Chapter 114

Two hours later, Li Zhiguo returned to the courtyard carrying the fish. It was already noon and he was not hungry at all.

"Oh, you caught another big fish..."

When the aunties in the yard saw him come back, they immediately made a fuss, as he had only been out for half the morning.

"Li Zhiguo, where is my Dongxu? Did he catch any fish?"

Jia Zhang came forward and looked at the big fish, she was very greedy.

"He and Uncle Three are still fishing there."

Li Zhiguo left in such a hurry that he forgot to ask about the situation of Dongxu brothers.

After chatting for a while, my mother-in-law came out. Well, the fish has been with him for two hours, it's time to put it in the pot.

"Mom, this fish is too big to eat in one meal. Let's fry it in a pan and make it into Tai'an fish."

He has the title of Sichuan cuisine chef and has cooking skills, but he just doesn't want to do it.

"Son-in-law, what is Tai'an fish?"

Qin's mother has already taken the fish. Her son-in-law is really talented. He can live better than other families just by fishing.

Having lived in the courtyard for so long, Qin's mother has roughly understood the situation of each household, and her son-in-law's family has the best conditions.

“Well, this is a local dish from the mountain city of Shuzhou, it’s actually Tuotuo fish.

Cut the fish into pieces, put starch in a bowl, then beat eggs and seasonings, mix well, put the fish in and coat with flour, then put it in a pan with oil.

After frying, the fish will keep for several days and you can cook it however you want.”

He didn't go into details, but his mother-in-law's cooking skills weren't good enough to make Sichuan cuisine, but she could fry fish well.

"I think Mom understands."

Mother Qin thought, isn’t it just like fried meatballs?

When they arrived at the backyard, Li Zhiguo suggested that he should process the fish. There were no young and strong people in the yard at that time, and the Dongxu brothers were all out.

"Mom will handle it. It's a handy thing."

Qin's mother was really capable. She started to deal with the fish scales with her hands. However, the fish was too big, so she had to borrow a machete to kill it.

Before long, the aroma of frying food wafted out of the Li family’s kitchen, spreading far away and making people salivate.

Jia Zhang stayed in the backyard and didn't leave. Even if she couldn't eat, she could just smell the fish. She hoped that Dongxu could also catch a big fish and come back.

Li Zhiguo had lunch at home, and after the excitement subsided, he suddenly felt tired.

I didn’t care about the bicycle anymore, as Yan Bugui would ride it back for me, so I just took a nap.

After Qin's mother fried the fish in the kitchen, she put it in a large basin and cooked it for dinner.

After three o'clock in the afternoon, after hearing the time on the radio, Second Aunt came to call for help.

"Huai Ru's mother, it's time to pick up the kids from school."

"Come here."

Seeing that her son-in-law was sleeping soundly, Qin's mother covered him with a quilt, then closed the door and left.

I followed the second aunt and other women in the yard to pick up the children. We talked and laughed along the way. It was nice.

Outside Dongzhimen, beside the moat.

Yan Bugui looked at the bucket next to him and saw three fish already in it. The largest one weighed about one kilogram. Although not as big as Li Zhiguo's, he still made a fortune.

Only then did he take out the steamed bread from his pocket and started eating it. It was not a loss.

"Uncle, why do you bring food with you?"

Jia Dongxu was hungry. It was already mid-afternoon and well past mealtime.

He did not come back empty-handed, as he caught a fish that was three fingers wide. However, it was too troublesome to grill it and it would not fill him up.

"You can't go fishing without dry food. Only Li Zhiguo can have food delivered to him. Why don't you go back and eat something? I'll help you watch the rod."

Yan Bugui decided to fish until dark before going back. There must be more big fish in this place, and it would be even better if he could persuade Jia Dongxu to leave.

"Uncle, I'm not hungry!"

Jia Dongxu turned his head, tightened his belt, stared at the water surface, and suddenly he had creative inspiration.

Let’s go fishing together.

You caught a long one.

I caught a short

"Brother-in-law..."

Xiao Jingru came back happily with her schoolbag on her back.

"Shh! Your brother-in-law is sleeping, don't wake him up."

Qin's mother quickly called the person over and went to her room next door.

"Jingru, do your homework. Auntie will cook dinner in a while. We'll have fish tonight."

"Auntie, I don't have any homework. The teacher didn't teach today. I'm going to go see my brother-in-law. I'll make sure I don't wake him up."

Xiao Jingru ran to the next door in a flash.

"This child..."

Mother Qin shook her head. At this time, all the housework had been done, so she went to the central courtyard to chat, which would help pass the time.

