Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

Not long after Xu Huizhen returned home, Xu Jianmei brought Cai Quanwu over.

Xu Huizhen asked Cai Quanwu what he thought about this matter. Cai Quanwu said: "Anyway, I don't have any elderly people to support at home, so it's no problem to provide for Mr. Li in his old age. It's just a matter of having one more pair of chopsticks."

Xu Huizhen broke down the benefits of this matter and told the couple. "First, the capital is the best place, and every inch of land is worth a lot of money. With the increase in population, housing will definitely become increasingly scarce in the future. Your house is fine for the two of you now, but if you have more children in the future, it will not be able to accommodate you. Master Li has ten houses. As long as you take care of him in his old age, they will be yours, and you can have as many children as you want. Secondly, Jianmei's urban household registration has been settled, and the children's household registration is also urban household registration. Thirdly, Master Li came from the palace, and he may have antiques that have been passed down from the palace. As long as he has one or two of them, it will be enough for him to eat and drink, and he doesn't need your money at all. This is really a good thing that kills three birds with one stone. If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it in the future! Believe me!"

After hearing what Xu Huizhen said, Jianmei also understood the benefits. She glanced at Cai Quanwu and said, "Sister Huizhen, you are right. We will listen to you."

Xu Huizhen complained in her heart: Many years from now, when this house is worth hundreds of millions, you may have to thank my ancestors for eight generations!

Director Wang was also a man of action, and he went to Master Li's house the next day and told Master Li about the situation of Cai Quanwu and his wife. In order to facilitate this matter, Director Wang praised Cai Quanwu to the highest level.

She said: "This Cai Quanwu has no parents and is all alone. She used to be a slacker, but she is honest and trustworthy. She was spotted by the tavern manager Xu Huizhen and worked as a waiter in the tavern. After the public-private partnership, she became a formal employee of the tavern. Her new wife is Xu Huizhen's cousin, who is from the countryside. I have met her. She is a hardworking and capable person. She will have no problem taking care of your daily life."

Grandpa Li is old, and if no one takes care of him, he will have to go to a nursing home. The conditions in nursing homes of this era are naturally not very good, and there is no freedom.

After listening to Director Wang's words, Master Li thought to himself, "People who are loyal are usually butchers, and people who are unfaithful are usually scholars. People like Cai Quanwu who have worked in menial jobs are mostly reliable." So he asked Director Wang to bring people over so that he could take a look first.

Director Wang not only called Cai Quanwu and his wife, but also Xu Huizhen. One person for private, two for public, let her be a witness.

The yard of Mr. Li's house is a little different from other courtyards. It has a main house, a back house and an east wing, but no west wing, so the yard is very spacious. There is a small flower bed against the west wall with some flowers and plants planted in it, but it doesn't look well-maintained.

The group entered the main hall. Director Wang introduced the two parties. Master Li looked at the three people one by one with his eyes that had seen the vicissitudes of life.

Xu Huizhen was also looking at Master Li at this time. His skinny face was covered with wrinkles, and he had lost all his teeth except for a few front teeth. But his cloudy eyes were shrewd. Anyone who could get out of the palace alive was not an ordinary person.

Finally, Master Li looked at Cai Quanwu, who seemed to be an honest man, and asked, "Are you willing to take care of me, an old man, until the end of my life?"

Cai Quanwu nodded: "I will honor you like I honor my own parents."

Master Li turned his gaze to Xu Jianmei again: "Don't you dislike an old man like me?"

Xu Jianmei said: "What are you complaining about? Everyone gets old one day. Anyway, I don't have any parents-in-law and my parents are in my hometown. It's no problem for me to support you, an old man."

The couple were also very clear-minded. After entering the house and seeing Mr. Li's house, they were disgusted with their own two small houses. When they entered the house and looked at the furniture and furnishings, Jianmei, a country girl, had never seen them before. So their attitudes were very sincere. They couldn't let the duck fly away.

Mr. Li asked Director Wang, "What if the two of them are unfilial in the future, or put some rat poison in my food and send me to hell early?"

Director Wang quickly stated: "Our neighborhood committee will be responsible for supervision. We will come to see you every now and then. If there is anything wrong with them, please tell us. If these two children have bad character, I will not bring them here."

Cai Quanwu and Xu Jianmei also nodded repeatedly and said that they would never do anything that would harm others.

Finally, Master Li set his eyes on Xu Huizhen and said, "Are you the daughter-in-law of Master He?"

Xu Huizhen smiled and asked, "Master Li, do you know my old man?"

Mr. Li smiled, and the wrinkles on his face deepened. He said, "Of course I know her. Old He has good taste. He chose a very capable daughter-in-law."

Xu Huizhen: "Master Li, you are also a blessed person. Jianmei is my cousin. If she is not filial to you, I will not agree."

Director Wang: "These two people just got married. If they give you a big fat grandson next year, Grandpa Li can enjoy the happiness of family. If you are really worried, let them serve you for a while and observe them. Hearing is false, seeing is believing."

Master Li waved his hand and said, "Don't doubt people when you employ them. If you doubt them, don't employ them. I'm already this old, and my requirements are not high. I'm satisfied as long as I can have a bowl of hot soup and hot rice."

The matter was happily settled. Both parties signed the agreement, and Xu Huizhen and Director Wang were witnesses and also signed the agreement. The agreement was made in triplicate, with each party keeping one copy and the neighborhood committee keeping one copy for filing.

In this way, the couple moved into the wing room of Grandpa Li's house. Xu Jianmei showed her diligence and ability, and cleaned Grandpa Li's room from inside to outside, washing the clothes that needed to be washed and drying them. She took apart the quilts, washed the quilt covers, dried the cotton in the sun, and then beat it hard with a stick to make the cotton fluffier.

Even the warehouse full of miscellaneous items was kept neatly and tidy.

Xu Jianmei wanted to turn the flowerbed on the west side of the yard into a small vegetable garden, just like Xu Huizhen's family did. So she asked, "Godfather, I think the flowerbed is all barren. Why don't we plant some vegetables there so that we can eat them more conveniently? What do you think?"

Mr. Li was lying on a rocking chair, basking in the sun, and said lazily, "You decide. As long as I have something to eat, it's fine."

Xu Jianmei: "When it comes to growing vegetables, I'm really good at it. Godfather, just wait and see. I guarantee that I can grow better than my cousin."

He was also very satisfied with Xu Jianmei's performance and thought she was a person who knew how to live.

Xu Jianmei is the eldest daughter in the family. She has been taking care of her younger siblings and cooking since she was young. She can do all the housework. The food she cooks is also to the old man's taste. Although it is simple and there is no big fish or meat, it is at least clean and hygienic, and Grandpa Li can eat hot soup and hot rice. Moreover, the yard is also lively, no longer as dead as before.