Siheyuan: The Qing Dynasty is back

After seeing Director Wang off, He Daqing returned home.

Chen Xueru and Yu Shui were gesturing at the best places to hang the silk banners and certificates.

Seeing how enthusiastic they were, He Daqing also went over to help, and soon they finished hanging it in the living room.

Looking at the proud faces of Chen Xueru and the others, if He Daqing hadn't urged them, they would have forgotten to go to bed.

In the following days, He Daqing finally felt the trouble of being famous. Nodding and greeting each other every day gave him a headache. His face was stiff from smiling.

He has been hiding in the office these two days and rarely goes out.

After work that day, Sha Zhu rode his bike back home with He Daqing.

Today the house is finally decorated. The only thing left is to build a grape trellis at the kitchen door.

He Daqing plans to dig a grape seedling in the spring of next year and plant it there. Then he will build a stone table underneath. When the weather warms up, the family can eat and drink tea there.

Yu Linhai and two other people were doing the final finishing work.

Seeing He Daqing coming back, Yu Linhai came over and said, "Master He, now we only have to put up the last frame and we'll be done. Can you see if there's anything that needs to be modified?"

"Okay, thank you, Master Yu. I'll go back later tonight. I'll ask Zhuzi to prepare some dishes and we'll have a drink in the evening. You've worked hard during this period."

Yu Linhai quickly refused, "This is what we should do. Besides, everyone has enough to eat at your house during this period, so we should thank you. Let's forget about it tonight."

Nowadays, people are having a hard time and rarely go to other people's houses for dinner. Yu Linhai knew this.

He Daqing really wanted to thank them. They really worked overtime during this period. And they did the work very carefully. It saved him a lot of worry.

"Master Yu, don't refuse. You must stay tonight so that I can thank you properly. I've been very busy at work recently. Thanks to you for taking care of us and doing such a good job. I would feel bad if you don't stay for a drink!"

Seeing that He Daqing invited him sincerely, Yu Linhai no longer refused.

He Daqing rode his bike out for a spin, and when he came back, there were two fish, a hare, and a pheasant in the bag on the back of his bike.

These things were all placed in the space when he went hunting last time. There were still a lot of wild boars and wild deer in the space, but the pheasants and rabbits were almost eaten up.

He Daqing planned to take some time to go to the mountains again in the future. He would hunt some prey and bring it back. Anyway, it wouldn't go bad if it was kept in the space, so he could keep it and eat it slowly.

He came back and gave the things to Sha Zhu, asking him to make a few dishes with the remaining venison, cabbage, potatoes, etc. at home and entertain Yu Linhai and other chefs in the evening.

Sha Zhu picked up the things, looked at them, and packed them up. Although he didn't know where his father bought these things when he was out for such a while, he had become smarter now and didn't dare to ask questions that he shouldn't ask.

Yu Linhai's grape trellis is almost finished. All that's left is to lay the floor tiles flat and fix the four pillars.

He Daqing saw this and went over to ask, "Master Yu, I want to plant a grape seedling here, and I also want to get a set of stone tables and stone benches underneath. Do you know where I can get one?"

Yu Linhai thought for a moment and said, "Grape seedlings should be easy to get. Go to the surrounding villages and you'll find many people have them in their yards. You can just cut off a few branches. You don't have to dig them up with the roots."

"As for the stone tables and benches, I remember there were some in the ruins near the outskirts of the city. Go take a look when you have time. Maybe you can get a set."

"It was destroyed by the war and no one lives there now. All the usable wood has been picked up. No one cares about it now. It's just that the stone tables and benches are too heavy and not very useful, otherwise they would have been moved away long ago."

He Daqing thought carefully about the place Yu Linhai mentioned, and he roughly knew the location. He would go and take a look when he had time.

"Thank you very much. If you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't know where to get these things."

"Dad! Why don't you come home yet?"

The two were talking when suddenly a clear voice came from behind.

He Daqing turned his head and looked over.

I saw a girl in her twenties standing there looking at Yu Linhai.

Her clothes were simple but neat and tidy, as if every wrinkle had been carefully groomed. Her hair was neatly combed behind her ears, showing her neat and tidy side.

Yu Linhai said to her: "Lily, why are you here?"

Then he turned to He Daqing and said, "This is my eldest daughter, her name is Yu Li."

After hearing Yu Linhai's question, Yu Li replied, "Don't you usually go home early? You haven't come home yet today, so my mom asked me to come over to check on you."

Yu Linhai said angrily, "What are you looking at? I'm such a grown-up, how can I get lost? This is your Uncle He, the master of this place."

Yu Li was probably used to Yu Linhai's temper and didn't care at all. She smiled at He Daqing and said, "Hello, Uncle He, thank you for taking care of my dad and the others during this period of time."

