Siheyuan, my new life

When he was observing the terrain of this small ravine, Guo Yongping had already chosen a location. He carried a shovel to the northeast corner of the ravine, where a seven- or eight-meter-high ridge blocked the howling northwest wind. Right next to the foot of the mountain was a gentle slope formed by rubble and soil that had rolled down from the mountain.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, Guo Yongping wielded his shovel and quickly leveled a patch of land about seven or eight meters long and two meters wide. He then took out the ten gas stoves he had just purchased from his storage space and arranged them neatly there.

These gas stoves are similar in style to those household gas stoves from the 1980s and 90s. They consist of a cast iron support, a single burner, and a 15-liter gas cylinder. Guo Yongping had read the description before buying them. Each gas cylinder contains 15 liters of gas; otherwise, he wouldn't have bought them.

Back at the pool, Guo Yongping poured out the blood, which had turned a pale red, one by one. He then rinsed the meat again with spring water before evenly dividing all the pork and mutton into ten pressure cookers. He placed a white cloth spice bag in each cooker, took out a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from his storage space to use as cooking wine, added spring water, tightened the lids, and placed each cooker on the gas stove. After turning on the switch, pale blue flames immediately rose up.

Guo Yongping glanced at his watch; it was almost two o'clock. He plopped down on a pile of weeds, lit a cigarette, and waited silently. He had originally planned to cut down a few dead trees and chop them into firewood, but unfortunately, there were no dead trees or even saplings left, only stumps about ten centimeters high. He could only wait until he went hunting in the deep mountains to cut down some more.

Twenty minutes later, the pressure relief valves on all ten pressure cookers in the row started spinning wildly, and a rich aroma of meat wafted through the air with the steam. Guo Yongping stood up, walked to the gas stove, and turned the flames down to low one by one. Then he returned to the bushes to sit and wait.

More than ten minutes passed, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of meat. Guo Yongping couldn't help but swallow, got up and walked to the gas stove, turned off the flames one by one, and then continued to wait.

Time ticked by, and after enduring half an hour, Guo Yongping rushed to the gas stove, reached out and removed the pressure relief valves from the pressure cooker one by one. Instantly, ten streams of hot steam hissed out, and the aroma of meat in the air became even stronger.

Once the pressure cookers stopped releasing steam, Guo Yongping removed the lids one by one, sprinkled a handful of fine salt into each pot, and then left one pot of pork and one pot of mutton separately. He then closed the lids of the remaining eight pressure cookers and put them all away in the storage space. He also put away all ten gas stoves.

Taking out a set of bowls and chopsticks, Guo Yongping couldn't resist picking out a piece of pork from the still steaming pressure cooker. The piece of meat, which was originally the size of an adult's fist, had shrunk to a third of its original size. He smelled the rich aroma of the meat, and after letting it cool slightly, he opened his mouth and took a bite. Immediately, the tender pork juices filled his mouth. After chewing it a little, he swallowed it and couldn't help but sigh to himself that compared to the white-skinned pigs of later generations that could be slaughtered in three or four months, the black-skinned pigs of this time tasted much better.

Guo Yongping squatted in front of the two pressure cookers and ate heartily until his stomach could hold no more food.

After tightening the pressure cooker lid and storing it in his storage space, Guo Yongping couldn't help but stretch comfortably before cleaning up the scene. He filled the bucket and enamel basin with spring water, stored them directly in his storage space, patted his bottom, and stepped out of the small valley.

When Guo Yongping returned to the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang by bicycle, it was nearly 5:30 pm. On his way back, he made a point of going to a Liubiju restaurant and bought two jars of sweet sauce eight-treasure vegetables, two jars of pickled garlic, two jars of sesame seed shreds, and two jars of sweet sauce cucumber. These eight jars of pickles cost him more than 30 yuan. If he hadn't shown his work ID from the purchasing department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill and lied that he was buying them for the company's canteen, they wouldn't have been willing to sell him so many.

Pushing his bicycle into the house, Guo Yongping closed the door and quickly started fiddling with the coal stove. There was no other way; the capital city of this era had not experienced the mild winters of later generations. In the dead of winter, the lowest temperature outside exceeded minus twenty degrees Celsius. Although the two old houses where he now lived were not drafty, gusts of cold wind would occasionally sneak in through the windows and doors. Other old residents would hang a cotton curtain at their door to block the cold wind, and some families would use straw curtains to keep the windows warm.

He opened the air vent of the coal stove, and soon the sound of flames roaring in the furnace filled the air. Guo Yongping took out a bucket of spring water from his storage space, poured the remaining half-pot of hot water from the kettle into the washbasin, then poured in the spring water and placed it directly on the coal stove. He planned to make tea later when the water boiled.

This afternoon, Guo Yongping rode his bike so far that his cotton-padded coat was covered in dust. He took it off outside and shook it thoroughly before going inside. He only felt that his face was a little dry, so he quickly washed up.

As Guo Yongping brewed a pot of jasmine tea and sat down at the octagonal table to enjoy it, he heard the sound of men talking outside. It was clear that the factory workers were returning home after get off work.

In the west wing of the backyard, Xu Fugui took off his cotton-padded coat and plopped down at the square table. His son, Xu Damao, had already run into the kitchen and was excitedly telling his mother about the steel mill's handling of Hao Aiguo that day.

It's said that no one knows a son better than his mother, and Liu Lanhua certainly knew her son's character well. She placed a plate of stir-fried cured pork and cabbage on the square table, looked at her husband who was drinking tea and smoking, and asked in a low voice, "Honey, is what Da Mao said about the steel mill's handling of Hao Aiguo true? He only said a few words at the hospital's general meeting, it shouldn't be that serious, right? Not only did he get a major demerit and be demoted to a first-level worker, but he also has to clean toilets in the sanitation team for half a year?"

Xu Fugui sneered, "Hao Aiguo has offended two of the most dangerous people in our courtyard at once, especially Guo Yongping from the east wing of the front yard. If he had only offended He Daqing, the punishment wouldn't have been so severe. But his biggest mistake was making baseless accusations and labeling Guo Yongping as a bad element. You know, Guo Yongping's uncle, Section Chief Dou Dagang, just passed away. Hao Aiguo, an ordinary worker, dared to so brazenly slander a military family member. If Guo Yongping reports him to the Armed Forces Department, Hao Aiguo will probably end up in prison for labor reform."