Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 399 The Second Brother’s Wedding
Riding a bike when it's neither cold nor hot is definitely a comfortable thing, but now it's the bitter cold winter. Not only does Xu Qing feel no sense of comfort, but he feels his cheeks are sore from the howling cold wind.

There is no way, the winter and summer in the north are so extreme.

It's hot and sunny in summer, and cold and freezing in winter.

Fortunately, it didn't snow today, and the small courtyard Xu Damao was talking about was relatively close. Not long after, Xu Qing and Aiguo followed Xu Damao to the entrance of the small courtyard. The three of them held the car brake and turned over and got out of the car.

"Qingzi, this is the courtyard. The owner of the house has given the key to a relative in the courtyard next door. Just wait, I'll go over and call someone here."

Xu Damao parked his bicycle at the entrance of the small courtyard and turned towards the courtyard not far away.

Xu Qing and Aiguo also parked their bicycles, locked them, and stood at the door of the courtyard, waiting quietly.

Three minutes later, Xu Damao led an old man who was walking tremblingly and said to Xu Qing:

"Qingzi, patriot, this is Uncle Niu."

Xu Qing looked at the gray-bearded uncle Niu, said hello to Aiguo, then took out a cigarette and handed him a cigarette, walked aside, and asked the old man Niu to open the door with a key.

With a creaking sound, the door of the small courtyard opened, and Xu Qing saw everything in the small courtyard at a glance.

The yard is really not big, not even half of the backyard where Xu Qing lives. The three tile-roofed houses are also old houses from the past. There is a wooden shed on the left side, which contains some messy sundries and rags. There is a hole on the right side. The well was just covered with old linoleum felt, and there was a small stone roller not far away. The melted snow on it soaked it with water, leaving many stains.

After briefly looking around the courtyard, Xu Qing walked towards the three tile-roofed houses. The main house was relatively spacious and faced north, so it could get sunshine all day long. It also had a kitchen, which was more convenient for cooking.

The left and right wing rooms are side by side with the main house. It can be regarded as a serious north-facing south-facing house. However, no one has lived in it for many years. The three rooms are full of the smell of decay, and there is a thick layer of dust.

Uncle Niu, who was holding the key, had a cold face. He didn't know whether it was because he was born like this or because he didn't want to make this trip in this winter. He took Xu Qing and the others to look at all three rooms and then said:
"The rent is 15 yuan a month, three rooms, one is five yuan a month, the yard is a bit small, but it is a single courtyard, it is most suitable for a family to live in, if you have children, you don't have to be afraid of noise to others.”

Xu Qing nodded in agreement, but said with a smile: "Uncle Niu, my second brother doesn't have children yet. This small courtyard is okay. It doesn't matter if the house is older. This is the rent."

"How long will you rent it for?" The old man surnamed Niu, whose voice was the same as his face, said coldly and hard: "If we haven't discussed it for a few months, I will help my relatives take care of it. He said that if you rent it for a year, it will be cheaper. Yes, if it’s half a year or three or four months, at this price, every penny is worth.”

Xu Qing did not speak in a hurry, but Xu Damao continued: "Uncle Niu, nothing is easy to discuss. You didn't tell your relatives that his small courtyard has not been rented for more than two years. If the rent is not lowered, whoever can afford it will not be able to rent it." Let people use all the money they earn to pay rent.”

The old man surnamed Niu sighed and said, "I told you, don't listen. This small courtyard belongs to someone else, and I'm too lazy to persuade him. If I can rent it out, I'll rent it out for him. If I can't rent it out, I'll just stay idle. I'm afraid of meeting that person." The unreasonable tenant bothers me every three days, which saves me trouble."

Xu Aiguo looked at the main house carefully and opened his mouth: "Uncle Niu, how much cheaper can it be if you rent it for one year?"

"One 20 yuan."

Xu Qing heard this and said, "No more?"

"It's inevitable. If you rent it for two years, it might be a little lower, but I have to ask. After all, I'm not the landlord, so I can't make the decision."

