Siheyuan: Why does your brother beat you up every day, Shazhu?

At noon, He Weiguo just made some food to get by, but just like before, he didn't leave a single bite for Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu had already finished the two pancakes he had eaten in the morning, and now his stomach was growling with hunger.

At first he tried to hold it in, but as the aroma of the food grew stronger, his occupational disease as a chef kicked in—

I can't help but want to eat something while cooking.

While He Weiguo turned around to get something, Sha Zhu quickly picked up a piece of freshly fried potato chips and stuffed it into his mouth.

Ah!

Just the right amount of saltiness!

Really fragrant!

He Weiguo caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, but said nothing.

Forget it, if you are really hungry, just have a bite, as long as you don’t go too far.

Education is education, but it is also troublesome if you become ill due to hunger.

But Sha Zhu couldn't stop eating after taking one bite!

The aroma of the potato chips aroused his appetite.

Seeing that He Weiguo didn't seem to notice, he quickly picked up a piece of vermicelli from the stewed cabbage with chopsticks and sucked it into his mouth.

So smooth! Delicious!

He Weiguo frowned slightly. Coming again?

After a while, Sha Zhu took advantage of the moment when He Weiguo lowered his head to look at the fire and quickly picked up a small potato from the braised mixed fish stew!

He couldn't stop eating the greasy potatoes soaked in fish soup!

The more he ate, the greedier he became. He stole snacks more frequently and his actions became more bold.

He Weiguo couldn't stand it anymore!

How the hell is this a taste?

This is like eating at a buffet.

He turned around abruptly, staring at Sha Zhu with his eyes fixed:

"Zhuzi! If you dare to eat again, I'll whip you right now."

"Do you really think I'm blind?"

Sha Zhu was chewing the potato pieces he had just stolen when he was caught. He was so scared that he trembled and almost choked.

He quickly swallowed what he had in his mouth and argued with his neck stiff:

"Big...Big Brother! I...I didn't steal any of it! I just tried it to see if it was salty enough! I was afraid it would be too salty or too bland and ruin something!"

His face turned red and he was so stubborn that he couldn't even believe it himself.

He Weiguo was so angry that he laughed: "Taste the saltiness? Bullshit!"

"You're a chef, and you know how to weigh the salt shaker better than your own belt! Do you really need to steal a bite?"

"Don't try that on me! If I see you stick your claws in the pot again, I'll make you relive what happened yesterday!"

"Did you hear that?"

Seeing that his elder brother was about to get angry, Sha Zhu completely wilted and muttered softly:

"I know...I won't try it anymore!"

He Weiguo snorted coldly:

"It's not that I won't try it, but if you sneak another bite, I'll hang you back at the Jia family's gate! You'll eat it in front of the whole courtyard!"

This threat was more effective than a beating with a belt. Sha Zhu immediately became obedient and never dared to put his hand into the pot again.

It was soon past five in the afternoon.

Sha Zhu had already prepared all the main dishes - two large pots of fragrant stewed fish, several large plates of carefully stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and several large steamed steamed buns made of two-grain flour.

They were neatly arranged on a makeshift chopping board.

At this time, Yu Shui also came back from school with his schoolbag. There was no evening self-study for junior high school students these days.

The yard gradually became lively, and people came back from get off work and school. He Weiguo greeted his younger siblings:

"Zhu Zi, Yu Shui, go call someone."

"Remember what my brother said: Don't call the three uncles' families! Don't call the Jia family!"

"But the younger ones like Guangfu, Guangtian, Jiecheng, Jiefang, and the neighbors I'm on good terms with, especially the younger ones, call them all!"

"Zhu Zi, go borrow a few tables and benches from someone you're close to. We don't have enough to set up seven or eight tables!"

Yushui and Shazhu nodded in agreement:

"Don't worry, brother!"

Yu Shui took the initiative to say, "Brother, you go to the backyard, I'll go to the front yard and the middle yard to call people!" The two siblings immediately went their separate ways.

He Weiguo didn't move, he was waiting for Zhou Zhenbang.

We agreed to treat Lao Zhou to a meal, so we can’t let him not be able to find us when he comes.

Sure enough, within ten minutes, Zhou Zhenbang's burly figure appeared at the door.

