Liu Guang Tian and Liu Guang Fu stared at the scrambled eggs and meat dumplings in front of Liu Hai Zhong, their mouths watering.
Because Liu Hai Zhong was a blacksmith, a high-intensity job, his diet was very limited in oil and water, otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to swing the hammer!
Liu Hai Zhong, in this era, was like an emperor in his own home. So when he heard Liu Guang Tian and Liu Guang Fu daring to dream of eating meat dumplings, he was furious.
Liu Hai Zhong’s face turned dark, he kicked them, "You brats, get out and kneel! You want to eat meat? Why don't you fly to the sky?"
Liu Guang Qi looked at Liu Hai Zhong beating his two younger brothers, his eyes flashed with a sinister look. He kept his head down, eating dumplings, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Liu Hai Zhong got up, "I'm going to the West Courtyard!"
Liu Hai Zhong walked into the West Courtyard, looking at the tidy yard and the three rooms, his eyes gleaming with greed, "Hui Zhen, what are you busy with?"
Liu Hui Zhen: "Second Uncle, I'm busy wrapping dumplings for the New Year. Have you eaten?"
Liu Hai Zhong raised an eyebrow, he didn't expect that Liu Hui Zhen's family was actually eating whole wheat dumplings, even meat ones, for the New Year.
Liu Hai Zhong: "Ahem, Hui Zhen, we both have the Liu surname. It's like we are almost family. I'll be straightforward, your big yard, you can't live in it alone, why not move to the side room over there?
Lend the house to my Guang Qi. My Guang Qi topped the class this time, he will be a leader in the future. You lend him the house now, he'll remember your kindness later!"
In the 1950s and 1960s, housing was in short supply. Many old houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties were demolished, new houses were built very little, and with the establishment of the new country, a large number of new workers poured into the capital, making the population of the capital explode!
Those with jobs relied on their unit for housing, those who did odd jobs in the city either rented or borrowed houses to get married.
In this era, borrowing houses to get married was very common, for familiar relatives or old comrades from the unit, but borrowing houses never meant taking the whole house, just a small room, barely enough to live in was good enough!
Someone like Liu Hai Zhong, wanting the main family to move out and his own son to live in the big house, this kind of borrowing was clearly bullying!
Liu Hui Zhen: "Second Uncle, this house is for Yuan Chao, he needs to get married and have a family."
Liu Hai Zhong said impatiently, "I know, I'm not borrowing it, right? When Yuan Chao gets married, our family will buy a house, or Guang Qi will be allocated a house, and we'll return it to you then.
Besides, you're a widow with three children, how hard is it for you to live in the yard? If you lend me the house, in the future, if your family has any problems, wouldn't I help you?
Think about it carefully, don't be petty!"
Shen Yuan Chao listened to this from the side, he curled his lips, Liu Hai Zhong was really thick-headed, and cruel, no wonder the Liu family kids were all like this, they were all influenced by their roots!
It was called borrowing, but if you borrow it for a year, that's borrowing, but if you borrow it for ten years, it becomes his! This was clearly bullying a widow and her children!
Sun Xiu Ju: "Second Uncle, Hui Zhen's house has been registered with the neighborhood committee. If you want to borrow it, that's fine, let's go to the neighborhood committee and register it!"
Liu Hai Zhong immediately cowered when he heard about going to the neighborhood committee to register.
If Director Wang knew that he was borrowing a house from the widow Liu in the yard, he wouldn't be the Second Uncle anymore!
"Alright, I was just saying, if you don't want to lend it, then forget it!"
After saying this, he fled in panic!
Shen Yuan Chao stared at Liu Hai Zhong's back, thinking in his heart, when he grows up and can talk, the first thing he will do is deal with this old Liu family properly!
Liu Hui Zhen: "Sun Aunty, thank you, if it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to say!"
Sun Xiu Ju sighed: "Hui Zhen, you can't be so soft-hearted, in this courtyard, everyone has their own thoughts, if you want to raise Yuan Chao well, you have to work hard and improve yourself!"
