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

Chapter 463 "Little Cabbage" has grown up
In August and September, the capital city is really hot, and when it rains, it can rain heavily for two days and two nights.

Nowadays, ordinary people don’t even have air conditioners at home, and some people even think electric fans are new.

People are very satisfied if they can have ceiling fans in public places such as shopping malls and cinemas.

How do the old residents in the courtyard spend the hot summer?

Every family has three treasures: a folding fan, a palm-leaf fan, and a cool towel.

It is convenient to take a folding fan when going out to do things;

A palm leaf fan at home can fan the air, shoo away mosquitoes, provide a cushion for cooling off, or be used as a place to put things while playing chess, achieving multiple goals at one stroke.
Every household must have a cool towel. There was a towel soaked in a basin of cold water. People would come back from the street with sweat all over their necks. They would wring out the towel, sprinkle some floral water on it, and wipe it on their head, down, front and back. It was so refreshing!

The new house was not fully furnished, and was not equipped with a refrigerator or electric fan. The Liu family could not stand the heat and planned to return home tomorrow after tonight.

In the summer, as an old Beijinger, dinner is naturally dominated by pasta, and noodles are of course the first choice.

Liu Zhiye personally cooks tomato noodles and noodles with soybean paste.

Add the Beijing-style vinegar marinade that Gan Ning bought from a nearby grocery store, which is made with dried shrimp, chopped green onions, coriander, pepper oil, soy sauce, and vinegar, and pour it over the boiled hand-rolled noodles. Add a cucumber and it’s so delicious and refreshing.

There is no way! They are a family of five, and each has their own taste.

Liu Zhiye’s favorite food is the “Baogao” made with buckwheat flour.

This thing is very simple to make. Add water to buckwheat noodles and steam them into a cake shape. Soak them in cold water to cool thoroughly. Cut them into strips when eating. Mix them with sesame paste, garlic juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mustard, and shredded carrots. It tastes cool and chewy in your mouth, and is delicious and appetizing.

The Liu family's dining table in summer is not just about noodles. Various fillings also make an appearance, such as pies, buns, leek dumplings, and gourd dumplings, which are served more frequently than dumplings.

The reason is that mother Deng Ru can steam and bake these foods in advance, and then cook a pot of mung bean porridge. After the adults and children come back, they can sit down and eat.

Summer is the peak season for fruits and vegetables. Lentils, cowpeas, Chinese cabbage, eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers... can all be used as stuffing. The thin skin and large fillings are very appetizing...

Liu Zhiye remembered the deaf old lady in the courtyard of Nanluoguxiang.

This old lady loves to eat food with fillings. Whoever makes steamed buns or pancakes always thinks of her.

She always smiled and thanked the neighbors: "The whole hospital takes care of me. I wouldn't trade my food and drink for the county magistrate!" The neighbors laughed and said: "The county magistrate wouldn't trade either."

After dinner.

Liu Zhiye's family of five sat in the yard eating popsicles and chatting about family matters.

They ate Beijing-style cream, red bean and red fruit popsicles.

There was a woman selling popsicles from a cart on this street late at night. She was a thin old lady wearing white sleeves.

The old lady said that she bought goods from a large market in Shangbei Xinqiao, and usually went around the alleys selling them in the afternoon.

At that time, the most expensive popsicle was five cents, and the cheapest was only three cents. However, it was impossible for ordinary people to enjoy it every day, because a dish worth ten cents could feed a whole family for a whole day.

Liu Zhiye also tried one and felt that the cream popsicle had a strong milky flavor, the red bean popsicle had soft and fragrant red beans, and the red fruit popsicle was the real deal.

While eating popsicles, he began to tell stories.

Even though the children are grown up, they still listen to their parents talk about old stories from many years ago.

Liu Zhiye told them stories about when he was a child and went to bed on summer nights. That was also a scene.

When I was young, the house was extremely hot during the dog days of summer, and the men and children in the family would sleep outside in the first half of the night.

In order to reduce mosquito bites, after dinner, everyone would fumigate with mugwort and burn mosquito coils. As a result, there were fewer mosquitoes not only in the house but also in the yard.

The neighbors swept the yard and poured clean water. When night fell, one family laid mats on the ground, another set up beds in front of the door, and some laid out bamboo chairs flat, turning the small yard into a camping site.

