The Beginning of Siheyuan: The Pig Killer of Qinjia Village

When they heard that Chang Wei was from the village and was the same age as their daughter, Uncle Gui and his wife felt close to him.

"Awei, please sit down. I'll get you some water."

"Thank you, aunt."

Afterwards, Chang Wei sat down and chatted.

Everyone else was weaving wicker baskets, so Chang Wei couldn't just sit there and watch. "Sister Zao, can you teach me too?"

Tian Zao curled her lips. "How can I teach you? I haven't learned it well myself. Let Uncle Gui and Aunt Gui teach you."

Uncle Gui continued. "Awei, let me teach you. Zao has to collect the woven baskets every night when she comes home. She hasn't learned it well. It's a good opportunity for us to learn together."

Chang Wei nodded. "Okay, thank you, Uncle Gui."

Uncle Gui immediately gave instructions. "Awei, first of all, the rattan must be soaked in water, and only after soaking will it become tough. For weaving rattan, whether it is red rattan or white wax rattan, the ones that have not been soaked and dried cannot be used, as they are too brittle and easy to break. The soaked rattan must be separated according to the thickness and size, and rattans of different thicknesses and sizes are used in different positions. You see, the thick ones must be used for the base, and then they will be used for tying after being gathered... for inserting the reinforcing bars... for horizontal weaving... and it is best to use them for the edges..."

Chang Wei followed suit and learned with an open mind. Not only did he learn a lot of tricks, but he was also quite dexterous and learned the technique well in just half a day.

Tian Zao stood up and stretched. "Awei is good, you learn very quickly."

Aunt Li continued. "Xiao Zao, A Wei learns much faster than you."

Uncle Gui also nodded in agreement. "I really learn faster than you, Zao. You are too impetuous."

Being praised, Chang Wei said modestly, "It's mainly because you guys taught me well, and I'm still far from it, so I need to practice more."

As expected, Tian Zao rolled his eyes at him.

After having lunch at Uncle Gui's house at noon, Chang Wei said goodbye and left, and Tian Zao followed him to see him off.

When they got to the lake and saw that there was no one around, Chang Wei took Tian Zao's hand and said distressedly, "Wife, does it hurt? Don't work so hard. We don't need you to weave those baskets." When he was weaving baskets, he found that Tian Zao's palms were all blistered and broken.

Tian Zao shook his head and smiled. "It doesn't hurt. One more copy means one more pay. I'm happy."

Chang Wei took her hand and blew on it, saying gently, "Silly girl."

Tian Zao felt sweet in her heart, but her words were harsh. "You are stupid, your whole family is stupid."

"Then you are still stupid..."

Tian Zao also reacted and chased Chang Wei to play.

After playing happily for a while, Chang Wei remembered that Dayong would die in the battlefield. "Wife, where is your little brother Dayong?"

Tian Zao looked at Chang Wei in confusion. "Didn't you see it? The two oldest ones with chubby faces were Dayong and Xiaofeng when the brambles were removed."

Chang Wei told Tian Zao the truth. "The battlefield of the Volunteer Army is a meat grinder. If Dayong wants to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, you have to stop him or he will be sacrificed."

Although Tian Zao was not 100% in love at this time, Chang Wei still told her the truth, because he knew that Tian Zao had a problem and was not fully in love. The government shot Han Qingkui, which was equivalent to helping her avenge her father. For her, this was a reward...

Tian Zao knew Chang Wei was special and believed what he said. Moreover, his life was at stake, so he nodded immediately. "Dayong told me that I was quite supportive at first, but if he would sacrifice himself, I couldn't let him go no matter what."

Chang Wei thought for a moment and said, "If he insists on joining the army, I will make the arrangements. I can introduce him to other troops, so that he can still defend his country. And Xiaofeng is not young anymore, ask him if he wants to join the army or work. If he wants to work, I will let him join the canning factory in the first batch..."

……

On the other side, after Tian Zao sent Chang Wei away, Uncle Gui and Aunt Li continued to weave baskets and chat.

