In the blink of an eye, it was the 29th of December, and the Red Star Rolling Mill was on holiday. In 1954, there was no 30th of the twelfth lunar month. The 29th of the twelfth lunar month was New Year's Eve. He Yuzhu finally had some free time. He Yushui had already started his winter vacation, so the siblings didn't eat breakfast and slept until almost noon.
The two siblings only made some food for lunch. He Yuzhu took out a new set of clothes that he had bought for Yu Shui to change into. He took out a couplet and pasted it on himself. He Yuzhu had asked Yan Bugui to write it with a small piece of pork.
He Yuzhu wanted to treat Yi Zhonghai and his wife to a meal to thank Aunt Yi for helping the deaf old lady take care of He Yushui. Yi Zhonghai suggested that the old lady should gather with the two families for a New Year's Eve dinner, so Aunt Yi came over to help after lunch.
During this period of time, he had been cooking for someone else's wedding banquet. Other than earning money, he had also brought back a lot of ingredients such as chicken, fish, pork, mutton, and eggs. He Yuzhu pulled out a menu and prepared to make the New Year's Eve dinner more sumptuous. Aunt Yi and the little girl came over to help, and Yi Zhonghai also came over to help.
By six in the afternoon, four plates and eight bowls were served on the table. The little girl had already invited the old lady over. He Yuzhu took out a string of firecrackers with a thousand sounds and lit them up outside the door. Then, he quickly went back into the house and closed the door. At this time, the sound of firecrackers being set off by various households could be heard everywhere.
He Yuzhu took out another bottle of aged Lai Mao. Yi Zhonghai drooled when he saw it. There was no Lai Mao now. The country had purchased Chengyi Winery, Ronghe Winery, and Hengxing Winery. Now, Wang Mao, Hua Mao, and Lai Mao were combined into one, making them Mao Tai. Therefore, Lai Mao was an aged wine, and every bottle he drank was one bottle less.
Aunt Yi and He Yushui brought the wine cups and chopsticks over. On the table, besides the traditional delicacies of the Imperial Capital such as braised carp, four-happiness meatballs, braised pork knuckle, fried mutton with scallion, mustard dumplings, and three non-sticky dishes, there were also eight hot dishes and four cold dishes such as Dongpo pork and Kung Pao chicken. In this day and age, even the knowledgeable Deaf Old Lady was speechless when she saw the dishes on the table.
Yi Zhonghai helped the old lady to the seat of honor. He Yuzhu filled everyone's glasses. The Deaf Old Lady and Aunt Yi also poured a small glass. Little Rainwater brought a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda for them.
The Deaf Old Lady scolded He Yuzhu." Zhu Zi, you're a prodigal. You can't live any longer. You've made so many dishes. You have to learn how to live. You have to save some money to marry a wife. You can't be so extravagant."”
He Yushui immediately jumped up to defend her brother,""Old Madam, my brother didn't spend much money on these dishes. They were all given to him by others when he was cooking outside. My brother has been running around outside for the past month, and I haven't had a chance to eat his dinner.”
He Yuzhu scolded her sister,"Speak to the old lady properly. Why is the little girl so rude?"?”
He turned to the Deaf Old Lady and said," Old Lady, I helped people prepare more wedding banquets before this year. I've saved up quite a lot of ingredients that others gave me. We can also be extravagant during the new year."”
Yi Zhonghai said cheerfully," Zhu Zi has already mastered his skills and gained a reputation. It's not bad for him to cook for others." Don't worry, Old Madam."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pork leg for the Deaf Old Lady. After the Deaf Old Lady took the first bite, everyone began to eat.
After Yi Zhonghai ate two mouthfuls of food, he said to He Yuzhu,""Zhu Zi's job has stabilized now, and his standard of living has also improved. Zhu Zi should consider finding a wife now.”
"I'm not even 20 yet. There's no hurry to find a wife.”
He Yuzhu swallowed the food in his mouth and raised his glass again."Oh right, I haven't congratulated Uncle Yi for being promoted to a master yet. Let me toast you!”
The Siheyuan was basically full now, but the employees of the rolling mill were a minority, accounting for only one-third of the residents. It was not like the previous Red Star Rolling Mill leaders could mediate neighborhood disputes.
Therefore, at the end of last year, under the leadership of the street office, three stewards were selected from this courtyard house. It should be considered the embryonic form of the neighborhood committee.
Yan Bugui in the front yard was chosen as the third uncle, Yi Zhonghai in the middle yard was the first uncle, and Liu Haizhong in the backyard was the second uncle.
Yi Zhonghai was the master fitter of the rolling mill. A few years later, he was promoted to the highest level eight fitter. The leaders of the mill valued him very much and his prestige in the Siheyuan was also very high.
On the surface, he appeared to be a fair and helpful person, but he was shrewd and scheming. He was the kind of person who always tried to smooth things over when dealing with the affairs of the Siheyuan. Therefore, no matter how intense the internal conflicts of the Siheyuan were, it was peaceful in the eyes of outsiders.
Due to Aunt Yi's health, she had no children. He valued He Yuzhu very much and protected He Yuzhu everywhere in the courtyard house, hoping that he would take care of the old couple in the future.
Of course, he was only in his early forties, so he might not have the intention to find someone to retire to. Everything he did now was to seek a good reputation.
Liu Haizhong was also a rolling mill worker and a high-level blacksmith. His life's dream was to be a leader. He was an official fan. Unfortunately, his educational level was too low and he could not even be a team leader.
