Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 203 Big Talk
After dinner, Yan Bugui listened to the radio every day after the New Year's Eve and paid attention to the news, but there was no news from the south. Yan Bugui was a little confused, so he found Yan Jiekuang and asked, "Is it just a rumor outside? Why didn't the news mention it?"

Yan Jiekuang was very clear about this battle, but the time had not come yet. When Yan Bugui asked him about it, he just wanted to ease the atmosphere at home, so he said, "It may be a rumor, but more people are talking about it. No news is good news."

After listening to this, Yan Bugui thought for a moment and said, "You are right. No news is good news."

Yan Bugui's gloomy mood disappeared instantly. He went to the inner room and repeated to Yang Ruiping what he had said to Yan Jiekuang. Yang Ruiping thought about it and really believed it. His mood slowly recovered.

On New Year's Eve, the Yan family's mood suddenly recovered, as if Yan Jiefang had just gone out on a mission and had not returned. The family was talking and laughing. Yan Yongqing brought a few children, and Grandpa Ji and the two children also came to the front yard. The two little guys had been walking around, and when they came to the front yard, they stuck to Yan Jiekuang. Yan Jiekuang had a mission today, so he shouted, "Yongchang, take the brothers to play."

After a while, Yongchang and Yongxin each took one away. Compared to their father, they preferred to play with Yan Yongchang and his sister, so the four of them played with building blocks in the inner room.

Yang Ruiping did not allow the two children to leave the house. Yan Yongqing was called away early in the morning by Wang Yushan, Jia Xiaobao, and Zheng Hanbin and Chen Gang from the backyard. When he left, he begged and persuaded Yan Bugui to take his firecrackers.

Yan Jiecheng, his father and Grandpa Ji were playing chess and listening to the radio in the house. Yang Ruiping and Shi Xiaoya were busy making dumpling fillings, which were prepared for the evening. Yan Jiekuang was doing the final preparations in the kitchen.

After a while, Yu Li and Ji Lian came over, and Yan Jiedi, Shi Xiaoya and Yang Ruiping were also driven out of the kitchen by Yan Jiekuang.

The women chatted in the inner room for a while, and Ji Lian suggested playing poker. Several people went out of the room. Old man Ji was reading a book on the recliner. Yang Ruiping said he wanted to play poker. Yan Jiecheng and Yan Bugui stopped playing chess, mainly because Yan Jiecheng was too bad and Yan Bugui didn't like to play with him, so Old man Ji took over.

The six people from the Yan family gathered around the octagonal table and played the game of Knock Three Houses. Yan Jiekuang heard the laughing conversation in the hall, which was very lively. After a while, Grandpa Ji and Yan Bugui also came down and stood beside them to give advice to Ji Lian and Yang Ruiping respectively.

Yan Jiekuang looked helpless. He was the only one working miserably in the kitchen. Just after noon, Yan Jiekuang shouted to the hall, "Is it time for dinner?"

Yan Bugui replied, "Let's have dinner, Boss, go get Yongqing."

The women quickly packed up and went into the kitchen. Yan Bugui took out a string of firecrackers and placed them on the eight-immortals table. Yan Jiecheng came back with Yan Yongqing after a while. Yan Yongqing had nothing in his hands, and they were all clean.

Yan Bugui directed the group to set up a round table with Yan Jiecheng and move the chairs. When Yan Yongqing saw the firecrackers hanging on the table, Yan Bugui said, "We'll put the dishes in later when they're ready."

Yan Jiekuang started cooking, and the dishes were brought to the table by the women. Today's meal was very sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish and meat.

Especially the crispy chicken made by Yan Jiekuang, which is golden in color, fragrant and very tempting. The squirrel fish also has a unique shape and sweet taste that makes the women praise it.

In addition to these two dishes, Yan Jiekuang also made beer duck, twice-cooked pork, soft-fried pork tenderloin, pine nut corn, wood ear cabbage, lantern-shadow beef, prawns, stir-fried mixed vegetables, and finally a soup, which was West Lake beef soup.

This table of food was carefully prepared by Yan Jiekuang, because although the previous haze had temporarily dissipated, he knew that after a month, the family would have to return to their old ways.

