Siheyuan works as a nanny for Shazhu

The meal at He Daqing's house lasted until after eight o'clock in the evening. Today was Chinese New Year, and He Daqing allowed He Yuzhu to drink a little wine. Both father and son were now almost drunk. Although the food at home was not bad on normal days, the meat was cooked casually during Chinese New Year, so Jiang Feng and He Yushui were full. They touched their stomachs and lay in the chairs, not wanting to move.

The food on the table had not been finished yet. It wouldn't go bad in winter anyway. Jiang Feng saw that everyone had put down their bowls and chopsticks, so he stood up and took them to the kitchen. He gathered the dishes on the table, poured two cups of tea for He Daqing and He Yuzhu, then turned around and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes and pots.

At this time, He Daqing had already discussed with the White Widow that they would go to Baocheng at the beginning of the year. Looking at He Yuzhu and He Yushui, his eyes revealed reluctance, but it was still not as comfortable as the warm embrace of the White Widow. He looked at Jiang Feng and thought: "Although Jiang Feng can take care of Yushui, there will be one more person to eat in the future. I gave him a place to stay and treated him well. This kid is diligent and cleans the house inside and out. Leave some money when you leave, otherwise you won't be able to afford food with He Yuzhu's apprenticeship."

Jiang Feng didn't care much about it. Instead, he hoped that He Daqing would leave quickly. During this period of time, he didn't dare to take out the meat, money, fruits and other items that he signed in through the system. Even if He Daqing didn't give him money, as long as they could find a reasonable source of income, their lives would not be bad. Moreover, the atmosphere in the courtyard was pretty good at the moment. Except for occasionally hearing Jia Zhang cursing at others for eating well, there was basically nothing else to do. The system had not issued any new tasks.

He Yuzhu and He Yushui are both heartless at the moment. As long as they can eat and drink well, they don't have any requirements. He Yuzhu has been learning cooking at Fengze Garden for almost two years. He will be able to graduate after another year. They never thought that the most important turning point in their lives would come soon.

Several people were sitting in the house, cracking melon seeds and roasting by the fire. They also roasted a few sweet potatoes on the roadside. On New Year's Eve, people always keep vigil and set off firecrackers on time. Everything at home was ready, and they were all sitting and waiting. The same was true for the entire compound, including the Jia family, who would go home and keep vigil after dinner at Yi Zhonghai's.

He Yu Shui was sitting there nodding off. When He Daqing saw this, he stood up, picked up Yu Shui, and carried her to the bed in the inner room to sleep. The child couldn't stand it, and there was no entertainment at that time, so there was no need to think about a TV. Only wealthy families had a radio at home.

They sat for a while, peeling and eating the sweet potatoes slowly, then they heard the sound of firecrackers outside. He Daqing picked up a roll of firecrackers: "Zhu Zi, Xiao Feng, let's go set off the firecrackers." The two followed He Daqing outside the house. The yard was covered in white, and people from every household came out, greeting each other with "Happy New Year" and "Happy New Year."

He Daqing picked up the bamboo pole that he had prepared long ago, hung the firecracker on one end, lit a cigarette, walked forward and lit the fuse. With a "chi" sound, the firecracker exploded with a crackling sound. Several people standing at the door saw that the firecrackers had been set off. The sound of firecrackers was deafening all around, and the smell of gunpowder and sulfur was in their noses. They looked in front of the door a few times and didn't see any sparks or anything. He Daqing took the two of them back to the house, simply washed his face, and went to bed quickly, as they had to get up early tomorrow morning to pay New Year's greetings.

Several people went into the inner room and went to bed. Jiang Feng listened to the sound of firecrackers outside the house that had not stopped. In his previous life, he had only seen such scenes when he was a child in the countryside. But at that time, the fireworks, sky rockets, and tens of thousands of red earth explosions were much more beautiful than they are now. But after growing up and moving to the city, they were not allowed to set off firecrackers in the city. He could only watch them when he returned to the countryside.

Jiang Feng was also thinking about what to do after He Daqing left. He was only fourteen years old, and no place would hire such a young child to work. To be an apprentice, he needed someone to introduce him. If he went to work, there would be no one to take care of He Yushui at home.

Some novels I read before said that He Yushui was a traitor to her brother, but Jiang Feng didn't think so. A little girl who had never seen her mother and whose father ran away when she was a few years old, she depended on her brother for everything. But she was seduced by Qin Huairu and brainwashed by Yi Zhonghai, who worked together perfectly and starved the teenage girl to the point of being pale and skinny.

It was also mentioned in the TV series that when He Yuzhu was not at home, no one took care of her in the yard, including the deaf old lady in the backyard. Only an old lady looked at her with pity and gave her a steamed bread from time to time, which saved her life.

Not to mention the Jia family. Before Jia Dongxu died, Yi Zhonghai kept saying every day how difficult the Jia family was and how they needed Sha Zhu's help. In addition, several children were born in the family, and all of them had rural household registration and no rationing. During those three years, all the little things Sha Zhu brought back were given to the Jia family. It was lucky that Yu Shui didn't starve to death.

Jiang Feng was also thinking in his heart, He Daqing's family has been very good to me, I can eat and live here for free, and the life is not bad, plus we are close cousins, let me take you to fly in this life, and will not let the He family fall into the mud pit of the Jia family. Thinking about it, listening to the sound of firecrackers outside the house, Jiang Feng fell asleep in a daze.

