Rebirth in 1958: Getting rich starts from Nanluoguxiang

Sun Youfu and Wang Guifang lay side by side on the kang. When they heard their daughters finally fall asleep, Wang Guifang let go of her son, poked her husband, and said in a low voice, "Dad, what are we going to do with that old money?"

Sun Youfu sighed. He still owed more than 20 yuan for the famine. It was all because of his broken leg. Not only did he spend all the money in his family on seeing a doctor, but he also had to borrow so much foreign debt...

Thinking of this, he silently shed tears. His daughter was a sensible child who had been helping with housework since she was five years old. If it weren't for his leg, and to keep her family alive, why would she sell herself? But, but his daughter was only fourteen years old...

Sun Youfu's heart felt like it was on fire. He wanted to slap himself hard twice, but was afraid of waking up the children. As an honest man who had been a coward all his life, all he could do was cry silently. He really couldn't afford to live or die.

Wang Guifang was even sadder, but women are naturally stronger than men. She wiped her husband's face and whispered, "His father, this man's fate is destined by heaven. Look, didn't Daya meet a noble man?

Do you remember when you were just born, the old Taoist priest you met said that Daya had a good life? You didn't believe it then, but now it's come true, hasn't it? "

Sun Youfu snorted and said, "Damn it, don't touch the money yet. Let's wait and see. What if someone else left it in their pocket?"

Wang Guifang nodded. Her husband was right. When doing things, one must have a way out. One must not let their daughter be blamed.

"Tomorrow, take out ten pounds of cornmeal and send it to my parents and my second brother. They're probably out of food."

"Mom is sick again today. She keeps thinking about her big brother and cries when she sees the child."

"Mother got sick because of it. She blames herself for not taking my eldest brother to the market. He was only three years old when he was abducted by human traffickers. Sigh, it's been over 30 years now, and I wonder if he's still alive..."

The couple stopped talking and looked at the dimly lit window. The kang under them was still warm, but their hearts were heavy.

But when I thought about having food at home, my heart warmed up again.

Outside, the cold wind howled, slapping against the window frames, making the window paper rustle. The Sun family finally saw hope in life...

It was getting quite late. When we arrived at the military compound, my grandmother's family had already finished their meal.

After chatting for a while, Qin Dabao came out. He felt a little hungry after coming out. It was already past eight o'clock since lunch and he hadn't eaten anything. It would be strange if he wasn't hungry. There was braised pork elbow in his space, so he had no shortage of food. He hurried home to eat something, took a shower and went to his space to sleep. This day was tiring enough.

I pedaled my bike hard and saw the Qianmen Tower in front of me. Qianmen is also called Zhengyangmen, the south gate of the inner city.

There is an old saying in Beijing: "The front gate is ninety-nine feet high, with four gates, three bridges and five archways."

The Zhengyang Gate was built on the north-south central axis of the capital. This conclusion was reached only after later generations had measurement tools. However, the ancients at that time could determine it with accuracy by calculating Feng Shui. Isn’t that amazing?

After passing the front gate, he saw the tavern at the end of the alley. It was still open with the lights on and the sign hanging high. He couldn't help but get interested and rode his bike to the tavern.

This tavern is a representative of the Hutong culture of Old Beijing. Taverns, also called small shops, are usually located at the street corners. They have small storefronts and look like ordinary people's houses. Although they look old, they are friendly.

In that era, no matter your social status, you could go to such a tavern to spend money. Those with more money could have wine and food, and those with less money could drink cheap wine. When there were many people, they would share a table, or simply squat by the door or the wall. Those who wanted to drink would drink, those who wanted to chat would chat, they would talk nonsense, laugh and curse, and there would be some small conflicts occasionally, but it did not affect the friendship between neighbors. This was the daily life in Beijing city.

This kind of tavern generally has no name, it just has a sign, and the sign is also very particular. One sign means that it is a tavern or snack bar, serving staple foods and a few simple side dishes.

The two hoods are mid-range and must have stir-fried dishes.

The four banners represent high-end restaurants, which emphasize high quality, exquisite dishes, and the ability to host banquets for weddings and funerals.

However, no restaurant in the world would ever hang three signs. In the past, people would pronounce "三" (three) as "san" (three), which, when combined with the sign, meant "to lie." Businesses were all about good luck, so no one would hang three signs, as it would be a laughing stock.

There are also restaurants with eight signs, which means they serve northern and southern cuisine, as well as a full banquet of Manchu and Han cuisine. Of course, there are no more than three such restaurants in the whole capital, and most people cannot afford them.

This tavern is just a front, which means it only sells alcohol and simple food.

Qin Dabao lifted the door curtain and pushed the door open. A warm breath hit him in the face, and there was endless noise.

He looked around the tavern. It wasn't big, only about 40 or 50 square meters. There were six square tables, a long counter in the corner with several jars of liquor on it, and a wine dispenser next to it.

Although it was already dark, the tavern was still packed with guests. With wine and food, it naturally attracted those who loved to drink. In the past, it would have been nothing to sneak in a couple of drinks, but now that everyone was short of food, those who came here to eat and drink were not people who lived a normal life.

All six tables in the pub were filled with customers and business was good.

