Chapter 33 Qin Huairu: Live and Learn

"Uh-huh!"

Qin Huairu nodded repeatedly. After all, her family had the best conditions.

This made Sister Hua and others shake their heads, thinking that you, Li Zhiguo, might not even be able to afford fifty cents.

"The seat is open!"

It's almost noon now and the food is about to be served. The pot has to be freed up, otherwise the chef will be too busy.

"Everyone find a good seat. There are ten people at a table. Children who can't use chopsticks can be held by adults so they don't take up seats."

"Da Mao, come over and serve the wine, don't hide there."

"Two servings of white flour per person. If it's not enough, add more. But don't waste it."

Yan Bugui shouted that he was the main person in charge and had to arrange the process.

The backyard suddenly became a mess, but fortunately everyone found a seat quickly.

Li Zhiguo set up two tables at home, and Sister Hua and other key workers went to the bedroom inside.

The three old men and the old lady in the courtyard were arranged to stay in the main hall outside.

They are all main tables, so they can order more dishes. If you sit at a table outside, you won’t be able to compete with those aunties.

"Uncle, it's almost time. Take a rest and have a couple more drinks."

Li Zhiguo did not treat Yan Bugui badly, otherwise he would not have been able to eat any hot food after he had served them.

"That's great!"

Yan Bugui smiled happily and hurried to the main table in the house to wait for the food to be served.

"It's time to serve the dish. Chicken stewed with mushrooms."

The aunties helping in the kitchen started serving the dishes. They had a separate table and didn't have to fight for a seat.

Over there, He Daqing and Sha Zhu were busy putting the dishes on plates with quick movements. The whole thing wouldn't have worked without this chef.

"Da Mao, come and get ready."

Li Zhiguo called this man up to stop the drinking.

"coming!"

Xu Damao looked numb, but had to give in.

Intermediate Courtyard, Jia Family!
The sewing machine was finally carried home. Liu Haizhong, who was watching the fun, was unlucky and was asked by Jia Zhang to borrow two cents.

Adding Jia Dongxu's own three cents, he collected fifty cents and gave them to the cart driver.

But this made Jia Zhang's neighbor, who had originally agreed to come for a drink, change his mind.

It was time for dinner, and there were only three people in the Jia family's room. The stove was still cold and had not been lit.

"Mom, Li Zhiguo can't do this. Why did he take people away? Why?"

Jia Dongxu couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears.

"Dongxu!"

Seeing her son like this, Jia Zhang also started crying.

Chen Bihua was also crying. She had just been scolded badly and accused of marriage fraud.

"Chen Bihua, your family is well-off, so why don't you have any money?"

Jia Zhang looked at her daughter-in-law and wondered if she was marrying her for fraud.

"Mom, I'm going to the city alone, how can I carry too much money with me?

I originally gave Dongxu two dollars, and he knew about it."

Chen Bihua made up excuses to avoid the question. She said her family's conditions were really poor. The walnut tree was real, but the walnuts were sold every year.

All the money was taken away by her brother's family, and she didn't get a penny left.

"Dongxu, where are the two dollars?"

Jia Zhang felt that her daughter-in-law did not lie, she just felt it was too embarrassing.

"Mom, didn't I give you the money? The day before yesterday you said you could pool money to hold a banquet."

Jia Dongxu also calmed down. The key now was to calculate the family's financial situation and see if he could still make ends meet.

"Oh, you mean the two dollars.

Mom leaves you four dollars for food every month, and you eat lunch at the factory. It's not even the end of the month yet, and you only have thirty cents left?"

Jia Zhang is such a stupid person, doesn't she know how to save some money?

"I eat white flour at noon so I can have energy to work."

Jia Dongxu didn't want to do that either, but after getting married he found that he was unable to do it.

"Oh, what should we do? Is this nine-dollar banquet going to be wasted?"

Although the dishes were still there, Jia Zhang felt heartbroken when she thought about not receiving any gifts.

