The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 450 "Eating Out"

No. 95, Nanluoguxiang.

There were few high-rise buildings in the old city at that time, and most of them were large courtyards made up of bungalows in the alleys.

Around five or six in the evening, there would be voices calling "come home for dinner" at the gates of many courtyards, mostly from housewives, or mothers.

Why not at noon?

Because school children have to eat quickly after school at noon and then go back to school.

The children in the alleys all go to school nearby, and since they are not well-off, they basically go home for meals.

After school in the afternoon, I had some free time, so I put my schoolbag at home and went out to have some fun.

There are many things to play with. Boys usually gather in the alleys to play football (small leather balls), pinball, triangle, square treasures, take pictures of foreign paintings, etc.

The girls played skipping rope, hopscotch, cricket, catfight, hide-and-seek, etc.

When dinner is ready, each mother will go to the gate of the yard and call her children to come back for dinner.

These kids get easily excited and carried away when they start playing, so they don't want to go home like that.

Every time this happens, it’s really interesting, “Gousheng’er, go home for dinner!”

"San'er, where have you been? Come back quickly for dinner!"

"Jianguo, Jianjun, if you don't come back for dinner, your dad will break your legs..."

"Hey, Mom, please be gentle, my ears are going to fall off!"

"I called you for a long time, but you pretended not to hear me, right?"

"Really? I thought it was Er Gouzi's mother calling him!"

"Hey! I'll let you pretend again!"

"Oh my! I was wrong! I won't dare to do it again next time..."

These days, there are few families with only one child.

Most families have many children, so naming them is more casual.

Girls are usually named "Ling", "Feng", "Zhen", "Fang" etc., which sound pleasant.

The boys were confused. Names like "Da(Xiao)jun", "Jianguo", "Aiguo" and "Gangzi" were okay, but hearing "Sanbeng'er", "Gouzi", "Sandezi" and "Erdazi" were a bit "tragic".

Some families have more children, up to twelve. You need to be confident when calling them, and at least call out four or five numbers!
The Yan family are all educated people, so of course they won't name their children badly.

Dabao, the eldest son and grandson, is scientifically named Yan Chuang, which sounds very impressive.

One of Yan Chuang’s elementary school classmates was nicknamed “Gousheng’r”, which is said to be easy to keep because of a cheap name!
There weren't so many clothing stores back then, let alone Taobao. Although there were clothing stores, most of them sold formal wear.

People who buy formal suits also buy them to wear on certain important occasions.

For example, Gousheng'er's father had a dark blue woolen Zhongshan suit, which he bought and usually wore at banquets such as weddings and funerals of his colleagues. Usually, he would fold it neatly, put mothballs in it, and put it at the bottom of a box.

Most ordinary people make their own clothes, or buy cloth and have them tailor-made.

If there are many children in a family, the clothes will be worn by the eldest child, then by the second child, and then by the third child after the second child has worn them. The so-called "three years new, three years old, and three years of mending" refers to this situation.

Therefore, this kind of clothes should be made slightly more neutral, suitable for both men and women, or can be suitable for both men and women with just a few slight modifications.

A case like "Gousheng'er" is quite miserable. He has two older brothers, so he always picks up the clothes left over by them.

It was not until Gousheng'er went to primary school and was as tall as his second brother that he was able to wear decent second-hand clothes.

Boys are always naughty, jumping up and down, and they wear old clothes, so it is inevitable that there are holes everywhere.

This year, the clothing factory launched a product, a patch pack.

It is made from the leftover scraps of clothing, which are made into patches with various patterns printed on them, usually small animal patterns, and there are 20 to 30 patches in a pack.

Because it is made with leftover fabrics, no cloth coupons are required, so it is very popular among mothers.

Whenever there are rips or holes on "Gousheng"'s clothes, his mother doesn't have to worry about it. Just put a patch on it and then sew along the edge of the patch with a sewing machine, saving time and effort.

Of course, in the end, "Gousheng" will inevitably be nagged or have a few close contacts between his butt and the broomstick.

Anyway, when he was in elementary school, "Gousheng" had all kinds of small animals hanging on his body. There was a hippopotamus on his left knee, an elephant on his right knee, two monkeys on his elbows, and a giraffe on his left chest. Yan Chuang therefore nicknamed him "Zoo".