Xu Qing turned to look at his second brother Aiguo. The two brothers walked into the courtyard and started discussing in low voices.

"Patriot, what do you think?"

Xu Aiguo said: "Brother, I think it's expensive, so don't forget it. The cabin of Brother Yuzhu's house in our courtyard is not vacant. I'll live there after Aiqian and I get married. We'll take care of it first, and wait until the main factory can allocate it to me." We will move there when the time comes."

Xu Qing thinks that his second brother's idea is feasible, but one thing is, where will grandpa and grandma live in the city after a while?

The house in the backyard has not been built yet. If you stay for a few days temporarily, you can settle down with other families in the compound. But in the future, Feng Ming will get married and your sister Xiaoya will get married. Is it possible to bring them into the city by car?

The money to hire a car is not much, but the two old people are old and cannot afford such trouble.

After thinking about it secretly, Xu Qing decided to rent this small courtyard for a year first. After a while, his grandparents will come to the city, and it will depend on their wishes.

Furthermore, the second brother got married patrioticly, and Xu Qing, as the eldest brother, did not want to see his younger brother and his sister-in-law live in the small house in the Shazhu Middle Courtyard as soon as they got married, and suffer a lot.

Although the family's expenses have been surprisingly high during this period, there are also many people making money in the family now.

This kind of rent is still affordable, and anyway, you don’t have to pay it all at once if you rent it for a year.

However, Xu Qing had to ask his second brother for permission. After all, it was Aiguo and Aiqian who would live in this small courtyard.

As for the rent for the first two months, Xu Qing, as the eldest brother, can help pay it first. After that, it will be Aiguo and Aiqian who pay the rent.

After Xu Qing told his second brother Aiguo about his thoughts, Xu Aiguo heard that his grandparents would live here with them, and he directly agreed.

But he refused Xu Qing's kindness to help him advance, "Brother, my salary is quite a lot now. As soon as Ai Qian and I get married, we can earn more than 100 yuan a month with one yuan, and the rent is 15 yuan a month. If you can afford it, you don’t have to worry about me and my sister-in-law.”

Seeing this, Xu Qing smiled and said nothing.

After the house was finalized and the documents were signed, Uncle Niu handed the keys to Xu Aiguo, then took the first month's rent from Xu Aiguo, counted them, and finally squeezed out a smile on his serious face.

"Mr. Xu, you look bright and bright. From tomorrow on, you have the final say in this small courtyard. You put away the keys. When you move things. If you need help, just say a word, and I will ask my grandson to help you." , we will be neighbors from now on, if you have anything to say, please speak."

Xu Aiguo thanked him, put the key in his pocket, and after seeing Uncle Niu off, he stood in the courtyard with his eldest brother Xu Qing and Xu Damao to make some plans, then locked the courtyard, and the three of them rode away.

Nothing can be done today, and the weather has indeed turned gloomy. As soon as Xu Qing, his second brother Aiguo, and Xu Damao returned to their compound, snowflakes fell quietly from the sky.

As soon as Xu Qing parked his bicycle and entered the house, he saw Wu Yuemei sitting on the kang, helping Patriot hold the wedding quilt.

Feng Ming and Ma Jiefang were not here, so they must have gone out to buy furniture.

Ma Jinghong looked up at her man and said, "Brother Qing, how about the small courtyard that Brother Damao mentioned?"

"It's pretty good. It's a single-family house. The three tile-roofed houses are spacious. I've already rented it. When the courtyard is cleaned up next weekend, I can look at decorating the wedding room."

Ma Jinghong let out a sigh, lowered her head and continued to accept the quilt. While Wu Yuemei was busy with her needlework, she took a moment to look at Xu Aiguo and said:
"Patriotic, you are going to marry a daughter-in-law soon, are you happy?"

Xu Aiguo nodded and said, "Not bad."

"It's okay?" Wu Yuemei stopped the sewing in her hand, "It sounds like you're unhappy from your tone. What's the matter? You're not happy about such a good thing as getting married?"

Xu Aiguo stretched out his hand and scratched his head and said, "Sister Yuemei, I'm either unhappy or I think getting married is too troublesome and expensive."

