Siheyuan Great Craftsmen

With the arrival of the second uncle and second aunt's family, the courtyard became lively in an instant. Grandma, mother-in-law and Shen Yulin also came out of the house one after another. For a while, the voices of New Year's greetings came one after another, until Zhou Haosanxiao also came out.

The New Year's greetings activities officially kicked off. As the younger generations began to kowtow and say festive words, red envelopes were continuously distributed from the hands of the grandparents. Even the father-in-law and the mother-in-law gave the eight children several generous red envelopes.

Zhou Tian naturally spent a lot of money. Except for Zhou Haosanxiao, Zhou Min and Zhou Jun, the red envelopes of Zhou Hu, Daya and Xiaoya were all taken away by the second aunt.

After the New Year's greetings, everyone had a happy meal and talked about the interesting things that happened in the factory, which made everyone laugh.

The second day of the Chinese New Year is the day to go back to my parents' home. Since my father-in-law and mother-in-law both live in Zhou's home, Zhou Tian basically does not have to be busy on this day. He draws blueprints in the house all day long.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Zhou Tian got up early in the morning. Today, he planned to pay New Year's greetings to his leader and master.

"Boss, are you really not going to take anything with you? Isn't it inappropriate to come here empty-handed?"

After leaving the house, Zhou Tian drove Shen Yulin towards his master Liu Wuming's house. In the back seat, Shen Yulin asked with concern.

"It's okay, don't worry, you don't need to take anything. If I take anything, I'm afraid Master won't let me in!"

Zhou Tian said comfortingly that he knew his master Liu Wuming's temper very well, especially after he became his apprentice, he would visit him every year.

Every time he brought gifts to the master's door, he would be turned away. Over time, Zhou Tian simply stopped bringing gifts. After all, bringing gifts was of no use.

"But I always feel uneasy when we come here empty-handed!"

Shen Yulin said with some difficulty adapting.

"It's okay, you'll get used to it after coming a few times. In fact, Master's family is not short of money, but rather a lively atmosphere!"

Zhou Tian explained with a smile.

Master Liu Wuming's family consists of five people. His eldest son, Liu Tianming, joined the army at the age of 1943 in and has now been promoted to battalion commander. His youngest son, Liu Weiguo, also followed in his elder brother's footsteps and joined the army three years ago. After three years of hard work, he also became a platoon leader in the army.

It was just that because both of their sons were in the army and could hardly come home all year round, the old couple felt particularly lonely. This was also the reason why Liu Wuming took extra care of Zhou Tian and loved Zhou Yu and the others very much after Zhou Tian became his disciple. In fact, the old couple treated Zhou Tian like their own son.

Master Liu Wuming is a mid-level worker in the factory. His two sons also often send back some money. The family is not short of money, but just lacks popularity.

The master's house was not too far from Zhou Tian's house, but it was not close either. After riding the bicycle for nearly forty minutes, the two finally stopped in front of a large compound.

"Xiaotian, are you here to see your master again?"

As soon as the car stopped, an old man about 57 or 58 years old walked out of the yard, saw Zhou Tian, ​​and asked with a smile.

"It's Uncle Zhao. Yes, I'm getting married this year, so I brought my wife to wish Master and his wife a happy new year!"

Zhou Tian responded with a smile and pushed his bicycle into the yard.

"You are a filial boy. You come to visit Old Liu every year. Is the girl behind you your wife?"

Uncle Zhao first praised Zhou Tian, ​​then turned his gaze to the girl behind him and asked.

"Yes, Uncle Zhao, this is my daughter-in-law, Shen Yulin. Yulin, this is Uncle Zhao from the courtyard, and he is a neighbor of Master's family!"

While answering Uncle Zhao's questions, Zhou Tian quietly introduced Uncle Zhao to his wife.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao, I'm Shen Yulin! I'm Zhou Tian's wife!"

Shen Yulin greeted Uncle Zhao with a little shyness.

