Life in siheyuan era

Zhou Zhiyua n caught a good opportunity. He walked into the front yard and didn't see Third Aunt and Wang Da Niang. He walked into the middle yard and didn't see First Aunt and Jia Zhangshi either. This was the time they usually went to the market to buy groceries.

This quadrangle courtyard is an epitome of the lives of ordinary people in Beijing. Many families have only one person working to support the whole family.

First Aunt, Second Aunt, Third Aunt, Jia Zhangshi, and Wang Da Niang don't have jobs, but they are never idle for a day. They take care of all the sewing, mending, washing, scrubbing, three meals, and cleaning at home.

They also take on odd jobs from outside to earn some money. They are busier in a day than going to work. Their only joy is gathering together to talk about this family and gossip about that family.

Their lives are very regular. After eating lunch and cleaning up the dishes, they leave home together and head to the market to prepare ingredients for dinner. One person's lunch can be casual, but the whole family's dinner cannot be compromised. This time is exactly the time to go to the market.

And there are only a few markets in Beijing, so it takes some time to go back and forth.

With the older women gone, the quadrangle courtyard was quiet. Zhou Zhiyua n carried two bags of pastries and walked into the backyard, standing still and looking around.

The backyard doesn't have east and west wing rooms. A row of houses is called the rear cover room, which used to be the residence of concubines and maids. Now, Deaf Old Lady, Second Master, and Xu Damao live in three households.

This is a standard small quadrangle courtyard. More than a dozen families lived here before the founding of the country. The original architectural pattern was destroyed, and several side rooms were built. The families of Third Master, Wang Da Niang, and Second Master and Xu Damao in the backyard all have side rooms.

They also live in public housing, but the side rooms were built before the founding of the country.

After the founding of the country, the government strengthened the management of houses and defaulted to the side rooms of the previous buildings, but new buildings were not allowed. The urban management model at this time was old but not dirty, and disorder was not allowed.

Deaf Old Lady is a long-term resident of this courtyard, but she can't build a side room. The left side of her room is the two rooms of Second Master's family, and the right side is Xu Damao's house. Her house is located in the middle.

She is named Deaf Old Lady because of her deafness. No one remembers her real name, and no one knows how old she is. If she says she is seventy-eight, she is seventy-eight. If she says eighty-two tomorrow, no one will blame her. At her age, she has the right to say whatever age she wants.

She is the cleanest old lady in the courtyard, a five-guarantee household with no children, no daughters, no relatives, and no reason. She sews, mends, washes, scrubs, cooks, and always wears clean clothes.

She protects Sha Zhu, likes Lou Xiao'e, and has close ties with First Master and his wife. Although she is called Deaf Old Lady, sometimes she is not deaf at all. According to Zhou Zhiyua n's understanding, Deaf Old Lady just doesn't want to hear certain words.

He reviewed the script in his mind, then walked to the door of the room and gently knocked three times. He heard a slightly hoarse voice from inside and pushed the door open to enter the house.

This room of more than ten square meters is very tidy. There is a heated brick bed with a cabinet on it. Two chairs are placed on the east side of the floor, and an old cabinet is placed on the west side. A dining table and two stools are placed in the center of the floor, and a kettle sits on the iron stove by the window.

Scanning the room, Zhou Zhiyua n then looked at the heated brick bed and saw an old lady with white hair sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at him with her eyes narrowed.

She is petite, her face is covered with wrinkles, but she sits upright and her complexion is ruddy, showing a healthy look.

A young woman is sitting on the edge of the heated brick bed, with a fair round face and a pair of bright crescent eyes staring at him, revealing a curious look.

"She is Lou Xiao'e, right?" Zhou Zhiyua n guessed the identity of the young woman, stepped forward and stood in front of the heated brick bed, bowing and saying, "Sorry to bother you."

Then he introduced himself: "I am..."

Deaf Old Lady interrupted him: "The second boy of the Zhou family, Zhou Zhiyua n."

She knew Zhou Zhiyua n, said his name and then smiled: "You two brothers look very similar, but your brother is not as easy-going as you."

Looking at him carefully again, Deaf Old Lady turned to the young woman and said, "Xiao'e, he is the second boy of the Zhou family in the middle courtyard, named Zhou Zhiyua n, who served in the army for five years and came back last night."

Hearing Deaf Old Lady introduce him, Zhou Zhiyua n immediately thought of someone. First Aunt had talked about him with Deaf Old Lady.

This thought flashed through his mind, and then he heard Deaf Old Lady introduce the young woman: "Her name is Lou Xiao'e, Xu Damao's wife, who married here last year. Let you two get to know each other."

As he expected, the young woman was indeed Lou Xiao'e.

Her father was once a capitalist, and she herself received a good education. Hearing Deaf Old Lady's introduction, she stood up gracefully and said briskly, "Hello." Her eyes then fell on Zhou Zhiyua n's right hand.

