Era: Craftsmen in the Siheyuan

Chapter 222 Beginning of Autumn

"Crash..."

Like the Milky Way pouring down, the heavy rain is accompanied by strong winds.

The bistro and canteen are not open.

Through the glass, Xu Huizhen looked at the accumulated water in the yard, and said to herself with worry in her eyes: "When will this rain stop? The last rain just passed a few days ago, and now it's coming again. God really doesn't care about the people." Life or death!"

"Ah well..."

Xiao Li'er raised her little finger in her arms and pointed outside.

Xu Huizhen rubbed her little face with her nose and said, "Oh, it's raining heavily again."

"Oh..." Xiao Li'er scratched her face, then looked outside and said, "Ah bah bah..."

Xu Huizhen said: "You are also worried about Dad. Dad is guarding us outside. How about we keep Dad safe together?"

……

"There is a danger along the Yongding River in Daxing County in the south and we need support."

But there is bad news from the flood front.

"No, you ordinary people just need to protect this place."

At this time, several trucks came through the rain, and someone shouted: "Gather the team and get on the truck, leave this to the backup team."

Xu Deyong and others took turns guarding it for two days. The water in the moat overflowed and reached Yongding Gate. Everyone was a little nervous.

Here Xu Deyong and his reserve team completed the handover, and all the soldiers got on the bus without hesitation.

After eating, he lay down on the bed relaxed.

After the other party finished speaking, he got in the car and several trucks started.

Xiao Li'er shouted at Xu Huizhen unhappily and continued to crawl towards Xu Deyong tirelessly.

Xu Deyong looked at this scene with a smile on his face, and felt that the remaining mental fatigue dissipated immediately.

Xu Deyong deliberately shook her, and then shook her down with his hands. After the little guy giggled, he immediately took action again...

Xu Deyong jumped out of the car and waved his hand: "I'll give it to you to eat."

The next day, Xu Deyong's biological clock woke him up, and there was still wind and light rain outside.

The leader of the reserve team asked: "What's going on?"

Xiao Li'er regarded Xu Deyong as a big toy, and finally climbed onto Xu Deyong's chest, dancing happily.

Fan Jin on the side gritted his teeth and said: "I also apply to participate."

Xu Deyong went home, changed his clothes, and chatted with Xu Huizhen about common things between husband and wife.

Finally catching Xu Deyong's big feet, Xiao Lier laughed happily, and then followed Xu Deyong's thighs to climb onto Xu Deyong's body.

Seeing this, Xu Deyong said: "Comrade of the People's Liberation Army, I apply to participate in the support."

……

Xu Deyong was stunned for a moment, thinking of the soldiers who had gone to support him before, he could only pray that they would be okay.

The other party was also surprised.

Xu Huizhen smiled a little and said angrily: "Don't torment Dad, Dad is tired."

Cai Quanwu also had a tired look on his face, and Fan Jinyou was even more unbearable, his legs wobbling a bit when he walked, but this guy was also very cruel to himself and persisted.

In Daxing County on the left bank of the Yongding River, the Xima Gezhuang embankment burst, flooding more than 900 square kilometers including Daxing, Langfang, and Wuqing.

As he spoke, he took Xiao Li'er aside.

Xu Huizhen sat beside the bed and said softly and caringly: "You are tired! If you are tired, just go to bed first."

In the evening, except for a few people who stayed on guard and observed, Xu Deyong and others went home.

The other party took out the candy and looked at each other in confusion, and the vehicle quickly disappeared in the heavy rain...

At this time, Xu Deyong was still guarding the south moat. They belonged to the reserve team of the street organization for disaster relief. Cai Quanwu and Fan Jinyou were both on the list, and the People's Soldiers were at the forefront.

He hadn't had a good rest in the past two days. Even with Xu Deyong's extraordinary physique, he felt a little tired.

The famous poem "The poor bones by the Wuding River are like people in a spring boudoir's dream" refers to this river.

"Giggle..."

The upper reaches of the Yongding River flows through the Loess Plateau, and the river water contains high sand content, so it is known as the "Little Yellow River" and "Hun River". The downstream river channel formed an above-ground river due to sedimentation, and its migration was erratic, so it was formerly known as the "Wuding River".

Xu Deyong was a little helpless. These junior soldiers were ordinary people. He thought for a while and "took out" a handful of candy from the pocket inside his raincoat, got into the car and stuffed it into the pocket of a young junior soldier who was soaked all over.

Xu Deyong smiled and said: "It's okay, I'm not very sleepy. I just need to lie down and rest for a while."

Xiao Li'er, who was placed on the other side of the bed, was already kicking her calves and slowly crawling towards Xu Deyong.

It wasn't until the rain subsided that everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

Before you know it, the little guy can crawl.

"what!"

He exercised in the house. Alas, his wife was pregnant and could only do it to the air!

