Chapter 626 Excellent Siheyuan
The wall clock struck seven times. The night outside the window was already thick. Warm yellow light shone through the windows of each house in the courtyard, mixed with the occasional sound of the radio, weaving a warm feeling in the cold night.
On the eight-immortals table in Zhou Yimin's house, four dishes had been finished. The bones of the braised pig's trotters had been gnawed clean by Zhang Lu, and they were piled on the plate like a small mountain.
Zhang Lu collapsed in the chair, holding her round belly with her hands, and burped with a meaty smell: "Brother Yimin, the food you cook is so delicious, ten times better than my mom's!"
There was still some sauce at the corner of her mouth, sparkling under the light, like a kitten that had stolen some food.
Zhang Yan wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and gave her sister a reproachful look: "You are so disrespectful. Your mother will be sad when she hears this."
Having said that, she also felt warm in her stomach, and even her hands and feet were not so cold anymore.
The empty plate on the table was still steaming, and the delicious flavor of the chicken stewed with mushrooms and the richness of the braised meat seemed to still linger on the tip of the tongue.
Zhou Yimin had just finished cleaning up the dishes and smiled when he heard this: "If you like it, come often. I always have ingredients here."
He added a piece of coal into the stove, and the flames shot up, making everyone's face red.
The three of them leaned back in their chairs and chatted. Zhang Lu talked about interesting things at school, Zhang Yan occasionally interjected, and Zhou Yimin listened most of the time with a smile on his face. The air in the room was warm, even hotter than a fire.
At this moment, a knock on the door broke the silence. Zhou Yimin was stunned for a moment. Who could it be? He raised his voice and answered, "Come in!"
The door was pushed open a crack, and Dapeng poked his head in, his army green cotton jacket stained with night frost: "Yimin, come out later..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Sister Zhang Yan sitting on a chair. He immediately stopped talking, scratched his head and smiled, "Zhang Yan is here too! And who is this one? Have you eaten yet?"
Zhang Yan and Zhang Lu quickly nodded and greeted them. Zhang Lu even smacked her lips, obviously not yet recovered from the delicious food.
Dapeng waved his hand and was about to leave: "You guys chat, I'll come find you later."
"Wait." Zhou Yimin called him.
"You just mentioned a meeting? What meeting?" He has lived in this courtyard for so many years.
The whole institute meetings were not held many times in total. Generally, each department would solve its own problems, and it was rare to call everyone together.
Dapeng rubbed his red hands and moved closer to the stove: "I don't know much about it. Just now, the uncle called everyone and said that there would be a general meeting at 8 o'clock under the big locust tree at the gate of the courtyard, and asked everyone to go. I don't know anything else."
Zhang Yan stood up after hearing this and said, "Then we won't bother you anymore. It's time to go home."
She pulled Zhang Lu, who was still in a daze, and said, "Say goodbye to Brother Yimin."
Zhang Lu said "Oh" and walked towards the door, looking back every few steps: "Brother Yimin, can I come to eat next time?"
After getting Zhou Yimin's affirmative answer, she jumped and left with her sister.
Zhou Yimin looked up at the wall clock and saw that the hour hand had just passed 7:10.
He glanced out the window. The night was like cotton wool soaked in ink, weighing heavily on the gray tiles of the courtyard.
"There are still fifty minutes until eight o'clock. I'll take you back." He grabbed the military coat and put it on, zipping it up to the top with a "click".
Zhang Yan waved her hands quickly: "No, no, we can just go by ourselves, you still have to prepare for the meeting."
She gathered her scarf, her fingertips touching the cool wool, "The lights are on in the alley, we're only a few steps away."
"Sister, I want to ride a motorcycle!" Zhang Lu suddenly grabbed the corner of Zhou Yimin's clothes, her eyes shining like two stars.
"I've never ridden a motorcycle before, Brother Yimin, can you take me for a ride?"
She shook Zhou Yimin's arm, and the end of her braid brushed across his military boots. "Just a small circle, just take us to the alley entrance!"
Zhou Yimin smiled as she shook him, and patted the car keys: "Come on in, sit tight."
Zhang Yan wanted to refuse, but she saw Zhang Lu had already jumped to the door and was standing on tiptoe to look at the shadow of the motorcycle outside the yard. She could only sigh helplessly: "Then thank you for your help."
The rumbling sound of the motorcycle engine is particularly clear in the quiet alley.
Zhang Lu sat in the middle, tightly grasping the corner of Zhou Yimin's clothes. The cold wind made her shrink her neck, but she shouted excitedly: "Sister, look! The moon is following us!"
