Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

In the old days, Wang Xietang flew into the homes of ordinary people.

Nanluoguxiang used to be where the rich and powerful lived. Xu Huizhen remembered that the family of Wanrong, the last empress of the Qing Dynasty, lived in Nanluoguxiang. Now it has become a compound where ordinary people live.

The iron torrent of history is indestructible. The former dignitaries have disappeared into some unknown corner. The changes of the times have changed the fate of many people. The former high-ranking courtyards with red walls and white tiles are now a little shabby.

No. 95, Nanluoguxiang, the style of this gate should be Guangliang Gate, (Guangliang Gate is a kind of house gate in ancient architecture, belonging to the building-style architecture, second only to the palace gate in rank, and is the form of house gate adopted by officials of considerable rank.)

Today, the gate is no longer as majestic as it once was due to lack of maintenance, the paint is peeling, and the door panels have signs of bumps.

Walking into the first courtyard, I saw a row of houses with two east and west wing rooms. The third uncle Yan Bugui's family lived in the first courtyard. Didn't they say that the third uncle waited at the door every evening to pluck the geese? I didn't see him!

After passing the hanging flower gate, there is the second courtyard, and the main house opposite is He Yuzhu's house. Yu Shui was waiting at the door and warmly invited the two to come in.

There were already four people sitting in the main room. He Daqing came out of the kitchen and introduced them to each other. They were He Yuzhu's Sichuan chef and his wife, and the second and third uncles in the courtyard. No wonder the third uncle was not at the door, he sat here. The second and third uncles looked exactly like in the TV series.

The second uncle was fat with bangs, a big belly, and a face that smiled like a flower. The third uncle, Yan Bugui, was thin, gentle, and wore a pair of lame glasses with a pair of shrewd little eyes behind the lenses.

Xu Huizhen smiled and said to Master Wu, "Today I have met a top chef." She turned around and said hello to the two old men, "If you don't mind, you can go to my tavern to have a drink when you are free."

After the greetings, He Yuzhu began to serve the dishes. He Daqing introduced them slowly, "This dish is steamed chicken with mushrooms, this dish is braised abalone, and this dish is king prawns. These three dishes are representative dishes of Tan's cuisine. This is twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, and Dongpo pork elbow. These three dishes are Sichuan cuisine. Let's eat them while they are hot. I'll go to the kitchen to see if there are a few more dishes."

Wu Hai is a chef, so seeing these dishes is not surprising. The second and third uncles almost dropped their eyes into the plates, and their mouths were drooling.

It's not their fault that they don't have the willpower. In those days, meat had to be purchased with coupons, and the quota for one person was 8 liang per month, not to mention other high-end ingredients. Ordinary people really couldn't eat such a feast, absolutely couldn't eat it, and couldn't buy it even if they had money.

Looking at these dishes again, they are delicious, and I really made a profit today. If I don't eat more, I will be sorry for my stomach, which is prone to cramps. Xu Huizhen had eaten good food in modern times, but after coming here, her stomach was wronged and she was greedy. Fortunately, she could hold back, maintain her demeanor, and eat slowly.

Wu Hai took a bite of each dish and tasted it slowly, praising: "Old He, I haven't seen you for a few years. Your cooking skills have improved a lot!"

He Daqing brought up two more dishes: braised yellow croaker and yellow shrimp. He sat down and said, "I am satisfied to receive the praise from Chef Wu. Everyone, please don't be polite, eat, eat."

The second uncle hurriedly stuffed a few mouthfuls of food into his mouth. When his mouth was finally free, he said, "Da Qing spent a lot of money today. These ingredients must be hard to buy."

He Daqing: "Of course not. These yellow flowers, fish, shrimps, and fresh vegetables were all sent by Shopkeeper Xu Huizhen. You should thank Shopkeeper Xu for eating them."

Xu Huizhen said politely, "What a coincidence! Someone just gave it to me. Good things like this don't happen every day."

