Chapter 85: The Evil Stepmother of the Republic of China (Twenty) Ask for monthly votes
It was the first time that Gu Qingcheng dealt with ordinary people, and she was a little "caught off guard" by Aunt Zhu's enthusiasm and kindness.
She didn't know how to get along better with her landlord and neighbors in the market.
But she understands the principle of "reciprocity".
After finishing a large plate of dumplings with Li Yaozong, Gu Qingcheng washed the plate.
Then, she took Li Yaozong out and found a nearby dim sum shop.
I bought a few bags of snacks and asked the waiter to help me pack them.
When I got home, I left two packets for Li Yaozong.
Children are growing and get hungry easily, so having some snacks at home can help fill their stomachs.
Gu Qingcheng divided the remaining packets and when she returned the plate to Aunt Zhu, she stuffed two packets into her hand.
"Oh, Ms. Gu, you are too polite."
Aunt Zhu couldn't stop smiling.
This is how relationships between people work; only with give and take can we make further progress.
She would send dumplings to Gu Qingcheng because he was her tenant and she wanted to show her goodwill.
Secondly, she felt that it was not easy for Gu Qingcheng, a woman with a child, to be an orphan and a widow.
Thirdly, they live on the front and back streets, so they can be considered neighbors.
Being friendly with relatives and neighbors is a habit of ordinary people like Aunt Zhu.
This plate of dumplings is actually more of a "test".
If Gu Qingcheng knew how to reciprocate, Aunt Zhu would continue to associate with her.
If... haha, just treat the other party as an ordinary tenant, and Aunt Zhu should try to have less contact with him in the future.
As a result, Ms. Gu directly sent two bags of snacks.
Although I haven't seen what it is yet, I can tell from the red seal on the snack paper package that it is from the nearby snack shop.
That dim sum shop is famous for its quality ingredients, but the prices are not cheap either.
These two big bags would cost at least thirty or four cents.
"Aunt Zhu, thanks to Uncle Zhu and you for taking care of us, we have a safe place to live."
"Also, your dumplings are really delicious, not any worse than those in restaurants."
Gu Qingcheng spoke sincerely, and did not forget to praise Aunt Zhu.
Aunt Zhu smiled even more, "Haha, you know what, I'm just average at cooking, but I'm an expert at making dumplings."
"I didn't buy any meat today. I'll buy some meat and stuff it with meat stuffing in a few days, and then I'll send some to you to try."
"Okay! I'm looking forward to it!"
Gu Qingcheng knew that she couldn't be too polite to such an enthusiastic lady like Zhu.
She responded with a smile, which really made Aunt Zhu smile again.
After leaving Zhu's house, Gu Qingcheng returned to the street where the courtyard was located.
She looked around and found that she had neighbors on the east and west sides of her yard.
On the east side is a relatively large courtyard with the gate open, and more than one family coming in and out.
Just now at Aunt Zhu's place, she asked around -
The owners of the courtyard house on the east side, like Grandpa Zhu, are old local residents.
A family of five, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren.
It is said that his ancestor was a minor official in the Qing Dynasty, and he bought such a large courtyard.
Unfortunately, with the fall of the previous dynasty, this family also declined.
Fortunately, the family still has some property. They sold one of the three courtyards, and they live in the remaining two, as well as renting out the property to several tenants.
There are five tenants, but only three are permanent residents.
These three tenants all have families with them.
"Mr. Xu is a teacher at the University Hall. I heard that he studied abroad in his early years and specializes in teaching students to speak foreign languages."
"Mr. Zhao is a writer. He works as an editor in a newspaper. He also writes articles to earn some royalties."
"There is also a doctor named Zhou who works in the hospital run by the University..."
Aunt Zhu is indeed a local resident in this area. She even knows the situation of her neighbors’ tenants very well.
She introduced them to Gu Qingcheng in detail one by one.
Gu Qingcheng had a general idea. After arriving at the yard on the east side, she first visited the owner and presented him with a bag of snacks as a gift.
The landlord is about the same age as Grandpa Zhu, but looks younger than Grandpa Zhu. He is well maintained, plump and fair, and looks wealthy.
He was very reserved when he saw Gu Qingcheng.
When he spoke, he deliberately quibbled with words and would often throw in a quote or two from Confucian classics.
Gu Qingcheng: ...This old scholar who likes to show off may look awkward, but he is actually easy to deal with.
As long as you show a respectful look, follow his words and flatter him a few times, you can make him feel comfortable both physically and mentally.
Gu Qingcheng followed her own judgment and praised with feigned admiration: "Old sir, you are really knowledgeable."
The old man stroked his goatee and smiled more reservedly.
However, the way he looked at Qingcheng was not as critical as when they first met - as a woman, she must have encountered difficulties at home, so she showed up in public!
After meeting the landlord, Gu Qingcheng visited the tenants.
Dr. Zhou and Mr. Xu are both in their thirties and are quite polite in their manners and speech.
As for Dr. Zhou, there was a sense of superiority and pride in his words.
Mr. Xu seems more down-to-earth. Perhaps because he teaches at the university, his vision and mind are broader.
Seeing Gu Qingcheng speak so eloquently, you can tell that she is a well-educated woman.
