Siheyuan: I, an ordinary resident, the king of chefs

Zhang Liang is in his early twenties this year. He has a handsome face, tall stature, and looks honest and kind, but he always has great ambitions. His home is in the east wing of a compound. His parents died early, and Zhang Liang has been independent since he was young. He continued to study while working, dreaming of becoming successful one day.

Early in the morning, Zhang Liang had just returned from get off work at the bicycle factory. When he opened the gate, he happened to run into Qin Huairu from next door drawing water from the well. Qin Huairu was a kind-hearted woman whose husband died early and she raised three children alone. When she saw Zhang Liang, a smile appeared on her face.

"Zhang Liang, are you off work? Are you tired?" Qin Huairu asked, holding a large wooden barrel in her hand.

"It's okay. I'm used to it." Zhang Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead and responded with a smile, "Sister Qin, are you busy so early?"

"There's no other way. There are three children at home who need to eat. How can I not get up early?" Qin Huairu smiled and shook her head.

At this time, Yan Bugui came out from the west wing with a pipe in his hand. He was a well-known "old sly guy" in the courtyard. Although he was young, he was good at calculating and always wanted to take advantage of others.

"Zhang Liang, didn't you say yesterday that the bicycle factory was hiring?" Yan Bugui came over and asked in a low voice, "Can you help me find out so that my kid can join the factory?"

Zhang Liang frowned and said with some embarrassment: "Uncle Yan, this is really difficult to handle. Competition in the factory is fierce now, and I am just a worker, so I don't have much say."

"Oh, I knew you had connections," Yan Bugui said, unwilling to give up, "Just help me find out."

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai walked out of the room. He was the respected elder brother in the courtyard, and everyone respected him on weekdays.

"Bugui, you can't rush this matter." Yi Zhonghai patted Yan Bugui on the shoulder, "Zhang Liang has just joined the factory not long ago, don't put too much pressure on him."

Seeing this, Yan Bugui nodded reluctantly and turned back to the house.

"Zhang Liang, ignore him, Bugui is just like that." After Yi Zhonghai finished talking to Zhang Liang, he turned to Qin Huairu, "Huairu, come to my place for dinner tonight. I stewed some meat and made a little more."

"Thank you very much, Brother Yi." Qin Huairu said gratefully, "I will go back to see the children now." He also returned to his room. He opened the window, sat at the table, opened a thick book, and continued his self-study. Suddenly, there was a hurried knock on the door.

"Brother Zhang Liang, Brother Zhang Liang!" Banggeng's voice came from outside the door. Banggeng is Qin Huairu's eldest son. Although he is young, he has a naughty personality and often gets into trouble.

Zhang Liang put down the book, opened the door, and saw Bang Geng standing at the door, panting.

"What's wrong, Bangteng? What happened?

"I...my mother asked me to come to you, saying that the gas stove at home is broken and she wants you to help fix it." Banggeng said intermittently.

"Okay, I'll go over and take a look." Zhang Liang picked up the toolbox and followed Bang Geng to Qin Huairu's house.

Entering the house, Qin Huairu was anxiously looking at the gas stove. She saw Zhang Liang coming in and hurried forward to greet him.

"Zhang Liang, I'm really sorry to trouble you. I can't light the gas stove." Qin Huairu said helplessly.

"It's okay, let me take a look." Zhang Liang squatted down and quickly found out the problem.

"The air pipe is blocked. Let me clean it for you." Zhang Liang operated skillfully and repaired the gas stove in a short while.

"Okay, let's try it." Zhang Liang stood up and wiped the oil stains off his hands.

Qin Huairu lit the gas stove and the flame burned steadily.

"That's great, Zhang Liang, thank you so much. Please come to my house for dinner tonight."

Zhang Liang smiled and nodded, feeling warm in his heart. Although the neighborhood relationship in the courtyard was complicated, everyone helped each other and faced the difficulties of life together. This friendship made him feel extremely precious.

In the evening, the yard was filled with the aroma of food. Zhang Liang washed his face, changed into clean clothes, and prepared to go to Qin Huairu's house for dinner. As soon as he went out, he ran into Liu Haizhong. He was an honest worker and had a good relationship with Zhang Liang.

"Zhang Liang, I heard that you are learning technology recently?" Liu Haizhong asked curiously.

"Yes, I want to learn more so that I can have more choices in the future." Zhang Liang nodded and explained.

"Not bad, not bad." Liu Haizhong said appreciatively, "You have ambition. Young people should learn more."

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the yard. Zhang Liang and Liu Haizhong looked at each other and hurried out to see what happened.

Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng were seen arguing at the door, with many neighbors gathered around. Jia Dongxu was a hot-tempered man, while Yan Jiecheng was a slick and cunning man, and the two had always been at odds.

"You are being unreasonable! This is clearly the place I came to first, why should I give it to you!" Jia Dongxu roared, his face flushed red.

"Oh, Jia Dongxu, you are too domineering. Anyone can come to this place." Yan Jiecheng retorted with a sneer.

"What did you say!" Jia Dongxu punched Yan Jiecheng and the two started fighting.