If she were in the village before, she would still be working in the fields. She would not be able to eat white flour even after working hard all day. But now that she is with her son-in-law, she has gained weight.

Xiao Jingru went into the house and hid the ten cents her brother-in-law gave her today in a book. Her sister never read books, so she couldn't find it.

It's good to just stay next to your brother-in-law.

……

In the evening, Qin Huairu came back from get off work. As soon as she entered the yard, she knew that her man had caught another big fish. A smile broke out on her face. Her man was really capable.

"Mom, do you need help?"

"It's almost ready. My son-in-law is tired from fishing and is still sleeping. Go wake him up and wash his face. It's time for dinner."

Qin's mother went to the market today and bought some tofu, and cooked it in fish soup, which was also delicious.

"Hey!"

Qin Huairu followed him to the main room. She was stunned when she entered the room. Not only was her husband asleep, but her sister was also lying there in a daze.

"Jingru, wake up, you're still tired from school."

As a result, Li Zhiguo woke up first. When he saw Xiao Jingru sleeping soundly in his arms, he said that he felt his body was getting heavier the more he slept.

"Shh! Wait until she goes to sleep."

Li Zhiguo made a gesture and said, "Little Jingru has had some baby fat on her face recently, so don't let her get fat. Get some sleep and eat less so you don't get hungry."

"Brother, this won't do. If he sleeps too long, I won't be able to coax him at night."

Qin Huairu meant something. How could she get the job done if she couldn't coax the person to sleep?

"Yes."

Li Zhiguo reacted and had to pat Xiao Jingru on the face to wake her up.

"Brother-in-law!"

Little Jingru opened her eyes and suddenly became alert. Children fall asleep quickly and go away even faster.

"Your sister is back, it's time to eat."

He took Xiao Jingru to wash her face, and when they returned to the room, they saw a large bowl of fish on the table. Even with just this one dish, it was enough to eat, and it was full of oil.

"Son-in-law, I've cooked a small portion of fish meat and a fish head soup. Bring it over right away."

Qin's mother was happy and ate good food every day, which was better than her life as a landlord in the past.

"That's great!"

Li Zhiguo took the wine glass and took a sip of half a liang of wine, which was just right for him to finish his meal half a day later.

The fish and tofu in the pot are stewed well, and the fried fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, but it uses a lot of oil.

Compared with staple food, edible oil will be more strictly controlled in the future. Each person will only have a few ounces per month, which is fatal.

It's September now, and he wants to stock up on things. It just so happens that he has some money now, so he can buy a lot of things and use the excuse of taking care of his wife during her confinement. This is understandable.

"Huai Ru, did you see the Third Uncle when you came back? He and Jia Dongxu were also fishing."

He finished the wine in the glass and then he remembered that the three of them went fishing and they had left behind two of their fishing friends.

"No, he hasn't come back yet."

Qin Huairu picked up a piece of tofu for her sister and followed the man's example, not letting her sister get fat.

"You guys continue eating. I'm full. I'm going to go take a look."

Li Zhiguo put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and quickly walked to the central courtyard.

"Hey, old lady, have you had dinner yet?"

As soon as I walked out of the corridor, I saw a deaf old lady sitting in the yard.

"Grandson, you've caught a big fish."

The deaf old lady was cheerful and always looked kind.

"Yes, I caught one. The fish has too many bones, so you can't eat it."

Li Zhiguo did not continue the conversation. If he was right, the old lady was probably thinking of finding someone to take care of Yi Zhonghai.

In any case, the old lady now relies on Yi Zhonghai for her retirement.

This kind of hard work should be left to the brothers, such as Brother Dongxu.

But in the old lady's opinion, brother Dongxu is definitely not good enough, but there is still Shazhu, who will bear the firepower first and let him live a peaceful life.

"well."

It was hard to tell what was on the deaf old lady's face.

"Madam, I have something else to do. We'll talk later."

Li Zhiguo slipped away and went to the old Jia's house across the street. He could come and go freely, just like returning home.

There were not many residents in the courtyard who visited each other, and even fewer who could come to the Jia family's house. He was the only regular visitor.

He lifted the door curtain and shouted, "Jia Zhang, have you eaten?"

"Hey, Li Zhiguo, you're here just in time. Dongxu hasn't come back from fishing yet."

Jia Zhang was holding the steamed bread in her hand and was thinking about eating fish.

"Hello, Brother Li."