Although it was hot at that time, none of the gentlemen were shirtless. After all, the yard was not their home, so they had to be tactful.

It was late at night, the adults were drinking tea and chatting, and the children were tired of counting the stars. Under the gentle fan of their mother's palm-leaf fan, they soon fell into a sweet dream.

“Your grandfather could play the erhu and sing a few lines of Peking opera. It was both a hobby and a skill.

The world was not peaceful at that time, so he joked with us that if we really had no other options, we could just go out and perform on the street and beg for food..."

"Ah!" Liu Wu couldn't help but exclaimed after hearing this, "Was life of our Liu family so miserable back then?" His tone was full of disbelief.

Liu Zhiye glared at him, with a bit of helplessness in his tone: "You can't say that. The main reason is that the world was not peaceful at that time, wars were frequent, taxes were heavy, and the lives of ordinary people were so difficult. There was no tomorrow, and it was lucky to be able to survive..."

Gan Ning raised the corners of her mouth and continued with a smile: "Now you should understand how hard it is to have this wonderful life you are enjoying now, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Wen and Liu Wu nodded at the same time and responded in unison: "Yes!"

Seeing this, Gan Ning continued with a serious and expectant tone, "It's good that you understand. Your family has created such excellent conditions for you. If you don't cherish the opportunity and study hard, you will be a waste of your parents' hard work and irresponsible to yourself... And you, Liu Shuxian, how can it have nothing to do with you?"

Liu Shuxian, who was somewhat uneasy, was suddenly called out by her mother. She looked confused and puzzled, and responded in a daze: "Me? What's wrong with me? Did I do something wrong?"

Gan Ning saw this scene, and her anger was instantly ignited. Her face was gloomy, and she asked coldly: "You still ask what's wrong with you? I want to ask you, who is the young man who sent you back tonight?"

Liu Zhiye, who was sitting nearby, was so surprised when he heard this that he spat out the tea in his mouth.

With a "puff", the tea splashed everywhere, spraying right on Liu Wu's face. Liu Wu was stunned by this sudden "baptism". He wiped the tea foam off his face with his hands, looking bewildered.

Liu Zhiye didn't care about him at all. He just asked anxiously, "What's going on? Liu Shuxian, are you in a relationship? Why didn't you tell your family?"

When Liu Shuxian saw this, her cheeks instantly turned red. She retorted with a hint of pouting, "Dad, what are you talking about? I'm not in love, really!"

Gan Ning was furious when she heard this. She said firmly, "I saw it with my own eyes. The young man sent you to the entrance of the alley. Do you still want to hide it from me?"

Liu Shuxian rubbed her temple helplessly, a trace of irritation revealed between her eyebrows: "Mom, you really misunderstood. The person just now was just one of my classmates. We happened to attend the tutoring class together. Because it was too late, after the tutoring class ended, he dropped me off on the way back."

Gan Ning snorted disdainfully, "Humph! You say it's nothing, but there are so many classmates in your tutoring class, why did he have to send you? Explain it to me clearly!"

Liu Shuxian explained impatiently: "There's really nothing to say, it's just that it was getting late and everyone was going back to school, and I said I wanted to go home and didn't want to stay with them.

But Zhong Xingwang insisted that it was too late and it was not safe to go home alone, so he insisted on giving me a ride. I couldn't refuse, so I had to let him do it.

When Liu Zhiye heard Liu Shuxian mention that the male classmate who sent her back was named Zhong Xingwang, the image of a new recruit named Zhong Xingguo inexplicably emerged in his mind, which instantly aroused his strong interest.

"Girl, tell me the truth, are you really not in love?" Liu Zhiye asked tentatively.

When Liu Shuxian heard this, she stood up angrily, stamped her feet fiercely, and shouted aggrievedly: "Dad! I really didn't do that! What can I say so that you can believe me?"

Seeing this, Liu Zhiye quickly winked at Gan Ning, who was about to get angry at the child, and roughly meant: "Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Then, he turned to look at his daughter and continued to ask, "What kind of person is this classmate Zhong Xingwang you mentioned?"

Liu Shuxian muttered softly, "You obviously still don't trust me! Well, actually, Zhong Xingwang and I are not that familiar with each other at school.

He is a complete nerd, holding books all day long and can't play with us at all.

