Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

As agreed last week, Xu Damao went to Hu Tianhua's home in Zhuanta Hutong on Sunday.

When I rode my bike to Xishiku Street, I saw three young men surrounding a little girl, and they seemed to be bullying and teasing her.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Three men bullying a woman, that's nothing. Let that girl go."

"Oh... There are still people meddling in other people's business. You, get out of here and don't ruin my good deeds, or I'll beat you to a pulp."

Xu Damao parked his bicycle and said, "Well, let me see how you three grandsons can make your grandfather lose his teeth on the ground. Come on, let the girl go and let's practice."

One of the tall guys came over arrogantly, swinging his hands. Xu Damao stepped forward and kicked the guy in the chest. The guy flew backwards more than ten feet. The other two saw their boss being beaten and surrounded him. Xu Damao grabbed the wrist of one of them with each hand, dragged him back, and kicked him again. He kicked another one to the ground. In an instant, the three young thugs fell to the ground, endured the pain, got up and ran away.

Xu Damao didn't chase after her. He didn't have the time for that. He just wanted to save the little girl.

"Girl, are you okay? Did you suffer any harm?"

The girl was still in shock just now, but when she heard Xu Damao coming over to ask questions, she quickly straightened her clothes and said, "It's okay, brother, thank you, otherwise I would have suffered a great loss today."

"Where are you going? How about I give you a ride?"

"No, it's not far ahead. Thank you."

Xu Damao rode his bicycle slowly, following the girl, passing Dahongluochang Street, turning to Xisi Street, and turning into Zhuanta Hutong. He looked around to see that there was no one following him, so he felt relieved, so he sped up and passed the girl, and drove 200 meters straight to the gate of Hu Tianhua's independent courtyard. He parked the bike, picked up the two bottles of Fenjiu hanging on the handlebars, and the half-pound jasmine tea bag he had just bought, and walked straight into the open courtyard gate.

"Professor Hu, are you home?"

Hu Tianhua heard it from inside the house, "Come in. I'm in the house."

Xu Damao entered the house, placed tea leaves and two bottles of wine on the table in the main room, and heard another voice from the study, "In the study."

Xu Damao arrived at the door of the study room, looked at Hu Tianhua writing furiously on the desk, and called out softly, "Professor Hu."

"Oh, Xiao Xu, you're here. I don't have time to talk to you in detail today. I brought back a set of archaeology textbooks related to the knowledge you want to learn. Go back and study on your own. If you don't understand something, come and ask me. Do you live far from me?"

Hu Tianhua stood up, took a stack of books from the bookshelf and handed them to Xu Damao.

Xu Damao took over at least ten textbooks and said, "It's not far, Professor Hu. I have a bicycle and it will take me half an hour at most to get there. Well, Professor Hu, I won't bother you anymore. I'll go back first."

"Okay, sorry, I don't have time to receive you today. I have to finish my manuscript."

Xu Damao held a pile of books and quietly walked out of the yard. He put the books in the basket in front of the cart, kicked up his feet, and was about to leave when he saw the little girl standing at the gate of the yard, looking at Xu Damao with a puzzled look.

"Oh, why is it you? Hey, you're looking for Professor Hu too? Professor Hu is busy today, it seems you are Professor Hu's student. Wow! You look so young, but you're already a college student. I didn't expect you to look like a middle school student. I admire you. I admire you. Let's talk again if we have the chance. I'll take my leave now."

Xu Damao didn't really think much about it. He was very happy when he got the textbooks. After all, these professional books might not be available on the market even if you had money.

The girl watched Xu Damao disappear around the corner of Zhuanta Hutong on his bicycle before she entered the courtyard.

"Dad, Mom, where are you?"

A voice came from the study, "Wan Xi is back? Didn't you say you were going to the library? You're back so early! Your mother went to your brother's house. I'm the only one at home."

"Dad, who was that person who just left?"

"Oh, you mean Xiao Xu? He was introduced by an acquaintance and wanted to learn from me about bronze and stone appraisal. I have prepared some materials for him. But Xiao Xu has a good knowledge of history, so maybe he can really learn it."

"Dad, this Xiao Xu you just mentioned saved me on Xishiku Street."

"Ang? Wanxi, what happened?"

Hu Wanxi recounted what had just happened in detail.

Hu Tianhua was furious, and was glad that he had made an appointment with Xu Damao today. Otherwise, his little daughter would be in danger today.

"Wanxi, don't go out alone in the future. It's best to travel with a companion, especially in some alleys. It's best not to go there. Fortunately, I met Xiao Xu today, otherwise Dad would regret it."

"Dad, that Brother Xu seemed very powerful. He kicked and punched those three bastards and sent them flying. If I had known he was coming to find you, I would have taken his car back. He followed me all the way to the alley, and I thought I had just escaped from the tiger's mouth and entered the wolf's den again."

The Hu father and daughter chatted for a while before going about their own business.

Xu Damao had no idea that he would accidentally have such an encounter with Professor Hu Tianhua's youngest daughter. He thought she was Hu Tianhua's student.

He rode his bike to Lou's house in a flash. When he arrived, he showed Lou Xiao'e a pile of books as if he was presenting treasures.

"Ezi, look, the experts and professors my dad introduced have helped me find textbooks on identification. If you can learn all of them, you will be almost at the level of a college graduate. Hehe, you have to study hard next."

Lou Xiao'e and Xu Damao looked through the books together. Xu Damao was quite interested, but Lou Xiao'e had no interest in reading these professional books. She liked romanticism.

"Xiao'e, where are your parents?"

"My parents are on the second floor, and I'm downstairs alone watching TV. There's nothing much to watch. Damao, can you go out for a walk with me?"

"Okay, it's still early, I'll go to the market with you, we'll buy some vegetables together, and I'll cook lunch for my parents today."

"Okay, okay, but I don't know where the vegetable market is here? I've never bought vegetables before."

"The way is in the mouth, just ask and you will know. Come on, take my wife who is not familiar with worldly things to see the common people's vegetable market and experience the feeling of being a nanny."

"You're going to die. I'm not an ordinary person. It's not my turn to buy groceries here. I'm here to give birth to a successor for your Xu family."

"Yes, yes, my wife has worked hard, my wife is the best. Let's go, oh, yes, I'll go to the kitchen and get a basket, wait for me."

Xu Damao took Lou Xiao'e for a leisurely stroll, and then bought a chicken, a fish, some vegetables, and some peanuts at the market to fry and eat with wine.

After returning to the Lou family, Xu Damao spent more than an hour cooking a table of dishes, which looked pretty good.

"Ezi, take a look. How is it? Just tell me how it is."

Just then, Tan Yali came into the kitchen and saw a table of dishes ready. "Da Mao, did you make this?"

"Mom, I'm not good at cooking, and I don't know how it tastes. You give it a try. If it doesn't work, you have to redo it, otherwise Dad will have to go hungry."

Tan Yali took the chopsticks and tasted the three dishes. "Not bad, not bad, but the fried chicken has too much soy sauce. The color looks too dark. Use less soy sauce next time. Damao, you can cook such delicious dishes. Did you learn it secretly?"

"Mom, it's not that good. I have asked the chef in our hospital for advice a few times. He is a first-rate cook, especially Sichuan cuisine, which is especially delicious. This is the first time he has cooked so many dishes. Ge Zi and I usually only have two dishes, and we usually order noodles. Hehehe, as long as it's edible, then, mom, I'll ask Dad to come down for dinner. Let's have a couple of drinks at noon today."