On Sunday morning, Gao Yan was sleeping in with Li Mengyao in his arms.
But the courtyard became lively.
"Honey, it's time for us to get up!" Li Mengyao reminded him.
"Let's get up then, but we have to give each other a kiss first!"
After washing up, the couple opened the door and saw many children playing in the yard, while the adults were busy moving tables, chairs, pots and pans, preparing for the banquet.
"Weiguo, are you awake? Have you eaten? If not, we have extra breakfast at home!"
"No need, Aunt Chen, my wife is already doing it!"
Gao Yan replied with a smile.
Looking at the bustling courtyard, Gao Yan felt quite happy. This is what life should be like. Unlike in the future, when you live on the same floor in an apartment building, you probably won't even know your neighbor's surname!
After eating the breakfast his wife had made, Gao Yan asked his sister-in-law to move the radio to the middle courtyard and turn the volume up to the maximum.
A group of noisy children quickly gathered around to listen to the radio. Some children even reached out to touch the radio, but their parents stopped them, saying they couldn't afford to pay for it if they broke it!
Today, Ma Weimin is in charge of cooking.
Because of his poor relationship with Gao Yan, the neighbors subconsciously distanced themselves from him.
In an effort to salvage his relationship with his neighbors, he volunteered to cook at the party that night.
Meanwhile, several older women and young wives helped wash and chop the vegetables.
Time flies and it's noon already!
The middle court had already set up tables, with adults and children sitting at ten tables in total. Each table had eight dishes: four meat dishes, three vegetable dishes, and a soup.
The staple food was white flour steamed buns eaten with cornmeal, and each table also had a pound of loose liquor.
During meals.
The three old men all asked Gao Yan to say a few words, but Gao Yan waved his hand and said, "I won't say anything, everyone, let's start eating!"
Twenty minutes later.
Everyone had almost finished eating. The meat dishes on each table were all gone, and even the oil stains on the plates were eaten by dipping steamed buns or cornbread in them.
"Brother Weiguo, thank you for finding such a wonderful wife for me. I'd like to toast you!"
Chen Manjun arrived with a wine glass and toasted Gao Yan.
Recently, Chen Manjun's wife became pregnant, and the third generation of the Chen family is finally about to be born. The famine has just ended, and the whole Chen family feels that this child is a blessing.
He even thought of a name for himself: Chen Xiaofu.
"Let's have a drink, Manjun!"
Gao Yan raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Manjun's, then drank the baijiu in his glass in one gulp.
Seeing that he had already finished his drink, Chen Manjun had no choice but to drink the rest of his wine as well, though his face was flushed.
As soon as Chen Manjun left, the Zeng family's son came.
The Zeng and Tong families were among the poorest households in the compound. Gao Yan had helped them many times. However, both families were principled and kept a record of everything Gao Yan had given them, intending to return it to him once their situation improved.
"Weiguo, if it weren't for your help, my family would probably be in a very difficult situation. I don't know how to thank you enough, so I'll just offer you a toast!"
"Brother Zeng, you're exaggerating. We're all neighbors in the same courtyard. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Even if I don't help you, do you think the other neighbors in the courtyard will just stand by and watch?"
The others found Gao Yan's words quite agreeable.
After having a drink with Old Zeng's son, the others took turns offering toasts.
Gao Yan said he would accept anyone who asked.
He would drink any toast offered to him, and in no time, a pound of liquor had been down his throat, but he remained unfazed.
The older men at the table all praised him for his high alcohol tolerance!
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
The banquet finally ended, and all three old men were drunk by Gao Yan.
Meanwhile, news of their banquet in their courtyard spread to neighboring courtyard houses.
Hearing that Gao Yan was preparing a banquet with 10 jin of wild boar meat and three pheasants and rabbits, I was incredibly envious.
Some people even lamented that it would be great if Gao Weiguo lived in our compound!
After this banquet, the cohesion within the courtyard has improved considerably.
Meanwhile, the good reputation of the courtyard spread, and matchmakers came one after another to propose marriages to young people, including Ma Weimin.
Ma Weimin was mainly envious that the young men in the compound could all sleep with their wives in their arms.
He's over thirty and still not married.
If I can't find a wife soon, I'll probably be a bachelor for the rest of my life.
Therefore, he gave up all his bad habits, including gambling.
Of course, he also owes his ability to quit gambling to Gao Yan.
If Gao Yan hadn't made him hospitalized and confiscated his salary, he probably would have gambled it away as soon as he got his paycheck.
Living in the hospital without a salary, how could he afford to gamble?
Over time, his gambling addiction gradually disappeared.
These days, getting married is very simple.
Therefore, in August, apart from Ma Weimin, the last three young people in the courtyard got married and even held several banquets. The meat used for the banquets was all bought from Gao Yan.
Ma Weimin also found a widow through a blind date. However, he doesn't have much money right now and needs to save up to buy some furniture before he can get married!
September has arrived.
My sister-in-law has started school.
There have also been some personnel changes at the Beijing Garment Factory.
Song Guoli, the former head of the security department, was promoted to deputy factory director, but the security department was one of his supervising departments.
Originally, Huang Jianyun and Song Guoli both planned to recommend Gao Yan for the position.
But he refused.
Then a new head of the security department was transferred in.
However, the head of the security department was an old acquaintance of Gao Yan—Xu Dali.
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