When Yan Bugui was not daydreaming, he was very capable of organizing things. After asking everyone to sit down, Yan Jiekuang took out two bottles of Xifeng, which were also looted by Yan Jiekuang from Wang Qing.

Yan Jiecheng immediately took the wine, opened it and began to pour wine for Mr. Ji. After pouring a circle, Yang Ruiping said, "Pour me a glass. This New Year's Eve, you young wives can drink if you want. Be happy."

Shi Xiaoya said, "Brother, pour me a glass too."

Ji Lian and Yu Li looked at each other and poured themselves a glass.

Yan Jiekuang said to his eldest brother, "It's okay. There are two bottles of Lianhua Bai in the room. Today is a festival, so let's drink a little. It's okay." Yan Yongqing just picked up his cup and Yu Li glared at him. Unexpectedly, Yan Yongqing said, "I'm representing the younger one, so I won't drink it. Yongfang, let's drink Beibingyang. I saw Third Uncle bought it."

Everyone laughed. Yan Jiekuang pulled the box under the table next to him, which contained some candies and melon seeds, as well as twelve bottles of soda. The little ones cheered, and Yan Yongqing began to distribute the soda to the little ones.

Yan Bugui raised his glass and gave an opening speech, mainly summarizing the changes in his family over the past year. Now that reform and opening up have begun, although several people in the family haven't felt anything yet, they still know about the Lou family's affairs. But in the end, he emphasized his own changes, serving as a security guard and contributing to society.

As soon as they heard this, they knew that the old man was just bragging. Yang Ruiping became impatient and said, "The food is getting cold."

Yan Bugui then realized that he had to finish and quickly announced that the meal was about to begin.

During the meal, all members of the Yan family praised Yan Jiekuang's cooking skills, especially the younger ones. They had no time to talk and kept eating. When they were almost done eating, Yan Yongqing organized the younger ones to drink a glass together, which made everyone laugh.

After dinner, Yan Jiekuang took a few children to the yard to set off fireworks. All the younger children in the courtyard came to the front yard. Not only Yan Jiekuang bought fireworks, but also the Zheng and Liu families in the backyard, and the He and Jia families in the middle courtyard bought fireworks. The front yard became a sea of ​​joy. Only a few adults came, and the men were probably still drinking. Yan Jiekuang vaguely heard the sound of finger-guessing games in the middle courtyard.

After playing for a while, everyone dispersed. The fireworks had not been set off yet, so they left some for midnight. The Yan family sat around a round table and talked. The children went out with the scattered firecrackers. The fat boy and the little boy surrounded Yang Ruiping, who was cracking melon seeds for them.

Yan Bugui took a sip of tea and said to Yan Jiekuang, "It's not a good idea for you to stay at home all day. Why don't you look for a job in the street? You have a high degree and it will be easier to arrange a job for you."

Yan Jiekuang quickly said, "Stop, Dad, I have my own plans. Didn't you see that I hired Aunt Wang to take care of the kids? I'll be busy after the New Year."

Yan Bugui asked in confusion: "Are you going back to the Institute of Archaeology to work? Or are you going to the Street Office?"

"Neither. Don't ask. The main thing is to help the Lou family." Yan Jiekuang concealed his plan and said.

Yan Bugui stopped asking after hearing this and turned to look at Yan Jiecheng. Yan Jiecheng said, "Nothing has changed for me. I still have to go to work. I guess the factory may change after the New Year."

At this time, Yan Jiekuang hesitated for a moment and said, "The Lou family wants to open a garment factory, but it's a joint venture, and the target is the Second Textile Factory. It's basically been decided."

Yan Jiecheng stood up excitedly. Yan Bugui glanced at Yan Jiecheng and asked, "You have a stable job. Don't let your imagination run wild. Just work hard."

"Dad, you don't know that our factory may have to pay 80% of the wages after the New Year. The factory's performance is not good, and people are now panicking. Many people are thinking about transferring." Yan Jiecheng said.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui said, "No way, you are a state-owned unit."

"State-owned units cannot pay wages if they don't have money," Yan Jiekuang said.

Yu Li came out from the inner room and said, "Old Three, can our Jie Cheng go?"

Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng's eyes lit up and they looked at Yan Jiekuang together.

(End of this chapter)