Siheyuan: Banggeng and I are classmates

The person who came in was Zhou Ru, wearing a grey coat, her ears red from the cold. Seeing that Li Muhua was so considerate, she smiled with two dimples on her face, sat down in front of the stove, and stretched out her hands to warm themselves.

"It's still warm here. It would be nice if I could cook every day!"

Li Muhua opened the pot, stirred the porridge and said, "Then we will become the canteen chefs, right?"

Zhou Ru said: "It would be great if I could become a canteen chef! A canteen chef would never have to worry about food or drink, how great!"

After hearing this, Li Muhua recalled what was on his mind just now and forced a smile and scolded: "Comrade Zhou Ru, you had a promising ideal in the beginning, but you have fallen!"

Zhou Ru looked up at Li Muhua and said softly, "Cooking and eating are not in conflict with ideals, so why should we degenerate?"

Li Muhua was thinking about something and didn't speak. Zhou Ru asked again, "Are you going back to Sijiucheng for the New Year?"

Li Muhua nodded and said, "Go back. I will go to Captain Ma tomorrow and ask for leave from the commune. What about you?"

Zhou Ru shook her head and said, "The train ticket is too expensive, more than 50 yuan for a round trip. Don't say I don't have that much money. Even if I did, I wouldn't be willing to spend so much money just to go back for a few days."

Li Muhua said: "Zhao Quan and Hu Lai think the same as you, they won't go home for the New Year!"

"It seems that since I won't be serving the New Year's Eve dinner, you have to do it!" Li Muhua said with a forced smile.

Zhou Ru looked at Li Muhua with a puzzled look. Li Muhua suddenly left the stove and rubbed his hands because he felt cold.

"I'll do it if they dare to eat it!"

Li Muhua smiled without comment. He had been the one cooking for the past six months. There was not much difference in the cooking skills of the few people when they first arrived. They could probably cook the rice!

As for the chickens and ducks raised for eating during the Chinese New Year, Li Muhua decided to trust them and make cooked meat.

Seeing the contemptuous smile on Li Muhua's face, Zhou Ru said nothing, moved a little further inside and said, "There's a lot of space, come sit over here and warm yourself by the fire!"

"It takes a long time to cook porridge. It won't happen in a short time!"

Li Muhua looked at the piece of tree trunk that Zhou Ru had left for her, shook her head and said, "No, just roast it yourself, I'm not cold!"

When Zhou Ru heard Li Muhua's refusal, her eyes dimmed. Li Muhua always gave everyone a warm and friendly feeling, and could make people feel warm and relaxed at the first meeting.

But that's all there is to it, no getting any closer is allowed.

Even though she, an old classmate, was deliberately trying to be close to him and accompanied Li Muhua in cooking every day, sometimes she even felt that Li Muhua was closer to Dong Shuwan and Han Lu than she was.

For a moment Zhou Ru was a little confused.

They were both silent, the only sound in the room was the crackling of the burning firewood.

When Li Muhua asked for leave in the evening, he really was the only one going back to Sijiu City, which aroused a lot of envy. Many people wanted him to help bring some things that were only available in Sijiu City when he came back.

Li Muhua agreed to all of them and even took out a pen and paper and asked them to write a list. Only Zhou Ru was not in a good mood and did not say what she wanted to bring.

On the fourth day, Li Muhua wore only a cotton coat and boarded the train to Sijiucheng.

This time, Li Muhua directly took a half-month leave. Except for the two or three days he would be delayed on the road, he could still stay at home for twelve or thirteen days.

Thinking of the numerous restaurants in the city, Li Muhua couldn't help but rub shoulders with the crowds, and vowed that he would go out for a splendid meal this time and eat a lot of delicious food.

Along the way, Li Muhua saw what the railway guerrillas were. The 26.3 yuan fare he spent was really wasted. Many people hijacked the train to save fare.

There were coal trucks, and someone on the coal pile waving at him.

The next morning, the train arrived at Sijiucheng Station. Li Muhua went back to the compound and knocked on the door, but no one answered. So she went straight to Xidan Shopping Mall.

The shopping malls are crowded at this time, and everyone is busy preparing New Year's goods.

Li Muhua looked around before finding Xu Yan at the counter. Xu Yan was wearing a gray and black uniform jacket with a party emblem on her chest, and was helping the salesperson serve customers.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Li Muhua shouted at the top of her voice in the crowd. In the noisy shopping mall, no one's voice was louder than Li Muhua's. Seeing that Xu Yan didn't hear him, Li Muhua had to squeeze forward.

"Mom, I'm back!"

Li Muhua moved closer to Xu Yan's face and shouted again.

Xu Yan was stunned when she saw Li Muhua, then her face immediately showed ecstasy and she shouted, "Why are you back?"

