Siheyuan: Living in the People's Community, with a Heart for the Red Star

Lao Yang took a few disposable cups and poured champagne for the group. It was the first time for the group to see champagne, and they were all very curious. After taking a sip, they immediately felt the sour and sweet fruity aroma, a very strange drink, a bit like soda.

Lao Yang started to introduce it, “This is top-quality French champagne, a very interesting drink with a very low alcohol content, which gives people a higher sense of pleasure. But you can get drunk with it!”

Zhang Haiyang had heard of champagne, a high-end foreign alcoholic beverage. He had only heard of it and had never seen anyone else drink it. He didn't expect to drink it today! It felt great, sweet and sour with a hint of apple flavor.

Zhang Haiyang asked casually: "Brother-in-law, where did you buy this champagne? I have never seen it before. Tell me, I want to buy some, it's so delicious!"

Old Yang looked at Zhang Haiyang, who was full of curiosity, and smiled wickedly, saying, "This champagne was brought back from abroad. It's basically not available in China. Do you want to know how much a bottle costs?"

The four people immediately looked at Lao Yang and nodded, staring at him curiously waiting for an answer.

Lao Yang smiled meaningfully and said, "This champagne is also top-quality in France. It costs $200 a bottle and there is still no one in stock!"

After hearing the price Lao Yang said, several people were petrified instantly. They lowered their heads to look at the champagne in their hands and began to drink silently, sipping it one sip at a time, as if they wanted to taste the good or bad.

Li Yuping was also stunned when she knew the price for the first time. She didn't expect that such a bottle would cost 200 US dollars, 600 Chinese yuan. The average wage is only about 30 yuan now, and a bottle of wine is about two years' salary for a person. Poverty really limits imagination. Chinese people dare not even think about this! Even in Xingbang Company, no one dares to spend so much! But she can still accept it. After all, she has been with Lao Yang for a while and has some experience. The materials at home are definitely a big number. The key is that there is no other place except home!

Zhang Haiyang and his friends were eating cakes and sipping champagne, but they didn't dare to drink too much, as if drinking too much would be a sin! Old Yang wanted to look at the cautious people with a smile, so he picked up the champagne and poured a full glass, drank it in one breath, and shouted, "It feels great!"

Li Yuping raised her hand and patted Lao Yang, saying, "You are so naughty, just go ahead! Haiyang, you guys ignore him, come and eat the food, don't save it for me! We don't need to take it back after we finish eating."

When several people heard Li Yuping say this, they all started eating with their chopsticks. Lao Yang quickly tore off the last thigh from the roast chicken, pushed the roast chicken to several people and said, "You guys can share the rest. Your sister and I will only eat this chicken thigh!"

After that, he took the chicken leg and brought it to Li Yuping's mouth. Li Yuping smiled and took a bite. Lao Yang took it back and took a bite and chewed it slowly. The four people were envious and their faces turned red. They lowered their heads and drank. They drank the champagne in one gulp and still felt dry in their mouths.

Lao Yang picked up the champagne and handed it to Zhang Haiyang, saying, "Here you go, drink it. It's just a bottle of wine!"

Zhang Haiyang was also shocked by Lao Yang's pretense. He took the champagne and filled everyone's glasses. Then he put the bottle back and happily showed off the food.

The few people were eating and drinking happily. The audience in the distance thought there would be something exciting to watch, but they were confused when they saw a few people joining in the eating and drinking.

"What's going on? Didn't they go there to pick a fight? Why did they end up eating together? If we go up, can we eat together as well?"

However, the few strong guys who were eating and drinking immediately became timid and turned away. After all, the more you look at some things, the hungrier you get. It is better to turn a blind eye to them.

Soon, several people ate all the food on the tablecloth. Lao Yang asked them to clean up the tableware and throw the paper waste into the nearby trash can.

He took out two decks of cards from the space and threw them on the tablecloth and asked, "Who among you knows how to play poker?"

The four of them looked at each other, shook their heads and said, "Not very good, they can just pull a train and knock on three houses."

Old Yang was also drunk. People were so lacking in entertainment now, and Doudizhu had not been designed yet. Old Yang had no choice but to open a deck of cards and take Li Yuping and Zhang Haiyang to teach them the rules to play Doudizhu.

The rules of Doudizhu were actually designed based on many domestic games. Soon the two of them mastered the rules and played well with Lao Yang. The other three people watching were also very excited and cheered loudly from time to time.

