The family gathered around a square table with seven or eight plates placed on it.
Shredded Pork with Beijing Sauce, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, Kung Pao Chicken, Stir-fried Lamb with Scallions
There is also a plate of steaming braised pig's trotters.
It was the first time for Da Mao, Er Mao, San Mao, and Xiu'er to have such a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
Xiu'er sniffed the tempting fragrance, bit her fingers, and her little face was full of doubts: "Uncle Nanyi"
Da Mao sat aside and interrupted her.
"Xiu'er, call me daddy! Uncle Nanyi is married to our mother, and he is our daddy."
Xiu'er swallowed her saliva and resisted from reaching out to grab the meat.
"Dad, why do we have to open the door when we eat?"
These words reminded Da Mao beside him.
"Yes, Dad, our house never closed during the Chinese New Year."
"Yes, yes, there are neighbors who come to visit during the meal, which is very lively." Er Mao also looked away from the plate.
Under the gaze of four eyes, Nan Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and didn't know how to explain it.
When purchasing pork, chicken, and mutton, you need a meat stamp.
As a cook, no matter how good the treatment at the steel rolling mill hospital is, there is no way he can afford such a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
Besides, he was from a bad background, and if someone saw him, he might cause unnecessary trouble.
The experiences of these years have forced Nan Yi, who has always been proud and arrogant, to be cautious.
Liang Ladi almost laughed out loud in her heart when she saw Nan Yi's embarrassed look.
This man is just too honest.
She put on a serious face and knocked on the table with her kuaizi: "Why are there so many questions! Your father has worked so hard to cook so many dishes for you, don't you express your gratitude?"
Hearing this, the four children stood up together and saluted Nan Yi: "Dad, you have worked hard."
Looking at the unfalsifiable gratitude on the children's faces, Nan Yi felt that all the hard work had paid off.
After marrying Liang Ladi, there were four more children in the family. Nan Yi was also very distressed at first.
But as time goes by, he likes these four children more and more, and treats them like his own children.
"Okay, Liang Ladi, don't make it so formal and let the children eat quickly."
Seeing the children's eyes constantly glancing at the table, with the greedy looks on their faces, Nan Yi felt a little distressed.
"Okay, let's eat!"
With Liang Ladi's permission, the children picked up the kuaizi.
"Fragrant, Dad, the vegetables you stir-fry are really fragrant. I have never tasted such fragrant meat."
"Of course, our father's cooking skills are passed down from our ancestors and are much better than that stupid guy in the compound."
Liang Ladi made a serious face: "Xiu'er, how many times have I taught you not to speak ill of others behind their backs."
"I got it, Mom." Xiu'er stuck out her tongue, quickly picked up a piece of meat and put it in Liang Ladi's bowl: "Mom, you eat the vegetables."
Liang Ladi smiled bitterly and shook her head: "You are almost spoiled by me."
Nan Yi smiled: "Children, how can they be like adults? Liang Ladi, your requirements can't be too strict. You haven't seen that awesome guy in the courtyard."
Halfway through, Nan Yi felt a stern gaze and quickly closed his mouth.
Liang Ladi's requirements for her children were equally valid for him.
"Pfft" Liang Ladi laughed out loud: "Okay, today is the Chinese New Year, our family will happily eat vegetables! No one is allowed to mention anything else."
"Yeah!"
The room was suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door outside.
"Nanyi, are you at home?"
Nan Yi frowned: "It's the third uncle."
Liang Ladi looked at the food on the table and held down Nan Yi who was about to get up.
"I'd better go."
Nan Yi is too honest. Although Yan Bugui is a good person, he should still be careful.
Liang Ladi stood up, walked to the door, gently opened the door latch, and opened the door slightly.
He stuck his head out and asked with a smile: "Third uncle, what's the matter?"
Although Yan Bugui felt that Liang Ladi was strange, he didn't think much about it.
"The First Master is holding a meeting in the Central Courtyard. Your family will send a representative there now."
"Have a meeting now?"
"Yes, I won't say any more, I still have to inform Liu Haizhong."
After Yan Bugui finished speaking, he left in a hurry.
Liang Ladi closed the door and scratched her head, looking confused.
"Today is New Year's Eve."
"Since the first uncle has a meeting, let's not delay things. If it weren't for the first uncle, our family might still be living in that leaky shabby house next to the machinery factory."
As Nan Yi spoke, he stood up and started to walk outside.
Liang Ladi gently held his hand and smiled: "You have been busy all night. Just have dinner with the children at home. I will go to the meeting."