Chen Bihua sat next to him with a big belly, also eating steamed bread, and there was only one unicorn on the table, cabbage and vermicelli, which was not bad. Li Zhiguo went over and sat next to Dongxu's wife, saying, "I left my bicycle there, it's okay if Dongxu and the third uncle come back later.

Let Dongxu learn to ride a bicycle tomorrow. We will have to buy one sooner or later. We all need to live a good life in the courtyard."

"Hey! Then you should teach Dongxu more. He is a few months younger than you, but you grew up together. You are the older brother."

Jia Zhang's face was full of smiles. She thought what the bad boy said was very nice. Her family would be able to buy a bicycle in the future.

"That's for sure. Dongxu is my brother."

Li Zhiguo just sat there and didn't leave. Yan Bugui and Jia Dongxu didn't come back either, so he couldn't ask about the situation even if he wanted to.

After a while, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had dinner. Jia Zhang was very efficient in cleaning up the dishes. She was actually capable of working, but she was just lazy.

"Li Zhiguo, sit here for a while and wait for Dongxu to come back so you can have a good chat with him."

Jia Zhang took the dishes and went out to wash them.

"Brother Li, can you teach me how to use the sewing machine?"

"Okay!"

Li Zhiguo hadn't used a sewing machine for a long time, so he wanted to get the hang of it.

He and Dongxu's wife were in the room, so they were not afraid of gossip. With such a big belly, she might give birth any day, so what else could they do?

After a while, Li Zhiguo stepped on the sewing machine and sewed a small piece of clothing himself as a sample for others.

Chen Bihua stood behind him and put her hand on the back of Li Ge'er's neck. Rubbing it would hurt.

Outside the house, Sun Erniang from next door also came out to wash dishes, and her eyes lit up when she saw the sink.

"Jia Zhang, you are washing the dishes by yourself again, where is your daughter-in-law?"

"She is inside greeting Li Zhiguo and they are chatting."

Jia Zhang was very happy. She saw that Li Zhiguo didn't go to other houses but liked to come to her house. It was a face-saving thing.

Sun Erniang paused for a moment and said, You are really relieved!

When Jia Zhang returned to the house, she saw her daughter-in-law rubbing Li Zhiguo's neck, but she didn't think it was a big deal. The bad boy was lazy to begin with, and now he could make clothes for her family, which was already a good thing.

"Li Zhiguo, you must be tired. Let me rub your shoulders for you."

Jia Zhangshi was strong and wanted to curry favor with Li Zhiguo. When she took up her post at the factory, she asked him to talk to the leader and arrange an easy job for her.

"That's not good. You're the elder."

Li Zhiguo said this, but he stopped what he was doing and leaned back in his chair.

"You are Dongxu's brother, and our two families have a good relationship."

Jia Zhang asked her daughter-in-law to stand aside. She stretched out her hands to massage Li Zhiguo's shoulders. This was at home and no one else could see.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, I can't believe you're so good at kneading."

Li Zhiguo leaned back in his chair and felt the force coming from his shoulders, just right.

Chen Bihua did not forget to rub people's necks. She also knew who she should please in order to have a good life in this courtyard.

Even her mother-in-law, who scolds everyone in the hospital every day, would occasionally say good things about Li Ge'er. Who could stop her?

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door, and Jia Dongxu came back with an excited look on his face, lifting the door curtain.

"Mom, Bihua, I... no, Li Zhiguo, why are you here?"

Jia Dongxu was confused. What did he see?
Li Zhiguo was sitting there, and his mother and wife were serving him and massaging his shoulders together?

"Dongxu, did you catch a fish?"

Li Zhiguo turned his head and said, "Oh, it's true. I got my hair done today."

“It’s not bad.”

When talking about fishing, Jia Dongxu smiled, raised his hand and said, "I caught three, the big one weighed two kilograms."

Jia Zhang hurried over to take the fish and said with a smile, "Dongxu, the fish won't last overnight, so stew it now. Listen to your brother more in the future, and you will have a good life."

"No, what should I listen to?"

Jia Dongxu felt that this was all Li Zhiguo's achievement.

Chen Bihua was also happy to see the fish.

"Okay, Dongxu, you keep busy. I'll go to the front yard to see if the third uncle has caught any fish."

Li Zhiguo stood up. The real boss was back and he had to leave. He didn’t expect that the Dongxu brothers were so lucky.

"I caught one, but it's not as big as mine."

Jia Dongxu looked very proud. The third uncle still wanted to compete with him, so he lost.

"Well! You go ahead and do your work. Send the fishing rod to my house tomorrow."