Without waiting for Li Muhua's consent, Xu Yan pushed open the counter and walked out, looking Li Muhua up and down, her eyes full of heartache.

"My dear, you have become darker and thinner!"

Li Muhua bared his big white teeth and smiled: "Mom, don't look at me because I'm skinny. I have muscles growing inside my bones. If nothing else, I can beat two of my former selves now."

When Xu Yan heard Li Muhua's words, a hint of smile appeared in her distressed eyes.

"He just keeps talking nonsense every day. This hasn't changed from before."

Li Muhua grinned and his eyes were a little moist.

Xu Yan added: "The mall is busy right now, Yujie and I can't get away, we'll go back to see you at noon or noon!"

Li Muhua knew that the mall was busy at the end of the year, so she said immediately, "No, just give me the key to the yard. I'll go to the bathhouse first, take a shower, change into clean clothes, and then go to the restaurant."

"You don't know how I've been living these past six months. I haven't dared to eat any meat!"

Xu Yan nodded, took out the key from her pocket, took out some money, stuffed it into Li Muhua's hand and said, "Eat as much as you can, eat more meat, don't worry about the money!"

Li Muhua grinned and nodded, saying, "Mom, don't worry, when have I ever felt bad about money?"

"Then you and sister go ahead and do your work, we'll talk about it in the evening."

"Ok!"

Xu Yan nodded and watched Li Muhua running back impatiently. Her eyes showed both joy that Li Muhua came back to celebrate the New Year, and a little heartache.

Li Muhua didn't care about all that. She went back to get her cotton coat and rushed to the bathhouse.

Half an hour later, Li Muhua walked out of the bathhouse refreshed.

"I have to scrub my body. After rubbing my body, I feel a lot lighter!"

I tiptoed to take a breath of the air in the city and felt that the air seemed to be filled with the smell of mutton.

"Let's go to Donglaishun Hotpot..."

Eight large plates of mutton were served directly, and Li Muhua devoured them all like a starving ghost. Only after she had finished them all did she pat her stomach in satisfaction.

"Comfortable, comfortable!"

After paying tribute to his internal organs, Li Muhua started to think about what he should do in the afternoon. Since there was no one in his yard, he naturally couldn't go back.

He had been playing in the city's entertainment areas for many years, so naturally, none of them were attractive to him.

"Go back to the compound. I haven't been back for so long. I should go back to the compound to see my old neighbors!"

Li Muhua thought about where to go, stood up, paid the bill and headed towards Tongluoguxiang.

"Old Yan, Old Yan, look, who's back?"

Li Muhua was standing at the door of Yan's house shouting. Hearing the voice, Yan Bugui rushed out of the house quickly, and looked at the "blackened" Li Muhua with surprise on his face.

"Muhua, this is only your first year back to celebrate the New Year?"

"Ok!"

Li Muhua nodded vigorously and asked again: "Where are your Jiefang, Jiekuang and Jiedian? Are they coming back for the New Year?"

Yan Bugui shook his head.

It was not surprising to Li Muhua that his three children did not come back for the New Year. How could the stingy Mr. Yan be willing to spend the money?

Besides, the current regulations state that after going to the countryside, one can only come back twice in his lifetime. If you don't have some connections, there is nothing you can do even if you have money.

Li Muhua glanced at the yard and asked in a low voice, "Is there any news about the He family now?"

Yan Bugui shook his head and said, "There is no news about Shazhu and the others. I guess Zhang Cuihua is now begging for food on Dongzuo Road with Jia Danghuaihua!"

Li Muhua looked at the snow and ice on the ground in disbelief, and asked, "Going out to beg in this weather?"

Yan Bugui nodded, with some compassion in his eyes.

"If she doesn't beg, she won't have anything to eat. What can she do?"

Li Muhua thought so and asked, "Jia Dang is already sixteen or seventeen years old this year, right?"

"She's already a grown-up girl, but she's still going out with Zhang Cuihua?"

Yan Bugui nodded, then cursed: "If you want to blame her, you can only blame He Daqing, Shazhu and Banggeng, because their family is all from the black five categories?"

After hearing this, Li Muhua secretly thought that there were still many good people in the city, who were able to let them beg for food for all these years.

Then he smiled and asked, "What about you, Old Yan? How have you been lately?"

"Just like that, day by day!"

Yan Bugui shook his head and was unwilling to say more. He was now also a stinking ninth grader, so naturally he was not much better.

Li Muhua did not ask any further questions, and the two chatted about some neighborhood matters.

After glancing at the tightly closed door of his old house, Li Muhua walked towards the central courtyard.

Yan Bugui sighed softly as he looked at Li Muhua's back, then turned around and went back into the house. This year - it was just him and Yang Ruihua who would celebrate the New Year together in their family.

As for the son next door, Yan Jiecheng, they had separated long ago!