"Mom, how about I change the wedding date to next Sunday? Anyway, it didn't happen today, so we can invite someone else."

Jia Dongxu has come to his senses a little bit. He knows that he can’t always make good people cry.

Jia Zhang's eyes lit up, "That's a good idea. The weather is cold and the meat won't go bad. Let's treat it again."

"Mom, we are out of money, and we can't keep the noodles and vegetables.

New Year’s Day is just a few days away, so we should have a good meal.”

Jia Dongxu smacked his lips. He hadn't eaten meat for a long time.

The last time I went on a blind date with Qin Huairu was at noon. It hurts my heart just thinking about it!
"Five pounds of meat and a chicken. We'll eat one pound of meat and half a chicken on New Year's Day, and the rest will be enough for the banquet.

As for vegetarian dishes, there are a lot of cabbages in Shazhu's cellar, so Mom can just go and find some when she has time."

Jia Zhang smacked her lips and suddenly smelled the aroma of meat.

"Dongxu, where do you think Li Zhiguo got the money to hold the banquet?"

"I don't know! I'll have to ask around later."

Jia Dongxu's eyes flickered, he also wanted to learn from Li Zhiguo.

When Chen Bihua heard this, she felt very disappointed. What kind of family did she marry into?

……

"Come on, come on, my brother Damao will toast to everyone on my behalf!"

Li Zhiguo now brought Xu Damao to the workers' tables.

"Hey, today is my brother's big day, I'm happy for him."

If Xu Damao hadn't been drunk, he would never have said this.

As a result, Xu Damao fell drunk before he finished the circle, and had to be carried back by Sha Zhu.

Li Zhiguo and Qin Huairu were finally able to take a break and eat together with the three aunts. Since there were four children at the table, they couldn't finish all the food on the table.

The ten yuan standard is not to be underestimated. There are six main dishes, including meat, fish and duck, and the portions are more than enough.

There was a half-meat scrambled eggs, and also a chicken stewed with mushrooms, which was considered a soup and also meat.

The two vegetarian dishes were fried with animal oil.

There were ten dishes in total. The plates were big and the table was small, so it was full.

"Mom, the meat is so delicious. When will Brother Li get married next time?"

A child bit the braised pork and was reluctant to swallow it because it was so delicious.

"Children's words are innocent. The child kept talking about eating meat."

Sun Erniang was a little embarrassed. Your brother Li intercepted her once. If he does it again, she won’t be able to bear it.

"Mom, the feast is really good, better than what we eat during the Chinese New Year."

Another child bit the meat hard, his mouth full of oil.

"If it tastes good, eat more. This meat is fat and will help you grow taller."

The old lady wanted to cry after hearing this, but her family conditions were like that.

Even if there are ten adults at a table, they can all enjoy the meal. What's more, there are children at every table, and in the end they find that they can't finish the dishes!
Li Zhiguo was not greedy for meat, so he ate a little and then went to walk around the table.

There is still some left in the big bowl, so we can save it for dinner.

"I'm sorry for not welcoming you! Everyone, enjoy your meal and drink."

Li Zhiguo lamented that he had gotten married early. If he had waited for two or three years, the food coupons would have been issued and the ration control would have been implemented. Even if he wanted to hold a wedding banquet, he would not have been able to get the staple food.

When he arrived at the inner room, the drunk Yi Zhonghai pulled him to sit at the main table.

Seeing this, Li Zhiguo simply shouted: "Those who haven't finished the dishes served at noon, pack them up. Clear the table, there are peanuts and sunflower seeds."

"Oh, I can pack it up! I have to go back to that basin. Wait, isn't the basin on the table mine?"

One lady's eyes lit up and she packed the food up to take home and eat it tomorrow.

"What a loss! I'm a single guy and I came here empty-handed. How can I pack?"

A worker sighed, saying that although the food was delicious, he didn't get his money's worth.

At the main table in the main hall, even the old lady drank half a cup, and Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were also drunk.

