Chapter 10 Lunch
No. 2 Shan'er Hutong, although it looks like a small courtyard with four families living there, the structure is quite complex.
In addition to a towering toon tree and a tap with a pool in the courtyard, each household has its own small room.
This courtyard is not spacious at all, and it looks like a big pancake dropped to the ground.
Pick it up, you can still eat the ashes, but the layers and content inside are all messed up.
The reason for this is, of course, thanks to the Tangshan earthquake in 1976.
As an area that can feel strong earthquakes, it is precisely because it has experienced a period of panic.
That’s when everyone built an earthquake shelter in the yard, and then turned it into their own small kitchen and utility room.
If an outsider walks in for the first time, he will definitely feel like entering a maze because of the chaotic terrain.
Or maybe inadvertently, the height difference on the ground hurts the feet.
At 6:15 in the evening, when Ning Weimin walked into this "big pancake".
As usual, we were in time for lunch.
Every household is busy preparing dinner, and the whole courtyard is filled with the aroma of frying.
I have to say that returning home at the same time has always been a bit uncomfortable for Ning Weimin.
Because in this era people are very polite and polite.
Ning Weimin walked into the courtyard with one foot high and one foot low. He often encountered neighbors bringing food from the kitchen to the house.
If they meet, he will have to call someone.
Uncles, aunts, uncles and aunts, we can chat for a few words before we can continue walking in.
Secondly, because of the delicious food, Ning Weimin had to endure the temptation.
With his deficient intestines and stomach, he is naturally even more hungry and thirsty.
And no one is rich these days, so even if they give in, he can't take it seriously.
Hey, you can smell it, but you can’t eat it.
After thanking him in person, he still had to go back to his room with the crab in his mouth, and gnaw on the steamed bun with Old Man Kang.
The gap in my heart is huge.
However, today is a little different from usual.
After making such a big fortune, no matter what happens, it must be celebrated.
So he didn’t come back empty-handed.
Except for the things I bought for the blind people, they were all stuffed into big bags.
In his other hand, he was still carrying a bottle of liquor bought for Old Man Kang and four substantial oil paper bags.
Anyone who looks at it will know that there must be something delicious in the oil paper bag!
So the scene that had made him sad in the past turned into a ceremony to welcome him home.
The temptation that troubled him in the past has become a prelude to increase appetite.
The first thing I passed when entering the courtyard was Uncle Luo’s house in the pastry factory.
Ning Weimin walked to the small kitchen of the Luo family and met Aunt Luo carrying a plate of scrambled eggs. She opened the door and was about to take it into the house.
Without asking, Ning Weimin knew that this was prepared for the eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family.
This is a happy event destined to happen to the Luo family this year.
The eldest daughter-in-law is already pregnant and is expected to give birth in September.
"Weimin, you're back..." Aunt Luo turned to say hello.
"Hey, Aunt Luo. As I said, your craftsmanship is amazing. I smelled it right outside the courtyard, and the fragrance spread all over the place."
"Hey, one day A plate of scrambled eggs. Look what you said..."
"It's better to be in time than to be early. You smell delicious, so you can eat at my place."
Another voice came from the open door, and it was Uncle Luo who was drinking in the house.
The eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Luo family were also sitting at the dinner table, holding their rice bowls to Ning Wei Minle.
Ke Ning Weimin is embarrassed, so he quickly declines.
"Uncle Luo, thank you, I will also give you a dental beating today. You see..."
Ning Weimin's movement of lifting the handle is particularly critical.
The expressions on the Luo family’s faces at this moment, if they write a book, it will definitely be titled “Ten Thousand Unexpected Things”.
"Hey, this wine is good, from Hua Deng. You have a conscience, right? I bought it for you, Uncle Kang, right?"
"Uncle Luo, I bought it for you too, go to me Let’s have a drink there.”
“Haha, you’re welcome. But I’ve already eaten it. Let’s wait for the toon crop in our yard to come down and we’ll fry it. Eggs to drink.”
Hey, this was the first time that Ning Weimin changed from passive to active and dared to invite others.
You have all the face inside!
When you turn a corner, you will find Uncle Bian and Aunt Bian’s home.
Ning Weimin saw the old lady holding a steamer on the stove inside and outside the kitchen. Although the lid of the pot was tightly closed, he could still smell what was inside with just one nose.
He also knew that if he bowed his head and passed by, the old lady would definitely be angry.