This time, he was very excited to be chosen as the second uncle. He was the most active in jumping up and down in the courtyard house. He finally had a taste of being an official.
The couple had three sons. Liu Haizhong had a very strong old-fashioned mindset. He valued the eldest son the most and took care of him in every way. His second and third sons seemed to have been picked up. They always used the excuse of a dutiful son under the rod, but in fact, they were two punching bags. Usually, they would beat and scold each other. The difference between his sons was greater than the difference between the direct and Shu in ancient times.
Yan Bugui was a teacher at Red Star Primary School. He had three boys and one girl and had a heavy family burden. He had to work alone to support a family of six. His income was not high either. His monthly income was 27.5 yuan, which was lower than the poverty line of 5 yuan per person in the capital. Therefore, he calculated how much he spent.
He gave people the impression that he was calculative and petty, but he was not a bad person and could stick to his heart and moral bottom line.
What he believed in was 'never poor in food, clothing, and scheming.'”She was also so calculative with her children. Overcalculation led to the loss of family ties. In the end, after several children married, none of them were willing to support the elderly.
At this moment, Yi Zhonghai also raised his glass and clinked it with He Yuzhu's. He said,""It's not like he's an official. What promotion? It's just a matter of the street office's appointment. Since everyone is praising him, he has to do his job well and live up to everyone's trust.”
After the wine in the glass was drained, Yi Zhonghai said to He Yuzhu while picking up some food,""Zhu Zi, I heard that you're still attending night school?”
"Hmm, a while ago, my master gave me two secret recipes, both of which were ancient books. I found that it was very difficult for me to recognize words and sentence, so I enrolled in a professional school. It couldn't be helped. A chef had to be cultured too. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to understand the recipes.”
During this period, simplified Chinese characters had just been implemented. Most books and magazines were still in traditional Chinese characters. If he really took a recipe book, such as the Suiyuan Food List, which was full of traditional Chinese characters, He Yuzhu might not be able to recognize it. In the later generations, other than archaeology and ancient literature majors, most people who studied calligraphy could read and write traditional Chinese characters. He had never even come into contact with traditional Chinese characters. This was the reason why he went to night school.
Moreover, old books didn't have punctuations. One had to learn how to break sentences when reading. If one gave an old book to future generations, they might not be able to understand it.
"Studying is good. Raising your cultural level is good for your future development. You have to study hard too. You can be a cadre in high school in the future.”Yi Zhonghai said cheerfully to He Yuzhu and his sister.
"Ah!" The little girl was trying to hit the elbow when she suddenly heard her name. She didn't know what to say and raised her head with a confused look."What?"
Her confused and adorable look made everyone laugh.
The little girl pouted and said angrily,"If you don't eat actively, there's a problem with your thinking.”
The Deaf Grandmother coaxed the little girl." Yes, they have problems with their thinking. They don't even eat well. Our Rainwater is the most obedient. She has to eat well and study hard in school.”
After the meal, an auntie and Yu Shui cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. He Yuzhu took out melon seeds, peanuts, oranges, and White Rabbit Creamy Candy. He chatted while munching on melon seeds and peeling peanuts.
The little girl ran over and kowtowed to the Deaf Old Lady.""I wish the old lady a happy new year, good luck, and a long life.”
"Alright, alright. Come, girl. Here's your lucky money."”As he spoke, he took out a red packet and handed it to He Yushui.
He Yushui then wished Yi Zhonghai a happy new year."I wish you a happy Spring Festival and all the best.”
Yi Zhonghai also laughed and said,"Good, good child."”
A middle-aged woman had already prepared a red packet. At this moment, she took it out and handed it to He Yushui."I also wish our little Rainwater a new year of learning progress and growing prettier.”
He Yushui turned around and pulled He Yuzhu." Brother, Happy New Year. Give me your lucky money."”
He Yuzhu said,"So it's my turn to just take it out with my hand after saying one sentence."”
After saying that, she also took a red packet and gave it to He Yushui. The little girl was still a little embarrassed. She grabbed a handful of melon seeds, peanuts, and milk candy and put them in her pocket. Then, she went to the cabinet and took out a small whip for He Yuzhu to help her unwrap. She took a lit incense stick and ran out to play with someone.
After they left the house, He Yushui opened the red packets. The red packets from the old lady and Yi Zhonghai both contained ten cents, while the red packet from He Yuzhu contained fifty cents.
He Yushui looked excited. She stuffed the money into her pocket and ran to the front yard with the firecrackers. At this time, everyone had almost finished their New Year's Eve dinner. The children also ran out to play. He Yushui quickly found a friend.
There weren't as many fireworks as there were in the later generations. The children who were better would just take apart a small string of firecrackers and light them up one by one. He Yushui was timid, so she took the firecrackers and asked the boys to help her set them off. Soon, a group of children gathered around her. The White Rabbit Creamy Candy in her pocket was also a rare item. In the end, a group of boys and girls surrounded her and tried to curry favor with her. She was in the limelight.
He Yuzhu was in the house chatting with the old lady, Yi Zhonghai, and an auntie as they munched on melon seeds. At around 10 o'clock, He Yuzhu came back. She was tired from playing too. She sat on the chair and dozed off.
He Yuzhu and Yi Zhonghai's aunt also started to make dumplings. When they finished eating the dumplings at 12 o'clock, He Yuzhu carried the deaf old lady back. Yi Zhonghai's aunt also went home. The little girl could not stand it anymore. She ate two dumplings and ran to sleep.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。