Siheyuan: Cooking journey

Director Yang stared at him for a while, his face full of worry, his voice full of helplessness:

"Xiao He, at this moment, there aren't many people I trust, and you're one of them. We're good partners, and I really don't want you to make such a choice. Doing so won't do you any good, and will only bring you trouble. You need to be more rational. This meaningless insistence is unnecessary. The Lou family is gone, and Xiao E is gone, too. No one will blame you."

He Yuzhu said nothing and remained silent.

Director Yang stared at him for a long time with a frown on his face, then sighed tiredly:

"If you don't want this, there is only one last way to keep you safe."

Director Yang's expression became solemn, and he continued:

"Comrade He Yuzhu, given your relationship with the Lou family, our special team at the steel mill believed that you were qualified for the position of deputy team leader. We will not make a final decision on the outcome of this handling for the time being, and will report it in written form..."

I got off work as usual.

arrive home.

He Yuzhu felt a sense of emptiness and disorientation.

The library is closed and I can't borrow books to read.

I made a pot of tea and turned on the radio to kill time.

Time passes little by little.

I seemed to hear something on the radio.

Xiao Huaihua, who is six years old this year, peeked out of the door and looked into the house.

He Yuzhu smiled kindly and waved.

The little locust flower immediately ran in happily like a cheerful little bird.

"Uncle Zhuzi..."

He Yuzhu smiled, held her on his lap, and handed her a candy.

Laughter could be heard from time to time.

Time doesn't seem so hard anymore.

How nice it would be if the person in my arms was my own daughter.

Somehow, this idea came to me.

He Yuzhu's body stiffened, his smile became even gentler, and he gently touched Xiao Huaihua's little head.

Not long after,

Xiaodang was also peeking at the door.

He Yuzhu also waved.

Xiaodang is already nine years old and much more sensible. He seems to still remember the cold treatment he received before. There is a bit of timidity on his little face, but when he saw the candy in his sister's hand, he hesitated for a moment and still ran over.

There was one more laugh.

He Yuzhu felt that listening to the radio had become much more interesting.

……

In the front yard,

Yu Li took Yu Haitang back to the room where they lived.

"Sister, your house is nice."

Yu Haitang sat on the bed, looking around.

“It’s OK.”

Yu Li sat beside her and asked with concern:

"Now that you're admitted to the hospital, what are your plans? What are you going to do? I'll give you some advice and think about it."

"My idea is quite simple."

Yu Haitang's cheeks were slightly red, and she didn't hide it:

“I think this is quite straightforward. As for He Yuzhu, I understand him.

As for me, he should have heard something;

"I just want to see him more and get to know him better.

Then we can ask our mother or old man Yan to help speak a word, introduce and break this layer of window paper;

He Yuzhu will definitely not refuse."

Yu Haitang raised her chin slightly, appearing very confident.

Yu Li glared at her.

I thought this was really simple, but simple things are often the most effective.

If he really did this, He Yuzhu would probably not be able to hold on for a few days.

Yu Li thought to herself and said with a sad face:

“I don’t know if you’ve heard about Yan Jiefang’s incident;

"The Yan family and He Yuzhu have conflicts. I'm afraid you can't count on these two old people.

After a pause, Yu Li said considerately:

“Don’t be in a hurry to meet He Yuzhu or anything;

Girls should be more reserved.

"Over the years, I have been learning how to cook from He Yuzhu in the cafeteria, and I am very familiar with him and his wife;"

"The two had a good relationship and just divorced, so Yu may not have any intention of remarrying;

"I'll go over and find out what he thinks.

"If he wants to do that, then that's fine, it's done.

“If not, he might refuse if you point it out directly like this;

"There's no rush for this. It's best to take your time."

Yu Haitang frowned slightly, then relaxed her eyebrows and said to herself:

“It would be best if we could get married right away;

“It’s good to slow down a bit, this will further prove that He Yuzhu is a sentimental person who can be relied on;

"I live here now, and it's the best choice for him. There's nothing to worry about."

Yu Li was speechless.

I wondered where my sister got such confidence from.

He himself was not bad looking, although he was shorter than her, but he was much better than her in other aspects. Even so, He Yuzhu still treated her coldly.

I looked at my sister again.

Yu Li inexplicably became somewhat unconfident about her.

If we really push this matter to He Yuzhu, he may not be able to win over Qin Huairu.

My wish came true and I really started making steamed buns, but why can't I be happy at all?

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you in a daze?"

Seeing that she didn't move, He Yuzhu ordered again:

"Go get me another piece of coal, boil a kettle of water, and cook the vegetables for me later..."