"you?"
"What's wrong? Just because I'm a woman, I can't represent our family?" Liang Ladi pretended to be angry, "If that's the case, I'll have to ask the comrades from the Women's Federation to have a good chat with you when I get to work!"
"ah?"
Knowing that Liang Ladi was joking, Nan Yi felt warm in her heart. She turned around and took a thick cotton-padded jacket from the bed and put it on Liang Ladi.
"Okay, it's cold outside, so wear thicker clothes."
Their eyes met, and concern could be seen in both of their eyes.
Liang Ladi nodded, put on her cotton-padded jacket and left the house.
Nan Yi entered the kitchen, took out a lunch box, and asked with a smile: "Children, your mother hasn't eaten yet, how about we leave some for your mother?"
"Okay, mother likes braised pork the most!" Da Mao picked up a large piece of braised pork.
"Mom also likes to eat mutton." Xiuer picked up a large piece of mutton.
Soon, the lunch box was full.
"That's enough, that's enough."
Seeing that several children were still adding vegetables to the lunch box, Nan Yi quickly picked up the lunch box and placed it in the stainless steel pot.
The stainless steel pot sat on the coal stove with half a pot of hot water. In this way, even if Liang Ladi came back very late, the meat in the lunch box would not get cold.
Under the old camphor tree in the courtyard, there are crowds of people.
Each household sent a representative to attend the evening meeting.
When Liang Ladi arrived, almost all the residents were here.
Li Donglai looked around, and finally his eyes fell on Yan Bugui.
"Third uncle, are everyone here?"
"We're all here. Only Lao Zhang from the backyard went to my daughter's house, and the rest came here."
"good."
Li Donglai nodded and looked serious.
"Tomorrow is the Spring Festival, and today is New Year's Eve. It should be a happy day for the whole family. But a serious incident happened in our compound."
After saying that, he paused: "Jia Zhang, Yu Qiuhua, Shazhu, and Yu Juhua, please stand up for me."
The four of them walked to the center of the crowd with their heads hanging down.
Li Donglai asked with a cold face: "The four of you were fighting in our compound, which had a serious negative impact on the image of our compound. Considering that this is your first time, in line with the principle of treating illnesses and saving people, I now order you to follow
Sorry guys."
Hearing this, the four of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Just apologizing can get you through. This punishment is really too light.
Mrs. Jia Zhang drooped her head: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it."
Yu Qiuhua: "I shouldn't have blocked the door of Jia's house."
Silly Zhu: "I shouldn't call Jia Zhang and Yu Qiuhua dogs."
Yu Juhua: "I shouldn't hit people"
After seeing the four people apologizing, Li Donglai nodded: "The harmony in our compound is hard-won. I hope you can teach me a lesson in the future."
After talking for a full ten minutes, Li Donglai took a breath and said, "Okay, Silly Zhu and Yu Juhua, you go down first."
Jia Zhang and Yu Qiuhua felt a little sleepy after hearing this. They only heard the word "go down" and subconsciously walked out.
"Jia Zhang, Yu Qiuhua, you two will stay here for a while." Li Donglai said with a serious face.
Mrs. Jia Zhang was stunned, widened her eyes and asked: "Master, you are not fair. How come Silly Zhu and Yu Juhua can leave after apologizing, but we can't."
"That's right, you are favoring them. Everyone in our compound knows that your two families have a good relationship." Yu Qiuhua curled his lips.
When Yu Juhua heard this, she rolled up her sleeves and was about to return to the stage with her fists in hand.
But Li Donglai waved his hand to stop him.
Li Donglai walked up to the two of them and looked at them sideways: "The reason why I kept you here is because you have other matters."
Jia Zhang and Yu Qiuhua both shrank their necks. They had too many things going on.
Li Donglai asked coldly: "Jia Zhang, have you found a man?"
"Yes, so what, the higher authorities now advocate free love and sunset red. Lao Jia has been dead for so many years. Is there anything wrong with me pursuing my own happiness?"
Mrs. Jia Zhang puffed up her chest and looked very proud.
Lao Wangtou has already said that he will ask Li Donglai to step down through the relationship with the big leaders in a while.
Then let her be the grand master of the courtyard.
When the time comes, hehe, Li Dong will come and see how I deal with you!
Li Donglai: "There is nothing wrong with you pursuing happiness, and there is nothing wrong with you remarrying, but if you team up with your best friend to defraud others, you are committing a crime!"
"What! Li Donglai, what are you talking about!" Jia Zhang's face changed drastically when she heard this.
