Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"Wow, that's great! This is my forte. Damao, how many chickens are you going to raise?"

"Five or six... seven or eight. Raise a rooster and raise all the other hens. Then we'll have eggs to eat in the future. It's better than buying eggs. You know, the prices of these foods have risen dramatically since the issuance of food coupons."

Xu Damao looked shrewd and cunning.

"That's right. If you have enough food and clothes, you won't be poor forever! Damao, although your salary is high, it is more than enough for you to spend on yourself, but you will get married and have children in the future. By then, your salary will not be enough."

Yan Bugui patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, a pleased smile on his face, thinking to himself that this kid finally got it...

"Well, I just feel that there are too many chickens in my portable space, and I can't eat all the eggs... So I thought of setting up a chicken coop in the yard, so that people won't think that I have too many eggs to eat every day..."

Just as Xu Damao was complaining, Yan Bugui started chattering again.

"Da Mao, look, the weather has been cold recently, and the price of eggs has increased by one cent per pound, and the price of pork has increased by two cents. When the Chinese New Year is approaching, it will increase a little more. The grain is under the control of the state, so there is no movement for the time being..."

Yan Bugui counted on his fingers and told Xu Damao about his understanding of current prices...

"Okay, Teacher Yan, I understand. I'll leave the matter of the chicken coop to you." Xu Damao quickly interrupted Yan Bugui's chattering. Why didn't he realize that this old guy was so talkative before?

"Big Hat, the weather is getting colder day by day. You need to make this chicken coop sturdier. You may have to spend more money. After all, it needs to be made into two layers, with the upper layer being the chicken coop and the lower layer being convenient for cleaning the chicken manure."

"Hey, Mr. Yan, just do whatever you want! Just tell me how much money you need!"

Xu Damao patted his chest and said that he was not short of money.

"Hey! Damao, what are you talking about? Given our relationship, it's just a chicken coop, how can I ask you to pay for it? I'll take care of it!"

Yan Bugui waved his hand generously and walked towards his home swayingly, thinking in his heart whether the useless rotten wooden boards left in his home would be enough. If not, he would ask Liu Haizhong's family to get some.

"Thank you, Mr. Yan. I'll treat you to a meal some other day!"

"Hey, that's what I've been waiting for."

He walked out of the salt and cloth cabinet more than ten meters away, waved his hand, and returned to his home.

Yan Bugui knew very well why he was so unusually generous. Given Xu Damao's character, he would definitely not let his work be in vain.

Xu Damao thought that Yan Bugui would choose to deal with the chicken coop issue tomorrow. Unexpectedly, not long after he returned home, he heard the voices of Yan Bugui and his son Yan Jiecheng outside.

Go out and check it out quickly.

"Clang!"

Yan Bugui and his son Yan Jiecheng threw a pile of long wooden boards in their hands into the corner behind their house.

"Teacher Yan, shall we do it now?"

Xu Damao trotted over and handed over a cigarette.

"It's just a chicken coop. It will take two hours at most. But the boards are not enough. I'll go to Liu Haizhong's house to get some more."

Yan Bugui said this and walked towards Liu Haizhong's home.

As Xu Damao expected, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui came over carrying a pile of wooden boards and carrying tools.

"Da Mao, you are such a fool. Why didn't you call me? I know a little bit about carpentry."

Liu Haizhong spoke shamelessly.

"You're just a blacksmith, don't talk to me about carpentry. Besides, do you need a carpenter to make a chicken coop?"

Xu Damao complained in his heart, but he couldn't say it out loud.

"Oh, I just want to build a chicken coop, why would I mobilize so many people? If I have more important problems tomorrow, I will definitely ask Second Master for help and advice."

Xu Damao spoke in a tone that showed he treated Liu Haizhong as a leader, which made Liu Haizhong very satisfied and gave him a great sense of contentment.

Without saying a word, several people started to work. Since Xu Damao had never done this job before, he could only stand there and do the tasks of passing tools and holding the other end when sawing the board. To be honest, Yan Jiecheng did a better job than him.

"Teacher Yan, Uncle Er, you guys go ahead and do your work. I don't know how to do this and can't help. I'll go out and buy some food. We'll have a drink tonight. Jie Cheng, don't leave either. Let's eat together later!"

"Okay, Brother Damao, you go ahead!"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Damao? This is just a small matter, not worth buying vegetables for... Don't buy too good vegetables, it's a waste of money!"

Xu Damao rode his bike and ran out directly, leaving Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng busy with the chicken coop.

"Jie Cheng, go to my room later and bring over the half bottle of wine under my bed."

"Uh, okay, didn't you say, Dad, that you can't let Brother Damao buy any good food? Why do we still need to get wine?"

Yan Jiecheng had inherited his father's talent for thriftiness, so he asked a question in return, which made Liu Haizhong, who was sawing a wooden board nearby, burst into laughter.

"What do you know, kid? I was just being polite. Do you think your brother Damao is the same as you? He has no brains at all! If you tell me to go back and get it, go back and get it!"

"Um, okay, I'll be right there..."

Yan Jiecheng scratched the back of his head and walked towards his home with some confusion.

Making a chicken coop is a very simple thing for people of this era.

From now until the 1980s and 1990s, people did everything by themselves, such as mending clothes, repairing bicycles, and even repairing water tanks and gourd ladles for scooping water.

This is also the reason why the older generation in the family are reluctant to throw away any useless things they see, because in that era, everything has its use.

For example, the sweater Yan Jiecheng is wearing was knitted by Auntie San after Yan Bugui's woolen trousers were torn a few years ago. The threads were taken out and she knitted it again. It's a three-color sweater...

Xu Damao went out and prepared to buy some bread on the street. After all, he had already bought vegetables in the town he returned from at noon.

When Xu Damao came across Xiao Yuanchao's tea stall, he walked up to it without hesitation, picked up a cup of water and drank it.

The little guy who was lying on the side doing his homework, heard the sound of Xu Damao drinking water, and quickly stood up like a clever little rabbit, and ran over in small steps.

"Brother, you are here!"

When Xiao Yuanchao saw Xu Damao, his face was filled with joy. His two clear eyes were like two shining gems, and when he smiled, they formed two cute little crescents.

"Well, I came out to buy some things. It's getting dark, and you should close the stall. Why don't I see your grandfather?"

"My grandfather is not feeling well and is lying in bed at home." Xiao Yuanchao's eyes revealed a hint of grievance.