Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

It was noon and the sun was shining at the entrance of the alley.

A group of middle-aged women and their wives were basking in the sun in a sheltered place.

Of course, chatting about family matters is essential.

Li Xiaodong understood that this might be the gathering place for information within a few miles.

As expected, as soon as the aunts saw strangers, they immediately became alert.

Nowadays, middle-aged women will not let go of any suspicious person.

Li Xiaodong had no choice but to stand on his feet and greeted respectfully: "Ladies and sisters, I'm here to see Yu Li."

"Oh, are you the new son-in-law of Old Yu's family? I heard that you are a driver. Can you bring back some black fungus from Northeast China? I heard that the black fungus there is both cheap and delicious." An old lady stood up, her eyes shining.

"I haven't been there recently, but I'll remember it when I have the chance." Li Xiaodong was a little confused and could only respond with an awkward smile.

"You guys continue chatting, I'll go in first."

After saying this, he tiptoed and rode his bicycle quickly into the alley.

The elder women immediately started talking as soon as he left their sight.

"This young man is so handsome, and he's also a driver. Lily will be so lucky in the future."

"That's right, just bring something back, and the whole family won't have to worry about food and drink."

"Didn't you see those two pig intestines?"

At this moment, in the living room of the Yu family, Yu's mother and Yu's father were scolding Yu Haitang.

"Why are you absent from work?"

"I wanted to come back and tell you that my brother-in-law was commended by the factory today." Yu Haitang explained with a pout.

"Impossible?" Yu's mother frowned. "Are you trying to make up an excuse to go to the park with He Yushui?"

Yu Haitang was a little angry and retorted: "I was the one who read the broadcast script myself, and the factory rewarded him with 50 kilograms of national food coupons!"

She had a silly smile on her face: "Brother-in-law is much more handsome than Yang Weimin, and he is also very talented. I am attracted to him."

"Pa!" Yu's mother slapped her head fiercely, "You silly girl, that's your brother-in-law!"

"I was just saying it casually. I'm not really trying to snatch it." Yu Haitang puffed up her cheeks and walked towards the inner room. "Sister, is your cold better? Do you want me to pour you another cup of hot water? Let me tell you, my brother-in-law is really amazing..."

The two sisters talked in low voices, and the atmosphere was warm and sweet.

"Dong dong dong."

"It may be that He Yushui asked me to go shopping."

There was a knock on the door and Yu Haitang rushed out from the inner room to answer it.

Seeing Li Xiaodong standing outside the door, Yu Li was so surprised that she was speechless.

He arranged for someone to take his place, so how did he leave the factory?

"Who is it? Haitang."

When Yu's mother saw her daughter standing at the door without inviting the guests in, she blamed her daughter for not knowing how to entertain guests, put down the dustpan and shouted outside.

"Yes, it's my brother-in-law."

The appearance of Li Xiaodong reminded Yu Haitang of a proverb - Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao will appear.

"Xiaodong is here, come in quickly." Hearing that her future son-in-law was coming to visit, Yu's mother no longer paid attention to those old peanuts and came out of the house to greet him.

She looked at the gifts and blamed them, "It's good enough that you just come. Why bring so many things? We are a family and there is no need to be so polite. Don't do this again in the future."

"They are all worthless things. By the way, where is Lily?"

Li Xiaodong looked around but did not see Yu Li.

"Hey, Lily caught a cold last night and is resting in bed now."

...

At this time, Yu Li, who was lying on the bed, heard the noise outside and her cheeks flushed.

Why would he come at this time? How can I meet him in this state?

Yu Li put on a cotton jacket and ran to the mirror wearing only cotton shoes without even having time to put on pants.

Looking at the disheveled girl in the mirror, Yu Li said to herself, "How shameful." She quickly tidied herself up, combed her hair, washed her face, and put on some vanishing cream...

Hearing the knock on the door, she quickly shrank back into bed, took a deep breath, and said, "Come in."

Li Xiaodong pushed open the door and saw Yu Li with her back to the door.

Taking a breath, he smelled a strong scent of cold cream. His eyes swept over the pair of cotton shoes, which were two meters away from the bed. He immediately understood the situation.

This little girl is really good at pretending.

"Why are you sick? Do you have a fever? Let me take a look."

Li Xiaodong pretended to be confused, sat down beside the bed and reached out to touch Yu Li's forehead.

Yu Li instinctively wanted to avoid it, but the excuse was too perfect, and she could only watch the rough big hand covering her forehead.

"Oh, you seem to have a fever. I'll find a thermometer to take your temperature."

