Siheyuan: Five mouths waiting for food at the beginning

When I got home, I saw that the shoes were all there, indicating that the children had returned.

"Dad, Mom, where have you been? Why did you come back just now? I'm almost starving to death," An Feng ran out and said

"Humph, your father gave you so much money, you should have eaten out long ago, and you still want to starve yourself."

"Mom, stop talking about eating. What the hell, my second brother lost his money. We didn't even have money for a taxi. We had to walk all the way back."

"Where are your second brother and your sister?"

"Inside the house, my second brother feels too embarrassed to face people, and my sister is probably asleep."

"What happened? Why did you lose the money?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was the weekend and there were too many people at the skating rink. I don't know who took it. We wanted to go eat after playing, but we ran out of money."

"No, even if your second brother's money was stolen, he still gave you pocket money. Don't you and your sister even have money for food and transportation?"

"Well, ours was stolen too."

"Your second brother has no shame, but you have the nerve to say it."

"Since the child is hungry, you go and cook. It's okay if the money is lost, as long as the people are fine. I guess the three of them were targeted when they were shopping."

"Just spoil him. He lost so much money and said nothing. If we were kids, we would be beaten to death by our father if we lost money."

"Actually, not much was lost. After we bought the shoes, there wasn't much left."

"How much is not lost?"

“Less than a hundred.”

"It's easy for you to say you're going, kid. Do you know that a family in the countryside can't earn that much money in a month? A few years ago, a family couldn't earn that much in a year."

"Let's cook. I didn't eat much at noon because I drank a lot. I ran around all afternoon. I'm hungry too."

"Okay, I'll go cook. What do you want to eat?"

"Noodles with soybean paste, it will keep you hungry"

Jingle Bell

"Dad, I'll go pick it up."

"Dad, it's my second uncle calling. He wants to see you."

"Okay, okay, I understand."

"Tomorrow,"

"I'll go too,"

"Well, hang up now."

"Dad, what does Second Uncle want to talk to you about?"

"Remember the Liu Haizhong in our old courtyard? The one in our backyard?"

"Where can he go? He was only a few years old when we moved." Qin Jingru said

"Mom, I know, okay? I was already seven or eight years old at that time. Besides, I often went to the yard to play with An Quan and the others. How could I not know? Liu Haizhong is the Second Uncle. Grandma and the others all call him Second Uncle, and I call him Grandpa Liu."

"What happened to the Second Master?"

"Shanhu said he went to inform them in broad daylight, and the second uncle left in the afternoon."

"I heard you were going tomorrow."

"Well, go ahead. Guangtian and I have a good relationship. It's just a matter of personal connections. After all, we have lived in the same compound for so many years."

"Dad, I'll go with you tomorrow."

"What are you going to do?"

"Let's have a feast."

"You kid."

"The second uncle has been paralyzed in bed for several years. If he passes away, it will save him some suffering and make his family feel more at ease."

"Jingru, you are right. It is better for this person to be angry than to be sick, especially this kind of illness that makes him paralyzed in bed. If he is sick for a long time, there will be no filial sons by his bedside. He will be a burden to his family and suffer while he is still alive."

"An Feng, if Dad gets old and is paralyzed in bed, you can remove his oxygen tube then."

"Dad, if you were paralyzed in bed, I would definitely take good care of you."

"Good son, don't you want to eat at your father's table?"

"Pah, pah, pah, what are you two talking about? It's unlucky."

Zhao Shanhe read the newspaper for a while, and Qin Jingru called for dinner, "An Feng, call your brother and sister to eat."

While eating, An Huan said, "Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't keep the money well."

"Hurry up and eat your meal. Be careful next time. You might have been watched when you were shopping. I hope you're okay.

By the way, if you are robbed in the future, money is a minor matter, and you should ensure your own safety first. "

"Got it, Dad."

The next morning, Zhao Shanhe asked for leave from work and went to the courtyard early.

For an old person’s funeral, it’s better to go and help early rather than late.

Zhao Shanhe had gone early enough, but the sun rises late in winter, so it was already late.

"Shanhe, you are here"

As soon as Zhao Shanhe arrived, everyone in the courtyard greeted him. Yi Zhonghai was in charge of the staff.

Zhao Shanhe went to burn some paper first. The portrait should have been taken in the last two years. In the photo, Liu Haizhong has lost weight and no trace of the old Second Master who used to show off his power is left.

"Uncle, what do you think I should do?"

"Shanhe, please find a place to have tea. The people in the hospital will take care of the rest."

"What's the point of drinking tea? Why don't you give me something to do?"

"How about you preside over the funeral later?"

"No, no, no, I'm not suitable for this matter, you should do it, uncle."

"Shanhe, why don't you go and see if there's anyone who needs help? We're almost done here, and we've got people to wash the vegetables and help the cooks."

"Fine"

"Shanhe, you are here too," Xu Damao said, handing him a cigarette.

"I've lived in the compound for so many years, I came to say farewell."

"Brother, have you arrived?" Shanhu Shanhai also came over.

"You are here now. Go burn some paper for the second uncle first."

"We came here to burn it yesterday."

"Shanhe, do you know that Liu Guangqi hasn't come back?"

"No way, he is the eldest son of the Liu family, and the second uncle loved him the most when he was alive. He will not not come, right?"

"Of course not, just now Second Auntie urged Liu Guangtian to make another call.

If we were to come, it wouldn’t be that far from Jinling to Sijiu City, we should have arrived in one night.”

"Maybe there are no tickets. He is the eldest son. What will others think if he doesn't come? I guess he will come soon."

"I think the second uncle is just an old fool. He loved his eldest son the most when he was alive, but when he got sick, it was his eldest son who ran away the fastest.

He looked down on the second and third sons, but in the end, he still relied on the second and third sons to support him in the past few years. If it weren’t for the second and third sons, he probably wouldn’t have survived these years.”

"Da Mao, you are right." The third uncle came over without knowing when.

"Uncle, are you okay?"

"My health is fine, but you all have moved out, and I don't even have anyone to drink with."

"You can come to us anytime if you want to drink. Besides, there is an old man to accompany you, and there is also Uncle He."

"Shanhe, wherever you live there are guards everywhere, who dares to go there?

I don't know what Lao He is doing. He's not often seen. It's boring for Lao Yi and I to drink together.

I don’t know how long our old bones can hold out. Even if Old Liu is in a bad situation, he still has two sons to see him off to the grave. I wonder if my bastards will take care of me when the time comes.”

"Third uncle, you are always calculating. Now you are starting to worry. Those people in your family are all calculating. It may be difficult to take care of you in your old age.

By then, they might not even be willing to hold a funeral for you, and they'll even be eyeing the gift money and the house."

"Xu Damao, you are right."

"Shanhe, don't tell me. I know the son I raised well. I am really worried that it will be like what Xu Damao said."