Siheyuan: Learning to be the sixth

The family of three walked neatly and happily along the alley towards the courtyard. Along the way, those who knew He Daqing greeted them warmly.

When we arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the third uncle Yan Fugui was fiddling with his paper and ink.

Every Chinese New Year, the third uncle would write couplets for the residents in the yard, and he would also take this opportunity to earn some fees.

Every family gave some food or money, so the third uncle made a small profit every year.

Seeing He Daqing coming back, the third uncle was very surprised and asked casually:

"Master He, have you decided to come back?"

As he spoke, he stared at the backpacks that He Daqing was holding.

He Daqing smiled and said:

"Old Yan, I just came back to celebrate the New Year. I have to go back to work after the New Year."

As he said this, he took out a handful of peanuts from his bag and placed them on the table where the third uncle was writing couplets.

The third uncle saw that this handful of peanuts was quite a lot, and he smiled with wrinkles all over his face and said:

"Master He, you are so generous. I will write a couplet for you and send it to you later."

He Daqing said with a smile:

"Old Yan, don't worry. There's no rush to write it tomorrow. I just got back, so I'll go home first."

After the three of them finished talking, they turned around and walked towards home. He Daqing was also very excited as he looked at his home which was so close.

As soon as they arrived at the middle courtyard, the old pious woman Jia Zhang saw He Daqing coming back and shouted:

"Hey, isn't this He Daqing, the man who was so cool with the widow that he didn't even want her daughter or son? How come he was kicked out by the widow?"

When He Daqing heard this, his originally good mood suddenly became as disgusting as if he had stepped on dog shit.

He Daqing shouted angrily:

"Mrs. Jia, if you can speak, please speak properly. If you can't, I can help you shut up."

When Jia Zhang heard this, she muttered, "What the hell, I don't want to bother with you."

She turned around and walked home. There were only a few people in this yard who should not be offended, and she was very self-aware.

Seeing Jia Zhang's leaving figure, He Daqing said to He Yuzhu next to him:

"From now on, when old lady Jia bullies you, you should slap her in the face. If you don't hurt this kind of person, she won't change."

He Yuzhu responded: "People like this will be punished by evildoers."

He Yuzhu thought to himself, even though that’s what I said, I can’t do it myself, it’s not in line with the self-cultivation of an old man.

Watching the family of three walking back, Yi Zhonghai said viciously through the window:

"He Daqing, you can run away if you want. Why are you coming back? This will affect my training plan."

The family of three was unaware of Yi Zhonghai's muttering.

When he opened the door and saw his familiar home, He Daqing felt as if he was lost.

After entering the house and putting their things in order, the family of three sat around the table and started chatting.

Before he knew it, it was evening. He Daqing said to the rain:

"Go to the backyard and invite the old lady over. We'll have dinner together tonight."

After hearing this, Yu Shui happily ran to the backyard.

He Daqing then said to He Yuzhu:

"You'll be the chef tonight, and I'll be by your side to give you some pointers."

He Daqing continued

"Some things are unlucky to say during the Chinese New Year. I believe you also feel that the current situation is a little strange. I may come back less often in the future. I have to take advantage of these few days to give you some advice."

He Yuzhu replied softly:

"Now that it's a public-private partnership, the factory is a bit chaotic, but it will probably be fine soon."

After all, as a person who traveled through time from the future, he still had some historical knowledge, and he was confident that he could live a comfortable life in the next ten years of hardship.

After a while, the deaf old lady and Xiao Yushui came over, talking and laughing.

He Daqing immediately went out to greet him and said cheerfully:

"Madam, you are in great shape."

The deaf old lady saw He Daqing deliberately frowning and said:

"You still remember to come back. You still have some conscience."

He Daqing replied awkwardly:

“No matter where I go, this is my root.”

After the deaf old lady sat down, she said to He Daqing:

"Go cook, it's been a while since I last tasted your cooking."

He Daqing replied with a smile:

"Old lady, just wait and see. Zhuzi and I will show you our skills tonight."

The old lady said quickly:

"That's a good feeling."

When He Daqing arrived in the kitchen, he was very pleased to see He Yuzhu cooking several dishes.

There wasn't much I could tell him, so I just told He Yuzhu to pay attention to the rhythm and not to eat too fast, because he had to leave time for the guests to taste the dishes.

When He Yuzhu heard this, he realized it was true and thought to himself that he should be more calm in the future.

Afterwards, He Daqing also cooked a few dishes that the old lady liked.

The four of them had a delicious dinner, then sent the deaf old lady back home together, and asked her to come to their home for the New Year's Eve dinner the next day.

The deaf old lady originally wanted to call Uncle Yi and Mr. and Mrs. Yi Zhonghai, but was rejected by He Daqing and He Yuzhu, father and son, with a smile.

The old lady could only sigh, thinking that Yi Zhonghai and the other man were too worried, and He Daqing and He Yuzhu, father and son, must have noticed something.

When they got home, they saw the new clothes and various snacks that He Daqing had bought for them from his bag.

He Yuzhu thought that although He Daqing was not good at expressing himself, his fatherly love was deep as he destroyed his own reputation to protect his children.