Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

Director Li happily accepted all the seafood brought by Cai Quanwu, and he had no objection to the price Cai Quanwu offered. Finally, he asked, "Do you have any more fresh vegetables? The price is negotiable. It's Chinese New Year, and I have a few friends who need help."

Cai Quanwu thought to himself, "Smart people are everywhere, and Director Li is also a promising person. It's just that the quantity of vegetables is too small." So he had to say, "Fresh vegetables are in great demand. I'll try my best. If there are any, I'll ask Zhuzi to bring them to you."

Director Li nodded quickly: "Okay, okay! Zhuzi, you should be more careful. If you have any, give them to me immediately. I will be very useful." After that, he took out two boxes of Zhonghua cigarettes from the drawer and handed them to the two people, one box each. Cai Quanwu was not polite, he thanked him and put the cigarettes in his pocket. This cigarette is good, more expensive than Daqianmen.

After settling the bill at the finance office, Sha Zhu escorted Cai Quanwu to the front door. Cai Quanwu said, "Zhu Zi, go back to work. By the way, where do you live? I'll go visit you and your sister tonight."

Sha Zhu: "Uncle, I live at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, Hongxing Courtyard. I will cook two dishes tonight and let you taste my cooking skills."

Cai Quanwu: "That's great! I'm leaving first."

Let’s talk about Cai Quanwu’s good friend Li Shunfa. He and his wife Huang Cuihua have three children. Li Shunfa is the only one who earns money. Huang Cuihua usually stays at home to take care of the children and do housework. They live a very tight life.

A few days ago, Cai Quanwu found an opportunity for Huang Cuihua to make money, asking her to sell small fish and giving her commission. She had nothing to do anyway, so she decided to give it a try. Life was tight, and she dreamed of making money.

The couple discussed and decided to let their eldest son stay at home to look after the two younger ones. Li Shunfa rode his tricycle to deliver the goods to the market early in the morning and then went to work. Huang Cuihua was in charge of selling the goods herself.

In addition to regular markets in the old city, such as Chaoyang Market, Dongdan Market, etc., there are also many spontaneous pigeon markets. Pigeon markets are the product of the planned economy, and are a typical example of the policy from above and the countermeasures from below.

They are mainly farmers living around cities who have surplus agricultural and sideline products at home, such as vegetables, eggs, or firewood picked up from the mountains, fish caught in the water, and they sell them for some money to buy some oil, salt, sauce and vinegar for their families.

Or city residents may have unused items at home, so they barter and share what they have.

Up to now, although the unified purchase and sale system has been implemented, the surplus grain in the hands of farmers can be freely stored, used, and exchanged.

Generally speaking, the quantity is not large, and the government has not issued an explicit ban. Of course, if the quantity is huge, it will disrupt the unified purchase and sale system of grain, which is speculation and profiteering, and will be severely punished.

Anything exists only when there is demand. This pigeon market has existed for 20 to 30 years. After the reform and opening up, most of them have evolved into farmers' markets.

On the first day, Huang Cuihua brought 240 kilograms of fish to test the waters. Unlike Cai Quanwu, she was not as reluctant to speak. She smiled and said, "Auntie, do you want to buy some small fish? They are cheap and fresh. I will bring them back to my family to change their taste."

When they heard that it was cheap, the housewives who knew how to live gathered around to take a look. One of them said, "You're right. Eating Chinese cabbage and potatoes every day is a good change. Give me two pounds."

Huang Cuihua: "Look at my fish, it's all frozen into pieces, and there are shrimps in it. When stewing Chinese cabbage, put a few shrimps in it, it's so delicious! I'll weigh a piece for you, it's just over three pounds, okay?"

The old lady was also a straightforward person, and said, "Okay, you weigh one piece."

After the first one, there will be a second one. People started buying one after another, and when there was no one left, she would shout to attract more people.

Huang Cuihua had sold all the seafood she brought before noon. Touching the money in her pocket, she quickly calculated her commission, which was about two yuan. Two yuan earned in the morning was really a lot, and she was very satisfied. If she had such work every day, she would earn more money than her husband.

