Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

There was a sizzling sound of frying in the kitchen, and soon there was a fragrance. Because of the New Year, Xu Damao prepared a lot of rare ingredients and brought them back in several batches. Nan Yi rarely encountered so many rare ingredients even when he was making stir-fries, so he was able to indulge in his cooking addiction today.

Soon Nan Yi also brought a small pot and placed it on the stove, "Da Mao, this is a stew, you watch over it, I have to go back and get busy."

"Okay, my level is not as good as yours but it's good enough, so don't worry." Xu Damao said.

Xu Damao was looking at the pot when there was a knock on the door. "Da Mao, Lao Liu and I are here."

Xu Damao got up to open the door, and sure enough, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were standing outside the door carrying something. "Oh, the second uncle actually brought a bottle of wine over, don't let it be diluted with water again."

"You kid, you just love to joke with your uncle. This is authentic, unopened Erguotou. I bought it specially at the supply and marketing cooperative at the corner of the street." Yan Bugui explained.

"Okay, please come in, gentlemen. We'll have some drinks later. Today we're serving some delicious dishes, and Chef Nan will be the one preparing the food himself." Xu Damao moved aside to make room for the two men and welcomed them in.

The three of them sat on the sofa, eating dried fruits and chatting about things in the courtyard.

"Da Mao, several poor households in this hospital have submitted their applications. Do you think we should hold another meeting to determine the number of places and the amount of money to be distributed?" Liu Haizhong said.

"So how much money is in the provident fund now? How many households have applied?"

"Now it's three hundred and twenty-eight and fifty cents. Some people have paid fines for trivial matters. If you apply, there are a total of six families including the Jia family." Yan Bugui had a look of disdain when he mentioned the Jia family. Obviously the family was not in financial difficulty, but Jia Zhang's pension money only came in and never went out, and she always wanted to take advantage of everyone.

"The Jia family is not in trouble, why would they want to join in the fun? They still have sewing machines at home. We can just eliminate them from the meeting. If they are in trouble, they can just sell their sewing machines." Xu Damao also said with disgust. He knew better than anyone else whether the Jia family had money or not.

The three were chatting when Nan Yi shouted, "Qiu Nan, help serve the dishes. I'm too busy to handle it."

The three girls came out from the inner room and started serving dishes. Soon, a lot of dishes were placed on the table. There were cold pork head, pig heart and liver platter, fried peanuts, smashed cucumber, chicken stewed with mushrooms, braised pork, pickled fish, hot and sour potato shreds, simple boiled cabbage, husband and wife lung slices, Mushu pork, and hot and sour tripe shreds soup, which made people salivate.

Nan Yi also washed his hands and walked out of the kitchen, "Okay, I'll just make these dishes today. We won't be able to finish any more."

"That's enough, this is already very rich. I haven't eaten so many good things in many years." Yan Bugui recalled the days when he was young and had to hide from place to place and eat only once a day, and his eyes were a little moist. Now the Yan family's life is pretty good, and the family has a fixed amount of food, but before he was simply stingy.

Liu Haizhong was also very happy when he saw such a sumptuous meal. This showed that he still held an important position in Xu Damao's heart. Moreover, Xu Damao and himself were the only officials in the whole compound now, so naturally they should be closer.

As the host, Xu Damao raised his glass first. "It's almost the end of the year, so I specially called everyone here to have a gathering today. Our first glass of wine today is to thank our chef Nan. He worked hard for a long time to prepare such a sumptuous meal. I think the food is almost up to the level of a state banquet."

"Oh, no, I just know this skill, but it's not at the state banquet level." Nan Yi said modestly.

The men drank it all in one gulp, while the ladies drank Arctic Ocean soda. Xu Damao was afraid of getting cold so he even boiled it in hot water.

"This second cup is for my wife who is pregnant and has difficulty moving around. Everyone here is not an outsider. I hope everyone can take good care of her in the future. Don't let her be bullied when I'm not around. I, Xu Damao, would like to thank you all in advance."

Liu Haizhong patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, Damao. Our two families are so close. If your wife has any problems, just call my old lady outside the door. She is usually at home except when buying groceries."

Yan Bugui also said: "Leave this matter to me. I'll ask Yang Ruihua to come to the backyard more often to sit with your wife."

"Don't worry, brother Damao. After we move here, I will come to see Xiao'e every day. We are good friends." Ding Qiunan said with a smile.

"And me, and me too. I'm on vacation now, and I want to come and play with my sister-in-law often." He Yushui also said, but her face was a little red. She was happy and shy to hear that she was not an outsider.

"Okay, okay, thank you all. There are many reasons for this third cup. The eldest uncle has finally become an official, the third uncle is about to have a grandson, and the second sons of both families are also going to the army. They will have a promising future when they come back. Our eldest brother Nan and sister-in-law Qiunan are also newlyweds. Let's have a drink together to celebrate these happy events."

"well said."

"Come on, cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank it all. Then they were free to play. Everyone ate and chatted, and praised Nan Yi's cooking skills from time to time.

Liu Haizhong worked in a steel mill and often went to a canteen for meals, so he was more familiar with Nan Yi than Yan Bugui, so he took the initiative to talk to Nan Yi, "Master Nan, your cooking skills are absolutely amazing, much better than Sha Zhu's. In the future, whether you are in the factory or in the steel mill, you can come to me if you have any problems."

Nan Yi heard from Xu Damao that Liu Haizhong was a power-hungry person who liked to put on airs and liked people to flatter him. So he also said, "Then please take good care of me in the future. I will absolutely obey your orders and follow your instructions."

Liu Haizhong was very happy with this sentence. It was a recognition from his uncle and Team Leader Liu, so he drank three cups in a row with Nan Yi. His face turned red, like a cooked shrimp.

Xu Damao kept picking up food for Lou Xiao'e. His silly girl had a good appetite since she vomited because of infertility, and now she was obviously fatter. Of course, he didn't forget the lonely He Yushui, and seeing that she was too thin, he picked up a big chicken leg for her.

"Yushui, you are too thin. You need to eat more."

"Thank you, Brother Damao. It's just that I've been used to being hungry since I was a child, so my appetite is small and I can't eat much." He Yushui said in a low voice. She felt a little inferior when she talked about her childhood.

Soon the three women were full and went back to the inner room to discuss how to decorate Ding Qiunan's new house. The three men continued to drink, but Yan Bugui never stopped eating except for a sip of wine occasionally. Xu Damao didn't know how his skinny body could eat so much.