Siheyuan: Bringing Warehouses to 1959

Chen Yumei wants to make brown sugar water for her son.

Sugar plays a very important role nowadays, and it cannot be explained by the word "condiment". After being influenced by the Siheyuan, Zeng Wangcai has watched many period dramas, one of which is "The World" starring Datou. In the drama, Datou got two bags of sugar from a leader and cherished them very much.

So after being able to explain it, Zeng Wangcai completed these seemingly insignificant things for his family.

"Isn't it in the cabinet?" Zeng Youqian turned his head and pointed at the cabinet in the corner. "That one, why would I drink that brown sugar stuff? I'm not an old woman, and I'm not in confinement. If you can't find it, go find the second and third children. Maybe they ate it secretly."

Sugar is very sweet. Every family that has it will hide it well, for fear that the children will be greedy and eat it bit by bit by licking it with their fingers. Sugar is used to entertain guests, especially distinguished guests. Whenever someone is treated with a cup of sugar water when visiting someone else's home, it means that the host cares about him or her.

Brown sugar is not as widely used as white sugar. In most households, white sugar is rare. But brown sugar has its irreplaceable role. For example, it can be used to replenish blood, especially for women in confinement. It has many benefits. There is not so much chicken soup nowadays.

But Chen Yumei was looking for brown sugar for a different reason. When she was a girl, she did farm work and drank brown sugar water made with well water during the busy farming season. She didn't know if it helped relieve the heat, but many rural areas had this habit.

"Found it, it's here!" Chen Yumei dug out a porcelain jar, opened it and took a look. "It's not damp, it's fine. Wangcai, go and take a rest. Mom will make you a jar of brown sugar water. You can take it to the river to drink tomorrow. It's hot!"

After saying that, Chen Yumei cleaned out the copper teapot used for drinking tea at home and prepared to use it to fill brown sugar water for her sons.

Most people have small porcelain teapots with lids at home. They usually use a hemp rope to tie the lid to the handle of the pot to prevent it from falling.

But Zeng Wangcai's family thought the pot held too little water, so in order to prevent their children from drinking cold water, they got this copper teapot.

Zeng Wangcai didn't know what to say. It would be bad to refuse his mother's sincerity. He helped her take out the copper teapot and watched her pour brown sugar into it.

"Enough, enough, Mom. Do you really think we're in confinement after giving birth? Too much brown sugar will make it greasy." Zeng Wangcai stopped his mother from pouring the whole jar of sugar in.

Chen Yumei stopped and sighed, "It's a pity that there are no mung beans. If there were mung beans, it would be better to cook some."

green beans?

OK, remember it!

Zeng Wangcai nodded secretly.

Chen Yumei refused to let her son stay with her and asked him to go to sleep. She continued to be busy only after her son left.

The next morning, Chen Yumei got up before dawn. She knew her son had gone out early, so she prepared some food for him.

Chen Yumei had just kneaded the dough when Zhang Xiuzhi got up, neatly dressed, holding a short-sleeved shirt in her hand.

"Aunt, let me do it. Actually, you don't have to make steamed buns. We have food to eat when we go out!" Zhang Xiuzhi said as she put down her coat.

"It's okay... Hey, isn't this Wangcai's coat?" Chen Yumei discovered the problem. "You asked me for needle and thread yesterday. Were you mending Wangcai's clothes? What's wrong with his clothes?"

"Torn... yes, it was torn!" Zhang Xiuzhi originally wanted to say that it was torn by herself, but when she thought of the misunderstanding last night, she changed her words.

"This child, day after day, he can't wear good clothes." Chen Yumei began to grumble, "From childhood to adulthood, he has always worn new clothes. The old ones were only given to the second and third children to be altered. But he didn't have time to wear them out before they were altered. Either his knees or his elbows were torn..."

Zhang Xiuzhi smiled. She had seen a lot of things. Every household started patching clothes from the knees and elbows, and then went on to places like the cuffs.

