Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

"Sister Qin, today is my treat, you can order whatever you want."

The next day at noon, Yan Jiecheng waited for Qin Huairu at the entrance of the factory canteen.

"Brother Jie Cheng, why are you so generous today?"

Qin Huairu smiled like a flower, with light in her eyes.

"Sister Qin, what are you saying? When have I ever been stingy?"

"I was just kidding. You, Yan Jiecheng, are the most generous man in our courtyard."

"Of course, Sister Qin, what do you want to eat today?"

"What's in the cafeteria? It's just that little thing. I'm tired of it."

"How about we go out to eat?"

"Jie Cheng, look at my body, how far can I walk?"

"This is not going to be easy."

"Brother Jie Cheng, seriously, do you really want to treat me to a meal?"

"Really, I've wanted to treat Sister Qin to a meal for a long time."

"I just want to treat you to a meal, nothing else?"

"Hehe, Sister Qin, you know what I mean."

"Humph, Yan Jiecheng, I didn't expect that Third Uncle is a people's teacher, but he actually taught someone as sanctimonious as you. I'll tell Teacher Yan tonight."

Yan Jiecheng really didn't expect that Qin Huairu would turn against him so easily. This was going to be a disaster. He didn't get to eat the mutton, but ended up getting covered in dirt.

"Sister Qin, you, you, you misunderstood."

"Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding? Yan Jiecheng, can you tell me what you were thinking just now?"

"Sister Qin, I'm thinking of roast duck. I'll bring you one tonight."

"How to bring it?"

"After get off work tonight, let's go buy roast duck together."

"No, I can't walk that far."

"Then Sister Qin will be waiting at the entrance of the alley. I will bring her back to you."

"What about lunch today?"

"It's still my treat, eat as much as you want."

"Brother Jie Cheng, you are so nice."

Qin Huairu would never refuse when someone invited her to dinner. She would order two white flour buns, a lion head dish, and a serving of stir-fried meat and cabbage.

Yan Jiecheng’s food is not bad. He only earned a hundred yuan last night, so of course he had to reward himself with something good.

"Yan Jiecheng."

The angry shout startled everyone who was eating in the cafeteria.

"Master Yi, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing Yi Zhonghai’s angry face, Yan Jiecheng had a bad feeling in his heart.

"You...you...you still ask me what's wrong? Huairu, please sit at the next table. Yan Jiecheng and I have something to talk about."

Qin Huairu picked up the lunch box and went to the table next to her.

"Yan Jiecheng, you are really good. You have deceived me."

Yi Zhonghai suppressed his anger and spoke softly.

"Master Yi, how did I lie to you?"

"You said you didn't lie to me. Those two bottles were fake wine."

Looking at Yan Jiecheng's innocent look, Yi Zhonghai wanted to cover his face with the lunch box.

Yi Zhonghai took advantage of the lunch break to sneak into Li Huaide's office and presented him with the good wine he had found.

Li Huaide certainly knew this wine which was very popular on the black market. Xu Damao had given him two bottles last month. It was said that the wine had been sold at a high price of thirty-one bottles on the black market.

When Yi Zhonghai took out two bottles of good wine, Li Huaide understood that Yi Zhonghai must have come to him to ask him to clean the toilet, otherwise he would not be willing to give him such good wine.

However, Li Huaide was really craving for wine. He hadn't drunk for almost a week. He immediately thought about opening the bottle and smelling it, and then having a good drink when he got home in the evening.

When you open the red cloth strip on the wine bottle, what comes into view is a wooden cork, which is actually sealed with wax.

Li Huaide knew immediately that the wine was fake.

Li Huaide has seen the authentic one. The bottle cap is made of aluminum and can be screwed on directly to fit tightly. There is no wax to seal it.

Also, Li Huaide finally remembered what was wrong. The problem was with the red cloth strip on the bottle mouth. There really was a yellow silk thread tied at the bottle mouth. These two bottles of wine just had the bottle mouths wrapped in red cloth strips. It can only be said that it looked a bit real at first glance.

