Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

Xu Damao nodded quickly to show his understanding: "Don't worry, Auntie, I understand the interests involved. As long as I can be with Xiao'e, nothing else matters. When we get married, we can set up a few more tables in our yard and invite the neighbors to join us for the fun."

Lou Xiao'e's mother felt a little relieved when she saw Xu Damao's sincere attitude. She hoped her daughter could be happy, but she also had to take into account the special background of her family.

Although they cannot celebrate their engagement with as much fanfare as ordinary people, as long as the two children truly love each other, these external forms are not so important.

"I didn't go to work today. Is it a day off, Damao?"

Lou Xiao'e asked casually.

Xu Damao smiled and replied, "No, it's just that the roads outside the city are not easy to travel, so we didn't allow them to show the movie, we just posted flyers in the city."

Hearing this, Lou Xiao'e asked curiously, "What flyer?"

Xu Damao scratched his head and explained, "It's the brochure for the new movie that's being released in our cinema."

Lou Xiao'e's eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "That sounds interesting, Brother Damao, how about I help you post it together?"

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment, then readily agreed: "Okay, I can't handle it alone, it would be great to have your help."

Lou Xiao'e smiled happily and said, "Let's go!" and was about to walk out.

At this time, Lou's mother came out from the inner room and saw the two of them preparing to go out. She smiled and asked, "Where are you going?"

Lou Xiao'e quickly replied: "Mom, I want to go out with Brother Damao to post flyers."

Mother Lou nodded and said with concern: "Oh, then you guys should be careful and don't come back too late."

Lou Xiao'e responded and followed Xu Damao out the door.

On the street, Lou Xiao'e lifted the waterproof tarpaulin on the rear basket of the bicycle and curiously took out a flyer and started reading it.

"Hey, why are you posting flyers? I'll take you to the old alleys to collect old items!" Xu Damao explained to Lou Xiao'e with a smug smile on his face.

"Isn't this what you have to do at work today? Will your boss scold you if you don't do it?" Lou Xiao'e widened her eyes and looked straight at Xu Damao, her face full of worry.

"Hey, it's okay. To be honest with you, apart from showing movies, the rest of our publicity department is not a big deal. Just like this flyer, it doesn't matter whether it is posted or not. Let's take advantage of this time to go to some old alleys in the city to collect some old items. We can set up stalls to sell them in the future."

Xu Damao sighed helplessly, patiently explained the reason to Lou Xiao'e, and gently patted the back seat of the bicycle, motioning her to sit on it.

"Okay then, I'll follow you and watch you do business." After hesitating for a moment, Lou Xiao'e finally decided to follow Xu Damao's arrangements. She put the flyers back into the basket and sat on the back seat of the bicycle.

Xu Damao just got on the bike and headed in one direction.

"Hey, Damao, slow down. There's ice on the road. Don't fall."

Lou Xiao'e grabbed Xu Damao's clothes, looking worried.

"It's okay, Xiao'e, you have to trust my cycling skills!"

Deep in the capital, those ancient alleys are like the wrinkles of time, hiding countless stories and treasures.

The moment the two stepped into the old alley, it was as if they had traveled back to the old times.

The narrow alley is winding, the bluestone road extends under your feet, and the walls on both sides are covered with moss from the years.

Xu Damao pushed the cart through the area skillfully, while Lou Xiao'e carefully avoided the occasional protruding bricks and stones.

“Collecting old stuff!”

Xu Damao shouted at the top of his voice, then looked at Lou Xiaoe with some embarrassment.

In front of an old courtyard, Xu Damao gently knocked on the slightly mottled wooden door.

With a creaky sound, the door opened and an old man with a weathered face appeared before him.

"You collect old things?"

"Yes, old man, if you have any old things at home, I will buy them at a high price!"

Xu Damao hurriedly put on a smile, handed over a cigarette, and started chatting with the old man.

"Then come in and take a look!"

Walking into the courtyard, I saw that it was filled with all kinds of old objects, old benches, old ladders, old wells and old stone platforms.

In the corner, a shabby wooden box caught Xu Damao's attention. He walked over, gently brushed off the dust on the lid, and carefully opened it. Inside was a stack of yellowed old books, the pages of which were so fragile that they seemed like they would break at the slightest touch.

Xu Damao felt like he had found a treasure. He flipped through the book carefully, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"This thing shouldn't be worth much. How much do you want?"

When the old man saw Xu Damao's appearance, he couldn't help but become interested and asked about the price.

"This thing is several hundred years old. Although it is not very common, it is worth five dollars. I will take it for five dollars. What do you think, old man?"

"Haha, five dollars is a lot, I'll sell it to you! Come on, come in and have some hot tea!"

When the old man heard that Xu Damao wanted five dollars for this tattered book, he was in a very good mood and invited the two men into the house for tea.

After entering the house, Lou Xiao'e was attracted by an old painting hanging on the wall.

Although the landscape in the picture has faded a bit, one can still feel the brushstrokes and charm of the painter at that time.

She whispered, "Da Mao, look at this painting, is it a little special?" Xu Damao came over, looked at it carefully, and nodded.

"Although it's not a masterpiece by a famous artist, it's an old item. Let's talk to the old man about it and see if he wants to sell it."

In the other corner of the room, there are some old furniture.

Xu Damao stroked a carved wooden chair, feeling the delicate texture and exquisite craftsmanship.

Lou Xiao'e found a small dressing box. Although the gems inlaid on the box had lost their former luster, they still exuded a unique charm.

The two continued to explore the room. Xu Damao found some ancient coins and stamps, while Lou Xiaoe discovered a pair of exquisite silver bracelets.

The old man took all the things to the stone platform in the yard and counted the money with him.

"Old man, this book, this painting, this dressing box, and this pair of silver bracelets, please name your price!"

Xu Damao pointed at the things on the stone platform and spoke to the old man.

"I don't really understand this. Are you specializing in this? Or can you tell me the price?"

The old man waved his hand and asked Xu Damao to make an offer.

"That's fine too. I will never let you suffer any loss, old man."

"This old book is five yuan as I just said. This painting is not a famous one, so it's also five yuan. The dressing box is quite exquisite, and there is a piece of jade inside, so it's ten yuan. As for this pair of silver bracelets, they're twenty yuan. The total is forty yuan!"