Seeing this, Zhang Liang and Liu Haizhong hurried forward to pull them apart.

"Okay, okay, we are all neighbors, why do you have to fight?" Zhang Liang advised.

"That's right, don't make a fuss over such a small matter." Liu Haizhong also echoed.

After being persuaded by the two, Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng finally stopped, but their eyes were still full of hostility.

"This matter is not over yet!" Jia Dongxu glared at Yan Jiecheng fiercely, turned and left.

"Zhang Liang, Brother Liu, thank you." Yan Jiecheng dusted himself off and said gratefully.

"You're welcome. Harmony brings wealth." Zhang Liang patted his shoulder.

The storm soon subsided, and the courtyard returned to its former tranquility. Zhang Liang walked into Qin Huairu's house, and the table was already filled with hot meals. Qin Huairu saw Zhang Liang coming in and warmly invited him to sit down.

"Zhang Liang, come and sit down. I made your favorite braised pork today." Qin Huairu said with a smile.

"Thank you, Sister Qin. It's such a sumptuous meal." Zhang Liang said gratefully, and sat down to eat with Qin Huairu's family.

At the dinner table, Qin Huairu mentioned the recent changes in the yard.

"I heard that the deaf old lady's son came back from another place to visit her a few days ago and brought her a lot of things." Qin Huairu said.

"Really? That old lady is really blessed." Zhang Liang nodded.

"By the way, Zhang Liang, I heard that you are learning technology recently. Have you considered applying to a technical school?" Qin Huairu asked with concern.

"I have this plan, but I'm busy with work now, so I'll have to wait until I have time." Zhang Liang replied.

After dinner, Zhang Liang helped Qin Huairu clean up the dishes, said goodbye and returned to his room. He sat at the table, thinking about his future plans. He knew that if he wanted to stand out in this slum, he had to work harder.

As the night deepened, the yard gradually became quiet. Listening to the sound of the wind outside the window, his heart was filled with hope and longing. He believed that as long as he persisted, he would realize his dream one day.

The next morning, Zhang Liang got up and went to work as usual.

Zhang Liang and Qin Huairu met each other, and their family was in financial difficulty.

Since Qin Huairu's gas stove was repaired, Zhang Liang has become a recognized good man in the courtyard. Qin Huairu was very grateful and kept thinking about how to repay Zhang Liang's help. That evening, Zhang Liang came back from get off work and was about to go to the public kitchen to cook some dinner when Qin Huairu came over with a bowl of hot dumplings.

"Zhang Liang, have you eaten yet? I just made some dumplings. Try them." Qin Huairu handed over the bowl with a smile. "You took the trouble again today." Zhang Liang took the dumplings gratefully, smelling the fragrance, his heart filled with warmth.

"No way, you've helped me so many times, this is what I should do." Qin Huairu waved her hand with a shy smile on her face.

"By the way, Sister Qin, how is your family doing recently? Are the children okay?" Zhang Liang asked with concern.

"It's okay, but life is a little tight. Prices have gone up a lot recently." Qin Huairu sighed, a trace of worry appearing on her face.

"If you need any help, just tell me." Zhang Liang said seriously. Zhang Liang," Qin Huairu looked at him gratefully.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong walked out of the room, saw Zhang Liang and Qin Huairu chatting, and came over.

"Zhang Liang, Sister Qin, what are you talking about?" Liu Haizhong asked with a smile on his face.

"Brother Haizhong, we are talking about the recent price issue." Qin Huairu replied.

"Yes, prices have risen sharply, and life is hard." Liu Haizhong nodded in agreement. "What are you busy with recently?" Zhang Liang asked curiously.

"I recently learned a new technology in the factory and am currently researching it." Liu Haizhong said with some pride.

"Oh? What kind of technology is that?" A hint of interest flashed in Zhang Liang's eyes.

"It's about mechanical repair. After you learn it well, you can earn more money." Liu Haizhong explained.

"This is a good thing. I would like to learn it if I have the chance." Zhang Liang said with a smile.

"Of course, I can teach you." Liu Haizhong patted Zhang Liang's shoulder, his tone full of encouragement.

"Thank you very much, Brother Haizhong." Zhang Liang said gratefully.

As they were chatting, Yi Zhonghai walked in from outside the yard. When he saw them, he greeted them warmly: "Hey, you are all here, what are you talking about?"

“Brother Yi, we are talking about our recent life situations.

"Well, these days are quite sad, but if we work together, everything will be fine." Yi Zhonghai said with a smile, then turned to Zhang Liang, "By the way, Zhang Liang, I heard that you are learning technology recently. Do you plan to continue your studies?"

"Yes, I plan to apply to a technical school so that I can have more development opportunities in the future." Zhang Liang answered seriously.

"If you have ambition, young people should learn more. You have a bright future." Yi Zhonghai nodded in appreciation.

As they were talking, Jia Dongxu came out of the west wing with a slightly unhappy look on his face. He looked at the people chatting together and said coldly, "What are you talking about? It's already this late, why don't you go back and cook?"