Li Zhiguo followed him and left. Fishing is a matter of luck, and everyone has bad luck sometimes.

When we got to the front yard and asked, we found out that Yan Bugui had caught five fish, the largest of which weighed one kilogram.

"Uncle, you can do this!"

"The place you picked is still good. Let's go fishing together next time when we are free."

Yan Bugui was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling. He felt that his day's work was not in vain.

"Okay! Please help me clean the bike and leave it at your house tonight. I'll come pick it up tomorrow."

Li Zhiguo took a look and prepared to go home.

"No problem, Uncle San will help you wash the car."

Yan Bugui happily saw the person off, then turned around and pushed his bicycle out.

"Boss, it's already dark, why are you still hanging out?"

The third aunt chased out of the house, with fish stewing in the pot.

"I'm practicing. This is a new bike."

Yan Bugui hurried out of the yard, rode his bicycle out for a stroll for half an hour before coming back. He made a lot of money today.

After eating the fish, I washed the bicycle in the yard and polished it until it was shiny and looked good.

……

The next day, Li Zhiguo went out after waking up. He first went to the street to settle the bill, and then went back to order two loads of coal to be delivered to his home.

Then I ordered 200 kilograms of flour, in large bags of 51 kilograms, exactly four bags.

There are also fifty kilograms of rice.

After that, they went to buy bottled liquor. The 1953 Red Star Erguotou could still be sold for several thousand yuan a bottle in later generations.

In his time, there will be gold everywhere in the next few decades, so he can't count all the money he makes, otherwise he will still end up with public-private partnership.

He buys wine now, basically for himself to drink.

In addition, when I have time to wander around, I will buy whole sheets of stamps and store them in my space. No matter whether they will be valuable in the future, I will buy them indiscriminately.

The primary consideration now is food, clothing, housing and transportation.

The house is big enough and there are two bicycles at home, so that's fine too.

He will continue to collect food. He has to let people know that he has these things at home so that they can occasionally take them out from the space to replenish the stock. Who knows whether they are true or false.

He strolled around for most of the day and didn't actually spend much money. Compared to what he earned, the current prices are really cheap.

"Sheru!"

When Li Zhiguo arrived at the silk shop, his concubine's belly was quite big, so he would take time out to come two or three times a week.

"Govern the country!"

Chen Xueru came over. She was also restless and was basically in the store all year round.

"Well! Help me choose ten pieces of cloth!"

He didn't know when the cloth coupons would be controlled, but he had to wear clothes anyway, so there was nothing wrong with having some extra cloth.

"Okay, what else do you want?"

Chen Xueru didn't ask why it was so much, and it didn't cost much.

"Not for now. You should try to stock up on some fine grains. If you don't sell them to make money, you can just eat them yourself."

He just said it casually, and he will deliver the food when the time comes.

"I'll listen to you. I'll let Chuntao make the arrangements later."

After Chen Xueru gave the instructions, she took the man shopping. She was pregnant and was not afraid of gossip.

As they were strolling around, it became late. It was a rare occasion that Li Zhiguo didn't go home for dinner.

"Zhiguo, my sister is about to give birth, do you want a boy or a girl?"

Chen Xueru herself wanted a boy to carry on the Li family line.

"That's fine. Don't worry about it. At worst, you can have a second child later."

Nowadays people value having many children and being blessed. He cannot go against the times and can afford to raise as many children as he wants.

"Ok!"

Then the two of them went out to eat and then watched a movie.

……

In the courtyard, Xiao Jingru had already gone to the front gate three times.

"Why hasn't my brother-in-law come back yet?"

"Your brother-in-law must have something wrong, don't worry."

Qin Huairu was really not worried because her man was popular and would not suffer any loss wherever he went.

By this time, Qin's mother had already cleaned up the dishes and left some food for her son-in-law.

"Huai Ru, today my son-in-law sent over 200 kilograms of food and two loads of coal back. Everyone in the courtyard says that our family is doing well."

Qin's mother was worried that the people in the courtyard would be jealous. Others were saving the noodles, so which family could store so much food?

"Let them talk, Mom. Don't think too much about it. The government will take care of it."

Qin Huairu now also eats white flour at the factory. Gradually, she has become less frugal, but she still feels sorry for the money.

"Hey!"

Qin's mother just asked one question and then went back to the kitchen, staring at the food for a long time, still not enough.

As long as you have food at home, you won’t be worried!
In the middle courtyard, the aunties gathered together and chatted again.

"You said Li Zhiguo suddenly bought grain today. Is there any news?"

(End of this chapter)