Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 299
At noon, Xu Qing and his second brother Aiguo cooked lunch, stewed the prepared old hens, and brought them out of the kitchen.

Before the chicken was put into the pot to stew, Xu Qing used his ability to secretly divide the two old hens into small pieces when Aiguo went outside to get coal balls, and chopped the two old hens into small pieces. Put other vegetables, such as pieces, into the pot together.

All the food was packed in the front room. Hui Lihua drank rich chicken soup and ate the chicken with a happy face. She sat beside Ma Jinghong and said:

"Sister Jinghong, my sister, I will take advantage of you today."

Ma Jinghong looked at Hui Lihua with a smile, picked up a piece of chicken with chopsticks, and then put a piece into Yuyu's bowl.

He Yuyu was about to leave just now, but Xu Qing and Jing Hong asked him to stay and eat together.

Yuyu and Shazhu are close to Xu Qing's house. In the past, when Xu Qing was not at home, Aiguo, Fengming and the little girl often ate in Shazhu's house.

Xu Qing didn't mind that Yushui had a meal at home today.

Ma Jinghong and Xu Aiguo also thought it was nothing. The two families had a good relationship and there was no need to worry about such trivial matters.

Therefore, Xu Qing, his wife, his second brother, Hui Lihua and Yu Yu sat on the hot kang and had lunch together.

However, Silly Zhu from the Zhongyuan also cooked lunch in the house. When he saw that his sister Yuyu had not returned from Xu Qing's house in the backyard, he walked to the backyard with an economic cigarette in his mouth and his hands in his pockets to ask Yuyu to come home for dinner.

But when he walked into Xu Qing's house and saw Yushui eating chicken with Xu Qing, he didn't ask Yushui to go home, instead he grinned and said:

"Let me tell you, I smelled the aroma of chicken soup in your backyard from all the way in the middle courtyard. I thought it was the second uncle's family eating it, but I bet it was your stewed chicken."

After Silly Zhu finished speaking, seeing his sister Yu Yu eating so deliciously, he turned around and prepared to return to the middle courtyard alone.

Xu Qing said: "Brother Silly Zhu, don't rush away, drink a bowl of chicken soup."

Silly Zhu stopped and said with a smile on his face: "That's done."

Xu Qing scooped up a bowl of chicken soup with a spoon and handed it to Shazhu, who took it with his hand and drank it standing up.

Before taking two sips, Silly Zhu immediately smacked his lips and said:

"Qingzi, this chicken soup is not stewed very well. There is a little less peppercorns, and the heat of the stew is not well controlled. The taste is not good. Next time you stew it, tell me in advance, and I will get you some The condiments I prepared myself will definitely taste different."

Shazhu's experience in cooking is not comparable to that of ordinary people, and he can tell whether it is good or not after a taste.

When it comes to commenting, no matter who it is, speaking directly to the person, there is no so-called euphemism or subtlety, or pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Yushui saw that his elder brother had committed an old problem, so he hurriedly reminded him in a low voice:

"Brother, brother Xu Qing is not a chef, the chicken soup he stewed today is delicious."

Silly Zhu frowned when he heard Yushui's words:

"When you cook once, you have to make it right and presentable! Qingzi doesn't know much about it, but I understand."

Silly Zhu looked up at Xu Qing and said, "Qingzi, if you don't know anything from now on, just ask me."

Xu Qing smiled and nodded, not taking Sha Zhu's slightly harsh words to heart.

Over the years, he has gotten to know Shazhu very well. Shazhu is Shazhu. He is such a person. He cannot do things like flattery and he is very diligent in cooking.

In fact, it wasn't the first time that Xu Qing was told so by Sha Zhu, and in the compound, even if the big mother didn't cook well, Sha Zhu would still point out the problem face to face.

In front of the deaf old lady, Si Zhu did not dare to speak too bluntly, but a few years ago, Xu Qing saw Si Zhu saying that the old lady's cooking was not good, and the angry old lady was about to hit him with a cane.

At this time, Shazhu finished drinking the chicken soup in the bowl, put the bowl on the kang, and said to Xu Qing:

"Brother, I'm going back first."

After Si Zhu said that, he turned around and left Xu Qing's house, heading back to the middle courtyard alone.

However, at this time, Yan Jiecheng, who was in the front yard, smelled the aroma of chicken soup coming from the backyard, and knew in his heart that the Xu Qing family had stewed the old hen. He held an empty bowl in his hand and walked forward with a shy face. Walking to the backyard, I wanted to ask Xu Qing for a bowl of chicken soup.

Unfortunately, when Yan Jiecheng passed by the middle courtyard, he met Si Zhu who had just returned to the central courtyard from the backyard. Si Zhu saw the bowl in Yan Jie Cheng's hand, stopped and stood in the courtyard and said:
"Hey, what are you doing with an empty bowl? Begging for food?"

"You are the one who wants food, and your whole family needs food!"

Yan Jiecheng's face darkened as he was hurt by Silly Zhu, and he was furious, "I'm going to Qingzi's house to borrow a bowl of chicken soup to help my wife recuperate. What do you know?"

