Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

Upon hearing this, Lou's mother was about to get up to make arrangements. Xu Damao also stood up and said, "Uncle and aunt, I went to Beihai to catch some fish today. It's just right to add a dish to lunch today."

Lou's mother didn't bother to be polite with him. "Okay, you chat with your uncle and Xiao'e first. I'll be leaving now." After that, she went to arrange lunch and left him alone.

Father Lou asked someone to make a pot of tea, and then he started chatting with Xu Damao. Xu Damao now has lived two lives, and has also experienced the information explosion of the 21st century. His vision, perspective and knowledge are far beyond the 1960s. In addition, Xu Damao is now mature and stable, and is no longer the erratic person he used to be. For a while, the atmosphere was very harmonious, and Father Lou's impression of him also changed greatly. Father Lou was not very satisfied with Xu Damao before, but Mother Lou liked him more and tried her best to bring them together.

Time flies and it is almost noon. Lou's mother arranges for everyone to have dinner. There are six dishes and one soup, all of which are ordinary home-cooked dishes, including braised carp and crucian carp soup. The cook was brought by Lou's mother as a dowry. He can make some Tan family dishes but has not inherited the true skills. After so many years, his cooking skills are still good, especially the fresh wild fish. The four people are very satisfied with the meal.

After lunch, Xu Damao sat for a while and then stood up and said goodbye with the fish bucket.

When Lou's mother saw Xu Damao leaving, she sat down next to Lou Xiao'e and asked, "Ezi, what happened today? Why did you come back with Damao? You didn't want to, right? You two seemed very close, talking and laughing today."

Lou Xiao'e recounted everything that had happened from the time she made an appointment with friends to go ice skating at Houhai, to the end, and even told her mother that Xu Damao said he was his fiancée.

"It seems that Damao is still interested in you. You two have known each other since childhood and can be considered childhood sweethearts. If you marry her, your aunt Xu will definitely not treat you harshly. What do you think? If you are willing, I will call your aunt Xu over in a few days to discuss it. You two are already adults, so you have to hurry up and settle the matter." Lou's mother said earnestly.

At this time, Father Lou also turned his head and looked over. "Da Mao is a good kid. Maybe he was too young and too jumpy before, so I was not willing to marry him. Now that he is older, he looks more stable than before, and his vision and experience are also good among young people. This time, Dad is more supportive."

When Lou Xiao'e heard that her parents were trying to match her up with Xu Damao, she lowered her head and blushed. "Oh, how can you force your daughter to get married as soon as possible? I still want to stay with you for a few more years!"

Seeing this, Lou's mother knew that her daughter was willing, but she just couldn't say it out loud because she couldn't save face. In the past, whenever she was mentioned about the marriage with Xu Damao, she would have run back to her room. It seemed that this matter was going to happen. Her daughter was indeed not young anymore, so it seemed that she had to hurry up and make this happen.

"Then I will ask your Aunt Xu to come over in a couple of days to discuss your marriage. There's no need to drag it on since we know each other well. We can try to get it done before the New Year." Mother Lou said with a smile.

After hearing about her wedding arrangements, Lou Xiaoe couldn't stand it anymore. She covered her face and ran upstairs, "Oh, so annoying. I don't care. Anyway, my words don't count. You guys decide."

Lou's father and mother looked at each other and saw the smile in each other's eyes. Their daughter finally had a good home. It was still affected by her family background. People of the same age as Lou Xiao'e were either already working or still in college. Their daughter was obviously very good, but she could only stay at home doing nothing every day. The old couple always felt that they owed their daughter something.

Xu Damao walked a short distance from Lou's house and took a bus to his parents' home. Since he had decided to choose Lou Xiao'e, he had to communicate with his parents and make preparations in advance.

When he arrived at his parents' house, only Xu's mother was doing the housework. Seeing him come in, Xu's mother asked with a little surprise: "Da Mao, you just came home yesterday, why are you here again today? What's the matter?"