Later, because we were both in the same tutoring class and had more opportunities to interact with each other, we gradually became familiar with each other. ”

"He even boasted that he would protect me. Humph, why do I need his protection? Look at him, he looks like a bean sprout. A gust of wind could blow him down. If he really runs into some bad guy, who knows who will protect whom!"

After hearing Liu Shuxian's explanation, Liu Zhiye and Gan Ning looked at each other, and the doubts in their hearts immediately dissipated a lot.

The couple knew their daughter's temper very well. This girl had loved wielding guns and sticks since she was a child, and she admired soldiers the most. How could she possibly be interested in a weak scholar?
However, nothing is absolute in this world, and they know this in their hearts. So Liu Zhiye decided to give his daughter a shot of prevention in advance: "Since he is just an ordinary classmate, it seems that your parents have wronged you. But you are still young now, it is not too late to consider the relationship in two years.

By then, we won’t object to you having a relationship.

If you have any good friends in the future, you can bring them home as a guest, and dad will help you screen them to see if they are reliable people! "

Liu Shuxian heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that she had passed the test successfully. Her face instantly lit up with joy. She happily took her father's arm and said coquettishly, "I know, Dad! Dad is the best!"

Gan Ning watched from the side, feeling jealous, "Humph! Your dad is so good, I won't meddle in your business anymore..."

Liu Wen and Liu Wu, who were standing by, thought the situation was not serious enough and kept fanning the flames: "Oh! Oh! Mom is jealous!"

When Gan Ning heard this, her brows knitted into knots and she scolded angrily, "You two little bastards, don't be too proud. If you don't finish your summer homework tomorrow, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"

"Gah!" Liu Wen and Liu Wu, who were originally gloating, suddenly fell silent. They didn't expect that the fire would burn themselves. "It's over, the happy days are over now!"

Liu Zhiye looked at the two silly boys, sighed helplessly, and muttered to himself: I wonder if these two boys were taken away by mistake in the hospital. Why don’t they look like their smart sister at all!

Gan Ning was furious. She pinched Liu Zhiye hard and said with gritted teeth, "You are the best at pretending to be a good person. You let me do all the bad things. None of you people with the surname Liu are easy to deal with..." Before she finished her words, she stood up angrily and went back to the house without looking back.

In the yard, four people, one big and three small, looked at each other in bewilderment. No one spoke for a moment, and the atmosphere seemed a little awkward and dull.

After waiting for a while, Liu Zhiye said, "Your mother is in menopause and has a hot temper. Be careful not to provoke her. Well, it's getting late, go back to your rooms and go to sleep!"

At night, Liu Zhiye tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Gan Ning murmured in a half-asleep state: "What's wrong with you? Are you too hot to sleep?"

Liu Zhiye responded softly: "No, you sleep peacefully, I have insomnia." However, the real reason for his insomnia was not this, but his heart was filled with complex emotions about his baby daughter growing up, and he was worried that his "little cabbage" would be eaten by some "pig" in the future.

Then, his thoughts drifted to his daughter Coco from his previous life. He couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart. He wondered if she had entered the palace of marriage and had her own small family now. Perhaps she was enjoying the joy of being a mother...

In the dead of night, he was half asleep and half awake, as if he was in a hazy dreamland.

In the dream, his eyes were red, full of reluctance and blessings. He witnessed his angelic daughter Coco, wearing a white wedding dress, slowly walking towards a handsome young man and gently entrusting her hand to him...

"Dad! I will be happy!"

"Dad! I miss you so much..."

"Hehehe... Dad! Come and chase me..."

…………

Gan Ning was extremely anxious. She gently shook Liu Zhiye, who was in tears, and called out repeatedly: "Zhiye, Zhiye! Wake up..." There was some anxiety and concern in her voice.

Liu Zhiye woke up from his dream and stared at Gan Ning in front of him with dull eyes. It turned out that he had just fallen into a deep dream.

Seeing this, Gan Ning became even more worried. She quickly asked, "Zhiye, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

Liu Zhiye shook his head slowly, "It's okay, I just had a dream!"

Gan Ning's tense nerves finally relaxed after hearing this. She asked with concern, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Liu Zhiye did not answer immediately, but looked out the window.

At this time, the sky was bright and the sunlight shone into the house through the gaps in the curtains, bringing a hint of warmth.