Silly Zhu put his hands in his pockets, gave Yan Jiecheng a blank look, and hummed, "That's not asking for food."

"Silly, don't you spray dung all over your mouth, you will die if you don't speak?" Yan Xiecheng was furious.

Silly Zhu said indifferently: "Yan Jiecheng, brother, let me remind you, as for your daughter-in-law who is so tricky, you give her chicken soup before she has a baby, and when you are in confinement, you just wait to go to heaven." Catch a dragon and stew it for her to replenish her body."

Yan Jiecheng looked at Shazhu coldly, thinking for a moment in his mind, secretly felt that what Shazhu said seemed to have such a fixed point, Yu Li didn't have a baby, and now I will make chicken soup for her. If it tastes good, she is so delicious and lazy If you entangle yourself with your faults, you will be in trouble in the future.

Yan Jiecheng suddenly didn't want to go to the backyard to ask Xu Qing for chicken soup. Xu Qing was a cadre, with high salary and good treatment. He also had his younger brother Xu Aiguo and younger sister Xu Xiaoya. Even if he had to eat one old hen a day in his house, that would be too much. afford it.

As for him and Yu Li, they separated from their parents, and now they are almost living alone, and they are both ordinary workers. They are really incomparable with Xu Qing's family.

Especially during the period when Yu Li had a big belly, he hadn't been working, and today he hasn't been able to get money from his father, Yan Bugui.

The more Yan Jiecheng calculated, the more he felt that he shouldn't have come just now, but he couldn't save his face at this time, so he turned back to the front yard. Silly Zhu was watching. How could he let Silly Zhu see that what he said was reasonable, so he bit the bullet and said, Turn around and continue walking towards the backyard.

And as soon as he entered the backyard, Yan Xiecheng had a thought, and felt that he was coming, so he simply went to Xu Qing's room and asked for a bowl of chicken soup.

But when Yan Jiecheng walked into Xu Qing's house, he saw that besides Xu Qing's family, there was also Yushui, the silly sister, and a woman he didn't know.

Yan Jiecheng suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but he was not the kind of shameless person. After saying hello to Xu Qing, he went straight to the point:

"Qingzi, lend me a bowl of your stewed chicken soup. My daughter-in-law has a big belly. I want to give her a boost."

Holding the chopsticks in his hand, Xu Qing looked at Yan Jiecheng and said expressionlessly:

"Brother Xie Cheng, my daughter-in-law just gave birth to my son. She is in confinement, her body is weak, and she needs tonic. It's not appropriate for you to ask me to borrow it?"

Yan Jiecheng was rejected and looked a little worried.

But Xu Qing didn't care, Yan Jiecheng blocked Aiguo in the front yard in the morning, so he didn't bother with him about it, but now he still has the face to ask for chicken soup, why should he give it.

If there was no such incident in the morning, Xu Qing would have given him a bowl of chicken soup for the sake of a big courtyard.

But now, no way!

The friendship between Xu Qing and Yan Jiecheng was average, not as deep as that between him and Xu Damao, let alone with Sha Zhu, which was a little stronger than the two brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu from the second uncle's family.

What's more, Yan Jiecheng didn't get on well with his younger siblings, so Xu Qing naturally wouldn't have a close relationship with them.

At this moment, thoughts in Yan Jiecheng's mind were racing, and he immediately wanted to understand why Xu Qing refused to lend him a bowl of chicken soup.

Naturally, it has nothing to do with what happened in the morning.

Yan Jiecheng is Yan Bugui's son, his heart, scheming, and shrewdness are no worse than his father's.

Yan Jiecheng found a step by himself and said:

"Hey, Qingzi, you're overthinking it, aren't you? I'll come over and ask. Of course it's Jinghong's health that's in trouble."

Yan Jiecheng saw that Xu Qing was not answering, so he turned to look at Ma Jinghong and said:

"Jinghong, you should pay attention to your body during the confinement period. Sister Qin Huairu of the Intermediate Court, when she gave birth to a stick, she fell into the root of the disease during the confinement. My mother said that Sister Qin's body has not recuperated yet. Well, you have to be careful."

Ma Jinghong hummed, and Yan Jiecheng quickly borrowed the donkey from the slope and said:
"Then I'll go back. You can eat your food without sending it away."

After Yan Jiecheng finished speaking, he turned around and hurried out of Xu Qing's house.

Xu Qing, however, did not send it.

This time Xu Qing wanted to beat and beat Yan Jiecheng, a resident of a large compound, who looked down and didn't see him. He was making trouble for Patriotic, how could Xu Qing give a good face.

As the old saying goes, dogs cannot be fed too much, and people cannot be treated too well.

Otherwise, it is easy to hit the nose and face.

After Yan Jiecheng left, Hui Lihua whispered: "Xu Qing, the comrade who came to your house just now lives in your front yard, right?"

Xu Qing said: "Lihua, when you came to my house, did you see him in the front yard?"

"No, when I came, I didn't see anyone in your front yard. I was in your house and met Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang in your front yard. Just now you called him brother Jie Cheng, I guessed it."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "That's right, they are three brothers."

