Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

The scalding hot tea poured into his mouth and almost burned a layer of skin off his lips.

An old lady was laughing at the side, wondering how someone of such an old age could still be scalded by hot water.

But she didn't say anything. She took the broom and dustpan and swept the scattered tea leaves into the flower bed. These were excellent fertilizers for the flowers.

Then he found some toothpaste and helped Yi Zhonghai wipe the corners of his mouth.

Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai stayed at home all day and did not go out, otherwise he would definitely be mistaken for Santa Claus by the enthusiastic crowd and accused of treason.

...

The front yard of the Yan family.

In order to strike a blow against Yan Bugui, Liu Haizhong specifically instructed the guests not to reveal the details of the Li family's wedding banquet to him.

The residents were naturally happy to see this happen, and they did not want Yan Bugui to come to their house and put pressure on them to attend the banquet.

Therefore, although Yan Bugui knew that Li Xiaodong was holding a wedding banquet, he did not take it to heart.

Although Li Xiaodong is a driver and his future seems bright, without Lao Li's protection, how can he cope with the ways of the world?

The Yan family has a large population and is considered a wealthy family in the courtyard.

Besides, Li Xiaodong has become a gigolo, so how can he have the money to hold a wedding banquet?

Even if the Yu family loves Yu Li, they can't possibly pay that much money!

If there are no dishes by then, Li Xiaodong will lose all face, and everyone will have to come to the Yan family to present gifts.

...

What worries Yan Bugui is that there is no news from Baoding yet.

"Logically, Liu Guangqi should have replied! How could he not care about this? This kid is usually quite reliable."

Yan Bugui was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the room.

At this time, Yan Jiecheng walked in with an ugly look on his face: "I just went to ask Zhuzi to be the chef, but he said he wanted to help Li Xiaodong cook! This ungrateful guy!"

Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if Zhuzi doesn't come. We can find another chef. I remember your eldest aunt's and second sister's fifth uncle's son works in a restaurant in the village. Go and invite him over."

"..." Yan Jiecheng swallowed his saliva and said, "Uncle Liu cooks for the prisoners..."

"What do you know? The food is a little unpalatable and people will eat less. The leftovers will last us half a year." Yan Bugui explained with a blink of his eyes.

Yan Jiecheng: "..."

...

Just when Yan Jiecheng went to hire a chef, Liu Haizhong took his two sons and built two large stoves in the backyard.

Several flatbed trucks drove in outside the courtyard, and Old Wang and his sons brought in tables and chairs.

The children are playful and unwilling to do anything.

Lao Wang scolded with a stern face: "Whoever doesn't move will not be included in tomorrow's banquet."

Hearing this, several teenagers shouted and rushed to move the tables and chairs to the backyard.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhu placed camellias at the backyard entrance.

In the evening, Shazhu came back with Mahua and Fatty.

"Tomorrow is Wei Zi's big day. The master is the head chef. Everyone, work hard. If you perform well, the master will teach you the secret recipe of Tan's cuisine."

"Master, don't worry. We will not let you down tomorrow." Ma Hua and the fat man's eyes were red and full of anticipation.

In an instant, everyone in the courtyard was busy preparing for the wedding banquet.

Li Xiaodong and Yu Li returned from People's Park and saw the lively scene. They nodded with satisfaction and waved to the busy people, saying, "Thank you for your hard work!"

Everyone was silent.

Li Xiaodong glanced at Yu Li and said proudly, "Did you see that? This is my prestige in the Siheyuan."

Although Yu Li knew that he was bragging, she had to admit that the residents here were indeed working for the Li family.

In contrast, on the Yan family's side, apart from the Yan family members, the only person who came to help was Chef Balizi.

Balizi rode his donkey upside down and came to the courtyard in high spirits. He had never received such an invitation to a banquet in many years, and his heart was filled with pride.