Yan Bugui, who was about to pass out from drunkenness, suddenly came to his senses and started packing quickly.

Li Zhiguo looked back and saw it, and exclaimed, "Wow!"

Looking at the He family father and son, they are still drinking calmly, but there is a big basin on the chopping board. They are all masters.

"Uncle, you'll have to come and settle the score later."

When Li Zhiguo saw Yan Bugui running towards the central courtyard at great speed with a basin in both hands, he shouted quickly.

"Don't worry, I'll call your uncle over later."

The third aunt also had a basin in her hand, and she ignored her four children and chased after her husband.

"Mom, where's my mom, woo woo..."

"Mom, where have you been?"

My goodness, there was more than one crying child at the scene.

Li Zhiguo had a headache and went over to pick up the crying little Yan Jiedi. She was just over one year old and could hardly walk steadily.

There was a lot of commotion in the backyard, and only a few empty plates were left on the table.

"Li Zhiguo, I didn't realize you could breastfeed a child."

Sister Hua brought the female workers over to joke around.

"I'll take care of these three aunts for a while."

Li Zhiguo rocked little Yan Jiedi in his hand. Perhaps because she saw how handsome he was, she stopped crying and making a fuss.

In the afternoon, Sister Hua and the other workers left and put away the five tables, so the backyard was less crowded.

When we had dinner at night, the standard cost for a table was three dollars, but there were also two meat dishes.

The staple food is Erhe noodles, which is corn flour mixed with white flour and fermented. It tastes much better than pure steamed corn bread.

Although it was far inferior to the meal at noon, it was not bad and everyone ate it all up.

Then each family carried the table and cleaned up the dishes and went back home.

At this time, Li Zhiguo was settling accounts with his third uncle and the He family father and son in the main hall.

In the afternoon, Yan Bugui finally couldn't hold it in anymore and went to sleep.

"This amount is seventeen dollars more than expected, and two dollars of it will be exchanged for flour to be sent to the old lady.

I paid back Lao He's money, and there is still fifteen dollars left. The account is here."

Yan Bugui pushed the frame of his glasses and said, "I made a lot of money today."

"That's great!"

He Daqing felt relieved after getting the money he had lent out.

Sha Zhu looked at it with envy, because this was the salary he had handed in!

"Li Zhiguo, how do you plan to spend these fifteen dollars?"

Yan Bugui asked the key point. I really didn't expect that I could make money in the end. It was mainly because my fellow workers were so generous.

Plus, Yi Zhonghai gave five dollars, which was unplanned.

"How about this!"

Li Zhiguo thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, you get two yuan as a writing fee, and I give you fifty cents as a subsidy for the material costs, so the registration book, pens and ink are also costs."

"This is good, this is good!"

Yan Bugui happily put away the two dollars and fifty cents. It was not considered profit, but the result of his hard work.

"I'll spend two dollars and a half on a load of coal and distribute it to everyone for today. I'll keep the remaining ten dollars to supplement my family income."

Li Zhiguo reached out and took the ten yuan, thinking his work was not in vain.

Yan Bugui and the He family father and son were stunned. It’s still you, you haven’t changed at all.

"Li Zhiguo, please at least give some to Sister Qin."

Sha Zhu stood up for Sister Qin and was still working outside.

"She's a woman, why would she need so much money? I'll keep it for now, and we'll come back when she runs out of money."

Li Zhiguo patted his purse and put the money in his pocket.

"you……"

Sha Zhu was very angry and felt sorry for Sister Qin!
"That's all for today, let's go! You all have to go to work tomorrow, go back and rest early."

As soon as Li Zhiguo said this, the three people at the scene felt bad. Yes, they had to go to work.

Wait, He Daqing suddenly remembered that he hadn’t found a job yet, which was even more miserable.

"Ding! The host successfully intercepted Jia Dongxu's wedding in Siheyuan."

"Reward evaluation in progress, reward host: the title of Handicraft Inventor."

