Siheyuan: Bringing Warehouses to 1959

People like to show off, regardless of generation or age.

Children don’t have much to show off. Those with good grades like to check their answers after the exam. They are very happy when their answers are the same as those of the top students. Those who don’t get the same answer will say, “I originally chose A too.”

Among the children in the courtyards nowadays, no one would show off their academic performance. All they can show off is what their family has, what they ate today, etc.

Like Yan Jiefang, his family was called Yan Laoxi because of Yan Bugui's stingy nature, and he lost face. So when he ate fish stewed with wild vegetables today, how could he help but talk about it.

Zeng Xiaoqiang and his friends remembered their eldest brother's words and did not play with Liu Guangfu and his friends, especially not to tell them what they had eaten or drunk.

When they met these guys, they originally wanted to take a detour, but Yan Jiefang shouldn't have said that their eldest brother was stupid. Now in their eyes, their eldest brother is the best and most powerful eldest brother in the world, and they will not tolerate others blaspheming him.

Zeng Lai Fu confronted Yan Jiefang for his elder brother, so Zeng Xiaoqiang did not stop him.

Yan Jiefang was accused of being a fool, and he retorted, "My dad doesn't spend money fishing to bring in income for the family, but your eldest brother only spends money buying unwanted bones. There's no meat on them, and dogs won't even eat them. What else can this be but foolishness?"

This is too much. In fact, who is willing to feed bones to dogs now, or who still keeps dogs? People are helpless.

Liu Guangfu and Banggeng laughed and agreed with Yan Jiefang, mocking the Zeng brothers because the Zeng family generally lived better than theirs, which made them jealous.

The statement that he wouldn't even eat it if given to a dog angered Zeng Xiaoqiang and his brothers. Zeng Xiaohuan even burst into tears, saying something like "Don't scold my brother".

Zeng Laifu was so angry that he ignored his elder brother's words and said, "You are talking nonsense. What we ate today was meat... meat bones. There was too much meat on the bones. We were all full. We only ate meat tonight and didn't eat anything else."

"My...my elder brother even gave...me candy."

"Yes, Xiaohuan is right. We had popsicles this afternoon. The kind you have never seen before tasted like milk..."

One is seven and the other is four, what can they tolerate?

Zeng Xiaoqiang was older after all, so he covered the second brother's mouth with his hand and said, "Stop talking. Have you forgotten what your elder brother said? Only the few of us know about this. Don't tell them. Let's go and not play with them."

After saying that, he took his brother and sister away.

However, Liu Guangfu and others obviously did not intend to stop. They stopped Zeng Xiaoqiang and his sister, and kept scolding and mocking them, and most of the insults were directed at Zeng Wangcai.

Zeng Xiaoqiang's words "I won't play with them" just now angered these psychologically twisted guys.

In such a courtyard, if you choose to be a minority, you will be excluded and bullied by the majority.

Zeng Lai Fu saw that they were cursing so harshly that he exploded and turned away. He ran back to the yard alone. At this time, Zeng Wangcai and his friends had already finished their sumptuous dinner and were sitting outside to enjoy the cool air and talk.

Zeng Youqian's brother drank three taels of wine each and did not finish the one pound, leaving four taels. The same was true for meat and bones. Although there were a lot of them, they were reluctant to eat them, including Chen Yumei. Everyone only ate one piece, and no matter how Zeng Wangcai persuaded them, they refused to eat it, saying that they were saving it for the children.

Running into the house, Zeng Lai Fu found a few uneaten bones with a lot of meat on them in the cupboard. The adults picked out the ones with less meat, but the remaining ones had especially much meat.

He naively thought that as long as he could prove that what his family had to eat tonight was meat, rather than meatless bones, his elder brother would not be scolded. Besides that, he had a vague desire to let everyone in the hospital know that his elder brother was very capable.

"I'll take it to show that grandson of Yan Jiefang, let him see that what we have to eat today is meat. My eldest brother is the most capable eldest brother in the world, unlike that cowardly eldest brother. Yes, let him see it..." Zeng Lai Fu made the decision under the psychological effect of the strong desire to defend his eldest brother and some vanity.

He took out a piece of meat bone from the enamel basin and wrapped it in an old newspaper that his mother used to wrap things. Before going out, he was worried about being discovered by his eldest brother, so he observed furtively. It was not until he saw that his eldest brother was being talked about by his father and second uncle about his wife and did not notice him that he sneaked out.

When he returned to Liu Guangfu and others, Zeng Lai Fu did not call his second brother who was playing at the newsstand. He proudly opened the old newspaper, revealing the cold meat bones.

For Zeng Lai Fu, although the meat was cold, his heart was hot.

