Living in a Siheyuan

Today is New Year’s Eve.

The factory was closed yesterday. At noon, the canteen prepared braised pork with potatoes. Each worker was given a full portion to take home. Today, every family in the steel mill also had a meat dish.

In the morning, Li Pingan went to deliver some things to Yu Li's house. After all, it was the New Year, and everyone was having a hard time.

When they rode their bikes to Yu Li's house, Yu Xiaohu, who was standing at the door, saw Li Ping'an and immediately ran over happily.

"Brother-in-law, you're here. I'll help you get your things."

Li Pingan touched his head and said, "If you can't hold it, I'll do it."

After parking the car, Li Ping'an carried two sacks into the yard.

He greeted people along the way. They all looked at Li Ping'an with envy as he carried things.

The son-in-law of the Yu family was so nice, he often came to give gifts. Although the old Yu family always ate behind closed doors, the occasional aroma of meat from their house still made everyone envious.

When we arrived at Yu's house, Yu's mother and Yu Haitang were busy in the kitchen.

When Yu Haitang saw Li Ping'an, she happily dropped the work in her hands and ran over.

"Brother-in-law, what did you get? Two big sacks."

Yu's mother also came over happily. This son-in-law really had nothing to say about his family. If it weren't for Li Ping'an's help, they wouldn't know how they had gotten through the past two years.

"Ping An, please sit down and have a rest. There is food at home. Why did you bring so much?"

"Mom, isn't it Chinese New Year yet? I'll bring you some food so you can have a good meal during Chinese New Year."

At this time, Yu Linhai also came back from outside. He said to Li Pingan: "Are both children okay?"

"Okay, Dad. Yu Li was busy today, so I didn't bring them here. I'll bring them here next time."

After saying that, Li Ping'an opened the sack and took things out.

A sack contained thirty kilograms of corn flour, thirty kilograms of rice, and thirty kilograms of flour.

In another sack there were five pounds of pork, two pheasants, two hares, and half a braised pig's head.

Seeing so many things, Yu Linhai said, "Ping An, just keep some for Yu Li and the two children. Why bring so many?"

"Don't worry, Dad. We have it. It's Chinese New Year, so everyone should have something good to eat."

Yu's mother also said: "Thanks to you, we have been safe all these years. If it weren't for you, our family wouldn't be living such a good life now."

Yu Haitang and Yu Xiaohu were drooling with joy at the sight of so many delicious foods. They were just waiting for their mother to prepare delicious food for them in the evening.

After staying at Yu Li's house for a while, Li Pingan hurried back. Yu Li had to take care of the baby and prepare things for the New Year at home. He had to go back to help.

When I returned to the courtyard, I saw Yan Bugui had already set up a table and started writing couplets.

Li Ping'an went home, parked the car, grabbed a handful of peanuts and melon seeds, and went to the table.

When Yan Bugui saw Li Ping'an, he said enthusiastically: "Ping'an, how many couplets do you want this year? I'll write them and ask Jie Cheng to send them to you."

"Second uncle, please give me two. One for the gate and one for the house inside."

After saying that, he put the melon seeds and peanuts in his hand on the plate on the table. There are already quite a few in here, it seems that Yan Laokou's business is good.

Looking back, Liang Yuer was busy at the door, but her eyes would occasionally glance at the melon seeds and peanuts on the table. If Yan Bugui hadn't stopped her from getting close to the table, these things would probably have been gone.

Since Liang Yuer came to the Yan family, it has been a big test for Yan Lao's principle of fairness. She often goes to the kitchen to eat secretly in the middle of the night when she is hungry, which leads to a sharp reduction in the food supply of the Yan family.

Yan Bugui now hid all the food in his home in his bedroom and locked it to prevent Liang Yuer from coming.

At home, Yu Li has already started making dumplings. Now that they are done, all she has to do is cook them. Who knows if the two little ones will make a fuss at night? She may not have time to make dumplings then.

Li Pingan went to see the child sleeping first. He also joined in making dumplings. The two happily prepared for dinner.

Today, Lou Xiao'e and Xu Damao also went home with a few wild rabbits and a few pounds of wild boar meat prepared by Li Ping'an. They estimated that they would not be able to return until after the second day of the Chinese New Year.

At night, although Yu Li and Li Ping'an were the only ones eating, and the two children were still unable to eat, there was still a lot of food tonight.

There were six dishes on the small table: braised pork, steamed fish, spicy chicken, four-joy meatballs, steamed egg custard, cabbage vermicelli and a tomato and egg soup.

The egg custard is prepared for two children.

After settling the two little ones, Li Ping'an picked up the wine glass, poured himself a full glass, and poured a little for Yu Li.

He raised his glass and said, "Wife, thank you for your contribution to our family over the past two years. Having you and our children at home makes me feel like I have a sense of belonging. Thank you for your hard work!"

Yu Li also held up a glass of wine and said, "Ping An, the greatest happiness in my life is meeting you. For you, I am willing to do anything. As long as I am with you, I am happy."

The two smiled at each other and drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp.

The two little guys were not happy about this. They watched their parents spread out their affection and only cared about eating and drinking. No one cared about them. They jumped around one by one, trying to grab the plate.

Well, their romance was interrupted by these two little guys. They could only hold one and feed them first.

this is the truth.

