Siheyuan: Five mouths waiting for food at the beginning

"You still have the nerve to say that. I'll settle the score with you tomorrow."

"Shanhe, uncle offers you a drink"

"Uncle, uncles don't usually toast their nephews, I toast you"

"Shanhe, listen to me. This wine has to be offered to you. Don't you know that my sons can get married because of you? If it weren't for the 200 yuan you put in, Shannan Shanbei would still be a bachelor. How could he get married and build such a beautiful house?"

"Uncle, you are too kind. My third child is here to bother you. You are too polite. We are family and should not have different opinions."

"Shanhe, this is different. The eldest, the second, and the third, kowtow to your eldest brother. If it weren't for your eldest brother, how could we marry a wife and build a house?"

Shandong, Shannan, Shanbei, they immediately stood up from the kang, and knelt down to kowtow to Zhao Shanhe.

Oh my god! Zhao Shanhe quickly jumped off the kang and held the three men back. "Uncle San, it really shouldn't be that serious. If you do this, your nephew will not dare to come here in the future. We are all brothers, so we don't care about these things."

Later at the dinner table, the third uncle and his third son tried their best to get Zhao Shanhe drunk. Zhao Shanhe signaled Zhao Shanhai to hold them back. In the end, Zhao Shanhe didn't even know how he went back to his room to sleep.

When Zhao Shanhe woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day. The aftereffects of drinking were really strong. No wonder the third brother said he took several days to recover.

"Mom, mom, uncle is awake." Zhao Shanhe just sat up when he heard a child shouting outside the door. There were several children lying on the window at the door, looking at him.

Zhao Shanhe saw that there was still some cold water on the table on the kang, so he quickly picked up the bowl and drank a few sips. He felt his throat was a little better and quickly got off the kang and walked outside. If he hadn't been woken up by the urge to pee, he would probably still be asleep.

"Daniu, take uncle to the toilet," Zhao Shanhe had a good memory. He remembered everything after introducing them to him once last night. Daniu was the eldest son of Zhao Shandong's family. The second, third and fourth sons were Erniu, Sanniu and Siniu respectively.

When Zhao Shanhe came back from the toilet, Zhao Shandong's wife came in with a bowl, "Uncle, please eat first. My husband has gone to work. Call me if you need anything."

Zhao Shanhe also felt hungry, but he knew that he could not finish the bowl of noodles in front of him. The bowl was too big. It was no different from a bowl or a basin. "Sister-in-law, bring another bowl over to pick some. It's too much and it will be a waste if I can't finish it."

"Don't be polite, uncle. It's not much. There's more in the pot. If it's not enough, I'll add more for you."

"Sister-in-law, I'm not being polite. I really can't finish it. I don't work hard and my appetite is small. You and the kids can eat some of what's in the pot." Zhao Shanhe and Li Huaide have often teased Xiao Du over the years. Xiao Du eats well and has more fat in his stomach, so he eats less.

Zhao Shandong's wife brought another bowl. Zhao Shanhe took out one third of the food before starting to eat. The children at the door were watching him eagerly.

Zhao Shanhe then noticed that the food he was given was white flour. In those days, people in the countryside could barely afford food, so how could they afford white flour? He was probably the only one eating white flour.

Zhao Shandong's wife didn't even take the extra noodles on the table and walked out. "Daniu, take your brothers out to play, do you hear me?"

"I know, mother"

Then Da Niu was about to leave with his younger brothers. The children stared at the bowls on the table and looked back every step, not wanting to leave.

"Sister-in-law, is there more noodles? Why don't you let the children eat it? I can just eat a little. Don't let the children suffer."

"Uncle, just eat it. My father-in-law specifically told me to do this. If I give it to the child, my husband will beat me to death when he comes back. Besides, there is not enough for them to eat."

"Sister-in-law, it's okay. When Uncle San comes back, I'll tell him to bring out everything in the kitchen so the children can eat together."

"Actually, there was nothing left in the kitchen, so I just made this big bowl."

Zhao Shanhe was also a little helpless. Such a small amount of noodles was not enough for so many children. What's more, he had already eaten the bowl in his hand, so it was not easy to share it with the children.

"Daniu, bring your brothers in," and soon several children ran in and lined up in a row.

Didn’t Zhao Shanhe bring some local specialties? There were a few roast ducks in his bag. Zhao Shanhe took one out and said, "Here, Daniu, take it and eat it with your brothers." There was also a little girl who was still a baby and couldn’t eat it either.

After Da Niu took the roast duck, the children couldn't stop drooling at the corners of their mouths. It was so delicious. They had never eaten roast duck before, but their eyes all turned to Zhao Shandong's wife.

"Sister-in-law, please say something. If you don't, the children won't dare to eat."

"Daniu, take it to the kitchen and I'll divide it among you later." Zhao Shanhe knew that each person would probably get a small piece.

"Sister-in-law, just take them and eat them. I have more here." Then he gave the remaining two to Zhao Shandong's wife, "Sister-in-law, take these two. When Third Uncle and the others come back, you can eat them together. I brought them especially for you."

Then he took out a pile of money from his clothes, which were five-yuan notes that he had exchanged when he came. "Here, Daniu, one for each of you. Use it to buy candy. Your uncle wasn't here when you were born, so this is a gift for you." He gave one to each of them, eight in total.

Then he took out another one and gave it to Daniu, "Daniu, this one is for your uncle Shanbei's sister, remember?"

"remember"

Although Zhao Shanhe handed each child a bill, the children all looked at him blankly. Except for Da Niu who was seven years old and knew a little, the younger ones were only one or two years old and had no idea what the money was for.

"Uncle, you can't ask for money. Besides, you've given too much. Just give me a cent or two," Zhao Shandong's wife was also shocked by Zhao Shanhe's generosity. This was too generous. The three sisters-in-law only asked for five yuan as a betrothal gift.

"It's okay. This is my first time meeting the child and I'm giving him a greeting gift. This is the only time."

Zhao Shanhe remembered that he had White Rabbit candies in his bag for the children. "Daniu, this candy is for you too. When you eat it, peel off the outer layer of paper before eating it. Got it?"

At this time, Daniu was holding the duck in his left hand and the money in his right hand, and he didn't know where to put the candy. This uncle was too kind. Although he didn't have white flour to eat, he had so many delicious foods.

"Sister-in-law, these are peach cakes, malted milk, and milk powder. You can divide them up among them later." Zhao Shanhe distributed all the things he brought in one go.

Zhao Shandong's wife had never seen these things. Don't doubt it. At that time, rural girls never went out shopping. It was the men who bought things.

"Oh, and this too." Zhao Shanhe took out a few small bottles from his bag.

"This is the vanishing cream and soap that your eldest and second sisters-in-law brought for you guys to use on your faces."

There were also cigarettes and alcohol in the bag, which were for his third uncle and a few brothers. These were the only things Zhao Shanhe brought.

His grandmother took a lot, basically food and clothes. Zhao Shanhe felt that his grandmother was foresighted and the things she brought were very practical.