Wu Yuemei smiled and said: "Hey, it's all like this. Who can get married without spending money? Whether we live in the city or in the countryside, in this kind of thing, money cannot be treated as money, and you have to spend it."

Xu Aiguo hummed and said nothing.

On the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Qing attended the wedding of Liu Haizhong’s third son Guangfu in the morning in the courtyard. In the afternoon, he took his wife, younger brothers and sisters, and prepared to go there with various cleaning tools such as brooms, broomsticks, feather dusters and so on. The small courtyard rented to Aiguo last week.

At the same time, Xu Qing also called his brother-in-law Ma Jiefang and Shazhu from the middle court.

There are many people to do things easily, and the small courtyard is said to be small, but the three rooms, including the courtyard, have to be cleaned and tidied up.

There are too few people to clean up everything.

But as soon as everyone left the compound, they met Erniu and Li Guohua at the entrance of the alley. These two people actually came to Xu Qing for a drink. It was winter and it was the weekend. They had nothing to do. They were both married. Life was easy at home, so when I had nothing to do, I thought about sitting with Xu Qing, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time, so that I could catch up with old classmates.

I never thought that when Xu Qing and his family went to clean the small courtyard rented by Aiguo, they would be arrested immediately.

It wasn't until the sky turned dark and it was six o'clock in the evening that Er Niu and Li Guohua, who had been working as coolies all afternoon, sat on the warm kang of Xu Qing's house and drank wine.

Li Guohua asked Xu Qing: "Qingzi, when will Aiguo get married? Is it soon?"

Xu Qing blew the smoke and said, "Yes, on the New Year's Day, if you and Erniu are fine, remember to come over and have a drink."

Li Guohua took the cigarette and said with a smile: "That's no problem. How can I not drink the patriotic wedding wine? I will bring my son and my wife with me."

Erniu also said: "Qingzi, you don't mind me and Guohua bringing our whole family together, right?"

Xu Qing smiled and waved his hand, "I don't mind it, just remember to follow the others."

Erniu, who has always been honest and honest, laughed and said: "A big happy event like marriage must be followed."

Ma Jiefang put his hand on Er Niu's shoulder and said with a smile: "Er Niu, it's settled, we three brothers will form a united front. How much will I follow, and how much will you two follow?"

Er Niu turned around and asked, "Jiefang, how much are you going to take?" Ma Jiefang took a sip, swallowed the liquor in the wine cup and said, "Not much, maybe a hundred."

Xu Fengming, who was sitting on the side, heard that Brother Jiefang was teasing Brother Er Niu, and a thought moved in his mind, and he said with a smile along the lines:
"Brother Jiefang, you can do whatever you want when my second brother gets married. That's interesting. I'll discuss it with my partner tomorrow. Why don't we take advantage of my second brother's wedding to get married together? You, Brother Erniu, and Brother Guohua, Just give us a hundred and eighty, I don’t think it’s too little.”

Ma Jiefang suddenly had a bitter look on his face, "Okay, that guy Feng Ming is crawling along the pole. I said a hundred, but he said a hundred and eighty."

Ma Jiefang glanced at Xu Fengming with a faint look and said angrily: "Drink your wine quickly, we married people are talking, you unmarried bachelors should not get involved."

Fortunately, Silhu had just finished his wine and hurriedly ran back to the middle courtyard to light the stove. If he heard Ma Jiefang's words, he would have been anxious.

In the courtyard outside the house, it is freezing cold and the north wind is howling, but inside the house is warm and full of laughter.

The days passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye it was the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Those who go to school have already had winter vacation, and those who go to work have just escaped from the busy work.

Xu Fengming borrowed a car early in the morning and drove back to the countryside to pick up his grandparents, second father, aunt and others.

Xu Qingze took his second brother Aiguo, his wife Jinghong and his younger sister Xiaoya to the small courtyard to decorate the wedding room, and also sent the wedding quilt, mattress and other things there.

Of course, Ma Jiefang and Wu Yuemei were roped in to help.

