Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 143 Jinjia Hutong
Yan Jiekuang walked towards Yu'er Hutong under the moonlight, thinking about himself and Lian'er as he walked.

Before he reached the door, he vaguely saw a person wandering outside his house. Yan Jiekuang walked closer and saw that he did not recognize the person at the door. After taking a closer look, he saw a teenager wearing a shabby cotton jacket.

The boy saw Yan Jiekuang and asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, are you Comrade Yan Jiekuang?"

"Yes, who are you and what do you want to talk to me about?" Yan Jiekuang asked puzzledly.

The young man seemed relieved and said, "Hello, I have been waiting for you all afternoon. My name is Li Lin, and my uncle asked me to come and see you. By the way, my uncle lives in Jinjia Hutong, and his name is Li Gong."

Yan Jiekuang then realized that Li Gong was looking for him, so he asked, "What's the matter?"

Li Lin said with a sad face: "My uncle told me to find you and asked you to go there."

Yan Jiekuang thought of the agreement with Li Gong and said, "Well, it's very late now. I have something to bring to Mr. Li, but it's too late now. I will go there early tomorrow morning."

Li Lin nodded, said goodbye to Yan Jiekuang, turned and left.

Yan Jiekuang still remembered the agreed dishes, so he went home to clean up and prepare them.

The next day, Yan Jiekuang got up early. The dish "Can Deng Tofu" was very time-consuming. Yan Jiekuang had made it many times, but had not succeeded many times. But today it was surprisingly smooth. After making it, he put it in a food box and went straight to Jinjia Hutong.

Yan Jiekuang had not been to the Li family compound since the last time he came. He knocked on the door and saw Li Lin as soon as the door opened. Li Lin quickly let him in. The two exchanged a few words, and Li Lin took Yan Jiekuang to the backyard.

When Yan Jiekuang saw Mr. Li, he was a little shocked. Mr. Li was lying on the couch, motionless, with a splint on his leg.

"What's wrong with Mr. Li?" Yan Jiekuang asked.

Li Lin looked at Yan Jiekuang, hesitating and unwilling to say anything. At this time, Old Li woke up, saw Yan Jiekuang and forced a smile, then motioned Li Lin to help him sit up.

Li Lin helped Mr. Li sit on the couch. Li Lin then moved a chair next to the bed. Yan Jiekuang sat down and Li Lin went out to pour some water.

Old Li looked at Yan Jiekuang, smiled bitterly, and said, "You must be surprised to see me. My old bones are almost buried in the ground."

"How did this happen? The last time I saw you, you seemed to be in good health." Yan Jiekuang asked.

"It's hard to explain. I was betrayed and someone said I was a feudal remnant. It's good enough that I have a broken leg. The house has been smashed again." Old Li said helplessly.

Yan Jiekuang understood immediately and said, "Take good care of yourself, it's okay, I'll bring you a dish you like to eat today."

As he spoke, Yan Jiekuang stood up to take the food box from the table. Old Li smiled and said, "I look forward to you cooking for me every day. I haven't eaten Can Deng Tofu for a long time."

Yan Jiekuang handed over the food box, and Mr. Li held it in his arms and asked Yan Jiekuang to help him open it. A fragrance emerged, and Mr. Li was intoxicated by the aroma. Yan Jiekuang brought him a spoon.

Mr. Li ate bite by bite, enjoying it very much. Li Lin came in with tea, smelled the aroma and said, "It smells so good."

After a while, Mr. Li finished eating all the food, gave Yan Jiekuang a thumbs up, and said two words, "authentic."

The two drank tea, and Mr. Li said, "I'm leaving now. I can't take anything here with me. I'll send a letter back to my hometown and ask Li Lin to come and take me back. I don't think I'll be able to come back in this lifetime."

Yan Jiekuang looked at Mr. Li and said comfortingly, "Don't be so pessimistic. Go back to your hometown and take good care of yourself. There will be opportunities in the future."

Mr. Li shook his head and said, "To be honest, I know my own body. I will go back to my hometown in Huai'an with Li Lin this time. I am going to hand over this house to you. Now this house is a hot potato. What do you think?"

Yan Jiekuang shook his head like a rattle and said, "Mr. Li, you are a very insightful person. Do you think that if I had this house, my company would fire me? Your house has the word "royal" in it."

Mr. Li sighed and said, "Whatever happens, the house deeds and land deeds are with you. We'll talk about what to do later. When I leave, just lock it up."

