Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

Hu Yingzi did not spend the past few years in the capital in vain. Following Xu Huizhen, she learned a lot about the "art of tea" through observation and observation.

Because Xu Huizhen had taken precautions in advance, she already knew the character of the Xu family. She could eat anything, but she could not suffer any loss.

After the men left, the three women continued to cook. Old Lady Xu did not do the cooking, she was just the supervisor. Hu Yingzi pretended to be flustered and clumsy, which made Qu Ling roll her eyes.

The family spent the New Year's Eve with their own thoughts. On the first day of the New Year, before dawn, Xu Jianshe and Xu Jianshe went door to door to wish the elders in the family a happy new year.

After daybreak, Hu Yingzi, led by Qu Ling, went out to pay New Year's greetings. This is the custom of celebrating the New Year in the countryside.

When the two brothers Xu Jianshe were alone together, they were quite embarrassed and didn't know what to say. As a result, after they went out, they happened to meet several sons of Xu's second uncle, Xu Jianmu, Xu Jianlin, and Xu Jiansen. So they went together to avoid being alone.

When they went to Uncle Xu's house, Xu Jianshe took advantage of the crowd and the lively chatter and said to him, "Uncle, the Beijing Steel Rolling Mill has a work quota of 400 yuan. Jianshou, do you want it? If you do, prepare some money and come with me after the New Year."

Uncle Xu excitedly shook Xu Jianshe's hand and shouted, "Jianshe, are you telling the truth?"

Xu Jianshe quickly gestured to him to keep quiet, and said, "Keep your voice down, everyone knows about it. There are too many people and too little meat, so maybe there will be no Jianshou. The steel mill is a good unit, and the workers have good welfare benefits. This quota can be sold for 600 yuan in Beijing. But when there is a good thing, I have to think about my brothers first, right?"

Uncle Xu nodded frantically and said, "My dear nephew, thank you. I want this quota, please don't give it to others. From now on, you are Jianshou's brother, and you must take good care of your brother when you go to the factory. Hehe."

The genes of the old Xu family are too strong. Every family has a litter of children, and there are more sons than daughters. Although people in the countryside like sons, having too many sons is also worrying. It will be difficult to find a wife in the future. Uncle Xu now has four sons and one daughter. In Xu Huizhen's memory, he will have to give birth to another son in the future.

Uncle Xu San saw that his eldest brother's two sons had become workers, and his second brother's eldest son, Xu Jianmu, had gone to the capital, while his second son, Jianlin, had become a clerk in the commune. He was very envious of them, as they were both cadres of varying degrees.

He only has the eldest son, who works as a farmer in the village. He has a group of younger brothers and sisters, all of whom are underage. It is certain that his family is poor.

There is a slogan in later generations: If you want to be rich, have fewer children and plant more trees! It really makes sense. If you have fewer children, you won’t be so poor! Why don’t people of this era know this truth?

This year is another year of disaster. I drink corn porridge every day, which makes my stomach so full that when I walk fast, I can hear the sound of water in my stomach "clang, clang". After peeing twice, my stomach is empty. Only those who are hungry know how it feels to be hungry.

Now that his dear nephew has brought him such good news, it is like a big pie falling from the sky, filled with meat. How can he not accept it?

After the New Year's greetings left, he couldn't wait to tell his wife about this: "Mother, I have good news for you. Jianshe found a job for our eldest son in a steel mill. It costs 400 yuan to buy it."

Aunt Xu slapped her thigh and said, "That's great!" Then she changed her mind and frowned again, "Dad, what should we do if we don't have that much money?"

Uncle Xu: "If you don't have money, go out and borrow it! After becoming a worker, you will get a salary every month. Are you still worried that you can't pay it back? Jianshe said that this job quota can be sold for 600 yuan."

Aunt Xu was very talkative. "Really? I really have to thank Jianshe very much."

Uncle Xu: "Keep your big mouth shut and don't go out and talk nonsense. If the fourth brother's family finds out, they might come and snatch it away. You'll cry then."

Aunt Xu quickly covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head repeatedly, indicating that she would not tell anyone.