Unlike the warm and peaceful Li Pingan's home, Sha Zhu's home in the middle courtyard is now in a mess.

Today is New Year's Eve. He Daqing and his son He Yuzhu are both chefs. It is said that chefs will never starve in years of famine. Just look at their family.

The father and son worked hard together. There were eight dishes on the dinner table that night. There were meat and vegetables, wine and meat. With the white flour buns, it was mouth-watering.

He Daqing and Qin Huairu sat in the middle, Sha Zhu and Wu Tingting sat on one side, and He Yushui and Wu Lili sat on the other side.

He Daqing looked at the increasing number of people at home and was especially grateful to Li Pingan for persuading him to come back from Baoding. It's still better to have your own home.

Just as he picked up the glass and was about to say a few words, the door was pushed open.

Bang Geng and Jia Zhang came in with a swagger. Without paying any attention to anyone else, they sat down on the empty stool opposite He Daqing, as if this place was specially prepared for them.

He Daqing's face turned blue with anger. He said, "Jia Zhang, didn't Huairu bring something over to you? Why did you two come to my house?"

Qin Huairu also hurriedly said, "Bang Geng, be obedient. You and grandma go home and eat first. I'll bring you some food later."

Jia Zhang couldn't speak, she just shook her head and yelled a few words. Bang Geng said angrily, "I'm not going back. Grandma's cooking is not good. I want to eat here. What you bring over later will be leftovers, not even a few pieces of meat."

After saying that, Bang Geng and Jia Zhang picked up chopsticks from someone on the table and started eating. They didn't care about others, and the two of them picked up the big pieces of meat. They pushed the vegetables aside and ate the meat.

This made He Daqing's family very angry. Sha Zhu was unwilling to eat anything, and his wife and family didn't eat a single bite. The two of them ate until their mouths were full of oil.

He came over, dragged Jia Zhang to the ground, and kicked her out of the door.

He turned around, grabbed the stick on the table where he was eating meat, picked him up and threw him out the door. Then he bolted the door from the inside.

Qin Huairu wanted to stand up and say something, but was pulled back by He Daqing. Seeing this, Qin Huairu's face darkened. She sat down with her head down, not knowing what she was thinking.

He Daqing did not stop Sha Zhu, he still felt that Sha Zhu's beating on the two was too light. Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng were too much. Last night, Qin Huairu sent them a pound of meat and flour, and asked them to make dumplings tonight. The meat and vegetables from the factory were also given to them yesterday. He also secretly gave Bang Geng a few dollars. Who knew that he would run to his house tonight. He was pushing his luck!

The grandparents and grandchildren who were thrown out of the door got up and banged on the door vigorously. Although Jia Zhang couldn't speak, she banged on the door with great strength. Bang Geng had little strength, but he barked loudly.

Just like that, this perfect pair of people started quarreling at the door. Jia Zhang was banging on the door and Bang Geng was cursing.

"Silly Zhu, you bastard, open the door!"

"Silly Zhu, if you dare to hit me, I'll let my mom take care of you!"

"Silly Zhu, my mother is also your mother now. You and I are equals. Why do you hit me?"

"Mom, I haven't eaten enough. Open the door quickly!"

The people in the room listened to the noise outside and looked at the mess on the table. They all looked at He Daqing.

A good meal was ruined like this, and He Daqing was so angry that his teeth itched. He said to Qin Huairu beside him: "Go and tell them to get out! Otherwise, I won't give them a penny in the future."

Qin Huairu had no choice but to get up and hand He Yudang to Wu Tingting. She went outside to persuade Jia Zhang and Bang Geng.

I don't know what Qin Huairu said. Anyway, after a while, the two of them stopped making noise outside and went home. Qin Huairu also came back.

He Daqing and his family then continued to eat.

However, the originally sumptuous dinner was disrupted by Jia Zhang and Bang Geng. Everyone's appetite was not as good as before. Everyone at the table ate in silence and ended hastily.

Several families nearby saw what was happening at He Daqing's house, but now people were all indifferent and just watched the fun.

At Yi Zhonghai's home, Yi Zhonghai is now lying in bed. Although he is taken care of by an old lady and a deaf lady, he still can't eat well. He looks completely different. He is just skin and bones. A man in his fifties looks like a centenarian struggling to survive. If he continues like this, he probably won't live long.

The aunt, the deaf old lady and Yi Xingwang were also lying at the door watching the farce in Sha Zhu's family.

Although the deaf old lady couldn't hear what they were shouting, she was very experienced and immediately understood what was going on.

She shook her head and said, "Just wait and see. He Daqing will have to endure some hardship in the future. Don't expect to have a safe life as long as you have anything to do with the Jia family."

The aunt also sighed and touched Yi Xingwang's head. Now all her hopes were placed on Yi Xingwang. She just wanted to bring Yi Xingwang up safely.

The three of them returned to the table. Her family was not doing well now. There were only four dishes on the table. The only meat dish was the braised pork with potatoes brought back from the factory, and the rest were stir-fried cabbage and shredded potatoes, and a stir-fried radish.

These four dishes were considered pretty good in the courtyard. If the factory hadn't asked them to bring a meat dish, they probably wouldn't have had any meat at home tonight.

There is no one at home working in the steel mill, so many families are just having a simple meal tonight.