Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 386 Yan Family Travel
At the end of July, the college entrance examination results were announced. Shi Lei scored 574 points, which was considered a high score among liberal arts students. As expected, he passed the score line of the school and major he applied for. Now he was just waiting for the admission notice. A few days later, the notice was delivered to his home.

Yan Jiekuang was very happy and immediately rode his bicycle to inform his parents. When he arrived at the west wing, Yan Bugui and Yang Ruiping were celebrating with Shi Xiaoya. Yongchang went to the National Defense University, and Yongxin went to Beijing Normal University.

Yan Jiekuang also said that Shi Lei went to Tsinghua University where he once studied, and the whole Yan family was very happy.

At the beginning of August, we were originally planning to hold a 70th birthday party for Yan Bugui, but in the end it became a birthday party and a graduation party at the same time.

The banquet was held in Chaofengzhai. This was Yang Lifen's strong request. She said that since they went to Chunfenglou last time, Yin Liguo's apprentice must be allowed to have a chance to shine this time. Yan Jiekuang had no choice but to agree.

On this day, the house was packed with distinguished guests. The old couple of the Yan family sat steadily at the main table, and Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiekuang were responsible for welcoming the guests.

When He Yuzhu arrived, he complained to Yan Jiekuang, saying that such a big happy event should be held in their hotel, which made Yan Jiekuang so angry that he rolled his eyes.

Xu Damao came by himself. Yan Jiekuang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him. Fortunately, Xu Delin went to the Soviet Union, otherwise there would have been a fight.

Most of the guests were invited by the Yan family. There were old neighbors, old leaders, business partners and company executives, but there were also unexpected guests, such as Qin Jingru and Lou Xiaoe.

Qin Jingru came alone, saying that she came mainly to see her old neighbors, but from Qin Huairu's surprised look, Yan Jiekuang could guess that it was not the Jia family who told her. The only person Yan Jiekuang could think of was Xu Damao. Sure enough, when Qin Jingru arrived, she sat next to Xu Damao.

Lou Xiao'e gave him an unexpected surprise. She brought her husband and four-year-old son with her. She also handed Yan Jiekuang a box, saying it was given to him by his godmother.

The dishes for the banquet were of high standard, with abalone, shark fin, lobster and sea cucumber all served, as well as chicken, duck and fish, which made the guests smack their lips in astonishment.

At this banquet, Yan Bugui's family did not accept any dowry, as it had been agreed upon in advance. However, the guests brought some gifts. Yan Bugui was smiling for several days, while Liu Haizhong was extremely jealous because he was also turning 70 this year.

Liu Guangtian saw it with his own eyes and kept it in mind, thinking that he had to get it redone no matter what, as his father had not had an easy life.

Yi Zhonghai didn't feel anything, but he was sitting at the main table, looking at Jia Zhangshi across from him. He felt annoyed no matter how he looked at her, because Jia Zhangshi had been showing off that her family already had three independent courtyards in Nanluoguxiang.

Yi Zhonghai came back this time to ask Yan Bugui for something. He wanted to buy a courtyard house, also in this area. Yan Bugui had already agreed, but it also depended on opportunity. It was not something that could be obtained just by chance. But Yan Bugui suggested that he wait until Xu Delin came back. Xu Delin bought a three-courtyard house, and Yan Bugui could see that Xu Delin still had feelings for Yi Zhonghai.

The banquet ended successfully without any incident. The Yan family members returned to the courtyard together, saying that they would discuss things in the evening.

But Yan Jiekuang and his wife took Lou Xiao'e and her family to Yuer Hutong for tea, as they also had work matters to discuss.

Back in Yuer Hutong, Yan Jiekuang entertained Lou Xiao'e and her family under the grape vines in the backyard. Lou Xiao'e's son had already been taken away by Xiaohai to the back garden.

Lou Xiao'e asked Yan Jiekuang if he would no longer enter Hong Kong Island. Yan Jiekuang nodded and said that he would develop in the mainland within ten years and would no longer go to Hong Kong Island or other countries.

Ji Lian also talked to Lou Xiao'e about the current development of Kodak Company and future plans. Lou Xiao'e also has great interest in the real estate development market. Lou Xiao'e's husband is an architectural designer himself, and he is also very optimistic about the real estate market in the mainland.

It was not until the evening that Lou Xiao'e and her husband took their children and said goodbye. Before leaving, Lou Xiao'e asked Yan Jiekuang to call Lou Tan more often when he had nothing to do.

After seeing off Lou Xiao'e and the other two, Yan Jiekuang took his wife and children back to Courtyard No. 95 and went directly to the west wing. When he entered the backyard, he saw everyone gathered together chatting.

The main topic of conversation was Yi Zhonghai's desire to buy a house. Yan Jiekuang did not express any opinion, but just drank tea and smoked. Yang Ruiping looked at Yan Jiekuang and asked, "Third brother, when are you going to travel?"

Everyone fell silent and listened attentively. Yan Jiekuang said happily, "We'll go in a few days. We'll drive there, probably on the 10th, and we'll be gone for seven days. If you want to go, ask for leave immediately. We'll go directly to Baotu Spring and Daming Lake in Jinan, then to Tai'an to climb Mount Tai, and finally to Qingdao to see the sea."

It was obvious that Yan Jiekuang was tempting everyone. Yan Yongqing also wanted to go. He looked at his wife, who nodded secretly. Yan Yongqing quickly said, "Let's go."

Yan Jiecheng looked at his son and then at Yu Li. Yu Li said, "We can't do it. We have to close the store." Yan Jiecheng said nothing.

Yan Jiefang said, "Xiao Ya, take the kids with you, and bring Yong Fang with you, too. I won't go, as I just joined a special case team."

Yan Jie Di didn't need to say anything. She had already told Yan Jie Kuang that she was going, and now all she had to do was ask for leave.