Liu Hui Zhen: "Sun Aunty, I will definitely try my best to change! For Yuan Chao, I will stand up too!"
"It's the New Year!"
The sound of firecrackers rang out outside the door, followed by the smell of meat from every house.
Liu Hui Zhen and Sun Xiu Ju, with Shen You Chu and Shen You Tian, sat around the dining table. Shen Yuan Chao couldn't eat, so he sat in his small bamboo carriage.
Liu Hui Zhen held a cup of malted milk: "Yuan Chao, Happy New Year! May you be healthy and happy in the new year, don't worry, Mom will never let you go hungry!"
"咿咿呀呀~!"
"Mom, we can catch mice to raise our brother!"
Shen Yuan Chao: "..."
He doesn't eat mice!
Wait, it should be the "Four Removal" now,
Oh dear!
He remembers that catching mice, cutting off their tails, seemed to have a reward!
"Rainwater sister said that the neighborhood committee posted a notice on the bulletin board, the neighborhood committee encourages everyone to catch mice, catch mice, cut off their tails, and send them to the "Four Removal" office, you can get 200 yuan!"
Two hundred yuan, that's equivalent to two yuan in the old currency, don't underestimate these two cents.
In this era, two cents could buy a small bag of salt, vegetable oil was five cents per pound.
Two cents could do big things for ordinary people!
If you catch a lot, you can earn a few thousand a month, enough to buy food and sweet potatoes.
But this thing is easy to catch at the beginning, later, the mice are almost exterminated, a few days to catch one is considered good luck!
"Oh, Huai Ru, this is your son, Bang Geng? He looks so strong and healthy! He's really energetic!"
Qin Huai Ru smiled: "Third Aunt, your Yan Jie Di is also very beautiful! Round and chubby, so cute!"
Jia Dong Xu couldn't wait to compare his son with Shen Yuan Chao. He said to Yi Hai Zhong, "First Uncle, it's a new year, a new era, a new country, it's time to have a collective consciousness!
Everyone should come out, that's how we celebrate the New Year!"
Yi Hai Zhong smiled: "That's right, Old Liu, have your two kids run an errand and call Liu widow out!"
Yan Bu Gui: "My Yan Jie Kuang is fast on his feet, Jie Kuang, go and call Liu widow!"
"Liu auntie, come out for the New Year!"
Liu Hui Zhen had finished packing up and was about to go out when she heard the noise outside. She smiled, "It seems that the courtyard really likes our Yuan Chao, they are so eager to come and urge you to pay New Year's greetings!"
Shen Yuan Chao felt helpless, why did he feel like it was a weasel greeting the chicken, with no good intentions?
Sun Xiu Ju knew very well that the Yan Bu Gui family and the Qin Huai Ru family had been vying to outdo each other, seeing who had the fattest child!
In this era, fat was a symbol of good fortune!
"Hui Zhen, put a hood on Yuan Chao's head, let him sit in the small bamboo carriage, push him out, I'll take Chu Chu and Tian Tian!"
Liu Hui Zhen nodded: "Okay! Chu Chu, Tian Tian, when you go out, you have to greet people first, say good things, don't be impolite, understand?"
"We understand!"
Liu Hui Zhen looked at the chubby Shen Yuan Chao, wearing new, festive clothes, her eyes filled with joy, "Little Yuan Chao, let's go, go pay New Year's greetings!"
Shen Yuan Chao sat in the small carriage, walked out of the West Courtyard, at this time, all the neighbors in the courtyard were gathered in the spacious courtyard.
The lights in the courtyard were also on, everyone was wearing clean clothes with the fewest patches.
Everyone looked at Liu Hui Zhen pushing Shen Yuan Chao out, they were curious, because Liu Hui Zhen was out early and late, Chu Chu and Tian Tian were young, they couldn't hold Shen Yuan Chao.
To be precise, they hadn't seen him much since he entered the West Courtyard.
They only remember that the first time they met, Shen Yuan Chao was chubby and cute!