There were two tables of people shouting and talking loudly. You could tell at a glance that they were drunkards. These drunkards had nothing to do all day and night and spent their time drinking in pubs and restaurants. They could drink two taels of liquor for most of the day and it didn't matter if there were no snacks. They would drink with any acquaintances they knew. Sometimes when they were drunk, they would even make a scene or something. They were like putty that stuck and couldn't be torn off.

Qin Dabao was wearing a military coat, which was the most fashionable attire at the time. As soon as he came in, the noise did not stop and no one turned to look at him.

Dabao ignored it. The people drinking here were all in their forties or fifties, and they should be neighbors living nearby.

Behind the counter stood a woman of about twenty-four or twenty-five, holding a girl of three or four years old. The little girl was chubby and very cute. The woman was not beautiful, but she had a bit of charm in her look. She was wearing a blue cotton jacket with floral patterns and sleeves with the same floral patterns.

She has a unique smile, her eyes curved into crescents, her gaze moving around, and she is quite charming.

"Young comrade, you look unfamiliar. Are you from around here? At your age, don't try to imitate others in drinking."

She spoke slowly and softly, with a bit of the temperament of a Jiangnan woman, but her accent was the pure flavor of old Beijing.

"Boss lady..."

"Well, young comrade, our tavern is now a joint public-private partnership, so it's no longer fashionable to call me 'madam'. My name is Xu Huizhen, and you can call me Comrade Xu or Sister Xu."

"Xu, Comrade Xu, what do we have to eat?"

Xu Huizhen put the child down and wiped the counter with a rag, smiling: "We have Yangchun noodles made by our chef, which are delicious. We also have fermented fish, peanuts, rice noodle soup, pig skin jelly, and cold tofu shreds. Our wine is aged Erguotou."

Although there were no pure meat dishes, these were all excellent side dishes for drinking. When Qin Dabao heard the names of the dishes, his stomach started growling again.

"Give me a big bowl of plain noodles, peanuts, rice noodle sausage, jelly, and a plate of shredded tofu."

"Wouldn't you like some wine?"

"Then, give me two taels."

"Okay, it's two dollars and eighty cents, half a pound of food coupons, and two ounces of wine coupons."

Qin Dabao took out the bills from his pocket, counted them, and handed them to Xu Huizhen. Xu Huizhen took them and said, "I'm sorry, young comrade. We have so many guests today that I have to trouble you to share a table."

This sharing of tables was very normal, and Dabao certainly wouldn't say anything. Xu Huizhen took a teapot and teacups, and led Qin Dabao to a table in the middle and asked him to sit down.

There was a middle-aged man sitting at this table. He was well-mannered and wore glasses. In front of him were a plate of pickled fish, a plate of peanuts, a tin wine pot, and a two-cent wine glass. He was smiling and listening to the bragging of the drunkard at the next table.

Seeing Xu Huizhen asking Qin Dabao to sit down, he was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly, looking very polite.

Qin Dabao also nodded. Xu Huizhen put down the teapot and teacup, tore off a rag from the edge of her apron, wiped the table and chairs carefully, and then asked Qin Dabao to sit down.

Qin Dabao poured himself a cup of tea and turned to listen to the people at the next table bragging.

"To be honest with you, Mr. Jin Ba, I also come from a wealthy family. My ancestor was a Gushan Beizi, holding the title of Jiumen Admiral..." The three people at that table were all wearing black cotton-padded jackets, which had not been washed for a long time and were greasy. The main musician was an old man in his fifties or sixties, with a big face and a pair of porcelain eyes, like the eyes of a goldfish. From the way he spoke, it was obvious that he had been drinking and his tongue was swollen.

"Do you know what Beizi is? He is a royal relative, a Nine Gates Supervisor, or a third-rank official. He wears a double-eyed hat with a flower feather.

"Nine Gates Commander, do you know which nine gates they are? I tell you, there's Zhengyang Gate, Chongwen Gate..." As he was playing the flute, he actually started singing Peking Opera, in the role of Hualian, and he sang it quite well.

This drunkard had one leg on the stool, holding a wine glass in his left hand and chopsticks in his right hand, and was boasting with spit flying all over the place. But when he looked at the table, he saw that there was only a pot of wine, a plate of peanuts, and a plate of shredded tofu for three people. It was a bit pitiful indeed, but it did not affect his boasting.

Qin Dabao listened with great interest. At that time, the "Four Olds" campaign had not yet begun, so he did not take such words seriously. However, it would be a few years before anyone would dare to say such things.

Xu Huizhen carried a tray and placed the dishes on the table one by one. The wine was also hot and she poured a glass for Qin Dabao. This tavern was still old-fashioned, unlike those state-owned restaurants nowadays. They even served you food and poured you wine? It was so beautiful.

Qin Dabao smelled the aroma of wine and became interested. He picked up the glass and drank it all. The 65-degree Erguotou was like a line of fire flowing down his throat, instantly warming his whole body. Qin Dabao actually felt drunk.

No wonder this tavern is doing so well, the wine is really pure and not diluted with water.

Qin Dabao took two bites of the dish, and even though he had such a picky palate, he couldn't help but praise the chef's cooking skills.