The conspiracy of the courtyard

He Yuzhu took Chen Ping and followed the bicycles of the old Chen couple, riding along the main road to a street near the Sijiucheng Department Store.

Turning into the street, he saw a row of two-story Western-style buildings with high walls. Chen Ping had never thought that in his lifetime he would be able to step into the high-walled courtyard and take a look. As he was asking for help from others, he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.

He Yuzhu looked around, clicked his tongue twice, and asked in a low voice:

"Sister, more than ten years ago, my father and I came here. It was the eldest daughter's home. There were a lot of people, and there were six or seven kitchen helpers alone.

At that time, we entered through the side door. I dreamed every day of being a chef here, with little work and high pay.

You said we will go in later. Do I need to kowtow to the young lady and greet her?"

Chen Ping replied in a low voice without thinking:

“No, Xuanxuan said that we are in the same position now, and I heard that these capitalists are very low-key and don’t like the old customs.

Besides, we are here with Uncle Chen, and we cannot let him down."

Arriving at the door of the third house, Lou’s, Chen Bangguo was about to knock on the door, but was stopped by Old Chen. He then lifted up the door knocker and knocked it three times rhythmically, “dang, dang dang”.

"Except for breaking into a house in an emergency, you should always remember the word etiquette. You represent not only yourself, but also the patience and cultivation of government officials towards the public..."

Old Chen was about to continue explaining when he was interrupted by an impatient "Who is that?" from inside the door.

"I am Chen Lei, sorry to bother you. I hope you will inform Mr. Lou."

"Waiting".

Chen Bangguo was so angry at this unreasonable soprano that he cursed inwardly:

"What the hell is this? Damn it. I'll have to bring it to the bureau to compare its quality when I get a chance..."

"Brother Chen, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. I hope you will forgive me."

Following the voice of an elegant middle-aged man, the door slowly opened.

When Lao Chen saw the person coming, he immediately replied:

"Boss Lou, I apologize for your sudden visit."

When Boss Lou saw that there were several people accompanying them, he immediately extended his hand to lead the way and said tentatively:

"Mr. Chen, you are too polite. Come on, come on, everyone, please come in. It's been a while since you came to my little courtyard to drink tea and play chess. You must enjoy yourself today."

Old Chen ignored Boss Lou's probing and said directly:

"I'm busy, and I'm a rough guy. I'm used to pushing the door open, and I'm not used to the rules of passing the message. I drove here to see Mr. Lou's collection of tea sets."

After everyone was seated, Boss Lou dismissed the servants, served tea himself, whispered a few words to a middle-aged woman with an outstanding temperament, and then embraced Old Chen and went upstairs.

He Yuzhu saw that woman also went out, so he asked Chen Ping in a low voice:

"Sister, the few words they just said should have some meaning, right? But I can't hear anything, do you understand?"

Chen Ping covered her mouth and explained quietly:

"Xuanxuan told me that this way of meeting before liberation can roughly understand it. I'll tell you about it so that you won't be cheated in the future..."

Lao Chen and Boss Lou only said polite words without bowing or showing courtesy, which proved that they had a good relationship. They were old friends who had not seen each other for a long time and did not need false courtesy.

Those who bow or greet are strangers, while those who make gestures such as patting on the back or hooking shoulders are familiar acquaintances.

Boss Lou first called Chen "Brother" affectionately, trying to test Chen's attitude.

If Lao Chen replies to Brother Lou, it means that everyone is a family and they can speak frankly.

Old Chen just replied to Mr. Lou, saying that there were outsiders present.

Boss Lou immediately changed his address to Mr. Chen, which both emphasized respect and avoided alienation. If he had called him Director Chen, it would have meant that everything would be handled impartially.

Drinking tea represents negotiation, and playing chess represents a game of chess. If Lao Chen replies that it is up to the host, or directly agrees, then the matter is not serious.

If Lao Chen said that playing chess came first, it meant that the matter was urgent and needed to be dealt with immediately. Lao Chen avoided the question and Chen Ping didn't know what it meant.

But the report that Lao Chen replied to was a complaint, saying that the servants were unreasonable.

The collection of tea sets indicates that it is related to the people around Boss Lou.

In the past, scholars regarded the four treasures of the study as their confidants, and tea sets, musical instruments and chess as their friends, hence the saying.

After hearing this, He Yuzhu was stunned and muttered disdainfully:

"They just came to ask some questions, but they acted like they were meeting with underground gang members. It's really troublesome. It makes them look educated."

Chen Ping did not refute, but just gave He Yuzhu a lecture.

"Don't underestimate those intellectuals before liberation. A lot of news from enemy-occupied areas was spread through these seemingly plausible codes and etiquette.

Xuanxuan also said some jargon from the martial arts world, which I didn’t understand. Let him teach you later.”

Chen Bangguo listened with great interest and felt unsatisfied. He wanted Chen Ping to say something else, but the elegant middle-aged woman had already brought an exquisite fruit plate and placed it on the coffee table in front of He Yuzhu.

"I'm sorry, everyone. We haven't entertained you well enough. Here are some apples that just arrived from the department store. Come and have a try."

When He Yuzhu heard Mrs. Lou's politeness, he immediately stood up with a tense body, waved his hand and said:

"No, no, miss, you're welcome, please sit down."

When Mrs. Lou heard this name, she was stunned for a moment and asked in surprise:

"Young man, don't be nervous. I haven't heard this title for many years. Are you a descendant of the Tan family, or?"

He Yuzhu immediately stood up straight and replied:

"My ancestors learned cooking at the Tan family. My last name is He. You can just call me Zhuzi."

Mrs. Lou was stunned for only a quarter of a second, and then smiled lovingly:

"Since they are family, there is no need to be so reserved. Sit down and eat your apple. You and Director Chen?"

Chen Ping didn't wait for He Yuzhu to speak and quickly took over the conversation:

"We followed Uncle Chen out to see the world. Sorry to bother you."

Mrs. Lou was obviously unhappy with Chen Ping's unreasonable interruption. Chen Ping immediately smiled and praised softly:

"Before I met you, I always thought that the title of Confucian businessman was just a name for fame.

But when I saw your elegance and dignified manners, I realized that a Confucian businessman is not only good at studying and doing business, but his greatest ability should be to have a good vision, to be able to find a lady like you who is beautiful, intelligent, and virtuous among so many people.

Your elegance is definitely not only the result of your natural talent, but also your hard work, right? If I have the chance, I must ask you for more advice. Just this seemingly simple flower arrangement is enough for me to learn for a lifetime."

Mrs. Lou was so delighted by these flattering remarks that she swept away her previous anger and started chatting with Chen Ping.

When he learned that Chen Ping and He Yuzhu both lived in the courtyard house where Lou Xiao'e was about to marry, he seemed a little closer and called Lou Xiao'e to join the chat.

Mrs. Lou tried to find out about Xu Damao's character and the reputation of the Xu family in the courtyard in a roundabout way.

Chen Ping could only give a vague answer to the Lou family mother and daughter's relentless insistence:

“Everyone needs to go to work, leaving early and returning late, so there are few opportunities to meet each other.

If you want Miss Lou to have no worries about food and clothing, Xu Damao is indeed a good candidate. If you want her to enjoy a relationship with someone of equal social status, it may be difficult.

After all, most of the people living in our yard are workers with relatively low quality..."