In the courtyard, Qin Huairu took Qin Jingru and the two sisters to help them get some things and went there together.

They haven't been to Xu Aiguo's courtyard yet. Firstly, they wanted to take a look, and secondly, they also wanted to give it a try.

In any case, in Qin Huairu's mind, her family had received a lot of favors from Xu Qing's family. She didn't have much money, but she could help with some work.

Qin Jingru had divorced Xu Damao because of Xu Qing's persuasion. Xu Damao forgave her. She was always grateful and didn't know how to repay her. Today she seized the opportunity and heard her cousin say that she would help Xu Qing's family get things. The little courtyard over there at Aiguo immediately agreed.

At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Xu Fengming drove his grandparents directly to the entrance of the small courtyard rented by his second brother Aiguo.

At this time, at the entrance of the alley, Xu Hongzhi was huddled in his cotton-padded jacket. When he saw his third uncle stopped the car, his little face, which was red from the cold, immediately smiled.

His task today is to greet his great-grandfather and great-aunt.

As soon as he opened the car door happily, the little guy looked at the two gray-haired old people, threw himself into his arms, raised his little head, grinned and said sweetly:
"Grandpa, grandma, come with me quickly. My father said that my task today is to take you to my second uncle's house."

Xu Fengming parked the car, pulled out the key, jumped out of the car, and together with his second father Xu Guangjin, his third and fourth aunts Xu Xuemei and Xu Xuehong helped the two elderly people, they walked slowly to the patriotic courtyard.

At this time, Xu Qing, Aiguo, Jinghong, and Xiaoya who were in the small courtyard heard the sound of car horns coming from the alley and knew that Feng Ming was picking up someone. They all walked outside the courtyard and greeted Grandpa in the alley. with grandma.

Before nightfall, Xu Qing asked Aiguo and Feng Ming to set fire to all three houses early. No one lived in them for more than two years. Tonight, grandpa, grandma, and second dad are going to sleep here. Make the house warmer.

In the evening, the whole family, a dozen or so people, had dinner and sat on the kang in the main room chatting. Grandpa's cough was not getting better and he had not gotten rid of his habit of smoking. He was puffing on his cigarette and looking at Patriot, who was about to get married, and the couple who had already made an appointment. Dear Feng Ming, his increasingly older face was full of smiles.

Turning to look at Xu Qing, the eldest grandson, he said: "Xiao Qing, you are the eldest brother, and you will fix it for your younger brothers and sisters. They are all cadres. Once Aiguo gets married, Feng Ming will also get married next year, and only Xiaoya will be left. Get married, even if your grandma and I die, we can rest in peace."

Xu Xuehong whispered from the side: "Dad, what depressing words are you talking about? Ai Guo will get married soon. Why are you talking about those irrelevant things?"

Xu Xuemei also said: "That's right, Dad, we are here to attend a patriotic wedding. It will be the Chinese New Year in a few days, why don't we say something nice?"

The grandfather also felt that it seemed unlucky. He turned around and glared at the two girls, but did not get angry.

No matter how angry you are, you are already a very old person. If no one responds to your anger, you will lose your temper.

Xu Guangjin was still taciturn, and only after a while did he say, "Yes."

The honest farmer's speech has not changed at all from the past few years. He is busy working on crops in the fields every day, and he is tanned and thin.

But on the one hand, they are overworked, and on the other hand, life is not very easy for most people in the city these days, let alone the countryside.

Of course, people in the city are no longer hungry and have enough to eat compared to more than a decade ago, but the situation in the countryside shows no sign of improvement.

In the evening, Xu Qing took his wife, sister, and Feng Ming Aiguo to the small courtyard before leaving. He watched his grandparents live in the three rooms before leaving.

Aiguo gave his second father, Xu Guangjin, the key to the cabin and asked him to hold it first.

Xu Qing also left his bicycle behind, just in case something happened. Riding a bicycle is always faster than walking.

Two days passed in a row, and it was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

Early in the morning, Xu Fengming drove his grandparents to the compound where he lived.

