Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 301 Lao Zhang’s Regret

Fortunately, God is still very generous, at ten o'clock in the morning.

Xu Qing and his second brother were patriotic and were busy making tofu from soaked soybeans when snow suddenly began to fall in the gloomy sky without warning.

The snow was the size of grains of salt at first and fell quietly all morning.

After noon, the momentum gradually picked up quickly, turning into goose feathers, falling bigger and faster, and falling faster and faster.

Before three o'clock in the afternoon, a thick layer of snow had already accumulated, making the ground of the entire compound and the eaves of the houses covered in silver.

At this time, with the snow, the flavor of the new year becomes stronger, and the lonely courtyard also becomes more beautiful.

Xu Qing held his son who had woken up and stood at the door of the house, looking at the snowy scene in the yard, letting the little guy take a good look at how wonderful and beautiful this world is.

Ma Jinghong was exhausted from taking care of the children these days, so she took advantage of this spare time to lie down on the kang and take a nap in the room with her back against the bedding.

Early next morning, the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Qing had breakfast early and went to the state-owned store with the little girl.

The little girl was going to work, while Xu Qing was going to buy some things and was going to Master Zhang's house, to pay early New Year greetings to Master and Mistress, and to tell them the news of the birth of their son by the way, so that they would also be happy.

After all, during these years in the factory, especially when he first entered the factory, Xu Qing followed Lao Zhang to learn the craft, and at the same time, he was taken care of by him.

Even after these years, Xu Qing still remembers Lao Zhang's kindness to him in his heart.

How could Xu Qing ignore the master-disciple situation just because he became a cadre?

Xu Damao can do that, but Xu Qing can't.

Xu Qing bought three kilograms of fruit candies and a pack of jasmine tea, which he put in his net bag. He also bought a carton of Peony cigarettes and a bottle of Erqu for his master.

Then he walked out of the state-owned store with a net bag in his hand, and walked slowly over the snow on the street.

It snowed yesterday, and it was still snowing today. Xu Qing didn't ride a bike. He wasn't in a hurry anyway, so he went straight there on foot.

It was more than an hour later when we arrived at the master's house. Fortunately, it was not too cold under the snow, and Xu Qing was wearing a thick padded jacket made by Jinghong, thick padded shoes, woolen gloves, and a scarf. It didn't feel cold on the road.

Seeing Xu Qing coming, Lao Zhang hurriedly opened the door curtain, let Xu Qing quickly enter the room, and at the same time reprimanded softly:

"You brat, you came here in the snow, you're not afraid of the cold or cold."

Xu Qing grinned, "It's okay, I'm wearing thick clothes, so I'm not afraid."

The words in Lao Zhang's mouth blamed Xu Qing, but the joy on his face was unstoppable.

Zhang Zhenlian was sitting on the kang and was taking out shoe soles with her mother. When she saw Xu Qing coming in from the house, she quickly put down her sewing and said with a joyful smile:

"Brother Xu Qing, why are you here? It's such a cold day. Let me help you sweep the snow off your body."

When Zhang Zhenlian smiled, the dimples on her face were exposed, which was so endearing. She immediately slipped off the kang, grabbed a feather duster and helped Xu Qing clean the snow off his body.

Xu Qing put the net bag in his hand and the peony cigarette under his armpit on the kang and said:
"I will do it myself."

Lao Zhang held the cigarette in his mouth and said, "Let Zhenlian help you clean up. You brat, stay home when it's snowing. What if you catch a cold?"

Lao Zhang glanced at the things that Xu Qing brought, sternly, and then said: "I told you not to take things when you come home, why don't you just listen!"

Xu Qing smiled innocently, "Master, it will be New Year's Eve tomorrow, so how can I come empty-handed for the New Year's Eve."

Lao Zhang snorted at Xu Qing's words, but his face was still full of smiles.

When Xu Qing told his master and his wife the news that his daughter-in-law Jinghong was pregnant.

The faces of Lao Zhang and the three others instantly showed joy.

Lao Zhang hurriedly asked: "Xiao Qing, did your wife give birth to a daughter or a son?"

"son."

"Oh, you brat, you're quite capable!"

When Lao Zhang heard this, he was very happy. He held a cigarette in his mouth and took two puffs and said, "Have you given a name?"

"get up."

"What name?"

"Hong Zhi."

Old Zhang smoked a cigarette, nodded and said, "Good name!"

Zhang Zhenlian took the enamel jar from her mother, put it in front of Xu Qing and said:
"Brother Xu Qing, after the New Year, I will go to your house and see the little guy."

Xu Qing covered the teapot with both hands and said, "Okay, since your sister-in-law has been confinement at home during this period, you can come to my house just in time to talk to your sister-in-law."

Zhang Zhenlian smiled and hummed.

Before Xu Qing left from the master's house, he said: "Master, wife, Zhenlian, my son will be full moon in the next year, you can come to my house and have a glass of my son's full moon wine."

Zhang Zhenlian said with a smile: "Brother Xu Qing, don't worry, my parents and I will definitely be there."

