Siheyuan: Happy Life of Jia Zhang Family

Of course, the first person to get home from get off work at the 95th Institute was Jia Dongxu. Although he could not come back right after lunch after becoming the team leader, by four o'clock in the afternoon, all tasks were completed, the tasks of the three temporary workers were also completed, and what could be done for tomorrow's work was also done. After sorting the letters and parcels, all four of them were able to go home.

When he arrived at the door of his house, Jia Dongxu felt something was wrong because the curtain of his seventh uncle's house was drawn. It was already around four o'clock. Qin Jingru and Xiaodang had woken up early. Jia Dang was still eating the pineapple bun that he had not finished at noon. "Jingru, is your seventh uncle back?" Jia Dongxu asked.

"Yes, he came back around noon. He gave him this bread. It's so sweet. But he's a little tired. He's been sleeping since noon and hasn't gotten up yet," said Qin Jingru.

"When I saw this bread, I knew it was my seventh uncle who came back, because I have never seen this kind of bread before, so it must be brought back by him; my seventh uncle is back, so I'll give him some noodles. They say that dumplings are good for cooking and noodles are good for eating. Now that he's back from a business trip, I'll make some hand-rolled noodles for him." Jia Dongxu seemed to be talking to Qin Jingru, but also seemed to be talking to himself, because after he finished speaking, he went straight out of the house, went to the kitchen of his own house in the upper courtyard, took the white flour and started to get busy.

"Dad, do you want to eat noodles?" Not long after, Banggeng came back from school and asked when he saw his father busy in the kitchen.

"Are you blind?" Jia Dongxu replied.

"It's such a waste to eat noodles during non-festivals. A person only has a few pounds of flour a month? Can't you wait until my seventh uncle comes back before eating? He is in poor health and doesn't like to eat corn grits." Banggeng said to Jia Dongxu.

"Get lost," Jia Dongxu said to Bang Geng angrily. Is he in poor health? You are lying with your eyes open. Didn't you see him beating me? He kicked me and I fell over. Is this poor health?

"Every time I tell you to do something, you just don't listen. I won't stop you when grandma comes back," Banggeng said to Jia Dongxu again.

"Banggeng, from what you said, it seems like you have helped your father?" He Yuzhu also came over.

"What help? He always makes a fire. I think his butt is itchy. Uncle-in-law, go make some stew. My seventh uncle is back. Let's have noodles tonight," said Jia Dongxu.

"Seventh uncle is back? Did he bring me anything delicious?" Banggeng was so happy that he almost jumped up.

"You only know how to eat. Can't you observe first? Look at the curtain on the door of your seventh uncle's room. Is it like this? Others say you are smart, but do you think you are really smart?" Jia Dongxu criticized Bang Geng.

"Dad, you observe very carefully. Why don't you wake up my seventh uncle?" Banggeng asked Jia Dongxu.

"Why didn't you scream?" Jia Dongxu asked his son.

"If I don't shout, what if he hasn't woken up yet and gets angry and beats me? If my seventh uncle beats me, grandma won't stop me," said Banggeng.

"You are so smart, isn't your father afraid of being beaten?" He Yuzhu almost died of laughter.

"My dad is an adult, it's no big deal if he hits me a few times, but I'm so young, I can't bear it," said Bang Geng.

"Banggeng, you are so filial. Eat an extra bowl of noodles later." He Yuzhu couldn't stand the father and son of the Jia family anymore, so he squatted on the ground.

Zhang Cuihua, Zhang Lianhua and Jingshu came back. Banggeng hurried over and told Jingshu the news that Zhang Dabao had returned, and asked Jingshu to wake up Zhang Dabao. Banggeng knew that Seventh Uncle loved Aunt Jingshu the most, so there would be no problem if she went to wake him up.

Sure enough, when He Jingshu heard the news that her uncle had returned, she ran into the room, climbed onto the bed, pinched Zhang Dabao's nose, and said, "Uncle, get up quickly."

Zhang Dabao opened his eyes, picked up He Jingshu, and walked out of the room, "Do you want to eat noodles tonight?"

"Of course it's noodles. You must eat noodles when you come back from a business trip," said Jia Dongxu.

"It's not easy for Dongxu to know all this. Banggeng, there are food in the blue bag in my room. Take out a few pineapples, including those with small bumps on their bodies. Also take out some bread, and also take out a few canned foods, including fish and meat. Take a few more," Zhang Dabao said to Banggeng who was eager to try.

When Banggeng heard the order, he went into the house, first took out a pineapple, then some bread, and then took out four cans at once.

"Seventh Uncle, this pineapple is not tasty and it pricks your mouth." Jia Dongxu took one and took a bite, chewed it twice, swallowed it, then covered his mouth and said to Zhang Dabao.

"Dongxu, we need to peel the skin first, and remove these small bumps. Let me do it. You won't understand even if I tell you." Zhang Dabao put Jingshu down, let her and Banggeng eat bread first, and then started to peel the pineapple.

The pineapple was peeled, cut into four with a knife, and a chopstick was inserted into the bottom. It was distributed to everyone. At this time, everyone who had just got off work came back. Zhang Dabao cut two more and shared them with everyone.

In 1960, tropical fruits were not available to ordinary people in Beijing. It was also the first time for Jia Dongxu to eat pineapple. It was sour and sweet and really delicious.

"Why does such a delicious fruit have such a skin?" After eating the fruit, Jia Dongxu asked Zhang Dabao.

"Dongxu, this question is very complicated. It is an evolutionary question. With your intelligence, it is difficult for me to explain it to you. So just know how to eat it. Let Banggeng study hard. When he goes to high school and studies biology, and then learn some biology knowledge in college, let him explain it to you," Zhang Dabao said to Jia Dongxu.

"I won't tell my dad. Every time I tell him, he never listens. He is so stubborn," said Bang Geng.

"Get out! Do I need you to tell me that?" Jia Dongxu got angry again when he heard Banggeng's words.

After the meal, Zhang Dabao distributed the clothes he had bought to everyone. Women, regardless of age, wore skirts, and men wore dungarees. There were also a few packs of imported cigarettes. He also distributed some fruits, with each family getting a few mangoes, pineapples, and a durian.

When they left, Zhang Dabao told everyone that these fruits could not be kept and needed to be eaten in time.

"What is this? Another time?" Jia Dongxu touched the durian and asked his mother.

"How should I know? I haven't eaten it. Go ask Da Biao," Zhang Cuihua said to her son.

"You have to ask my seventh uncle before you can eat the fruit. What a joke! It has thorns and the skin is definitely not edible. Can't you just cut it with a knife?" Jia Dongxu said to his mother.

Then he went to the kitchen, got a kitchen knife, and cut it directly in the middle. "Fuck, it stinks," said Jia Dongxu.

"No, it looks so fresh, it doesn't look like it's gone bad," said Zhang Cuihua.

Qin Huairu was pregnant now and couldn't stand the smell, so she went out directly and breathed some fresh air.

"Is this shit? Are there any trees that grow shit?" The existence of this fruit overturned Jia Geng's cognition.

"Dongxu, try it," Zhang Cuihua said to her son.

"I don't eat shit," Jia Dongxu refused directly.

"I don't want to eat either," said Zhang Cuihua.

Jia Dang naturally didn't want to eat it, but Bang Geng was different. He had confidence in Zhang Dabao and believed that it was impossible for him to bring some shit back from the south, so he went next door and asked his seventh uncle how to eat durian. Only then did he realize that this thing smells bad but tastes good.

When he got home, he told his grandmother and father, but neither of them wanted to eat it. Bang Geng got angry and decided to take it to school and share it with his classmates.