Yan Chuang often teased "Gousheng'er" about this, making people around him laugh, but this also planted the seeds of resentment in "Gousheng'er"'s heart.

"Gousheng'er" is a big and strong man, and when he stands there he looks like a little wild boar.

As for Yan Chuang, he was thin and frail, just like a bean sprout.

The Yan family was destined to be a family of "scholars" and could not withstand the torment from a rude man like "Gousheng'er".

Therefore, every time the two fought, Yan Chuang was always the one who suffered the loss, being beaten black and blue, looking in a miserable state.

However, Yan Chuang later found his "good brother" - He Qiu.

He Qiu is a well-known figure among these kids, and no one dares to mess with him.

With He Qiu's support, Yan Chuang became more confident, like a fox borrowing the power of a tiger.

Seeing this, "Gousheng'er" no longer dared to take the initiative to cause trouble for Yan Chuang. Every time he saw Yan Chuang and his friends, he would take a detour around them.

Yan Chuang has lived with his grandparents in No. 95 Nanluoguxiang since he was a child.

I went to school with He Qiu, Huaihua, Xu Xiaonian and others.

We play together after school.

Therefore, the relationship between these few people has been quite magnetic since they were young.

Otherwise, with Yan Chuang's foul mouth, who would want to play with him?

At noon, He Qiu and a group of children from the courtyard hurried home from school.

Then, everyone goes back to their own home and finds their own mother.

As soon as He Qiu stepped into the house, he hurriedly walked to the stove and lifted the lid of the pot. "Hey, that's strange! Why is the rice gone?" He couldn't help feeling confused. When he went to school, his father, Lao He, would always prepare the rice in advance and put it in the pot.

At this time, a cordial greeting came from outside the door: "Xiao Qiu! Are you back?" Before the words fell, a kind aunt walked into the house with a smile. It was the neighbor aunt.

"Grandma Yi!" He Qiu quickly put down the lid of the pot and greeted the old lady politely.

Seeing him staring at the empty pot, the aunt smiled and explained, "Your father didn't prepare any food for you today. He told me to tell you to go directly to my house to eat. Come on, the food is ready, and we're waiting for you to come back and eat!"

When He Qiu heard this, he was immediately delighted, "Okay! I'll go right away!"

This is how the relationships in the courtyard are, and it is common for them to help each other look after the children.

The east wing of the Jia family.

Huaihua pushed open the door, her stomach growling with hunger, and shouted, "Grandma! I'm back!" There was a hint of anxiety and anticipation in her voice.

In the morning, Huaihua only ate two shriveled steamed buns and a bowl of thin dumpling soup. For her who was in the growth and development period, that little food was not enough to fill her stomach.

At this moment, it seemed as if there was a bottomless pit in her stomach, roaring non-stop.

As soon as she stepped into the house, Huaihua's eyes were attracted by the variety of dishes in the kitchen.

A smile of surprise instantly appeared on her face, and she asked curiously, "Hey! Grandma, what good day is today? Why did you buy so many vegetables?"

Jia Zhang smiled and said softly, "Silly child, have you forgotten that your mother is coming back today?"

"My mother?..." Huaihua fell into deep thought when she heard this. In her memory, the image of her mother had become blurred.

Back then, when Qin Huairu’s case happened, Huaihua was just a young child.

Time flies, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, she has hardly seen her mother.

Huaihua had a miserable childhood. She was different from her brothers and sisters.

As far as she can remember, she lost her father and her mother was sentenced to ten years in prison.

In this broken family, her grandmother became her only support. However, her grandmother was selfish and cold-hearted, and was deeply influenced by the idea of ​​favoring boys over girls.

Huaihua was helpless, and her childhood was filled with unspeakable bitterness and misery amid her grandmother's indifference and prejudice. Therefore, when it comes to Huaihua's feelings for Qin Huairu, it is relatively complicated.

Maybe it's a mixture of love and hate!
"Huaihua, what are you thinking about? Come over and have dinner!"

"Let's have a good meal tonight, and just have two steamed buns for lunch today!" In fact, Jia Zhang was not saying this out of frugality, but she was lazy by nature and didn't want to go through the trouble of preparing.

