Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

Yan Jiecheng touched his forehead which was a little painful from being hit, "Mom and Dad, uncle, and brothers and sisters, this is my girlfriend Yu Li. She lives in the Dongzhimen South Street area. Now she is a temporary worker in a textile factory like me." After that, he introduced his family to Yu Li again.

Third aunt Yang Ruihua took Yu Li's hand and started asking her about her well-being. Yan Bugui was also very satisfied with this girl. She had a pretty appearance and was easy to raise. She graduated from junior high school, which was considered educated in that era.

"Old lady, hurry up and cook. It's almost noon. Third brother, go and ask your brother Damao and his wife to come over for dinner. Thank him for helping us get to know each other."

Yan Jiekuang responded and ran to the backyard. The third aunt also slapped her forehead and said, "I was so happy that I forgot that the chicken was still stewing on the fire. I have to go and check it out."

When Yu Li visited her boyfriend's house for the first time, she seemed a little nervous at first, but she gradually felt relieved when she saw that her future in-laws were quite satisfied with her. Then she was pulled by Yan Jiecheng back to his back room to visit.

Yu Li looked around Yan Jiecheng's house. Although it was not big, it was relatively clean. Housing was quite tight in this era, and it was very good not to have to live together with one's parents-in-law after marriage.

"Brother Jie Cheng, is this a new bicycle your family bought? It looks so beautiful." Yu Li asked.

"Well, my dad bought it early in the morning because you came here today. After dinner, I will take you out to play on my bike." Yan Jiecheng said with a hint of uncertainty.

Yu Li thought that since the Yan family could afford a new bicycle, they must be well off. Especially when she came to visit, buying a bicycle showed that they valued her. Yan Jiecheng was also very nice to her and bought her a lot of things. Yu Li remembered her mother's advice last night and decided to take a look and decide if it was good enough.

Not to mention the two young people being affectionate in the house, when Yan Jiekuang ran to the backyard, he saw Xu Damao building a chicken coop in front of his house with the leftover renovation materials.

"Brother Damao, my father asked you to bring Sister Xiao'e to my house for lunch at noon."

Xu Damao was a little surprised. Why did the sun rise from the west today? How did this stingy old Yan change his nature and invite him and his wife to dinner? Could it be that he really changed and stopped being stingy? "Okay, I'll go over after I finish my work. What did your father say?"

"My cousin is here, my father said he wanted to thank you, and my eldest brother also came with his sister-in-law." After saying this, Yan Jiekuang ran away again.

Xu Damao scratched his head and quickened his movements. He said that the Third Uncle would not treat him to a meal for no reason, but that he was making progress by thinking of treating him. It is always good to be grateful, and his stingy habits need to be changed slowly.

Xu Damao didn't want the compound to be in chaos all day long. Everything was full of calculations and it was too tiring. Wouldn't it be better to use the good time to do something meaningful? Those who must be defeated should not be given a chance and should be killed with a stick. Those who can be won over and reformed should be won over and reformed slowly. People are social beings and cannot exist apart from this society. Why make yourself an enemy everywhere?

Twenty minutes later, Xu Damao finally built the chicken coop and tied a circle of fence, which was covered with a net woven with thin ropes and fixed with iron wire. In the end, a pretty good chicken coop was ready.

Xu Damao washed his hands and called to Lou Xiao'e in the north room, "Ezi, pack up and come with me to Third Uncle's house for dinner later."

Lou Xiao'e responded and walked out. She was just looking at a few songs written by Xu Damao. Her musical literacy was not low, but she still admired him more and more. Her man was amazing. Not only could he play movies, but he could also take care of chicken coops. Now he could even write songs. It seemed that nothing could stump him.

Recently, she felt that her literary attainments had improved, and her understanding of cooking had also improved a lot. Could it be related to the dream she had before? Forget it, it's not a bad thing anyway.

"Eze, it's a bit cold outside, put on a coat." After saying that, Xu Damao took out two bottles of wine from the cupboard. After thinking for a while, he took the opportunity when Lou Xiao'e was changing clothes to exchange two boxes of canned beef from the space. Such a gift was already very generous.

At this time, Lou Xiao'e also put on her red tweed windbreaker and walked out. She glanced at the things on the table and said, "Let's go. Don't keep people waiting." So the couple carried their things and went to the third uncle's house in the front yard.

Before entering the house, Xu Damao glanced at the brand new bicycle parked at the foot of the wall, thinking that Uncle San had spent a lot of money on buying a bicycle and treating guests. When he opened the door curtain, he saw the two Yan Bugui at a glance, "Hey, Pian'er, I haven't seen you for a few days. How are you doing recently?"

Pianerye also stood up, "Okay, all is well. Speaking of which, I have to thank Brother Damao. Without your help, my cousin and I would not have recognized each other."

The third uncle thought to himself, "Who did I offend? You two are brothers, so I am a generation shorter than you for nothing!"

"Da Mao, you two should sit down quickly. Don't be polite in Third Uncle's house." Yan Bugui did not forget to emphasize that he was Third Uncle.

"I brought two bottles of good wine. We can drink some later. I also have two cans of beef. We can have an additional dish for lunch," said Xu Damao.

The third uncle accepted it after a few polite words, and asked Yang Ruihua to stew the beef and add a meat dish, while the others continued chatting.

Soon, steaming dishes were gradually served on the table. Yan Jiefang and Yu Li were also called over from the back room by Yan Jiekuang. After another round of introductions, everyone took their seats. The two children of the Yan family almost drooled at the table. It was rare that the whole family was here today, with the cousin, Xu Damao and his wife, and the future daughter-in-law. The Yan family did not set up separate tables, but directly borrowed a large table that could just accommodate ten people.

Yan Bugui was really happy today, and rarely said anything nonsense. He toasted with a glass of wine and announced that the meal was ready. For a moment, bowls and chopsticks flew everywhere. It was a rare opportunity to eat meat. Although the cooking skills of the three aunts were average, the children still ate with their mouths full of oil.

However, the adults were much more polite. Perhaps because she was shy, Yu Li ate her meal in small bites and seldom used her chopsticks to pick up meat or vegetables. It was the third aunt sitting next to her who picked up a lot of meat for her. She was very satisfied with this future daughter-in-law.

About half an hour later, the two children and the women finished eating. The two children ran out to play, while the third aunt took Yu Li and Lou Xiaoe to the inner room to chat. The table was dominated by men. Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian had passed the physical examination and would join the army soon after the New Year. They were considered adults, so the third uncle made an exception and allowed them to drink today.

Xu Damao didn't do any "one big and three small, two fives and ten" today, nor did he use the space to cheat. He chatted and drank, and listened to the laughter from the inner room from time to time. He was in high spirits. He joined the storytelling group of the Third Uncle and the Pian Uncle to listen to their reminiscences of the past; then he joined Jie Cheng and Jie Fang in the finger-guessing game and imagined the future. The atmosphere was very lively for a while.