Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 138 Heart-beating Moment
Yan Jiekuang got up early in the morning, washed himself, and thought about making breakfast for the grandfather and grandson.

When he arrived at the front yard, he saw Lian'er sweeping the yard. Yan Jiekuang turned around and went into the kitchen. The kitchen was clean, with steamed buns being steamed on the stove and porridge being cooked next to it.

Lian'er saw Yan Jiekuang enter the kitchen, so she put down her work and followed him in. When she saw Yan Jiekuang, she said, "I made steamed buns and porridge, but I couldn't find corn flour, so I haven't cooked the vegetables yet."

Seeing Lian Er's reserved look, Yan Jie Kuang said, "Let me show you my cooking skills. Go and have a rest for a while."

"Ah, doesn't it say that men can't enter the kitchen?" Lian'er said a little panicked.

Yan Jiekuang smiled and said, "No, I'll make you a home-cooked dish and you can try my cooking skills."

Lian'er walked out, looking back every few steps. She was a little doubtful, but seeing that Yan Jiekuang insisted, she went out and continued sweeping the yard.

Not long after, Yan Jiekuang brought the dishes to the main hall. When Mr. Ji saw them, he thought they were indeed hometown dishes, but he hadn't eaten them for many years.

Yan Jiekuang made a dish of three shredded vegetables in cold salad, a dish of mixed vegetables, and a dish of stir-fried meat. Lian'er rushed to serve the porridge.

The three of them had breakfast together. Grandpa Ji and Lian'er praised Yan Jiekuang's cooking skills and even said they were authentic.

After dinner, the three of them went to the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, where Yan Jiekuang's transfer procedures were handled. Unfortunately, the people at that time were gone, and they didn't know who this man with the surname Ji was. Just when the three of them were disappointed, Uncle Wang at the door suddenly asked, "You are looking for the man with the surname Ji. Does he have another wife?"

"Uncle Wang, do you know? I live in Courtyard No. 9, Yuer Hutong." Yan Jiekuang asked hurriedly, and Grandpa Ji and Lian'er also looked anxious.

Old Master Wang sighed and said, "I really know. When the couple came, I was the one who received them. Seeing that they were dressed in rags, I sent them to the Military Control Commission. Later, the man found a job and was allocated a house. It's yours."

Yan Jiekuang then realized that Yuer Hutong had also been divided out. Old Man Wang continued, "But unfortunately, his wife got seriously ill and died a few days later. This Ji, yes, his name was Ji Junjian. He joined the army and left. There was no news after that."

When Yan Jiekuang heard this, it was really surprising for the grandfather and grandson, and he hurriedly thanked Mr. Wang. He took the grandfather and grandson back to Yuer Hutong. After they sat down, Lian'er cried loudly, and Mr. Ji also looked sad.

Yan Jiekuang was at a loss for a moment and didn't know how to persuade the two men.

After a while, Master Ji said, "Don't cry, it's all fate."

Yan Jiekuang asked Master Ji if there were any other places to go. Master Ji shook his head and said sadly, "If there is no other way, I have to go back. My letter of introduction is about to expire."

Yan Jiekuang thought about it and decided that he didn’t want Lian’er to leave. He was attracted to her the first time he saw her. When he heard Uncle Wang say that his son’s name was Jun Jian, he remembered the jade with the word “Jun Jian” on the back and the word “Lian” on the front. This was destined. Even if it was a coincidence, he had to keep Lian’er.

Yan Jiekuang said quickly, "Master Ji, you have no one to rely on when you go back, so you two can stay here with me and I'll find a job for Lian'er, okay?"

Old Master Ji's eyes lit up, and he glanced at Yan Jiekuang. He understood at a glance that his granddaughter was being missed again. But Yan Jiekuang was not bad either, so he said, "Thank you very much, Lian'er, come here. Thank you, Brother Jiekuang."

Lian'er stopped crying, lowered her head, and whispered thank you to Yan Jiekuang.

"Okay, then you can live in the east wing. It's just right for you and the old man to have one room each. When you have time, you can get to know my dad and let him accompany you." Yan Jiekuang said a little excitedly.

"Grandpa, look, if you need anything else, I'll go buy it." Yan Jiekuang started to get ready.

Old Master Ji said, "I don't need anything. You and Lian'er can take care of it. I'm a little tired. I'll go back to my room and rest for a while." After that, he turned and went to the east wing near the gate.