The corners of his mouth slightly raised, outlining a mysterious smile, and he slowly said: "No, it was a good dream!"

Seeing that Liu Zhiye was safe and sound, Gan Ning's worry instantly turned into dissatisfaction. She pushed him with an unpleasant hand and said angrily, "Why are you so crazy? Hurry up and get up. Let's go to the old shop on the corner to eat fried dough sticks. If we're late, there won't be any seats left."

Liu Zhiye became much more sober after being pushed. He let out a long breath, as if all the gloom in his heart was expelled with this breath.

Then, he jumped up from the ground with an excited look on his face: "Okay! I'm craving for that tofu pudding too, let's go and try it. Maybe the boss will be in a good mood and give us more marinade!"

"I'll make you a pot of tea!" Gan Ning said and walked quickly out of the bedroom.

People in old Beijing are used to getting up early and going out before dawn.

There are many alleys in the city, and if you want to go to the park, the market or the center of the street, you have to take many detours. It is said that the term "strolling" comes from this.

After enough strolling and drinking enough tea, it’s time for the people in Beijing to have breakfast.

Liu Zhiye openly admitted that he loves sesame seed buns, fried dough sticks and tofu pudding.

No matter who you are, you will never get tired of it. It tops the list of the most popular breakfasts among ordinary citizens.

Just like the coordination of civil and military affairs and the harmony of yin and yang, eating breakfast also requires a combination of dry and liquid foods.

Although the dry ones play the leading role, the thin ones are also indispensable.

The most unique part of Beijing's food culture, and the one that outsiders are most afraid of, is douzhi.

Due to the fermentation process during the production process, a pungent sour smell is produced, which makes many outsiders feel like the food is rotten and "they can't help nausea after taking a sip."

But the old Beijingers believe that its beauty lies in the fact that "the taste is beyond sour and salty, and the eater can know it himself", and they can even taste a hint of sweetness. So they get used to this taste, enjoy this taste, and cannot give it up.

Let’s talk about tofu pudding, which is also one of the favorite breakfasts of people in Beijing.

It is said that in the early years, there was a wealthy man named Wu in Dongcheng. He was kind and generous, so everyone called him Mr. Wu.

On this day, Mr. Wu posted a recruitment advertisement, offering a high price to hire an experienced chef to make a special dish: what was it? Imitation monkey brains made from vegetarian ingredients.

This is because Mr. Wu had eaten real monkey brains when he was young and felt it was too cruel. Even though he emphasized vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures when he was older, he still couldn't forget about it, so he came up with this weird idea.

On the third day after the recruitment advertisement was posted, a man came to the door, claiming to be an expert and willing to give it a try.

When Mr. Wu heard that someone had "unveiled the list", he was very happy. He hurried to see the person, but when he heard the name of the person, he couldn't help frowning - the person called himself "Baibuda".

Wu Dashan's words: "Look at this unlucky name. Don't be a man who only talks but does not practice. Will you suck up the shit again?"

But since the words had been spoken, written clearly in black and white, and I was a kind-hearted person, and I was greedy, I had no choice but to agree to it.

Baibuda started to work, and with the help of the Wu family's servants, he was busy from noon until almost dark.

Mr. Wu, who was so hungry that he was extremely thin, finally got the news he was waiting for: he got a job!
The servant first blindfolded Mr. Wu, then gently opened the white cloth. A bowl of white and tender "monkey brain" similar to soup appeared in front of him, with a light fragrance.

Mr. Wu's nose twitched four and a half times and he swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva.

As soon as the servant used a spoon to put a mouthful of food into Mr. Wu's mouth, Mr. Wu's tongue kept spinning. What was he doing?

If you taste it carefully, you will find it tender, soft, like fat and jade, with a refreshing fragrance.

After eating more than ten mouthfuls in a row, Mr. Wu clapped his hands, said three "wonderful" words, and affirmed Chef Bai: What a great dish!

So what did the white chef make? Actually, it was a bowl of tofu soup.

It was just a trick to confuse the real thing with the fake and to create mystery so that Mr. Wu, the kind-hearted man, was kept in the dark.

Soon after, this bowl of tofu soup became famous. Because it contained "monkey brain", it was called "tofu brain".

(End of this chapter)