The next morning, He Daqing woke them up and asked them to put on their cotton-padded jackets and new clothes. After they washed up, He Daqing told Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, take Xiao Feng and Yu Shui for a walk in the yard first. I'll stay at home and heat up some steamed buns for breakfast. After you're done walking around the yard and eating, I'll take you to your master's house to pay New Year's greetings."

After He Yuzhu, Jiang Feng and He Yushui went out, they first went to the deaf old lady's house in the backyard and knocked on the door: "Old lady, I'm here to wish you a happy new year."

The deaf old lady didn't dare to call her grandson at this time, so she said at home: "Zhu Zi, you are here, come in quickly and let the old lady see you."

Several people pushed the door open and entered the room. They saw the deaf old lady sitting on the bed. There was a stove in the room, heating water. Several people said a few auspicious words to the deaf old lady. The deaf old lady smiled and said, "There are melon seeds and peanuts on the table. You can eat them yourself. I am old and afraid of the cold, so I will not get up. Go get some water for yourself."

A few people grabbed a handful and put it in their pockets, then said, "Old lady, we don't want to drink the water anymore. You are the first family in the courtyard, and we still have to visit other families to wish them a happy new year. We will leave first."

"Okay, okay, you are all good kids, go ahead."

A few people turned around and pushed the door open, closing it to prevent the wind from coming in. In the backyard, Xu Fugui's family, Liu Haizhong's family and several neighbors came into the house to pay New Year's greetings. When they went out, they all had melon seeds and peanuts in their pockets. Yu Shui also had two pieces of hard candy in his hand, which were given by the Xu family.

In the middle courtyard, Yi Zhonghai's and Jia Dongxu's houses, and Yan Fugui's house in the front courtyard, He Yuzhu took Jiang Feng and He Yushui to visit all the neighbors in the courtyard. At this time, the supplies were still abundant. During the New Year, melon seeds, peanuts, and candies were indispensable at home. Adults usually just gave a cigarette to smoke. Except for relatives and children, or those with very close family relationships, they generally did not give red envelopes.

Like in the TV series, Sha Zhu took the three children of the Jia family to Xu Damao's house to ask for red envelopes. That was not asking, that was robbing. Even if they were relatives, they would give at most 10 or 20 cents. If they were close friends, they would give at most 50 cents. If they sang a song, they would give one yuan (the RMB had been revised when they asked for red envelopes, and one yuan was 10,000 yuan in the 1950s). If they didn't give any, they would even wish them extinct. It was New Year's Day, and they were just ordinary neighbors. If they dared to do that in later generations, they would have been beaten up long ago.

When they returned home, He Daqing had already prepared breakfast. Looking at the melon seeds and peanuts on the plate on the table, many people came to greet He Daqing and they were almost done. After washing their hands, they took out the things in their pockets and put them on the plate on the table. Then they started to eat breakfast.

After dinner, He Daqing said, "Xiao Feng, the rain is too light and we can't walk, so we'll leave it at home. You can watch over it at home. Here's a pack of cigarettes. I'll put it on the table and give it out to guests. Remember to call people who wish you a happy new year. I'll return the greetings when I come back. I'll take Zhuzi to his master, and there are a few other brothers who need to go visit him."

Jiang Feng agreed, and He Daqing handed the prepared things to He Yuzhu. The two walked out, and when they met acquaintances along the way, they greeted them with "Happy New Year" and "Happy New Year".

When they arrived at the gate, the third uncle was standing in front of the door acting as the door god again. When he saw He Daqing coming out, he hurried forward and said, "Director He, Happy New Year." He Daqing also said Happy New Year, took out a pack of Daqianmen, and gave one to the third uncle. The third uncle took it with a smile and clipped it on his ear.

"Director He, we are going out." Yan Fugui said, his eyes still fixed on what He Yuzhu was holding. "Yes, take Zhuzi to visit my fellow apprentices to wish them a happy new year. It's the New Year, so we always have to move around." After saying that, he called Zhuzi, and after leaving the courtyard, they headed towards Fengze Garden.

Yan Fugui thought to himself that officials are different. They bring so many gifts for New Year’s greetings, and before they even see what they are, they feel like they have lost millions.

Master He Yuzhu lives in the alley behind Fengze Garden. It was arranged by the company when his master came to Fengze Garden to work as a chef, so he lives close to the house, so it is convenient to find someone if anything happens.

The two men walked to the gate of a courtyard house with two entrances, found an old man at the door, gave him a cigarette and asked him something. The old man pointed to a house in the backyard and shouted, "Mingsheng, your apprentice is here to wish you a happy new year." Then a man walked out of the backyard. He had regular features, but his hair was a little thin. He was about 175 cm tall and looked to be in his early 40s.

He Daqing took a look and managed a smile on his expressionless face, saying, "Brother, I brought Zhuzi to wish you a happy new year." Guo Mingsheng said with a smile, "Ah, we brothers still care about these things. Just come, what do you bring?" He Yuzhu also said, "Master, happy new year." "Hey, come on, come in and sit down."

Guo Mingsheng welcomed the two men into the house, took out a cigarette and handed it to them, then asked them to sit down. He Yuzhu then put what he had in his hand on the table.