If you have an apprentice, you won’t waste him if you don’t use him.

He Yuzhu liked this apprentice Yu Li more and more. His teaching was not in vain. She was thoughtful and took the initiative to help - Yu Li...

……

The Xu family in the backyard,

Father Xu's face was trembling, and his voice was trembling:

“Da Mao, you have secured a job at the cinema, so work hard in the future;

"There is no absolute certainty, stay away, stay away from the stupid pillar;

“Your mother and I will move to your grandfather’s old house first;

"You are old enough now, it's time for you to start a family. This room is for you."

Xu Damao asked in confusion: "Dad, why do you suddenly want to move away? I haven't even gotten married yet?"

"We have to move sooner or later, it's the same, it's the same."

Father Xu responded and reminded:

"Remember what I told you. If you are not 100% sure, stay away from Shazhu and don't provoke him. By the way, your mother has found a partner for you..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao ran away immediately.

"I'll go to the cinema first..."

"How come this kid doesn't care about marriage at all?"

Mother Xu looked puzzled and complained:

"Master, we live well here, why should we move?"

"Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Father Xu's face twitched, and he said impatiently: "Is it not possible to make room for my son to get married? I don't want to..."

After a pause,

Father Xu hesitated a little and whispered something into Mother Xu's ear.

Xu's mother's face turned pale. Without saying a word, she started packing her things and moving quickly.

"Sister, is there no one else at home?"

It was already dark when I took my cousin Qin Jingru home.

I saw that there were no lights on in the house.

Qin Huairu also began to have doubts in her heart.

If my mother-in-law is at home, it shouldn't be dark.

Going to bed so early?

Qin Huairu guessed, turned on the light and went into the room. At a glance, her mother-in-law and the two children were not there.

"Just wait a minute..."

Qin Huairu thought about it and ran to the uncle's house.

Inside the house,

An old man and an old woman were eating.

There was no sign of the two children.

Qin Huairu felt a little anxious.

"Auntie, have you seen my mother-in-law and the two children? There's no one at home. Where did they go?"

"Huai Ru, don't be anxious."

The auntie quickly said, "The children are at He Yuzhu's place, playing until the evening. I just called them to come for dinner, and they ate there."

The aunt was a little puzzled again: "As for your mother-in-law, I haven't seen her since noon, and I don't know where she went. The two children came to me because they were hungry.

Where on earth did that powerful mother-in-law go?

Qin Huairu was confused, but she didn't have time to think about it.

My heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

There was only one sentence left in my mind: the child is in He Yuzhu's room.

Qin Huairu hurried over there.

inside the house,

Two children were sitting at the table eating.

He Yuzhu had a gentle look on his face, as if he was taking care of them.

This scene was like a dream that suddenly became real.

Qin Huairu's heart beat faster.

I feel happy and full of anticipation.

But when I think about the reality,

Qin Huairu involuntarily took a few steps back, her expression darkening.

If no outsiders interfered, she believed that she and He Yuzhu would naturally be able to get together through the child as a bond.

The beautiful scene before us is proof of this.

He Yuzhu likes children.

But the reality is that there is a powerful mother-in-law standing in the way.

Yu Haitang is fighting again.

I can only let my cousin take the lead.

At this moment, all I can do is,

Look at this scene for a while and keep it in mind.

Otherwise, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see it again.

Qin Huairu was sure that as long as she went over there, this scene would disappear immediately.

There is no other reason, the man is too petty and holds a grudge too much.

Just because there was no response, he has kept it in mind until now and has been cold to her ever since. Over the years, he doesn't want to say a word.

Thinking about these,

Qin Huairu's heart suddenly trembled.

Does holding a grudge for so long also mean that you care a lot?

If I don't care, why would I hold a grudge for so long?

Suddenly,

Qin Huairu felt an urge in her heart, wanting to go over and confess everything, no matter what the consequence might be.

But at the same time, it was clear that the time was not right.

That stingy man is still holding a grudge.

The most important thing is that I watch them every day, feeling envious and jealous, and understand how deep the relationship between this man and Lou Xiao'e is.

They divorced due to special circumstances, not a breakdown in their relationship.

Can't even get my feet in.

No matter what the reason for divorce is, divorce means opportunity.

Qin Huairu made up her mind and changed her strategy.

He originally wanted to push his cousin out, drive away Yu Haitang, and facilitate the marriage between his cousin and He Yuzhu.

Now, add one more thing and take it back from my cousin.

Finally there is hope,

There is a chance.