Yan Jiekuang looked at Li Lin. Old Li knew what Yan Jiekuang meant and said, "They can't afford it. If I bring trouble to my hometown, I will be guilty. Anyway, the house is given to you. You can do whatever you want."

Yan Jiekuang smiled bitterly. Elder Li asked Li Lin to guard the front yard. After Li Lin left, Elder Li whispered to Yan Jiekuang, "I moved a lot of things in the palace before, and put them in the basement of this room. The mechanism is under my bed." Elder Li looked at Yan Jiekuang and said, "I was afraid that the good things would be sold cheaply to people in other countries, so I shipped them out first. Otherwise, they would have to be taken to the Northeast."

Yan Jiekuang was very surprised. He didn't expect that Mr. Li had such an experience. Mr. Li continued, "If there is a chance, you should return it to the palace. As long as it is not sent abroad, my wish will be fulfilled."

Yan Jiekuang nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, I will not keep them for myself. I will return them to their original owners when there is a chance."

Mr. Li smiled with relief and said, "When I first saw you, I knew you were a kind person. People who keep cats all have kind hearts."

Yan Jiekuang accompanied Mr. Li in chatting about the past and the present. Mr. Li told Yan Jiekuang a lot of secrets in the palace. Yan Jiekuang was fascinated by the stories and before he knew it, a day had passed.

When Yan Jiekuang said goodbye, Mr. Li said, "I will leave tomorrow. You come the day after tomorrow and lock it. From now on, just leave it alone."

Yan Jiekuang nodded, picked up the food box, bowed to Mr. Li, and said, "Mr. Li, take care."

Mr. Li smiled and waved his hand, signaling Yan Jiekuang to leave quickly.

Yan Jiekuang left with a hint of sadness. Mr. Li didn't know what he was like before, but from what he came into contact with Yan Jiekuang, he was a very kind person.

When Yan Jiekuang left, he took with him the title deed and land deeds of this three-courtyard quadrangle. Although he didn't know much about this courtyard, he still followed Mr. Li's advice and came to take a look more often when he had nothing to do.

Yan Jiekuang returned to Yu'er Hutong. Tiantian was wagging its tail and circling around him. Yan Jiekuang was puzzled. He looked at Tiantian and turned to look for the big cat. The big cat was lying lazily in the middle hall and did not get up. It just meowed twice. When Yan Jiekuang heard it, he knew that the big cat was unhappy too.

When he walked over to take a look, he realized that the two little ancestors had already eaten their breakfast since he had not been back all day. Yan Jiekuang hurried into the kitchen, reprocessed the chicken, duck and big bones that had been used to make soup, and brought them out.

As soon as they were put in the front yard, five little ones came out from nowhere and started eating around the big bowl. Yan Jiekuang quickly divided it into two portions and put them in front of Tiantian and Damao.

Yan Jiekuang had just freed up some time and was about to make himself a bowl of noodles when the door outside rang. He opened the door and saw Yan Jiedi and Xiaodang appear. Yan Jiekuang smiled bitterly, thinking that he was destined to work hard. He decided to make a few more bowls.

Yan Jiedi smiled and nodded, saying, "Brother, you really know my heart."

Yan Jiekuang rolled his eyes and said, "When did you come here after dinner?"

The three people entered the central hall. It was almost winter and it was still a bit cold outside.

Three people sat in the middle hall, with dishes on the table. They scooped up their own noodles and took care of themselves.

After the meal, Yan Jiedi took the initiative to make tea, and the three of them sat and chatted about family matters.

Yan Jiekuang asked Xiaodang, "I heard that the financial power of your family has changed hands?"

Xiao Dang said: "Yes, now my mother is in charge, and my grandmother doesn't dare to say anything."

Yan Jiedi said: "It's better than being with your father. Your father is too soft-hearted."

Xiao Dang nodded in agreement and said, "I haven't handed in my salary. My mother asks me to pay every day. What should I do? She says she is saving money for my dowry."

Yan Jiedi said: "Don't do that. If you hand it over, you will have no connection with the money in the future. You don't know your mother yet. She only has two people in her heart, Jia Geng and Jia Xiaobao."

Xiaodang also knew that the money would be gone once it was spent, but after all, she was her mother, and she didn't know how to respond.

Yan Jiekuang said, "Just tell me you want to go to night school, and then you can live in my sister's dormitory. I remember there is a backyard behind the tavern."

Xiaodang's eyes lit up and he thought it was a good idea. Yan Jiedi also agreed.

(End of this chapter)