Open today’s blind box after your workout.

"Boom."

A sack falls into the blind box space.

Xu Deyong opened it and saw that it was a sack of cucumbers.

He didn't have any surprises, because he was given all kinds of vegetables for several days in a row, such as "eggplant, beans, tomatoes" and so on.

Blind Box is aware of current affairs and knows that after heavy rains and floods, vegetables will be in short supply in the market and prices will skyrocket.

He took out one directly, pinched off a little bit and took a bite.

Well, it’s crispy, crispy, crispy, really good!

When the rain subsides, the canteen will naturally open.

Xu Deyong went to the front and took a look. Cai Quanwu was leading everyone to prepare various kinds of food.

Fan Jinyou was fuming while lighting the fire. It would be okay if this guy was upright and did some serious work.

Xu Deyong greeted everyone, bought a few steamed buns and flower rolls, and returned home.

……

In the evening, even the light rain stopped, and the rain on the streets had subsided a lot. Regular customers of the tavern who had been at home for a few days came to join in the fun and have a drink.

Everyone discussed the continuous heavy rains during this period and where they were flooded. Some people discussed the rising vegetable prices.

Mr. Niu said: "Hey, this rain is really evil. It always hangs around our capital."

Xu Hesheng said: "Who says it's not the case? These two heavy rains are rare in decades."

……

Xu Huizhen chatted with everyone with a smile. If anyone asked for a drink, she would give it to them.

At this time, girl Chen Xueru walked into the tavern.

The saddest thing about Chen Zuwang's death is that Chen's mother and Chen Xueru have recovered by now.

"Hey, Manager Chen is here."

"Good evening, Manager Chen."

... Chen Xueru greeted acquaintances with a smile, walked to the counter and glanced at her with peach blossom eyes: "Huizhen, where is your man?"

Xu Huizhen glanced at her and said, "I'm taking care of the kids at home. Why, does Sister Xueru have something to do with him?"

Chen Xueru said: "He helped find someone, and then he was busy. If I don't express my gratitude, I'm afraid you will have objections to me."

Xu Huizhen smiled softly and said: "How could it be? We are all friends, and we should help each other when we encounter problems."

Chen Xueru raised her lips slightly and said, "The key is that your man has helped so much, I don't even know how to thank him! Moreover, for such a man, you allow such a man to take care of your children at home. It's really a luxury!"

Xu Huizhen said: "He is happy. If he is not happy, no matter how much he says, it will be useless."

"Hey." Chen Xueru sighed softly and said, "It would be better to just live your life. The bad things have gone and the good things have come."

Xu Huizhen smiled and said: "Sister Xueru, you can do it too!"

Chen Xueru said: "It's hard to find a good man that you want. I don't have a good life like you. Look at the people around me, like Liao Yucheng and Fan Jinyou. It makes people look down upon them."

Fan Jin Youcai was lying at home soundly asleep, and he was shot even while lying down!

The two chatted for a while, and Chen Xueru extended an invitation: "Whenever you are free, I will invite you two to my home to express my gratitude."

Xu Huizhen declined: "You really don't have to be so polite."

Chen Xueru said: "You always have to give me a chance to thank you. Otherwise, it will always be a problem in my mind. Just think of it as helping me. The day after tomorrow is the beginning of autumn. I know you are busy at night, so just at noon, I will post "Autumn" for you. "Fat".

Then, leaving no room for Xu Huizhen to refuse, she said: "That's it, I won't drink anymore. See you later."

After saying that, he waved his hands and left.

In the evening, Xu Huizhen returned home and told Xu Deyong about Chen Xueru's invitation.

Xu Deyong blinked and said, "You make the decision on this matter."

Xu Huizhen rolled her eyes lightly and said, "Sister Xueru has already talked about this. If you don't go, it would be disrespectful. Anyway, it won't be a waste to have a meal at noon."

Xu Deyong said: "Sure, let's go."

……

The next day, the sun came out, and the capital after the heavy rain looked like a huge steamer.

Xiao Li'er was wearing a small bellyband and was still crawling around on the mat. Xu Huizhen was fanning the cattail leaf on the side, and Xu Deyong was washing the clothes he had changed outside.

At this time, Kong Yuqin came over and called Xu Huizhen, saying that the director's wife was here and that she had something to discuss with Cai Quanwu and her.

Xu Huizhen hurried over and the three of them had a small meeting in the tavern.

The director's wife said: "There is something I would like to ask your two managers, the public and private managers, for their opinions on."

Cai Quanwu and Xu Huizhen looked at each other. Cai Quanwu said solemnly: "Madam Director, if you have anything to do, just give me your instructions."

The director's wife said: "Actually, it's nothing special. It's about Fan Jinyou."

Xu Huizhen's almond-shaped eyes opened slightly and she said, "What's wrong with Fan Jinyou again?"