"Good! Good, my dear, your wife is so pretty, just like a fairy from heaven. Well, Uncle Zhao, I won't say much. I still have to go to the store to buy a bottle of soy sauce. Your master must be waiting anxiously. You guys should go in quickly! I won't say any more. Let's go!"

It was the first time that Uncle Zhao saw such a beautiful girl, and he felt a little embarrassed for a moment. After saying that, he nodded to Shen Yulin, said something to Zhou Tian, ​​and then walked out of the compound quickly.

"Let's go, Yulin, Master's house is in the west room!"

After watching Uncle Zhao leave, Zhou Tian took Shen Yulin and walked west.

The shantytowns in Beijing are different from the siheyuans.

Siheyuan is usually a closed residential form, consisting of four houses surrounding a central courtyard, in the shape of a "mouth". The design of Siheyuan focuses on privacy and family gathering, and is often inhabited by a single family. In the past, Siheyuan was the residence of dignitaries.

However, the slums are different. They are open courtyards where multiple families live together. They are composed of multiple bungalows in the four directions of east, south, west and north. The living environment is relatively crowded and lacks privacy, but the neighborhood relationship is close.

There are a mixed crowd of people in there, with all kinds of people, so the personnel are quite complicated.

Along the way, since Zhou Tian often came to visit Liu Wuming, many people in the compound knew him. When they saw Zhou Tian and Shen Yulin coming, they all greeted them warmly.

"Xiaotian, are you coming to see Master Liu again this year?"

"Xiaotian, you're finally here! Your master was still talking about you yesterday!"

"Yes, Uncle Zhang, I brought my wife to see Master!"

"Really? Am I here now?"

Zhou Tian also responded with a smile and introduced some people to his daughter-in-law.

When many people saw Shen Yulin's beautiful face, they were filled with envy and expressed their blessings.

When some young people saw Shen Yulin's stunning appearance, they couldn't help but stare at her with fascination. They had never seen such a beautiful girl before, and they were all mesmerized by Shen Yulin's every smile.

Zhou Tian was used to this. Soon, the neighbors' noise caught the attention of Master Liu Wuming. When he walked out of the house and saw Zhou Tian and his wife, a bright smile instantly broke out on his face.

"Hahahaha, Xiaotian, I said you would come today. It just so happens that your mistress made you your favorite dumplings stuffed with fennel!"

As Liu Wuming spoke, he walked over quickly, snatched Zhou Tian's bicycle, stopped in front of his house, and then took Zhou Tian and his wife into his house.

The master's house is neither big nor small, with three rooms, about 60 square meters, two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.

The kitchen is about 10 square meters, connected to the living room and separated by a half wall. On the right are two bedrooms, with a very simple layout.

In addition to an octagonal table in the living room, there is also a crimson cabinet with a portrait of a great man hanging on the wall above the cabinet.

There were several stools placed under the round table, and the whole room was kept exceptionally clean. Although it was simple, it looked very cozy.

“Sit down, the house is simple, don’t mind, Yulin!”

Liu Wuming welcomed Zhou Tian and his wife into his home, brought a stool for each of them, and looked like he was busy pouring water for them.

"Master, you are too polite today. I have been here for a long time. Please stop being busy. I have already regarded this place as my own home!"

Zhou Tian looked at his master's actions and hurried forward to stop him. He couldn't help feeling awkward in his heart. It was true that his master's behavior today was a little abnormal.

"Go, if you come by yourself, I, your master, won't even get up. Isn't Yulin here? I'm welcoming Yulin, not you!"

Unexpectedly, after hearing Zhou Tian’s words, the master pushed his hand away and couldn’t help rolling his eyes and said.

"No, Master, you can't treat me differently. You know, I am your disciple. If you do this again, I will tell Master's wife!"

Zhou Tian listened to his master's words and pretended to be angry.

"Go ahead and tell me, your mistress can't control me anyway!"

As the master spoke, he picked up two cups of water and poured a cup of water for each of his apprentice and Shen Yulin.