So she reheated the leftovers from the morning and brought them to the table.

The so-called meal was nothing more than a few rough steamed buns and a plate of black, unappetizing pickled cabbage.

Although Huaihua was full of helplessness, her stomach was growling with hunger.

In desperation, she had to pick up the rough steamed bun and started to eat it silently.

This steamed corn bread is too rough. After eating a few bites, you have to drink some cold boiled water to soothe your throat before you can continue chewing.

However, for Huaihua, this kind of life has long been commonplace.

From childhood to adulthood, she has long adapted to this simple and hard life. Every bite of steamed bun carries her tenacity and perseverance in life.

The Yan family in the front yard.

While the third aunt was busy taking out the dishes and chopsticks for Yan Chuang from the cupboard, she turned to the third uncle Yan Bugui who was sitting at the table and said, "Old Yan, I heard from Zhuzi this morning that Qin Huairu is coming back today, is that right?"

"Do we need a hand, or some help?" The third aunt said with some concern.

Yan Bugui took a sip of the wine in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face, and said slowly: "Well, no need. Zhuzi has already gone to find Master An Wu and asked him to help bring Huairu back."

"If you have nothing to do in the afternoon, go and help sister-in-law Jia and do some cooking. In the evening we will all go to her house to welcome Huairu." Yan Bugui ordered.

After hearing this, the third aunt pursed her lips slightly and muttered softly, "What's the point of welcoming her? She just came back from Lao Gai's place. It's not something worth bragging about."

"Hey! What are you talking about!" Yan Bugui put down his wine glass in displeasure. "So many years have passed. It's time for Qin Huairu to redeem herself for her sins. Besides, she was forced to do those things..."

Yan Chuang, who was standing by, showed a curious look on his face after hearing this. He blinked his eyes and asked his grandmother, "Grandma, the Qin Huairu you just mentioned, is she Huaihua's mother?"

In the past few years, people in the yard seemed to tacitly avoid mentioning the name Qin Huairu. Even if they occasionally talked about it, they would always deliberately avoid children, for fear that they would hear something.

Therefore, most of the children in the yard knew very little about Qin Huairu's affairs, and their hearts were full of doubts and confusion.

The third aunt had a warm smile on her face and said, "That's right, but you have to call her Aunt Qin, remember?"

Yan Chuang nodded obediently and replied, "Oh! I remember!" Then, he asked curiously, "Grandma, was Aunt Qin arrested because she was a slut?"

When the third aunt heard this, she was stunned for a moment and stammered: "This..."

Seeing this, Yan Bugui frowned, angrily slammed the chopsticks in his hand heavily on the table, and scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Yan Chuang didn't care at all. He stiffened his neck and said in defense, "I'm not talking nonsense. That's what Xu Xiaonian told me. He also said he heard it from his father."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui became even more furious and said angrily: "This Xu Damao is really getting more and more outrageous. Why does he keep pouring all these words into the ears of the child..."

Seeing that his grandfather was rarely angry, Yan Chuang couldn't help feeling a little afraid. He was so scared that he quickly hid beside his grandmother, as if that was his only safe haven at the moment.

The third aunt saw Yan Chuang's frightened look and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him, so she said to Yan Bugui bluntly: "Why are you doing this? Why are you scaring the child? What Dabao said is not wrong. You should just ask him to be more careful. Why are you so angry?"

backyard.

An old lady was delivering food to the deaf old lady. "Old lady, I have good news for you. Huairu is coming back!"

When the deaf old lady heard this, her cloudy eyes lit up instantly. She patted the back of the aunt's hand happily. Although it was unclear, it could be seen from her expression that she was asking: "Huai Ru, is she really coming back?"

Seeing this, the aunt nodded vigorously and responded affirmatively: "Yes, old lady, Huairu is really coming back! Now you can rest assured. Everyone hopes that she can come back safely and stop making trouble. A happy family reunion is better than anything else!"

…………

Sha Zhu was riding his bicycle, leading the way in front with a very agile posture.

Master An Wu followed closely behind on a tricycle, with Qin Huairu, whose face was weather-beaten and had a complicated expression, on the tricycle.