Yan Jiekuang said, "I'll drive one car, Ji Lian will drive one, and Yong Qing will drive one. That's enough space for everyone."

The family began to discuss what necessities to bring. In the evening, Yang Ruiping cooked noodles and Yan Jiekuang fried the sauce. The family had a simple meal and then went back home.

On August 10th, the Yan family set off. The entire journey was commanded by Yan Jiekuang. From the first day, the children became excited.

We arrived in JN City in the afternoon, and Yan Jiekuang led us to Minghu Hotel. We chose this place because it was closer to Daming Lake.

After resting for a while in the hotel, Yan Jiekuang took his family to visit Daming Lake. Yan Jiekuang didn't need to say anything, Yan Bugui knew all the scenic spots in Daming Lake like the back of his hand. The children gathered around him, listening to Yan Bugui's stories with great interest, while Yan Jiekuang took on the job of photographer. In the evening, Yan Bugui originally suggested eating in Daming Lake Park before going back, but Yan Jiekuang said, "Dad, I have already booked a table at my place. The Shandong cuisine there is more authentic, and the food here is probably a little worse."

"Shandong cuisine, is that the food Aunt Tian cooks?" Xixi asked, pulling on her father's clothes.

"Yes, that's right. No matter whether it tastes better than your Aunt Tian's, don't express your opinion there." Yan Jiekuang reminded.

Yan Bugui asked, "Why, is the Shandong cuisine cooked by Sister Tian delicious?"

Yan Jiekuang said: "Yes, he is the authentic descendant of Shandong cuisine, and he is of a very high generation."

Yan Jiekuang took his family back to the hotel and went to the private room on the second floor. Yan Jiekuang handed the menu to Yan Bugui and asked him to order first. Yan Bugui took a look and said, "You order first. You are familiar with it."

Yan Jiekuang looked at the number of people and ordered sixteen dishes, basically all the classic Shandong dishes, and of course four green vegetables.

After ordering the dishes, Yan Jiekuang asked Yan Bugui, "Dad, do you want to drink Baotu Spring wine or Confucius Mansion wine? These are the specialties here, right?"

Yan Bugui said with a smile: "Today we drink Baotu Spring wine, tomorrow we drink Kongfujia wine, would you like some, Yongqing?"

Yan Yongqing didn't even look at his wife, and nodded repeatedly. At this time, Yang Ruiping said, "Come and try some. Anyway, we will go back to rest after dinner."

"Mom, you can take a stroll around the neighborhood after dinner. There are many scenic spots and historical sites here." Yan Jiekuang reminded his mother.

Yang Ruiping smiled and said, "Yes, then drink less, it's okay."

After a while, the dishes came up. There was no need for Yan Jiekuang to introduce them, as the children in his family all knew them. Yan Bugui even said that he was at a loss, and he should have gone to the third brother's house for a free meal earlier. Yan Jiedi was very happy because she knew Tian Guixiang's cooking skills and she went there often.

Yan Jie Di took a few bites and was about to speak, but Yan Jie Kuang glared at him. Yan Jie Di looked at the two waiters beside her and swallowed her words.

After dinner, Yan Yongqing and his wife took their children back to rest, while the others strolled around the area and went directly to Qushuiting Street. Although many buildings had not been repaired yet, they were still very interested in touring Baihuazhou, stopping and walking, taking pictures of their family members from time to time, and buying some snacks from time to time. They played until after nine o'clock before returning to the hotel.

The next day, Yanjie and his group went to Baotu Spring and spent half a day there. Since Yan Jiekuang planned to go to Tai'an in the afternoon, they had plenty of time to spend a morning at Baotu Spring.

After lunch, Yan Jiekuang planned to check out and go straight to Tai'an. He had to have a good rest tonight because he had to climb a mountain tomorrow.

Yan Bugui said, "How about two hours later?"

Yan Jiekuang was very puzzled and said, "Okay, it's not that urgent. We can leave at three o'clock."

Yan Bugui said: "These children are all in school. We don't believe in feudal superstition, but we must let the children visit the Confucian Temple and pay homage to Confucius."

After listening to this, Yang Ruiping nodded and said, "Yes, this one must go."

Seeing that everyone agreed, Yan Jiekuang had no objection and took everyone to the Confucius Temple. On the way, the children learned about the origin of the Confucius Temple and were full of curiosity and a little bit of anticipation.

When they arrived, the Yan family was a little disappointed. Many buildings had been destroyed, but the main hall was still there. After taking a look around, they returned to the hotel, checked out, and drove straight to Tai'an. They stayed at the Railway Hotel at night and had dinner at a nearby restaurant.

They ordered some local Tai'an dishes, including pancakes, Taishan fried chicken, dry-fried red-scale fish, first-class tofu, hibiscus tofu, etc. The Yan family was very happy with the meal, and Yan Bugui sighed that he finally tasted the three delicacies of Taishan.

After dinner and a night's rest, we checked out the next day. Yan Bugui asked in confusion, "Now that you have checked out, where are we going to stay tonight?"

Yan Jiekuang laughed and said, "Dad, are we staying on the top of Mount Tai tonight? Won't you watch the sunrise tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes, that's good, but are we going to stay in the temple at night? There are no hotels on Mount Tai." Yan Bugui asked.

Yan Jiekuang said, "There is a Shenqi Hotel upstairs. Don't worry about it. I have already booked a room. Fortunately, there are not many people here right now."

Forty minutes later, the group parked the car, packed up and arrived at the foot of Mount Tai. Yan Jiekuang bought a ticket and came back and shouted, "Children, are you ready?"

The children shouted loudly: "Ready!"

Yan Jiekuang waved his hand holding the ticket and said, "Let's go!"

(End of this chapter)