Siheyuan: A Family of Loyal and Brave People

Sijiu City is a prime place with thriving business. The streets are lined with shops and people are busy, creating a prosperous scene.

Not long after walking out of Luoguxiang, Cheng Hao and his companion found a fried liver restaurant on the street and sat down. They ordered a few steamed buns, a bowl of soy milk, and a bowl of fried liver to go with it.

He Yuzhu has lived in Beijing for many years and is a skilled chef. He knows all the food on the street and knows which restaurant has the best food.

It didn't take long for the waiter to bring their orders to the table.

Placed in the middle is a pot of steaming meat buns, which are fragrant, with thin skin and large fillings, and look very appetizing.

"First, serve 4 taels of steamed buns. If it's not enough, we can add more."

He Yuzhu picked up a meat bun and told Cheng Hao to eat it while it was hot.

The unit of measurement for steamed buns in Sijiucheng is liang, which refers to the weight of dry flour used in making the buns.

One liang of steamed buns actually weighs about 200 grams, and four liang of steamed buns weigh more than one jin, which is not too little.

"Ah."

Cheng Hao nodded slightly, picked up the bun, put it to his mouth to cool it down, and then couldn't wait to take a bite.

Just take a bite of the skin and the juice in the bun will flow out through the gap. The soft dough and thick meat filling together fill your mouth with fragrance. It is indeed delicious.

"what about the taste?"

He Yuzhu sipped the fried liver from the edge of the bowl, licked his lips and asked.

“The buns taste really good.”

Cheng Hao finished a bun in just a few bites, praising it with oil on the corners of his mouth.

"You have good vision, Zhuzi."

"That is……"

He Yuzhu leaned back slightly and smiled triumphantly.

“I can’t say anything else, but when it comes to food, we are experts.

My father once told me that if a cook wants to cook well, he must first know how to eat.

If you don’t know how to eat, you can’t cook well.”

Cheng Hao nodded and took a sip of soy milk to quench his thirst.

He Yuzhu looked at Cheng Hao who was busy eating and suddenly changed the subject: "Brother Hao, you used to have fried liver with steamed buns, why are you drinking soy milk today?"

Cheng Hao was slightly startled, and sneered: "Change your taste once in a while."

"Oh." He Yuzhu asked casually without thinking too much and continued to slurp the fried liver from the edge of the bowl.

The so-called fried liver is not fried liver, but a traditional snack in Sijiucheng. It is made of pig liver and large intestine as the main ingredients, garlic as the auxiliary ingredients, boiled in a pot, and then thickened with starch. The fried liver soup is shiny and red, the liver sausage is fat, the taste is rich but not greasy, and it is thin but not watery. It is a favorite delicacy of the local residents of Sijiucheng.

However, for outsiders, the taste is too strong and they may not be able to adapt to it.

Cheng Hao and He Yuzhu, two young men, had big appetites. After finishing four taels of buns, they added another two taels to feel satisfied.

After the two finished eating, He Yuzhu packed some food to take back for his father and sister.

……

"Uncle He, what do you want?"

Jia Dongxu stood at the door, forcing a smile at He Daqing, his expression tense, afraid that he would be noticed.

Jia Dongxu smashed the He family’s window last night, and He Daqing came to their door this morning. He was very afraid that his good deed would be exposed.

"Dongxu, your mother hasn't come back yet?"

He Daqing did not give a direct answer. Instead, he turned his head and looked into the empty room, as if looking for something.

"She hasn't come back yet. If you have anything to ask her, I'll let her know when she comes back."

Jia Dongxu forced himself to calm down and not be thrown off balance by He Daqing's threats.

If He Daqing had found evidence, he should have come over last night to question the culprit and would not have waited until the morning.

The most likely reason he came here now is to test and find out the flaws.

"I'm not here to find her."

He Daqing, who didn't notice anything unusual in the room, retracted his gaze, a guilty look on his face, and sighed softly, saying, "We had guests at home yesterday, so I really didn't have time to help. Don't blame me."

"Uncle He, how could I blame you?

Helping is a favor, not helping is my duty. If it's inconvenient for you, there's nothing I can do about it." Jia Dongxu cursed in his heart that he was shameless, but he replied with a smile on his face.

If you really want to be kind, what did you do last night?

Now you come here and pretend to be a good person, but what are you pretending to be?

"Goo~"

Jia Dongxu's stomach growled, and He Daqing quickly said, "You haven't eaten since last night.

How about coming to my house for a bite to eat?"

"No, no, my mother will be back soon.

I won't bother you, Mr. He."

Jia Dongxu felt guilty and always thought that He Daqing wanted to harm him, so he dared not go to He Daqing's house.

"Oh, then I'll go back first."

He Daqing did not force it and turned around and left the Jia family. Compared with a seasoned man like He Daqing, Jia Dongxu was still too young. He Daqing was able to test Jia Dongxu's true intentions with just a few words. He Daqing was now basically certain that the murderer who smashed the window last night was Jia Dongxu.

If Jia Dongxu hadn't had something to hide, there would be no reason for him to refuse the invitation.

Now that we know who the murderer is, the rest will be easy.

He Daqing is not a pushover and will never allow himself to be bullied.

……

After eating buns outside, Cheng Hao and his friend returned to the yard burping. When passing by the front yard, Yan Bugui came forward to ask about their well-being and wanted to get a few buns to satisfy their cravings.

However, with Cheng Hao present, how could he get his wish?

When Cheng Hao brought up the previous debts, Yan Bugui instantly became dispirited and found an excuse to slip away.

After a short episode, the two returned to the He family's house in the middle courtyard to discuss the window issue together.

"Dad, I'm back.

Do you have any clues about the thief who smashed our window last night?" He Yuzhu put down the buns and shouted anxiously.

"I haven't found any evidence yet, but I have already determined who it is." He Daqing stood with his hands behind his back, looking a little grim.

Today is the weekend and there is no need to go to work. He Daqing originally planned to find a matchmaker to take his son to Qinjia Village, but he didn't expect to encounter such an incident last night.

It seems that finding a wife for He Yuzhu will have to be postponed.

He Yushui felt a little upset when she saw her father was in a bad mood, but when she saw her brother bringing back the buns, a smile instantly appeared on her face. She trotted to the table, picked up the buns and started to eat them in big bites.

Fortunately, the wind blew all the way, and the temperature of the buns dropped, so He Yushui didn't burn his tongue again.

"Whoever did it, I'll go over and teach him a lesson."

When He Yuzhu heard the clues about the murderer, he immediately slammed the table and gnashed his teeth. He was an impatient person and would not hold grudges overnight.

"Zhu Zi, I haven't found the evidence yet, don't be impulsive."

The reason why He Daqing did not directly point out the murderer was that he was afraid that He Yuzhu would get angry.

Without evidence, if Jia Dongxu refused to admit it, there would be nothing they could do. If they rushed in rashly, they would only suffer losses.

"Dad, I can't stand it!

That bastard is so abominable.

We are neighbors in the same courtyard, but they smashed our windows. It is so immoral."

Cheng Hao patted He Yuzhu's shoulder and comforted him, "Zhuzi, don't worry.

It's just a lame Jia Dongxu, it's a piece of cake to deal with him, no need to rush. "