Li Xiaodong found a thermometer from the table and was about to open the collar of her sweater and reach into her armpits.

"No, don't do that. I can do it myself."

"I can't see it clearly. If I put it in the wrong place, the measured temperature will be inaccurate."

Li Xiaodong is not the kind of indecisive person, he is a man of action.

He gently pushed Yu Li's hand away and opened her sweater, while at the same time he inserted the thermometer directly into it.

Of course, such actions will inevitably involve contact.

When Yu Li felt the touch of the man's fingers, her whole body seemed to be electrified. Her little toes hidden in the quilt stretched slightly, and then tensed up again.

After being stunned for a moment, Yu Li blushed and slapped his hand away: "You...you...you don't do this!"

How can you touch me in broad daylight?

Li Xiaodong, who was originally just measuring body temperature, saw Yu Li's shy look and realized that he might have gone too far. He smiled and explained: "It doesn't mean anything else, it's just taking the temperature."

Yu Li rolled her eyes playfully, she knew this guy's character well.

He has a handsome appearance and a square face that makes him look dignified, but he is always looking for opportunities to take advantage.

"Don't do this again."

It seems there was a misunderstanding.

Will Li Xiaodong do something that crosses the line and then cause misunderstanding?

She’s my own wife anyway, so why be polite!

He suddenly held Yu Li's hand, looked at her affectionately, and said seriously: "Comrade Yu Li, we are now boyfriend and girlfriend and will soon get married. I think we should get to know each other better so that we can work together better for national construction."

What does he mean?

How to understand it in depth?

Yu Haitang never taught me that either.

Yu Li was at a loss for a moment, and the thermometer slipped from her armpit and fell to the ground with a slight sound.

So that's how it is. Yu Li breathed a sigh of relief, but she felt a little empty inside.

"I'm eighteen years old, I don't have a job yet, and I don't have any special hobbies. I just like sewing and mending."

"Look, this is the pillowcase I embroidered."

Perhaps feeling that she was not qualified enough, Yu Li took out a pair of pillowcases from under her pillow, which were embroidered with pictures of mandarin ducks playing in the water.

Li Xiaodong stroked the delicate stitches and praised: "This is really good handwork, I like it very much."

The two began to chat about the past when suddenly there was a noise outside.

"Haitang, don't go in, your brother-in-law is whispering to your sister!"

"We are all family, there is nothing we can't see."

The two of them quickly separated and the door was pushed open by someone outside.

"Brother-in-law, grandpa is here. Didn't you just say you needed his help?"

Yu Haitang barged in rashly, causing Li Xiaodong to grit his teeth.

The opportunity that I had waited so hard for was ruined by this little girl.

I really should teach her a lesson sometime.

Li Xiaodong was about to get up when he remembered that he hadn't taken out the candy yet.

"By the way, I brought you a bag of candy. The medicine tastes bitter, so eat something sweet to neutralize it."

Yu Li was about to reach out to take it, but Yu Haitang snatched it away.

"Brother-in-law, I want to eat too."

She took out a candy from her bag and quickly put it into her mouth.

Maybe he was too greedy, his cheeks puffed up a few times and he was choked by saliva. After coughing a few times, sticky white sugar liquid overflowed from the corners of his mouth.

Li Xiaodong looked at her and shook his head, "Eat slowly, brother-in-law has plenty of money, I'll buy you more later."

Alas, there is nothing I can do about having a sister-in-law like this.

Yu Li also realized Yu Haitang's excessive behavior and apologized with a smile.

In front of Li Xiaodong, she couldn't blame Yu Haitang, so she could only smile and said, "Aren't you busy? Go quickly, don't worry, I'm fine."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Li Xiaodong left the inner room and came to the yard.

Uncle Yu was already sitting under the wintersweet tree, holding a book, shaking his head and muttering to himself in some incomprehensible foreign syllables.

Li Xiaodong discovered that the book in his hand did not seem to be the physics textbook from last time. There were unfamiliar words written on the black cover.

"Uncle, you are no longer a scientist?"

"Well, don't mention it. I wrote a paper on the rocket fuel formula I carefully researched and sent it to the Academy of Sciences, but they didn't even look at it and rejected me."

Uncle Yu curled his lips, acting as if no one in the world knew him.

"That's because they have no vision!" Li Xiaodong echoed.

Are you kidding? If you use coal as fuel, everyone will refuse you.

He looked at the old man's book and asked curiously, "What language are you learning?"

"Mongolian, I have a relative there and I'm planning on traveling."

Li Xiaodong gave a thumbs up.