He Weiguo went to meet him and said, "Brother! Didn't you agree to bring your sister-in-law and niece to join in the fun? Why are you here alone?"

Zhou Zhenbang smiled brightly and waved his hand:

"Oh! Don't mention it! The mother and daughter went back to the child's grandfather's house today. It seems something happened."

"That's okay! It's the same as if we were just two brothers getting together! I'll invite you to my house some other day, or we can make an appointment for the weekend. We're close anyway!"

He Weiguo nodded and asked no more questions:

"Okay! Next time!"

He remembered what Zhou Zhenbang said yesterday and pointed in the direction of the kitchen, with a hint of explanation:

"Brother, didn't you say yesterday that I should treat the neighbors when I brought back the fish? I figured since Zhuzi is on leave and cooked everything in one day, I might as well just treat everyone to a simple meal tonight to save on leftovers."

"You...don't mind the crowds. It might be a little noisy."

Zhou Zhenbang said "Hey", patted He Weiguo on the shoulder, and said in feigned anger:

"Weiguo! Are you trying to play this trick on me now?"

"It's great to have more people! It's lively! Isn't the point of a banquet to have fun?"

"We two brothers have fought for so many years, haven't we all been eating from the same pot?"

"Come on, let me see your little brother's craftsmanship first!"

He was in high spirits and didn't mind at all.

He Weiguo smiled and led Zhou Zhenbang to the kitchen:

"Brother, please come this way! My brother is average at everything else, but he's a real ace at cooking. Especially Tan's dishes, they're truly amazing!"

Zhou Zhenbang nodded and said, "Now that you say that, I'm really looking forward to it!"

In the kitchen, although the main dish was only the generous portion of braised mixed fish, the other vegetarian dishes also looked shiny and fragrant under Sha Zhu's cooking skills, and the steamed cornbread was even more golden and tempting.

The whole kitchen was filled with an enticing aroma mixed with the aroma of sauce, oil and grain.

As soon as Zhou Zhenbang entered the kitchen, he sniffed twice, his eyes lit up, and he praised in a loud voice:

"Wow! Wow! This smells so good! I can smell it before I even walk in!"

"Weiguo, your brother is really good at cooking! Even the vegetables are so tempting!"

"Alright! Looks like it was worth it, bro, for me to come here with an empty stomach!"

He looked at the pot of fish stew and steamed corn bread, and his Adam's apple rolled noticeably, obviously he was really hungry.

Chapter 57 My dad said he is the same kind of person as you

The yard soon became lively and noisy.

As the host, He Weiguo naturally had to go out and greet everyone.

He said to Zhou Zhenbang, "Brother, let's go out. Everyone is here."

Zhou Zhenbang nodded and said, "Okay, it's a good opportunity to meet your neighbors."

As He Weiguo walked out of the house, he saw a strange man with a little boy standing in the yard, looking around awkwardly.

He Weiguo was just thinking about how to address him when the man spoke first, with a respectful smile on his face:

"He...Boss He! Thank you for treating us all to dinner today!"

"I...I moved into the middle courtyard later. My name is Chen Wenjian, and I work at the steel mill now."

He pulled over a five or six-year-old boy next to him:

"This is my son, Chen Yuanchao."

After saying that, he gently pushed his son: "Yuan Chao, go and say hello to Uncle He!"

The little boy Chen Yuanchao was obviously a little afraid of He Weiguo. He subconsciously shrank behind his father and avoided his gaze.

The scene of He Weiguo beating up Sha Zhu yesterday must have left a deep impression on the child.

Chen Wenjian had threatened him yesterday by saying, "If you don't listen, I'll beat you like Boss He beat his brother."

But being pushed by his father, he still timidly whispered, "Hello... Uncle He!!"

He Weiguo immediately showed a kind smile, walked up to the little boy and touched his head, then took out a White Rabbit candy from his pocket and handed it to him:

"Hey! You are Yuan Chao? You are so good! Come here, uncle will give you some candy!"

When Chen Yuanchao saw the rare candy, his eyes lit up instantly, his timidity was washed away by surprise, and he quickly took the candy, not forgetting to whisper:

"Thank you uncle!"

"You're welcome!" He Weiguo replied with a smile.