The more you look at it, the more awkward it becomes.

"Yi Zhonghai, what are you doing? Are you using this to test cadres? What kind of cadres can't stand such a test?"

"I'm telling you clearly now that your punishment for cleaning toilets is useless no matter who you ask for forgiveness. You must do the full year. Even if you take time off, you will have to make it up later."

"Now take your wine and leave my office immediately."

When Li Huaide realized that it was fake wine, his expression changed immediately. This was not treating him, Li Huaide, as a human being, and using fake wine to fool him.

Hearing Li Huaide's angry rebuke, the secretary outside the door came in directly and dragged Yi Zhonghai out of Li Huaide's office.

Yi Zhonghai was also confused. This was not right. When he first took out the wine, Li Huaide was very happy. Why did his expression suddenly change after he untied the red cloth?

There is only one reason, and that is that these two bottles of wine are fake.

This is why Yi Zhonghai angrily found Yan Jiecheng in the cafeteria.

"Yan Jiecheng, return the money."

Yi Zhonghai said softly. He also knew that this matter was shameful and he couldn't make a big fuss. It would be bad if it attracted the attention of the security department.

"Master Yi, this is your fault. I told you last night that this is fake wine. And don't forget that you swore an oath."

"You, you... I thought you were trying to raise the price."

"Haha, Master Yi, have you forgotten what happened yesterday? Did I tell you the price from the beginning?"

"It seems not, but I don't care. Yan Jiecheng, can you please tell me whether the money can be refunded?"

"cannot ."

"Can't? Yan Jiecheng, do you believe that I can make sure you can't stay in the workshop and never learn any skills?"

"Master Yi, I also tell you that you swore an oath last night."

"Yan Jiecheng, I swear on the premise that the wine is real."

"I never said it was real wine. I said it from the beginning. It was fake. You insisted on buying it. Now you want me to return the money? Not only you, but even the Lord can't do that."

"I don't care, just tell me if you can withdraw?"

"Master Yi, you swore that you would not ask me for a refund or cause me any trouble. Otherwise, you would be struck by lightning and have no descendants. This is the oath you swore."

"You..you..I..."

Yi Zhonghai felt that there were many small black spots in front of his eyes. He hurriedly held onto the table, slowly sat down, and took deep breaths. After a long time, he felt better.

"Master Yi, this really can't be blamed on me. I told you at the time that this was fake wine, but you didn't believe me. I said I would buy it on the black market, but you insisted on buying it. I believe you are a reasonable person. Can you blame me for this if you taste it yourself?"

"Then. Then why did you make me swear then?"

"Hey, I'm afraid you'll cause me trouble."

"me.."

"Master Yi, if that doesn't work, you can sell it on the black market. You can make back your money. I heard that it can be sold for thirty yuan a bottle on the black market."

"Jie Cheng, I'll sell it to you, do you want it?"

"how much is it?"

"Eighty-two bottles."

"No, it's too expensive."

"Then how much did you say?"

"I'll give you five bucks at most."

"What? Five dollars? Yan Jiecheng, you are too shameless, aren't you?"

"Master Yi, calm down and keep your voice down. It will be bad if others hear you. Besides, the price of fake wine is not low already."

Yi Zhonghai was silent. He was considering the pros and cons. If he sold it to Yan Jiecheng, he would make a net loss of ninety-five yuan.

What if he sold it on the black market? Thinking about what happened the night before, he really didn't dare to sell fake wine on the black market.

"Ten dollars, I'll give it to you. I'll pay you back and I won't trouble you in the future. This matter is over."

"Okay, Master Yi, since you're happy, I'll do the same. Ten dollars is ten dollars."

Yi Zhonghai got ten dollars and Yan Jiecheng got two bottles of fake wine.

Some are happy, while others are sad.