Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

Look at that auntie, she is so self-aware.

...

Returning to Sha Zhu's house, Li Xiaodong stood at the door, a little surprised.

Inside the house, a group of mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were chatting while carefully sewing wedding quilts.

After each stitch, they wished they could take a break for half a day and enjoy two pieces of Cuban candy.

Among them, the three aunts took off their shoes and sat steadily on the edge of the bed.

She held the needle and thread in one hand and the quilt cover in the other, as precise as a sewing machine, and was extremely focused on every stitch.

He would comb her hair gently with a needle from time to time and talk to Yu Li in a low voice.

Sometimes, the two would smile at each other, as if they had a close relationship.

What on earth is going on? Are they as harmonious as mother and daughter?

Yu Li looked up and saw Li Xiaodong coming back. She was stunned for a moment, whispered a few words to the third aunt awkwardly, and then left quietly.

She was like a child who had made a mistake, holding the corner of her clothes tightly, lowering her head and saying, "I don't know where the third aunt heard about it, but she insisted on coming to help sew the quilt. I am helpless too."

She was worried that Li Xiaodong would be dissatisfied with the Yan family's affairs.

Li Xiaodong is not a petty person.

Besides, the Yan family's affair helped us get a wife, so it's not a loss.

The fact that the third aunt was able to put aside her grudges and help Yu Li shows her sincerity towards her.

Repay evil with evil, and repay good with good.

"It's not because of this. I'm worried about my wife. Come here, I'll tell you in secret." Li Xiaodong waved to Yu Li and whispered in her ear.

"That Cuihua..."

Yu Li slowly opened her eyes, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing became rapid.

After a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence with difficulty: "How is this possible! Isn't Jia Zhang afraid that Yan Jiecheng will tear her to pieces if he finds out about this?"

"Oh, you underestimate Jia Zhang. She wouldn't do such a stupid thing."

Li Xiaodong felt it necessary to teach this kind young wife a lesson.

"Even if Yan Jiecheng finds out there's something wrong, that's after we get married. He'll take his reputation into consideration and won't turn against me easily."

Yu Li was not a stupid person and she understood it immediately.

She swallowed, her lips trembling slightly: "Jia Zhang is really smart."

"If you are not smart, how can you control Qin Huairu? You know Qin Huairu's methods." Li Xiaodong decided to give his wife a shot of prevention in advance.

What if Qin Huairu changes her mind one day?

Hehe, it would be easy for him to find an excuse to deal with it.

"Yes, He Yushui said that Qin Huairu took advantage of Shazhu a lot over the years. Even He Yushui was deceived at first. It was thanks to you that she was freed." Yu Li agreed.

Hey, doesn’t this make sense?

Sure enough, those who achieve success through personal efforts stand out wherever they go.

Li Xiaodong was immersed in a sense of accomplishment when he saw Yu Li looking at him with her clear big eyes.

Her little face was full of confusion. "I have another question. How did you know that the girl had given birth? Just by observing with your naked eyes?"

"..."

Oops, I'm in trouble.

It’s really not easy to be a good person!

Of course, this does not pose a problem for Li Xiaodong.

He coughed lightly and explained, "There is a guy in our team named Shan Xiaolin. He seems to be quite knowledgeable about the changes in women's bodies. He told me all this."

This is not a lie.

If Shan Xiaolin is really keen on exploring private matters as Niu Meng said, he is fully qualified to be a veteran in the love field and is familiar with this kind of knowledge.

"Bah, shameless. Don't hang out with him in the future." Yu Li's cheeks blushed slightly. She had heard that drivers had many romantic affairs.

"hey-hey!"

...

Seven or eight mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law worked together to sew two wedding quilts in less than an hour.

The third aunt twisted her aching neck, pounded her back, and then stood up.

Seeing Li Xiaodong returning, she smiled awkwardly, did not speak immediately, turned and walked out of the house.

"Third Aunt, wait a minute."

Yu Li followed closely behind, and when they reached a place where there was no one around, she repeated Li Xiaodong's words.

The three aunts' initial reaction was disbelief.

Cuihua looks very shy and blushes when this matter is mentioned. How could she do such a thing?

Despite this, the three aunts still expressed their gratitude to Yu Li.

She knew that Yu Li was kind-hearted and would not deceive her.

...

Return to Yan's house.

Yan Bugui was moving old cabbage leaves in the cellar.

Fresh cabbage sells for only one cent per pound in the market, while two pounds of old cabbage stalks sell for only ten cents, but the daily supply is limited.

There was still some time before the wedding banquet, so he went to buy on time every day, hoping to save a lot of expenses.

The third aunt also told Yan Bugui what Li Xiaodong said.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Li Xiaodong must be envious of Cuihua for having a job." Yan Bugui retorted coldly.

"I also think it's unlikely, but we can't ignore this kind of thing. What if..." The third aunt didn't continue because it was too embarrassing.

"Besides, the old Yu family has a generous dowry, what reason do they have to be jealous of Cuihua?"

"......" Yan Bugui was speechless for a moment.

He also felt that something was wrong at this moment. How could a profit-seeking person like Jia Zhang be so kind?

"Or, let's find a chance to find out."

"Yes, this is better."

"Besides, before the truth is revealed, Jie Cheng must not be allowed to know."

"Yes, yes. If he knew, he would definitely ask Cuihua. If he made a mistake and Cuihua didn't marry our Jie Cheng, then it would be a waste of time." Yan Bugui nodded vigorously.

