Siheyuan: I just want to live

After finishing notifying Sun Xiaojuan, Chen Feng immediately started preparing for tonight's dinner.

He first took out a few steamed buns from the space with ease and placed them neatly in the steamer. As the water temperature gradually rose, hot steam spread and the aroma of the steamed buns gradually wafted out.

Then, he skillfully slaughtered a pheasant, cut it into appropriate pieces, added various seasonings and stir-fried it. After a while, a plate of fried chicken with delicious color, aroma and taste was freshly prepared.

Then, he fished out a fat fish from the water tank, skillfully removed the scales and gutted it, selected the most tender parts and cut them into even pieces, then cooked it with soy sauce, sugar and other condiments, and a tempting dish of braised fish pieces was ready.

Finally, he also fried two vegetarian dishes - spicy and sour cabbage and spicy and sour shredded potatoes, adding a refreshing taste to the sumptuous dinner.

Then Chen Feng took out a bowl, left out some of each, took two steamed buns, and put them in the pot to keep them warm.

When all the dishes were ready, Chen Feng carefully placed them on the table one by one. After placing them, he stood up and shouted towards the south room: "Sun Xiaojuan, come out to eat!"

Although deep down he didn't want them to live in his house, Chen Feng felt that he should treat them with courtesy. After all, this was their first meal after moving in, and eating together could not only enhance mutual understanding, but also be a friendly start!

Soon, Sun Xiaojuan gently opened the door and walked out slowly. No one else followed her into the room.

Sun Xiaojuan slowly walked to Chen Feng's side, her eyes fell on the sumptuous meal on the table, a trace of shyness and embarrassment on her face: "I'm really sorry, I already feel very sorry for staying at your house, how can I have the nerve to eat at your house again? And we're not actually hungry now!"

Chen Feng naturally wouldn't believe their excuse that they were not hungry. He knew in his heart that they might just be embarrassed because they were shy.

So, Chen Feng persuaded enthusiastically: "Don't hesitate, call everyone out to have dinner together! Today is the first day you move in, just think of it as a welcome dinner I specially prepared for you! In addition, when we eat later, I can also introduce the situation in the yard to you in detail, so that you won't be cheated when dealing with neighbors in the future."

Seeing that it was really hard to refuse, Sun Xiaojuan smiled and nodded to show her agreement: "Okay then! Thank you for your kindness. Next time I have the chance, I will definitely treat you to a meal to express my gratitude."

Not long after, Sun Xiaojuan came out with her child and father-in-law. Seeing this, Chen Feng hurriedly stepped forward with a smile on his face and said, "Come and have your meal soon. If the food gets cold, it won't taste good. Auntie has difficulty walking, so I have reserved some food in advance and put it in the pot to keep it warm! Let's start eating! I'll let Xiaojuan bring it to her later."

Then, Chen Feng led them to the dining table and sat them down one by one. At this time, Sun Xiaojuan's father-in-law spoke first: "Thank you, Xiao Chen, for lending a helping hand when our family was in trouble. Otherwise, we really don't know what to do today!"

Chen Feng gently picked up a chicken leg with chopsticks and carefully placed it in the bowl in front of the little boy. Then, he turned around and said to the little boy with a smile: "Don't worry, everyone will encounter difficulties and setbacks. It's no big deal. Come on, let's enjoy this meal first! While we eat, I will tell you about the other people in the yard."

When Sun Xiaojuan and her father-in-law heard what Chen Feng said, they looked at each other and picked up their chopsticks to start eating. Chen Feng saw them picking up their chopsticks and nodded with satisfaction. He also grabbed a steamed bun without hesitation and took a big bite. Chewing the sweet steamed bun and eating the delicious dishes made Chen Feng feel extremely satisfied.

At this moment, the room was filled with a warm and peaceful atmosphere, as if all the sufferings were temporarily forgotten. Everyone sat together, enjoying this rare quiet time.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Chen Feng said, "You are now living in the courtyard. Let me tell you about the people in the courtyard. There are only a few important ones. You need to take them seriously and don't suffer any loss!"

When Sun Xiaojuan and her father-in-law heard what Chen Feng said, they put down their bowls and chopsticks, looked at Chen Feng and listened to his explanation carefully.

Chen Feng looked at them, his lips curled up slightly, and then he continued: "This courtyard is not ordinary! It is a typical three-entry courtyard, and there are so many people living in it! As the saying goes, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest, and it is the same here, with all kinds of people gathered together. On weekdays, there are three uncles who manage this courtyard together."

"The second uncle who lives opposite my house wanted to be an official, but unfortunately he was unlucky and never got what he wanted. He was a bit eccentric and would take it out on his children when things didn't go his way. He was a senior official after all, so it was hard for others to say anything. So, if you encounter this kind of situation, don't meddle in other people's business."

