Chapter 47 Xu Damao's Change
The third aunt thought, "You can't cook? Then why didn't Li Zhiguo look hungry when he was alone before? I was just lying to you."

But he just thought about it and said, "Xu Damao helped me make it. I didn't expect Xu Damao to be so virtuous."

"Ah! Xu Damao is so kind? I'll go back and take a look."

Even Qin Huairu found it unbelievable, let alone the other people in the courtyard.

Shazhu came back first and ran to the backyard.

"Hey, Xu Damao, you look like you have a young wife."

"Silly Zhu, you are insulting my personality! I am going to get married and practice my cooking skills to help my brother. He is sick and can't cook."

Xu Damao can't handle Li Zhiguo, so how can he beat Sha Zhu?

As expected, Sha Zhu was stunned. Yes, Xu Damao had a girlfriend. Among the four most progressive young people in the hospital, he was the only one who was single.

"Then why are you leaving your own house to come to Li Zhiguo? You are also sick!"

Sha Zhu is a very harsh talker, and he has a lot of things to say.

Xu Damao was wearing an apron and wrapping dumplings. He had three pounds of flour, and he was kneading the dough and rolling out the dumpling wrappers. He also had to cook other dishes in the middle. He was almost done now.

He was just about to say he wanted to go back when he saw Qin Huairu coming back.

"Xu Damao, you really are helping in the kitchen at my house! Shazhu, you are here too."

Qin Huairu was confused by what she saw. It was because her man was popular in the hospital.

"Sister Qin, I'm here to help too."

Sha Zhu quickly washed his hands, stood next to Xu Damao, picked up the dumpling wrappers and started wrapping them.

"Thank you, silly!"

Qin Huairu felt that she was very happy because of her man.

"Why thank you? I'm just a cook. That's what I do all day."

Sha Zhu's mouth was split with joy, but his hands did not stop, he wrapped it well and quickly.

"Then you guys go ahead and take a look inside."

Qin Huairu went to find her man.

Xu Damao then whispered, "Shazhu, you really have some thoughts about Sister Qin!"

"Hey, don't say that. Li Zhiguo is also my brother. I can't help him.

What else did you cook? Let me take a look. Don’t let the taste be ruined and affect our sister Qin’s New Year’s Eve celebration!”

Sha Zhu is really fine. His father was willing to cook today, and tomorrow is Sunday, so he doesn't have to ride the tricycle and can just rest at home.

"Then you have to take a good look. I made bone soup, braised spareribs and pickled fish..."

Xu Damao thought that his mother and sister would have to taste it later, and with Sha Zhu's help, he also had to perform well.

"That's not bad. Li Zhiguo finally has some conscience and lets our sister Qin have a good meal. I'll also help her cook the dumplings."

Sha Zhu found an apron and put it on. When it comes to cooking, he is a professional.

Xu Damao thought to himself, you talk about Sister Qin all the time, you are such a fool!
With the addition of Shazhu, dinner can be served soon.

With Li Zhiguo's greeting, Qin Huairu packed two bowls of dumplings, giving one bowl each to Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, as well as a bowl of bone soup, so that no one's work would be in vain.

But you can’t stay home for dinner, that’s against the rules.

"Sister Qin, you are still the best."

Xu Damao's face was full of smiles. He hated Li Zhiguo to the core, but he really couldn't find any fault with Sister Qin.

"Sister Qin, you are so nice."

Sha Zhu was so happy holding the bowl that he didn't know what to do. After he brought it home, he didn't let anyone touch it. He finished it slowly by himself and it took him a long time.

"Brother, you are so stingy. We have dumplings to eat at home too."

He Yushui was unhappy, as she wanted to try Xu Damao's cooking.

"What do you know, kid? This bowl of dumplings is different."

Shazhu was too lazy to argue with his sister as it was a festive occasion.

On the other side, Xu Damao watched his sister eat the dumplings and asked quickly, "Are they delicious? Your brother personally chopped the stuffing, seasoned the ingredients, and wrapped them himself."

"Mmm, delicious, bro you are awesome."

Xu Fengling ate another dumpling, and her little face became round.

"Try this soup. It's been simmered for more than two hours. It's delicious."

When Xu Damao saw his sister drink the soup and enjoy it, he felt happy immediately, thinking that his hard work for half the afternoon was not in vain.

……

"Huai Ru, you have to eat more and give me a big fat boy next year. By the way, is your period here?"

Li Zhiguo calculated the time and thought that she might already be pregnant.

"Just in these few days. If it doesn't come, I'll go to the hospital for a check-up."

Qin Huairu touched her belly and felt that she was definitely pregnant. She had dreamed of Guanyin, the Goddess of Childbirth, for the past two nights.

"Okay, okay, if you get pregnant, call our mom over, and let her take care of the housework and cooking from now on."

