Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 66: Days of Waiting and Watching

Let’s not talk about whether He Yushui goes to Yu Haitang’s house and asks Yu Haitang to take him to find Yu Li to poach his brother; or whether Yu Li asks Yu Haitang about He Yushui’s brother. What kind of fruit will these wonderful chemical reactions produce? It will take time to brew, and Ma Qing will certainly not be idle.

Four days had passed since Liang Huandi came to visit. Ma Qing and his brother, who had tasted the sweetness of Liang Huandi's food, began to miss that mature woman. In order to improve their mood, Ma Qing prepared about 30 kilograms of various foods, packed them in a bag and placed them in the space.

He went out early in the morning and arrived at the machine repair factory before noon. When Ma Qing entered the factory, he realized that he had made a mistake. In this age without mobile phones, he didn't know where Liang Huandi's home was.

It doesn't matter. Ma Qing looked at his outfit for traveling in the northern winter, a big cotton coat, a big cotton hat, and a cold-proof mask. Only his eyes were exposed. What is there to be afraid of? Just ask.

There were not many people on the road to the machine repair factory at that time. Ma Qing stopped several people but couldn't find out the answer until...

"Hello, comrade. Excuse me, do you know how to get to Liang Huandi's house?"

"Who are you? What are you doing at Liang Huandi's house?" One thing that Ma Qing particularly hated about this era was that people here loved to get to the bottom of things.

"Oh, I'm a distant relative of Liang Huandi's. It's Chinese New Year, so I came to visit and see my relatives."

"Then go inside. About 300 meters ahead, go east and you will find the largest house at the back."

Maybe it was because the weather was too cold, the man didn't take him there, showing no enthusiasm of northerners at all.

But it was even better. Ma Qing arrived at the door of Liang Huandi's house. Liang Huandi's house was unexpectedly large, and it was a separate house. This was even better. While there was no one around, Ma Qing took out the bag from the space, threw it on the snow next to him, and knocked on the door.

"Who are you? Why are you coming to my house on such a cold day?" There was a sense of alertness in Liang Huandi's voice. Alas, life is not easy for a widow.

"It's me, Sister Liang. Can you recognize my voice?"

Ma Qing's heart began to heat up as he heard the footsteps coming from inside the house. After the door opened, he saw Liang Huandi's clean and smooth face.

Ma Qing quickly picked up the bag that was thrown aside, and pushed it into Liang Huandi's arms, saying with a playful smile, "Sister Liang, I'm here to see you."

"Dexing, it's a good thing you're here. I've been looking forward to your coming day and night. Come in and close the door." Liang Huandi took the things and turned to walk into the inner room.

Ma Qing quickly closed the door and quickly caught up with Liang Huandi, "Am I so charming that you miss me so much?"

"Don't talk nonsense, the child is still in the inner room." Liang Huandi glared at Ma Qing fiercely.

Ma Qing didn't care. They went into the inner room. Ma Qing took off his coat and looked around Liang Huandi's house. The house was about 20 square meters, with a few pieces of furniture placed around it. There was a door on each wall. Four children were sitting around a stove. Da Mao and other children recognized Ma Qing who had taken off his coat, and immediately came over to surround this feeding king, asking for a hug and a lift.

Ma Qing quickly took out a few candies from his pocket, sent a few kids away, stretched his arms and legs, and walked around the house, saying, "I didn't realize, Sister Liang, that you still live in such a big house."

"What's so strange about this? Have you forgotten who I am, Liang Huandi? I'm the only level five female welder in the machine repair factory. When my husband was still alive, his welding level and grade were higher than mine. He taught me the skills. It's an injustice for us to live in this house." Liang Huandi is a bit arrogant.

Well, another example of a family falling into poverty. Ma Qing pointed at the doors on both sides and asked, "These two are bedrooms, right? Sister Liang, do you sleep with the children or alone?"

"Yes, there are two bedrooms. One is the kang where Da Mao, Er Mao and other children sleep. Xiao Xiang and I sleep on the beds in my bedroom. But they usually sleep on the kang at noon. Are you satisfied now?" Liang Huandi rolled her eyes at Ma Qing.

"Hehe, I'm satisfied. This way the children will be warm. This is a good arrangement." Ma Qing replied shamelessly.

After touring the room, Ma Qing sat down next to the stove. On the stove was an iron pot with radishes and cabbages in it. It seemed that this was the lunch for these women.

Ma Qing looked at the radish and cabbage in the pot, a little puzzled: "Sister Liang, are you really so frugal that you eat this in the middle of the day? You've already eaten up what I gave you a few days ago."

"I have eaten up the 4 kilograms of cornmeal, canned luncheon meat, eggs, food coupons and canteen meal tickets you gave me four days ago."

"Ah, these things are not much. These things alone are enough for the five of you to eat for three days. But you really don't have any food at all, and you are counting on this portion I give you? It's only the middle of the month." Ma Qing was really a little surprised.

Liang Huandi was a little embarrassed. "You know my situation. My family didn't have enough food every month. At that time, we still had some savings, so I went to buy expensive food without coupons. That money was spent like a whirlwind. I saved and saved, and by this summer, my family savings were completely used up. Every month, we didn't have enough food, so I could only borrow some food from my co-workers. But I had to pay it back. It's the end of the year, and everyone wants to celebrate the New Year. Who doesn't want to live a more comfortable life? If they ask me to pay back the food, how can I not pay it back?"

Liang Huandi's mood became increasingly depressed. "When I came to see you a few days ago, I wasn't exaggerating at all. I was completely at a loss. There was nothing to eat at home. Otherwise, otherwise..."

"Hey, Sister Liang, please don't be like this. You make me feel very uncomfortable. I even suspect that I am a beast." Ma Qing interrupted Liang Huandi.

"I don't blame you, I don't blame you. It was my own choice. You gave me the hope and ability to live." Liang Huandi's eyes became bright.

"Okay, let's talk about something happy," Ma Qing pointed at the bag, "I brought 10 kilograms of flour, 10 kilograms of cornmeal, and 5 kilograms of rice. There are also a dozen eggs between the bags of flour and cornmeal. In addition, there are some fish cakes, dried meat, a can of lard, and some brown sugar. It should be enough for you to eat this week. I will bring more things next week."

Liang Huandi happily opened the bag and counted the supplies one by one. Especially when she heard Ma Qing say that there were eggs between the white flour and corn flour, her movements became gentler and her eyes seemed to open a little, as if she was looking at the most precious thing in the world. Several little kids also came over and kept pointing at things with their fingers. The air in the whole room became cheerful.

I will post regularly from 0:12 to : every day

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(End of this chapter)