After a few familiar rounds, Lao Yang threw another deck of cards to the other three and said, "You guys go play too!"

The three of them also took the cards, sat in a corner of the table and started playing, shouting non-stop.

Old Yang took out a few bottles of soda from the basket and gave them to the group. They quickly took them and thanked him. After playing for a little over two o'clock, Old Yang and Li Yuping stood up and said goodbye to Zhang Haiyang and the other three. "Your sister Yuping and I have an appointment to go back to her parents' home this afternoon, so I won't play with you. I'll give you all the cards. Play more at home and less out and about."

Li Yuping picked up the basket at her feet, and Zhang Haiyang helped to collect the tablecloth on the ground and handed it to Li Yuping. Lao Yang took out a box of Hardman from his pocket, threw it to Zhang Haiyang and said, "You guys go play, we are leaving!"

After saying that, he took Li Yuping's hand and walked out. Zhang Haiyang and the others waved goodbye, took the poker cards given by Lao Yang and rushed to the gathering place in the compound, ready to blow hard and teach everyone to play poker. After all, they are all passionate young people, and they can't keep any good things, so they must share them with others, otherwise no one will know how awesome you are!

Old Yang got in the car and drove Li Yuping to the Navy compound. On the way, he kept sighing that there were really few cars at this time, and there was no traffic jam! They arrived at the Navy compound without any obstruction.

I registered at the gate, had my vehicle checked, and then drove in.

In front of Li Yuping's mother's house

Lao Yang and Li Yuping were discussing what to bring in. After all, everything was stored in Lao Yang's space and could be used at any time, but the usual disguise was still necessary. In the end, they prepared two bags of seafood, beef and mutton, two bags of cigarettes and alcohol, two cans of milk powder, four bottles of foreign wine, and five cartons of Camel cigarettes.

The two of them entered the house, each carrying two bags. Huang Jinzhi and Aunt He, who had been sitting in the yard waiting for them since the afternoon, noticed them as soon as they entered the house and hurriedly stood up to greet them. Each of them took a bag and walked in with a smile on their faces, but they said, "Look, you two are here, what else are you bringing? Aren't you tired of carrying so much? Don't bring anything anymore in the future, we don't need this!"

Mother Li took Old Yang to the living room and sat him down. Then she took Auntie and Yuping to the kitchen to process the meat Old Yang and his friends brought. After all, there were fewer ways to store meat in this era. Refrigerators were still a scarce product, and not everyone had one! The annual output was not enough for the upper management to allocate. Therefore, pickling and smoking were the daily methods of processing meat. If you want to eat fresh meat, you have to do it now.

Li Yuping's brothers and sisters all serve in the military in other places and rarely come back a few times a year. They may reunite once during the Spring Festival holiday, but it is difficult to see each other at other times.

So no one at home could accompany Lao Yang, so he could only sit in the living room and drink tea alone. After drinking two cups of tea in the living room, he had nothing to do, so he went to the kitchen to inform everyone and left the yard.

Wander around the compound and see if you can find anything interesting to pass the time.

The Navy compound was really big. It was full of densely packed houses. They were all single-story houses with separate courtyards. It was estimated that there were more than 500 households. The courtyards on the west side were all single-story, and the courtyards on the east side were all two-story. There were several single-story villas on the hillside in the north, including Li Yuping's courtyard. There was a small lake in the center of the compound, and a stream flowed from the mountain into the lake. Many children were playing in it, and several adults were watching them.

As expected of a naval compound, the characteristic is playing in the water! Cultivate water skills from a young age. Old Yang came over and saw that the children were having fun. They were all thin and had little flesh. The conditions in the army were not very good, at least they did not allow the children to grow flesh!

A few curious children came over and asked who Lao Yang was. Lao Yang took out a handful of candies from his pocket and gave them to the children, saying, "I am the son-in-law of Li's family, Li Yuping's husband. I am back home today and I am out for a walk."

The children were very happy after getting the candies and shouted into the water, "Come on, everyone! Sister Yuping's man is handing out candies!"

Then, the children in the water and on the shore gathered around. Old Yang had no choice but to take out candies from his pocket and give them to the children. Several adults beside him were also watching happily. There were quite a few children at the scene, about 30 or 40! They just wanted to see if the children who didn't get any candies would cry and make a scene? To see Old Yang's joke. In the end, it seemed that there was an endless amount of candies in Old Yang's pocket, and each child got two or three pieces.