When Hui Lihua heard what Xu Qing said, she nodded her head, and at the same time showed a proud expression on her face, as if to say, I'm smart.

But Xu Qing didn't open his mouth to praise. In front of his own wife, praising another woman who is not from his own family would easily cause unnecessary trouble.

Xu Qing would not do that.

If Hui Lihua left, my daughter-in-law would get into trouble with me and settle accounts after the autumn, that would be a sad reminder.

At around three o'clock in the afternoon, Xu Qing and his second brother Aiguo sent Hui Lihua away.

Ma Jinghong was in confinement, and the weather was too cold to see her off. She wanted to keep this sister she hadn't seen for a long time before leaving at night, but thinking that Hui Lihua was also married and had her own life to live, she didn't dare to keep her. .

Hui Lihua couldn't stay at Xu Qing's house any longer, so she couldn't wait for the little girl to get off work in the afternoon and see her.

In the alley, Hui Lihua also muttered: "Xu Qing, when your son is one month old, your sister will definitely be there, right?"

"Well, of course, my son is one month old, so how can I miss my sister."

Hui Lihua said with a smile on her fair and pretty face, "That's good, I haven't seen your sister this time, and next time I have to take a look!"

Xu Qing smiled and said nothing, and Xu Aiguo who was beside him also didn't speak.

Xu Aiguo was not familiar with Hui Lihua, so he naturally had nothing to say.

After sending Hui Lihua away, Xu Qing quickly returned to the compound with patriotism.

In the middle courtyard, Xu Qing saw the elder Yi Zhonghai and the aunt making tofu, so he walked over.

"Master, this year you are making tofu with my mother again."

Seeing that it was Xu Qing, Yi Zhonghai stopped what he was doing and said:

"There's nothing to do before the New Year. You and I will make some by ourselves, so we can save the time to buy."

The eldest mother smiled and said: "The tofu I bought is not as delicious as the tofu made by myself."

Xu Qing smiled and said: "That's true, of course the best food is made by yourself."

In fact, Xu Qing knew that Yi Zhonghai and his mother were reluctant to spend money to buy tofu.

Although the price of a catty of tofu is not expensive, it is still a little more expensive than making it yourself.

In addition, the two of them have no children, and their retirement will be a problem in the future. Yi Zhonghai is an eighth-level fitter. Although his monthly salary is quite high, he saves almost all the money he earns and will not spend it easily for fear of not having it in the future. People support them and make preparations in advance.

But Xu Qing knew that they really wanted Shazhu to help them take care of them.

And Shazhu, who was helping the uncle in the middle courtyard in the afternoon, also stopped the tools in his hand, reached out and took out the economic cigarettes he was carrying, handed one to the uncle Yi Zhonghai, and then handed it to Xu Qing. One, and then teased Aiguo for a while, seeing Aiguo waving his hand away, he put it in the corner of his mouth with a smile, and said to Xu Qing:

"Qingzi, your family won't make tofu this year?"

"I can do it, but I have to do it tomorrow. After five o'clock, I will ride to pick Xiaoya up from get off work and buy soybeans."

"Buy soybeans today? Is it too late?" Sha Zhu asked, smoking a cigarette.

The aunt also said: "I'm already 27, I'm afraid the soybeans in the state-owned store will be sold out long ago."

Yi Zhonghai sucked his cigarette and shook his head, disagreeing with the aunt's opinion, "What do you know? If Xu Qing said to buy it today, then he can definitely buy it. The little girl works in a state-owned store. If others can buy it, can Xu Qing buy it?"

The aunt suddenly realized that this was the truth.

The little girl is considered an insider of the state-owned store. How can Xu Qing's family have something that cannot be bought, unless it is not available in the state-owned store.

Silly Zhu laughed and said, "That's right!"

While everyone was talking, Mrs. Jia Zhang walked over with a stick, and the grandfather and grandson, each holding a large enamel pot of soaked soybeans.

Apparently I am also preparing to make tofu.

Over the years, there is almost no house in the courtyard that does not make tofu in winter. Whether it is the front yard, middle yard or backyard, every household does it.

These days, the domestic material shortage situation has not improved significantly.

Although tofu can be bought in public places such as state-run stores and supply and marketing cooperatives, there are also many people in Sijiucheng, so it is not always possible to buy it at any time.

If it is sold out, if you can't buy it, you can't buy it.

As for the Xu Qing family, if they want it, the little girl said hello in advance and will definitely save some.

But Xu Qing, like everyone in the courtyard, chose to make tofu by himself this year, so buying tofu is not a consideration.

It was just five o'clock in the afternoon. Xu Qing put on a scarf and woolen gloves and said to his wife, "Jinghong, I'm going to pick up Xiaoya."

"Well, slow down on the road."

"it is good."

Xu Qing walked out of the house, breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the bicycle at the door of the house, and walked out of the courtyard. He stepped across the crossbar of the bicycle in the alley, sat on the black saddle, and pedaled. As soon as he left the alley, he He quickly headed towards the state-owned store.

　Thanks to 20230305813_Cb for the reward! ! !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)