Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

As soon as Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e, who was pregnant with a big belly, returned to Compound No. 95, they were stopped by He Yuzhu, who was sitting on the stage in front of the gate in the central courtyard.

"Hey, hey, Xu Damao, where have you been these days? Why haven't you shown up? Did you fool around in the countryside again without telling Lou Xiaoe?"

Xu Damao did go out to fool around, and he spent two nights fooling around with Widow Gu.

"Silly Zhu, I'm giving you face, right? You have nothing nice to say when we meet. Don't learn to talk nonsense like a gossip. Can you learn to be nice in front of my wife? Is your Yu Li pregnant and you want to show off in front of me? Haven't you seen how big my moth's belly is?"

"Da Mao, hehe, it's true. But I said the wrong thing, Xiao'e, I'm sorry, sorry. But Yu Li has missed you a lot during this period. Xiao'e, why don't you come in and talk to my Yu Li?"

"Brother Zhuzi, Yu Li is pregnant? No wonder you are a little incoherent, it's understandable. Damao used to be just like you. Okay, I'll have a chat with Yu Li."

Lou Xiao'e went up the steps and went straight to the inner room of the middle courtyard. "Yu Li, Yu Li, lie down. I'm here to congratulate you for coming."

Xu Damao took the cigarette from He Yuzhu, took a match from his pocket and lit it.

He took a deep breath and then exhaled, "Silly Zhuzi, how is it? Do you feel a little excited about being a father? No wonder you show off, I understand."

"Da Mao, that's right, I was so excited that I just wanted to show off. I'm a father now. Hahaha!"

"Why don't you make something delicious to comfort Yu Li? It's very hard for a woman to be pregnant."

"Yes, yes, I prepared it today. Let's drink together tonight?"

"Okay, let's see how you do. Maybe we can have chicken tonight. I'll provide the wine and you'll provide the dishes, okay?

"Okay, I'll go get ready. I have to drink tonight."

Xu Damao took out a bag of shrimps from the bicycle basket and handed it to He Yuzhu. "Why not, these Bohai shrimps my mother-in-law gave me are a bargain for you. I'll cook them tonight. I'll park the car in the backyard and go buy some wine. Cook them well, or I'll punish you, you stinky cook."

"Okay, Damao, it's OK. Bohai prawns, a whole bag weighs several kilograms." He Yuzhu took the shrimp and went to the kitchen to process it himself.

Xu Damao pushed his bicycle to the backyard and saw that the door of the main house was open. The deaf old lady was probably watching by the door.

He did not care about so much. He parked the car, opened the door, carried the pile of books that were neatly wrapped in the basket into the house, opened the window for ventilation, and got some water from the faucet in the middle of the yard. After a simple cleaning of the house, he closed the door and walked out.

"Uncle, you are home. I didn't see you when I came in. Good luck to you."

Yan Fugui was busy distributing coal to the stove.

"Da Mao, where are you going? It's almost dark."

"Let's go to the alley entrance and buy some wine. If you don't go now the store will close."

"Not really. Convenience stores don't close until six. What good stuff is there?"

"I just came back from the countryside this week, so I bought some wine to refresh myself. How's Third Aunt?"

"I'm fine. I'm resting in the house. I've just lit the stove and am waiting for Jie Cheng's wife to come back and cook. Hey, Damao, would it be convenient for you to bring some food to your uncle when you go to the countryside next time?"

"Uncle, I think it's going to be tough. Let's see if there are any sweet potatoes later. I can bring you some. I'm going to buy some wine first. I'll talk later."

Xu Damao sang a little song and went to the convenience store at the entrance of the alley to buy two bottles of Erguotou produced by the state-owned Jingdu Brewery. Each bottle cost 1.2 yuan, which was really the first batch. He also spent 20 cents to buy a pack of matches and walked back slowly.

"Brother Damao, Brother Damao, wait for me." Brother He Yushui and Brother Yu Haitang came up from behind with their schoolbags slung over their shoulders.

