Golden Color Xiangjiang: A Young Man's Dream in a Siheyuan

Xinxin fiddled with the ornaments carefully, her big eyes full of concentration.

Their busy figures shuttled around the room, and soon the room became spotless.

On the other hand, Zhou Jin and Xiao Jiu took on the responsibility of preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

In order to prepare this sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner as soon as possible, Zhou Jin and Xiao Jiu decisively decided to start cooking in the two kitchens in the middle and back yards at the same time, and each was busy making their own specialty dishes.

Zhou Jin looked focused and skillfully cut the vegetables, thinking in his heart that he must make this New Year's Eve dinner colorful, fragrant and delicious.

Xiaojiu was also very clear and carefully prepared the seasonings as if he was creating a work of art.

Of course, there is another important reason why they did this, that is, Zhou Jin was thinking about Long Yi and the others.

Although I can't spend New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with them, I must let them have a good New Year's Eve dinner.

Thinking of this, Zhou Jin's hands moved more skillfully.

As for his grandparents, Zhou Jin knew that his father-in-law Lou Bancheng and others would pick them up after lunch, so he didn't have to worry about it.

When Zhou Jin thought of this, he felt more at ease and focused more on preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

At this time in the courtyard, it was not only Zhou Jin's family who started busy early in the morning.

Every household gets up early in the morning and starts working.

Some families are cleaning carefully, leaving no corner untouched, with brooms waving and dust flying, just to make their homes look brand new.

Some were washing clothes and quilt covers, scrubbing them vigorously, splashing water everywhere, as if they wanted to wash away all the fatigue of the past year.

Others are carefully preparing ingredients for the New Year’s Eve dinner, picking vegetables, cutting meat, and steaming buns.

The children, of course, were playing in groups of three or five in the yard. They were laughing, making noises, chasing each other, as if they had endless energy.

Perhaps because all those annoying guys have gone in, the atmosphere in the entire courtyard has been much better during this year's New Year, and each household is more harmonious and friendly with each other.

Especially for those families whose members work in the steel mill, after receiving the New Year's goods, they will definitely prepare a meal of meat, egg and dumplings today. Their happy looks will make people happy when they see them.

The most envied family here is Yan Bugui's family. Not to mention now, even before, every New Year's Day, he would stand guard at the gate, staring at the New Year's goods in people's hands with his eyes like a hungry wolf.

There was no way around it. The steel rolling mill was the factory with the best welfare benefits in the vicinity, while the Red Star Primary School where Yan Bugui taught would only give out a pound of flour during the Chinese New Year.

What's more, now that Yan Bugui has been imprisoned, their family has lost their stable source of income, so naturally their lives are getting worse day by day.

Now, not only do Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang have to go out to do odd jobs every day, but they also go out early and come back late. Their tired figures make people feel distressed.

Even the third aunt would go to the street office to take some odd jobs making matchboxes and sewing clothes, wearing reading glasses and sewing stitch by stitch, just to earn a little more money.

Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi also had to work with them, and they experienced the hardships of life at a young age.

Although the family no longer has a fixed income, the savings left over from before, plus the odd jobs done by the five-member family every day, can still earn a little.

So this year during the Chinese New Year, they gritted their teeth and bought half a pound of pork, preparing to have a decent New Year's Eve dinner on this special day.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Jin and his friends had just finished lunch and were resting in the living room when a car horn suddenly sounded outside the courtyard.

The voice sounded particularly loud in the quiet afternoon. When Zhou Jin heard it, he immediately knew that it was his father-in-law, mother-in-law and grandparents who came.

He quickly called everyone over, and they quickly stood up, put on their coats, and went out together to greet them.

Naturally, the other people in the courtyard were also attracted by the sound of the car horn.

People put down their busy work and ran to the streets to look at the cars with curiosity and excitement.

After all, cars were a rarity in that era, and everyone wanted to see Loubancheng, which was famous throughout the city.

The moment Lou Bancheng got out of the car, everyone in the courtyard widened their eyes, their faces filled with astonishment and awe.

Some people kept their mouths open for a long time, as if they had seen an incredible sight. Their mouths were so big that it seemed they could fit an egg in them.

I secretly exclaimed in my heart: "This is the legendary Lou Bancheng, he is indeed extraordinary. Look at his clothes, I have never seen such a magnificent person in my life."

Some people were trembling slightly, their eyes full of tension and uneasiness, their hands were unconsciously rubbing the corners of their clothes, and the rough cloth made slight sounds under the rubbing of their fingers.

I kept thinking to myself, "It's so rare to see such a big shot coming to our small courtyard. I don't know if he will talk to me. If I can talk to him, I will have something to brag about."

Others subconsciously adjusted their clothes, as if they wanted to show their best side in front of this important man, and their movements were very cautious.

I thought to myself, "I have to leave a good impression on them. Maybe I can benefit from it in the future."

Everyone looked at Lou Bancheng quietly, not daring to make a sound, and the air around them seemed to have frozen.

At this time, Zhou Jin, Lou Xiao'e, and three sisters came out and they quickly came to Lou Bancheng.

Zhou Jin and Lou Xiao'e reached out to take the things that Lou Bancheng and others brought, their faces full of respect and joy.

The crowd surrounded Lou Bancheng and his friends and slowly welcomed them into their home.

In order to reduce the impact, Lou Bancheng would naturally not let cars park outside the courtyard all the time.

To be honest, this was the first time that Lou Bancheng and his mother visited Zhou Jin's house.

There was no way. Their identities were special, and those people with ulterior motives in the courtyard had not been dealt with yet, so it was really inconvenient for them to come.

But it doesn't matter now. Zhou Jin has already subdued all those monsters and demons. The rest are just some fence-sitters who change with the wind and are not worth worrying about.

Now even if Lou Bancheng and others want to live here permanently, they can do so.

After Zhou Jin and Lou Bancheng walked into the courtyard, the car slowly left.

When everyone saw that there were no more cars to see, they shook their heads and sighed and went home. The courtyard returned to its previous busyness and bustle.

When Lou Bancheng and his mother arrived at Zhou Jin's home, they first stood at the door, squinting their eyes slightly, and slowly looked around at the layout and environment of the house.

Lou Bancheng's eyes were steady and sharp as he swept across the spacious living room, taking in the simple yet warm arrangement of furniture and the elegant calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

He nodded slightly as he looked at it, with a look of satisfaction on his face, as if he had given a high evaluation of the layout of this home in his heart.