Today is a patriotic day, and wedding banquets and other events are held in the compound.

The courtyard can accommodate many people, and the first uncle, third uncle, and second uncle in the courtyard can also help with the work.

The small courtyard rented was not successful and could not accommodate too many people.

When Xu Fengming sent his grandparents to the compound where they lived, Xu Qinggang, Shazhu, Xu Damao, and Yan Jiecheng moved the vegetables, pork, eggs, etc. that had been delivered early in the morning into the backyard.

At the patriotic wedding banquet, Silly Zhu, the master of the ladle in the courtyard, naturally did his part and became the master of the ladle.

First Mom, Second Mom, Third Mom, Qin Huairu, Qin Jingru, Yu Li, Ma Jinghong, Xu Xiaoya helped.

Seeing this, Xu Xuehong and Xu Xuemei also helped out, washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, and lighting the fire. As soon as 08:30, the yard became very busy.

Yi Zhonghai, the eldest uncle, was always in charge of everyone's wedding in the courtyard. Therefore, today was no exception. With Liu Haizhong, the second eldest uncle, the two of them were busy working back and forth in the courtyard.

Yan Bugui, relying on his good handwriting, was waiting to write a gift list. At this moment, he was alone in his small study, adding ink to the pen, and at the same time asked Yan Jiecheng not to hide in front of him and go out to help.

Around nine o'clock, the guests came one after another. Even though it was a small year, Xu Aiguo was well-liked in the main factory.

More importantly, he also has Xu Qing, the eldest brother who is the factory manager of the fifth branch.

Among other things, the directors of the several branches of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Plant have all come.

As for Sun Deyou, Wang Minsheng, Liu Caigui and other deputy factory directors of the fifth branch factory, none of them were left behind, and they were all present.

Xu Qing held a happy event for his younger brother, and they were embarrassed not to come and congratulate him.

In addition, many of Aiguo's colleagues from the main factory also came. Er Mazi, Wang Dequan, Zhou Pingtai and other people from the third workshop of the fitter department from the third factory also entered the compound together.

Among them, Xu Qing’s master Lao Zhang is indispensable.

The day before yesterday, Xu Qing rode his bicycle to his master's house to say something.

Lao Zhang was wearing clean clothes and brought his wife with him. As soon as he entered the compound, he was surprised and happy to see many people coming so early, almost all of them were cadres and not many workers.

I secretly felt that my apprentice was really promising. Look, he was getting married to his younger brother. It was a big scene. Except for the big leaders from the main factory who were not here, the top leaders of the branch factories were all there. They said they were attending the wedding, and all the officials were there. Da Gang, this battle is really not small.

When Xu Qing saw his master and his wife came, he quickly invited him to sit in his room and let him chat with his grandpa and grandma. Then he walked out of the room and was busy entertaining other people.

It was almost noon, and there were so many people in the courtyard that they could squeeze together. Silly Zhu was so busy that he was sweating all over his body. When he took a short break, he glanced around and saw that four of the five people were officials. One of them, a cadre, was stunned and stunned.

There is no way, Xu Qing is the head of the first factory of the fifth branch factory, and Aiguo works in the main factory, who has a head and face, who didn't come?
In addition to those who received the wedding invitations, there were also many uninvited guests, most of whom were section chiefs from the fifth factory, such as Feng Wenjun. After hearing the news, they rushed over to give gifts to Factory Director Xu's brother.

As for the intention, it is self-evident.

Xu Qing glanced at the time and saw that he could let his second brother Patriot go to pick up the bride, so he asked Ma Jiefang, Er Niu and Li Guohua to help him with his uncle Yi Zhonghai and second uncle Liu Haizhong to assist his second father Xu Guangjin in greeting the guests.

He, Feng Ming, Xu Damao, and his second brother Aiguo's high school classmates went to pick up the bride.

There are four wedding cars for picking up the bride.

Good things come in pairs, so Xu Qing asked someone to get three cars, plus the one borrowed by his third brother Feng Ming. Four cars with big red flowers hanging on the front headed toward Liu Aiqian's home.

(End of this chapter)