"Every time my dad comes home, he tells me that Uncle He's family is the most generous employer he has seen in recent years. They have enough to eat every day, and they are all eager to work for you."

He Daqing was shocked when he heard this. This girl is good. She has a nice mouth and speaks well. She is also pretty. Although she is not as good-looking as his wife Chen Xueru, she is about the same as Qin Huairu.

The main thing is that this girl looks capable and resourceful.

So he said with a smile: "Old Yu, your daughter is not simple! What you said makes people feel comfortable."

How could Yu Linhai not know his daughter's personality? She has always been opinionated since she was young, and now she even scolds herself for everything.

What they do is considered a dangerous job. There is basically no protection now. They have to climb up and down every day. Moreover, the wood of many houses is rotten. If you are not careful, an accident may happen.

This is also the main reason for his family's worries. Several of his colleagues have had accidents and can no longer continue to work in this industry.

"Well, I'm not afraid that you will laugh at Master He. My family's situation is not very good. I have been working outside. She is the one who takes care of the family. With her personality, she will scold me when she gets anxious."

Yu Li heard her father exposing her past, and said with some embarrassment: "Dad, what are you talking about? When did I scold you? You should be fine, how could I scold you for no reason? You still say this outside, no wonder I can't get married. Who would be willing to listen to you?"

"Look, I just said one thing to you, and you're waiting for me here. Even so, you still blame me for saying that?"

He Daqing also found it funny watching the father and daughter bickering. Such a personality is good. Doesn't his silly son need such a woman to take care of him?

So he said, "Old Yu, since your niece is worried about you and has come here, let her eat and go back with you. The food will probably be ready soon. We won't need her pair of chopsticks."

Yu Linhai quickly said, "This is not allowed. We are embarrassed to eat here, how can we bring her along? There is no such rule!"

He Daqing laughed and said, "It's okay, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. If I say yes, it's okay. I am the rule in my family."

Then he said to Yu Li, "Niece, after dinner, you and your dad can go back together. Don't be embarrassed. Uncle He is not asking you to eat for free. It's getting late now. Go and help my son cook. I'm afraid he can't handle it alone and won't be able to catch up. Is that okay? Just consider it as helping Uncle He!"

Yu Li didn't want to eat at other people's homes at first, because she knew that life was difficult for every family right now.

But her father had finished his work today, and there were still many tools to take back. She also wanted to help her father.

After thinking about it, she agreed generously.

"Okay, then I thank you, Uncle He. I'll go and help right away. Apart from anything else, I'm most familiar with the kitchen."

She said in front of a chef that she was familiar with the kitchen. I don’t know who gave her the confidence.

He Daqing said happily: "Look at Lao Yu, my niece is much better than you. I like her straightforward character."

"Come, niece! I'll take you to the kitchen. Just treat this place like your own home."

As he said that, he took Yu Li to the kitchen.

Just as Sha Zhu finished packing up the pheasants and rabbits, he saw his father coming in with a beautiful girl.

He stared at the heroic girl in a daze and forgot to work.

He Daqing was furious when he saw his silly son acting so stupidly.

His expression changed immediately and he cursed, "What are you still standing there for? Don't you know how to greet people? This is your uncle Yu's daughter. I called her here to help you. By the time you finish cooking, she'll starve to death!"

Turning around, he immediately said with a smile, "Don't mind, niece. Although my son is a little silly, he is honest and down-to-earth. Just help him. He is not very familiar with kitchen matters. If there are things he doesn't know, you can teach him. If he doesn't listen, you can take care of him. I'll be there if anything goes wrong, don't worry!"

I am still a little confused. What is going on? I grew up in the kitchen, so why am I not familiar with it?

What else can you say that if I don't obey, you will punish me? Is this something your own father can say?

He had known for a long time that even a dog in the house would have a higher status than him. Now, any outsider would have a higher status than him. Is there still room for him in this family?

So he said in a resentful tone: "Dad, I don't know him, right? I'm not as stupid as you say, am I?"

He Daqing was so angry that his eyes widened. This useless thing, couldn't he see such an obvious scene?

Yu Li wanted to laugh at the looks of He Daqing and Sha Zhu, but she felt it was impolite to make a joke in front of them.

So she held back her laughter and said, "Okay Uncle He, let's clean it up together. I believe it will be done soon."

Then he said to Sha Zhu generously: "Hello, my name is Yu Li!"

When Sha Zhu looked at this graceful and elegant girl, he felt a little shy and embarrassed.

"Well... you too! My name is Shazhu... not He Yuzhu. Shazhu is a random name given by others."

After stammering, he touched his head awkwardly with his hand.

He Daqing couldn't bear to watch it anymore. He turned around and left. Whether it would succeed or not depended on Sha Zhu himself.

Being able to do this, he is much better than an ordinary father.

It’s better to go and see your wife and your little one!