When Wu Hai heard this, he thought to himself: Before the Spring Festival, Hongxinglou had a batch of fresh vegetables, which attracted many customers. It's a pity that Cuihualou didn't have such a purchase channel. It seems that Manager Xu can provide some clues.

He Yuzhu brought scrambled eggs with tomatoes and fried saury. Ten dishes in total. Everyone ate, drank, and chatted.

At the Jia family, four people ate cornmeal steamed bread with boiled Chinese cabbage. The aroma from outside made it hard to swallow. Jia Dongxu's son, four-year-old Banggeng, cried with greed, "Grandma, I want to eat meat, delicious meat."

Look, the He family’s food made the children next door cry with envy.

Jia Zhang took out a large bowl and handed it to her daughter-in-law Qin Huairu: "The food made by the He family is so delicious, why don't they send some to the neighbors? Go to Sha Zhu to ask for some dishes for the children. Banggeng is in the growth stage and needs nutrition."

Qin Huairu said awkwardly: "Mom, it's okay at other times, but today the He family has guests, so it's not a good idea."

Jia Zhang glared at him with her triangular eyes: "You useless thing, just go when I tell you to. You don't have to go in, call Sha Zhu out and let him serve you."

Qin Huairu is still young, and Jia Dongxu is not dead yet. The White Lotus attribute has not been cultivated to the fullest. She took the bowl reluctantly and came to the door of the He family, "Shazhu, Shazhu, come out for a moment, I have something to talk to you about."

He Yuzhu came out in response, and Qin Huairu acted embarrassed and said, "Silly Zhu, Sister Qin can't help it. Banggeng is crying because of the delicious smell of your house. Just pick some food for me to comfort the child. Doesn't the child call you uncle every day?"

He Yuzhu was also in a dilemma. Today was different from the past. There were many guests at home. But seeing Qin Huairu's pitiful appearance, he couldn't bear it. He had no choice but to take the bowl and go into the house. Qin Huairu was secretly happy: "It worked."

In the room, He Yuzhu was about to put some food into his bowl when He Daqing snatched the bowl away, stood up, opened the door and walked out. He shouted, "This courtyard is becoming more and more unruly. When there are important guests at home, they actually come to beg for food. I don't know who has corrupted the atmosphere in the courtyard."

Xu Huizhen poked her head out of the house to watch the fun. Her yard was too deserted and there wasn't enough good stuff to watch.

Qin Huairu had a nice face with big breasts and a nice butt. She was indeed a pretty girl. Her eyes were full of tears, and she looked like a delicate and weak little wife. Which man wouldn't be moved? No wonder Sha Zhu couldn't escape from her palm.

Qin Huairu said tearfully, "Uncle He, Banggeng is crying because of his greed, and I can't do anything about it. Our family is not well off, and Dongxu is the only one earning money to support the whole family, leaving the child to suffer, wuwuwu..."

He Daqing saw some neighbors coming to watch the fun, and continued, "What do you mean the child is greedy? Look at this big bowl. Can a three-year-old child eat such a big bowl of rice? Who is the shameless greedy one?" After saying that, the bowl was smashed to pieces with a snap. More and more people gathered to watch the fun.

Qin Huairu was so ashamed that she covered her face and ran back home. Xu Huizhen complained in her heart: "This green tea attribute is natural, she is really good at acting!"

Jia Dongxu listened to the shouting and cursing outside and was too timid to say a word.

There was no other way, so Jia Zhang pushed the door open and came out: "He Daqing, what do you mean? My grandson is crying because of his greed. What's wrong with you giving him some food? If you don't want to give him food, then don't give him food. Why did you break my bowl? You have to compensate me for my bowl."

He Daqing: "Who spoiled you into this bad habit? Maybe it was some old man in this compound? Jia Dongxu, get out here. You can't afford to raise your own child, right? Do you want to change his surname to He?" I have to say that He Daqing has a sharp tongue. Why didn't He Yuzhu inherit his father's shrewdness and decisiveness?