Yu Qiuhua became energetic at this time and stared at Li Donglai closely.
Li Donglai said slowly.
"Originally, I didn't want to get involved in your Jia family's affairs, but when it comes to such suspected crimes, I can't just stand by and watch."
"That old Wangtou is actually just a scrap collector. He doesn't know any big leaders at all."
These words were like a thunderbolt that struck into Jia Zhang's head, making her brain roar.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Her breathing was rapid and her voice became rough, as if she was struggling in her throat.
The onlookers were stunned when they heard this.
"Old Wangtou is actually a liar, is it impossible?"
"Oh, how is it impossible? Do you still remember the first time Lao Wangtou came to the courtyard?"
"As you said, I remembered that at that time I had saved a lot of cardboard and was about to sell it. He actually stopped me and wanted me to sell it to him."
"It seems like this is a professional habit."
"Jia Zhang is serving Lao Wangtou like an uncle these days."
"This is like being defrauded of money and sex!"
"What a shame. For someone like Jia Zhang, I think Lao Wangtou has paid a lot."
"Tsk, tsk, I didn't expect that the Jia family would find a liar as their boss. It's so funny."
The laughter from the crowd was like sharp knives piercing Jia Zhang's heart.
but.
She still doesn't believe that Lao Wangtou is a liar.
Lao Wangtou knows so many big leaders, how can he be a liar?
Qin Huairu, who was standing in the crowd, also had a look of disbelief.
She had personally followed Lao Wangtou and watched him enter the district bureau.
Maybe Li Donglai made up the lie because he was jealous of the good life of our Jia family.
Qin Huairu gritted her teeth and walked to the center of the crowd with her chest held high.
"Master, do you have any factual basis for what you say?"
Yu Qiuhua, who was about to question Jia Zhang, heard this and quickly walked to Li Donglai.
"Master, do you have any evidence?"
She had given all her wealth to Lao Wangtou. If Lao Wangtou was a liar, the loss would be huge.
Li Donglai didn't say anything, but just turned his attention to Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui knew this day was coming.
These days, he tried his best to remind the Jia family, but Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu were like bastards eating weights - determined.
Not only did he fail to reveal Lao Wangtou's true identity, he was scolded by Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu.
Otherwise, there would not be a scene like today.
"hehe."
Yan Bugui sneered twice and walked into the crowd: "Master, do you have a problem with me?"
"Comrade Yan Bugui, was it you who introduced Lao Wangtou to Jia Zhang?" Li Donglai asked calmly.
"Yep."
"Then you should know the actual situation of Lao Wangtou, right?"
"Understood" Yan Bugui explained with a sneer on his face: "Lao Wangtou is just a waste collector and has never been married in his life. I met him when we were collecting waste. It happened that Qin Huairu wanted me to introduce him to Jia Zhang.
This object made me think of Lao Wangtou."
Yan Bugui's words were like a big hammer, shattering the luck in Jia Zhang's heart.
Jia Zhang's fingers kept trembling, as if she wanted to grab something.
"Yan Bugui, that's not what you said when you introduced Lao Wangtou!"
"You told me that he has accumulated wealth for decades."
Yan Bugui spread his hands and said helplessly: "You haven't heard of a saying, the matchmaker's mouth is a liar! I am a matchmaker, I only introduce you, as for what happens to you later, I can't help
Take care of it.”
"Yan Bugui, how dare you harm me!"
At this time, Jia Zhang was out of anger.
Not only was she defrauded of money, but she was also defrauded of sex. How could she hold her head high in the courtyard house from now on!
Jia Zhang stretched out her claws to face Yanbu Guiqi.
Li Donglai stepped sideways and stood in front of Yan Bugui: "Jia Zhang, just as Yan Bugui said just now, he is a matchmaker. You can't blame Yan Bugui for this matter. In the final analysis, it's because you are greedy.
It’s because of vanity and just wanting to get something for nothing that you get deceived!”
As he spoke, he said coldly: "Moreover, in this matter, you have unknowingly become Lao Wangtou's accomplice."
"accomplice"
Hearing this, Jia Zhang quickly calmed down.
Seeing Yu Qiuhua watching eagerly from the side again, her heart sank to the bottom.
The shame is not a big deal now, the important thing is how to get back Yu Qiuhua's money.
Yu Qiuhua is not easy to get along with. Once she determines that Old Wangtou is really a liar, the Jia family will definitely be in big trouble in the future.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Jia Zhang's eyes were twitching.