Li Zhiguo inexplicably thought of his father-in-law who had never cooked, and his two brothers-in-law who could only serve dishes and do odd jobs. If he called his mother-in-law away, wouldn't it make life difficult for the Qin family?

"It's still early. Besides, I don't need anyone to take care of me since I've just gotten pregnant. My family is busy in the spring, so it won't be too late to ask my mother to come to the city after May."

Qin Huairu was telling the truth. The schools in the village now have summer and autumn harvest holidays, which last for nearly half a month, so that the children can go back to do farm work.

"Okay, then I'll ask Second Aunt and the others to help."

Li Zhiguo had other ideas. All the aunts in the courtyard were capable of giving birth. The second aunt had given birth to three boys in a row, so she had experience.

Besides, his wife's physique shows that she is good at giving birth.

"Try this soup. It's made with specially bought large bones."

“It’s delicious and fragrant!”

Qin Huairu took two big gulps and ate the ribs in the bowl, but she still couldn't help but say, "Brother, it's not worth buying bones and ribs."

"Pork ribs are delicious, and these big bones are nutritious when stewed into soup."

Li Zhiguo shook his head. Even though buying large bones would be a loss, if you wait any longer you won’t be able to buy them. You will need a certificate from the hospital to buy them, including pig livers.

However, when it comes to pork bones, the most fragile ones are the neck bones. The meat there is even more tender than the front chops, but it is not very easy to buy.

"Huai Ru, eat more fish meat. I'll go fishing tomorrow."

"Well, our New Year's Eve dinner is so sumptuous."

Seeing that he was eating so much, Qin Huairu couldn't hold back and ate until she was full.

Today, the fragrance of food wafts through every household in the courtyard; even the Jia family is eating meat.

"Dongxu, bring the dustpan over here. Today is the Little New Year, and Mom needs to get some flour."

Jia Zhang couldn't pick it up when she stood up, so she asked her son for help.

"Mom, Bihua might be pregnant. She will go to the hospital for a checkup after the New Year. She needs to eat well. You can just make do with the steamed bread first."

As Jia Dongxu spoke, he put the flour in his wife's bowl, and he also took two. There were still two steamed buns left in the winnowing basket, which he gave to his mother.

"Dongxu, it's understandable that your wife eats better after giving birth, but you can't just eat two servings of white flour."

Jia Zhang hasn't eaten white flour for a long time.

"Mom, I have to go to work and earn money. I can't lack nutrition."

Jia Dongxu picked up the white flour and took a bite. It was much more expensive than corn flour.

"oops!"

Jia Zhang couldn't do anything about her son, so she went to see her daughter-in-law, who had already started eating. This made her lose her appetite, so she left the table early and went for a walk outside.

"Ms. Jia Zhang, you are done eating now."

Sun Erniang lived next door and had just come out of the house. She left most of the dumplings for the children and the old man.

"I've eaten well. I'm full for the sake of my appearance."

Jia Zhang was in a good mood. Xiaonian, you can't scold your son in the yard again, that would be so embarrassing.

"Oh, steamed white flour, then why not make dumplings? We should eat dumplings today."

Sun Erniang found it strange that this was against custom.

"It's because my wife is clumsy and doesn't know how to wrap. I'll let her learn it next year.

My wife is probably pregnant, and it will definitely be a big fat boy."

Jia Zhang started boasting that the Jia family had descendants, unlike Old Yi who would always be a family without a son no matter how much money he made.

"Qin Huairu and your wife married into the courtyard one after the other, and it is estimated that they will give birth to children by the same time."

Although Sun Erniang could get along well with Jia Zhangshi, she always disliked the Jia family.

The Jia family pretends to have more food and clothes than they can ever finish all the time, but in the end they are still poor and can't even afford to buy fresh meat to make dumplings.

"Qin Huairu is still working. She will have her own hard life in the future. Unlike my daughter-in-law, she will enjoy a good life after marrying in. I will help her take care of the children in the future."

Jia Zhangshi has always been upset that Qin Huairu did not marry into the Jia family.

Seeing that Sun Erniang did not respond, she continued, "Don't be fooled by Li Zhiguo's current glory. It was sweet at first but bitter later. You can tell at a glance that he is not a man who can live a normal life."

"Jia Zhang, please don't say that. Li Zhiguo still has a job. He can go back to work when he recovers from his illness."

Sun Erniang attacked the person directly, and then spread the news that the Jia family did not eat dumplings during the New Year's Eve.

"The Jia family didn't receive our gifts, so they are poor. Now I think Li Zhiguo has a solution."

"That's right, Jia Zhang just wants us to be poor so that her Jia family can become rich. How can such a good thing happen?"

"If we don't give her gifts, her family will have a hard time. They keep talking about Qin Huairu. At least she is with Li Zhiguo and can eat hot dumplings."

Central Courtyard, He family!
He Daqing was already washing his feet. This was muddy water, which had been used by He Yushui.

After washing, he gave it to his younger brother Cai Quanwu. When it was finally Sha Zhu's turn, the water had almost turned into ink.

