Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1174 Tian Zao
Uncle Gui runs a small stall on the street, usually serving braised tripe and stir-fried liver.

Sometimes, when there are no raw materials available, he might make some wontons or noodles.

As for Aunt Li, she is Uncle Gui's wife. Her daughter, Li Xiulan, is Tian Zao's best friend. She is quite pretty and is two years younger than Tian Zao, having just turned 16 this year.

After introducing the people on both sides, Tian Zao said proudly:
"Uncle Gui, Aunt Li, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, I told you, I could definitely invite Brother Lin over."

"You silly girl, you wander around the alleys all day long. I never thought that you, a wanderer of the alleys, would meet such a good person. You must have been blessed in your past life."

Tong Laoban is the fourth oldest in the courtyard, while Suo Qian is the third, so Tian Zao calls them Third Brother and Fourth Brother.

"Fourth Brother, what do you mean?" Tian Zao wrinkled her little nose, pouted, and said with a displeased look, "Who's a street urchin?"

"Hey, this girl did it herself and now she won't let anyone talk about it." Everyone laughed, and the whole yard was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Mr. Lin, please come in!" The shopkeeper gestured.

Of all the houses in the entire courtyard, only his living room could accommodate so many people.

The crowd sat around a large table, it was packed with people.

"Mr. Lin, I have Shanxi aged vinegar and Zhenjiang fragrant vinegar here. Which one would you like?"

"Let's have a little of everything, each has its own flavor, one dish of each."

Soon, Aunt Li and Uncle Gui brought out several large bowls of dumplings, a very generous portion.

Beijing is in the north, and people here don't eat dumplings much; most dumplings are either dried or steamed.

Southerners prefer dumplings with soup, but both sides like to make pan-fried dumplings, the difference being the name: one side calls them pan-fried dumplings, and the other side calls them potstickers.

"Don't look at me! I have dumplings on my face! Pick up your chopsticks and start eating!" Lin Hao said with a smile when he saw the children staring at him.

From childhood to adulthood, today is the happiest day for them since becoming orphans.

Before my parents were killed by local bullies, they were loved and cherished by everyone.

After becoming orphans, they could only stick together for warmth, otherwise they would not have been able to survive. They survived thanks to Sister Zao'er's help.

They had eaten dumplings before, of course, but they had never had a time like this where they could eat as much as they wanted.

Not to mention, Lin Hao not only gave them a job, but also gave them some cloth at a low price to make new clothes.

"Brother Lin, from now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west; if you tell me to chase a dog, I'll never kill a chicken." Che Gulu said, tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling with sobs, as he ate his dumplings.

"Since becoming an orphan, I wouldn't have survived without Sister Zaozi and you."

He recalled the time when he had just become an orphan, and it was a truly miserable experience.

It was Sister Zaozi who led a group of children, begging, swindling, and scavenging along the streets, that allowed them to survive.

Later, when the Red Army entered the city, he dared not do petty theft anymore, and his life became worse than before. Fortunately, he later met Lin Hao.

Although the neighborhood committee provided them with supplies and money to help them survive, it was only Lin Hao who made them feel that they were living with more dignity.

Because they no longer have to do petty theft, no longer have to be ridiculed as beggars, and can do business honestly and live upright lives.

"Alright, stop with all this nonsense. I'm helping you not because I want anything in return. Just focus on improving yourselves, growing up well, and living good lives."

"It would be even better if I could become a useful member of society in the future. If I really don't have that ability, it's good to live my own life well."

"And also, don't pee so much while you're eating. Look, in just a short while, you've already eaten two fewer meals than everyone else!"

Upon hearing Lin Hao's words, Che Gulu immediately became anxious upon seeing the others. Forgetting about being touched, he quickly started eating.

This time, however, there was no need to fight over the dumplings, since the dumplings were prepared in generous portions. There were 10 pounds of meat alone, plus other ingredients like carrots, vermicelli, and cabbage, making a total filling of about 30 pounds.

The filling alone weighs over 30 jin (15 kg), so how many dumplings must there be?
There's plenty to eat; we can eat all day tomorrow after we finish today's meal. Even the New Year's Eve dinner wasn't this lavish.

As for Lin Hao and the other men, they certainly wouldn't just eat dumplings; they'd also have some drinks.

