Siheyuan: A master brewer starts with a jar of bone-strengthening wine!

Chen Xueru frowned: "This old lady is here again? She's been blocking Xu Fugui's door and causing a scene every day. What's she after?"

Liu Dong grinned, knowing exactly what was going on.

This all started with Xu Damao's comment, "Bastard Xu."

When Lao Jia was alive, he kept his mother in check, preventing her from going out and making a fool of herself.

Why?

Who doesn't know about her scandalous affair with He Daqing back then?

But the old woman was still alive, so she dared not do anything rash.

But three months ago, Old Jia suddenly passed away.

With the person gone, the control was gone, and Jia Zhangshi completely ran wild.

Things from the past?

They completely deny everything!

Adultery?

Bullshit!

Smoking up men?

Nonsense!

Say whatever you want, I am innocent!

If anyone dares to utter a single word, she'll immediately storm over, sit on the ground wailing, throw a tantrum, and cause chaos.

This time, because Xu Damao publicly called his son "bastard Xu," she heard it and immediately went crazy. She ran to the Xu family's door every day and cursing became a daily routine.

Believe it or not, her antics actually had an effect—Xu Fugui couldn't do anything about her, and the neighbors in the courtyard were afraid of her shamelessness. Gradually, no one dared to gossip, and the discussions behind her back quieted down.

Liu Dong rode his shiny new bicycle, carrying Chen Xueru out of the courtyard and headed straight for Qianmen.

I bought some pastries and then went into Quanjude to pick up a roast duck.

However, the shopkeeper had long since changed.

Old Yang is gone; now he's a manager sent by the government, with his head held high and his nostrils pointing skyward.

"How much is the duck?" Liu Dong asked.

"Five yuan and fifty cents each."

"It's so much more expensive? It used to be only four yuan and fifty cents, right?" He frowned.

"Buy it if you want, don't buy it if you don't."

"...Okay, okay, I'll buy it."

After paying, I didn't even see a smile; the service was so bad it was infuriating.

This is hardly business.

That's practically treating a beggar like that.

That's enough.

After this meal, I won't be coming back.

I still have some sauces at home; making them myself is better than doing it here.

"Oh my! Xue Ru is here?!"

When Chen's mother saw her daughter enter, she was overjoyed: "Slow down, slow down! Look at you rushing around like that, you must be carrying someone!"

When the topic turned to the children, her eyes inadvertently glanced at her daughter-in-law, Lü Fang, and her expression immediately darkened.

My son has been married for over a year, but there's still no sign of pregnancy, not even a single piece of good news.

"Lü Fang!" she called out impatiently, "What are you standing there for? Come and help serve the dishes!"

"Mom, don't bother," Liu Dong waved his hand. "I brought some ready-made food, it's still warm!"

He then opened the food box.

On the table were laid out: a roast duck, two plates of vegetarian dishes, and a bowl of West Lake beef soup.

There wasn't much meat.

There was also a pound of pure brewed liquor, placed on the corner of the table.

Chen Zhongze, the brother-in-law, had a dark face, and Lü Fang was also listless.

The family sat down and had just started eating when Chen Zhongze suddenly slammed his hand on the table:

"This duck doesn't taste right! It's changed!"

"Hmm." Liu Dong nodded. "Old Yang is gone, and now it's under government management. With a new person in charge, the skills naturally can't keep up, and the service is even worse."

"Disgusting!"

These words are exactly what his precious son was thinking.

"Ha." Chen Zhong sneered at the mention of the word "public." "What talk of public-private partnership? Now you're giving me fifty yuan a month in dividends, do you believe it or not?"

"My family's silk shop, passed down for three generations, vanished in the wind, leaving nothing behind!"

Chen Xueru pursed her lips and remained silent.

Liu Dong lowered his head to eat, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Xue Ru," Chen Zhongze suddenly turned and asked, "how much profit does that woman who gave your friend Xu Huizhen the idea get from her little tavern now?"

"One hundred and forty a month, divided over ten years," Chen Xueru replied calmly.

"One hundred and forty?! Ten years?!"

Chen Zhong gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

How much is his shop worth? More than enough to buy three small taverns!

In the end, his share of the profits wasn't even as much as that of a woman's small business. "You're really something!" he said, turning his anger towards Chen Xueru. "Now you have the leisure to run errands for outsiders, but you don't care about your own affairs? If you had been willing to lend me a hand back then, would I be in this situation today?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru stood up abruptly, her chest heaving: "Brother, how can you say such a thing with a clear conscience?"

"What have I done to wrong you? Back when the public-private partnership was being implemented, I was the first one to come and persuade you to take the lead!"

"How dare you bring this up?" Her voice suddenly rose. "What did you say to me? You called me stupid, said I do stupid things, but you yourselves didn't believe me or listen!"

"That wasn't me!" Chen Zhongze immediately denied, "That was Lü Fang who said it..."

"You—" Lü Fang trembled with anger.

Chen Zhongze got excited again: "Even if it really was me who said it, you should have tried to persuade me! Couldn't you have said a few more words? If you had tried to persuade me properly, wouldn't I have listened?" Chen Xueru almost rolled her eyes at this.

She slammed her hand on the table, stood up, and yelled, "Chen Zhongze, can't you be reasonable?!"

Liu Dong's face also darkened: "Chen Zhongze, say no more!"

"I'm warning you, Xue Ru is pregnant right now. If you continue to provoke her like this, don't blame me for not showing any consideration for our family ties!"

"No mercy?" Chen Zhongze retorted, his neck stiff. "What can you do to me... ah—"

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Dong had already picked him up and tossed him outside the yard. However, the force was precise, and no bones were broken; he only landed with a dusty, dirty face.

"Pfft..." Chen Xueru couldn't help but laugh as she looked at him sprawled out in the snow. "Big brother, oh big brother, Dad was right all along. Except for your tough tongue, everything else about you is as soft as noodles!"

"Your mouth is crispier than the skin of a roast duck!"

"You dare hit me? You dare touch me?" Chen Zhongze scrambled to his feet, jumped in front of Liu Dong, and poked his nose with his finger. "Liu Dong, remember this: I'm your brother-in-law!"

Liu Dong sneered: "I know, that's why I'm kindly giving you this advice—"

"If you have any money in your pocket right now, hurry up and go out to buy some grain, and pick up some meat while you're at it. In the dead of winter, meat will freeze and won't spoil."

"Otherwise, this roast duck might be the last time you ever eat meat in your life."

As he spoke, he gestured towards the duck on the table.

The brother-in-law is about to cause another scene.

Liu Dong waved his hand: "Don't get upset, I don't have time to advise people."

"I advised you to take the lead in the joint venture, but you didn't listen. Now you regret it and blame us for not stopping you."

"I won't try to persuade you now. At most, I'll give you some advice, and it's up to you whether you listen to it or not."

"Keep eating." With that, he threw down his chopsticks.

"Mom," he turned to his mother-in-law, "I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

The people in the room fell silent.

Chen's mother asked, "What's wrong? Tell me."

Liu Dong said, "Mom, Xue Ru is getting heavier every day, and there's a lot of work to be done around the house. You know, I have no parents, and I rely entirely on you to support me. I'd like to invite you to stay at my house for a while, mainly to take care of Xue Ru."