Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

The Intermediate People's Court, the Wang family.

When Wang Feng returned to the house, Qin Jingru poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Brother Wang Feng, how did your study of Traditional Chinese Medicine go today?"

Wang Feng took a sip of tea and smiled, "It's alright. Traditional Chinese medicine is profound and can't be learned in a short time. By the way, Jingru, did you ask Aunt Wu to help you kill some pheasants and rabbits this afternoon?"

Qin Jingru smiled and nodded: "I killed him. Since you weren't back, I didn't dare to cook, afraid that the food would get cold and not taste good. Banxia, ​​you chat with Brother Wang Feng, I'm going to cook."

"OK."

Lu Banxia agreed with a sweet smile.

"Brother Feng, why did you suddenly decide to study Traditional Chinese Medicine?" Lu Banxia asked in surprise.

Wang Feng smiled slightly and explained, "It's nothing. I'm just too free. I have nothing to do at home all day, so I have to find something to do to pass the time."

"oh."

Lu Banxia nodded as if she understood, but didn't ask any further questions.

In his mind, traditional Chinese medicine doctors were all elderly people in their fifties or sixties, so Wang Feng's decision to study traditional Chinese medicine now was just a waste of time.

However, Wang Feng had nothing to do all day, so he figured he might as well waste his time, since he was bored anyway.

"Knock knock knock".

Just as the two were chatting over tea, there was a sudden knock on the door. Wang Feng instinctively thought that Qin Huairu had come to ask for meat again.

Just as Lu Banxia was about to speak, Wang Feng quickly made a 'shh' gesture to stop her.

"Knock knock knock".

"Wang Feng, Jingru, are you home? This is Sumei."

Upon hearing Li Sumei's voice, Wang Feng quickly opened the door.

The door opened, and Li Sumei was there, holding a bowl in her hand. Wang Feng smiled and said, "It's Sumei, come in and sit down."

Li Sumei smiled slightly, and seeing Lu Banxia also drinking tea at Wang Feng's house, she said:

"No, Wang Feng, my son Damao wants to eat pheasant meat. I'd like to buy half a pheasant from you. Would that be convenient for you?"

Hearing this, Wang Feng waved his hand dismissively: "Su Mei, look, you're being too formal again, aren't you? Given my relationship with Brother Da Mao, why are you talking about buying or not? You wait, I'll have Jing Ru bring you half a piece."

Li Sumei waved her hands repeatedly in refusal: "How can I do that, Wang Feng? Meat is so expensive now. You hunted it with great effort. How can I just take your things for free?"

Lu Banxia walked over and said with a smile, "Sister Sumei, don't be so polite. Sister Jingru killed a pheasant and a rabbit today. There are more than three of us who can eat them all. We're all neighbors, and you're good friends with us. Wang Feng also has a good relationship with Xu Damao. It's just half a pheasant, take it."

Without giving Li Sumei a chance to refuse, Lu Banxia shouted towards the kitchen:

"Sister Jingru, Sister Jingru, come here for a moment."

Qin Jingru, who was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, heard Lu Banxia's shout and quickly came over. Seeing Li Sumei standing at the door with a bowl, she smiled and said, "Sumei, what are you doing standing at the door? Come in and sit down."

"Jingru, I'm cooking, so I won't come in," Li Sumei explained with a smile.

Lu Banxia quickly told Qin Jingru about Li Sumei's purpose. Qin Jingru nodded, took the bowl from Li Sumei's hand, and said:

"Sumei, wait here, I'll get you the pheasant right away."

Soon, Qin Jingru went to the kitchen and returned shortly afterward, carrying half a chopped pheasant in her hand.

"Su-mei, go back and cook. Be careful not to let anyone see you."

Qin Jingru handed the bowl to Li Sumei, not forgetting to remind her.

Li Sumei nodded, took out two yuan from her pocket, and was about to hand it to Qin Jingru, but Qin Jingru sternly refused.

Seeing that Qin Jingru insisted on not accepting the gift, Li Sumei had no choice but to say, "Jingru, consider this half pheasant a loan. I'll return half to you when my family slaughters a chicken another day."

Seeing the two being so polite, Wang Feng said speechlessly, "Alright, Su Mei, stop being so formal. By the way, how's Brother Da Mao doing? It's been so long, is his injury still not healed?"

Li Sumei sighed: "Da Mao's injuries have basically healed, but he is still very weak. The doctor told him to rest more and eat more good food to nourish himself."

Wang Feng nodded: "That's good. Su Mei, go back and cook. Don't burn the pot. Once Brother Da Mao's injuries have healed, I'll have a good drink with him."

"Cheng, Jingru, Wang Feng, thank you for today."

"Don't be shy, go back now."

Li Sumei smiled slightly, greeted Qin Jingru and Lu Banxia, ​​stuffed half a bowl of chicken into her clothes to hide it, and walked towards the backyard.

When she came over, she hid the bowl before coming to Wang Feng's house. Otherwise, if the other neighbors found out that she could get meat from Wang Feng's house, wouldn't that cause trouble for Wang Feng and Jingru?

She and Qin Jingru were the closest sisters in the courtyard, and she couldn't let her down. After all, they were both from the countryside, about the same age, and had common topics.

Li Sumei returned to the Xu family's house in the backyard. Xu Damao was lying on the bed smoking and asked:

"How's it going? Did you manage to buy any pheasant meat?"

Li Sumei walked to the bedside, handed over the bowl, and sighed, "I didn't buy it. This was a gift from Wang Feng and Jingru. In our courtyard, I think only Wang Feng and Jingru are decent people. As for the others... sigh, never mind."

Hearing that no money was required, Xu Damao nodded, keeping this favor in mind.

"It's alright, Sumei. Go and cook. Once my injury heals, I'll prepare a couple of fancy dishes and invite Wang Feng over for a drink."

"Okay, do you want to make soup or stir-fry this half pheasant?" Li Sumei asked.

Without even thinking, Xu Damao said directly, "Of course it's stir-fried. I've been drinking soup all the time lately, and I'm sick of it."

"Okay, let's cook it then."

After Li Sumei left the room, Xu Damao smoked a cigarette and fell into deep thought.

During this period, Sha Zhu didn't know what was going on. His father had heard that Sha Zhu should have been discharged from the hospital more than half a month ago. Why was he still hospitalized after so long?