In an instant, countless wonderful ideas popped up in Li Zhiguo's mind.

But once you think about it, you will find that none of them are useful. He said that this interception system is unreliable.

"Brother, why do you look unhappy?"

Qin Huairu finished her housework and saw her husband with a bitter face as soon as she entered the house.

"No, it's a happy day, how can I not be happy?"

Li Zhiguo responded with a smile that was uglier than crying, but fortunately he had a good mental state.

"Huai Ru, it's late, why don't you go to bed early with your husband!"

"Ok!"

Qin Huairu lowered her head and said, "Brother, I'll go get you some water to wash up."

"Okay, that's good!"

When Li Zhiguo woke up, the beauty had already gone to work.

He went to the kitchen and saw two layers of flour, two eggs and a dish of vegetables in the pot.

"Morning, Second Auntie!"

"Hey, you're not going to sleep in today, are you planning to go out and find a job?"

The second aunt hoped that Li Zhiguo would turn over a new leaf and become a good person after getting married.

"What kind of job are you looking for? My family is not short of money. You saw it yesterday. There were 15 tables of banquets. Is this something an ordinary family would dare to do?"

After hearing what Li Zhiguo said, if Second Aunt had not clearly remembered the crowdfunding for the banquet, she would have been almost stunned.

"You can complain all you want, seeing as how you can be so relaxed after having a child."

The second aunt was holding little Liu Guangfu, and there was also little Liu Guangtian who had not yet gone to school in the room.

"You're talking about children, it's too early, Qin Huairu and I plan to have a child in two years.

I am still a child and I need her to take care of me."

Li Zhiguo simply spoke out about this matter to prevent people from talking behind his back about his extinction.

"Oh, you are really a child."

Second Aunt couldn't do anything about this bad boy.

"Let's go! It's almost New Year's Day, Dashilan is bustling, I'm going to go take a look."

Li Zhiguo pushed his bicycle and walked away.

When we arrived at the central courtyard, we saw Jia Zhang still sewing shoe soles in the yard.

"Good morning, Jia Zhang."

"Bah, shameless!"

Jia Zhang turned her head away and muttered softly.

Li Zhiguo didn't care about this. He cheated people and didn't allow others to say a word.

"This kid, why is he going to look for Lao He? This He Daqing is the same. He clearly asked me to go to the movies before, but now he doesn't even bother to ask me out again."

Jia Zhang muttered to herself that He Daqing was not a good person either.

"Lao He, it's time to set off."

Li Zhiguo shouted towards the He family’s house.

He Daqing was stunned. Yesterday he had to call him Uncle He, but today he had to call him Old He. However, he had to go.

"I'm coming."

He Daqing came out of the house. As agreed, he would help him find his brother.

"Lao He, you know how to ride a bicycle, right? Take me with you."

It's not close to Qianmen Street, so it doesn't make sense for him to carry people there.

"Okay, I'll give you a ride."

He Daqing took the bicycle and the two of them walked outside.

"Hey, two unemployed men in our hospital, are they just wandering around?"

Jia Zhang couldn't help but mock.

He Daqing was not so shameless. He was afraid that others would bring up his work, so he immediately shouted, "Jia Zhang, shut up! Your Dongxu is holding a banquet, which is embarrassing. I dare to leave the hospital, do you dare?"

"Lao He, how can you talk like that? Who told you not to come to my house? This is all your fault."

Jia Zhang had a miserable look on her face. Didn't she just want to ease the relationship with the people in the courtyard so that she could hold another banquet in a few days?

"Shrew! I was blind at the beginning..."

He Daqing stopped talking quickly and didn't say what was really in his mind.

Li Zhiguo looked at the two of them. It couldn't be that as Jia Zhang said, He Daqing really had an appointment with someone else on a rainy day. This was quite a bold move.

He Daqing rode and carried Li Zhiguo on his back on the road. Both of them were unemployed, but their moods were completely different.

"Li Zhiguo, you really met my brother."