Lian'er was about to speak when Yan Jiekuang said, "You haven't been to Sijiu City yet, right? I'll take you out for a walk and buy some daily necessities."

Lian'er nodded, her face flushed.

Yan Jiekuang took Lian'er directly to Dazhalan. Lian'er was curious about everything she saw, but she didn't say anything. Yan Jiekuang didn't care about her and bought her anything delicious she saw, such as pea yellow, candied haws, sugar-coated fruit, Aiwowowo, etc. Lian'er pulled at the corner of his clothes and kept shaking her head.

Yan Jiekuang said, "It's ok. If you can't eat it, take it back to grandpa. Okay, I'll buy it and take you to a place." When Yan Jiekuang brought Lian'er into the tavern, Cai Quanwu widened his eyes and asked, "Xiao San, where did you kidnap such a pretty girl?"

Xu Huizhen ran out from behind, looked at Lian'er, and smiled widely. She took the things in Lian'er's hand and pulled Lian'er to the backyard.

Cai Quanwu was in the front yard, together with Niu Ye, being tried in three courts.

"Sister Huizhen, this is..." Yan Jiekuang didn't even finish his words when Xu Huizhen spoke up first: "Okay, Lian'er will be my sister from now on, I understand, shall we have dinner together tonight?"

Yan Jiekuang said: "Okay, but there is still an old man at home."

"Are you that stupid? I can just go directly to your place with the wine and food, so the old man won't have to work so hard." Cai Quanwu said.

Lian'er stood next to Xu Huizhen with a smile on her face. When Yan Jiekuang saw her, his heart was gone.

Xu Huizhen coughed and said, "Okay, you two just go back, we'll be there in a minute."

Yan Jiekuang and Lian'er said goodbye to Xu Huizhen, and Yan Jiekuang took her to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some daily necessities. Fortunately, he had plenty of bills recently.

It was almost noon when I returned home. As soon as I got home, the door rang. Xu Huizhen's family came, followed by Xiaodang.

Seeing Xiaodang's resentful eyes, Yan Jiekuang pretended not to see it and greeted everyone.

Today, Xu Huizhen brought some food from the tavern. It was noon, so only the old man and Cai Quanwu had a drink together, so Yan Jiekuang did not cook.

The food was served, and everyone sat down and started eating. They introduced themselves to each other, and Grandpa Ji also told them about his experiences and the whole story. Everyone sighed, lamenting how difficult it was for the grandfather and grandson to come this far.

Yan Jiekuang also said that he would find a job for Lian'er when the opportunity arises and see if she could settle down here.

Xu Huizhen laughed and said, "What are you looking for? Come to my place and we can keep each other company."

Yan Jiekuang was very grateful to Sister Huizhen and thanked her quickly. Lian'er also kept saying thank you.

A few people were eating and chatting, talking and laughing, when the door rang, and Yan Jiekuang hurried out to open it.

When he opened the door, he saw that his father, who had the most free time, had come. Yan Bugui saw Yan Jiekuang in a daze and asked mockingly, "What's going on? Do you want me to leave for a while?"

"No, no, Sister Huizhen and her family are here and are eating. Come in." Yan Jiekuang quickly came back to his senses and said.

When Yan Bugui heard that there was a guest, he didn't need Yan Jiekuang to lead the way and went straight to the main hall. Yan Jiekuang followed behind him, closed the door and smiled bitterly.

The first person Yan Jiekuang saw when he entered the room was Xiao Dang. He frowned slightly, and then Cai Quanwu said, "Uncle Yan is here. It's better to come at the right time than to come early. Let's try the food in the tavern."

Yan Bugui greeted everyone with a smile. When he saw Grandpa Ji and Lian'er, Yan Bugui was stunned. Xu Huizhen kept giving Yan Bugui glances. Yan Bugui understood a little. It was mainly because Lian'er was too beautiful. His guess was almost right.

He quickly stepped forward and said enthusiastically, "Hello, old man. I am Yan Jiekuang's father. My name is Yan Bugui. You can just call me Little Yan."

Yan Jiekuang trotted over and introduced Grandpa Ji and Lian'er to his father. After everyone sat down and continued to eat, Lian'er took the initiative to pour a glass of wine for Yan Bugui, who smiled and nodded.

He turned his head and looked at Yan Jiekuang meaningfully.

(End of this chapter)