Zhang Yan sat in the back seat, her hand gently resting on Zhang Lu's waist. She could smell the faint smell of coal smoke from Zhou Yimin's military coat, mixed with the scent of snow in the night breeze, and she felt inexplicably at ease.
When they arrived at Zhang's house, Zhang Lu still lingered in the car seat and didn't want to get off: "Brother Yimin, can I still ride tomorrow?"
When Zhang Yan dragged him into the yard by the arm, he turned around and shouted, "Don't forget to let me eat the fried cakes!"
Zhou Yimin responded with a smile, turned the car around and drove back.
The motorcycle sped through the empty alley, its headlights cutting through the night and making the ice on the road sparkle.
When he returned to the courtyard, the gate was already bustling with activity - Uncle Wang was moving a rattan chair under the big locust tree, Aunt Li was holding a small stool, Grandma Zhang's bamboo chair was padded with a thick cotton pad, and even Old Liu, who usually liked to stay at home, came out with the help of his son, holding a thermos in his hand.
"Is Yimin back?"
Uncle Wang moved to the side to make some room for the rattan chair, "Hurry up and find a chair to sit on. It will probably be open for a while."
He pointed at the crowd and said, "I just heard from Lao Li that the people from the street office are coming. Not only our courtyard, but also the alley next door will be open."
Zhou Yimin responded and went back to the house, taking out a folding chair from behind the door.
This chair was given as a welfare benefit by the company last year. There are two patches of paint falling off the metal frame, but it is still very sturdy.
He put a cotton pad on the seat of the chair and just moved it under the locust tree when he saw Dapeng holding up a metal loudspeaker and shouting, "Are all the families here? Wait five more minutes, the comrades from the street office will be here!"
The night wind blew past with the broken snow, and everyone wrapped themselves tightly in their cotton-padded jackets.
Zhou Yimin glanced at the crowd. Everyone's face had a hint of curiosity and an inexplicable nervousness.
He moved his chair next to Uncle Wang and listened to the discussions around him. The strange feeling in his heart came up again - this conference should not be simple.
But it should be good news, because Zhou Yimin knew it from the smiles on the faces of the three uncles.
If it wasn't good news, he definitely wouldn't have smiled so brightly.
Before Dapeng put down his tin horn, an old man had already squeezed out of the crowd holding a red book.
He was wearing a washed-out Zhongshan suit with the collar neatly tied. His brows, which were usually furrowed, were now relaxed and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with smiles.
"Quiet, quiet!" An old man cleared his throat, and the red book in his hand glowed under the street light.
He stamped his snow-stained cloth shoes on the roots of the locust tree, his voice trembling with excitement: "The reason I'm holding this meeting today is because I have good news to tell you all!"
These words were like a stone thrown into boiling water, and the crowd suddenly exploded.
Aunt Li moved forward holding the small stool, and the buttons on her cotton jacket rubbed against Uncle Wang's rattan chair: "What's the good news? Look how happy you are!"
Uncle Wang pushed his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and unconsciously clenched his hands behind his back - he was wondering whether he would get a salary increase or whether the street office would distribute relief grain for the New Year.
Zhou Yimin sat on a folding chair, looking at the red book in the old man's hand, and suddenly remembered that people from the street office came to inspect hygiene a while ago. At that time, he thought it was just a routine matter.
Grandma Zhang's bamboo chair creaked, and she leaned over to the uncle: "Uncle, tell us quickly, don't keep us in suspense!"
The old man took a deep breath and suddenly raised the red book above his head, as if he was lifting a thousand-pound medal: "This year our courtyard was rated as an excellent courtyard by the street office!"
He paused, waiting for the news to spread among the crowd before continuing, "Our courtyard was the only one in the entire alley that was selected. The street office also issued a certificate of merit, plus ten kilograms of peanuts, ten kilograms of melon seeds, and two kilograms of rapeseed oil as rewards!"
"Really?" The ball of yarn in Aunt Li's hand fell to the ground with a "pop" and rolled to Zhou Yimin's feet.
She could hardly believe her ears. Last year, the neighboring courtyard was rated as a civilized household, and everyone in the courtyard had been envious for half a year. She didn't expect that this year the honor would go to her own courtyard.
You should know that there are only two excellent courtyard houses in the entire street, and there are at least hundreds of such courtyard houses in the entire street. Choosing two from hundreds of them will show how high their value is.
In this age where reputation is everything, if you tell others about it, they will look up to you.
Thunderous applause broke out in the crowd. Even the usually taciturn Old Liu started clapping, with the hand warmer bouncing high in his arms.