"No, Lao He, I just realized, do you really believe that you have a younger brother?"

Li Zhiguo was so focused on planning a banquet that day that he ignored other people's words.

He Daqing was facing forward, so he couldn't see his embarrassment. "Shazhu's grandfather ran away with a widow. I was still learning at Fengze Garden at that time."

"Oh my god, it turns out there's a widow in your family. No wonder you asked Jia Zhang to go to the movies with you."

Li Zhiguo finally found the source. Sha Zhu's bloodline was awakened.

"That's not the case. I'm still young, just 40 years old. I have to find a companion."

He Daqing's face turned a little red, but then he thought that you, Li Zhiguo, do have a wife, so you should be able to understand his suffering. It's cold in bed in winter.

"That's right. I agree that you should find one, Lao He. There are three uncles in our courtyard, Lao Xu, Lao Chen, and Lao Sun...

Which one of them doesn’t have a wife?”

Li Zhiguo is also a man, and he should not make things difficult for other men.

"You finally said something fair."

He Daqing suddenly felt that there was nothing wrong with Li Zhiguo's thinking, but his character was a little corrupt.

He Daqing chatted along the way, staring at the bicycle, but he was very tired, and finally arrived at Qianmen Street.

"Li Zhiguo, how can you help me find my brother now?"

"Simple, I was going to find it for you myself, but then I thought, aren't you already there?"

Li Zhiguo finally remembered the name of the man pulling the tricycle that day. It was Cai Quanwu. He knew that this name must have been given by He Daqing's father. He was trying to trick his son.

"How to say?"

He Daqing had no misunderstanding that he was joking. Li Zhiguo was a very bad guy.

"Yes, there is a tricycle in front, go over and say hello."

Li Zhiguo urged He Daqing to get off the car, and he walked over together holding on to his bicycle.

He Daqing also reacted and went up to him and shouted, "Have you eaten? How was your life today?"

"Oh, it's Lao Cai. I haven't seen you for just one day. How come you look older? If I remember correctly, you are only in your twenties, but you look like you are fifty."

This tricycle driver is also a man of few words and can insult others.

"What did you call me?"

He Daqing's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that Li Zhiguo was not lying.

"I'm calling you Old Cai, but you are actually Cai Quanwu, and you're still pretending to be me."

The tricycle driver had just finished a trip and was resting on the side of the road, also waiting for work.

"Then do you know where I live?"

He Daqing's words stunned the tricycle driver.

Li Zhiguo quickly stepped forward and explained: "Master, this is what happened. I hit him while riding my bike yesterday. He has some amnesia and can't find where he lives."

"Oh, how could this be possible? Cai Quanwu, you live in the compound in the small alley in front. You will know when you get there and ask."

The tricycle driver wanted to say something, but someone called for a taxi, so he had to leave first.

"Lao Cai, you still owe me a drink, don't forget it."

"Bah, do you really think I have lost my memory?"

He Daqing was very angry. This was a lie to his brother.

Coming back to his senses, "Li Zhiguo, my brother Cai Quanwu, does he really look exactly like me?"

"No, he just looks a little younger than you. Let's go and find him. My job is done."

Li Zhiguo still had to go to Chen Xueru to ask if the street office had given out any rewards. He had made a great contribution by catching the enemy spy.

"it is good!"

The two of them immediately followed what the man said and found the slum. As soon as they arrived, before they could even ask anything, they saw Cai Quanwu who was repairing a car.

Cai Quanwu felt someone coming in. He was stunned when he looked up. Tears filled his eyes instantly and he cried, "Dad, you are not dead yet!"

"Who is your father? I am your brother!"

He Daqing's eyes also turned red. No wonder Li Zhiguo said he was his younger brother. They looked exactly the same.

"my brother!"

Cai Quanwu was dumbfounded, "My brother died a long time ago. He looks different from you, but you are my father."

"Silly brother, you are as stupid as Sha Zhu."

He Daqing said this, but he ran up and hugged his silly brother and started crying.

