Siheyuan: I am a big capitalist after the founding of the People's Republic of China

In the middle hall of the north room of the Li family, Li Zihang served tea to the old man to sober him up. He also asked about Ke Wu.

Li Zihang: "Grandpa, who is that Mr. Ke Wu? Why do you treat him like this?"

The old man rubbed his temple and said, "Ke Wu, his father was the head of the Imperial Household Department of the former Qing Dynasty. He is the fifth master of the Ke family of the Imperial Household Department. He was born with a third-class guard salary. Such a family background allows him to eat, drink and have fun all day long.

You should know that the Imperial Household Department is in charge of palace affairs and is usually headed by Manchu princes or ministers. It is an institution unique to the Qing Dynasty, with as many as 3,000 officials, more than ten times the number of officials in the Ministry of Revenue, which has the most affairs. It can be said to be the largest agency in the Qing Dynasty.

Relying on his ancestors' merits and his status as a bannerman, Master Ke Wu did nothing all day long, unlike other playboys.

Ke Wu just loves delicious food, and he has eaten at all the restaurants in Beijing. He is a famous and difficult foodie. He is also arrogant and would smash a set of blue and white bowls for fun. Unfortunately, his father's restoration failed and his family was confiscated, so he fell into poverty. "

Li Zihang: "Grandpa, you said he rescued you and helped you a few times, what's that about?"

Old man: "During the early years of the Republic of China, I was dining with a few friends in a restaurant. Because I was commenting on a few dishes, I neglected the food of the people at the next table. Those people were also prominent, and were descendants of several Manchu ministers in the late Qing Dynasty. Because I neglected their food, we had an argument and were surrounded by their servants. Just as we were about to start a fight, Ke Wu came down from upstairs. Ke Wu is a foodie and thought my comments were right. So he appreciated my ability to eat. He used his status to help me out."

"As for how to help me, it all started with our antique shop. At that time, my father arranged for me to work as a baggage carrier in the antique shop, going from street to street to collect antiques. One was to learn about antiques and cultural relics. The other was to give me some exercise, broaden my horizons, and let me understand the depth and danger of this business."

"Since Ke Wu helped me out last time, I visited him and invited him to several restaurants. Later, he learned that I was the young manager of Tianshun Commercial Bank and was now a baggage carrier. He acted as a middleman and introduced me to several poor families in the Qing Dynasty who made a living by selling their property. At that time, it was not an easy job to be a baggage carrier."

"The people who carry the luggage also have their own territories. If you just go from street to street to collect things, you will rarely get good things. Secondly, if you don't have connections, those Eight Banners descendants who rely on selling ancestral property will not pay attention to you. So it is very important to have a trustworthy middleman."

"At that time, Ke Wu acted as my middleman several times, and I gave him commissions. We became familiar with each other. I also collected a lot of good things for the store. In this way, I established myself in the business of baggage and became famous. Later, those impoverished princes and nobles were willing to come to me when they had good things to sell."

"Later, something happened to the Kewu family, and my father arranged for me to do business in another place, so I lost contact with him."

As they were talking, Gou Zi, who had brought Ke Wu back, walked into the hall.

The old man looked at the dog who had returned and asked, "Where does Ke Wu live?"

Gouzi: "He lives in a large compound in Sanlihe, Xicheng. I am impressed. This owner did not stay at home in the middle of winter, but ran all the way to Donglaishun to smell the scent. This journey really made me tired."

"On the way, he told me how glorious and powerful he was in the past, and how people are no longer as they used to be, and that the world is a dangerous place. He was almost drunk and crazy. I finally managed to send him home, but he still held me back and wouldn't let me go. He insisted that I become sworn brothers with him. I had to coax and deceive him before I could leave his house."

The old man smiled and said, "I think he was starving and suffered a lot over the years. By the way, how is his living condition?"

Gouzi: "It's just a shabby house of over 100 square feet. After putting a bed in it, there's only enough space to turn around."

Old man: “Did you give him the money?”

Gouzi: "I put it next to his bed. I guess he will be able to see it when he wakes up."

Old man: "Did you give him the address I asked you to leave?"

Gouzi: "I gave it to him. I put it on his bedside table along with the money."

The old man said with relief: "That's fine. Call the grain station later and arrange a job for him to look after the grain warehouse. By the way, arrange a house for him near the grain station. It doesn't have to be luxurious, as long as it doesn't leak wind or rain. It should be a big house, and arrange furniture for him."

"The salary is the same as Wen San's, 40 yuan, and two meals a day are provided. There is no need to take care of anything else. That's it."

Gouzi: "Master! I've been drinking all afternoon. Are you going to visit your friends in the afternoon?"

