Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

However, Yi Zhonghai took the dumplings to find the old lady. As the dumplings were too hot, he put them aside and chatted with the old lady for a while. He waited until they were cool enough before serving them to the old lady.

The deaf old lady picked up a dumpling with chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it for a few times, and swallowed it. "Well, this is beef stuffing, delicious. I haven't eaten beef stuffing dumplings for many years."

The deaf old lady had an extraordinary family background, which could be seen from her bound feet. A girl from a poor family would have to work, so how could she have bound feet? Maybe she had eaten a lot of delicacies when she was young, and maybe she felt that her time was running out, which made the old lady greedier. She often relied on her age and seniority to ask for food from the families who made something delicious. If the family didn't give her anything, she would smash the glass with her walking stick, and really regarded herself as the ancestor of the courtyard.

She was seen eating while mumbling, "This one is stuffed with mutton and green onions, it's also delicious; this one is stuffed with pork and cabbage, very juicy."

Soon she ate half of the big bowl of dumplings. She planned to eat only the last one and save the rest for the evening. Just as she picked up the last dumpling and put it into her mouth, she felt something hard and then her two front teeth left her. The few teeth she had to date became even more sparse. The old lady cried out in pain.

Yi Zhonghai saw that everyone had gathered around to watch the fun, and his face darkened and he was about to lose his temper. But Xu Fugui took the initiative and said, "Old Yi, how did you take care of the old lady? You broke her teeth! Everyone in the compound, including the children, knew that they should be careful when eating dumplings with coins in them, but why didn't you remind the old lady? Tell me, what are you thinking?"

"I...I...I didn't know there was a coin in the dumplings. I didn't see it when I was making the dumplings." Yi Zhonghai hesitated for a long time before telling the truth. It turned out that he was arranged to welcome the guests, but he waited for a long time and didn't see any outsiders coming, so he secretly returned home to rest. He didn't want to help the Xu family. So only an old lady was there to help make dumplings. He didn't see the coins put into the dumplings at all, and as a result, such a thing happened.

"Old Yi, you are so old, but why are you still so impatient and not steady at all when doing things? How can you be the boss of the hospital like this?"

This was said by Liu Haizhong, and Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood. His master said this to him back then, but the master said that he wanted to teach him, which was his due, but who was Liu Haizhong! Whether in the factory or in the hospital, he was suppressed by himself, how could he have the face to say that about himself!

"Respect the elderly and respect the elderly of others. Old Yi, you can't abuse the elderly like this. Isn't this a bad influence on the morale of our compound? Do you think everyone will follow your example and take care of the elderly in the future?" Yan Bugui did not forget to show his culture at this time and secretly gave Yi Zhonghai a stab.

Xu Damao couldn't help but sigh that educated people are indeed worse when they become bad. The veins on Zhonghai's forehead and neck were bulging.

Finally, the deaf old lady repeatedly said that it was nothing serious, but her teeth were loose due to old age, and she finally settled the matter. She was already at this age and had difficulty moving, and she would have to rely on Yi Zhonghai to support her in the future, so how could she offend Yi Zhonghai for such a small matter.

Yi Zhonghai also needed the prestige of the deaf old lady to help him control the compound and solve some problems that were inconvenient for him to handle. The old lady was already so old, and she made a fuss and used the identity of a martyr that Yi Zhonghai had secretly spread to elevate her status. People in the compound also gave her some respect. If you really argue with the old lady, she will lie on the ground and everyone will be in a dilemma.

When the matter was over, everyone in the yard dispersed. The second uncle Liu Haizhong, with his belly bulging and his hands behind his back, looked very official. He arranged for each family to take their belongings back, and then directed a few young people to clean up the messy yard. In short, wherever there was something busy, Liu Haizhong would be there, allowing him to indulge in his official duties.

After everyone had packed up their things, the yard gradually became quiet. Even many years later, everyone in the yard still remembered the day Xu Damao got married in the winter of 1960, and the unforgettable dumplings they had during the famine.

The courtyard finally quieted down, but Xu Damao's home was still very lively. Xu's mother and Xu Xiaoying were in the inner room chatting with the new daughter-in-law. Xu's mother also told a lot of interesting stories about Xu Damao's childhood, which made Lou Xiao'e giggle. Xu Xiaoying took the opportunity to tell her about her brother's bad deeds, saying how he bullied her when she was a child. Lou Xiao'e promised to tell her if he was bullied by her brother again in the future, and she would avenge him.

Xu Damao was drinking with his father, second uncle and third uncle. They were busy with things and didn't eat much. Now that they were done, in order to thank the second and third uncles for their help, Xu's mother specially made a few dishes for them to drink. On the table were braised carp, stewed potatoes with meat, stir-fried cabbage with meat, stir-fried peanuts and cold shredded radish. They drank until dark, and they left after drinking until they were red in the face.

While supporting Xu's father back home, Xu's mother kept nagging him for drinking so much. Xu's father was talking drunkenly about getting married and being happy. Xu Xiaoying went to play with Yu Shui. Before she moved away, she and Yu Shui were about the same age and still girls, but good friends. Now they are classmates too, just not in the same class.

He Yushui returned to his hut in a gloomy mood after eating the dumplings. He remembered that when he was a child, the Xu family and Brother Damao were very kind to him. When he was bullied at school, it was Brother Damao who stood up for him. Especially when his unreliable father abandoned him and ran away with the widow, he often sent him some food to prevent him from starving to death. But since Xu's father and mother moved out of the compound, everything has slowly changed.

Originally, the relationship between the two families was pretty good, but the conflict between the silly brother and brother Damao became increasingly serious due to instigation by others, and they became sworn enemies. The hot-tempered silly brother did not listen to his advice and often beat brother Damao, which made Yu Shui feel very uncomfortable.

He Yushui had also dreamed of marrying Xu Damao, but her dream was shattered by her brother. How could she marry her brother's mortal enemy? Recently, Damao has helped her with many ideas, and she has a glimmer of hope in her heart, but her inferiority complex has stopped her from expressing her feelings. While she was daydreaming, there was a knock on the door. It was Xu Xiaoying who arrived.

He Yushui entertained Xu Xiaoying warmly, and the two of them lay on the bed and talked a lot. But Xu Xiaoying was a little strange. Sister Yushui was a little strange today, always asking about her brother and new sister-in-law.