"Hey, Yushui, Sister Haitang, why are you leaving school together today?"

"We're cleaning today, and Haitang said she wanted to come to my house to see my sister-in-law, so I went to her house again, and now it's late."

"Yushui, now that you're in middle school, can you keep up with your studies?"

"No problem. By the way, Brother Damao, you bought some wine again. Are you going to have dinner at my house tonight? I've been thinking about you for a few days."

"Yes, let's have dinner at your house. Your silly brother is a bit stupid now that he is going to be a father. I will give him some more wine to clear his mind. You two are in for a treat tonight. Brother Damao brought some shrimps. Yushui, you and Haitang go back with the wine first. I'll go buy you some soda."

He Yushui and Yu Haitang jumped up happily, "Okay, okay, thank you, Brother Damao."

That evening, He Yuzhu's family, Yu Haitang's family of four, and Xu Damao and his wife were happily eating at the same table when an uninvited guest came to the door.

"Hey, Shazhu, Xu Damao, you're all here." Jia Dongxu walked in directly from the open door, walked to the table without any hesitation to take a look, and suddenly felt a little sad.

Originally, I wanted to come here to show off. Now I have regained my first-class salary and have a daughter. Today, Jia Dongxu went to the casino and won two dollars, so he bought some pork head meat to eat.

When I looked at Sha Zhu's table, there were braised pork, Bohai prawns, pot-fried tofu, minced meat and eggplant, hot and sour shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bowl of mushroom chicken soup.

The energy I had just about to show off that my family eats pig heads was suddenly gone.

Making small talk, "Shazhu, the dishes today are pretty good, and there's Erguotou, why don't you invite me to sit down and have a drink?"

"Jia Dongxu, I rarely eat meat, but your dog nose has already smelled it. I see that your lips are also greased. You ate meat alone at home, and now you come to me to take advantage. Aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache from eating too much meat? There are many people here today, so I won't invite you to sit. You should do what you need to do, and don't disturb your master Zhu from drinking and bragging."

Jia Dongxu really wanted to sit down and eat and drink something. Meat was secondary. This was the first time he had seen such big shrimps. It was impossible not to be greedy.

Fortunately, he was not so shameless, so he stood there for a while and then left. He Yuzhu watched Jia Dongxu walk towards the west wing, and after thinking for a while, he stood up and closed the door.

He was really afraid that the old man would come over and cause trouble again.

After sitting down, "Well, quickly share the shrimps among everyone, or the old man might come knocking on the door again later."

Xu Damao was shocked when he saw He Yuzhu's expression.

"He Yuzhu, Chef He, are you so afraid of the uncle? When the uncle comes, can he just take the dishes away? Hahaha, as long as you don't agree, he can still grab them. The uncle is a senior technician after all. You can't compare the uncle with Jia Dongxu. He still has to save face."

He Yuzhu guessed correctly, Jia Dongxu really went to the uncle to complain.

"Master, Sha Zhu invited Xu Damao to drink and eat meat today. There are also prawns and chicken soup. You see, Sha Zhu is really disrespectful to the elderly. There are so many delicious dishes, but I didn't see him invite you to have a drink. I think you should find a chance to talk to him."

When Yi Zhonghai heard that Sha Zhu's house had so many delicious foods, he really wanted to get up and go there. But when he heard that Xu Damao and his wife, as well as Yu Li's sister, were there, he gave up the idea.

"Dongxu, don't worry about what others eat. Next, you should work hard and consolidate your skills as a first-level worker. Then the master will start teaching you how to operate a second-level worker. When you have mastered it, the master will risk his reputation to ask Tian Dayou to let the factory resume your worker-level assessment. When your worker level is improved, you can also eat and drink well. Why are you jealous of others? Shazhu is just a cook, and Xu Damao is just a projectionist. How can they compare with us skilled workers?"

Even so, Yi Zhonghai was still quite indignant. Damn it, Xu Damao, a projectionist, is now a propaganda officer, a cadre. The leaders are really blind.

Hehe, how could the leader be blind?