Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

"Aunt Xu, give me five pounds of pork belly, and a few pounds of pig lungs and liver."

In the afternoon, Jia Dongxu came to the office to buy things. In the past month, Jia Dongxu came to buy meat every few days, because the office did not require tickets for either raw or cooked meat, and the prices were not expensive.

"Dongxu, where is this to make a fortune?"

Xu's mother was also very curious. She had never heard that Jia Dongxu had found any job in the compound. He just went out early and came back late every day. He would only come back early when he came to the office to buy meat.

The Jia family’s food is now the best in the courtyard.

During the famine years, other families looked pale and thin, but the Jia family was different. The whole family ate so much that they were plump and plump, especially Jia Zhang, who almost ate like a ball.

Now, when Jia Zhang eats meat, she holds her bowl and sits in the hallway, just to let the neighbors in the yard see her. Whenever she sees those envious eyes, that is when Jia Zhang is most proud.

Once upon a time, such good days only appeared in dreams.

Now, the good days in the dream have become reality. Jia Zhang now walks like Liu Haizhong, looking up and using her chin to look at the road.

"Aunt Xu, what kind of fortune do you want? I just follow my brother Hao and have some soup."

"Dongxu, your soup is quite fatty. Why did you buy so much pork belly today?"

"Dinner party."

"Dinner party? Is there some happy event? Or is it to celebrate Qin Huairu's pregnancy again?"

"Aunt Xu, Huairu has been pregnant for several months. We have already celebrated. Today we are going to have a meal with my master and Shazhu."

"Dongxu, it still has to be you, filial piety."

As she said this, Xu's mother gave a thumbs up.

"I can't say I'm filial, but put yourself in his shoes. My master has helped my family a lot over the years. Now that I can earn money, of course I think of my master first when I have something delicious to eat."

"Very good, Dongxu, here, the meat is cut, take it."

"Okay, the money and goods are settled, I'll see you later, Aunt Xu."

"Okay, Dongxu, come often."

Jia Dongxu had already reached the turning point, and Xu's mother called out to his back.

"Aunt Xu, what kind of job does Jia Dongxu do? He comes here every few days to buy meat. He's really willing to spend money."

Not only Xu's mother, but Yu Li was also very curious. Among the people they knew, Jia Dongxu's living standard was definitely ranked second. The first was of course Liu Guozheng.

"I'm really not sure. No matter what he does, as long as he comes to buy things, we welcome him."

"Aunt Xu, I heard from Dabao that Jia Dongxu had offended Brother Zheng. If we sell something to him, Brother Zheng won't be unhappy, right?"

Yu Li was still a little worried. Every time Jia Dongxu came to buy meat, it was when Liu Guozheng was not around, as if he was deliberately avoiding Liu Guozheng.

Liu Guozheng rarely stays in the office now. He usually comes with Xu Fang and Han Zhang in the morning and goes straight back to the village after lunch. However, Lou Xiaoe is pregnant.

Pregnant women are prone to having wild thoughts and feeling nervous and uneasy from time to time, so Liu Guozheng spends most of his time with Lou Xiaoe.

"Yu Li, you're overthinking this. Guo Zheng is not the kind of person who holds grudges. That matter has long passed. Guo Zheng basically greets everyone in our courtyard when he sees them, and Jia Dongxu is no exception. As for whether Jia Dongxu holds a grudge in his heart, we don't know."

"That's good."

"Don't worry, Yu Li. Didn't you see that your Dabao didn't say anything? That means Guozheng definitely doesn't care."

"It really is."

"Yu Li, let me tell you, your Dabao is really lucky. If he hadn't met Guozheng, you two might not have been together."

"Aunt Xu, Dabao told me that if it weren't for Brother Zheng, he might have lost his job."

"Yeah, my son Damao is the same. He originally thought that learning projection technology from his father and becoming a projectionist would be great, but he ended up having to go to the countryside from time to time. It was ok when the weather was good, but it was really hard in the winter. Now it's good, he doesn't have to go to the countryside anymore."

"That's true. Dabao also said that it was not so bad before, but now in this famine year, there are still robbers on the road from time to time. It's very dangerous."

"No matter what, Guozheng is still generous and treats them sincerely. We must protect this business for Guozheng, as he doesn't have time to stay here for long."

"That's right, we must not be ungrateful."

"To be honest, if Qingfang hadn't met Guozheng, her life would have been ruined."

"By the way, Aunt Xu, why does Sister Qingfang call you Sister Li? There is a difference of more than 20 years between your ages."

Yu Li had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but she was too embarrassed to ask when Zhang Qingfang was around. Today, Zhang Qingfang and Nan Yi went out together, so she thought of asking.

"Hahaha."

Speaking of this, Li Jinzhi smiled.

"Aunt Xu, what are you laughing at?"

"When I think of the time when we first met, I want to laugh. Yu Li, you don't know that Qingfang looked old at the time. She didn't look much younger than me. When we were chatting, I found that Qingfang had a very good personality. After a long time, I asked her to call me sister. It's really funny when I think about it now. At that time, I didn't even think of asking her age."

“Maybe this is fate.”

"Yes, yes, there is a saying, what does it say? Oh, right, people come together because of destiny."

"Aunt Xu, you really know a lot."

"Well, it's not much, it's just something I said when I was chatting with the aunties in the alley when I had nothing to do. I don't know who said it, but I just remembered it."

"Aunt Xu, look, Master Nan and Sister Qingfang are back."

"Oh, it's true. Yu Li, take a look. Aren't Nan Yi and Qing Fang a good match?"

"They are a good match, mainly because they both have good personalities, especially Master Nan, who is really kind to Xiaogang and Xiaoying."

"Qingfang, this is called suffering followed by sweetness."

Li Jinzhi would utter a few little words from time to time.

"Sister Li, Yu Li, you guys go and have a rest. I'll just watch over here myself."

Originally the work of three people, now Li Jinzhi and Yu Li basically do most of the work. These days, Zhang Qingfang and Nan Yi are in the hot season, so they often go out to visit parks and walk on the streets. Now is the season of spring flowers, neither too cold nor too hot, which is just right for young couples to go out for an outing and enjoy the flowers.

"Qingfang, it's okay. You know we are not tired at all here."

"That's right, Sister Qingfang, Aunt Xu and I both understand, hehe."

Yu Li smiled and glanced at Zhang Qingfang and Nan Yi.

"Hey, Aunt Xu, Yu Li, I'll cook a few of my specialties tonight. Thank you for your understanding."

All Nan Yi could do was to try his best to cook the meal.

"Nan Yi, don't spend more than the allowance for living expenses. If Guo Zheng doesn't reimburse you, it will all be on you."

"Then I'm happy too."

“Hehehe…”

Amid the laughter of the three people, Nan Yi fled in panic.