He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"Great Qing, your cooking is truly excellent; it has the flavor of Qingyunlou."

Captain Jia took a small sip of liquor and smacked his lips.

"Hmm, that's strong enough, but I still prefer Shaoxing wine; that's something only high-ranking officials and nobles can afford."

The chubby guy chuckled upon hearing this.

"You've only had a little horse piss to drink and you're already bragging. But Qing Dynasty, your food is really quite good!"

At this moment, He Yuzhu, who was holding the baby, said loudly:

"That's right, don't you even know what the He family does? My He family has a long tradition of Tan Family Cuisine."

"puff,"

The chubby guy threw up what he'd just drunk. Good grief, is this some kind of family heirloom you're serious about?

Seeing this, He Daqing's face turned red, and he slapped He Yuzhu on the back of the head, saying:

"Stop talking nonsense! Hurry up and eat. After you're done, take your little sister back to your room to sleep. Tomorrow, when you come back from digging in the sand, I'll teach you how to flip the wok."

He Yuzhu also stood up, scratching his head, and cursed:

"You've almost made me stupid!"

"Ha ha"

Captain Jia chuckled as well.

"If you get beaten senseless, won't you become a fool like Sha Zhu?"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu angrily slammed the door and left.

At that moment, a robust man in his thirties with a buzz cut walked in from outside.

"Da Qing, what's wrong? Yu Zhu stormed out like that. You can't be harsh with a child like that."

He Daqing downed the liquor in his glass in one gulp and said:

"It's alright. Have you eaten? If not, sit down and have a few drinks."

The middle-aged man chuckled and sat down in He Yuzhu's seat, poured himself a glass of wine, and said:

"If there are guests in the Qing Dynasty, I will offer a cup of wine and then leave."

He Daqing also waved his hand and said:

"We're all friends, let's drink together."

Let me introduce myself.

This is my good brother, Yi Zhonghai from across the street.

"This is Jia Gui, and this is the chubby guy."

Yi Zhonghai also hurriedly stood up, picked up his wine glass and began to toast, and after drinking, he took out cigarettes and shared them with everyone.

The chubby man, who was quite drunk, patted He Daqing on the shoulder and said:

"Da Qing, your temperament suits my taste. You have plenty of women; let me introduce you to one."

My cousin is hot and beautiful, with a big butt, she's got the looks to have a son.

The courtesan the enemy gave me a few years ago wasn't as pretty as my cousin, except she had two sons.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai accidentally dropped his wine glass on the table.

The Qing Dynasty also laughed:

"Zhonghai, what's wrong with you today? You're drunk without even having a glass of wine!"

Yi Zhonghai also said awkwardly:

"I'm a bit tired from a busy day at the factory. You guys keep drinking, I'm going back to rest now. Come to my house for dinner next time, I'll definitely keep you company."

After saying that, he hurriedly walked towards the door.

Jia Gui looked meaningfully at Yi Zhonghai as he walked out and sneered.

"Damn, thank goodness I kept an eye out and went in to check, otherwise Xiaobai would have been introduced to that bastard He Daqing. But it's been so long, why isn't Xiaobai's belly showing any signs of pregnancy? That shouldn't be the case, she's already had two sons."

As Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself and walked towards the courtyard gate with his head down, he was suddenly thrown to the ground by a fat figure.

"Hey, Zhonghai, what's wrong? What are you thinking about that's making you so distracted?"

Yi Zhonghai, who had fallen to the ground, looked up and exclaimed, "Good heavens, it's you!"

"Jia Zhangshi, can't you watch where you're going? Why did you bump into me?"

Forget it, I won't ask you for compensation out of consideration for you and your child. Just get out of here.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi's face flushed with anger, but she forced herself to suppress it and said:

"You never used to say this to me. Now that I'm old and fat, you're disgusted with me. I haven't heard you call me 'Little Zhang' in so long."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai jumped up from the ground in fright, covered Jia Zhangshi's mouth, and looked around, saying:

"I didn't, I don't believe you, don't talk nonsense,"

Jia Zhangshi also leaned into Yi Zhonghai's arms and said:

"Zhonghai, you haven't visited me in ages. Dongxu is growing too, could you lend me 20 silver dollars to tide me over?"

Yi Zhonghai quickly pushed Jia Zhangshi away, and Jia Zhangshi hurriedly grabbed his hand and whispered:

“I’m only 38 years old in Zhonghai, still young, and cleaner than those in the alleys. Didn’t you used to like me the most?”

Yi Zhonghai, his face flushed, pulled out a dozen or so silver dollars from his pocket, stuffed them into Jia Zhangshi's hand, and quickly ran out.

"When Lao Jia was alive, he was slim and good-looking. Over the years, he has become so fat that he looks like a fat man with big ears. It's disgusting to look at him."

As Jia Zhangshi watched Yi Zhonghai escape from the courtyard gate, she murmured:

"Old Jia, it's not that I've wronged you, it's just that life has forced me to this. Dongxu is growing up, and when he gets married, he'll find a capable city girl. Then I can finally retire comfortably."

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from the courtyard, startling Jia Zhangshi from her reverie.

"Hey, that voice sounds familiar, it sounds like the child's uncle."

Without a second thought, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly ran towards He Daqing's house in the central courtyard, pushed open the half-closed single door,

"Brother, I've been looking for you for so long! When Lao Jia was still alive, we heard you were arrested, and we were so scared...we didn't even dare to eat."

Jia Gui, who was still laughing, was suddenly startled by this scene.

Who is this?

Looking down, well, it was my sister-in-law.

Jia Gui also helped Jia Zhangshi up and said to the fat man:

"You flatter me. This is my cousin's wife; the Qing Dynasty knows about it."

The chubby man smiled and nodded, saying:

"Your sister-in-law is my sister-in-law, it's okay."

Then he said to Madam Jia:

"Sister-in-law, have you eaten? Would you like some?"

Madam Jia also looked down at the dishes on the table, and hurriedly grabbed two plates with both hands, saying:

"Brother, the child hasn't eaten yet. I'll take it back to him and then come back to eat."

After saying that, he ran out of the room. The three people inside looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Ha ha"

Jia Gui burst into laughter.

"People of the martial world don't concern themselves with trivial matters. I'm sorry you had to see this, but you know her well. Ever since my brother had that accident at the factory, they, a widow and her child, have been struggling. Please take on more responsibility."

He Daqing also shook his head and said:

"I don't usually cause trouble, but if they try to bully me, that won't do."

Jia Gui also raised his wine glass and clinked it against the glass, saying:

"Da Qing, your cooking is excellent. Even that Japanese devil who ate your food praised it. We brothers have something to give you."

Upon hearing this, He Daqing also looked at Jia Gui.

Jia Gui continued:

"Today, Fatty Bai and I met the newly appointed defense officer and arranged to have lunch together at Qingyun Tower tomorrow. I'll subtly mention your cooking skills then. If things work out, you'll have to take care of us brothers in the future."

He Daqing also downed his glass of liquor in one gulp and said:

"Captain Jia, if it weren't for Shan Chu helping me, the Japanese would have made me their personal chef that time. Don't worry, I, He Daqing, am not an ungrateful person."

"Alright, see you at Qingyun Tower tomorrow at noon."

"Come on, keep drinking!"

The three of them ate peanuts and drank liquor.

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi quietly walked in, sat down in the seat that Yi Zhonghai had been sitting in, and kept picking at her food and eating.

……