Uncle Xu: "Please prepare some luggage for your son. He will leave with Jianshe in a few days. I'm going to borrow money. Hey, I'm so happy that I'm confused. Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year. It's unlucky to borrow money. Let's talk about it tomorrow. You have to go to your mother's house too. We won't lend it for free. I'll pay interest."

Xu Jianshou was an honest and decent child, not very tall, with a short stature. As the eldest child in the family, he had to endure hardships first and enjoy life later.

He brought his two younger brothers back home after paying New Year's greetings. The youngest brother was still young, only two years old, and was sleeping in bed.

His father called him over and told him about the job. The 18-year-old boy was so happy that tears welled up in his eyes. He wiped away the tears that could not be stopped and said, "Dad, I know our family is in trouble, and I will not let this money go to waste. You see, sister Jianmei went to the city and found a job for Jianmu soon. Brother Jianshe went to the city and found a job for me. After I go there, I will work hard. Maybe in a few years, I can find a job for my second brother."

Uncle Xu nodded vigorously. It must be said that the father and son thought the problem was too simple. It is not so easy to find a job. If Xu Huizhen hadn't helped, no one would have a job.

Uncle Xu also warned, "By the way, big brother, don't search blindly when you go out. Otherwise, if others find out, they will come to Jianshe to ask for work, which will be troublesome. Don't tell your brothers and sisters about this either. They are young and can't keep their mouths shut."

Xu Jianshou: "Don't worry, Dad, I know what's going on."

Uncle Xu: "When you go to the city, you won't be familiar with the place. Listen to your brother Jianshe. Jianshe is a good kid. He thought of you first when something good happened."

The father and son chattered to each other, looking forward to a bright future.

Xu Jianshe was lying in bed to catch up on his sleep. Every year during the Chinese New Year, he basically couldn't sleep on New Year's Eve. At midnight, someone would set off firecrackers "boom, bang", making it difficult for him to sleep. He would get up before dawn to pay New Year's greetings.

At around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, there was a loud clacking sound on the back window of Xu Jianshe's house, and then someone shouted, "Brother Jianshe, come out."

Xu Jianshe said to his wife, "I'll go out and take a look. It might be my childhood friend who wants to play with me."

When he came out, it was Xu Jianshou. He was grinning so much that his mouth stretched to his ears. He pulled Xu Jianshou to the foot of the wall, took out two roasted sweet potatoes from his arms, and said, "Brother, here are the sweet potatoes with cowpea flour. They are so delicious. I roasted them especially for you. You can't get such delicious sweet potatoes in the city. Hehe."

Xu Jianshe smiled and said, "Thank you, Jianshou."

Xu Jianshou blinked his eyes, trying to hold back his tears, and choked up as he said, "I have to thank you, really, brother. My father told me about the job. To be honest with you, I envy all my cousins ​​who have gone out to work one by one! But I also know how difficult it is to get a job nowadays. So I never expected that I could have a job."

As Xu Jianshou spoke, he raised his hand and wiped away his tears, and continued, "Among my father's four brothers, our family is the poorest. We have many children, and my father has no ability. Brother, you have an opportunity like this to think of me, and I remember your kindness in my heart. I won't say nice things, but from now on you will be my real brother, brothers in war, father and son in battle. When you need me, you can call on me. If I shrink back, I will not be raised by my parents."

Xu Jianshe patted him on the back and said, "Remember what you said today! Oh, by the way. Go back and tell Uncle San not to sell the family's grain just to raise money. This year is still a disaster year, and you can't buy food even if you have money. If you don't have enough money, raise as much as you can, and I'll find a way to help you with the rest."

Xu Jianshou's eyes lit up and he asked, "Brother, you have worked for so long, how much money have you saved?"

Xu Jianshe waved his hands and said, "Where do I have the money? I just spent it on getting married. My father doesn't give me any money. But my colleagues are all rich! People in the city get paid every month, so they have more money than us rural people. I'll lend it to you, but you have to pay it back after you get paid."

Xu Jianshou: "Yeah, thank you, brother. Oh, it would be nice if I could marry a city girl in the future."

Xu Jianshe glared: "You haven't even entered the city yet, and you're already thinking about your wife in the city?"

Xu Jianshou chuckled: "Is it not okay to just think about it? Who can't have a good wish?"