"Look, this is the meat bone. This is what we had for dinner tonight. There is a piece that we haven't finished yet. I ate four pieces by myself. My stomach is about to burst. It's all meat. This is what my eldest brother bought.

"My eldest brother is not stupid, he is the most capable eldest brother..."

Zeng Lai Fu, holding the meat bone, has become the center of attention of Liu Guangfu and others. Zeng Lai Fu's pride hurts them and makes them jealous.

"It's really meat. Oh my god, there's a lot of meat on it."

"It smells so good, it must have been cooked with a lot of seasonings, it's no worse than the dishes cooked by Sha Zhu..."

"I've never eaten so much meat in my life. Zeng Laifu ate four pieces in one night?"

Several people headed by Liu Guangfu were all jealous, and Bang Geng even began to swallow their saliva. They looked at Zeng Lai Fu with greedy eyes.

"Second brother, are you crazy? Have you forgotten what your eldest brother said?" Zeng Xiaoqiang discovered the problem and rushed over, but it was too late. Liu Guangfu had already rushed over.

At the same time, Zeng Wangcai was being lobbied by Zeng Youqian's two brothers.

"Wangcai, we have agreed that you will go back to see Xiuzhi in a few days. You can't go back on your word. Believe in your uncle. Xiuzhi is a good girl. She is pretty, just like the characters in the movies.

"Moreover, Xiuzhi is easy to bear and capable. Within a few days of arriving at the village, she had cleaned up the house inside and out. She also looks good at working in the fields. It's a pity that her household registration is not here..."

Zeng Youhuo kept talking and even forgot to smoke the cigarette in his hand.

Zeng Youqian was no longer as forceful as he had been in the past when he lectured Zeng Wangcai. He took a puff of his cigarette and talked about the past between the two families: "Back then, your grandfather was shot in the countryside of Rongcheng and was on the verge of death. It was Xiuzhi's grandfather who took your grandfather in. Not only that, he also gave your grandfather all the delicious and nutritious food at home to replenish his body, which is how your grandfather survived.

"After that, we lost contact for many years until the world became more peaceful. Your grandfather went to look for Xiuzhi's family, and the two families got in touch again. Xiuzhi was still a child at that time, so the two old men arranged a marriage for you..."

Zeng Wangcai's childhood fiancée's surname was Zhang. The image of Zhang Xiuzhi gradually became fuller in the descriptions of Zeng Youqian's two brothers. In their eyes, Zhang Xiuzhi was the eldest grandson's wife of the Zeng family.

Zhang Xiuzhi did not come to Zengzhuang to escape famine, she was escaping from marriage. It is said that her father betrothed her to a serious cadre in Chengdu, who could give her a city hukou and also solve the problem of employment for her family's next generation.

The key here is that the other party is getting married for the first time, not the second time. This shows that Zeng Youhuo’s statement that Zhang Xiuzhi is good-looking may be true.

"Dad, second uncle, it's almost time, we have to go and grab a seat to watch the movie." Zeng Wangcai interrupted the two brothers, "Since I said I would go and see it, I will definitely go, but let me make it clear in advance that I don't object to getting married, but it's not to marry Zhang Xiuzhi as you said, I have to see first..."

He was speaking from the heart, he had no objection to meeting or getting married. As for marriage, if one did not get married in the previous life, it would be nice to get married in this life as well. However, marriage was not for the purpose of a childhood marriage.

Anyway, let’s meet first.

"By the way, how old is Zhang Xiuzhi this year? You haven't mentioned her age in the whole conversation."

“I just turned 14 this year!”

"???"

She's not an adult yet, so she's a loli. I'm 38, two years older than her...

"The household registration says she is seventeen, and yours is nineteen. You will be legally married in a year. Even if you don't want to take her in after a year, it's okay. Just try to get along with her first." Zeng Youhuo softened his tone when he saw his son's strange expression. "It's okay if you don't want to marry her. I don't mean you have to get married. I mean you should take her to our house. We are better off than your second uncle's family. Your grandfather's kindness should be repaid by our family."

This is the best way and exactly what Zeng Wangcai wants.

At this time, many people in the middle and back yards carried their small stools and went out to watch open-air movies. After Zeng Wangcai finished his business, he immediately went into the house to collect some old newspapers and threw them into the space, which would be useful when watching the movie later.

When he went out, he saw his father talking to Liu Haizhong, who was also going to the movies with his second son, Liu Guangtian.

Just as the Zeng family was ready, the two families went out together. Zeng Wangcai looked around and didn't see his younger brothers, but as soon as he walked out of the gate of the courtyard, he heard the third brother crying loudly.

"Give me back my bones..."