Siheyuan, my new life

Yi Zhonghai would never have thought that his move, which he thought was a three-in-one move, was exactly what the deaf old lady wanted. In fact, everything Yi Zhonghai witnessed that night was deliberately designed by the deaf old lady.

The deaf old lady was able to survive as a widower in the era of war and chaos, and was able to preserve this three-in-one courtyard house. She was obviously not a simple person, otherwise she would have been eaten up without leaving even a bone.

The deaf old lady is a relatively mysterious existence in the eyes of the older generation in Nanluoguxiang. Some people rumored that she was the concubine of a prince, and some said that her husband was a wealthy businessman. However, since the deaf old lady, who was only about 20 years old at that time, became the owner of Courtyard No. 95, no one has seen the male owner of this courtyard.

In such a large courtyard, besides the deaf old lady, there was only a personal maid, a cook and two doormen. Except for going out for a walk early in the morning and buying some meat and vegetables, they usually stayed in the yard.

As she grows older, the deaf old lady has clearly felt that her body is beginning to weaken. Although she can still move freely now, she knows that one day she will lose the ability to take care of herself. If there is no one to take care of her, she will most likely starve to death in bed.

It’s not that there was no one taking care of the deaf old lady’s daily life before. That person was her personal maid Xiao Cui.

Xiao Cui was an orphan adopted by a deaf old lady. Having seen countless people, she chose this little girl, who was only seven or eight years old, from among a dozen ragged and pale-faced homeless children at first sight.

Facts have proved that the deaf old lady's vision did not disappoint her. After Xiao Cui followed her to the courtyard, she was very well-behaved and sensible at a young age. In addition to serving the deaf old lady's food, clothing, and daily life every day, she also took the initiative to massage the old lady's legs and shoulders and chat with the old lady to relieve her boredom.

The childless deaf old lady also adopted Xiao Cui as her goddaughter, registered her, and named her Long Xiao Cui according to her own surname.

When Xiao Cui was eighteen years old, she was married to He Daqing, the family's cook. The two main rooms and an ear room in the middle courtyard were given as Xiao Cui's dowry, and the couple was given an extra two hundred silver dollars in cash.

The deaf old lady lived with Long Xiaocui day and night for ten years. After several attempts, she was very satisfied with this pretty and dexterous goddaughter. She told Long Xiaocui directly that if she was willing to take care of her in her old age and guarantee to hold memorial services for her on time during festivals after her death, then after her death, this courtyard house and her property would be left to Long Xiaocui.

Long Xiaocui was not only grateful to her godmother who saved her from starvation and cold, but also felt fortunate. If it weren't for her godmother, she would have been thrown into the wilderness like those children who died of starvation or freezing. Now she not only has enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, but also receives a lot of rewards every month. She could never have imagined the life she leads before.

The deaf old lady treated the people around her very well. Not only did she pay them more than other people, but she also gave them gifts during festivals. She was especially caring towards Long Xiaocui, who served her personally. Not only did she eat and live with her, but she also gave her a few dollars as pocket money every month since she was ten years old. After she turned fifteen, her pocket money was as much as that of the concierge.

Long Xiaocui agreed to the old lady's proposal of taking care of her in her old age and seeing her to the end of her life without any hesitation. She herself was an orphan whose parents had both passed away. The old lady could be said to have saved her life. Moreover, after living with her for so many years, she had long regarded the old lady as her own mother in her heart.

As Long Xiaocui grew older, the deaf old lady began to think about her goddaughter's lifelong affairs. She also talked to Long Xiaocui about her own ideas. Getting married was obviously impossible, so she planned to find a live-in son-in-law for her goddaughter. She had money and a house, and did not expect the man to have great abilities. As long as he had a good-looking face, good health, and was obedient, it would be enough.

Long Xiaocui had no objection to this. At that time, marriages were all decided by parents and matchmakers, so the deaf old lady asked a matchmaker on the street to find a suitable candidate.

In that war-torn era, many people fled everywhere to avoid the war. In order to have food to eat, many desperate people had to sell themselves into slavery, otherwise they would starve or freeze to death on the streets.

The matchmaker near Nanluoguxiang soon brought people to the house to ask the deaf old lady to take a look. The reason why she was so enthusiastic was very simple. The deaf old lady promised to give her a five-dollar gift as a thank-you gift if the deal was successful. At that time, one dollar was enough for a family of three's living expenses for a month.

Unfortunately, after seeing two of them in succession, the deaf old lady was not satisfied with either of them. They were either slick or dull and stupid.

The deaf old lady will not make a hasty decision, as this not only concerns her goddaughter's lifelong event, but is also closely related to her own retirement.

At this time, He Daqing, the chef who was responsible for cooking for the deaf old lady, took the initiative to find the deaf old lady and proposed that he wanted to marry Long Xiaocui.

He Daqing has worked here for more than five years. The chef who used to cook for the deaf old lady is old and wants to return to his hometown to retire. When he quit his job, he recommended He Daqing, who had just graduated from Fengze Garden, to his master. According to the old chef, He Daqing is the descendant of Tan's cuisine. His father was a chef in a high-ranking official's house. Later, he followed the official to the south. Before leaving, he sent his son to Fengze Garden to learn from his senior brother.

Unfortunately, the world is in chaos now, and many industries have been greatly affected, and Fengzeyuan is no exception. After He Daqing became an apprentice, he happened to encounter this chaotic world. Fengzeyuan's business was not doing well. Not only did they stop hiring, they also had to lay off employees.

In order to find a job for his apprentice, He Daqing's master asked his friends in Qinxing (in ancient times, chefs were called Qinxing in the 360 ​​trades) to look for him. The old chef, as an old man in Qinxing, knew He Daqing's master, so he recommended He Daqing to the deaf old lady to take over his job.

After tasting the dishes, the deaf old lady kept He Daqing, who had just turned 18. He Daqing was a master of two skills. In addition to learning the Beijing-style Sichuan cuisine from the chef of Fengzeyuan, he also knew the family tradition of Tan's cuisine.

Although the income from this job in Siheyuan could not compare with that of a formal chef in Fengzeyuan, Fengzeyuan was not hiring any more and had dismissed two chefs. Moreover, the work in Siheyuan was easy. Apart from going out in the morning to buy meat and vegetables for the day and preparing three meals a day for the deaf old lady and Long Xiaocui, he also had to cook for He Daqing himself and the two doormen.

After learning from the doorman that the deaf old lady wanted to find a son-in-law for Long Xiaocui, He Daqing became interested.