This Suo Qian, despite his patched clothes, is actually very particular. He can even taste the difference between Shanxi aged vinegar and Zhenjiang fragrant vinegar.

This vinegar also needs to have minced garlic added, and he managed to make a bottle of Erguotou taste like Moutai. So, the real deal is all about being meticulous even if you're poor.

"Mr. Lin, you're really generous! These seven children are all dressed in new clothes, even though they're all cotton, it must have cost a lot of money. Where did you make your fortune?"

After a few drinks, Suoqian became bolder and started making inquiries.

"It's the new China now, so we don't call anyone 'Grandpa' anymore. Just call me by my name. If you still don't like that, you can call me Mr. Lin or Comrade Lin!"

"Hehe!" Suo Qian chuckled and said, "Alright then, I'll shamelessly call you Mr. Lin!"

Lin Hao smiled and said nonchalantly:

"As for whether it's about making a fortune or not, that's a shop owned by my friend. The products I bought for them were defective items with misaligned prints, and I paid them at cost price, so it didn't cost me much."

Fearing that Lin Hao might misunderstand that he was inquiring about making money, Suo Qian quickly added:
"Mr. Lin, please don't misunderstand. I wasn't trying to find out your way to make money. I just wanted to buy some cheaper fabrics like they do!"

"It's not for me to wear. I'm a grown man and it doesn't matter to me, but I need to buy a set for Chunxi'er, and also for some of my relatives and friends who are preparing winter coats. I wonder if you can give me a discount!"

"Hey, I thought it was something serious. Just go to Chen's Silk Shop on Qianmen Street and give them my name. They'll definitely give you a price based on cost."

In fact, Lin Hao genuinely thought that Suo Qian wanted to ask him where to make money and wanted him to give him a hand.

However, since Chen Xueru was running the silk shop, she naturally had no interest in investing in Suo Qian.

But if you just want to buy something cheaper, it's simple, just a matter of saying one sentence.

"From what you're saying, Chen Xueru from Qianmen Street has a very close relationship with you!" Suo Qian asked in surprise.

"Indeed, we have a pretty good relationship!" Lin Hao replied with a smile and a nod.

"Then I'm relieved! This will definitely save me a lot of money!" Suo Qian said happily. "This will save me a huge amount of expenses!"

“These days, buying a set of clothes isn’t cheap. For example, winter coats, even those with patches, can be pawned as long as the cotton inside is fine, and they’re not cheap either.” So, buying some flawed fabric at cost price to make coats can indeed save Suoqian a lot of money, especially if he has several sets.

The servant owner, standing to the side, then spoke up:

"I remember now, Chen Xueru was the most capable businesswoman on Qianmen Street. I remember she even cooperated with the administrative office and the street authorities to drive down the price of grain!"

"She's now the vice president of the Federation of Industry and Commerce. I never imagined that the people you know, Mr. Lin, are all such important figures!"

Lin Hao ate there for an hour, chatting with everyone and getting to know the people around Tian Zao a bit better.

While Lin Hao and his group of men were drinking and eating dumplings, Tian Zao gathered with several women and girls and asked them about their impressions of Lin Hao.

Although Tian Zao was not well-educated and didn't know if her judgment of people was accurate, she knew to collect other people's opinions.

In short, she may seem silly, but she is actually a very opinionated girl.

Everyone admitted that they had a good impression of Lin Hao, but they all agreed that Tian Zaoxiang should be more cautious about being with Lin Hao.

Especially Aunt Li, although she felt that Lin Hao was indeed good, she still hoped in her heart that Tian Zao could be with Tie Dan.

Firstly, the two were childhood sweethearts and knew each other well. Secondly, Lin Hao had been married before, so if Tian Zao were to be with Lin Hao, she would only be a concubine in the past.

Upon hearing this, Tian Zao felt conflicted, but after comparing the two in her mind, she still felt that Lin Hao was better.

Especially when she thought of Lin Hao, who was very handsome, tall and elegant, with an extraordinary temperament, and who was always gentle and considerate of her, she secretly made up her mind.

In the afternoon, after much persuasion from Tian Zao and the others, Lin Hao stayed for dinner.

However, Lin Hao didn't want to add to their burden, so he gave Uncle Gui a few more silver dollars so that he could buy some more braised pork and meat dishes, as well as a roast duck from Bianyifang, so that everyone could have a good meal.

