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

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in 1951, in the parallel universe, Sijiu City.

At the Lantern Festival on Gulou East Street, in the evening, Li Zihang’s family of three, young and old, came out to visit the festival after eating Lantern Festival dumplings at their own restaurant.

The people of the city of Beijing, who have been suppressed for more than half a year, use the Lantern Festival to vent their suppressed emotions for more than half a year!

The streets are bustling with people, adults and children strolling around everywhere, young people dating, and newlyweds taking advantage of the Lantern Festival holiday to talk about love.

On both sides of the street, there are people selling lanterns, monkey shows, operas, shadow puppet shows, acrobatics, dragon and lion dances, and all kinds of small vendors are countless.

Li Zihang held his grandfather's hand with one hand and held a rabbit lantern with the other. This lantern was bought for him by his grandmother. He originally thought it was childish and didn't want the lantern. But his grandmother said that children should act like children, and holding a lantern would make him look festive!

Then the three of them strolled along the main street. After walking around, grandpa and grandma stopped by a stage built in a shed.

The audience was also packed with people. The people of Beijing were extremely obsessed with drama these days! From the old folks to the peddlers, everyone was unable to walk when they saw the opera.

Grandpa saw that there were too many people. He held himself and pulled grandma to squeeze in. After putting himself down, grandpa took out two 2 yuan bills and called the tip boy to give the money out. The boy was also a wise man. After taking the money, he led the three of them to an eight-person table with empty seats.

After Grandpa carried him to the long bench, Grandma and Grandma sat on either side of him. At this time, a waiter came over with a teapot to make tea. He brought a plate of peanuts and melon seeds. The old man took out a 1 yuan bill and put it on the table. After the waiter finished making tea, he took the money on the table, bowed, thanked the old man for the reward, and left.

The old man clasped his fists to the people at the same table, and then began to listen to the opera!

To be honest, I really don't understand the opera, but that doesn't stop me from joining in the fun. On the stage, the opera is singing non-stop, and every time the singing is outstanding, it will be greeted with applause from the audience. After the applause, a guy with a copper plate will come out to ask for a reward.

The waiter first took a copper plate and went to the guests sitting at the Eight Immortals Table to ask for tips. Those who could sit at the Eight Immortals Table to drink tea and watch opera were not short of money. The poorest ones took out a 10,000 yuan bill to tip.

When it was my turn, I took out the pocket money that the old man gave me and gave him 2 yuan as a reward. When the old man saw me like this, he changed the 1 yuan note in his hand into 5 yuan and gave it to me, asking me to give the reward on his behalf.

After receiving the tip, Xiao Si looked at the youngest fan in the audience and said a few auspicious words. The people around him nodded to him with good intentions. Finally, he got over the feeling of tipping a big shot.

Then Xiao Si went to the back and asked for money from the audience. Some gave 10 yuan. Some gave 500 yuan. The largest denomination was no more than yuan. After listening for a while, he couldn't sit still anymore. After all, he just wanted to join in the fun and feel the atmosphere. If he really sat there for half an hour to listen to the opera, he really couldn't listen any longer.

Then I told my grandparents that I wanted to go out for a walk. My grandparents were also fascinated by the opera at this time. They agreed without thinking. My grandmother gave me a few more instructions before letting me leave.

After walking out from the right side of the stage, I looked at the stall selling comic books and snuff bottles next to it and walked over happily. I squatted down at the comic book stall and casually flipped through the comic books.

The stall owner saw that there was only one child. He didn't take it seriously. He just laughed a few words to himself and stopped talking. After flipping through for a while, he actually found a few interesting comic books. He paid and bought a few comic books that interested him. One book cost 500 yuan. Equivalent to 2 cents per book in the second set of RMB.

He stood up and left with the comic book. He had only taken two steps when he was blocked by a middle-aged man. He wanted to speak, but before he could open his mouth, he was picked up by a pair of big hands behind him.