Seeing that his daughter had already helped him, Lao Zhang smiled and stopped talking. He sent Xu Qing out of the compound in a padded jacket, stood in the alley and said, "Stinky boy, be careful on the road."

Xu Qing turned around and said, "Okay Master, I understand, you should go back quickly."

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he turned around and walked along the alley towards the street.

Lao Zhang held a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Xu Qing's back, and sighed inwardly.

Because he is very optimistic about his apprentice.

A few years ago, he even hoped that Xu Qing could get along well with his sixth daughter and let his apprentice be his son-in-law.

Unfortunately, the apprentice married Ma Guohua's daughter, which became a regret in his heart.

It wasn't until Xu Qing was out of sight that Lao Zhang moved his somewhat inflexible legs back to his compound.

On New Year's Eve, the little girl who works in the state-owned store has to go to work, but she will be back after four o'clock in the afternoon.

After breakfast early in the morning, the little girl went to work with her bag on her shoulders. After Xu Qing sent it out of the compound, he saw that the third master in the front yard was already busy writing Spring Festival couplets.

Xu Qing returned to his home in the backyard, took out the ink and brushes left behind by his younger siblings from school, dug out the leftover red paper from last year, and started writing Spring Festival couplets in the house.

If you don’t post Spring Festival couplets during the New Year, it will be a bad year.

Ma Jinghong stood aside with her son in her arms, watching quietly.

Xu Aiguo was busy mixing the paste, waiting to post the Spring Festival couplets written by his eldest brother on the door of the house.

But at this moment, Xu Damao, who lived in the backyard, came over. In previous years, Xu Qing helped write the Spring Festival couplets at Xu Damao's house, and this year was no exception.

As soon as Xu Damao entered the room, he threw out a pack of peony cigarettes and said to Xu Qing:
"Qingzi, I have to ask you to write the Spring Festival couplets for my brother's house again this year."

After Xu Qing finished writing, he stopped writing and said with a smile: "Brother Damao, it's nothing. I'll finish it later and let Aiguo help you stick it on the door of your house."

Xu Damao waved his hand and said: "No, Qin Jingru and I won't go to my parents' place to celebrate the New Year this year. We will spend the New Year in the courtyard. I will take it back and post it myself later."

Xu Qing groaned, bent down, held the brush and continued to write Spring Festival couplets.

The second uncle Liu Haizhong originally planned to ask Xu Qing to help him write it every year, but when he walked to the door of Xu Qing's house with his hands behind his back and saw Xu Damao there, he turned around and went to the front yard to ask the third uncle Yan Bugui to help him write it. .

It's not that Liu Haizhong doesn't want Xu Qing to help, but he doesn't want to see Xu Damao.

Xu Damao took away his official position in the factory. Liu Haizhongli has not let go in the past two years and has always held a grudge.

However, he has a submissive temperament and is not a man at all. He dare not challenge Xu Damao, and he is also afraid of offending Xu Damao. He is afraid that Xu Damao will trip him up in the factory and wear small shoes.

Therefore, Liu Haizhong hid when he saw Xu Damao.

And the third master in the front yard was overjoyed when he saw Liu Haizhong coming to ask him to write Spring Festival couplets.

After all, he can earn a few packs of cigarettes by writing Spring Festival couplets for others.

It's just that in the past few years, no one has invited him in the courtyard. There is sister Yushui in the middle courtyard and Xu Qing in the backyard, so he can only write to his front yard every year.

Yan Bugui was naturally happy when Liu Haizhong came over today, and said with a smile:

"Old Liu, just wait, I will write for your family first."

Yan Bugui held the brush and immediately started writing for Liu Haizhong in his small study.

Holding a cigarette in his bangs, he took out the two packs he had prepared for the front door and placed them next to Yan Bugui's desk.

Yan Bugui glanced out of the corner of his eye, and he became more motivated to write.

In fact, Liu Haizhong intended to give these two packs of cigarettes to Xu Qing.

It's just that Xu Damao is in Xu Qing's house at this time, and his family's Spring Festival couplets are now written by Yan Bugui, so the cigarettes have to be given to Yan Bugui.

More than ten minutes later, Liu Haizhong returned from the front yard to the backyard with a few Spring Festival couplets and the character "Fu" written by Yan Bugui.

At this moment, Aiguo was holding the Spring Festival couplets written by his eldest brother Xu Qing and posting them at the door of the house.

Liu Haizhong looked around, turned around and walked back to his home, and said to his two sons:
"Guangfu, Guangtian, you two watch and paste the Spring Festival couplets and the word "Fu" on our house."

Liu Guangtian put his hands in his pockets and didn't even think of reaching out to take the Spring Festival couplets in Liu Haizhong's hand. He tilted his head, looked at Liu Guangfu and said:
"Third, our dad asked your dad to take Spring Festival couplets and post them outside the house, didn't you hear?"

"Second brother, my dad asked us to post it, he didn't say that I should be alone."

"Hey, third child, you've grown more capable, haven't you?" Liu Guangtian glared at Liu Guangfu, then turned around and said, "I'll go to the kitchen and ask my mother to mix the paste. You take out the Spring Festival couplets and the word "Fu" first!"

