The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Sha Zhu spent some more time with his wife, while Yang Dalin went out to play with Mi Li for a while.

Yang Dalin discovered that he might also be a doting father to his daughter.

The key is that this little girl is so much fun, Yang Dalin likes her very much.

Better than that brat.

The next day, not long after starting work, Yang Dalin and Tian Xueyi suddenly received an assignment to make an urgent business trip in the afternoon.

This time we went a bit further, to Jinan, the capital of Shandong Province.

Yang Dalin thought this was perfect; he could see if it was convenient for him to go back to his hometown when he returned.

Go through the procedures for getting the household registration reissued, as mentioned by the neighborhood committee last time.

I was originally planning to take leave and go back next spring.

I can take a detour back on this business trip.

This will save you the trouble of making a separate trip next spring.

I have an urgent business trip this afternoon. Drivers, you are allowed to go home early this morning to pack your things and then come back. We will depart promptly at 1 p.m.

So Yang Dalin went home before 10 a.m. Before returning, he went to see Ma San and told him not to wait for him that night.

When I got home, I realized that no one was home.

Auntie went to work, and Sister Yan and Xiaoning went to school.

Since I happen to have some time, I'll make lunch for my aunts.

I also encountered several women doing handicrafts in the courtyard at the entrance.

When asked about Yan Laokou's wife, Yang Ruihua asked her, Yang Dalin replied that he had come back early to prepare things.

I have to go on a business trip this afternoon.

Yang Dalin first prepared the clothes and things he needed to bring.

The goods from Master Duo's side have been mostly sold out recently. I'll go to Shandong Province and see what local specialties I can bring back.

If all else fails, you can go back to your hometown, the land of pears, and get some pears.

Nowadays, many people in my hometown will store pears in cellars, which can preserve them for quite a while in winter.

They're back just in time to sell them for a high price.

Nowadays, due to inconvenient transportation, before the 1990s, pears from my hometown could basically not leave the city, and many would spoil at home.

There's simply no way to get it out.

You can exchange some grain and grain coupons with people back in your hometown.

It's a win-win situation.

Yang Dalin thought to himself that he didn't know how many days his business trip would last, so he decided to cook something nice for his family today.

Otherwise, my aunt wouldn't be willing to do it even if she had something.

This made Xiaoning drool with envy.

Yang Dalin stewed a wild rabbit and then a pheasant for lunch today.

I also sliced ​​a plate of braised beef, and I'm going to fry an egg later.

Its main characteristic is its arrogance.

Who knew, the rabbit and pheasant had just been stewed for a short time.

Here we go again.

Yang Dalin is preparing side dishes inside the house.

Then I heard a knock on the door.

Then came Qin Huairu's voice: "Is Auntie home?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Dalin exclaimed, "It's that woman again! That dog's nose is really sharp!"

Yang Dalin focused his attention and heard that Qin Huairu was probably holding Xiao Dang and leading Banggeng.

Because I heard Bang Geng and Xiao Dang constantly inhaling.

I also heard Yang Ruihua and several other women whispering across the street.

Yang Ruihua whispered, "Hey, look at Qin Huairu, what's she up to now?"

One of the women said, "What else could they be doing? Maybe they smelled the delicious food that Da Linzi is making."

Another woman said, "That's right, their family has a really good nose. I could only smell a little bit of the Qi family's stewed meat through the curtain and the door, but they smelled it so quickly in the courtyard."

"What a nice nose! But after causing such a huge uproar last time, how can she still have the nerve?"

Yang Ruihua snorted: "I think Qin Huairu probably doesn't know that it's Yang Dalin inside, and thinks it's Qi Yulan."

Qi Yulan is an old neighbor after all, and after so many years, she won't let things get too tense. She might give Qin Huairu's child a few bites to ease the tension.

Yang Dalin didn't speak, but after clearly hearing the words spoken outside, he locked the door shut without saying a word.

The stove has a chimney that vents smoke outwards, the stewing meat is covered with a lid, and the steam can also be released through a half-open window in the door.

So Yang Dalin left the door locked and nothing happened.

She even responded loudly, "Who is it? Aunt Qi isn't home."

These words made Yang Ruihua and the others laugh, and almost stunned Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu didn't expect Yang Dalin to be at the Qi family's house at this time.

Yang Dalin was cooking, and Qin Huairu pushed the door but couldn't move it, so she knew it was locked inside.

Qin Huairu's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.

Fortunately, she was standing between the curtain and the door of the Qi family's house, so Yang Ruihua and the others, as well as Yang Dalin, couldn't see her.

Qin Huairu wanted to say something more, but then she thought about how tense things had become with Yang Dalin. Even if she opened the door, what could she say, being a woman with two children and a teenager?

Qin Huairu had no choice but to pull up the stick and leave.

Banggeng still wanted to throw a tantrum, saying, "Mom, didn't you bring me here to eat meat? I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving."

When Banggeng started crying and making a scene, Qin Huairu felt even more embarrassed and quickly dragged Banggeng back to the Central Courtyard.

Laughter came from behind, punctuated by the sounds of Yang Ruihua and several women.

Yang Dalin listened to the commotion outside and knew that Qin Huairu had left.

Only then did I continue cooking.

She thought to herself, "If I weren't home alone today, but Aunt Qi was, she's so kind-hearted, she might actually give Qin Huairu something."

After all, most neighbors in a courtyard house, no matter how much they quarrel, might make up someday.

It's not like we're mortal enemies. If one side gains a little advantage, they might have a fight, but after a while, they'll probably be sitting down for a meal together again.

This is the daily life of most ordinary people.

Even though Yang Ruihua lost face last time, people still come to visit her doorstep.

Although many people look down on Yan Laokou's stingy character and despise the Yan family.

They may despise each other in their hearts, but they will still maintain contact on the surface.

In this day and age, it's quite normal for neighbors to get along.

Unlike later generations, in this neighborhood, you might only exchange a few words with your neighbor across the street in a year, and you might not even know what the person across the street is called or what their last name is.

Neighborhood relations today are both complex and simple, containing both conflict and warmth.

Since Yang Dalin couldn't change much about Aunt Qi's situation, he had no choice but to go along with her.

After all, it's not good to be too unconventional.

After the rabbit and pheasant stew was finished, Aunt Qi and the Qi sisters returned one after another.

Qi Xiaoning could smell the delicious aroma coming from the yard from afar and thought someone had prepared something delicious.

Upon seeing that her lock was open and the car was parked in the yard, Qi Xiaoning knew what was going on and called out, "Mom, Brother Dalin is cooking at home."

Hearing the voices outside, Yang Dalin unplugged the door, opened it, and Qi Xiaoning squeezed in first: "Wow, it smells so good."

"Brother Dalin, what delicious food did you make?"

Qi Yanhua also sniffed the cute nose.

Yang Dalin's cooking is indeed delicious, even better than what I and my mother cook.

This is not surprising, given that Yang Dalin recently signed up for quite a few seasoning packets.

How could Yang Dalin's cooking not be delicious?

As soon as Aunt Qi entered, her focus differed from the other two; she asked directly, "Dalinzi, why are you back early for lunch today?"