No matter how difficult it is, no matter how much you are obstructed by your powerful mother-in-law, you can't give up. You will regret it if you miss it. Even if you can't drive your mother-in-law away, you have to exhaust her.

Anyway, I am still young, so I will wait for ten or eight years. I don’t believe she can live that long.

Thinking of the powerful mother-in-law,

Qin Huairu was a little puzzled.

It’s so late and you haven’t come back yet. Where have you been?

"Master, I'm leaving first. I suddenly remembered that my sister is still at home and hasn't had dinner yet. I'll take two steamed buns back..."

Yu Li's voice came from inside the house.

Qin Huairu was slightly stunned, but didn't have time to think about it and hurried home.

"Sister, I'm back..." Qin Jingru came forward.

"Quiet."

Qin Huairu waved her hand and looked out through the window.

Yu Li emerged from her neighbor's house.

I saw her walking towards the front yard.

Qin Huairu then withdrew her gaze.

No need to guess,

Yu Li must be the matchmaker for Yu Haitang.

Qin Huairu's face was cold. She pursed her lips and thought for a while, then whispered a few words in Qin Jingru's ear: "You go over there..."

Qin Jingru's fair face flushed and she said shyly:

"Sister, it's not a good idea for me to go there like this!"

"It's okay. Sooner or later, I'll be yours. What's the good of that?"

Qin Huairu glared at her, her eyes were gentle and her tone was calm;

"Don't worry. There's no rush. Just show up first and take the two kids back. Then, you can hang around him when you have nothing to do. When the time is right, I'll ask an old man to introduce this to you. Then your wish will come true and you'll have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life..."

........

In the front yard,

"Sister, why did you come back just now? I'm starving..."

"It's all because of you. Here, two steamed buns. Fill your stomach first..."

Yu Li dealt with her sister casually and was in a bad mood.

I wanted to make steamed buns with He Yuzhu simply and directly.

But the two children refused to leave, leaving them no chance at all.

From this incident, she realized that Qin Huairu, who was usually taciturn, was actually quite scheming.

The defenses have already been set up.

Let the children stay there and block everything without you having to show up yourself.

The key is that He Yuzhu seems to like children very much.

This can't go on. If they continue to like each other, maybe they will fall in love with their mothers too.

"Sister, how is your inquiry going?"

Yu Haitang tore into the steamed bun and ate it in small bites, looking very expectant.

"Sister is helping you, are you still worried?"

Yu Li glanced at her, came up with an idea, and said considerately:

"It's not convenient for me to light a fire and cook here, so why don't you come with me to He Yuzhu's house for dinner tomorrow? Don't you want to get to know him better?"

If the two children can go, my younger sister can go too.

See whether the big ones are more popular or the small ones are more likable.

Let my sister compete with Qin Huairu.

Yu Li was full of expectations and in a good mood.

Suddenly I thought that with the children making trouble, Ayu would definitely not be able to do anything at home.

But there is also a cafeteria office.

It's quiet there and no one goes there.

It’s not like a siheyuan where there are many people and eyes, making it easy to pass messages.

Isn't this the most suitable place?

In the past, it was difficult to take action because Lou Xiao'e was around.

Now, He Yuzhu is alone.

Just make as many steamed buns as you want.

Thinking of this, Yu Li felt flustered and weak all over, and she was looking forward to the arrival of tomorrow impatiently.

……

next door,

The third uncle sighed and frowned.

There are only three salaries in the family, and without the share from the second son Yan Jiefang, I have no motivation to do anything.

"The head of the family..."

The third aunt returned to the house with an unhappy look on her face and said worriedly:

"It's so late and Yu Li just came back. I'm afraid something big is going to happen."

"What could possibly happen?"

The third uncle didn't take it too seriously. He was just sad that his family had lost a salary and more than 20 yuan in income every month.

“It’s a big deal.”

The third aunt said anxiously: "Yu Li went to Zhuzi's house."

"I went to see her secretly. Yu Li was helping Zhuzi with the laundry and cooking. Only the two children from Qin Huairu's family were there, otherwise I would have called her back long ago. "

But helping with the laundry and cooking is not okay. If this continues, there will be big trouble.

"Can Yu Li take care of our eldest son forever if he is in this state?

“We only threatened her with work, so she didn’t leave;

"It would be different if she found someone to rely on:

"Zhuzi is divorced and is the deputy director. If Yu Li really has something going on with him, she will insist on divorcing the boss and living with Zhuzi. It will be useless for us to threaten her job. The most important thing is that our family will lose nearly 2,000 yuan in income every month..."

Having to lose another income really makes life even worse.