Sha Zhu pinched his nose and poured out the foot washing water, at least to get another bucket.

He Yushui went to the next room to sleep.

When Shazhu returned to the room, there were already two old men lying on the bed, snoring loudly.

"Oh! I can't live like this. I have to buy a bed tomorrow."

Shazhu has mentioned it many times, but his father and uncle said that it would be warmer if the three of them stayed together.

He had to make do with it tonight. Sha Zhu lay on his side on the bed, pulled the quilt to cover half of his body, looked out the window, and couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

……

Some people also set off firecrackers on New Year's Eve. The New Year is here and there is joy everywhere.

The courtyard house held out for a year, and with the support of its neighbors, it finally got the long-awaited advanced courtyard.

When Li Zhiguo learned about this, he was stunned for a long time, and in the end he could only sigh that he had contributed to it.

In a blink of an eye, New Year's Eve arrived. Because he had to go to work that day, he couldn't take his wife back to the countryside. However, the two of them went to the small courtyard left by his grandfather to celebrate the New Year and bring some warmth to the courtyard.

"Huai Ru, you didn't have your period this month. The doctor couldn't confirm it last time. Let's go to the hospital after the New Year."

Now employees and those who work for a company can see a doctor for free, and their family members can see a doctor at half price. Only the nutrition fee has to be paid by themselves.

"Well! Then shall we go back to the countryside tomorrow?"

Qin Huairu didn't really want to go back because she had to carry a lot of things to her parents' home.

"Forget it. The buses will not run tomorrow, so it's not very convenient to ride a bicycle. You're probably pregnant now. Let's just stay here for two days and come back to the hospital on the third day of the new year."

Li Zhiguo had already prepared New Year's goods, and the two of them enjoyed their own world.

"Jia Dongxu didn't go to work today. I heard he took his wife back to the countryside."

Qin Huairu mentioned this matter because she had always heard that Chen Bihua's family was well-off.

"Then he has to keep his eyes open."

Li Zhiguo smiled and said that Jia Dongxu was thinking too much if he wanted to plunder the Chen family.

Chen Bihua accepted a betrothal gift of five yuan and married into the Jia family. It would be strange if there were no problems.

"I guess Jia Dongxu is still wandering around Chenjiabazi. He can't run away even if he wants to in the countryside."

Li Zhiguo said as he turned his neck to the side and asked Qin Huairu to rub his back thoroughly. Tomorrow is the Spring Festival, and it’s time to get rid of the old and welcome the new.

……

"Dongxu, it's cold outside, come inside quickly."

Chen Bihua's screams rang out.

"Come here!"

After dinner, Jia Dongxu wandered around the dam. His face turned red from the cold. He wanted to run away, but he couldn't.

Turning around, I saw a few small houses with green tiles. They were really nice, but they belonged to Chen Bihua's eldest brother.

The Chen family’s old house consists of three thatched huts connected by small green tiles.

The walnut tree is real, and it's right behind the house, but there are no walnuts now.

"Uncle, come and wash your face."

Father Chen looked very polite. It was not easy for his daughter to get married and it was too high a marriage.

"okay!"

Jia Dongxu took a black face towel and felt something smelled wrong as soon as he put it on his face.

When he saw his father-in-law put his feet into the bucket, he suddenly felt uncomfortable. He used the same bucket to wash his face and feet!
It was getting dark, and Jia Dongxu couldn't agree with his father-in-law, so he returned to his room early. As soon as he lay on the bed, he felt uncomfortable.

"Bihua, are all the conditions in the countryside like this?"

"Dongxu, my family's conditions are already pretty good. We live off the mountains and can find a lot of mountain products throughout the year.

It was because my brother wanted to split up the family business, got married, and built a new house that he emptied out the family fortune.”

Chen Bihua didn't tell all lies, it's just that her sister-in-law is very powerful.

"Oh, then Li Zhiguo is also very hardworking, running to the countryside whenever he has nothing to do.

When we leave, let’s take some extra things back so we can envy him.”

Jia Dongxu felt much better when he thought about this.

"Well, don't worry, my parents are prepared."

"Then we're leaving tomorrow?"

Jia Dongxu wants to go back, home is the best place.

"I can't leave. There are no buses on the first and second days of the Chinese New Year. I can only go back on the third day.

I saw you barely moved your chopsticks when we were eating just now. Are you not used to it?"

Chen Bihua was also very embarrassed because she did not inform her family in advance, her parents did not prepare anything, and the food was a little bad.

"No, I've been traveling all day, I'm not hungry."

It’s hard for Jia Dongxu to say. Doesn’t it mean that he doesn’t want to eat it? He has to dare to eat it. Rat meat stewed with radish, what kind of dish is this?

After a hard night, Jia Dongxu woke up early the next day and saw his mother-in-law washing vegetables. The bucket looked familiar.
(End of this chapter)