The director's wife smiled and said: "That's not the case. On the contrary, the streets saw Fan Jin's recent changes and efforts. He taught diligently in the literacy class, and actively participated in emergency rescue and disaster relief during the heavy rain. Of course, your family is mediocre. , and Quanwu are also activists and deserve praise.”

Xu Huizhen frowned slightly and said, "Madam Director, do you mean to reinstate Fan Jinyouguan to his post?"

"How could it be!" said the director's wife, "To be honest, there is no room for Fan Jinyou in the tavern."

"This is not because Liao Yucheng was fired from the street because of the previous incident. The street's security patrol team is short of a small person in charge. The street's opinion is to transfer Fan Jinyou over and take a look at it for a while. Do you have any opinions on this?"

Xu Huizhen said: "Do our opinions matter?"

The director's wife said: "Of course it will work. If both your public and private managers agree that Fan Jin has old habits and won't change them, then the street will reconsider it carefully."

Xu Huizhen hesitated slightly when he heard this. Fan Jinyou has indeed improved a lot in the past two months, and now their evaluation can be regarded as promising.

The director's wife said: "If you two have any opinions, just talk about it."

"What do you think of Manager Cai?" Xu Huizhen glanced at Cai Quanwudao.

Cai Quanwu said: "As long as Fan Jinyou doesn't cause any trouble, it's fine to leave."

Xu Huizhen thought for a moment, nodded slightly and said, "Madam Director, I won't comment on this matter. It's up to the street leaders to make the decision."

Cai Quanwu said: "Then I won't express my opinion."

The director's wife looked at them a little angrily and said, "I'm here to ask you a question. It's a good thing that you brought the ball back again, which means you didn't say anything."

Xu Huizhen smiled and said nothing, and Cai Quanwu also said nothing.

The director's wife said: "Okay, then I'll tell the truth when I get back. It's up to the street leaders to decide."

After saying that, he left with the cloth bag in his arms.

Fan Jinyou obviously knew something and couldn't help but look over there frequently in the cafeteria.

Seeing the director's wife leaving, he quickly caught up and asked.

The two talked for a few words, and Fan Jinyou returned a little absent-mindedly, obviously not getting the answer he wanted from the director's wife.

……

The hot and dry day has passed, and the beginning of autumn has arrived.

The Beginning of Autumn is one of the "Four Seasons and Eight Festivals" in my country.

This is where the word "season" comes from.

Posting autumn fat is an indispensable custom for Beijingers to celebrate the Beginning of Autumn Festival.

In the hot summer, people's appetite is affected by the weather and sanitary environment, and it is inevitable that they will feel anorexia, so many people will lose weight, which is called "bitter summer".

At the beginning of autumn, although it is still very hot, people no longer feel the clammy and uncomfortable feeling on their bodies, so they begin to think of eating something delicious to make up for the shortfall since the beginning of summer.

The way to make up for it is to eat delicious delicacies at the beginning of autumn. The first choice is to eat meat. By eating meat, you can make up for the fat lost in the hot summer with meat, so it is called "autumn fat".

In the old days, people from Beijing would go to "Nanwanbeiji" to eat Zhizi barbecue.

"Nanwan" refers to the barbecue season near Xuanwumen, which mainly roasts beef. "Beiji" refers to the barbecue season located in Shichahai, North City, and is famous for its roast mutton.

The second is "biting autumn", also called "biting melon" or "eating autumn".

It has been recorded in "Customs of the Years" written by Zhang Tao of the Qing Dynasty: "Eating melons at the beginning of autumn is said to bite the autumn to avoid diarrhea."

On the day before the Beginning of Autumn, people put pumpkins, winter melons, preserved eggplants and Xiangxi soup in the courtyard to dry for a day and eat them on the Beginning of Autumn, which can eliminate the heat and avoid dysentery and diarrhea.

Hey, what kind of melon is this pumpkin?

Does anyone know?

Today, Chen Xueru wants to treat guests at home.

Near noon, Xu Deyong's family of three dressed up and went out.

On the way, I happened to see a donkey cart pulling a cart of watermelons being unloaded in front of a shop.

A shed was set up in front of the store, and there were "big watermelons with flower skin" that cost five cents a catty and "tight black watermelons" that cost eight cents a catty.

"Black Tiaojin" has round black green skin, yellow flesh and black seeds, sweet taste and little juice.

Use tap water to pull it out and cool it down. It will definitely taste delicious when eaten in your mouth!

In the cover next to it, there are also cut "black tights", with a dime and a sprout, and the yellow soil and red seeds are so delicate that they arouse the appetite of passers-by.

The salesman was holding a blade that was more than a foot long and was skillfully operating it. Several children nearby watched this scene with envy.

They only have a few cents in their hands, waiting to buy a watermelon that can't be cut into pieces...

……

(End of this chapter)