Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

Since the meeting, Liu Guozheng has clearly felt that the mental outlook of the entire village has changed greatly. To use fashionable words, there is hope in their hearts, there is prospect in life, and there is light in their eyes.

On the 26th day of the lunar calendar, the villagers start frying, steaming buns and cooking meat.

The village is divided into three groups. The frying group is responsible for frying meatballs, including the classic mung bean meatballs, radish meatballs, sweet potato meatballs that are suitable for eating right away, and the fried hemp leaves and fried dough twists that are common in the north.

The noodle group is responsible for steaming buns, making dumplings, jujube flower steamed buns, and large steamed buns for visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year in rural areas in the north. Although there is basically no need to visit relatives during the Chinese New Year, the basic things still need to be prepared.

A lot of meat was prepared for the New Year this year, including a cow, two sheep, and a pig, and of course fish. Fish is an indispensable part of the New Year’s Eve dinner table.

The whole village was filled with the aroma of various meats.

The crackling sound of firecrackers.

The children's laughter together.

Together weave a picture of joy and peace.

We were busy until the afternoon, when the village received a call from Xu Damao, saying that Lu Ming from the textile factory and Li Huaide from the steel rolling mill had ordered another batch of goods, which would be delivered tomorrow.

The next day, after preparing everything, Liu Guozheng decided to go there in person. There were two external employees in the office, and they had to be given some holiday benefits. Having Liu Guozheng distribute them personally showed more respect for them.

The two modified tricycles in the village were fully used, with Lu Ming and Li Huaide each having one. These were custom-made for them to use as gifts, and they were filled with top-quality beef, mutton and pork belly, as well as rice wine brewed by Liu Guozheng.

The items needed by the Jingxi Coal Mine, textile factory and steel rolling mill are all transported by their factory trucks. There is no need for villagers to deliver them. The main reason is that the quantity is too large and it is impossible to deliver them.

The people who accompanied the delivery this time were Xu Qing and Jiang Ping. As the New Year was approaching, Xu Fang and Han Zhang stayed in the office for safety reasons.

"Brother Zheng, you're here pretty early."

"It's a big holiday, so we should finish our work early and go back to celebrate. Xu Qing's car is for Section Chief Lu, and Jiang Ping's car is for Deputy Factory Director Li. Dabao, Damao, do you two think we should send them to their homes or directly to the factory?"

"Brother Zheng, the leader has told us to send him home."

"Send it home? Then it must be sent at night. All right, it looks like we have to stay here all night. You guys go ahead and do your work. I'll call your sister-in-law and give her instructions."

"Haha, Brother Zheng, is this what you call being henpecked?"

Xu Damao's mustache trembled as he laughed.

"Da Mao, you don't understand. This is respect. Besides, if I don't go home today and don't call, your sister-in-law will be worried. And Dabao, you will understand after you two get married. When you are away, it is the happiest thing to have someone at home thinking about you."

"Okay, Brother Zheng, whatever you say is reasonable anyway."

"Da Mao, boy, by the way, when are you going to get married?"

"May this year."

"Where's Dabao? I haven't asked you yet, when was the wedding date you discussed some time ago?"

"Brother Zheng, it's the eighth day of the first lunar month."

"Okay, what about the wedding? In the village or in the city?"

"Brother Zheng, this is what I think. Let's do the business in the city first. After all, there are some familiar co-workers in the factory. It's not convenient to go to the village together. After the business in the city is done, we can go back to the village to hold the business."

"Okay, Dabao is good, and you have considered everything."

"Brother Zheng, I will go to your village to hold one when the time comes. The villagers are very kind to me."

"Da Mao, there's no need to spend so much money, just give out some wedding candies."

"That won't work. I'll have to stay in the village when I have nothing to do in the future."

"That's fine. It won't cost much."

The three of them chatted and laughed in the living room, and soon it was eleven o'clock. Aunt Xu, Zhang Qingfang, and Yu Li arrived one after another, and of course Zhang Qingfang's two children.

"Uncle Zheng, Happy New Year. I wish you a happy new year in advance."

Yue Xiaogang fell to his knees at Liu Guozheng's feet and kowtowed three times.

"Uncle, Happy New Year."

Yue Xiaoying became a little reserved.

"Hahaha, luckily I brought a red envelope today."

Liu Guozheng took out red envelopes and gave one to each of them. The two took the red envelopes and ran away, they must have gone out to buy whips.

"Aunt Xu, Sister Zhang, let's work for another morning. We'll officially have a holiday in the afternoon. Let's have dinner together in the evening. Oh, and invite Uncle Xu to join us."

"Guo Zheng, you are too polite."

"Aunt Xu, everyone has been busy for a year. No matter how you spent the past year, let's reunite and wish everyone a prosperous next year."

"Well, we are all the same, we will all be prosperous, and our lives will get better and better."

They were busy from eleven o'clock to twelve o'clock. All the prepared things were sold out. Everyone cleaned up together and after lunch, Liu Guozheng took out the benefits that he had prepared in advance.

"Aunt Xu, Sister Zhang, and Yu Li, you all did a great job, so, to reward you, I decided to give you the full monthly salary this month, which is 30 yuan."

"Guozheng, what can I say to you?"

"Brother Guozheng, thank you so much."

"Brother Zheng, this..."

None of the three had expected that they had only worked for a few days at most and earned only a few dollars a day, but they didn't expect the surprise to come so soon and they actually received a full month's salary.

In fact, this was not Liu Guozheng pretending to be generous. It was mainly because he took into account Zhang Qingfang's family conditions. She would definitely not be willing to buy things for the child during the New Year. After much deliberation, Liu Guozheng decided to give her a full month's salary. Xu's mother and Yu Li were actually incidental.

"It's a festival, so of course there have to be benefits. This was agreed upon when you came. Come one by one, I've prepared it for you."

The benefits Liu Guozheng prepared were also very generous. Not to mention in the 1960s, even in the 21st century, these New Year benefits would be impressive.

5 pounds of pork belly.

2 pounds of sugar, three flavors, fruit candy, milk candy and soft candy.

10 pounds of flour.

2 fish.

1 can of lard.

2 bottles of canned fruit.

One portion for each of three people.

Xu Damao helped take Xu's mother's things back home, Xu Fang of course helped send Zhang Qingfang's things back, and Li Dabao sent Yu Li's things back on his bike.

“Rainwater, this is yours.”

After the three people left, Liu Guozheng directly gave He Yushui a red envelope with one hundred yuan in it.

"Brother Zheng, I can't have it."

"Here, girl, this is the New Year's money your brother gave you."

"Thank you, Brother Zheng."

He Yushui felt a little uncomfortable at first because she saw that everyone else had received gifts but hers was not. Unexpectedly, Liu Guozheng gave her a big red envelope. Although those things were good, they were not worth so much money. The little emotion in her heart completely disappeared.

"Xiaohao, this is yours."

"Thank you, brother."

Liu Guohao's red envelope was also one hundred yuan, which is ten ten-yuan notes. Young people cannot be short of money, especially those who are dating.

Liu Guozheng is generous, on the one hand because he is just like that, but more importantly, he is not short of money. After living for two lifetimes, he finally has enough money, so of course he has to be generous.