Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Chapter 282 Come to the door

Zhou Qisheng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, his new three-joint leather shoes shining in the sunset. He took a deep breath, straightened the collar of his dacron shirt, and held two bottles of Xifeng Liquor and a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes in his hands, which were heavy.

"Excuse me..." He just opened his mouth and was knocked off balance by several children rushing out of the yard. A little girl with pigtails stopped and tilted her head to look at him: "Who are you looking for?"

"I, I'm looking for Comrade He Yuzhu..." Zhou Qisheng's voice trembled a little.

The little girl's eyes lit up: "Are you looking for my Uncle He?" She turned her head and shouted towards the yard: "Uncle He! Someone is looking for you! You who wears glasses, come with me!" The little girl took Zhou Qisheng inside.

There was a "bang" in the yard, like the sound of a spatula falling to the ground. Then, a tall figure wearing an apron came out of the kitchen, holding a shiny kitchen knife in his hand.

Zhou Qisheng's calves began to cramp.

"Are you Zhou Qisheng?" Sha Zhu took two steps at a time and walked up to him, the kitchen knife flashing coldly in the sunlight.

"Yes, it's me..." Zhou Qisheng subconsciously took half a step back and almost stepped on his new leather shoes.

Sha Zhu looked him up and down, and suddenly grinned: "You're just in time! Help me chop the ribs!" As he said that, he stuffed the kitchen knife into his hand.

Zhou Qisheng hurriedly caught the knife, and the wine and cigarettes almost fell to the ground. He then noticed that there was flour on Shazhu's apron and soy sauce on the tip of his nose.

"What are you standing there for?" Sha Zhu put his arm around his shoulders. "Yu Shui said that you have beautiful handwriting, so you can help me write a menu!"

Being half dragged, half pulled into the kitchen, Zhou Qisheng smelled the rich aroma of meat. Braised pork was stewing on the stove, shredded cucumbers were placed on the chopping board, and a row of freshly made dumplings were drying on the windowsill.

"Do you know how to make dumplings?" Sha Zhu stuffed a rolling pin into his hand.

Zhou Qisheng pushed his glasses and shook his head honestly: "No, I won't..."

"Then learn!" Sha Zhu waved his hand, "Yu Shui in our family loves leek stuffing the most. If you can make ten without the stuffing coming out today, I will consider it..."

Zhou Qisheng's eyes lit up and he quickly rolled up his sleeves. Flour flew all over his face and his glasses were covered with white spots, but he became more and more skilled in rolling the dough. When the tenth round dumpling was born from his hands, Sha Zhu suddenly laughed and slapped him on the back so hard that it hurt.

"Good job, kid!" Sha Zhu poured a glass of Erguotou and pushed it to him, "You are much better than Xu Damao! That grandson has not learned how to make dumplings in so many years!"

Outside, He Yushui peeked through the crack of the door, her lips curled up unconsciously. Yu Li came over holding Little Peony, blinking knowingly: "What do you think? I think your brother will fall for this, right?"

Zhou Qisheng drank a glass of wine and became a little bolder. He blushed and took out two tickets from his pocket: "Brother He, tomorrow...tomorrow I want to invite Yu Shui to watch the model opera..."

Sha Zhu narrowed his eyes: "What play?"

"Red Lantern..." Zhou Qisheng pushed his glasses, the lenses still stained with flour from making dumplings, "It's a special performance organized by the Cultural Bureau."

The rolling pin in Sha Zhu's hand fell onto the chopping board with a "bang", his eyes widened: "Oh my god! This ticket is hard to get!" He grabbed the ticket and examined it carefully, "I heard that Qian Haoliang will play Li Yuhe himself this time?"

Zhou Qisheng nodded, and as he got drunk, he started to talk more: "I waited in line for three hours before I could buy it. Comrade Yushui said last time... that he wanted to watch this play..."

Sha Zhu suddenly stopped talking and stared at Zhou Qisheng for a long while, until the other's back was chilled. The only sound in the kitchen was the gurgling of the stew.

"You kid..." Sha Zhu suddenly reached out and patted Zhou Qisheng on the shoulder, "You are really sincere to our family's rain!"

This slap nearly knocked Zhou Qisheng into the basin. He adjusted his glasses and saw that Shazhu's eyes were actually a little red.

"Brother He..."

"Why call me big brother? Just call me brother Zhuzi!" Sha Zhu turned around and took out an oil paper bag from the deep end of the cupboard. "Here! Take Yu Shui to Lao Mo's restaurant before the show tomorrow. This is their Napoleon cake coupon!"

Zhou Qisheng took it at a loss, and could smell a faint scent of butter through the oil paper. Suddenly, a "puff" of laughter came from outside the window, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps - it was obviously He Yushui who had been eavesdropping and ran away.

"This girl..." Sha Zhu shook his head and smiled, and suddenly lowered his voice, "Don't wander around after the show, send her back directly. If I knew you dared..."

“I dare not, I dare not!” Zhou Qisheng shook his head like a rattle, and his new leather shoes squeaked on the ground.

"Done!" Sha Zhu threw the last piece of dumpling skin on the chopping board, "Let's eat here today! Let's taste your brother Zhu's cooking skills!"

As dusk deepened, smoke rose from the courtyard. While Zhou Qisheng was helping to set the table, he saw He Yushui hanging clothes in the yard, the sunset casting a golden edge on her profile. She seemed to notice his gaze, turned her head and smiled at him, and Zhou Qisheng's glasses fogged up again.

At the dinner table, Sha Zhu poured Zhou Qisheng a full glass of Erguotou: "Come on! Let's have a drink for Red Lantern!"

During the intermission, the lights in the theater came on. He Yushui was adjusting her scarf when she heard a familiar voice: "Hey, isn't this Yushui?"

When she looked up, she saw Yu Haitang standing in the aisle with her husband's arm around her. She was wearing a fashionable Dacron dress, but the smile on her face froze when she saw Zhou Qisheng.

"Sister Haitang!" Yu Shui stood up quickly, "Are you here to watch the show too?"

Yu Haitang's husband Wang Jianjun nodded and looked Zhou Qisheng over: "This is..."

"This is my boyfriend, Zhou Qisheng." Yu Shui introduced with a blushing face, "He works in the district government."

Zhou Qisheng stood up politely and shook hands. He was wearing a neat Zhongshan suit today, and the glasses on his nose made him look more bookish, making him stand out in the crowd.

Yu Haitang unconsciously let go of her husband's hand and tucked her curly hair behind her ears: "Comrade Xiao Zhou looks really energetic. Which department does he work in?"

"Publicity Department." Zhou Qisheng replied with a smile, and helped Yu Shui tie her scarf again. This intimate gesture made Yu Haitang's eyes darken.

Wang Jianjun cleared his throat. Although he was wearing a woolen Zhongshan suit, he was half a head shorter than Zhou Qisheng and had a bit of belly fat. "I'm the section chief in the Industrial Bureau. If Comrade Zhou wants to transfer to another job, you can look for me."

The superiority in his tone made Yu Shui frown. She was about to speak, but Zhou Qisheng gently squeezed her hand and said, "Thank you, Chief Wang. I am very happy working in the Propaganda Department."