Xu Damao handed the fish he caught today to his mother and told her what happened today. "Mom, I see that Uncle Lou and Aunt Tan are both very supportive of Xiao'e and me being together. Xiao'e is fine, and I like her very much. Why don't you personally take action to settle this matter in two days?"

Xu's mother was so happy that she slapped her thigh and said, "Okay, son, I'll leave this matter to you, your mother. Since you were young, I have seen that you two are close and look like a couple. I was right. I will discuss it with your father tonight, and I will go to the host's house tomorrow." Xu's mother is still used to calling the host the host. After all, she has called him that for so many years, and she always calls him that when there are no outsiders around.

"But will this affect your future? Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to be promoted to deputy section chief?" Xu's mother said with some concern.

"Oh, mom, don't worry about it. He will be promoted to section chief in a few days. Besides, you can get married after becoming a deputy section chief. It will be difficult to move up after getting married. But your son has his own plans for the future, so you can rest assured." Xu Damao comforted.

"Okay, you've grown up and are going to get married, so you should make your own decisions. And if you want to get married, you have to spruce up the house in Nanluoguxiang and buy some necessary furniture. Xiao'e is a good girl, and in the past our family wouldn't have been able to afford her. Don't let her down by marrying you now," said Xu's mother.

"Okay, Mom, I'll go to the street office and ask around. Today is Sunday and they don't have work, but there should be someone on duty."

"Well, then you should hurry up. It's getting late, and I see you didn't ride your bike. You caught so many fish, so I'll keep two of them, and you can take the rest."

"Hey, you should keep them all. Put them in the wooden basin and they will keep them alive for many days. You can eat them when you want. I am too lazy to cook by myself. When I want to eat fish, I will come over and ask you to cook it for me."

"Then take two. You're going to the street office to inquire about things. I'll keep the rest and eat them later."

Xu Damao responded, found a thin hemp rope to string the fish together, and carried it to the Nanluoguxiang Street Office.

When Xu Damao arrived at the street office, he saw that the door was indeed open, so someone must be on duty. Seeing an office door half open, Xu Damao knocked decisively and walked in when he heard someone say come in.

"Oh, Director Wang, you never forget to work even when you are resting. You are truly a role model for the people." Xu Damao said.

Director Wang said, "It's Damao. Why did you think of coming to me today?" Director Wang is a military-to-civilian cadre who has worked here for several years. He may not be familiar with everyone, but he can basically call out their names and tell them something about them.

"Hey, Director, I just want to give you something because I know you're working hard. Here, I went to Houhai to fish for fish today. It's wild fish and very nutritious."

"Why should I call you Auntie Wang? You never come to me for no reason. You must have something wrong when you suddenly send me something. Tell me quickly. As long as it does not violate the principles, I will definitely do it for you." Director Wang said cheerfully.

"Auntie Wang, look at what you said. I just want to renovate the house, but I don't have any rules. That's why I came to ask you!"

"Hey, what was I doing at the time? I just need to write you a note. But don't touch the main structure of the house, and don't build anything privately. If you want to lay pipes, talk to your neighbors first, and don't create any disputes." Director Wang said as he wrote a note and stamped it.

"If you go to buy building materials, take this note with you. By the way, have you found a decorator? You should also show it to the decorator, otherwise he will not decorate it for you." Director Wang reminded.

"You know what? I haven't found a decorator yet. I was planning to come here today to inquire about the decoration, but you just happened to get the approval here. You are familiar with decoration, so why don't you recommend one to me?"

"Okay, our subdistrict office has a special decoration team, and their skills are pretty good. I'll contact them when you need them."

"You are so busy, how can I trouble you with such a small matter? Just give me the address and I will stop by. If the person is there, I will bring him back to see the house."

"That's fine. The master lives not far away, in the compound at No. 26 Maoer Hutong. The master's surname is Li. You can find out by asking around."

"Okay, thank you Aunt Wang. I'll go over and take a look while I'm free today."

"Go away, go away. You are disturbing my work here." Director Wang waved his hand.