However, when he saw the old cabbage stalks under the eaves, he almost cried. He had chopped old cabbages in the bamboo kitchen, and now he was repeating the same work here, which was simply an insult to his cooking skills.

However, as the son of the fifth uncle of Yan Jiecheng's eldest aunt and second sister, he could not refuse this close relationship. He had no choice but to pick up the kitchen knife and start chopping the cabbage while complaining about the "crackling" sound.

The Yan family also started to get busy, setting up tables and chairs, and picking ingredients. Only the third aunt stood at the door, looking into the distance from time to time, expecting a dark green figure to appear.

……

No one in the compound noticed that Jia Zhang, who used to mend shoes at the door, was nowhere to be seen. At this moment, she was in an independent courtyard in the east of the city, tasting the best Longjing tea and admiring the luxurious decorations. Jia Zhang sincerely admired the Huang family's luxury.

At the same time, she felt sorry for what happened to Mrs. Huang, who died at a young age and was replaced by a frivolous woman.

Jia Zhang saw at a glance that Cuihua was no longer a virgin, and seeing the intimate behavior between her and Uncle Huang, she was sure that there was something going on between the two. Despite this, Uncle Huang asked her to propose marriage for Cuihua, and she agreed without hesitation, for a simple reason - there was money to be made.

As for the deceived person, Jia Zhang thought that it was just the other party's stupidity and had nothing to do with her. She was only responsible for matchmaking and didn't care about the follow-up.

"Auntie Jia, thank you so much. After I get married, we will be neighbors. You are like my family. Please take care of me in the future..." Cuihua said halfway, suddenly covered her mouth and ran away. There was a sound of vomiting outside. Jia Zhang couldn't help wondering, could this girl be pregnant?

Uncle Huang was anxious to marry her off, probably because he was worried that he could not keep it a secret. At this moment, Jia Zhang regretted her decision. Although the Yan family might tolerate Cuihua's losing her virginity for the sake of face, if she gave birth to someone else's child, even a figure like Yan Bugui would be shaken.

Uncle Huang saw everything that Jia Zhang was doing, and he said with a smile, "Sister-in-law Jia, some things are better left unknown."

Jia Zhang knew it in her heart, but she deliberately kept a serious look and said with a straight face: "But I am an old woman with a kind nature. A woman who has lost her virginity and a pregnant woman are two different things. I will not do anything that goes against my conscience."

As soon as he finished speaking, a big picture of unity appeared out of thin air on the table.

Jia Zhang quickly held it in her hand, smiling: "As the old saying goes, it is better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a family. What I am doing is also a good deed."

At this time, Cuihua came back with her mouth covered. After Jia Zhang asked in detail, she finally nodded in agreement.

Cuihua's pregnancy is still short and there is still room for recovery.

"Girl, don't you have any solution?"

"Countermeasures?" Cuihua looked confused.

This girl is indeed naive, otherwise she wouldn't have been flirted with by an old man like Uncle Huang.

"Cough, cough." Jia Zhang wanted to say something but stopped herself and just kept sipping her tea.

"Tsk, tsk, this tea is really top-notch. I'm afraid it's one dollar per ounce?"

"This is the real Mingqian Longjing tea, produced by the State Guesthouse. It is rarely seen on the market." Uncle Huang said as he took out ten yuan from his pocket and put it on the table.

He really put a lot of thought into Cuihua.

Cuihua originally had a semi-open identity and met Uncle Huang by chance.

Although he was nearly fifty years old, old enough to be her father, he was of extraordinary status and generous. "

Cuihua was already tired of that kind of life, so she devoted herself to serving Uncle Huang.

Uncle Huang was a well-behaved man all his life, so he was no match for her and was quickly conquered.

Not only did he find a stable job for Cuihua, he also transferred her to the capital.

However, Uncle Huang is very energetic and Cuihua unexpectedly becomes pregnant, which creates a conflict between them.

Uncle Huang had no sons, only two daughters, and he was almost crazy about wanting a son.

