Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 640 Intent on Probing
Wang Li turned her head and asked, "Brother, are we going to help Mother Li?" Wang Zhan nodded and took Wang Li to the kitchen in the front yard.

Wang Zhan helped wash the vegetables, but he didn't let his sister help. It was still spring and the water was still very cold. While washing the vegetables, Wang Zhan asked Li Cuilan, "Auntie Li, what does my uncle Li do?"

Li Cuilan said with a smile while cutting the meat: "You should call him Uncle Yi, not Uncle Li. He works at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill. He is very kind and easy to get along with."

Wang Zhan scratched his head embarrassedly and asked, "Auntie Li, is your home far from here?"

Li Cuilan said: "If you say it's far, it's a bit far, but if you say it's close, it's really close."

After Wang Zhan finished listening, he looked at Li Cuilan in confusion. He didn't understand what she meant. Li Cuilan smiled and said, "I have to go around a long way every time, and it takes more than ten minutes to get home. If you say it's close, it's just across the backyard wall of your house, which is the gate of our compound."

Wang Zhan finally understood and said casually, "Then let Aunt Wang open a door in the back wall someday. That way it will be more convenient for you."

Li Cuilan's eyes lit up and she said, "That would be great!" But then she changed her mind and thought that Sister Wang might think too much, so she said, "Actually, it's not necessary. Just walking for a while is good, it can be considered as exercise."

In the evening, Li Cuilan cooked braised pork and scrambled eggs with leeks for the brother and sister, made a hot and sour soup, and steamed buns.

It was the first time for the two brothers to eat so many dishes. They were a little excited looking at the dishes on the table. Sitting at the dining table, Wang Zhan first picked up a piece of braised pork for his sister and then picked up a piece for himself. They couldn't wait to put them in their mouths. However, the brother and sister chewed it twice and then spat it out.

Li Cuilan was shocked when she saw it and asked, "Why? It's not delicious?"

Wang Zhan shook his head embarrassedly and said, "No, it's delicious. Maybe my sister and I have never eaten meat before, so we are not used to the taste."

Li Cuilan thought about it and seemed to have heard of this saying before. She patted the brother and sister's heads with pity and said, "Then you can slowly get used to it. I will cook for you often in the future."

It was not until they were almost full that the brother and sister got used to the taste of the meat. The more they ate, the more delicious it seemed to them. The more they ate, the more they ate. Li Cuilan was so scared that she kept persuading them to eat slowly so as not to choke.

The meal made the brother and sister feel unprecedented happiness, but the result was that both of them ate too much and collapsed in their seats, motionless.

After dinner, washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, Li Cuilan asked the brother and sister to close the door themselves, and she turned around and walked home alone.

After Wang Zhan locked the door, he took Wang Li to walk around the house again. The furniture in the house was complete, only the back room was empty. There were several copper chamber pots in the gatehouse on the right side of the door, which were also prepared for them brothers and sisters.

When they turned to the backyard, Wang Li started to run wildly. Wang Zhan looked at his happy sister and ignored her. However, his sister did not let him go. After a while, she pulled him under a tree and asked what kind of tree it was. Wang Zhan looked at it and really didn't know, but he didn't make up a story to his sister. He just said, "Wait until autumn to see what kind of fruit it bears, and then we'll know."

Wang Zhan was very satisfied with the current arrangement. At least he could give his sister a warm home. He never showed his longing for his parents in front of his sister. He took good care of his sister. This was the promise he made to his father when his father passed away.

Wang Li was a little sleepy, so Wang Zhan quickly took his sister to the backyard and washed her. After that, he let her sleep on his bed. Wang Li fell asleep as soon as she got into bed. It seemed that she was tired today. Wang Zhan felt at ease when he looked at his sister with a smile on her face. He tucked the corner of the quilt for his sister and then went out to wash.

Sitting in the yard, looking at the moon hanging in the sky, Wang Zhan smiled and whispered to himself: "Mom and Dad, you guys watch over me in the sky. I will take good care of my sister and make her the happiest person in the world." After sitting for a while, Wang Zhan turned off the kerosene lamp and went to bed. The moonlight shone in through the window. Wang Zhan turned his head and looked at his sister's sleeping face with a smile on his face. He slowly fell asleep happily.

Li Cuilan was still very happy today. She felt that she got along very well with the two children. When she slowly walked home, she found that her husband Yi Zhonghai was sitting in the main room smoking with a frown on his brow. When he saw Li Cuilan come in, he snorted coldly.

Li Cuilan was full of questions, so she asked, "What's wrong, Lao Yi, have you eaten?"

Yi Zhonghai said unhappily, "You're not at home, where can I eat?"

Li Cuilan then realized that Yi Zhonghai was angry with her, so she said, "Didn't I tell you that there are two children who need to be taken care of today? Shouldn't I go and cook for them first?"

Yi Zhonghai said with some dissatisfaction: "Does our family need this little money from you? Why do you take on this task? Are you free?"

When Li Cuilan saw Yi Zhonghai's angry look, she stopped arguing, stood up and said, "Okay, I won't talk to you anymore. I'll go cook for you." After that, she turned around and left the house. Their kitchen was just outside the door. It was a simple house with a stove. Every household in the compound had a stove.

Li Cuilan was busy there. At this time, a fat woman came to her slowly while eating melon seeds. She walked up to her and asked, "Mr. Yi, how are you today? Is the child easy to take care of?"

Li Cuilan turned around and saw that it was Jia Zhang who lived next door. She said, "It's OK. The child is also very good. He is obedient and sensible. He just needs to cook. There is no need to watch him."

Jia Zhang smiled and said, "This job is really worry-free, but how much money did the Military Control Commission give?"

Li Cuilan didn't think much about it and said, "150,000."

Jia Zhang exclaimed, rolled her eyes and said, "That's a lot, the work is easy, but Old Yi will suffer, he won't even have a hot meal."

Li Cuilan was unhappy when she heard this and retorted, "Why can't he eat it? Didn't I make it for him?"

Jia Zhang curled her lips and said, "Don't you see what time it is? The master has worked all day and is already starving at this hour."

When Li Cuilan heard this, she thought that Jia Zhang was trying to cause trouble, so she said impatiently, "Are you okay? I'm busy here. My husband Yi hasn't eaten yet. I don't have time to deal with you." After that, she ignored Jia Zhang. Jia Zhang ate melon seeds and walked away angrily.

When Li Cuilan returned to the house with the food, she found that Yi Zhonghai's face looked even uglier. It seemed that he took Jia Zhang's words to heart.

Li Cuilan put the food on the table. Yi Zhonghai didn't say anything and started eating. Li Cuilan considerately went to the inner room to get a bottle of wine, poured a glass for Yi Zhonghai and put it on the table. Only then did Yi Zhonghai's expression ease a little.

(End of this chapter)