Siheyuan: Bringing Warehouses to 1959

When Xu Damao saw Sha Zhu's miserable condition, he was even more grateful that he had been freed from the emotional entanglement between the two sisters.

He even felt that if he didn't find someone as reliable and capable as Zhang Xiuzhi like Zeng Wangcai did, getting married would be a stupid thing to do.

How wonderful it is to live alone. You have money to spend, and you can go out to eat when you are hungry. No matter where you are hungry, you can go out to eat by yourself, and you don’t have to wash dishes or listen to nagging.

But he knew very well that there was a prerequisite: you had to be rich, otherwise who would look at you?

"Mr. Xu, the total is twenty-one dollars and sixty cents. I'll give you twenty-one." Qin Huairu came over with the menu, "Pay the money first. I have to get off work."

"Qin Huairu, you don't do business like this." Xu Damao said angrily, "I haven't eaten yet. Besides, what's worth twenty-one dollars and sixty cents?"

"Look for yourself!" Qin Huairu threw the menu in front of Xu Damao, "Three dishes, two bottles of wine. The dishes are not expensive, but the wine is good."

Xu Damao looked down at the menu and found that the prices matched, but the quantities did not.

"One bottle of wine is enough..."

"Why don't you have a drink with Shazhu?" Qin Huairu said with a smile, "Shazhu hasn't eaten yet. Besides, it's boring for you to drink alone, right?"

"Okay, you're so cruel!" Xu Damao suddenly felt sympathy for Sha Zhu, took out some money, counted out twenty and handed it over, "One dollar and sixty cents is for Sha Zhu's rooming fee, that's all, take it or leave it."

Xu Damao is not stupid. He is worth a lot of money now, but he doesn't have the habit of spending money lavishly.

Moreover, he knew that the money would most likely go into Qin Huairu's pocket.

Sure enough, Qin Huairu was also very straightforward. She put the money in her pocket and said with a smile, "You are too stingy. Forget it. We are just neighbors. That's all."

After saying that, she stopped talking nonsense, turned around and took their Xiaodang away, leaving Xu Damao alone in the store.

Xu Damao sat there for two minutes and heard Sha Zhu calling for people to serve the dishes in the kitchen. He was obviously calling Qin Huairu or Xiaodang, but they had already gone home.

Well, do it yourself!

Xu Damao grabbed a handful of melon seeds, put on his neat suit, and strolled to the kitchen.

"Get out!" When Sha Zhu saw Xu Damao coming in, he was already in a bad mood and became even more angry, saying, "The kitchen is a restricted area, no one is allowed in. Call Qin Huairu to serve the dishes."

"Can you change your bad behavior?" Xu Damao spat out the melon seed shells in his mouth and cursed, "You live like this, why don't you have any idea in your mind? Qin Huairu passed away a long time ago, who cares about you?

"I, Xu Damao, your mortal enemy, came to serve the dishes and buy you a drink. I gave you the money, but he pocketed it and took it away. You kicked me out, so you have to cook and serve the dishes by yourself..."

These words almost brought Sha Zhu to tears. He also wanted to know why his life had become like this?

Logically speaking, although running a restaurant by myself may not be as good as being rich, I still have the skills and can make a lot of money. However, I have no money in my pocket and I still smoke the same cigarettes I smoked more than ten years ago.

My sister scolded me every time she came, and then she just stopped coming...

"Wait, I'm going to make some pork intestines." Sha Zhu stopped chasing Xu Damao and continued cooking silently.

He didn't follow the menu. After the twice-cooked pork, he made some braised pork intestines, roasted a fish, and finally put a plate of peanuts, a total of four dishes.

"Hold them, why are you just standing there?" Sha Zhu said while holding two dishes in his hands.

"Haha, it seems you've got it. Okay, let's have a drink." Xu Damao threw away the melon seeds, clapped his hands, and took the dish.

After the four dishes were served, Sha Zhu replaced the two bottles of wine that Qin Huairu had prepared before she left, and took out two bottles of Moutai from a corner behind the counter.

Now Moutai has become well-known and very popular.

Sha Zhu opened the wine, poured a glass for Xu Damao first, and then poured one for himself.

Without saying a word, Sha Zhu finished the small cup of about one or two liang of wine in one gulp. With this sip of wine, it seemed that all the unhappiness and depression were swallowed up by him.

Comfortable!

Sha Zhu's brows relaxed, and when he saw Xu Damao didn't move, he said, "Drink, I know you don't lack good wine, but this is the wine I bought, and the food you bought is different.

"We have been friends since we were little, and it seems like we rarely drink together."

"Okay, let's do it!" Xu Damao raised his neck and did it when Sha Zhu brought back memories. "I, Xu Damao, am unlucky because I grew up with you. What do you mean by beating you up? That means you beat me up from childhood to adulthood. When have I ever beaten you? Can I beat you?"

"You've always been plotting against me!" Sha Zhu couldn't help but say after hearing Xu Damao bring up the past, "If you don't plot against me, will I beat you? I'm not as smart as you, but my fists are bigger than yours, so it's definitely more cost-effective to hit me.

"By the way, I've suffered as much as you have. When you were plotting against me, did the second uncle and the third uncle punish me less? Only the first uncle protected me..."

"Don't mention him!" Xu Damao said sarcastically, "I said you were stupid, but you didn't admit it. He was doing it for your own good? Would you go to this extent if it was for your own good?

"Silly Zhu, there are some things I don't want to say because our relationship has not reached that point, but for the sake of two bottles of Moutai, I'll say one more thing. Think about it, without Yi Zhonghai, would you have ended up like this? On the surface, you look like a decent person, a boss, but do you have money? Do you know why Wangcai is willing to take me with him but not you?"

Sha Zhu hasn't woken up yet, because no one usually says this to him. Only his sister said it twice at the beginning, but he was dreaming at that time and refused to listen. Later, his sister was too lazy to say it anymore.

"You shouldn't talk about old people behind their backs like that." Sha Zhu poured another round of wine, "Without him, I wouldn't be able to open this restaurant."

"Bullshit!" Xu Damao laughed angrily, "Without him, you would have been the boss of a big hotel. You are so stupid. Wangcai always helps capable people to the end. Look at me. Now I am President Xu. Let's not talk about me. Let's talk about Uncle Li's family in Courtyard 88 and Uncle Zhao's family in Courtyard 65. Which family has some expertise and went to Wangcai for help? Isn't their business bigger than yours?"

This refers to Zeng Wangcai's help or investment in his neighbors.

In the entire Nanluoguxiang area, or in Jiaodaokou, Zeng Wangcai would help any neighbor whose face he could remember if they had any problems. Zeng Wangcai would have someone check and help if the problem was not serious.

This led to the situation that in this area, if anyone dared to say a word against the Zeng family, the local people would beat you to death without even reporting to the police station.

Zeng Wangcai used this trick to run Nanluoguxiang like an iron barrel, making it difficult for strangers to gain a foothold here.

Sha Zhu seemed to be awakened by Xu Damao's words. He drank a glass of wine by himself and silently recalled every detail of the past few years.

Xu Damao didn't disturb him and just drank and ate.

Before he knew it, Xu Damao had gotten drunk.

As the saying goes, keep warm and think about it... Well, Xu Damao recalled the time when he went to Jiangdao with Sha Zhu, and said drunkenly: "Sha Zhu, do you still remember the 'all-inclusive' thing? Let me tell you, I have never stopped doing it over the years, and... I will be going abroad soon, riding a foreign horse, and you will be jealous to death..."