"You said that Awei, if they hadn't gotten married, he would be a good match for Zao. He has a good heart and good conditions, better than Tiedan."

Uncle Gui nodded in agreement. "If we weren't married, who wouldn't want Ah Wei's character and conditions? Otherwise, why would I give up the job of being a chef at Dongfeng Tower and agree to cook at Shengli Welfare House?"

The owner of Dongfenglou invited him many times, but he refused. Tian Zao said that Chang Wei invited him to cook at the welfare home, and after learning about it, he agreed without hesitation.

"That's true."

At this time, Li Xiulan came out. "Mom and Dad, what are you talking about?"

Aunt Li replied, "I say, your sister Zao and Tiedan, why don't you hurry up and get things done?"

Uncle Gui interrupted. "And you, I'm going to find you a husband."

"Mom and Dad, Sister Zao has found a partner and will probably get married during the Chinese New Year."

Aunt Li looked at her daughter Li Xiulan in surprise. "What? Xiaozao told you that she would marry Tiedan at the end of the year."

Uncle Gui also widened his eyes, waiting for what was to come.

Li Xiulan lowered her head shyly. "Zhao Jie's boyfriend is not Tiedan. Tiedan is mine."

She went to Tiedan to confess her feelings early in the morning. She knew that Tian Zao was a forgetful person, so it would be better for her to go by herself than to rely on Tian Zao for help. For some reason, the result was beyond her expectations. Tiedan accepted her.

This sentence caused a huge uproar, leaving Uncle Gui and his wife completely stunned.

How come Tian Zao's partner is someone else, and my daughter has also gotten involved and likes Tiedan...

Aunt Li asked quickly. "Xiu Lan, please tell me quickly, what's going on?"

……

On October 26th (the time was changed for plot reasons), the government and the China Association for Resisting U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea launched a patriotic campaign to donate airplanes.

Responses came from all parts of the country, and patriotic activists in the city of Beijing spontaneously held parades and propaganda.

In the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai, the team leader of the joint prevention and control team of each household, also organized a general meeting in the evening to mobilize all employees to donate money to buy an airplane.

Still in the open space in front of the He family's house, four people were sitting at a square table in the crowd. Yi Zhonghai sat in the main seat, with Xu Fugui on his left, and Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui on his right.

Yi Zhonghai coughed to signal silence. "Everyone is here. It's cold, so I'll be brief. I asked everyone to hold this meeting today to raise funds for the volunteer soldiers to buy airplanes. Everyone should know the details. Patriotic activists are marching and promoting in the streets, and there are slogans in the streets and alleys.

The US imperialists have carried out crazy bombings on our volunteer soldiers and supply lines. And our volunteer soldiers lack aircraft to counterattack them, so can we watch the volunteer soldiers shed blood and sacrifice their lives to defend our country and remain indifferent?

His words were still very inflammatory and the residents responded one after another.

"No."

"cannot……"

Yi Zhonghai was very satisfied with the effect of his words, and continued to speak. "Okay, everyone agrees, so we should help. I will take the lead and donate 200 yuan, and Old Yan will help record it. Donations are voluntary, according to one's ability, and no one will force them." As he said this, he handed the prepared 200 yuan to Yan Bugui.

Chang Wei stood on the periphery, watching silently. Yi Zhonghai was indeed quite capable, and his reputation as the Lord of Morality was well-deserved.

Others donated anonymously, but he asked Yan Bugui to record it directly. They said it was voluntary, but it was recorded in front of everyone. Who would dare to give less? Even if they gritted their teeth, they had to donate more, at least to save face... Isn't this Yi Zhonghai's masterful moral kidnapping?

Xu Fugui was the first to respond and offered money. "I'll donate fifty, Old Yan, please remember it."

Liu Haizhong was not to be outdone and generously paid. "Old Yan, I'll donate 100 yuan."

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses awkwardly. "My situation is special, so I'll donate 25 yuan." He took out these 25 yuan with great pain, and he felt extremely sorry for it.

Jia Zhang said absentmindedly, "Our Jia family is in financial difficulty, so we'll donate 5 million..."

……

----