Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

Taking advantage of the end of January, Xu Damao still invited guests to a banquet at his home. Lou Xiaoe, her children, Yu Li, and He Yushui had dinner in the middle courtyard, while three old men in the backyard, He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao drank together.

"Three uncles, I, Xu Damao, am inviting you to drink today on the pretext of being promoted to deputy section chief. To tell you the truth, I am not showing off. In fact, whether I am a deputy section chief or a projectionist, I am still Xu Damao. I will still go to the countryside to show movies when I need to. I am really not as good as the first uncle. The second uncle has the skills and is a high-level technician. The third uncle has a family tradition of learning, and Zhuzi brother is a culinary expert. Only I, Xu Damao, can only show movies.

The New Year is coming soon. I prepared a little wine today. Supplies are tight, so I can only serve these few dishes, thanks to Brother Zhuzi's cooking. Come, I toast everyone and wish that in the new year, we will work together and make progress together. I also sincerely hope that this famine year will pass as soon as possible. Cheers. "

After a glass of wine, the third uncle was still very excited. He hadn't had meat for a long time. Today, there was not only pork head, but also a sea fish, peanuts, Chinese cabbage stewed with vermicelli, and hot and sour potato shreds. Five people, five dishes, it was rich.

"It has to be Damao. This dish is good enough for the New Year's Eve dinner. Damao, Third Uncle, you're welcome."

"Come, come, come, uncle one, uncle two, uncle three, brother Zhuzi, I'll pour you some wine. Five dishes, just to show our kindness as the younger generation, but you have to prepare the staple food. We can still provide some dishes, but we really don't have any food. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality, but you can still have enough wine today. This jar of wine has been at home for three years, and it finally came in handy today."

It was true. This wine was really that old. Xu Damao bought it and kept it at home before the famine. There are still ten jars hidden in Yandaixie Street. It’s just that people in the compound cannot know about it.

The meal took more than two hours to finish. The three uncles, Sha Zhu, and Xu Damao were all drunk. They drank a lot and even the soup was dipped into the steamed bread. When the second and third uncles got home, they praised Xu Damao for his magnanimity. Although the words were different, the meaning was similar, that is, to get along well with Xu Damao and not suffer any loss.

Only the old man went home very unhappy. If Xu Damao knew that Yi Zhonghai felt that he, Xu Damao, overshadowed Yi Zhonghai in the No. 95 compound and was resented, he would really think that inviting Yi Zhonghai to dinner was unnecessary. He was resented for eating for free. Who could stand it!

Xu Damao didn’t know, nor did he want to know. He just invited him, and it was up to him whether he was happy or not.

There is still half a month to New Year's Eve. Xu Damao has no time to take care of these trivial matters. He is busy allocating materials to more than a dozen units to make a profit. Together with Guo Xiaosan and Zhang Lingyun, the three of them worked for ten days to finish all the things that needed to be done before the New Year's Eve. Xu Damao made a lot of money. There are too many materials, and the difference is really a bit large. The less than 10% that Xu Damao earned himself alone is more than 10,000 yuan. Guo Xiaosan earns 150 yuan a day, and Zhang Lingyun earns more than 200 yuan a day. Not to mention the main leaders of other units. Everyone makes money, and in these ten days, Xu Damao really felt it.

"Brother Xu, I have something to ask you, is it okay?" Guo Xiaosan asked Xu Damao a little timidly after completing this mission.

"Xiao San, what's the matter? Tell me. If you don't tell me, how can I know if it's okay?"

"It's what I asked you a few years ago. I don't know an old man. He has two things he wants to sell. He asked me a few days ago, hoping that I could find a way to exchange them for some food and meat. I don't have these. But those two things are definitely worth the money."

"What the hell? What's the rule?"

"One is a three-legged Ru kiln brush washer from the Song Dynasty. It is absolutely azure in color. It is a good thing. The old guy would never let anyone see this thing before."

"The other one is a painting by Shen Zhou. I don't think it's a fake."

"San'er, why do you say it's authentic? Do you understand?"

"Well, I understand a little bit, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to be a middleman before."

"What's his price?"

"Two bags of flour, fifty kilograms of pork, and five hundred in cash."

"You must be kidding. Now he's asking someone to sell two bags of flour and fifty catties of pork, plus five hundred in cash. Is he hysterical? Impossible. San'er, antiques may have collection value, but people are almost starving to death now, and he still wants to sell them at this price. Almost no one will buy. Who can afford two bags of flour and fifty catties of pork? Money is secondary."

"Well, Brother Xu, don't you want to take a few things? How much can you give? I can give back to him. Brother Xu, that gentleman used to take good care of me. Whenever I had food, I would want to help him. I am not a conscienceless person. It's just that I can't protect myself now."

"San'er, you want to help him? Aren't you afraid that in the end that master will accuse you of taking advantage of his misfortune and coveting his treasure?"

"That's not the case. The old man is over 70 years old this year. He just lives one day at a time. He has a bad stutter. He has lost most of his losses over the years."

"Well, how about this? I won't make it difficult for you. You go and tell him that I want to see those two things and then discuss the terms with him. If it works out, I'll buy you three five pounds of pork for the New Year, how about that?"

"Is this true, Brother Xu?"

"San'er, you've been with me for a while, right? I've always kept my word. In the past ten days, you've earned more than a thousand, almost two thousand, right? Don't show off too much. Now's the time to find a wife. Go contact him. I'll be available in the next one or two days. You can set a date and I'll go meet him."

Xu Damao was still attracted by the paintings of Ru kiln and Shen Zhou. These are things that are hard to come by, and if you miss this opportunity, you will never see it again.

Taking advantage of the free time, Xu Damao went to Baishui Village and brought some supplies and money to Widow Gu.

"Meifang, is the ration enough? If not, I'll bring you some more."

"Da Mao, there is enough food, and the situation in Baishui Village is okay. It's almost the New Year, and you're still thinking about me. What should I do!"

"You should. And here is a hundred dollars. Take it. There are three pieces of cloth in the bag. Use them to make new clothes for the child and yourself. Life in the city is not easy now. The food rations are even worse than those in the countryside."

"It's too much, Damao. I can't have it."

"Meifang, just take it if I give it to you and let the child study hard. I have been promoted in the factory now. If Zhiyong graduates from junior high school and fails to get into high school, I will bring him to the factory to learn to project movies from me. Of course, if he can go to high school, he can continue to go. Knowledge can still change destiny. As for Zhiyu, let's wait and see. My senior brother has a boy who is one year older than Xiaoyu. When the child grows up, I will mediate and marry Xiaoyu to the city. Then you can also go to the city. When you go to the city, I can take care of you. Since I, Xu Damao, have been with you, I have the responsibility to take care of your food, drink, and toilet."

Gu Meifang was so moved that she hugged Xu Damao and couldn't stop crying.

Xu Damao quickly used his cotton sleeves to wipe her tears, and picked up Gu Meifang, who was wearing a cotton jacket and cotton pants, like a princess, and carried her into the house to the kang...