Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

As Xu Damao was in a hurry to leave today, he didn't have a bicycle, so he had no choice but to wait for a bus at the entrance of the alley, then go west through Di'anmen Street to Houhai.

There were quite a few people in Houhai, some skating and some fishing. Xu Damao found a deserted place, took out his fishing gear, exchanged it for a pack of bait, and then walked towards the ice.

Xu Damao didn't bring an ice-breaking tool, so he had to find a hole in the ice left by someone who had gone ice fishing before, so that even if the ice formed, it would not be too thick. He then borrowed an ice-breaking tool from an old man nearby, tried to get close to him and handed him a cigarette. It took him more than ten minutes to finally break the hole in the ice.

His predecessor Xu Damao didn't know how to fish, but he was considered a half-fisherman before he traveled through time. He made nests, hung baits, and adjusted the floats in an orderly manner. At the end, he took out a small stool and sat on it, staring at the float leisurely, with a bit of the artistic conception of fishing alone in the snow on a cold river.

Perhaps the bait produced by the system was good, and it caught a grass carp weighing more than four pounds. Xu Damao scooped half a bucket of water with the bucket he brought and put the fish in. Xu Damao fished for another two hours, and when it was almost noon and the bucket was almost full, he decided to pack up and go home.

Xu Damao had gained a lot today, and had attracted a lot of people to watch. When they saw that Xu Damao was about to leave, they came forward to talk to him.

"Comrade, I'm from the purchasing department of a certain factory. May I ask if you want to sell this fish?"

"I'm the purchasing manager at Hongbinlou. I want to buy your fish. The price is negotiable."

"Don't gather around me, everyone. We can't engage in speculation. I'm keeping these fish for myself and not selling them." After saying this, Xu Damao picked up the bucket and was about to leave.

Suddenly, a clear cry of surprise came from the ice not far away. Xu Damao looked over and saw that a girl who was skating had fallen down. Her companion was trying to help her up, and there were a few hooligans wearing military coats around them. He could basically understand what was going on. It must be that the hooligans had a conflict with the girl, and the girl fell to the ground during the struggle.

Xu Damao didn't want to meddle in other people's business, but when he glanced at the girl lying on the ground, he saw that she looked familiar, so he walked over.

When he got closer, he found that the girl looked more and more like Lou Xiao'e. When Xu's mother was young, she often took Xu Damao to the Lou family to play, so he was quite familiar with Lou Xiao'e. After the class division, the Lou family also kept a low profile and fired most of the servants, so they met Lou Xiao'e less often.

However, Lou Xiao'e's overall appearance has not changed much. She is about 1.65 meters tall, with a fair face, plump and attractive red lips, curved eyelashes, and a little mist in her big, sparkling eyes. She exudes a noble temperament, and the thick cotton clothes cannot hide her proud figure. Perhaps because she has grown up, she is much prettier than when she was a child, and several times prettier than in the TV series.

Xu Damao was instantly excited. Marrying such a pure, natural, white, rich and beautiful woman would be the pinnacle of life. Xu Damao said he didn't want to work hard anymore. What was hesitating about? She was the one. Let's go to Hong Kong.

Xu Damao went over and helped Lou Xiao'e up, calling out affectionately, "Xiao'e, why are you here? What happened?"

Lou Xiao'e looked up and recognized Xu Damao, so she stood up without hesitation. Then she told the story of how the gang of hooligans almost bumped into Lou Xiao'e while skating, and then the two sides started arguing. Lou Xiao'e didn't know whether she didn't stand firmly or someone pushed her, but she fell down.

Xu Damao protected the person behind him and said, "Okay, you stay behind, I will take care of the matter."

A young man in his twenties who was leading the group on the opposite side stepped forward and said, "Brother, what's the matter? Are you willing to take this fight today?"

Xu Damao took out a cigarette and lit it, then handed over the remaining half pack. "Light up first, guys. It's not a big deal. We can discuss it. It's not a good idea to keep deadlocking here. After all, it's better to resolve a feud than to create one. If it's convenient, let's go and talk."

The leader saw that it was Daqianmen and didn't hesitate to pass them to the four or five of their companions. "Okay, brother, you are quite pleasing to the ear. I will give you a favor today." After saying that, he walked seven or eight meters to the side.

Xu Damao hurriedly followed, pointed at Lou Xiao'e and whispered, "Her surname is Lou, she is my fiancée and Lou Bancheng's daughter. Today's incident is really not a big deal, and I know you guys care about your reputation. If you are willing, I will pay 50 yuan to treat you brothers to a meal, and we can be friends and let today's incident be over. If you are not willing, come to me if you have any problems. My name is Xu Damao, and I am the projectionist of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. I will take over if you have any problems. Don't embarrass the two girls."

While they were talking, Lou Xiao'e wanted to hear what they were saying so she leaned towards them and happened to hear what Xu Damao said. Two red clouds climbed up Lou Xiao'e's fair and delicate face, and even the roots of her ears turned red. Lou Xiao'e knew that her mother was going to marry him to Xu Damao. She didn't object to it before. After all, it was better to marry Xu Damao than to marry someone she didn't know. At least the two had known each other since childhood and had a friendship from their parents' generation. So Lou Xiao'e was extremely shy when she heard this, and she lowered her head, covered her face, and ran back.

The young man in the lead was a little surprised when he heard that the girl was Lou Bancheng's daughter. He couldn't help but look up and glance at Lou Xiao'e. This group of troublemakers were basically children of the big courtyards. Most of the elders in their families were in high positions and were well-informed, so they had heard of Lou Bancheng. It was still far from the time when the storm started. Although the Lou family had handed over many industries to the country, their influence was still not small. Now they were still known as patriotic capitalists. After all, not everyone could be called Bancheng. If you provoke them, you will definitely suffer.

The young man made up his mind to let the matter go. Besides, the other party offered to treat him to a meal, so he could save face and money. "Okay, brother, you are too rude, I can't be too stingy, let's just let it go."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao took out five big black tens and handed them over, "Okay, I'll treat you brothers to a meal and let's make friends. I have to send my fiancée back so I won't be with you guys. We'll meet again if we're lucky." After that, Xu Damao called Lou Xiao'e and her companions to go to the place where he was fishing.

The gangsters on the other side also took the money and walked away talking and laughing.

Xu Damao carried the bucket and fishing gear and said as he walked: "Xiao'e, how did you get here? Can I take you back?"

Lou Xiao'e hadn't recovered from her shyness yet. She lowered her head and walked in small steps while saying, "We two rode here. How about we go back by ourselves?"

How could Xu Damao not seize such a rare opportunity? "No way. You're all frightened today. I'll take you home. I haven't seen my uncle and aunt for a long time, so this is a good opportunity to visit them. Besides, I was in a hurry to go fishing today and didn't ride a bike. This is a good opportunity for me to walk less."

Lou Xiao'e nodded in a mosquito-like voice as if she agreed.