Siheyuan: Cooking journey

This is not because of financial constraints.

The main reason is that nowadays, most families just sprinkle some salt on cabbage and eat it with steamed buns, and rarely cook any dishes.

To stir-fry a dish, you need to use oil, add soy sauce, vinegar and other seasonings. It may not seem like much on a single fry, but when you add it all up, the expenses are quite high.

Only families with upper-middle incomes, with a monthly salary of over a hundred yuan, can live this seemingly "luxurious" life. Of course, it also depends on how many people there are in the family. If there are five or six people, it's still okay. If there are more, then you can only make do with the same things as the big family.

Compared with other people in this courtyard, being able to cook regularly is already quite good.

So, we can't be too greedy.

Dinner was potatoes stewed with eggplant, and the staple food was steamed corn bread. I was afraid that Lou Xiao'e would not be used to it, so I specially kneaded some flour and made some noodles.

I still say that it’s not because of lack of money. This kind of life is good in itself and has nothing to do with whether or not you get paid.

It was not too late, so the family had dinner together at the deaf old lady's house.

On the dining table.

Lou Xiao'e lowered her head and ate in small bites, appearing particularly quiet and obedient.

It was the first time He Yushui met his sister-in-law, and he felt a little nervous after saying hello. He was just a shy person.

On the contrary, the deaf old lady was cheerful. She looked at this and then that, picking up food for this person and then that person. She was the most restless one.

But there is nothing I can do about it. She won't hear me even if I tell her. What can I do?

He Yuzhu looked at He Yushui and asked, "How's the work going?"

At that time, he had just returned and happened to meet Lou Xiao'e, so he gave her the letter of introduction and told her not to miss the good opportunity.

"I was just about to say this, I feel a bit at a disadvantage."

When this matter was mentioned, He Yushui looked aggrieved:

"I graduated from high school and only earned 18 yuan a month during my internship, and only 23.5 yuan after working for a full year;

"If you graduate from university, you can get 23.5 yuan a month during the internship period, and after one year, your salary will jump directly to 57 yuan a month.

“The difference is really huge;

"If I had known this, I would have tried my best to get into college."

That only works if you can pass the exam.

As a brother, He Yuzhu did not rub salt into the wound, but comforted him:

"You can't calculate it that way. If you start working now, you will earn four years more money than those college students.

"Does this make you feel better?"

"Well, that's right."

He Yushui thought about it and nodded happily.

He Yuzhu added earnestly: “Besides, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been to college, you don’t have to graduate from college;

"I haven't even graduated from primary school yet, but I don't enjoy the treatment of a deputy section chief. I get a salary of level 20, which is 72 yuan per month, and 74 yuan with subsidies.

"You graduated from high school. In the future, you will definitely be treated well by following my guidance!"

"..."

He Yushui pursed her lips and didn't want to talk anymore.

He felt that his brother was bragging, but he could not find any evidence to refute it.

beside,

Lou Xiao'e rolled her eyes, thinking that He Yuzhu was really bad. As a sister-in-law, she immediately and gently comforted He Yushui:

"Yushui, don't listen to your brother's nonsense. With your brother's cooking skills, he is more than qualified to be a first-class cook. My mother said that a first-class cook can earn 89.5 yuan a month. Being a canteen director is a loss. It is tiring and stressful. It is not as comfortable as being a chef."

"..."

He Yuzhu continued to eat silently and was unwilling to speak.

What do you know? A first-level cook is even rarer than an eighth-level technician. There are not many of them in the whole country, and they are always transferred to conspicuous places. They are too conspicuous.

Every factory has a canteen director, and there are a lot of them. That's what we call being low-key.

Who cares about salary or not?

Don't care at all.

"..."

He Yushui felt as if her heart had been stabbed again, and her face looked even more aggrieved.

The deaf old lady looked left and right, laughing happily.

The atmosphere feels a bit strange. Comforting her won't help.

Lou Xiao'e blinked her eyes and tried to comfort her:

"Yushui, I envy you a lot. You went to school, graduated from high school, and can go out to find a job. I never had the chance to go to school since I was a child. I don't have a diploma, so it's hard to find a job. I can only stay at home."

"..."

He Yuzhu glanced at her and straightened his back involuntarily. He never thought that someone who didn't finish elementary school could have such a status at home.

"Sister-in-law, why didn't you go to school?"

He Yushui was full of doubts. Education was now universal and almost everyone in the city went to school.

If he didn't want to go to school, the teacher would come to his house every now and then to persuade him to go.

"So what do you usually do at home?"

"My mother taught me and my sisters to read and write since we were young."

Lou Xiao'e explained, and then said worriedly: "I feel bored at home, and there is nothing to do. Every day I learn some music, chess, calligraphy and painting from my mother, or I do some housework, or go out shopping. What I look forward to most is eating and seeing what delicious food there is."

The deaf old lady laughed so hard that her mouth couldn't stop. She said cheerfully, "I remember that Silly E's mother was not ordinary. She was very knowledgeable and not an ordinary person. It would be great if Silly E could learn a little bit from her."

"Old lady, I'm not a fool, don't scream.

Lou Xiao'e corrected her angrily, but then asked curiously, "Old lady, do you know my mother?"

"There aren't many people with the last name Lou in the city. If it's that Lou, I guess I know him."

The deaf old lady thought about it, nodded, and sighed:

“Many years ago, I was short of food and medicine. Your mother was a really good person and sent a lot of things. But your father was not good. He was as timid as a mouse and didn’t have the knowledge and courage of a woman.

"If he were a man, he would be a man on the battlefield."

What does this have to do with being a man?

Lou Xiao'e pouted, very dissatisfied. In her impression, her mother was always gentle as water, and she took this as an example and strictly required herself, hoping to become such a gentle person in the future.

He Yuzhu was in deep thought. Even the deaf old lady said it was not simple. It seemed that Mother Lou was indeed smart.

It’s good to be smart.

Smart people are easy to get along with, so you don’t need to waste so much time talking.

After dinner.

After packing up, I said goodbye to the deaf old lady and went home.

When they arrived at the central courtyard, He Yushui was sensible enough not to disturb them and went back to his room by himself.

Lou Xiao'e looked at the scene and saw He Yuzhu opening the door.

Thinking about how dark it was getting, about sleeping in the same bed, about what my mother had said, and about the conversation we had in the morning, my heart suddenly began to race.

Uncontrollably, my face became hot and red all the way to my ears.

I felt shy and nervous, and also had a strong sense of rejection.

I really don't want to. It's too embarrassing.

inside the house.

He Yuzhu sat at the dining table, flipping through the pages of a book. He had already read through the few books he had borrowed from the library.

As for going to the library again, he had no intention of doing so at all.

He thought to himself that he could ask Yu Shui to run errands for him to exchange books in the future. Now that he had a job, borrowing books would be easy.