Courtyard House: He Yuzhu started in 1948

He Lei, because the character "磊" in his name contains three stones, was given the nickname "Little Third Son" by He Daqing.

He Daqing is the eldest, he is Da He.

He Yuzhu is the second oldest in his family; he is Xiao He.

He Lei is nine years old and is the third child.

The youngest is the one with the smallest amount of rain, and she is the younger sister.

With his talented apprentice, He Daqing is now full of energy, taking his apprentice out to eat every day, trying all the restaurants in Beiping.

He Lei naturally became He Daqing's apprentice.

After becoming an apprentice, He Lei's life became difficult. He was no longer tasting the dishes every day, but instead chopping wood, peeling skins, and doing odd jobs.

If you want to be prominent in public, you have to suffer in private.

He Yuzhu would watch He Lei practice. What He Lei was doing now was something he had experienced before. Only those who had gone through it knew how difficult it was.

But He Lei was having a blast, working with such enthusiasm that he was even more enthusiastic than when he was studying. He said to He Yuzhu, "Brother, before, I couldn't even afford tree bark to eat; I ate 'Guanyin clay.' Now that Master is with me, I can finally eat. Shouldn't I do some work? Besides, Master wants me to be a cook, so I won't have to worry about not having enough to eat."

Guanyin soil is the soil used to plaster the walls of old temples. Because the plaster was made with rice paste, it was edible; people ate this when they couldn't afford to eat rice.

Because of this simple wish, He Lei is willing to spend every day in the kitchen.

When He Daqing found out, he angrily scolded He Yuzhu, "Did you hear that? You're not happy being a cook? We've spoiled you too much!"

He Yuzhu didn't say anything, but asked He Daqing to find some cookbooks. He would pay for them, which could be considered a gift for He Lei.

When Duomen came to eat, He Daqing specially introduced He Lei to him, saying that he was his own apprentice, even closer than his own son.

Congratulations!

Duomen clinked glasses with He Daqing, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I didn't know you were taking on a disciple, Daqing, and I didn't bring any gifts. How about this, I'll search my house in a couple of days. I remember my ancestors left behind a few cookbooks. I'll bring them over when I find them."

Duomen's ancestors were Manchus. When the Qing Dynasty fell, the Manchus made the most money. The recipes he mentioned were very likely from the imperial court.

Upon hearing this, He Daqing exclaimed that it was too precious and could not be used.

But Duomen didn't take it seriously: "That thing is useless to me. I might as well let you study it, and I can also have some fun talking about it."

"Thank you, Master Duo."

He Daqing stood up solemnly and pulled He Lei over, holding a wine glass: "Master Duo, if there's anything we, master and apprentice, need to do in the future, please feel free to ask."

Duomen also stood up, holding his wine glass: "We're all from the old capital, just helping each other out, no need for thanks."

"Master Duo is a true gentleman."

With several recipes from Duomen making promises, the more they drank, the more intoxicated they became, and they started chatting about all sorts of things, eventually bringing up the increasingly chaotic state of the world.

"Our city of Beiping will probably change hands soon."

Having spent nearly forty years immersed in the capital, never venturing beyond its walls, Duomen could sense something amiss from the slightest disturbance in the city: "But what will become of this city in the end? I can't see through it!"

He Daqing slurred, "We ordinary folks don't care about all that. As long as we live a good life, have enough to eat and wear, and keep our lives, that's good enough."

He Yuzhu didn't drink alcohol, but ate his food on the side. Thinking that there were still more than three months until Beiping City would usher in a new world, he couldn't help but feel excited.

The future that Duomen could not see through was the dawn of a new world that He Yuzhu saw.

……

The house that He Yuzhu had been longing for was finally being repaired. He Daqing originally wanted to postpone it until next spring, but He Yuzhu wouldn't have it and wanted to finish the house before winter was fully here.

He Daqing thought that with He Lei joining the family, he agreed.

Originally, He Yuzhu was thinking of asking "Yangshi Lei" to repair the house, since it was a house with a property certificate and should be properly repaired.

But after asking around... where the hell is there still a "Yangshi Lei"?

There is an old saying: "The Lei family's architectural style represents half of the history of architecture."

The Lei family of Yangshi was a legendary family in the construction industry of Beiping (Beijing). Half of the city's buildings were constructed and renovated by them. They were the "contractors" of the royal gardens for generations, and eight generations of the Lei family contributed to Beiping.

The first generation of Lei Fada was born during the Wanli era. He then began to come to Beijing during the Kangxi era to participate in the construction of the royal palaces. After that came Lei Jinyu, Lei Shengcheng, Lei Jiaxi, and so on.

However, during the Republic of China era, Lei Xiancai, the eighth-generation "Yangshi Lei" (a family name), died in a state of idleness and worry about having no children. The Lei family then declined, and later, members of each branch of the Lei family donated the documents preserved by their ancestors to supplement their household income.

Lei Guiyuan, the last famous member of the "Yangshi Lei" family, has moved from architecture to design, but he is no longer in Beiping (Beijing).

Of course, some of the descendants of the "Yangshi Lei" family did work in construction, but they were just ordinary craftsmen.

The most famous person in the construction industry in Beiping at that time was Zhu Qiqian, who was the president of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture. Many people who studied architecture graduated from this society.

The person who built the house for He Yuzhu was from the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture. He was a student of the master architect Yang Tingbao, named Liu Qimeng. He was introduced to He Yuzhu by Zhang Tianyong. It is said that he used to have a good job, but his mother, who depended on him for survival, was sick and bedridden at home. Liu Qimeng could only take care of his mother by her side and take odd jobs in Beiping to supplement the family income. When Zhang Tianyong's house was damaged, it was Liu Qimeng who repaired it. The two got to know each other because of this. After learning about Liu Qimeng's family situation, Zhang Tianyong wanted to help him, so he introduced him to He Yuzhu.

Upon learning this, He Yuzhu immediately offered five silver dollars as a base, saying, "You can decide how to fix it. Once it's done, I'll add another five silver dollars. Just tell me what materials you need to buy for building the house."

Liu Qimeng was an honest man who kept saying that he had too much money, but He Yuzhu didn't think that way: "We are all suffering people, so we should help each other out."

Liu Qimeng was extremely grateful for this and worked very hard when renovating He Yuzhu's house. He hired four laborers from the street and supervised them throughout the process. The house was renovated in just two days. The small 30-square-meter room was transformed into a 50-square-meter room. The open space on the east side of the outbuilding was partially utilized, and the windows were opened perfectly, allowing the sunlight to stream in and make the room bright and spacious.

The walls were spotless, and the floor was covered with expensive blue bricks; it made me very happy.

"It's just an outbuilding, it's not difficult to arrange."

Liu Qimeng happily accepted the money handed to him by He Yuzhu, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, boss."

He Yuzhu said with a smile, "I should be thanking you."

The weather is getting colder and colder. I need to get the house repaired before the ground freezes. The weather has been nice these days. Once it's aired out, I can buy some furniture and bedding and move in.