Chen Yumei quickly kneaded the dough, covered it with a lid and let it rise. She washed her hands, picked up the copper teapot, and poured a cup of brown sugar water for Zhang Xiuzhi: "Xiuzhi, have you brushed your teeth? No? Auntie will get you a toothbrush and toothpaste. I bought new ones."

Holding a new toothbrush and a jar of toothpaste, Chen Yumei started talking again: "Xiuzhi, you'll be with Wangcai in the future, so you have to keep an eye on him and don't let him do anything wrong. Look, the good toothpaste has been spilled into the jar, and the toothpaste tube is gone. I'm going to deal with the second and third children, but he's still protecting them..."

Well, Chen Yumei remembered this toothpaste tube for so long.

Zhang Xiuzhi lowered her head slightly. She was moved and took a new toothbrush, not a toothbrush with new bristles. While brushing her teeth, Zhang Xiuzhi knew that she was inseparable from this family.

After washing up, Zhang Xiuzhi went into the house and Chen Yumei brought her some brown sugar water to drink.

"tasty?"

"It's delicious, auntie. I will honor you." Zhang Xiuzhi smiled sweetly. Thinking of the situation at home, she mustered up the courage to say, "But you and uncle should give me some time. My father and stepmother will come sooner or later. I don't want your family to be entangled by them."

"What nonsense are you talking about? This kid is really something." Chen Yumei didn't quite understand the situation and said subconsciously, "Your parents are our in-laws, so how can you call... Wait, you're talking about your stepmother. Did she bully you?"

After Zhang Xiuzhi came, she only told her grandmother about the stepmother, and her grandmother did not tell anyone else.

Although grandma is old, she is very observant when she sees people and things. She can see that Zhang Xiuzhi is a good girl, and she has more things on her mind than just being married off to a city man by her family.

The last time Zeng Youhuo came, he briefly mentioned the reason why Zhang Xiuzhi ran away from home, but he didn't go into details because that was all he knew.

Zhang Xiuzhi lifted the hem of her dress, revealing her white belly and waist without a trace of fat. There was an inconspicuous round scar on the right side of her lower abdomen.

"She beat me with a wooden board with a nail on it..." Zhang Xiuzhi said calmly.

What she didn't say was that her stomach was pierced and became inflamed, and her father didn't send her to the infirmary. If it weren't for her master who knew herbal medicine, who knows what would have happened to her.

"You've suffered so much!" Chen Yumei touched Zhang Xiuzhi's scar with her rough, calloused fingers, not knowing how to persuade her. "From now on, I'll listen to you about your family's affairs. I'll do whatever you say."

She poured another cup of brown sugar water for Zhang Xiuzhi. She didn't want to talk about Zhang Xiuzhi's family affairs, but she couldn't help getting angry and said, "It's all about money. Your father asked you to get married just for money. Now that you guys are making a lot of trouble and can make money, I'll let Wangcai leave you some money, but I'll let you deal with it when the time comes."

"No, Auntie, I can make money!" Zhang Xiuzhi said, holding the teacup. "Besides, Wangcai has given me some money."

"That's more like it..."

As the two were talking, Zhang Xiuzhi waited for the dough to ferment. She then washed her hands, kneaded the dough, and made steamed buns. She was busy until dawn, when Zeng Wangcai and the others next door got up.

Zeng Wangcai and a few others went to brush their teeth and wash their faces. After they went back home, each of them ate two steamed buns made of 1/2 tsp of flour. They then wrapped more than ten or twenty buns. He didn't know whether Old Man Liu would come back, so he still prepared some.

After preparing the delicious food, Zeng Wangcai helped seal the copper teapot to prevent it from being spilled on the way.

The copper teapot had not been sealed yet, but Yan Bugui was already waiting anxiously outside.

"What is this? Why do you carry such a big teapot?" Yan Bugui asked when he saw the copper teapot.

"Of course it's tea, let's go!" Zeng Wangcai didn't mention the brown sugar water when he saw Yan Bugui carrying a kettle. It's not that he was reluctant to give it to others, but he just thought it was better to have less trouble than more.

When I was ready to ride away, the question arose again: who would take whom?