Siheyuan: Yan Jiekuang's carefree life

He Yuzhu picked up a yellow croaker and looked at it, then said, "Jie Kuang, these things are not easy to get in Sijiu City. You must have a way."

Yan Jiekuang said: "It's not that we are in a hurry. There is not enough time to dry the abalone and sea cucumber, so I got fresh ones."

"Okay! Just keep the things here! Don't worry about the other things!" After saying that, He Yuzhu sent Yan Jiekuang away.

Yan Jiekuang returned to the front yard, had breakfast, and waited for a while before Lei Dajun, the son of Old Lei Tou, came. Yan Jiekuang chatted with Lei Dajun for a few words, said hello to his family, and took Lei Dajun to Shajing Hutong.

Walking into the courtyard house in Shajing Hutong, Yan Jiekuang took Lei Dajun to see the house and said, "Dajun, we should restore the appearance of this courtyard house to its original state. But the interior must be practical. The doors of the two side rooms on the left and right are sealed, and a door is opened in each of the main rooms. The east side room will be used as the bedroom for the old couple, and the west side room will be used as the bathroom. There must be a flush toilet and a bathtub in each room. The middle is the living room. My wife and I will live in the east wing..."

After listening to Yan Jiekuang's request, Lei Dajun hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Boss, if I change it according to your request, the price will not be cheap!"

Yan Jiekuang asked: "How much does it cost?!"

Lei Dajun asked back: "Do you want a full package or a half package?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied: "Of course I'll take care of everything when I find you."

Lei Dajun said, "We are all old customers. Since you want to include everything, the price is fifteen hundred yuan."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Okay! I'll give you another hundred, and I won't cover the lunch."

"Okay!" Lei Dajun agreed readily. Yan Jiekuang took out a thousand yuan from his bag and said, "This is the deposit. I'll give you the rest after the house is ready."

Lei Dajun took the money and counted it carefully, then put it in his pocket, took out a small notebook, and filled in a series of information such as the house number and price. After confirming that there was no problem, Lei Dajun signed his name on it, then tore off the page from the small notebook, handed it to Yan Jiekuang, and said, "Boss, we will start construction on the 16th of the first lunar month."

Yan Jiekuang took out a spare key and handed it to Lei Dajun, saying, "Here is the key, please keep it! We'll see you on the 16th day of the first lunar month."

After Yan Jiekuang sent Lei Dajun away, he hurried back to No. 95 Nanluoguxiang Courtyard. Today, No. 95 Courtyard was the busiest day in recent years. Xu Damao's parents came, and even Xu Damao's younger sister Xu Xiaoling and her family came. He Yushui and his wife came with their children. The Yan family had the largest number of people. Yan Jiecheng's family and Yan Jiedi and his wife also arrived.

Yan Jiekuang walked into the middle courtyard, came to He Yuzhu's side, and asked, "Brother Zhuzi, are there enough dishes?!"

He Yuzhu glanced at Yan Jiekuang and said, "It's enough for lunch, but it's still a little short for dinner."

Yan Jiekuang asked: "What did you check?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "We still need some meat."

Yan Jiekuang said, "I'll get it right away." Then he asked, "What kind of meat do you need?!"

He Yuzhu said: "Knuckles, pork belly. Any meat will do."

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "Okay, you go ahead and do your work! I'll be back soon."

Xu Damao was pushing a bicycle carrying two boxes of liquor and two boxes of soda towards the courtyard. When he saw Yan Jiekuang, he asked, "Where are you going?!"

Yan Jiekuang said, "Brother Zhuzi said that the food for lunch is enough. But they are still short of meat for dinner. I will go get it now. If it's too late, I'm afraid my friend will run out of meat."

"Okay! Go ahead! Be careful on the road!" Xu Damao reminded Yan Jiekuang and continued pushing his bicycle towards the courtyard.

Yan Jiekuang went out for a walk and came back around ten o'clock in the morning. After parking his bicycle, Yan Jiekuang took down the bamboo basket tied to the back seat and moved it to the middle yard with Su Zilong. He said, "Brother Zhuzi, we have the meat. Not only the elbow and meat, but also a pig liver. You decide how to deal with it!"

He Yuzhu glanced at the contents of the bamboo basket and said, "You are really good! This meat is pretty good!"

Yan Jiekuang smiled, took out a piece of beef brisket from under the pig liver, looked at He Yuzhu with a complimenting expression, and asked, "Brother Zhuzi, how about this thing?!"

"Oh! This is good stuff!" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up immediately and he said, "It seems that the menu I opened was too conservative. Today, everyone is enjoying a feast thanks to you."

He Yushui came over at this time, looked at the meat in the bamboo basket, and joked: "Yan Jiekuang, you are really good! You got so much meat in a short time."

Yan Jiekuang replied: "If I don't have this ability, why would I do procurement?!"

He Yushui then asked, "I heard that you and your wife were both admitted to university?!"

"Yes!" Yan Jiekuang replied, "My wife was admitted to Sijiucheng Normal University. I was admitted to Renmin University. School will start after the New Year."

He Yushui asked: "So how are you two going to deal with your work?!"

Yan Jiekuang replied: "I have already sold my job. My wife will go to the company to apply for unpaid leave after the Chinese New Year and when school starts again."

He Yushui complained: "Why didn't you tell me in advance if you wanted to sell your job?!"

He Yuzhu said: "How many times have you come back in these years? He wanted to tell you, but he couldn't?!"

He Yushui was stunned for a moment, looked at He Yuzhu awkwardly, and said, "I'm busy with work, aren't I?!"

"Brother, what are you guys talking about?!" Yan Jiedi walked to Yan Jiekuang's side and greeted He Yuzhu and He Yushui. Yan Jiekuang said, "We are talking about the start of school." Then he asked, "When will your school start?!"

Yan Jiedi replied, "I will report on February 2th. My husband will take me there then." Then she asked, "I heard that my sister-in-law is pregnant again?!"

"Yeah!" Yan Jiekuang replied, and asked, "What about you? Is there any movement in your stomach?!"

Yan Jie Di laughed and said, "I'm pregnant too, and my due date is a month earlier than yours."

When He Yushui heard what Yan Jie Di said, he asked, "Jie Di, you are in college now, how are you going to find a job?!"

Yan Jiedi replied: "There is nothing to worry about in our company. Besides, the major I studied in college is related to my current job. The leaders of our company have agreed to let me take a leave of absence without pay. I will go back to work after I finish my studies."

He Yuzhu asked, "Yushui, you two both have jobs. Your two children are still in school. Why do you want to work?!"

He Yushui sighed and said, "My brother-in-law came back from the production team and has been idle at home. My mother-in-law said that my husband owed his brother and asked us to find him a job. It's hard to find a job now. Jianjun and I asked many people for help, but we couldn't find one. Even if we did find one, my brother-in-law would either complain about the work or that the income was too little. My mother-in-law only has my brother-in-law in her heart. She will do whatever he wants."

Yan Jiedi said: "Why do you keep a mother-in-law like this? If it were me, I would have divorced her long ago."

He Yushui said: "My mother-in-law is not good, but my husband treats me well."

Yan Jiekuang said, "Sister Yushui, listen to my advice. You and your family should live separately from your mother-in-law. At most, you and your wife can contribute a little living expenses every month. Otherwise, over time, your family will be torn apart by your mother-in-law sooner or later."