"Brother, how did our father die? Why didn't you come home to check on him?"

"Are you really my brother?"

Cai Quanwu was hugged by someone who looked like him, and he didn't know where to put his hands.

Li Zhiguo couldn't stand it anymore and explained, "His name is He Daqing. His father ran away with a widow when he was young. That widow is your mother, right?"

"Ah! You are my father He Daqiang's son, my half brother."

"Yes, our father's name is He Daqiang."

Now it is confirmed that they have the same father.

It took a long time for both sides to explain themselves clearly.

It turned out that He Daqiang didn't run far back then. He lived in the outer city with Cai Quanwu's mother.

As a result, the whole family died during the war, leaving only Cai Quan alive.

The house I live in now is a small single room rented in a tenement complex, and the tricycle I ride to do work also belongs to someone else.

"Brother, you have such a hard life! Come on, follow me back to the courtyard. We have an ancestral house with two rooms. It's quite big."

He Daqing asked Cai Quanwu to pack up his things and return to the compound to recognize his ancestors.

Li Zhiguo was watching from the side and thought, now Shazhu's burden is a bit heavy. He has to work alone to support a family of four?

In the steel rolling mill, after a whole morning, Jia Dongxu always felt that someone was pointing fingers at him.

From time to time, people from outside workshops would come to visit, and Jia Dongxu knew very well that they were here to laugh at the joke.

"That's Jia Dongxu. Can't he even take out 50 cents?"

"How could this be false? I saw it with my own eyes. He had a wedding banquet with his wife, but there was not a single guest.

Li Zhiguo hosted 15 tables, and the scene was so lively. By the way, they are from the same courtyard. "

"What does his new wife look like? Can she compare to Qin Huairu?"

"Alas! It's hard to explain in words!"

Finally it was noon. Jia Dongxu did not move at his post. He waited until all the workers in the workshop left before he silently took out a lunch box.

After opening it, there were two steamed buns and some vegetarian dishes inside.

As if in a fit of anger, he took the steamed bread and took a big bite, only to find his mouth was full of crumbs, making it hard to swallow.

"Cough cough..."

Jia Dongxu was almost choked to death because he couldn't catch his breath, but he was also choked to the point that "tears and snot came out.

"Hey, Jia Dongxu, what did you eat? You're choking like this."

A worker just came back to get his lunch box.

"Ah, this is what you eat at noon, why do you bring your own steamed bread and cold dishes in the middle of winter?

Your family is out of money, but you can’t do this!”

"Your family has no money, but you still want to buy a sewing machine. Do you want to learn from Li Zhiguo? He is shameless, but he has a wife to support him..."

Seeing Jia Dongxu's murderous look, the worker dared not say anything else. He immediately went to the cafeteria and told the matter to others.

"Oh, I said Jia Dongxu was always active in eating, but why was he not active today? It turns out he brought his own steamed bread."

"Let's go, get some food and go to the workshop to see what's going on. There aren't many families buying sewing machines in our factory."

"Take me one, I don't even know what Jia Dongxu looks like."

The workers were eager to watch the fun, but when they ran back to the workshop, they found that Jia Dongxu was gone.

Jia Dongxu ran into the cement pipe outside the factory and hid there to eat.

He ate the steamed bread and cold dishes with tears in his eyes.

There was a chicken at home, which made Jia Dongxu think. He decided to bring it out when he went to work tomorrow morning and roast it for lunch.

……

Li Zhiguo was a little confused when he saw Cai Quanwu staring at the tricycle carrying He Daqing to the courtyard.

Is this finding a younger brother or a coachman?
Suddenly he realized that Cai Quanwu also found a widow with a child in the play "Under Zhengyang Gate".

The He family, three generations, four grown men, all fell into the hands of a widow?
Li Zhiguo shuddered, then he went to Xueru Silk Shop to find out whether his new clothes were ready.

New Year's Day is in two days, and 1953 is coming.

(End of this chapter)