She packed up the basket of fish, put it on her shoulders, and hurried home. She was still a little worried about her three children at home.

When she got home, she saw that her eight-year-old son was taking good care of his younger siblings without crying or making a fuss. She sighed in her heart: "Alas, children of poor families have to grow up early."

In the evening, Cai Quanwu came to the Red Star Courtyard carrying a pound of meat, a bag of candy, fish, dried shrimps, kelp, etc.

Looking up, the wide and bright gate is very imposing. Although the paint is peeling in some places, it cannot conceal its former glory. There is also a pair of drum stones on both sides of the door, which are polished to a smooth finish, indicating that it has experienced the vicissitudes of life over the years.

As soon as he stepped into the yard, a middle-aged man wearing glasses and holding a watering can came towards him. Cai Quanwu was about to say hello when the middle-aged man exclaimed, "He Daqing! Are you He Daqing?"

Here it comes again, here it comes again. Cai Quanwu is speechless. How similar are he to He Daqing?

"I'm not He Daqing, I'm He Daqing's younger brother, and I'm here to look for He Yuzhu."

The middle-aged man looked as if he had suddenly realized something: "No wonder they look so similar. But I haven't heard that He Daqing has a younger brother?" Cai Quanwu didn't want to waste time talking to him. He took out a few pieces of candy from his pocket, handed them to him and said: "These candies are for the children at home to sweeten their mouths. Can you tell me where He Yuzhu lives?" Cai Quanwu has been out selling goods recently, and he has gained some experience and is very good at dealing with people.

The middle-aged man took the candy and smiled brightly: "Thank you! My name is Yan Bugui, and I'm the third uncle in this courtyard. Come on, I'll take you there."

Cai Quanwu followed Yan Bugui all the way to the second courtyard. Yan Bugui shouted to the main house: "Shazhu, come out quickly. There are guests in your house."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sha Zhu opened the door curtain and came out, followed by a little girl in her teens.

Sha Zhu said happily: "Second Uncle, you are here. Come in quickly. Yu Shui, call Second Uncle. Third Uncle thanks you." Then he lifted the door curtain and invited Cai Quanwu in.

Yan Bugui saw that Cai Quanwu had brought a lot of things, and guessed that Sha Zhu would definitely improve the food tonight, so he wanted to go in and have a bite. But since he was not invited, he could only stay away.

He turned around and was about to go home. At this time, the door of the east wing opened and a man in his forties walked out. The man said, "Uncle, who's here from Zhuzi's house?"

Yan Bugui: "He is said to be He Daqing's younger brother. Hey, he looks exactly like He Daqing. See you later, uncle."

The names of "first uncle", "second uncle" and "third uncle" were special names in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, the country had just been established and the situation was not stable. There were often enemy agents sabotaging the area. In order to facilitate management, the government selected several people with high moral integrity and both ability and integrity from the courtyards with a large population to be the uncles in charge. They were mainly responsible for conveying the spirit of the superiors, preventing the infiltration of enemy agents, and mediating minor disputes among neighbors.

Then three uncles were elected to manage the Hongxing Courtyard. They were Yi Zhonghai in the middle courtyard as the first uncle, Liu Haizhong in the back courtyard as the second uncle, and Yan Bugui in the front courtyard, known as the third uncle.

Uncle Yi Zhonghai was looking at Sha Zhu's family at this time, frowning and looking thoughtful.

Back at Sha Zhu's house, Sha Zhu asked Cai Quanwu to sit for a while while he went to the kitchen to cook some food. The meal would be ready soon. Cai Quanwu handed the food he brought to Sha Zhu: "I brought some seafood to give you two a dish."

Yu Shui stared at Cai Quanwu with her big eyes, not blinking: "Are you really my second uncle?" Cai Quanwu saw that the little girl was thin, sighed in his heart, took out a handful of candy, handed it to her and said: "Of course it's real."

Sha Zhu worked very quickly, and in a short while, four dishes were ready. The three of them sat down to eat. As expected of a chef from a steel mill, the dishes were good. The three of them were in high spirits. People who have experienced setbacks and hardships subconsciously want to keep each other warm.