After the two men discussed it, Yan Bugui rode his bike to the No. 2 National Cotton Mill in the cold wind.

He used two little cat fishes to establish a relationship with Lei Da, a co-worker in the same workshop as Cuihua, but got a disappointing result.

Cuihua's hometown is Baoding. She was transferred to the No. 2 National Cotton Mill through the connections of her relatives. Her colleagues did not know her background.

Yan Bugui then remembered that Yan Jiefang had mentioned after returning from Cuihua's house that she had been living with her uncle.

There is just one subtle point: Cuihua's surname is Wang, and her uncle's surname is Huang.

At that time, Cuihua explained that he was her cousin, and Jie Cheng did not delve into it further.

The distance from Baoding to the capital is only two or three hundred miles.

If you take the train, you can get there in a day. "

However, purchasing a train ticket requires a certificate from the unit, and Yan Bugui, an elementary school teacher, does not have the authority to travel on business.

Fortunately, Yan Bugui was an intellectual and quickly thought of Liu Zhonghai’s eldest son Liu Guangqi, who was said to be in Baoding.

You can ask him to find out the information.

So, Yan Bugui found Liu Haiyang, got Liu Guangqi's address, and wrote a letter to him.

I went to the post office in the cold wind and spent eight cents to buy a stamp with the words "China-Czech Postal and Telecommunications Technical Cooperation" on it.

After sending the letter, Yan Bugui once again devoted himself to preparing for the wedding banquet.

He thought that a girl as outstanding as Cuihua would not easily get involved with others.

It must be Li Xiaodong who is jealous of the Yan family.

That's for sure.

...

In the evening, the sun sets and golden light fills the capital.

The courtyard, which had been quiet all day, gradually became lively.

The adults, who had been busy all day, sat around chatting under the old camphor tree, while the children pushed iron rings around and played. The air was filled with the strong breath of life.

In the cold wind, Sha Zhu, wearing a red sweater and holding a kitchen knife, was cutting a fish in front of Li Xiaodong's door, attracting everyone's attention.

"Why are you cooking fish all of a sudden in this cold weather?"

"No need to ask, it must have been sent by my father-in-law's family. Didn't you see the dowry sent by the Yu family, the bicycle and sewing machine, really."

"Li Xiaodong is really lucky. He married a virtuous wife, and even her father-in-law gave her money."

Everyone feels a little unbalanced.

They worked hard for many years but still couldn't afford a bicycle.

Li Xiaodong, however, got one for free.

Now I have to raise money to hold his wedding banquet.

It's really infuriating.

Sha Zhu scraped off the fish scales deftly. With a flash of the knife, the fish belly was cut open and the golden fish roe flowed out.

These are high in protein!

Li Xiaodong quickly took the enamel bowl to catch the fish roe.

While the two were busy, Qin Huairu, who had been watching for a long time, came over with her plump body twisted.

She asked with concern: "Zhu Zi, Wei Zi, what are you busy with?"

Shazhu seems to be confused recently and always forgets to bring leftovers to her, which makes Banggeng very greedy.

"A few friends will be coming over soon, let Brother Zhuzi help cook a meal." Li Xiaodong said with a smile.

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up when she heard that. She rolled up the sleeves of her work clothes, revealing her fair arms. "You have a guest. Why didn't you tell me earlier so I could help. Zhuzi, give me the fish. I'm the best at killing fish."

As she said this, she was about to reach out to take the fish.

"..."

Sha Zhu was a little hesitant and kept stealing glances at Li Xiaodong.

Li Xiaodong was helpless about this, as Qin Huairu was obviously just here to eat and drink for free.

If there was no one around at the moment, he might have generously agreed.

There happened to be a sausage in the house which would serve as a gift to her.

That sausage is big and long.

However, there are many people outside at this moment.

...

Seeing Li Xiaodong's helpless expression, Qin Huairu felt secretly happy. She was finally able to hold her head high.

Don't you always want to get a bargain?

Come on, come quickly, so many people are watching!

"Hurry up, give it to me, sister will help you solve it!" Qin Huairu urged.

After a busy period, she took the fish eggs from Li Xiaodong. Is that not too much?

With so many eyes watching him, it is impossible for Li Xiaodong to cheat.

Unfortunately, her wish failed.

The next moment, a skinny little hand reached out and snatched the knife from Sha Zhu's hand.

"Sister Qin must be exhausted after a hard day's work, so let me do it. I just saw Banggeng crying out for food at home, so you should hurry home and cook, and don't let the child go hungry."

Qin Huairu stared blankly at He Yushui, who was smiling, and couldn't help shuddering.

He Yushui!! You have changed!!

Hey, awesome team mate!

Li Xiaodong teased, "Sister-in-law Jia, let the rain do the work today. There is a big rooster at home, come and help deal with it tomorrow."

"Deal with the chicken?" Qin Huairu was stunned.

Then, her face flushed, her watery eyes looked at He Yushui innocently, and she stammered, "I, I have to go to work tomorrow, I don't have time."

After saying that, she fled in a hurry.

Sha Zhu was holding the fish, scratching his head, looking confused: "What's the problem? Sister Qin's chicken is delicious, no worse than others."

He Yushui glared at him fiercely: "Idiot!"

[The chicken is a metaphor here, which comes from the ancient Zhang Zhishun's "Qi Body Origin and Flow" Taishang Laojun Changqingjing Jing Annotation, which mentions that "excessive physical desires will lead to spiritual degeneration, and people will indulge in pleasure like chickens and ducks."]

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