But he could not give Cuihua a legitimate status, because in modern society, a man in his fifties marrying a twenty-year-old girl is simply seeking death.

Cuihua is not stupid. As long as the half-open door is handled properly, the neighbors usually don't notice it.

But she couldn't hide her pregnancy and childbirth. Without a father, she would become a symbol of infidelity. The factory would punish her and she would never be able to hold her head up high for the rest of her life.

In order to allow Cuihua to give birth to the child smoothly, Uncle Huang had to reluctantly give up her love and publicly look for a husband for her.

From this point on, the subsequent story unfolds.

Seeing Jia Zhang put away the money again, Uncle Huang felt relieved.

"My niece is young and ignorant, and there are some things that need your guidance as an elder."

"Don't worry, I have my own way."

After putting the money into her pocket, Jia Zhang no longer concealed it.

She pulled Cuihua into the wing and whispered, "Before the wedding, find some pigeon blood and mix it with fish maw, and then put the fish maw in the wing. As for the pregnancy, just say you had a premature birth. My daughter-in-law has connections in the hospital and can help cover it up."

Cuihua was so moved that she burst into tears: "Thank you, Grandma Jia!"

Jia Zhang touched the twenty yuan in her pocket and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

As long as Cuihua marries into the old Yan family, she will have to obey Jia Zhang's arrangements in the future.

As long as the method is right, it is not impossible for Yan Jiecheng to become the second Shazhu.

Not only did he gain wealth, but he also got the unexpected surprise of "Shazhu", which is called a double harvest.

...

Winter nights are particularly quiet, and every family huddles in their warm homes.

The only exception is the bangs.

He looked around with a flashlight and confirmed that the cellar door was securely locked before covering his ears and returning to the house.

"It's the dead of night, don't you feel cold? You really think you are a model worker!" Second Aunt brought him a bowl of hot water.

Liu Haizhong drank the hot water with a proud look on his face: "Women, you have long hair but short knowledge. This is exactly the starting point of my great career."

"You are just a power-obsessed person!" Second Aunt curled her lips and took out a letter from the table and handed it to him, "This is from Lao Wang next door. He said it was at the steel factory and it was sent by your son."

"Guang Qi? I guess it's another live-in son-in-law thing! I won't watch it!"

Liu Haizhong was filled with rage. He grabbed a stick and rushed into the house: "Guangtian, Guangfu, you two boys, get out here!"

Second Aunt shook her head helplessly and had to stuff the letter into her cotton trouser pocket.

...

It was early Sunday morning, before daybreak.

Li Xiaodong then rode his bicycle to pick up Yu Li from Yu's house.

Sha Zhu and brothers Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian served as best men.

Return to the entrance of the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong used a bamboo pole to pick up a string of firecrackers, which made a "crackling" sound.

The children swarmed over to look for the unexploded cannons, and when they found them they showed them off to their friends.

There was a joyful atmosphere in the air.

Perhaps feeling that the atmosphere was not lively enough, Sha Zhu took out a handful of rockets from his canvas bag.

He held it in his hand, struck a match and lit the fuse.

"Whoosh...pop!"

Brothers Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian looked at him enviously: "Uncle Zhu, we want to play too."

"Go away, kids, stay away. You have no right to play with these!"

Shazhu can't even handle all those dozen flying monkeys by himself.

"Whoosh...pop!"

"Whoosh...pop!"

...

The noise woke up the Yan family, and Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng put on their clothes and went out.

Yan Jiecheng swallowed his saliva and said, "Dad, I want the Sky Monkey, too."

Yan Bugui frowned and said, "When Cuihua comes home, ask her to buy it for you."

Yan Bugui was in a bad mood.

He didn't understand how Liu Haizhong got involved with Li Xiaodong, nor did he understand where Li Xiaodong got the money to buy firecrackers.

The two of them felt aggrieved and turned back to the house.