It's really interesting that this old man is still learning foreign languages ​​at such an old age.

Perhaps because he heard that Li Xiaodong had sent another piece of pig intestine, Uncle Yu's attitude became particularly friendly.

When he learned that Li Xiaodong wanted to learn martial arts, he wrote a letter without hesitation, instructing Li Xiaodong to give the letter to the old Zen master when he arrived at Huling.

"Uncle, your generosity is really admirable."

"I admire you. Please let me take a bath."

Uncle Yu suddenly made a request that surprised Li Xiaodong.

In this era, there were no nurses at home, and it was cold in winter, so people had to go to the bathhouse to take a bath.

Since coming to this world, Li Xiaodong has never enjoyed the treatment of taking a bath. At this moment, he felt sticky all over and his hair seemed to be able to be squeezed into oil. Naturally, he readily agreed.

"Okay, shall we go now?"

"Let's go now!"

The two were planning to ride their bikes to the bathhouse. At this time, Uncle Yu was called to the kitchen by Mother Yu, so Li Xiaodong had to push the bike and wait outside.

In the kitchen.

"Uncle, accompany your uncle to the bathhouse and find a chance to take a good look at him."

"Look? What are you looking at?"

"Well, what else can I see? Of course, I am concerned about his physical health."

"Physical examination! Got it. Don't worry, I will handle this matter properly."

As a member of the royal family, Uncle Yu knew the rules of the previous dynasty very well. Before a princess got married, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would arrange for a maid to sleep with the unmarried prince consort for half a month. After the maid completed the task, she would report back to the royal family. If the maid was satisfied, the marriage could continue.

Now is a new era, old customs have been abandoned, palace maids no longer exist, and it is reasonable for an old man like him to take this opportunity to observe.

Li Xiaodong, who was waiting outside, began to get anxious. He noticed that there seemed something unusual in Yu's mother's eyes just now.

Just as I was about to return to the yard to call Uncle Yu, the old man came out pushing his bicycle with a smile on his face.

"Uncle, let's go."

Uncle Yu didn't wait for Li Xiaodong, he pushed the cart forward quickly and quickly got on the bicycle.

The reason is simple, because of his height!

Look at Li Xiaodong, a 1.8-meter-tall man. He easily gets on a bicycle and pedals lightly, and the bicycle moves forward steadily.

In the early years, old Beijingers admired "two baths", namely, bathing in teahouses and bathhouses.

There is even a popular saying: "Out of the teahouse, in the bathhouse - wash inside and out."

Taking a bathhouse has become an indispensable part of the daily life of Beijing residents, a lifestyle habit and a cultural symbol.

In the past, society was strictly hierarchical, and bathhouses were also divided into different levels. The highest level was "Guan Tang", the middle level was "Pentang", and the ordinary one was "San Zuo".

After the founding of New China, everyone was equal, and the bathhouses were nationalized. Anyone could enter as long as they had a bath ticket.

Apparently, Uncle Yu was a fun-loving person and he got two tickets for bathing in Tsinghua University's swimming pool from somewhere.

With Tsinghua University Pool in the east and Huabin Garden in the west, Tsinghua University Pool is a first-class place in the bathhouse world.

As soon as he entered the door, Li Xiaodong heard a greeting: "Welcome, both of you, please come in."

Yes, this was the taste he was expecting.

The waiters' attitude was also more enthusiastic than that of other state-owned stores. However, when they saw Uncle Yu, their expressions were like those of old people on the subway staring at their mobile phone screens.

The busy waiters gathered around, and one waitress even asked Uncle Yu, "Old man, do you know the rules here?"

Only after Uncle Yu nodded in confirmation did they leave one after another, but they still looked over here from time to time, as if they were worried that Uncle Yu would do something out of line.

This confused Li Xiaodong. What did this old man do to make the service staff so nervous and alert?

Because it was still early, there were not many people in the bathhouse. After putting on wooden slippers and taking off clothes, Li Xiaodong took out the pre-cut soap from the cabinet and jumped into the pool.

The water temperature is just right, making people feel comfortable, and Li Xiaodong is immersed in it.

However, Uncle Yu's behavior was completely different from his. He jumped into the bathtub but did not take a bath. Instead, he looked down at Li Xiaodong.

He took a look and his expression became confused. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, and his expression suddenly changed.

With a splash, he jumped out of the bathtub, cursing non-stop, "You beast, you are such a beast, you are ruining people!"

After saying that, he quickly put on his clothes and rushed out of the bathhouse without even saying goodbye.

This confused Li Xiaodong. He didn't know why the old man was so excited. What happened?