More than twenty years ago, the handshake etiquette rose in this ancient country, and it has been popularized in society to this day.

When a man and a woman meet for the first time, the man enthusiastically extends his big hand and grabs the woman's small hand, and he has to shake it hard to show enthusiasm.

If you want to be more enthusiastic, put another big hand on it, hold the woman's small hand tightly with both hands, and add a little effort.

This phenomenon is very common, but it makes women very embarrassed. Lou Xiao'e's attention to his right hand is a manifestation of this concern.

People at this time don't pay attention to the etiquette of shaking hands. Few people know that when a man and a woman meet for the first time, the woman decides whether to shake hands. If the woman doesn't reach out, the man can't reach out.

Fortunately, Zhou Zhiyua n understood the handshake etiquette and didn't reach out, but nodded slightly.

His movement was gentle and refined, and Lou Xiao'e immediately put a hat of knowledge and reason on him.

The two greeted each other and were considered to know each other. Zhou Zhiyua n put the two bags of pastries on the dining table and said respectfully to Deaf Old Lady, "My parents said that Grandma Deaf has high prestige and told me to come and see you."

Deaf Old Lady nodded lightly and replied happily, "Your parents are the most polite people in this courtyard."

Then she looked at Zhou Zhiyua n and then at Lou Xiao'e, and smiled, "You two sit down and talk."

Deaf Old Lady spoke, Lou Xiao'e sat back on the edge of the heated brick bed, and Zhou Zhiyua n sat on the stool by the table.

He was not familiar with Deaf Old Lady and prepared to be polite and then leave. He sat upright on the stool and listened to Deaf Old Lady saying, "Your parents not only value etiquette, but also know how to cultivate children. Both sons are so outstanding."

Deaf Old Lady praised his parents, and Zhou Zhiyua n couldn't be modest. He replied solemnly, "My father and mother attach great importance to education. They taught me and my brother to read and write since childhood. My brother is outstanding in literary talent, but I am a good-for-nothing, which makes my parents very disappointed."

Zhou Zhiyua n told the truth. Zhou Dehou and his wife did value education and provided their two sons to complete private school, read high school, and continue to study in middle school.

Middle school in the 1950s was equivalent to high school. High school graduates were relatively rare at that time, equivalent to junior intellectuals.

According to Zhou Dehou and his wife's original idea, Zhou Zhining would become an excellent calligrapher and painter, but Zhou Zhiyua n could not become a fighting expert, so he should go to school to be a physical education teacher.

They originally thought so, but later changed their minds. Zhou Zhining entered SY Machine Tool Factory as a fitter after graduating from middle school, and Zhou Zhiyua n put on a military uniform after graduating from middle school.

People in later generations will not understand Zhou Dehou and his wife's approach, but people at that time understood that workers, peasants, and soldiers were the most glorious in this era, and the Zhou family was right to follow the pace of the times.

Zhou Zhining doesn't need to wait for qualifications to be a worker. He can upgrade and earn more money with his skills. His monthly rations are two pounds more than cadres.

Zhou Zhiyua n is assigned a job after retiring from the army. With the halo of honor, he is very popular with employers. If he is promoted in the army, the whole family will feel honored.

The reality of this era is mainly reflected in workers and soldiers.

Zhou Dehou and his wife are very realistic, but their reality is only half right. Zhou Zhiyua n entered the army like a fish in water. The skills he had practiced hard since childhood made him stand out and become a leader in shooting and fighting. He was also very loyal, and quickly gained a place among a group of young soldiers.

The army is his paradise. He can be liked by his superiors and supported by his comrades without flattering. He was promoted to squad leader in less than half a year after joining the army.

But Zhou Zhining is not the material to be a fitter at all. His mind is not focused on studying fitter technology. Wielding a brush and splashing ink is still his favorite.

But he is very backbone. The leader of SY Machine Tool Factory asked him to go to the factory office as a secretary, but he refused, "I don't know how to serve people."

He really doesn't know how to serve people, and he doesn't know how to act according to people's faces. If others have a black face to him, his face is blacker than others, no matter if you are a leader or someone else.

With this personality, Zhou Dehou and Lin Shurong were right not to let him go to college. It is safer to be a worker and take the path of technology.

His personality is most suitable for living in the 1980s. In twenty years, there will be a profession called freelancer, and there will be a profession called agent.

Zhou Zhining can concentrate on wielding a brush and splashing ink without looking at other people's faces, and the agent will sell his calligraphy and paintings at the highest price.

This is Zhou Zhiyua n's plan. At this time, the purpose of calling himself a "good-for-nothing" is very simple. No one will be interested in a good-for-nothing. Deaf Old Lady is disappointed, Lou Xiao'e disdains him, and he can leave.