Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

For some reason, He Daqing felt that he had no power to refute his daughter-in-law's words. He saw that the daughter-in-law was the master of the family, and his son was a slave to his wife.

Never mind, let them be. I've only been back for a few days. Out of sight, out of mind.

Xu Hui really wanted to eat at the tavern, and another reason was because of Han Qingqiu and Xu Jingli. She couldn't let Han Qingqiu spend the Spring Festival alone.

Han Qingqiu is now no different from their family. Basically, she comes to help her take care of the children at dawn. Not to mention, she is very patient with the children, more attentive than Xu Huizhen's mother, and teaches Xu Jingli to draw and read, so that Xu Huizhen can free up time to do her own things.

Apart from other things, one space takes up a lot of Xu Hui's energy. Planting, tending, harvesting, storing, etc. Now that the space is bigger, it naturally takes more energy.

It is a great thing to have a chef with superb cooking skills at home. The same ingredients can produce different tastes. In life, food and clothing are the two things that matter. From a certain perspective, eating is also a major event in life. Eating well is also a kind of enjoyment in life.

So what are the benefits of having two chefs at home? Xu Huizhen becomes a hands-off boss, and all the kitchen matters are handed over to the father and son.

At noon on New Year's Eve, He Daqing brought He Yushui to Xu Huizhen's house, and Han Qingqiu was there too. This year, Cai Quanwu's family was not invited. The main reason was that they were afraid that the noise would be too loud and attract attention, and would not attract thieves. In this year, keeping a low profile is the right choice.

He Daqing was surprised to see the dazzling array of ingredients in the kitchen. Chicken, duck, fish, beef, mutton, and even green vegetables. Green vegetables were a rare commodity in the winter.

He didn't expect his son to live such a rich life. He was also a cook, and his cooking skills were better than his son's, but he had to support the White Widow's family. Under such circumstances this year, he could only eat about 80% full. And they only ate coarse grains. As for meat, he could only sneak a little while cooking. Forget about the family.

He Daqing asked in confusion: "Zhu Zi, how did you get all these ingredients?"

He Yuzhu said, "Dad, your son is now the canteen director. This year, I took a team to the Northeast to transport food. I went to Inner Mongolia to transport beef and mutton. I went to Tianjin to transport seafood. You don't know that mutton is cheap in Inner Mongolia. You can buy a big fat sheep for 14 yuan, and beef is cents per pound. I brought some meat back to my family. Isn't it too much?"

He Daqing nodded expressionlessly.

He Yuzhu continued, "I'm not short of money. My salary is 56 yuan a month, plus a 10 yuan position subsidy. My wife gets two salaries, and the tavern also has dividends. Dad, why don't you come back? I happen to have a work quota for the steel mill, and I'll give you one. As the saying goes, mutton can never be attached to a dog. You work hard to support those two cheap sons, but when you are old and can't move, can they provide for your retirement? I tell you, your biological sons are still responsible for your retirement."

This was the main reason why He Yuzhu called He Daqing back. After Yi Zhonghai's trouble, he felt that his family was too weak and he had to get his father back.

There is strength in numbers, and He Daqing is not an easy person to get along with, otherwise Yi Zhonghai would not have regarded him as a thorn in his side and gone to such great lengths to drive him out of the capital.

He Yuzhu continued to deceive him, "After you come back, work won't be a problem, and you'll have a place to live. If you want a wife, I have no objection to finding a younger one who can give me a younger brother. The White Widow is old and ugly, what's there for you to miss?"

He Daqing: "Then there won't be any problems with our family background, right?"

He Yuzhu: "I've already thought about it. You just go to the neighborhood committee, take the initiative to admit your mistakes, and redefine your class status. We can take care of it. What can happen? Huizhen is the deputy director of the neighborhood committee. If she can help, you can put your mind at ease."

He Daqing thought to himself, as a native of Beijing, who would be willing to leave his hometown and live as a stranger in a foreign land unless he had no other choice? Wouldn't it be nice to live with your own children?

Besides, his son has made great progress now. At such a young age, he has become the canteen director. He may have a bright future. The family has no shortage of food or clothing. Their life is much better than his father's. With such a good life, who would still suffer in Baocheng?

He Yuzhu then told He Daqing the whole story of how Yi Zhonghai paid someone to intercept them on the way and tried to break Xu Huizhen's legs.

He Daqing heard this and immediately threw away the kitchen knife in his hand to pick up the old silver coin. He Yuzhu quickly comforted him and told him the subsequent handling results. It's New Year's Day, and He Daqing can't be allowed to make trouble. A gentleman's revenge is never too late. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

So He Daqing made up his mind. He said, "Okay, I'll go back and make some arrangements, get a divorce, and then come back to the capital."

He Yuzhu: "What will you do if that woman doesn't want to divorce? You should think of a solution as soon as possible. If it doesn't work, I'll find a few people to help you deal with them."

He Daqing: "No need, I have a way."

He Yuzhu realized that his goal had been achieved, so he changed the subject and said, "Dad, make more fried meatballs, braised beef, smoked Spanish mackerel and other cooked food and bring them back to the courtyard so that it will be convenient to eat."

The father and son were busy in the kitchen frying, stir-frying and cooking.

A sumptuous lunch was served. The four cold dishes were braised beef with soy sauce, smoked Spanish mackerel, cucumber with dried shrimps, and cold-mixed Chinese cabbage hearts. The six hot dishes were sea cucumber with scallions, braised prawns, braised yellow croaker, four-happiness meatballs, twice-cooked pork, and stir-fried celery.

Such dishes are not available to ordinary people. The family sat around the table, eating with smiles on their faces.

KunKun said in a baby voice, "It's delicious. Grandpa is awesome." These are the words Xu Huizhen often used to praise him, and today he put it into practice and used it on his grandfather.

He Daqing was so happy, "Good boy, since you like the food that grandpa cooks, grandpa will cook it for you often in the future."

Xu Huizhen understood what was going on when she heard this. The father and son had probably discussed it and He Daqing had decided to come back. If he wanted to come back, then he should come back. She didn't want to get involved in this matter.

After lunch, we started making dumplings. There were two kinds of fillings, one with beef and one with three fresh ingredients. The leeks and shrimps smelled very tempting.

Eat the one with three fresh fillings tonight, and the one with beef filling tomorrow morning.

The whole family joined in, some rolling the dough, some making dumplings, and even KunKun, the troublemaker, who could not do anything but came to join in the fun, got noodles all over his hands and face. In those days, he was not allowed to waste noodles like that.

Han Qingqiu carried him away and coaxed him to take a nap.

The wrapped dumplings are placed outdoors. In the cold winter weather, they freeze into quick-frozen dumplings in a short time.

After making the dumplings, He Daqing brought his family, young and old, and the dumplings back to the courtyard, chatting and laughing.

I also left some dumplings for Han Qingqiu, asking her to make them herself in the evening.