Liu Guangfu snorted coldly, slipped into the kitchen first, "Second brother, I'll let our mother make the paste, you go out first."

Liu Guangtian looked unhappy, rolled his eyes at Liu Guangfu fiercely, took the Spring Festival couplets in Liu Haizhong's hand reluctantly, opened the curtain, and walked outside the house.

Liu Haizhong was disgusted by the intrigue between the two sons. Seeing that Guangtian had gone out, he turned his head and shouted at Liu Guangfu who was hiding in the kitchen:

"Don't hide in the kitchen, kid, hurry up and help your second brother put up Spring Festival couplets together."

Liu Guangfu walked out of the kitchen, looked at Liu Haizhong with resentful eyes, and was very dissatisfied in his heart.

"Dad, it's just a Spring Festival couplet. My second brother can handle it alone, so I'll forget about it."

"You bastard, is it itchy?"

Liu Haizhong had a sullen face and scolded her sternly, and the second aunt hurriedly said:
"Old Liu, today is New Year's Eve, why are you so angry?"

Liu Haizhong snorted coldly: "I'm angry, can I not get angry?"

"Look at our two sons, we are not promising at all, we are idle all day long, we know how to blame each other when we encounter problems, and we don't want to do any work at home.

Look at the patriotism of Xu Qing's family. There are two brothers, one writing Spring Festival couplets and the other posting them. "

After Liu Haizhong finished speaking with a cold face, he was very angry, sitting on the kang, looking at Liu Guangfu who still didn't want to go out, his heart was even more annoyed.

There are four brothers and sisters in Xu Qing, so they are not like my two sons.

"Aren't you going to get out, kid?!"

After being scolded, Liu Guangfu looked displeased, his eyes turned white, and he walked slowly towards the door of the house.

When Liu Guangfu walked outside the house, Liu Guangtian said jokingly:

"Let your kid come out, you don't want to, now it's all right, after being scolded by the old man, do you feel at ease?"

"Second brother, stop saying sarcastic words. It's as if our father didn't say anything about you."

Liu Guangtian looked at Liu Guangfu coldly, stretched out his hand to touch his head, and was furious.

Liu Guangfu was shocked immediately, and immediately changed his mouth, pointed to Xu Aiguo who was still posting the Spring Festival couplets written by his elder brother Xu Qing, and said:
"Second brother, this is all caused by the two grandsons Xu Aiguo and Xu Qing. If it weren't for them, how could the old man drive us brothers out?"

"That's right!" Liu Guangtian stared at Xu Aiguo with a dark gaze, reached out and took out the cigarette on his body, put it in the corner of his mouth, and smoked it fiercely.

However, Xu Aiguo did not hear the whispers of the two brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu.

At this moment, after he pasted the Spring Festival couplets and the characters "福" on his main house and the little girl's cabin, he turned around and went to the old lady's house. He pasted the Spring Festival couplets and the characters "福" on the door of the old lady's house and the cabin he rented. .

But the brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu did not dare to bully Xu Aiguo blatantly now.

The two of them used to be in the alley, taking advantage of no one, trying to clean up Aiguo and Feng Ming.

In the end, not to mention not taking advantage, Xu Qing found out about it in the end, blocked the two of them outside, and repaired it.

Liu Guangtian still clearly remembers that Xu Qing slapped him and knocked him to the ground. When he thinks about it, the right side of his face still hurts.

As for revenge, Liu Guangtian has been looking for opportunities all these years.

It's just that Xu Qing didn't get married when he got married, and he didn't find the right time for more than a year.

But Liu Guangtian didn't intend to just settle it like this, he will have to settle this account sooner or later.

However, Xu Qing never cared about these two brothers.

Apart from going to work in the factory, he was also busy with his own affairs when he got home every day, so he didn't have time to deal with the two of them.

Besides, the two brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu have no backbone. When the weather changed a few years ago, they had to run away from home.

As a result, within three days, the two of them came back as disheartened as their grandsons.

Xu Qing even ignored it.

At this time, Xu Qing had finished writing his own Spring Festival couplets and the Chinese character "Fu" in the house, and was writing for Xu Damao's family.

Xu Damao has been standing by and waiting, seeing that Xu Qing has finished writing for his family, he took it and hurried back to his house, letting Qin Jingru make paste to post it.

And he, as the deputy director, couldn't do this kind of rough work, so he stood at a distance to help watch, directing Qin Jingru to stick the Spring Festival couplets upright.

At the same time, everyone in the front yard and the middle yard was busy pasting Spring Festival couplets and blessings on their homes.

Today's New Year's Eve, in the morning, people in the compound are busy with this matter.

Once the festive Spring Festival couplets are posted, the atmosphere of the year in the compound becomes more intense.

In the afternoon, Xu Qing, his second brother Ai Guo and his wife Jing Hong were busy cooking New Year's Eve dinner early.

At four o'clock, the little girl who came back from get off work in the state-owned store entered the room and took off her scarf and gloves. Sleeves, walked into the kitchen, and helped the second brother, eldest brother, and sister-in-law.

(End of this chapter)