Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

"Oh, then why don't you keep in touch?" Xu Damao asked.

"Hi, my cousin and I are about the same age, and we grew up together. We had a pretty good relationship back then. My uncle's family ran a small business, and they lived a pretty good life. Then there was chaos and war, and my uncle was killed by the soldiers, and the family business went into decline. Since then, my cousin has taken charge of the family, and perhaps because of the family changes he's experienced, he's become very stingy. When my mother was alive, the two families still had some interactions, but then my mother passed away, and the interactions between the two families became even less frequent. Later, my cousin sold the family's small workshop and moved away, and I looked for him everywhere but couldn't find any news, so the two families completely cut off contact. I didn't expect to hear news about him today." After Pian'erye finished speaking, he searched his red eyes.

Xu Damao thought that this was almost right. He remembered hearing his father say when he was a child that the Yan family did move here later. At that time, all the good houses in the yard were occupied, so they had no choice but to settle down in the front yard. Moreover, Yan Bugui was indeed a small property owner.

"Come on, let's go first. It's always a good thing to find your relatives. When you have time, come to our yard to recognize your relatives. I helped Wobo Lao Cai recognize his relatives some time ago."

At this time, Xu Huizhen also came back with wine, and served a pot of good wine to each table one by one. Finally, she came over and said, "Hey, what are you talking about? It's so lively. Why are Mr. Pian's eyes red?"

Niu Ye took over the conversation and said, "Brother Xu just helped me find my long-lost cousin. Is the full name of that old Cai called Cai Quanwu? He often works in this area."

"Yes, his full name is Cai Quanwu. His nephew He Yuzhu and niece He Yushui also live in our courtyard. Some time ago, I saw that Old Cai and He Daqing looked very similar, so I asked about it. I didn't expect that they are actually half-brothers." Xu Damao said.

Niu Ye said, "I have heard of He Daqing. He used to be a chef at Fengze Garden. His cooking skills are pretty good. I've even eaten his dishes before, but I heard that he ran off with a widow. So Old Cai and He Daqing are brothers."

"Yes, He Daqing fled to Baoding with the widow, leaving behind a pair of children. When he left, his daughter Yu Shui was only eight or nine years old." Xu Damao said.

After hearing what he said, everyone started cursing. He Daqing was not a good person, as he could abandon such a young girl and a widow and run away. It was really a waste for Old Cai to have such an unreliable brother.

Xu Huizhen put down the wine jug and sat down, listening carefully to everyone's conversation. When she heard that Old Cai had recognized his relatives, her heart was moved. Old Cai was honest and steady, mature but low-key and humble, and a righteous man. She often asked him to help the tavern get wine from Niulanshan. When she was having her baby, he did not care about the lack of money and sent her to the hospital. She didn't expect that he had relatives in the city.

Cai Quanwu appeared in front of Xu Huizhen when she needed help the most, just like a beam of light in the dark night that illuminated Xu Huizhen's life. So Xu Huizhen had a good impression of Cai Quanwu, and Cai Quanwu often came to the tavern to help, so Xu Huizhen was also very concerned when she heard about him.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Xu Huizhen began to persuade people to drink. "Come on, let's not talk about these bad things. I'll toast everyone. Brother Xu, have a taste of my good wine."

Everyone picked up their glasses and drank them all. Xu Damao smacked his lips and said, "This wine is quite interesting."

Niu Ye said: "From the looks of it, Brother Xu is also an expert in wine tasting."

Xu Huizhen was a little indignant. "I can get good wine, but the price is too high. Most people can't afford it. My tavern is not a high-end place. This is already the most cost-effective wine."

"I apologize for my slip of the tongue. I'll drink a glass of wine to apologize to Manager Xu. But I do have two secret recipes for making wine passed down from my ancestors." After saying this, Xu Damao refilled his glass with wine and drank it all. In fact, he didn't have any secret recipe for making wine. He just exchanged it from the system. This was just a bait for Xu Huizhen.

Xu Huizhen's eyes lit up. Her family had a long tradition of brewing wine, and she herself had profound attainments in this area. She opened her mouth to ask about the secret recipe, but then she felt it was inappropriate to ask about someone else's secret recipe so directly, so she closed her mouth again.

Niu Ye is very good at judging people, and this is what he is very proud of. He feels that Xu Damao is not saying this without a purpose, this secret recipe is definitely extraordinary, and his target is very likely Xu Huizhen, but he doesn't know why he is looking for Xu Huizhen. If he wants to harm Xu Huizhen, he will not sit idly by. In addition, Xu Damao is well-dressed and wears a valuable imported watch. He is also generous with his money. He is very likely to become his customer, so he must get to know him well.

Thinking of this, Niu Ye also wanted to build a good relationship with Xu Damao and get some information out of him. So he raised his glass and started to persuade Xu Damao to drink, intending to get him drunk. It is said that people speak the truth after drinking. It can only be said that his idea was good, but he seriously underestimated Xu Damao's alcohol tolerance, and he didn't expect that he still had room for improvement.

So Niu Ye kept urging people to drink. Xu Huizhen was also a very good person and had seen through Niu Ye's idea long ago. It just so happened that her idea coincided with Niu Ye's. So everyone was talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was very lively.

Xu Damao saw through their thoughts and calmly tried to find out more about Niu Ye and Xu Huizhen. After all, it would be rude not to reciprocate.

Through the conversation, Xu Damao also knew what Niu Ye did, but he didn't find out his background. It turned out that Niu Ye was a broker, who introduced buyers and sellers to facilitate transactions and charged a certain commission after the transaction was successful. His role was similar to that of today's intermediaries, and he had a very wide network of contacts in this area.

As everyone was chatting, the door curtain was lifted and a beautiful lady in a cotton cheongsam with elegant temperament walked in. "Oh, it's quite lively today. Why didn't you send someone to call me over to join in the fun." The person who came was Chen Xueru.

"Manager Chen." "Hello, Manager Chen." The guest next to him greeted.

"Xueru, you're here. Come here quickly. Let me introduce you to a new friend." Xu Huizhen stood up and waved at Chen Xueru.

As soon as Xu Damao heard the name, he knew that the person coming was Chen Xueru. Chen Xueru was a competitive person. She and Xu Huizhen were good friends, but they also competed with each other and always wanted to suppress Xu Huizhen. Unexpectedly, the two families became one in the end, and the fighting was all in vain.

When Chen Xueru heard Xu Huizhen calling her, she didn't hesitate to move a chair and sat over. Seeing that the food on the table was almost finished, she said, "Huizhen, bring two more pots of good wine and a few dishes. I have to have a few drinks with this new friend."

Xu Huizhen responded and asked Xiao Zhao to get the things, and then introduced Chen Xueru and Xu Damao to each other.

Soon, the waiter Xiao Zhao brought the food and went back.

Chen Xueru said: "Come, I'm very happy to meet Brother Xu today. I'll toast you a glass. Please take care of my business in the future." After that, she picked up the glass and drank it all.

Xu Damao was of course not vague. After drinking, he turned the glass over and said, "I came here today and actually planned to order some clothes from you."

"Oh, then you're most welcome. I'll take you over to have a look later. I just happened to have a lot of new materials." Chen Xueru said.

A few people were chatting and drinking. Since they had already drunk quite a lot before, they drank for more than half an hour before dispersing.

When they parted, Pian'erye and Xu Damao made an appointment to visit his cousin at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang when they had time. Chen Xueru took Xu Damao out of the tavern and went straight to the silk shop.