Zhou Yimin looked at the smiles on everyone's faces and suddenly understood why the third uncle was so active just now - this honor is not only face, but also tangible benefits.
Grandma Zhang stood up tremblingly and stuffed a piece of candy into the hand of the old man: "Great, great, our hospital is finally proud of itself! If you fry these melon seeds, they are so fragrant that they can be smelled three blocks away!"
An old man peeled off the candy wrapper and put the candy into his mouth. The sweet taste melted on his tongue.
He looked at the lively scene in front of him and suddenly felt that in this cold day, his heart was warmer than a stove. "Tomorrow I will post the certificate on the screen wall,"
He pointed toward the gate of the courtyard and said, "I have divided the peanuts, melon seeds, and oil with the second and third uncles. Everyone can come to me tomorrow to get them. Everyone will have a share! I guarantee that everyone can pick out plump melon seeds!"
At this time, Dapeng took a step forward, still holding the tin trumpet in his hand. He scratched his head and said, "Uncle, there are so many families in the courtyard. If there are two kilograms of rapeseed oil, each family will not be able to get much. Why not use the two kilograms of oil to make a delicious dish and let everyone eat it together as a celebration."
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd fell silent for a few seconds, and then burst into even more heated discussions.
Aunt Li was the first to applaud and agreed: "Dapeng, this is a good idea! Sharing joy is worse than enjoying it alone. Eating together is more fun!"
Her eyes sparkled as she wondered what to do with the oil.
The second uncle pushed his glasses and said thoughtfully, "Using rapeseed oil to cook, the aroma is just right! I think fried dough sticks are good, fragrant and filling, adults and children love to eat them."
The third uncle shook his head and said, "Frying dough sticks takes a lot of oil. Two kilograms of oil may not be enough. In my opinion, it is better to make fried dough cakes, using the red dates in our yard as the filling, coating them with flour, and frying them until they are golden and crispy. One in a mouthful will satisfy your craving."
Grandma Zhang also joined the discussion. She leaned on her cane and said slowly, "I think fried meatballs would work too. Grate the radish into shreds, mix with some flour, and fry it in oil. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's delicious when eaten with peanuts and melon seeds."
Zhou Yimin sat aside, listening to everyone talking, with a smile on his face.
Anyway, he has no opinion on what is done. For Zhou Yimin, the important thing is to participate.
The old man was delighted to see everyone so excited. He waved his hand and said, "Everyone has a point. Let's vote and see which delicacy gets the most votes, and that's what we'll make!"
Suddenly, a noisy sound rang out in the yard again. Everyone was voting for their favorite food. The cold winter night became particularly warm because of the heated discussion.
An old man took out a half-broken pencil from his pocket and drew three crooked marks on the cigarette box paper: "Youtiao, Yougao, Zhawanzi, stand behind the corresponding mark if you agree with it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd split into three groups like waves of wheat blown by the wind.
The second uncle stood next to the "Youtiao" sign, with his hands behind his back, counting the people behind him, his brows furrowed more and more - there were only five of them including himself, and three of them were half-grown children who were watching the fun.
He cleared his throat and tried to canvass for votes, but saw Aunt Li running out of her house holding a radish with mud on its tops: "I have two big white radishes at home, shred them and make meatballs!"
The "oil cake" camp of Uncle Sanda is not much better.
He counted the red dates in his hand and only had enough to fill a small bowl. The child from Xiao Wu's family next door was still crying for candy, so he had no time to wait for the oil cakes to come out of the pot.
Seeing more and more people moving towards Grandma Zhang, he quietly stuffed the red dates into his pocket and involuntarily followed the crowd.
Grandma Zhang's "Fried Meatballs" sign was soon crowded with people.
The people standing in the back were already imagining how to make the fried meatballs delicious, and were also thinking about what they could use at home to make it.
"I have carrots!" "I'll get some onions and ginger!" The shouts came one after another, and the vegetable baskets of each household cast a warm yellow halo under the street lights.
Aunt Li's radishes had been placed next to the millstone, and Uncle Wang was swinging the millstone to grind flour. The white powder fell on his Zhongshan suit like a layer of snow.
The old man counted to the end and drew a big circle behind "fried meatballs": "This is it! Grandma Zhang's proposal is passed unanimously!"
He held up the cigarette box paper and shook it, the corner of the paper curled into a small trumpet in the wind, "Tomorrow morning, we will start work, everyone send vegetables to the kitchen, and we will have a lively time making fried meatballs!"
Soon the whole hospital meeting ended and everyone wanted to go to bed early so that they could get up early the next day to make frying meatballs.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
