Siheyuan: Walking the Path of Qin Huairu

After returning to Sijiucheng smoothly, Xu Huizhen entered the house through the back door. Since the public-private partnership, the moon gate between the front and back yards has been locked, and only Xu Huizhen has the key. The backyard is her private territory, and no one is allowed to enter or leave at will.

Now that Hu Yingzi was at home, it was not convenient for her to take things out of the space. Before entering the house, she looked around and took out three torn sacks and two baskets from the space while there was no one at the entrance of the alley. The sacks contained shellfish and the baskets contained fresh fish and shrimp.

Then he opened the door and called Yingzi to come out to help. Yingzi came out of the house and saw so many seafood. She asked in surprise: "Sister, how did you get so many fish and shrimps?"

Xu Huizhen said unhappily, "Don't ask questions that shouldn't be asked. Just have something to eat."

Hu Yingzi's eyes lit up when she saw so much food, and she responded readily: "Okay, I won't ask." The two of them worked together to carry the goods into the yard and closed the door again.

Xu Huizhen asked, "Is Li'er asleep?"

Hu Yingzi: "I just coaxed her to sleep."

Xu Hui really wanted to send Yingzi away, so she said, "Go to the team and ask Xu Jianshe to come over for dinner tonight. We'll have a seafood dinner tonight. Bring some seafood to Jianshe's master. How's your bicycle training going? Can you carry anything?"

Hu Yingzi smiled awkwardly: "Forget it. Don't let me smash such good fish and shrimp to pieces. I'll ask Brother Jianshe to come back and let him deliver it himself. He is his master, not mine."

Xu Huizhen rolled her eyes at him and said, "Look at you, you're so silly. Jianshe is your future husband. Only when he's well can you be well, don't you understand? There's a saying that goes, once a teacher, always a father. Only when you serve your master well can he teach you a skill."

Hu Yingzi chuckled: "Sister, whatever you say is right, so you should be more reasonable. After she wakes up, if she can't see anyone, she will cry a lot."

After Yingzi went out, Xu Huizhen put some of the various seafood in the kitchen and locked the rest in the warehouse. This way, Hu Yingzi didn't know the exact quantity and she could take it out as needed.

Seeing that Li'er was sleeping soundly, she went to the tavern. After entering the door, she saw Teacher Xu holding a newspaper and reciting with deep emotion. Others were listening attentively. She did not disturb Teacher Xu's interest and stood at the door without moving.

Listening carefully, Teacher Xu was reciting the poem "Blood-stained Style" which she wrote. Counting the date, it was probably published in the newspaper. She was very confident that this poem could be published because it captured the pulse of the times and also captured people's tears.

Teacher Xu's recitation was very affectionate and touching. Everyone was moved by his emotions, and some people even had tears in their eyes. Except for Teacher Xu's voice, the whole tavern was completely silent.

After the recitation, Xu Huizhen led the applause, and then there was a round of applause. Teacher Xu turned around and saw Xu Huizhen. He said enthusiastically: "Huizhen, you are back! The poem you wrote was published in today's evening paper. It is so good that I can't help but read it to everyone."

Xu Huizhen smiled and said, "Teacher Xu, you read really well. You expressed the emotions I wanted to express vividly."

Uncle Niu: "You are good at writing and reading! Our Zhengyang Gate produces talented people!" Then there was a round of applause.

Pian Ye used to be a shadow puppeteer. He sang in a very appropriate way: "There is a Zhengyang Gate in the world, and what kind of people came out of it..."

Many people sang along: "He has substance, he has appearance, he has ambition, he is upright and single-minded..."

This song has become popular in the tavern. People who often come to drink can sing it. Almost all of them learned it from Pian Ye, because Pian Ye always sings this song every time he appears on stage.

After the song was over, the atmosphere in the bar was set off, and everyone asked Xu Huizhen: "Manager Xu, please tell me, how did you write this touching poem?"

Xu Huizhen said shamelessly: "I, that was a true expression of my feelings. Think about it, how did we get to live a peaceful life now? It was earned by the volunteers fighting bloody battles on the front line! My gratitude to the volunteers is from the bottom of my heart, so I can write such a poem!"

Teacher Xu sat aside, with a fire in his eyes. He dared not stare at Xu Huizhen all the time, and could only pay attention to her vaguely. He felt mixed emotions in his heart: "This woman is too perfect, beautiful, versatile, and capable at work, just as good as men. But because she is too outstanding, she is getting further and further away from me."

Xu Huizhen didn't know what Teacher Xu was thinking. He found Cai Quanwu and the two of them came to the back door of the tavern. There was a small rectangular yard between the back door of the tavern and the backyard residence, where some wine jars and other sundries were usually placed.

Cai Quanwu: "Manager Xu, you're back?"

Xu Huizhen nodded and asked, "Cai Quanwu, is the house you used to live in now empty?"

Cai Quanwu: "It's empty."

Xu Huizhen: "Give me the key, I'll put the goods there tomorrow morning, and you and Qian Jinlai can go there to take over."

Cai Quanwu took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, took one of them off, and handed it to Xu Huizhen. He asked, "Is the price the same as last time?"

Xu Huizhen: "Yes, as for how much they sell, that's their business. By the way, let's go to my house to eat seafood tonight. Invite Jianmei and Mr. Li. Let's have some fun together."

"Then I'll go back and ask Jianmei to come over and help with the cooking. Or I'll go ask He Yuzhu to see if he's free."

Xu Huizhen: "That's fine. By the way, ask the steel mill if they want seafood. The fish this time are big and fresh. If you need samples, go to my kitchen and get them."

Zhao Yali saw Xu Huizhen's face full of smiles: "Huizhen, you're back? How is it? Did you gain anything?"

Xu Huizhen smiled brightly: "Is there anything I can't handle? Come early tomorrow morning and we'll give out benefits."

Zhao Yali: "That's great. You know I have eight sons, ten mouths to feed. Those brats are like hungry wolves when they see food. No matter how much food there is, it's not enough to fill their stomachs."

Xu Huizhen: "You are such a heroic mother. Raise them well, and when they grow up, they will be your support. If anyone dares to bully you, all seven heroes and eight tigers will fight together and beat them to a pulp!"

Zhao Yali smiled bitterly: "But you have to raise him first, right?"