Courtyard House: Drunk and barging into the Xu family's house, I woke up numb.

He heard Yan Jiecheng mention the deaf old lady's passing yesterday in the workshop.

So last night he moved out of his mother's place and back to live in the courtyard house.

After going outside, he ran into Cao Xu, who was smoking at the gate of the courtyard. He walked up to him and asked in surprise.

"Cao Xu, when did you start smoking?"

Cao Xu didn't turn around when he heard it was Xu Damao and spoke directly.

"I used to do it, but I quit. I just picked it up again."

Cao Xu was right. He started smoking in college, but after starting work, he mostly dealt with antiques and calligraphy.

He gradually quit smoking, though it wasn't really a complete quit, since he wasn't really addicted to cigarettes to begin with.

I started smoking out of curiosity, just to try it out.

After starting work, he would only smoke when he was in a bad mood; otherwise, he wouldn't touch cigarettes.

Sometimes, I'll open a pack of cigarettes and leave it in the room for a long time without touching it again.

Xu Damao didn't ask any more questions. He had also secretly taken his father's cigarettes when he was a child, so it was nothing unusual.

"Hey Xiangshan, give me one too."

Cao Xu took out a cigarette case, and Xu Damao excitedly took it, but his face fell as soon as he got it.

"That's all! You're ruthless, kid. Not a single one left!"

"Senior cadres smoke Peony cigarettes, mid-level cadres smoke Fragrant Hills cigarettes, workers, peasants and soldiers smoke 23 cents, and rural cadres smoke Big Cannon cigarettes with gusto."

"You're just starting out as a cadre and you're already smoking Xiangshan cigarettes? Aren't you afraid of losing your wife's savings?"

The price of cigarettes in cash was not low either. For example, a pack of Hua Zi cigarettes cost 65 cents at that time, which was much cheaper than the 50 yuan in later years.

However, in an era when wages were generally only thirty or forty yuan, it was still not a small amount, equivalent to one-fiftieth of a salary.

Fragrant Hills cigarettes are considered mid-range, costing 40 cents a pack, which is cheaper than Huazi but more expensive than Beihai cigarettes which cost 23 cents.

However, if someone has a bit of a smoking habit and only smokes Fragrant Hills cigarettes, after a month, they'll probably have to hand over everything to the supply and marketing cooperative, except for food and drink.

Therefore, Xu Damao's statement is not an exaggeration.

What kind of cigarettes do ordinary people smoke? It depends on two factors: what cigarettes are available and what cigarettes they can afford.

Take Xu Damao for example; he smokes quite a few different kinds of cigarettes, and they come from all sorts of sources.

When he was a child, he was poor and would pick up cigarettes on the street. Sometimes when he was really craving them, he would take a few cents and run to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy them in bulk.

Later, when he went to the countryside to show movies, he and the locals, who smoked, tore off calendar pages from the calendars. He even did that kind of thing.

Later, when he made money, he would sometimes buy a pack of Huazi cigarettes with filters that cost 65 cents a pack, just to experience the cigarettes that the big leaders smoked.

Cao Xu didn't respond to Xu Damao's comment. He hadn't bought the cigarettes; he'd gotten them from Sun Guofu.

I'm just feeling down right now, so I'm using cigarettes to drown my sorrows.

"Cao Xu, did you see Qin Huairu's sister just now?"

Cao Xu said.

Are you talking about Qin Jingru?

Xu Damao nodded.

"Yes, that little girl is really pretty."

Cao Xu glanced at Xu Damao and flicked his cigarette ash.

"What, you've taken a fancy to someone?"

Xu Damao watched Cao Xu flick his cigarette ash and thought, "Tsk, this kid wasn't lying, he really knows how to smoke."

"I do think it's a good idea, Cao Xu. What do you think if I asked Qin Huairu to introduce her sister to me? Would it work?"

Cao Xu was amused by this remark.

"Xu Damao, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up for asking me that?"

Xu Damao stepped forward and put his arm around Cao Xu's shoulder.

"Oh dear, Section Chief Cao, that's all in the past. Please don't hold it against me."

"There are very few people in our compound whom I can talk to."

"To be honest with you, what happened to your sister wasn't my fault at all."

“We’re both men, and I won’t lie to you, I do like to flirt and banter with people outside, I admit that.”

"But even if I were stupid, I wouldn't bring someone home."

"That matter must be related to that kid Sha Zhu. I've thought about it many times. It was that kid who plotted against me."

Cao Xu shrugged.

"Where's the evidence?"

Xu Damao said dejectedly.

"If I had evidence, I would have dealt with him long ago."

"Alright, let's not talk about the past. Tell me, how good is my chances?"

Cao Xu shook his head.

"Not big."

Although Xu Damao has now left the factory, he feels that with his qualifications, he is more than capable of being with a country girl.

"why?"

Cao Xu said.

"Because it has been taken."

Xu Damao was taken aback when he heard this. He looked at Cao Xu with a suspicious expression.

"No way, Cao Xu, you wouldn't have fallen for this girl, would you?"

"That shouldn't be the case. With your qualities, how could you possibly be interested in her?"

"Also, aren't you dating Dr. Ding now?"

Cao Xu stubbed out his cigarette and stood up.

"What are you thinking? When did I say I had my eye on her?"

"Qin Jingru came to Beijing to find a partner, not for tourism."

Xu Damao blocked Cao Xu's way.

"Cao Xu, do you know anything? Tell me."

Cao Xu said.

"That's all I know. I don't know anything else. You can figure it out yourself."

After saying that, Cao Xu walked away into the distance. He decided to go back to his office, sit by the stove, drink tea, and read the newspaper.

Cao Xu left, but Xu Damao was still standing there thinking about what Cao Xu had just said: blind date. Who was she going to go on a blind date with?

..................................................................

In the backyard, the meal was almost finished, especially the piglet, who had already started rubbing his belly.

After eating and drinking her fill, Jia Zhangshi stood up and called out to the sticks not far away.

"Bang Geng, let's go. We'll go home after we've eaten."

"Why don't you eat something cold later? You'll get a stomachache tonight."

Banggeng thought his grandma was right. If he got a stomachache and had to vomit up the meat he had just eaten, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

When Qin Huairu saw that her mother-in-law was about to leave, she stood up and stopped her, then came up to her and whispered something.

"Mom, you've finished your meal. Why don't you go and give the old lady a belated gift? It'll make things look good for everyone."

"It was Jia Zhangshi who said coldly."

"Qin Huairu, don't forget, I owe this leg to her."

"You want me to kowtow and pay my respects to her? Are you out of your mind?!"

Although Jia Zhangshi's voice wasn't loud, the people around her heard it, and an older woman stood up to advise her.

"Sister-in-law, we know that your leg injury was partly due to the old lady, but now that she's gone, let's put this behind us."

"If we really go by your logic, then our old man Yi was frightened by the old lady while keeping vigil, which is why he ended up like this."

"If we really want to be calculative, does that mean we shouldn't be there for the old lady in her final days?"

Jia Zhangshi pointed to Yi Zhonghai in his wheelchair.

“Yi Zhonghai is the old lady’s godson, so it is only right that he sees her off in her final days. I have absolutely no relation to the old lady.”

After Jia Zhangshi finished speaking, seeing that everyone was still going to argue with her, she reached out to stop them.

"Alright, that's enough."