Comfortable life in Siheyuan

In the central courtyard of the He family, the excited raindrops chirped around He Daqing like a happy little bird.

"Yu Shui, time flies. You have grown into a big girl. The letter said that your boyfriend will come during the Chinese New Year this year. When will he arrive?" He Daqing asked with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, Yu Shui, you haven't told me what your partner does. Last time I asked you, you only told me his name." Sha Zhu also said with a puzzled look on his face.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Yu Shui told me two days ago." Tian Xiuyun rolled her eyes at Sha Zhu. "My boyfriend is a policeman from the police station in our unit, his name is Li Weidong. He came to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year." Yu Shui said shyly.

"What else? How did you two know each other? How many people are there in his family? Does he have a place to live?" Sha Zhu couldn't wait to ask. "Don't worry, I'm telling you right now. We were introduced by a colleague from the factory. We've known each other for more than a month. I wanted to visit him during the Chinese New Year. His father has passed away, and only his mother is still alive. He has an older sister."

"You are such a disorganized girl. You didn't tell us clearly when you wrote to dad, and you didn't explain clearly when your partner was coming to visit us. If we are not prepared at all, let's see how you will end up." Sha Zhu looked at Yu Shui with dissatisfaction.

"What's the point of telling you? I've already told my sister-in-law, and she has taken care of everything for me. I don't count on you." He Yushui raised his head proudly.

"Yu Shui, what kind of person is he? Can you get along with him?" He Daqing asked worriedly.

"Well, he is very nice to me. He took care of me when we were together." Yu Shui answered happily.

"Okay, as long as you are satisfied, the rest will be clear when he comes tomorrow." He Daqing said with a smile. Seeing that they had finished asking questions, He Yushui ran into the room like a whirlwind with Niu Niu in her arms, and called her sister-in-law in as well.

"Sister-in-law, do you think it's okay for me to wear this dress tomorrow? Will it be too plain?" Yu Shui held the coat in his hand, his face full of confusion.

"Our girl Yu Shui looks good in whatever she wears." Sister-in-law looked at Yu Shui with satisfaction.

Outside the house, He Daqing and Zhuzi both lit a cigarette. Sha Zhuzi thought for a moment and said, "Dad, what do you think we should do about this tomorrow? I want to call Qingshan and Nanyi over to accompany the guests. By then, we will have face and we can spare some time to give him a try. What do you think?"

"Okay, you all have a good relationship, and Qingshan is a cadre. It will be an honor for him to come to our house, right?" He Daqing said with a smile.

"Yeah, then I'll go tell someone right away." Sha Zhu said and went out.

He Daqing, who was standing behind, looked at the impetuous Sha Zhu and shook his head with a smile.

In the backyard, Liu Qingshan and his elder brother were standing at the door, pasting Spring Festival couplets. Then Sha Zhu came over.

"Qingsong, Qingshan, you two are putting up Spring Festival couplets!" Shazhu greeted with a smile.

"Have you put up yours? I just started the meeting and I haven't seen you put it up yet?" Liu Qingshan said with a smile.

"Let's talk about the Spring Festival couplets later. Qingshan needs your help with something. Yu Shui's boyfriend is coming home tomorrow, and he wants you and Nan Yi to come over for lunch at noon. I'm not a nice person, but I want you and Nan Yi to help me!" Sha Zhu said flatteringly with a smile on his face.

"Hey, Zhuzi, I'm such a grown-up and you treat me like air." Qingsong on the side deliberately frowned and pretended to be angry.

"Brother Qingsong, how dare I invite you? You are the chief of the army." Sha Zhu changed the subject: "Your mouth is more offensive than mine. I might as well go and talk to you myself instead of looking for you." Sha Zhu curled his lips and said with disdain.

Hearing this, the two brothers beside him couldn't help but laugh. After a long time, Liu Qingshan suppressed his laughter and said to Sha Zhu: "You really dare to say that, aren't you afraid that he will beat you up? Have you forgotten that you had a fight before?"

"Let's put those things aside for now. I'm so happy that Brother Liu can go! This makes me proud." Sha Zhu said with a big laugh.

"I'm kidding you. Just let Qingshan go tomorrow. I don't spend much time at home. I'll take them around tomorrow. Qingshan will go."

"Well, Qingshan, it's a deal. It's a deal! I'll go find Nan Yi now." Sha Zhu said as he ran out of the backyard, as if he was afraid that someone would go back on their word. Then, the brothers' hearty laughter could be heard from behind.

"Hey, what are you two brothers doing here? You look so happy." At this time, a voice suddenly came from next door. "Brother Damao, are you going to ask Uncle San to write couplets?" Liu Qingsong asked enthusiastically, looking at the red paper in Xu Damao's hand.

"Yeah, I don't know if Third Uncle's body can hold on. If not, I have to go to other courtyards to find someone to write for him. You guys chat, I'll go take a look first." Xu Damao walked hurriedly towards the middle courtyard, as if if he went too late, Third Uncle would have put down his pen.

"Your calligraphy is very good, why don't you write something?" Liu Qingsong asked with a smile, pointing at the couplet in his hand.

"Don't you know? Uncle Three writes couplets every year, purely for the melon seeds and candies. If I take his job away, he will be so angry that he will spit blood." Liu Qingshan muttered in a low voice.

"It's true. The third uncle in our courtyard is becoming more and more like that miser Grandet." The eldest brother agreed with a curl of his lips.

At this time, a group of people gathered in the middle courtyard, surrounding the third uncle Yan Bugui, waiting for him to write the Spring Festival couplets. From time to time, someone in the crowd would make a noise: "Third uncle, are you really capable? You write much slower than before!"

"What do you know? This is called slow work and fine work. Besides, you have to understand my weak body. Don't worry, I promise to finish writing everyone's Spring Festival couplets." The third uncle argued with a specious argument.

"Come here, Guangtian, yours is finished, take it...hiss! Ouch!" The third uncle said as he picked up the Spring Festival couplets from the second uncle's house and handed them to Liu Guangtian. But the moment he raised his hand, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist, making him gasp.

"Old Yan, you'd better take a rest first. The doctor said that you need to rest because of your waist injury." The third aunt looked at Yan Bugui with a worried face and her eyes full of heartache.

Yan Buguiqiang cheered up and said to the three aunts with a smile: "It's okay, don't worry, you can help pack these things and take them home, so I can continue writing."

The third uncle tried hard to force a smile, but he knew in his heart that his health was not good.

At this time, Xu Damao came over with a handful of melon seeds in his hand. He handed them to Yan Bugui and said, "It's my turn, Uncle San. Thank you for your help. This is a small gift, just as a reward for writing. Thank you for your help."

Yan Bugui took the melon seeds, nodded his head to show his gratitude, and then began to ponder. After a while, he picked up the pen and wrote: "Work hard to strive for excellence, strive to be the best and achieve good results." While writing, he muttered softly.

Xu Damao, who was listening at the side, immediately clapped his hands excitedly: "Great! Uncle San wrote it so well!" A satisfied smile was on his face, and he seemed to appreciate Yan Bugui's work very much.

Yan Bugui smiled slightly. The third uncle was still very happy to hear Xu Damao's words. He lowered his head and looked at the handful of melon seeds again, and felt even more satisfied.