Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

When Cai Quanwu saw Xu Huizhen bought a new bicycle, he asked in confusion: "Doesn't the shopkeeper have a bicycle at home? Why did you buy another one?"

Xu Huizhen put down the bike and said mysteriously, "You don't understand this, do you? You don't need a ticket to buy a bike now. Next year, or at the latest, you need a ticket to buy one. At that time, if a young person wants to buy a bike for marriage and doesn't have a ticket, guess what will happen?"

Cai Quanwu: "You sold the bicycle to him?"

Xu Huizhen said proudly: "Yes, but the price has to go up, at least one hundred or eighty yuan?"

Cai Quanwu asked in surprise: "Really? Then I can buy one and keep it at home, waiting for the price to go up."

Xu Huizhen chuckled: "Believe me, it's right."

After Cai Quanwu returned home, he closed the door, found a roll of money from the crack in the wall, counted it, 110 yuan, but it was still not enough. He then found an old shoe from under the bed, pulled out a few bills from the sole, put them in his pocket, and left the house.

Cai Quanwu was also born in the year of the rat and hides money everywhere.

He went to the department store and looked at bicycles of different brands. He didn't know which one to buy. He looked left and right and it seemed that the one that Shopkeeper Xu bought was quite similar to this one. So he bought this one.

After buying the bicycle home, he used rags and old newspapers to wrap the bicycle from head to toe like a rice dumpling. Then he looked at his masterpiece with a silly smile, waiting for the price to go up. He couldn't let it get old, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sell it for a good price.

The tavern is still doing well. It's because it's too cold and there's no place to relax. Drinking in the tavern can warm you up, and you can also chat and listen to gossip. Since Xu Huizhen took over the tavern, she has been trustworthy and honest. She never mixes water into the wine, and recently added a few side dishes. It's hard not to think that the business is booming.

It was snowing outside again today. There was a fire in the pub, and it was warm.

Grandpa Niu came in with a head full of snowflakes, saying, "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. Next year will definitely be a bumper year."

Everyone agreed: "Master Niu, you are wise." Master Niu turned around and found that there were no seats left. Qiangzi stood up and gave his seat to Master Niu. Those who only wanted to drink and not eat squatted in the corner. Alas, people are divided into different classes everywhere.

Street cadre Fan Jinyou has been going to the tavern every now and then recently, and he has some feelings for Xu Huizhen. He sees that elementary school teacher Xu Hesheng also seems to like Xu Huizhen.

So she started to attack Teacher Xu. She said, "Teacher Xu, I usually respect you because you are a teacher. But as a teacher, it's not good for you to come to the pub to drink every day, right?"

Teacher Xu: "Then why don't you come?"

Fan Jinyou: "I am a street cadre, and I came to experience life at the grassroots level. You said that the students in the alley were watching you. You came to the tavern with such a big reputation. I guess everyone knows what you are thinking."

After hearing what Fan Jinyou said, Xu Huizhen's eyes were like knives, sweeping over. Teacher Xu was not to be outdone, "Then why do you think you came here? Don't you think everyone knows it?"

Pian Yeer said: "If you ask me, Fan Jinyou is not as good as Teacher Xu. You have a fiancée."

Fan Jinyou immediately swore angrily, "I don't have a fiancée. If you don't believe me, you can go ask my old lady. I swear here that if I have a fiancée, let me be struck by lightning."

Xu Huizhen saw that the atmosphere was a bit tense, so she interrupted and said, "Everyone, stop arguing. Everyone who comes to my place is a guest. I'm a woman who runs a shop, and everyone comes to support me because they give me face and they also want to have fun. My father-in-law said that things in taverns have been like this throughout the dynasties. Take our tavern for example. When the Japanese came, my father-in-law closed the tavern without saying a word. When Fu Zuoyi came, the tavern was reopened!"

The film master said: "The shopkeeper is right."

Xu Huizhen continued: "Everyone, how did the Kuomintang lose? How was the Battle of Peiping-Tianjin fought? Peking was peacefully liberated, the People's Liberation Army crossed the Yangtze River, went south of the Yangtze River, and took over Hainan Island. These are all new things in our tavern! They are fun for us to have a drink and have a good time, right?"

Everyone echoed: "Yes!"

Xu Huizhen: "Now that we are liberated, life is better, and the money in our hands is not worth much, it is not shameful to drink a little wine with the money we earn, right? Do you think I am right?"

Pian Yeer: "Just because the shopkeeper is so eloquent, I'll give you another two taels."

Niu Ye: "Pian Ye, give me two taels too."

In order to ease the atmosphere, someone suggested: "Boss Xu, can you sing another song for us? What do you think?" Everyone cheered: "Sing one, sing one."

Xu Huizhen: "What's the point of me singing alone? How about this, it's snowing outside today, I'll say two lines of poetry about snow, and everyone can come up with the last two lines. Whoever comes up with the first one, I'll give him a plate of shrimps as a snack. What do you think?"

"Good! Good!" The cheers almost blew the roof off the house, and everyone was just having fun. A happy day is also a day, and an unhappy day is also a day, so why can't we spend an unhappy day happily, but must we spend a happy day unhappily?

Xu Huizhen cleared her throat and said, "Green ants make new wine, and a small red clay stove."

Xu Hesheng continued without hesitation: "The sky is about to snow in the evening, can you drink with me? This is "Asking Liu Nineteen" by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty." Everyone applauded.

Xu Huizhen: "Correct! Here, these are some snacks for you to eat with wine." At this time, Niu Ye spoke up: "Boss Xu, this is not fair. Xu Hesheng is a teacher with a high level of education. We can't compare with him. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, it's not fair. Shopkeeper Xu, please give another simple one. Teacher Xu, please don't say anything this time. Give the others a chance, okay?"

Xu Hesheng said happily: "Okay, I won't participate this time."

Pian Ye: "Boss, one more."

Xu Huizhen said, "I'm going to give you a riddle this time. You don't need much knowledge to guess a riddle, right? Whoever guesses it first will also be rewarded with a plate of dried shrimps. What do you think?"

"Good! Good!" There was a chorus of applause.

Xu Huizhen has a lot of brain teasers, riddles, jokes, etc. In the future, if you watch her videos on Tik Tok a few times, everyone on earth will know them. She said: "Four seasons are evergreen, name a city."

Everyone stared at each other, chattering. Xu Huizhen said, "Three minutes. If you can't guess it in three minutes, it's invalid!"

Pianerye suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "Changchun, Manager Xu, isn't that right?"

Xu Huizhen said with a smile: "Pianye, you are wise. Changchun is spring all year round, so doesn't that mean it is evergreen all year round?"

Pian Yeer said proudly: "I am from Northeast China, of course I know Changchun."

Qiangzi said, "Boss, give me another riddle."

Xu Huizhen: "Forget it, you guys are just trying to take advantage of me, aren't you?"

"The last one, the last one, the shopkeeper, come one, come one." Everyone started to make a noise. Xu Huizhen had no choice but to say, "Then come the last one. Teacher Xu and Mr. Pian will not participate this time. Everyone, listen carefully, this one is a bit difficult. Carry a gun to the toilet and name a city."

There was another round of scratching and whispering. Three minutes passed and no one guessed the answer. Xu Huizhen announced the answer with a smile: "Baoding! Why do you carry a gun to the toilet? To protect your butt!"

There was another burst of laughter, and the atmosphere in the tavern reached its climax.