Old man: "You are drunk, who would go to visit a friend smelling of alcohol? Let's go tomorrow. Prepare some gifts for me and I will visit again." ...

In the blink of an eye, it was the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, two days before the Chinese New Year. Grandma and Aunt Seven also came back from the village.

In the past few days, Li Zihang accompanied the old man to visit his relatives and friends. He also went to visit the family members of a group of old friends at home. He greeted them and asked them if they needed anything. The old man did everything he could for them.

Li Zihang also gained some favorability, and with the help of the old man, he gained some prestige.

On New Year's Eve in 1951, the old man called Sha Zhu to come and have the New Year's Eve dinner together. The table was filled with chicken, fish, meat, eggs, seafood and river fish.

At the dinner table, Sha Zhu said as he ate: "Such a large table of delicious dishes, but the cooking is not very good, it's a pity to waste these ingredients."

This remark instantly offended Aunt Seven who was cooking. Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Seven also frowned.

Li Zihang looked at the expressions of the others and quickly tried to smooth things over for Sha Zhu: "Brother Zhu, of course the dishes cooked by Aunt Qi can't compare to those of Emei Restaurant. But they are still better than those cooked in ordinary restaurants. Besides, Aunt Qi's cooking skills are already very good. Our whole family also loves the dishes cooked by Aunt Qi."

"You've been in this big restaurant for too long, and you've become a picky eater."

Aunt Qi's expression improved a little after hearing what Li Zihang said.

Yu Shui also helped her brother explain: "Aunt, my brother didn't mean that, please don't be angry. The food you cook is delicious, I love your cooking the most."

Sha Zhu realized that he had said the wrong thing and quickly explained: "No, I'm not saying that Auntie, your cooking is not delicious, I mean that these ingredients are not perfect."

Sha Zhu's explanation only made things worse.

Li Zihang was speechless. He really didn't know how to talk and his mouth was so rude.

When Aunt Qi heard what Sha Zhu said, her face, which had just turned from cloudy to sunny, gloomy again.

Grandma couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Okay, you silly Zhu, if you can't talk, then don't talk. You can't shut up even though you have so much to eat and drink, no wonder I call you silly Zhu."

Old man: "Okay, stop making things difficult for him. Don't you know him? Why are you angry with him?"

"By the way, Zhuzi, how have you been learning your craft over the past two years?"

Sha Zhu realized his mistake and answered the old man carefully, "Master Li, I used to go out with my father to help with the making of banquets. I have a good foundation, and my master was very good to me. He really taught me the craft and didn't follow the old rules of doing odd jobs for three years and cutting the boards for two years."

“So now I have mastered my craft.”

When Sha Zhu opened his mouth and called him Master Li, everyone at the table changed their expressions instantly. The fact that he allowed you to sit together and have a reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year meant that he treated you as a family member. But when Sha Zhu opened his mouth, he pushed everyone away.

Uncle Qi was about to teach Sha Zhu a lesson when he was stopped by the old man's look.

The old man said with an unchanged expression: "Zhu Zi, let me ask you, who taught you to call me Li Ye? Don't you call me Grandpa Li when you see me normally?"

Sha Zhu felt that the atmosphere was not right, so he told the truth: "It was an uncle who told me to call him that. He knew I was coming to your house for the New Year's Eve dinner, so he told me to be more careful about my words and actions when I come to eat at your house. Calling you Uncle Li shows respect for you."

After hearing what Sha Zhu said, Grandma, Uncle Seven and Aunt Seven looked better.

Grandma: "If we don't teach Yi Zhonghai a lesson, I think he really doesn't know how many eyes the Horse King has. He's trying to make us unhappy during the New Year."

Aunt Qi: "Silly Zhu, are you really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? You are usually so smart. Why do you lose your brain when it comes to the critical moment?"

Li Zihang spoke well of Sha Zhu again: "Grandpa, Brother Zhu was deceived, and there is no adult at home to teach him. Please don't be angry with him."

The old man listened to his grandson's words, drank a glass of wine and then said: "Zhu Zi, from now on, you should call me Grandpa Li just like before. Also, when people in your yard talk to you in the future, you should use your brain and think more before speaking. If you don't understand, ask Xiao Yushui. If you still don't understand, ask Xiaohang."

At this time, Sha Zhu hadn't figured out what went wrong yet, and he didn't dare to ask more questions, so he stopped talking and lowered his head to eat.

After finishing the meal, the children kowtowed to their grandparents, uncles and aunts and wished them a happy new year. Decai, Dewang, Yushui and Shazhu all received New Year's money from their elders.

Xiao Yushui was even more cunning, and gave the New Year's money to Aunt Qi, asking her to save it for her to buy a dowry when she grows up and gets married.

The four adults were playing mahjong together, while the children were playing poker together.