wang Zhan thought about it carefully and made a calculation. He said, "I guess I saw him around noon. It looks like he went back to the city, but didn't go home. He probably went to take care of something. I'll stay home with you and wait. He should be back when he's done."

Aunt Tie still had doubts. She also thought about her grandson joining the army, but it was a bit unusual for him to come back at this time. However, she didn't say anything and just sat in the yard chatting with Wang Zhan.

Wang Zhan felt that time was passing incredibly slowly today. He helped his grandmother chop firewood, then harvest grain, and then assisted her in preparing dinner. This period of time was like torture for Wang Zhan. He kept thinking about his old friend, wondering what had happened to him.

As the sun began to set and colorful clouds appeared in the sky, the sounds of laughter and playful banter came from the doorway. Wang Zhan looked towards the gate, and as soon as it opened, Master Tie, pushing a bicycle, entered first. Master Tie, seemingly lost in thought, lowered his head and habitually parked his bicycle under the workshop shed. A little while later, two burly men, looking like iron, entered, joking and bickering, with another bicycle behind them. Master Tie turned around and saw Wang Zhan standing at the doorway of his kitchen. Master Tie laughed and said, "What brings you here, kid? I was just saying the other day that you haven't even come home since Junzi left."

Tie Jun, the eldest and second eldest brother of Lao Tie, also gathered around. The second eldest brother, Tie Qiang, asked, "You're a rare guest, why did you come empty-handed?"

Wang Zhan was embarrassed. He had come in a hurry today and hadn't brought anything with him. Seeing Wang Zhan's embarrassment, the eldest brother, Tie Yuan, said, "Don't listen to the second brother. It's good that you came. It proves that you still care about us. What did Grandma do tonight?"

Wang Zhan said, "Big brother, second brother, Grandma killed the chicken in the backyard and made chicken stew with mushrooms and braised pork for dinner."

Upon hearing this, the eldest and second eldest sons were stunned. They turned to look at their father. Wang Zhan probably didn't know that the two chickens in the backyard were old hens, which were Aunt Tie's treasures. If anyone touched them, Aunt Tie would probably fight him to the death. But why were they killed today?

Master Tie also sensed something was wrong. Suddenly, he saw Wang Zhan again and understood. He walked over and handed the lunchbox in his hand to the boss, then took out a cigarette and offered one to Wang Zhan. Wang Zhan subconsciously took out a lighter and lit Master Tie's cigarette. Master Tie laughed and said, "I knew you guys smoked. Now you've been exposed. Tell me, is something wrong with my Junzi?"

Wang Zhan felt very tired. He felt that he shouldn't have come here. He looked at Master Tie and said, "I really don't know what happened to Junzi, but I know he's back, otherwise I wouldn't have rushed over here."

Upon hearing this, Master Tie's hand holding the cigarette suddenly froze in mid-air. Master Tie was a well-known figure in Beijing, and he immediately realized that his son shouldn't be back at this time. If he was back, it must be for some reason, but he didn't know if it was good news or bad news.

Master Tie paused for only a few seconds, then looked at Wang Zhan and said, "He's back, so he's back. We'll know why he came back once he gets inside. Alright, don't even think about it. Eldest and second eldest, hurry up and wash your hands, help Grandma serve the dishes, and let's eat."

Master Tie was actually a little flustered inside, but he had to appear calm on the surface because his grandmother was at home, so he acted very composed.

Wang Zhan followed his older brothers and helped Aunt Tie carry the dishes to the main room. There were six dishes on a large round table, but they were all served in basins, which was a specialty of the Tie family. Wang Zhan had seen it before. A winnowing basket containing more than twenty steamed buns made from two kinds of dough was also brought up by Chef Tie.

Just as the eldest son was listening to his father instructing him to fetch wine from the cellar, the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang, and a voice called out, "Grandma, Dad, eldest brother, second brother, I'm back, hahaha."

Wang Zhan knew this was his old friend, but he was a little suspicious. The old friend he knew was a man of few words, and this behavior didn't seem like it. The Tie family members were also stunned. Even the eldest brother who went into the cellar didn't take any wine and rushed out of the cellar.

(End of this chapter)