Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

Aunt Xu said, "Okay, it's almost noon, I'll cook first and ask Jianshe to come over for lunch."

Xu Huizhen said: "Okay! Then I will help you cook."

Aunt Xu saw a large piece of meat in the basket and said, "Since we have meat, how about making dumplings stuffed with shepherd's purse for lunch? Shepherd's purse is so fresh in this season."

Xu Huizhen said, "Okay, you knead the dough and I'll chop the stuffing." The two began to work. Of course, they couldn't use only white flour, so Aunt Xu added a bucket of black flour and said embarrassedly, "I have five children, two adults, plus you and Jianshe. Who can afford to eat white flour?"

Xu Huizhen thought to herself, "You have more than five children. You also have a son who hasn't been born yet."

The two chatted while working. When Xu Huizhen was chopping the stuffing, she secretly added some meat. Seeing that there were guests at home, Xu Jiansen decided not to go out and volunteered to roll out the dumpling wrappers.

Soon, the children who went to school and the adults who went to work came back. Uncle Xu worked as an accountant in the village. The children were: Xu Jianmei, Xu Jianmu, Xu Jianlin, Xu Jianju, and Xu Jiansen.

Second Aunt Xu introduced Xu Huizhen to her family as her distant niece from her mother's family. The children were well-educated and all called her cousin. Everyone was excited to see that there was a good meal. Some helped to make dumplings, and some took the initiative to light the fire. There is strength in numbers. The dumplings were soon served on the table.

Jiansen also called Xu Jianshe over. Seeing Xu Jianshe, Xu Huizhen was overwhelmed with emotions, unable to express the pain in her heart. She blinked, trying to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.

To be honest, Xu Huizhen's feelings for Xu Jianshe are much deeper than her feelings for Hu Yingzi. Although Xu Jianshe was raised by Mr. Xu and was a little cowardly and a little foolishly filial, he was very good to Xu Huizhen and made up for her lack of maternal love with his deep fatherly love.

Find Xu Jianshe, bring him to her side, and change his fate in the previous life. This is also the main purpose of Xu Huizhen's return this time. If nothing unexpected happens, Xu Huizhen also wants to pair Hu Yingzi and Xu Jianshe. Hu Yingzi's personality is a little bit more aggressive, and she complements Xu Jianshe's personality. If both of them are weak and can be bullied, they will be eaten by the old Xu family. In the previous life, the two of them got along harmoniously.

Second Aunt Xu invited Xu Jianshe to sit down and eat, but Xu Jianshe quickly declined, as it was rare to eat at someone else's house these days. Xu Huizhen took a stool, pulled him to sit down, and said, "I told you to eat, so just eat. After dinner, I have something to tell you."

Dumplings cannot be eaten with one's stomach full, so Aunt Xu divided them according to each person's appetite. The children were all very sensible and did not fight over them. I guess they are like this on normal days.

Of course Xu Hui was treated specially, she got a full bowl. She thought she couldn't finish it herself, so she secretly gave some to Xu Jianshe.

Just as Xu Jianshe was about to refuse, Xu Huizhen extended her index finger and placed it to her lips, making a gesture of silence. Xu Jianshe had no choice but to eat the dumplings in silence.

After the children finished their respective dumplings, they scooped up a bowl of dumpling soup, gulped it down, then touched their stomachs and burped, looking like they were enjoying it very much.

After dinner, Xu Huizhen called Xu Jianshe to the inner room. Xu Jianshe was still very handsome when he was young, with a tall and thin figure. The pants he wore were half too short, probably those left over by his eldest brother.

Xu Huizhen repeated the same story she had told Aunt Xu. Xu Jianshe listened, blinked his innocent eyes and said, "Is it the old man I saved in the mountains that winter?" Xu Huizhen had just made up this excuse, but she didn't expect it to work. It really happened.

Looking at the 16-year-old boy in front of her, Xu Huizhen secretly made up her mind: You took care of me in the last life, so I will take care of you in this life. I wonder if your weak character can be saved?

Xu Huizhen said, "I will find a job for you when I return. I will write to Second Aunt when I have some idea. Don't tell your parents about this for the time being." Then she took out a pack of snacks and 20 yuan from her bag and handed them to him, "Hide this money. It's for the trip to Beijing. Save the snacks for when you're hungry."

Xu Jianshe was obviously overwhelmed by the sudden happiness. He took it with tears in his eyes and said with a sob: "Sister, you are so kind to me. Thank you."

Xu Huizhen: "I will be your sister from now on. You can come to me if you encounter any difficulties. You can also go to Second Aunt Xu. I will talk to her."

After seeing Xu Jianshe off, Xu Hui really wanted to go to Dongshan to have a look. She had nothing to do anyway, so she wanted to go out for a walk and revisit the old place.

Second Aunt Xu asked her eldest daughter Xu Jianmei to accompany her.

The two walked and chatted. Xu Huizhen found that Jianmei's brows were always frowning, and there seemed to be a sense of sadness in her expression. Xu Huizhen teased her: "Jianmei, you should smile more, you will be more beautiful when you smile." Jianmei pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly.

In her previous life, Xu Jianmei married a man who lived far away. She was unlucky and met a violent man. Many years later, her brothers became successful and helped her get a divorce. She returned to Xujiawan. At that time, one of her legs was already lame. The man would not let her bring her son back, so he only brought back a daughter. With the help of her brothers, her life was relatively smooth.

The mountains in March are already full of greenery. The air is also fresh, making people feel relaxed and happy. Xu Huizhen went up the mountain to see the current situation of Xujiawan and see if there is any way to increase the income of the relatives in Xujiawan so that they can have a certain ability to resist the disaster in the upcoming three-year disaster.

Dongshan is a continuous hill with a low altitude. There are no carnivores such as wolves, tigers and leopards in the mountains, only some herbivores, such as wild deer and goats. The most common ones are pheasants and rabbits. They can be seen everywhere, but they are very sensitive. It is not easy for ordinary people to catch them. Only experienced hunters can catch them.

There are many fruit trees planted in the terraced fields at the foot of the mountain. Now is the blooming season, with white pear blossoms, pink peach blossoms, and apple trees with green buds just sprouting, etc. It looks very beautiful from a distance.

Jianmei carried a backpack and a shovel on her shoulders, and dug up any edible wild vegetables she came across, which was the habit of farm children. Now was the lean season, and the vegetables planted in the fields had not yet grown, so she could only eat wild vegetables from the mountains.

Occasionally, you can hear the calls of pheasants, but you can't see any of them. Their mottled feathers are their protective color, and they are hidden in the weeds, making it difficult to distinguish them.

The two walked and talked all the way, and in a blink of an eye they arrived at Crescent Bay, which was also Xu Huizhen's destination.