Qin Huairu sat quietly, gazing at the scenery passing by quickly along the road, with mixed feelings in her heart.

The familiar and unfamiliar scenes intertwined together made her feel both intimate and slightly alienated.

Everything new and different that she saw along the way told her that this was the capital city that she had been dreaming about and missed every day.

After many twists and turns, Qin Huairu finally returned to this land that she had been dreaming about, returned to this place full of stories and memories.

Waited until we reached Xinjiekou South Street.

The group finally arrived at their destination, and Master An Wu, Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu stopped the car.

Sha Zhu looked at the restaurant and said enthusiastically, "Master Wu, Sister Qin, how about we have a meal here at noon today?"

Upon hearing this, Master An Wu looked up, with a hint of surprise in his eyes: "Wow! Liuquanju Restaurant, this place is perfect."

Qin Huairu thought to herself that since Sha Zhu and An Wuye had been busy working for her today, she should be the one to treat them to lunch.

She quietly touched the meager "salary" in her pocket and couldn't help wondering if it was enough for a meal here.

Seeing this, Sha Zhu smiled and joked, "Today we are welcoming Sister Qin, and inviting Master Wu, so we have to choose a high-class place, right?"

After hearing this, Qin Huairu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her face flushed, and she said a little embarrassedly: "Zhu Zi, how can I let you treat me? I'll pay for this meal!"

Sha Zhu waved his hand at her cheerfully: "Sister Qin, we haven't seen each other for ten years, this meal is mine..."

Qin Huairu gathered her hair and said gratefully, "Zhu Zi, I'm sorry to have cost you money again!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu smiled heartily and waved his hand: "Hey, Qin Huairu, what are you talking about! Going to a restaurant next time will be just a piece of cake for me!" After saying that, he took a big step and walked into the somewhat deserted restaurant first.

Nowadays, eating in a restaurant is called "going to a restaurant."

"Eating out" is a luxurious and prestigious thing.

When eating in a restaurant, you not only have to pay money, but also food coupons.

The cost of the next restaurant meal was about 20 or 30 yuan, which is roughly one month's salary.

You can have a good meal in an ordinary restaurant for two dollars a person.

Don't think that 2 yuan is cheap. Nowadays, it takes a lot of determination to be willing to spend it.

Not to mention, Sha Zhu was extravagant enough to bring people to a big restaurant like "Liuquan Road".

In the early years, Liuquanju was funded and opened by people from Dongshan. There were three storefronts in front of the store and a spacious courtyard in the back.

In the past, there was a huge willow tree in the courtyard, and under the tree there was a spring well. The well water was clear, sweet, and the owner used this clear spring water to brew rice wine, which had a mellow taste and overflowing aroma, and was called "Yuquan Wine" by diners.

In addition to selling rice wine, Liuquanju also sells special dishes that are beautiful in color and mellow in taste. If you come to this hotel, you will find dishes such as fermented fish, pine flowers, drunken crabs, dried meat, vegetables, and dried and fresh fruits that go with the wine."

In the Qing Dynasty, Liuquanju, together with Sanheju and Xianluju, were collectively known as the "Three Famous Residences in Beijing".

Today, "Liuquanju" is the only one left among the three residential properties in Beijing.

Talking about "Liuquanju", Sha Zhu is a big shot in this old shop and has extensive connections.

Not only in "Liuquanju", but also in all the major old restaurants in the capital, Sha Zhu is now well-connected and has acquaintances everywhere.

Over the years, Sha Zhu, through his job as canteen director at the Red Star Factory, got to know many people in the Beijing catering industry.

This was also what Sha Zhu did deliberately, and it was also one of the tasks assigned to him by Liu Zhiye.

Liu Zhiye had no choice but to accept this.

The cooking school in Liujiazhuang has trained many chefs over the past decade.

In order to train apprentices, it is necessary to invite famous teachers and apprentices from these big restaurants to come and teach.

Moreover, there were no private restaurants in those days to provide a way out for these graduated apprentices.

Factories, units, enterprises, school canteens, including state-owned restaurants, have become employment targets.

Liu Zhiye didn't want to go and beg for help in person just for such a small matter.

Doesn't he have any dignity? So, stupidity comes in handy.

(End of this chapter)