The Beginning of Siheyuan: The Pig Killer of Qinjia Village

This is Xu Huizhen.

She walked out of the yard, got on her bike and headed straight for the tavern.

In a few minutes she arrived at the tavern and saw He Shengqiao sitting in the tavern smoking a pipe.

Xu Huizhen smiled and walked forward, pushing her bicycle. "Godfather, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

He Shengqiao put out his pipe and stood up, smiling, not blaming her. "Huizhen, I thought you could come at noon. Why don't you bring your luggage?" He led the way into the tavern.

Xu Huizhen didn't come during the day, and he was just wondering why this girl hadn't come yet.

But he definitely wouldn't think that Xu Huizhen might not come. He Shengqiao has watched Xu Huizhen grow up and knows her personality. Although she is a girl, she is generous and always does what she says.

He even deliberately stayed closed today, packing up his daily necessities and moving them out of the tavern's backyard to make room for Xu Huizhen.

Xu Huizhen parked the car and followed him, explaining, "Godfather, my boyfriend came to visit for the first time today at noon, and I went back to the city with him after lunch. I was so engrossed in chatting with a sister at his place that I forgot the time. Before I knew it, it was already this late."

He Shengqiao said in a reproachful tone. "Girl, why don't you inform him in advance so that your godfather can meet him!"

The two of them walked into the tavern while talking.

Xu Huizhen smiled playfully. "Godfather, it's not easy to see him. I'm getting married on the 7th day of the 9th month, and we're having dinner at my house. Can you not be there then?"

"Yes, godfather will definitely come." He Shengqiao laughed, handed a bunch of keys to Xu Huizhen, and pointed to the tables, chairs and benches in the room. "Huizhen, these chairs and benches, including all the furniture in the backyard, are godfather's lifeblood. You must keep them well and don't lose them."

Xu Huizhen promised solemnly. "Godfather, you can rest assured that I am here!"

"Yes! I'm just reminding you." He Shengqiao smiled. If he was worried, he wouldn't have told Xu Huizhen about this. "Let's go to the backyard."

"Ugh!"

He Shengqiao took her to the pickle jar in the backyard, pointed at a stone at the bottom of the jar, and said solemnly, "Huizhen, you know that our tavern is famous for its pickles rather than its wine. Why are our pickles so delicious? It's all thanks to this stone. It's my hidden treasure, so you must keep it well."

Xu Huizhen nodded seriously, "Okay, godfather, don't worry!"

Now she understood why the pickles in the tavern were so delicious. It was all because of this stone. It was really a treasure.

He Shengqiao straightened his hands. "Go into the house with your godfather. He has treasures here! They are also your favorites."

After hearing this, Xu Huizhen knew that her godfather He Shengqiao was well-known for his passion for collecting antiques, calligraphy and paintings.

The treasures he was talking about were his room full of antiques, calligraphy and paintings. Most of the money the tavern earned was spent on this.

After entering the house, the first thing that caught my eye was a shelf full of bottles and jars, on which the most eye-catching thing was a pair of Tang Sancai horses. There were also paintings hanging on the wall, the most eye-catching of which were a bamboo painting by Su Shi and a horse painting by Xu Beihong.

He Shengqiao looked at the antiques and paintings in the room with affection, just like looking at his lover. "Huizhen, godfather won't take these things with him. If we move them over there, they might get ruined by the couple's bumps and bruises. I know you like these, so godfather will leave them to you to keep."

Xu Huizhen was so excited that she exclaimed, "Godfather, are you serious?"

She has been jealous of these for a long time and has always had a small wish in her heart that she would have a room full of antiques, calligraphy and paintings in the future, just like the house of her godfather He Shengqiao.

.........

In the courtyard of Mentou Hutong, after Xu Huizhen left.

Chang Wei held Qin Huairu's hand and walked into the kitchen. "Wife, this yard is only three or four hundred meters away from the tavern. It only takes a few minutes to ride a bicycle. Huizhen will probably be back soon."

Qin Huairu knew that Chang Wei was going to add a side dish to Xu Huizhen's tavern tomorrow, and that the pig's trotters from Huimin Pork Shop were left behind today. Pig heads were easier to sell, and the demand simply couldn't keep up with the supply.

"Master, don't rush to cook. Wait until Sister Huizhen comes back. Didn't you save the ten pigs' trotters for today? Let's clean them up and prepare first."

Chang Wei nodded slightly. "Okay!"

The two of them left the kitchen and came to the well in the yard. Chang Wei took out three large wooden basins (a set of pig offal weighed about 1949 kilograms) from the space, put the pig offal in each basin, and started to work. (Forget about running water. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, running water was not yet popular. In , less than households had running water.)

More than half an hour later.

Xu Huizhen came back in high spirits, and after entering the yard, she talked nonstop like a happy lark.

"Awei, my godfather left all his antique calligraphy and paintings to me and asked me to help him keep them..."

After hearing this, Chang Wei smiled and said, "Huizhen, if you like these, then let's buy some. Even if you help old man He keep them, they are still his own things."

〈Huizhen, in a dozen years, there will be a storm. I don’t know how many of these antique calligraphy and paintings have been smashed and burned. The prices are very cheap now, and it’s easy to get them. But you have to be careful not to let others catch you.〉

After hearing Chang Wei's thoughts, Xu Huizhen's eyes lit up and she said with a smile, "Anyway, I'm happy that I can see it..."

Chang Wei recalled and told Xu Huizhen some of it.

〈I remember that Pian Ye had a three-courtyard courtyard in Dashilan. Not only was it in a hidden location, but it also contained a lot of old furniture that I could secretly buy.〉

〈Pian Ye also bought a double-headed official hat chair from Shanxi, a thousand miles away.〉

〈And Mr. Niu, his son will get married in a few years and he will be short of money. He will reluctantly sell his two beloved armchairs.〉

〈Oh, I almost forgot about Cai Quanwu. He is a good guy, honest, simple and kind, with a broad mind and good judgment. He is a man of few words and a man of few uses.〉

Qin Huairu winked at Xu Huizhen quietly and said with a smile, "Boss, if Sister Huizhen likes it, then just pay more attention to it in the future. It's getting late, and you still have to teach Sister Huizhen how to make braised dishes!"

Chang Wei came back to his senses and looked at Xu Huizhen and said, "Huizhen, I plan to teach you how to make braised dishes, so that your tavern can add a special dish to go with wine. From now on, I will deliver the pig's trotters and offal from the shop to your tavern after closing the shop every day."

Xu Huizhen was so excited that she noticed that Chang Wei and Qin Huairu were still washing the pig's offal while talking to her. She quickly picked up the small stool beside her and sat down to help.

"Ah Wei, you also know how to stew food? Do you have a secret recipe?"

Qin Huairu took over the conversation first, smiling. "The boss must have a secret recipe, and it's a unique one. The braised offal is delicious. Especially the braised kidneys. I guarantee you will never get enough of them no matter how much you eat every day."

Xu Huizhen was a good student who listened to the class carefully in the afternoon. She knew that what Qin Huairu said was meaningful, so she blushed and teased. "Sister Huairu, I believe what you said. Even if it doesn't taste good, you have to eat it every day."

Chang Wei raised the corner of his mouth and complained with his faint signature smile.

"You two little bitches, you actually drove in front of your men. Be careful or I'll carry you both into the house and make sure you can't get out of bed tomorrow..."

As a result, the two girls blushed and gave him a silent look.

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