Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

This time, he stopped begging and directly stated his bottom line: "Xiao'e, I know you don't want to help, but Qin Jingru...she is pregnant. We need food and nutrition."

There was silence behind the door for a moment, and then Lou Xiao'e's voice came coldly: "So what if you're pregnant? You didn't listen to my advice at the beginning, and now you have to bear the consequences yourself."

Xu Damao gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger: "Xiao'e, I know we did something wrong in the beginning. But now we really need your help. Just think of it as having pity on us and sell us two steamed buns."

The door opened a crack again, and Lou Xiao'e poked her head out, looking at Xu Damao with complicated eyes: "I do have a few cold steamed buns and a bag of peanuts. But you have to understand that this is not charity, but a transaction."

Xu Damao was delighted and nodded quickly: "Okay, let's trade. You tell me how much it is."

Lou Xiao'e sneered, "This is not an ordinary price. A cold steamed bun is 20 cents, and a bag of peanuts is 50 cents. If you want it, take it. If you don't want it, forget it."

Xu Damao was stunned. The price was much higher than he expected.

But looking at Lou Xiao'e's cold eyes, there was no room for bargaining.

Gritting his teeth, he took out the crumpled money from his pocket and handed it to Lou Xiaoe: "Okay, I'll give you the money. But you have to remember, this is not charity, but a transaction between us."

Lou Xiao'e took the money and sneered, "Of course I remember. You asked for it, don't blame others."

Having said that, she turned around and went back into the house, and after a while came out with some cold steamed bread and peanuts.

Xu Damao took the food and felt complicated.

He knew that the rift between him and Lou Xiao'e was irreparable, but for the sake of Qin Jingru and the child, he could only swallow his anger.

Holding the cold steamed buns and peanuts, Xu Damao returned home with heavy steps.

As soon as Qin Jingru saw him coming back, she immediately went to greet him, her eyes full of anticipation.

But when she saw the food in Xu Damao's hand and his gloomy face, the expectation in her heart instantly turned into disappointment and anger.

"Why is it so little? And it's so expensive!" Qin Jingru stomped her feet in anger, tears welling up in her eyes.

Xu Damao sighed, put the food on the table, and sat down on the chair tiredly: "She refused to lend us the stove, and was unwilling to sell us food at a low price. She said that this was our own fault and we had to bear the consequences ourselves."

After hearing this, Qin Jingru was so angry that she trembled all over: "How can you be so cruel? We are neighbors! How can you just stand by and watch someone die?"

"She is just like that, what can we do?"

"Then what should we do? Are we really going to starve to death? And what about the baby in her belly? What about him?"

Seeing Qin Jingru crying like a pear blossom in the rain, Xu Damao felt a pang of pain in his heart.

We can't just give up like this.

For Qin Jingru and the child, we must find a way.

"Okay, don't cry." Xu Damao comforted him softly, "I have bought these foods. Although they are a bit expensive, they can at least fill our stomachs temporarily. I will think of a way to make sure you and your child live a good life."

However, Lou Xiao'e did not seem to intend to let them go.

The next day, when she learned that Xu Damao still wanted to buy food, she raised the price again.

"A cold steamed bun costs fifty cents, and a bag of peanuts costs one dollar." Lou Xiao'e said coldly, "This is the lowest price I can offer. It's up to you whether you want it or not."

Hearing this, Xu Damao was stunned.

This is Lou Xiao'e deliberately making things difficult for me.

But looking at Qin Jingru's increasingly haggard face and the baby about to be born in her belly, he could only grit his teeth, take out the wrinkled money again and hand it to Lou Xiao'e.

Although the bag of expensive peanuts and cold steamed buns was unpleasant, it was not just food, but also the hope for him and Qin Jingru in this cold winter.

He gently pushed the door open. Qin Jingru was still sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and swollen, obviously still angry about what happened yesterday.

"I'm back." Xu Damao said softly, putting the food on the table.

Qin Jingru looked up at him, the anger in her eyes had not yet completely subsided.

"Is this... what you bought?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

Xu Damao nodded, without mentioning the price, and just smiled and said, "Eat something first. It's not good to be hungry."

Qin Jingru silently picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, and a tear flashed in her eyes.

These foods were hard-earned and Xu Damao paid a huge price to obtain them.

The two ate the food in silence. Although the food was cold and hard, it seemed particularly precious at this moment.

After eating, Xu Damao handed the peanuts to Qin Jingru: "Eat some peanuts, it's good for your health."

Qin Jingru took the peanuts and looked at Xu Damao. The anger in her eyes had long disappeared, replaced by gratitude and tenderness.

At night, the two lay on the bed, Qin Jingru leaned gently on Xu Damao's chest, feeling his heartbeat.

Xu Damao hugged her tightly, wanting to give her more warmth and security.

"Thank you." Qin Jingru said softly.

"What can I say thank you for? We are a family and should support each other." Xu Damao said softly.

Xu Damao and Qin Jingru depended on each other. Although they were in difficult situations, they found warmth in each other's company.

However, fate did not seem to let them off easily.

It was late at night and the two were in love. Xu Damao was about to take action when he suddenly heard a cough coming from next door.

I suddenly came to my senses. The room had very poor soundproofing. If I made any noise, it would probably cause unnecessary trouble.

He sighed helplessly and kissed Qin Jingru's forehead gently: "I'm sorry, let's just bear with it tonight."

Although Qin Jingru felt a little disappointed, she also understood Xu Damao's concerns. She nodded and snuggled in Xu Damao's arms. The two of them spent the long night quietly.

The next morning, Xu Damao got up early. Outside the window, it was snowing heavily and the wind was biting cold.

It is extremely difficult to go out in such weather, but for Qin Jingru and the children, we must go out to find food.

He wrapped his coat tightly and walked in the snow with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

Most of the shops on the street were closed, with only a few snack stalls still steaming.

I walked to a stall selling buns, took out my wrinkled money and bought a few hot buns.

When I got home, Qin Jingru was already awake.

When she saw the buns Xu Damao bought in the heavy snow, a hint of emotion flashed in her eyes.

"You..." Before she could finish her words, tears welled up in her eyes.

Xu Damao handed the bun to her with a smile: "Eat it quickly, it's still hot."

The two of them were eating buns and chatting.

Although life was hard, it didn't seem so unbearable with each other's company.

At this moment, He Yushui suddenly pushed the door open, with a trace of worry on her face: "Brother Damao, Sister Qin, Banggeng hasn't woken up yet, Sister Qin Huairu is almost dying of anxiety."

Xu Damao and Qin Jingru were both shocked when they heard this.