Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"These foods will taste better if they are roasted on the brazier. You roast them here first. I'll go get the kettle now."

Xu Damao knew very well that there was no water bottle in the basket, but he still pretended to be busy and walked towards the bicycle.

After all, you can't "transform the kettle" in front of Zhang Tietou, right?

The two sat around the brazier, waiting for the roast chicken and other food to heat up before they began to enjoy.

Xu Damao placed the kettle next to the brazier, and then said to Zhang Tietou: "This kettle will stay with you. I need to go home and take care of some things first."

"We may be busy until midnight tonight, so you must be careful."

Zhang Tietou nodded to show that he understood, and then asked, "Do we still need to pick up Miss Cuinong in the afternoon?"

Xu Damao hesitated for a moment and replied, "There is no need to pick up Miss Cuinong tonight. I will come here myself."

Zhang Tietou responded: "Okay."

Xu Damao gave Zhang Tietou a few more instructions, then left the warehouse and rode his bicycle to the courtyard where Cuinong was.

At the entrance to the courtyard, Xu Damao knocked gently, as if he was afraid of disturbing the people inside. After a while, Zhao Fangfang slowly came over and opened the gate. Seeing this, Xu Damao immediately pushed his bicycle into the yard.

"Where is Cuinong? Is she still sleeping? She stayed up all night last night. She must have worked so hard." After parking his bicycle in the yard, Xu Damao turned around and said to Zhao Fangfang with a smile.

"Yes, when she came back in the morning, she simply washed up and went to bed. She hasn't woken up yet. Oh, by the way, the person who sent Cuinong here also brought a bag of flour. I asked that person to put the flour in the kitchen." Zhao Fangfang responded.

"Well, let Cuinong have a good rest. Sister Fang, have you had breakfast?" Xu Damao asked with concern.

"I've already eaten, but Cuinong mentioned this morning that the work over there has not been completed yet, so I may need to go there again to help tonight." Zhao Fangfang said with some concern.

"There's no need to let Cuinong go over tonight. I will handle it myself. When Cuinong wakes up, you just need to tell her." Xu Damao said in a firm tone.

"Okay, Damao." Zhao Fangfang nodded in response.

Afterwards, Xu Damao chatted with Zhao Fangfang for a few more words, and then returned to the house to catch up on some sleep. After all, he still had warehouse work to do in the evening.

"Da Mao, the meal is ready, come and eat together."

In the afternoon, around six o'clock, Xu Damao was called by Zhao Fangfang to eat.

He stretched himself, got up from the bed, washed up briefly, and walked to the main room. As soon as he entered the room, the aroma of food hit him, making him salivate.

As soon as Xu Damao sat down, Cuinong came in with two plates of food. She carefully placed the plates on the table, then turned back to the kitchen to continue working.

Xu Damao looked at Cuinong's departing back, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he secretly sighed in his heart: This little girl is really becoming more and more sensible!

When Cuinong returned to the main hall, Xu Damao smiled and praised Cuinong, "Cuinong, you worked hard last night. Are you tired? It must be uncomfortable to stay up late, right?"

When Cuinong heard this, a shy blush appeared on her face, and she replied softly, "I'm not tired, but I was a little sleepy in the second half of the night."

"I heard from Sister Fang that I don't need to go tonight?"

Xu Damao shook his head and said, "No, you should have a good rest."

Cuinong smiled and said, "Okay, but Brother Damao, what does your friend do? How come he has so much food? This is the first time I've seen so much food in my life."

Cuinong blinked, her eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

Xu Damao approached Cuinong mysteriously and said in a low voice, "My friend is very powerful. I'm telling you, don't tell anyone. Remember to keep it a secret."

After hearing this, Cuinong nodded obediently, indicating that she would not say anything nonsense.

"Well, I will keep it a secret. I won't even tell my sister."

Seeing that the two were confused, Xu Damao explained, "Overseas Chinese are Chinese who have settled abroad. In the early years, many Chinese went abroad to work and make a living. Later, after decades of development, some people gradually accumulated certain assets abroad."

He paused, then continued: "During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, when we were fighting the Japanese, patriotic overseas Chinese played a very important role, donating money and materials to our country."

After hearing this, Zhao Fangfang and Cuinong nodded in sudden realization, indicating that they understood.

"It can be said that they definitely contributed to the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression!" Xu Damao said with some emotion.

"Although most of the donated money, food and supplies went to Shancheng, their contribution cannot be denied."

"Although we live in a new society now, we are still poor. Not to mention anything else, even having enough food is a problem. At this time, those patriotic overseas Chinese should find ways to help their motherland," Xu Damao continued.

"Oh, so that's the case. Brother Damao, your friend couldn't be a patriotic overseas Chinese, right?" Cuinong asked curiously.

"No, my friend only knows patriotic overseas Chinese. He is just a middleman, and I am also a middleman." Xu Damao explained.

"And the guy who did grain business with me this time is nicknamed Liu Erye. Don't be fooled by his name which sounds a bit like a bandit, but as far as I know, this guy must have an unclear relationship with the leaders above." Xu Damao continued.

"Cuinong, you also saw that Uncle Zhao last night. Did he get a lot of food coupons?" Xu Damao suddenly asked.

"Yes, this is the first time I've seen so many food coupons."

When Cuinong looked at the thick stack of food coupons, she was filled with shock and confusion. The sheer number of these food coupons was unbelievable to her.

"Humph! Without connections above, how could one get so many food coupons? This Liu Erye is very well hidden." Xu Damao couldn't help but sigh. He began to think about the background and power behind Liu Erye, as well as the possible conflicts of interest involved.

"Brother Damao, why do you care about this? Just help your friend do business." Cui Nong reminded him. She thought Xu Damao didn't need to worry too much about Liu Erye's affairs, as long as he focused on helping his friend complete the transaction.

"Yes, Cuinong, you think clearly. Why worry so much?" Xu Damao nodded, agreeing with Cuinong's point of view. He realized that he really didn't need to worry too much about Mr. Liu's affairs, but should focus on the business at hand.