"Let's talk about the Xu family next door. The man of the family is a projectionist at the steel mill..." Chen Feng casually introduced everyone in the yard and their situations one by one. When he finished speaking, he raised his wrist and glanced at the time. It was already seven o'clock. Then, he smiled and said, "How is it, have you all eaten? If everyone has finished eating, then I will start to clean the table and wash the dishes!"

Sun Xiaojuan, who was sitting next to him, stood up quickly, snatched the bowl that Chen Feng had just picked up and said, "You prepared the meal and I didn't help much. Let me wash the dishes!" After that, she began to clean up with quick movements. Seeing this, Chen Feng raised the corners of his mouth and felt relaxed and happy.

He turned and walked into the kitchen, carefully bringing out the warm food from the pot. Since it was kept warm on the stove, the food in the bowl was still steaming hot. Chen Feng brought the food and steamed buns to the main room, handed them to Sun Xiaojuan's father-in-law with a smile, and said with concern: "The food is still hot, please take it back to the house quickly. Auntie hasn't eaten yet, I'm afraid she must be starving!"

Sun Xiaojuan's father-in-law happily took the food from Chen Feng's hand, his eyes fell on the tempting chicken leg, his gratitude was beyond words: "Thank you, Chen Feng, you are so thoughtful!" Chen Feng gently waved his hand and responded with a smile: "You're welcome, uncle. You should go back to the room quickly, otherwise the food will get cold and affect the taste." After thanking him again, Sun Xiaojuan's father-in-law hurried into the room, ready to feed his wife.

Chen Feng slowly turned his head and his eyes fell on Sun Xiaojuan who was busy cleaning the table. He raised his lips slightly, revealing a faint smile, but did not say anything to disturb her. Then, he quietly walked out of the room and stepped into the yard.

Chen Feng walked lightly to the eaves of the north room and found a comfortable place to sit down. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out one skillfully, lit it with a lighter, took a deep breath, and let the smoke spread in his lungs.

At this moment, Chen Feng was immersed in the tranquility and relaxation brought by smoking, and his mood was particularly good. However, at this moment, an uninvited guest quietly approached him. Xu Damao appeared beside Chen Feng like a ghost, sat down carefully, and then gently touched his shoulder.

Xu Damao lowered his voice, as if afraid of being heard by others, and asked softly: "Chen Feng, are you married?"

Chen Feng's originally relaxed expression froze instantly, and the cigarette in his hand also stopped in mid-air because of this sudden question. He was choked by the cigarette in his mouth and coughed repeatedly, his throat was stinging, and it took him a while to barely catch his breath.

He stared at Xu Damao with wide eyes, a look of surprise and confusion on his face. This question was completely unexpected to him and caught him off guard.

Chen Feng turned around with a bewildered look on his face and looked at Xu Damao, his eyes full of doubt and puzzlement. He asked in disbelief, "Where did you hear this gossip from? When did I get married? How come I didn't even know I was married?"

After hearing Chen Feng's rebuttal, Xu Damao still had a trace of doubt on his face, but he still pointed to the main room and said cautiously: "If you are not married, then what about the woman busy in the room? Give me a cigarette."

Chen Feng took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Xu Damao, responding with a little dissatisfaction: "Don't you have cigarettes yourself? Why do you need me for them?"

Xu Damao took the cigarette from Chen Feng and replied as a matter of course: "It's because your cigarettes are good! Tell me what's going on, don't change the subject, tell me quickly!"

As he spoke, Xu Damao could not wait to urge Chen Feng to explain the question he had just raised.

Chen Feng looked at Xu Damao's persistence, sighed helplessly, and then explained to him: "Her name is Sun Xiaojuan, and she is the accountant of our station. The heavy snow yesterday was really severe, and her house collapsed directly. You don't know, there are too many employees whose houses collapsed in the station, and the scrap station can't arrange them at all, so I can only let her live in my house temporarily. After a few days, when the house is repaired, she will naturally move back."

Chen Feng seemed a little dissatisfied with Xu Damao's behavior of asking around for gossip, and couldn't help but continue to ask: "Hey! Where did you hear these rumors from?"

However, Xu Damao did not answer Chen Feng's question. Instead, he showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and said loudly: "Oh, so it's not you who is getting married! I was wondering why you want to bring your father-in-law and his family over to live with you when you get married!" As he spoke, he patted his forehead with his hand, as if he had just understood something important.

Then Chen Feng and Xu Damao started to sit there and smoke and chat, while Sun Xiaojuan, who was busy in the house, quickly washed the dishes. However, she did not come out to chat, but went back to the house to continue cleaning up the room.

It was not until Yan Jiefang called people to a meeting that Chen Feng called Sun Xiaojuan and her family out of the room. However, Sun Xiaojuan's mother-in-law did not come out because of her mobility problems.

Chen Feng took the three of them to the place where the general meeting of the Central Court was held.