So he took the initiative to say hello to Aunt Bian through the window of the small kitchen.
"Auntie, you are eating stuffing again today, cabbage and pork, right?"
"Hey, Minzi is back, your nose is really good. Your uncle loves stuffing "Don't go, I'll get some for you too, just out of the pot. Eat them while they're hot." Son.”
"Oh, that's good. Then you go back to the house quickly. Don't let your uncle Kang wait in a hurry."
Nothing to say, the old lady also looked surprised when she saw the wine and oil paper buns. .
This made Ning Weimin feel beautiful again.
This feeling in my heart is floating!
But this is not over yet, even the innermost east room of the small courtyard, the projectionist Master Mi and his family of the Daguanlou Cinema, have not been left.
It's time for Ning Weimin to be in the limelight today.
Just when he put down the big canvas bag and was about to open the door of his house.
Master Mi just came out of home with a toothpick in his mouth, clothes on his face and a handbag in his hand.
This man's eyes widened even more when he saw what Ning Weimin was holding.
“Hey, what day is it today? It’s not the right time to eat meat!”
"Hey, my stomach has been so bad lately. Even farts don't smell, so I just took some oil and water. Have you eaten? Let's drink some together."
"Haha, I've eaten all of them. Come on, you kid, you’re teasing me again. Let’s have a drink with you, Uncle Kang.”
Master Mi was about to pass by when he suddenly stopped and patted Ning Weimin on the shoulder.
"By the way, when you have eaten enough and have nothing to do, you can come and watch a movie with me. Today there is a new movie in the Grand View Tower, "Homecoming"..."
"Thank you Hello, Master Mi. I’ll be there soon if I’m not drunk enough.”
While talking and laughing, Master Mi was finally discharged from the hospital, and Ning Weimin was finally able to enter his home.
But at this time, for some reason, he was lost in thought, and his mood was quite complicated.
It seems that I have gained another layer of understanding of neighborhood relations in this era.
Yes, although these words cannot be taken seriously, everyone knows that they are just polite, but they cannot be simply defined as meaningless hypocrisy.
Because these polite greetings do contain true feelings, kindness and enthusiasm.
Only when he returned to this era did he clearly realize what the people of the capital were like in the past.
Kindness, truthfulness and honesty are the mainstream values of these older generations.
These neighbors and neighbors on the street are all acquaintances who have lived together for more than ten years or decades.
Uncle, aunt, uncle, aunt, these titles are not false.
As long as you live in the same courtyard, these neighbors are far more useful than relatives.
Not to mention the daily trivial matters of taking care of clothes, looking after children, lighting the stove, and guarding the door
Even catching up with childbirth, illness, weddings and funerals, and resolving family conflicts, you can still count on these without a trace of blood. Relevant people come to help.
No one cares about "meddling in other people's business".
Like our neighbors in later generations, camels yawned and twisted their necks, and no one paid attention to them.
To be honest, in this era, he has really eaten all the food in every household.
Thinking about it now, he was afraid of being so polite and annoyed by such a scene.
In fact, it is probably because he has never been able to accept this favor, and he feels inferior and guilty.
In other words, if he really agreed just now.
Then whether it is scrambled eggs or big steamed buns stuffed with meat, he will definitely have a portion of them all.
Even if the eldest daughter-in-law of the Luo family is wronged, Aunt Bian's family will probably have to help the two of them.
The two families wouldn't say anything and would still greet him like this next time.
Not for nothing, just because this is the folk custom of the capital and the generosity of Yan and Zhao.
Hey, it’s strange that old man Daokang often talks to him.
“… During the more than ten years since I returned to my hometown, I felt awkward no matter how I stayed. I never knew whether it was because others were awkward or because I was awkward. It wasn’t until I ran back again that I seemed to understand a little bit. It made me miss it. , probably not the capital, but the people here are sophisticated..."
The moment he opened the door, Ning Weimin already had an idea.
He decided that he must not be alone with the things he bought today.
As we come and go, we reciprocate.
After entering the house, if you don’t do anything else, you must first find a few empty bowls, divide the contents of these oil paper bags, and send some to each household.
Compared to the trivial elation just now, this is a higher level of happiness.
PS: Aunt Bian, Aunt Luo, and Aunt Mi are called the same as their husbands. This is because before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the custom of women taking their husband's surname was still maintained. After the next generation of marriage, women would be called by their own surname. This is the peculiarity of the era, not to save trouble
(End of this chapter)