Then he covered his mouth and nose with a towel. After all, he was small and had limited strength, so he fainted after struggling for a few times. Because the two people surrounded him and blocked the view of people around him, no one on the street could see what was going on.

On the other hand, Li Zihang's grandparents waited for their grandson to come back after the show ended. They started to get anxious. They described their height and clothes to everyone they met and asked if they had seen their grandson. After searching for a while without any results, the grandfather calmed down and took his grandmother to the police station to report the case.

The old man who didn't sit and wait, then came to the gate of a small courtyard in Xicheng with a fir box in his arms. He knocked on the door and waited for the person to open it. In the middle of the night, the old man's urgent knocking on the door quickly annoyed the owner.

An impatient voice came from the courtyard. "Who is it? Calling me in the middle of the night!"

The old man outside the door: "Dog, stop talking nonsense and open the door for me, it's urgent."

The man, who was called Gou'er by the old man, heard the old man's voice and trotted over to open the door. After seeing the old man, he quickly invited him to sit in the living room. Gou'er: "Master! What happened that made you run to my place in the middle of the night?"

Old man: "Dog! I don't have time to argue with you. My grandson was lost tonight. You should quickly notify the old friends at home and ask them to scatter them for me. Especially the city gates, you should ask the old friends to watch them for me, and don't let anyone catch my grandson out of the city. Scatter the rest and find out the news." After that, he took out 5 small yellow croakers from the fir box and put them on the table.

The old man said: "Let the brothers take these five small yellow croakers first. No matter how much it costs, as long as there is news about my grandson, it doesn't matter even if you have to throw money at me."

The young man named Gou Zi stood up in surprise when he heard the old man say that his grandson was lost.

Gouzi: "Master! Don't worry, I will send someone to inform the brothers right away. I believe that Master Sun will be blessed by heaven and will come back safely."

At this time, people who heard the noise in other rooms in the yard began to put on their clothes and go out to check what was going on. When they saw the old man sitting in the hall, they quickly asked what happened. Then the old man left Gou Zi and a man named Kui Yong behind. Everyone else was sent to notify the brothers to find Li Zihang.

The old man said: "Gouzi, carry the box with me and go find Liu Dawai. Kuiyong, you should come with us."

After Gouzi and Kuiyong heard what the old man said, they pushed their bicycles in the yard and followed the old man out. In the living room of another house with two courtyards in the south of the city, the old man took Gouzi and Kuiyong to find Liu Dawai.

Liu Dawai: "Master Li, what are you doing in the middle of the night?"

Old man: "Uncle Wai, I'm in a hurry today. I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of the night. I'd like to say sorry in advance."

Liu Dawai: "Mr. Li, you are too polite. I wonder what you want from me."

The old man said, "Uncle Wai, I took my grandson to the Lantern Festival tonight. He met an opera singer and was so engrossed in the performance that he lost his grandson. Please ask your brothers on the street to find out." After that, he asked Gouzi to bring the fir box over. As he spoke, the old man took out the yellow croaker from the box.

The old man said: "Uncle Wai, these two pieces of yellow croaker are for tea money for the brothers. If you have any news, I will thank you in another way. If you can bring my grandson back safely, I will prepare a generous gift to thank you later."

Liu Dawai glanced at the two large yellow croakers and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will ask my brothers to go and get the news. Master Li, this matter cannot wait, I will go right away. You see..."

The old man stood up, clasped his fists and bowed, and said, "Master Wai, I will wait for your news in the mansion." After that, he led his people back. After taking two steps, the old man seemed to remember something and turned back to Liu Dawai and said, "Master Wai, I have informed the officials about my grandson's matter. And the old friends in my mansion are also asking for news. Don't let your brothers misunderstand if they meet him."

Liu Dawai: "Master Li, don't worry, nothing will happen."...

The old man returned home, comforted his wife for a while, and then sat in the living room in a daze until dawn.