As for Gu Qingcheng, after entering the door, she immediately saw the piles of books and newspapers piled up in Mr. Xu's house.
"Ms. Gu, do you like reading?"
Mr. Xu noticed Gu Qingcheng's little trick. He did not directly ask Gu Qingcheng whether she could read, but asked in a more implicit way.
"Yes! My father was a juren in the Qing Dynasty, and he also read some books when he was young."
Gu Qingcheng was not overly modest and replied with a smile.
The daughter of a juren, that is, she comes from a scholarly family.
If you read books when you are young, you will not only escape illiteracy, but also be a talented person.
Mr. Xu's eyes lit up, "That's amazing!"
At a time when the national illiteracy rate is very high, even men may not be able to read, let alone women who are bound and oppressed.
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
And this Ms. Gu in front of me is actually educated. She is definitely an educated woman living in an open-minded family.
"Come and take a look at the books here to see if there are any you like. If you like, just come and borrow them!"
Mr. Xu accepted the snacks from Gu Qingcheng and was worried about having no suitable return gift.
Knowing that Gu Qingcheng liked reading, he simply pointed to his collection and spoke to Gu Qingcheng enthusiastically.
Gu Qingcheng didn't hesitate and came to the pile of books.
After glancing at the titles of the books, she discovered that Mr. Xu's collection of books was not only large but also diverse.
There are foreign books, history books, and classics by saints.
There are poetry collections, novels, and medical books.
Gu Qingcheng took two books of each type and said, "Mr. Xu, I'll read these first. When I'm done, I can come back to borrow them. Is that ok?"
This is a small treasure trove of knowledge. How could Gu Qingcheng let it go easily?
"Yes! Of course!"
As a teacher, Mr. Xu is a person who loves to teach by nature.
Especially when he sees an "awakened woman" like Gu Qingcheng, he is more willing to help and give advice.
Mr. Xu is not a pedantic scholar. He has studied abroad and received modern education.
Therefore, he is well aware that the education level of women is the embodiment of a country’s true civilization and freedom!
Holding a pile of books, Gu Qingcheng couldn't continue visiting her neighbors.
She went back home first, put the books away, and then returned to the courtyard on the east side.
Ahem, there’s still one Editor Zhao that I haven’t visited yet.
"These are the newspapers I subscribed to and collected, and some were sent to me by my friends in Beijing and Shanghai. Ms. Gu, just come and borrow them!"
Editor Zhao is in his forties. Although not as open-minded as Mr. Xu, he still has some of the nobleness and stubbornness of a traditional scholar.
But, he is more cultured and can be considered a progressive scholar.
There is not much prejudice and discrimination towards women.
The key point is that Gu Qingcheng was wearing traditional clothes, which did not look ridiculous and out of place.
And there is that kind of temperament that comes from her bones, which perfectly interprets the saying "A man of culture is naturally elegant", making Editor Zhao feel as if he has seen a true traditional oriental talent.
Gu Qingcheng borrowed another large stack of newspapers from Editor Zhao.
She also picked out some newspapers from the capital.
Huoshui was secretly pleased with himself: ... Humph, you said you didn't care about the heroine Han Qiuyu at all, but you borrowed a newspaper from Beijing? You are definitely saying one thing and doing another.
Gu Qingcheng: ...What cold autumn rain?
This is a newspaper from the capital! The key point is the word "capital".
No matter what era, the capital is the center of the country.
If you want to understand this country more deeply and know the top trends, you need to understand the capital.
When Gu Qingcheng borrowed the newspaper, she didn't think about Han Qiuyu at all. She just wanted to understand this country and this world more deeply.
After putting the newspaper back, Gu Qingcheng went to visit the neighbor on the west side again.
The west side is also a courtyard house, but its area is much smaller than that of the east side.
The owner of the house was a woman in her forties, thin, with bound feet, high cheekbones, and thin lips. Her face showed a mean demeanor.
Gu Qingcheng only took a glance and knew what was going on.
She was not overly enthusiastic, but instead showed a reserved and aloof side.
Her temperament is naturally noble, and when she is too cold, she looks difficult to mess with.
The mean woman originally had a look of disdain in her eyes, but after feeling Gu Qingcheng's aura, her expression instantly softened.
Huoshui was shocked:...He is indeed a top-notch person, a typical bully who only cares about the strong and the weak.
The landlord is a very bad person, and her tenants are quite mixed.
Although there are only two households, there is a huge difference between them——
One was a student at the university, and he brought his first wife and two children whom he married in the countryside.
One is a coolie pulling a rickshaw.
There are also six people in the family, but this rickshaw driver is slightly more "rich" than the other coolies -
His family bought their own rickshaw instead of renting one from a rickshaw company, and thus suffered even greater exploitation.
Wang Dali, a middle-aged man, is very proud of this. "I came to the provincial capital alone and worked very hard for three years to save up for this car."
As he spoke, he pointed at the rickshaw that he had polished to a shiny finish, his eyes full of a sense of accomplishment.
"After I buy a car, I will bring my wife and kids here. I will pull the cart while my wife does the laundry. We will work hard and save for a few more years, and then we will try to buy a house in the provincial capital!"
PS: Hehe, I ask for a monthly ticket every day, monthly ticket, monthly ticket!
(End of this chapter)
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