After the children got the candies, they all ran back to play in the water. Old Yang took out a box of Hardman from his pocket, opened it, gave each of them a candy, and stood with them to chat. One of them would always watch over the children in the water to prevent any accidents.

During this period, there were children coming to play by the lake from time to time, ranging from five or six years old to seventeen or eighteen years old. It seems that this small lake is a treasure of the courtyard. When they are free, they will come here to swim and relax, and they can also chat with others to relieve boredom. Many children brought their later friends to ask Lao Yang for candy. Lao Yang also took out candy from his pocket and gave two to each person. The children who went back later brought the children who didn't get candy to ask for candy.

That's why no one pursued the matter, otherwise Lao Yang would have given out seven or eight kilograms of candy, and his pocket would not have been able to hold all of it.

Soon, smoke began to rise from the chimneys in most of the courtyards. All the children left the lake and returned home, and the adults also said goodbye and went back. Old Yang saw that there was nothing to do, so he strolled back to the courtyard.

Old Yang pushed the door into the living room and saw Li Yuping sitting on the sofa, eating melon seeds and reading a book.

When Li Yuping saw Lao Yang coming back, she dropped her book and came over to greet him. She asked Lao Yang, "Are you tired, husband? Where did you go?"

Old Yang hugged Li Yuping, kissed her and said, "We just went to take a look at the small lake in the compound."

Li Yuping took over the conversation and said, "That little lake is great. We used to swim there. Every kid has been there!"

The two sat on the sofa and ate melon seeds. Li Yuping told Lao Yang, "I just called my father and he said he would be home around six or seven, so we have to wait for the meal. Mom and aunt have already started cooking in the kitchen, so it should be ready soon."

Soon, Li's mother Huang Jinzhi also came to the living room, sat down and started chatting with the two of them, and soon talked about Huang Jincheng. Huang Jincheng had called Li's mother and told her that he would follow Lao Yang to Hong Kong to develop. He also asked them to visit the house, and the old man wanted to meet Yang Shangjin.

Lao Yang told Li that he was free anytime these days and he could just inform them after the appointment. Then it was time for the mother-in-law...

Then my aunt and I prepared the food and put it on the table. Just after seven o'clock, Li's father came back by car.

The four of them sat at the table, eating and chatting. As they had something else to discuss later, neither Father Li nor Old Yang drank. After a pleasant meal, Father Li took Old Yang to the study to discuss.

The two men mainly discussed the issue of exchanging warships for soldiers. They reached a preliminary agreement on the terms of exchange. In addition to the promised destroyer, every 500 people could be exchanged for a destroyer, 1000 people could be exchanged for a cruiser, and 1 people could be exchanged for an aircraft carrier. Of course, this was just a proposal, and it was impossible for Lao Yang to get rid of a navy of 1 people.

Old Yang also told Li's father that the destroyer he had promised was ready and was placed somewhere in the Bohai Bay. Once the delivery time and place were determined, the destroyer could be handed over at any time.

After learning about this, Mr. Li could no longer sit still. He and Lao Yang came to the living room, put on his coat, called the guards, and went to the military headquarters to report.

After Li's father left, Lao Yang and Li Yuping stayed with Li's mother for a while. Seeing that it was getting dark, they took Li Yuping and said goodbye and drove back to the slum.

After arriving home, Li Yuping came to Zhao Jingyi in a proud manner and challenged her, "So? I said you're going to my house today, so go there! And you're also going to visit my uncle's house in a few days."

Zhao Jingyi ignored the complacent Li Yuping, but went to Lao Yang to help him take off his coat and put on his pajamas. She served Lao Yang very well, and under Li Yuping's angry eyes, she took Lao Yang back to the room to sleep.

After Li Yuping got angry, she quickly washed up, changed into pajamas and went to the bedroom to rest...

A sleepless night, and the spring breeze blows a few times.

The next day, Lao Yang drove Li Yuping to work at Xingbang Company. Zhao Jingyi had already applied for leave and was in the process of completing the resignation procedures. So she didn't have to go to work at the company. Tonight, she was going to invite the employees of the Xicheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative to have dinner together as a farewell dinner.

Lao Yang also decided to release some cars this morning to free up space for the next move. After all, they were going to get some large objects like destroyers, and one person couldn't take them away without space.