When everyone dispersed, Lin Hao was also a little drunk. Mainly, Lin Hao did not deliberately try to sober up, so he was somewhat drunk on his own, even though the alcohol did not make him drunk.

Lin Hao was aware of the conversation between Tian Zao and the women today. He hadn't been in a hurry, but judging from their demeanor, they didn't seem disappointed in Li Tie.

So Lin Hao had no choice but to play the villain. Seeing that there was hardly anyone in the room, he said to Tian Zao, slightly drunk:
"Zao'er, you're so beautiful!"

"Ah~!" Upon hearing this, Tian Zao's cheeks flushed red, and she looked at Lin Hao with tender affection.

Then Tian Zao said in a barely audible voice, "Brother Lin, thank you!"

"Hmm?" Lin Hao asked, somewhat puzzled, his voice tinged with drunkenness:

"Why are you thanking me all of a sudden? I've already said it. I helped Xiaoyong and the others because I saw that their lives were not easy and I wanted to find them a decent job so they could live like human beings."

"You probably don't know this, but I'm not just helping them. I'm also helping other kids I've met who aren't bad people!"

"You're not worried that I'm taking care of them because I have ulterior motives towards you, are you? You know what, I... I actually quite like you!"

"But don't worry, Zao'er, I, Lin Hao, am not the kind of person who takes advantage of others in distress." As he spoke, Lin Hao reached out and touched Tian Zao's pretty face.

Seeing that she was tipsy, Tian Zao suddenly threw herself into Lin Hao's arms and then whispered, "That's not what I meant!"

"what?"

Tian Zao looked up, met Lin Hao's eyes, and said, "I mean, thank you for avenging me!"

Lin Hao shook his head, trying to clear his mind, then looked at Tian Zao with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, Tian Zao said with tears in her eyes:
"I heard before that Han Qingkui was shot dead by the police elites on the day the army entered the city."

"Later, after making inquiries from various sources, I learned from Sister Li Hongying that the benefactor who killed Han Qingkui was actually a temporary police officer named Lin Hao!"

Because Han Qingkui's death was reported through official channels, Tian Zaocan and Hong Ying inquired and that's how they found out about Lin Hao's actions that day.

"Han Qingkui?" Lin Hao shook his head, then muttered to himself: Let me think, this name sounds familiar!

"By the way, on the day the army entered the city, I killed someone who was trying to cause trouble. He was a bald, fat guy, right?"

"Yes, it's him!" Tian Zao leaned her head against Lin Hao's chest and murmured to herself, "You have no idea how happy I was when I found out he was beaten to death!"

"Later I thought, if I could find someone to help me get revenge, I would be willing to marry them!" After saying that, Tian Zao looked up at Lin Hao.

"Zao'er, from beginning to end I never thought about getting anything in return, I just..."

"Mmm~!" Before Lin Hao could finish speaking, Tian Zao wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head back, and kissed him.

If Lin Hao still doesn't understand Tian Zao's feelings after all this, then he's not a real man.

"Zao'er, I love you!" Lin Hao said emotionally, then gently leaned down.

“Me too!” Tian Zao murmured.

······
Three days later, a sedan chair carried Tian Zao into the Lin family home, where she moved into the backyard.

When Li Tie learned that Tian Zao had become Lin Hao's concubine, he was consumed by jealousy.

He couldn't understand why she would become Lin Hao's concubine when she could be his wife.

For this reason, they even tried to stop Tian Zao to ask her what was going on, but in the end, they stopped after Li Hongying persuaded them to.

In fact, she couldn't understand why Tian Zao, who had always been positive and optimistic, would suddenly become someone's concubine.

So they began investigating Lin Hao and Tian Zao. Because Lin Hao's missions or his dealings with his superiors were top secret, they couldn't find out about the contributions Lin Hao had made.

Through available intelligence, it was discovered that Lin Hao was actually a major capitalist who owned a large multinational bank and frequently left Beijing.

Li Hongying instinctively felt something was wrong, so she called the Dongzhimen Police Station and found out that Lin Hao was actually one of the 108 heroes trained in Huangni Village.

So he became even more curious about Lin Hao and subsequently conducted a more in-depth investigation into him.

At the same time, although Tian Zao moved into the Lin family home, Lin Hao still made her continue attending night school to increase her knowledge and didn't want her to remain illiterate.