Siheyuan: Cooking journey

The full house meeting ended.

He Yuzhu and He Yushui were busy cleaning the house.

There was a shout from outside.

"Uncle..."

He Yuzhu turned his head reflexively and saw the maid from the Lou family, whom he had only met once, standing respectfully at the door.

"Why are you here?"

He Yuzhu looked at her suspiciously and noticed her waist-length braid.

At that time, I just thought that the maid's long braids were quite special in an era when everyone cut their hair short.

Later I remembered a miscellany I had read, which said that in the old days there was a kind of maids who would never marry. They were loyal and hardworking, devoting their entire lives to their employers' families. Their status was even higher than that of the butler, and they were almost part of the employer's family.

He had even wondered if this was the legendary maid who combed her hair herself, but he didn't expect to meet her again, and in his own home.

"You can call me Aunt Wu."

Aunt Wu smiled politely and explained, "I came to help Ezi make the bed. I roughly knew that the son-in-law lived in this courtyard. I just arrived at the gate of the courtyard and wanted to ask about it, and then I ran into this comrade..."

As Wu Ma looked over,

He Yuzhu then realized that the third uncle was standing at the door.

"Zhu Zi, I just happened to need your help. Please show me the way."

The third uncle had a friendly smile on his face.

"Look, knowing that you were getting married, I went back and wrote two pieces of '囍' characters, one for each door."

"Excuse me, Third Master."

He Yuzhu responded politely to the Third Uncle's enthusiasm.

"No trouble, no trouble, I've prepared the glue, I'll stick it on right away."

The third uncle was very enthusiastic.

As if they heard the noise here, an old man and an old woman also came over.

When she heard that it was about making the bed, the aunt immediately lent a hand and helped move the bed into the house.

The first and third uncles were busy pasting the word "囍".

He Yuzhu had nothing to do for a while and watched curiously how they made the bed.

Nothing special, just spread the bedding flat on the bed.

What surprised He Yuzhu was that although the Lou family was a wealthy family, the bed provided as a dowry was quite simple.

There are no gorgeous embroidery of auspicious dragons and phoenixes on the quilt cover and bed sheets, which are very plain and elegant.

After making the bed, Aunt Wu said goodbye and left.

The old lady and the old man didn't stay for long.

The third uncle seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he had something to say, but in the end he said nothing and left.

He Yuzhu pondered the character of this uncle, and why he was so considerate today. He roughly guessed that something might have happened.

Everyone had left and the room was quiet.

He Yushui looked around and said strangely, "Brother, when Aunt Wu came to make the bed, it felt different, but I couldn't tell what was different."

“Atmosphere.”

He Yuzhu answered briefly. Lying on the thick bedding, he inexplicably felt that the bed had become much more comfortable.

The night passed.

Perhaps because of the newly made bed, He Yuzhu slept particularly soundly.

Early the next morning.

He Yushui came knocking on the door wearing half-new clothes, looking both expectant and nervous.

"Why are you so nervous? People who don't know the situation would think you are getting married today."

He Yuzhu glanced at her and couldn't help but smile.

"My sister-in-law is coming soon. How can I not be nervous? I don't know if she is easy to get along with."

He Yushui rolled her eyes, and then looked aggrieved: "The most important thing is, if my sister-in-law and I have a dispute, I will feel so pitiful when I think that you will help her instead of me, and she always bullies me."

"What are you thinking about in your little head?"

He Yuzhu flicked her head lightly.

"We haven't even met yet, and you're already thinking about quarreling and getting upset. Really, can't you just get along well?"

"I'm telling the truth. It's impossible to live together without some conflicts."

He Yushui covered his forehead with his hands, looking as if it was a matter of course.

"You……"

He Yuzhu smiled and teased: "I'll give you an idea, you should get married, then someone will protect you and you can 'bully' others."

"I don't want it."

He Yushui looked unhappy.

"Then you can be pitiful slowly."

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly, left her there to think about it, and went to wash up.

Then he changed into a Zhongshan suit and rode his bicycle to pick up Lou Xiao'e.

next door.

Looking at the figure that is gradually going away,

Qin Huairu bit her lips tightly, feeling indescribable in her heart.

......

At Lou's house.

No one blocked the door, and no one asked for red envelopes.

He Yuzhu came to the living room easily.

Sitting on the sofa,

Aunt Wu politely handed over a cup of tea.

He Yuzhu just picked it up and didn't drink it yet.

I saw Lou Xiao'e, in work clothes, with her head lowered, walking down the stairs shyly...

He Yuzhu looked at her quietly.

The original fashionable and stylish wavy hairstyle has become short hair that reaches the ears;

The fresh and refined dress was replaced with work clothes.

He Yuzhu once suspected that the Lou family had ulterior motives. They had an ugly daughter who couldn't get married, so they plotted a substitution scheme.

"What are you looking at? It's really annoying."

Lou Xiao'e was already feeling uneasy. She noticed his strange look from the corner of her eye, and immediately raised her head, pursed her nose, and waved her fist angrily.

"Look at me again and I'll beat you up."

Yes, it’s the one at home.

He Yuzhu calmly lowered his eyes and took a sip of water.

"Oh, what, you want to return it?"

Lou Xiao'e put her hands on her hips, with a bit of naivety and mischievous threats on her pretty face:

"It's too late to tell you! My mother said that even if I die, I will be buried in your ancestral grave."

"Silly girl, what are you talking about on such a happy day?"

Mother Lou, who had been hiding aside watching the fun, stood up at this moment.

Seeing his daughter's behavior, he was afraid that the son-in-law would be scared away, so he hurried forward to scold her:

"Moth, what did your mother teach you? Girls should be gentle, follow the three obediences and four virtues, and be virtuous and kind. I taught you all these. Why are you like this? Put your hands down and stand still."

"I remember."

Lou Xiao'e wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction.

"The Three Obediences and Four Virtues mean that you should follow your wife wherever she goes, obey her orders, and follow her blindly if she is wrong.

"Listen to your wife, be willing to spend money, be patient when your wife is angry, and remember what your wife says.

"..."

He Yuzhu paused while drinking water.

Mother Lou glanced at him secretly, looking embarrassed. She glared at Lou Xiao'e unhappily and scolded him with a stern face:

"What nonsense are you talking about? When did your mother teach you this?"

"When we were at home, you taught my dad this every day, hundreds of times a day. I had memorized it by heart. And you still said, moth, you need to learn it well. Men are all fickle. If you don't beat them for one day, they will tear the roof off the house. If you don't beat them for three days, they will keep thinking about it."

Lou Xiao'e blinked her eyes, with cunning in her beautiful eyes, and glanced at He Yuzhu with mischief in her eyes.

"..."

He Yuzhu was a little dazed.

What era is this?

Isn't it said that women are as gentle as water and obedient?