The entire courtyard is full of villains

Guan Xue smiled and gently patted her daughter's head: "Jiaojiao was like this when she was little too."

"Was I this ugly when I was little?" Zhang Jiao immediately looked aggrieved, which made Zhang Erhe, who was standing next to her, burst into laughter.

"You're not exactly pretty anymore," he teased her deliberately.

"Nonsense!" Zhang Jiao protested. "Grandpa and Grandma both say I'm the prettiest little girl!"

“Yes, yes, yes,” Zhang Erhe said, seeing his daughter’s lips purse, he immediately changed his tune, “Daddy is talking nonsense, our Jiaojiao is the prettiest.”

"Erhe," Guan Xue looked at her husband, "have you informed our parents?"

"I told him, and I even poured half a bottle of good wine for the old man. With this good news today, he's sure to have a couple more drinks."

Guan Xue nodded. Although she was practically "forced" into marriage by Zhang Erhe, her in-laws treated her with genuine kindness.

“Mom,” Zhang Erhe turned to Guan Baishi, who was standing to the side, “you should take Jiaojiao home first tonight. I’ll stay at the hospital to watch over her.”

Guan Baishi, however, insisted on refusing. She thought her son-in-law was good in every way, but when it came to taking care of people and handling trivial matters, he was hardly reliable. Guan Xue had only given birth for one day, and after much deliberation, she still couldn't rest easy. She figured it would be better for her to stay here and feel secure.

That evening, Zhang Erhe took Zhang Jiao home. Passing by a small restaurant at the alley entrance, he took his daughter in for dinner. With supplies scarce, the restaurant didn't offer much variety, so the father and daughter ate two bowls of noodles with soybean paste—though it was called "zha jiang mian" (noodles with soybean paste), there wasn't much meat in it. Zhang Jiao was very sensible and not picky.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Erhe negotiated with the restaurant owner, deposited some money, borrowed a lunchbox, and packed a portion for Lao Guantou to take home as well.

P.S.: Today I spent another day appealing against negative comments. Shamelessly begging for more updates and support!

Chapter 167 Entrusted by Someone

In the innermost courtyard of Xiaoliangshan Hutong on West Street, Baoding.

He Daqing slowly put on his clothes and slipped on his shoes.

"I've called you so many times before you finally got up!" The door was pushed open with a bang, and a plump woman with a somewhat mean face barged in.

He Daqing didn't even lift his eyelids: "I already said that our cafeteria opens late, and the manager allowed me to be a little late. Why are you nagging me like that?"

The woman was taken aback by his retort, but she couldn't help but retort angrily, "Wasn't it all so that you could get up early and have breakfast with your two sons, so they could get to know each other better!"

"Raise my ass!" He Daqing suddenly raised his voice. "I came all the way from Beijing and raised these two ingrates for almost ten years, and they still won't even call me 'Dad'! Bai Jie, let me tell you, the eldest is almost eighteen, and the second one is about to graduate from middle school. If they're still like this, I'll just pack my bags and go back to Beijing! Anyway, I've helped you out a lot these past few years!"

Upon hearing his harsh words, Bai Jie's expression immediately changed. She quickly stepped forward and hugged He Daqing's arm, saying, "Oh, Daqing, why are you saying that? The child... he still misses his biological father, doesn't he?"

"Worried about his biological father? Fine, he can go find his biological father when he dies!" He Daqing shook off her hand. "He's been eating and drinking my food all these years, and he still dares to give me attitude. Perfect timing, food is scarce now, I'll tell them tomorrow that from now on, the family will only provide one meal a day at noon, breakfast is free!"

"Qing Dynasty, is this really necessary?"

"What do you mean it's unnecessary? I think it's very necessary!" He Daqing snorted. "The old saying is right, it's a waste of money to feed an ungrateful wolf!"

Bai Jie's eyes darted around, and her voice softened again: "Great Qing, give the child a little more time..."

"Give me a damn thing! I'll go with you to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor tomorrow! Damn it, I've poured my fill of 'soy milk' on you over the years, but you haven't even laid a single egg!"

As soon as He Daqing finished speaking, a fleeting hint of unease crossed Bai Jie's face. Unfortunately, He Daqing had his head down and didn't see it.

“Da Qing, am I not capable of having children? I have already had two sons,” she argued.

“Then I can have children too! I have a daughter and a son in Beijing!” He Daqing said with a long face.

"Qing Dynasty..." Bai Jie leaned closer, her voice low, "Is it because... you're not good enough there?"

"Go to hell, you white widow!" He Daqing was clearly hit where it hurt and flew into a rage. "What kind of good woman treats her man like a donkey? Even donkeys rest at night! But you, you're braying and ordering me around all night!"

"Then...then why don't you take care of yourself!" Bai Jie retorted angrily.

"I've been eating that stuff like it's food, what else do you want from me?!"

"Why don't you take some medicine..." Bai Jie said somewhat guiltily, "The medicine my cousin from my mother's side prescribed is quite good..."

"Get lost!" He Daqing cursed directly. "That bastard is using a potent drug! It'll ruin your health! Don't think I'm ignorant just because I'm a cook. Even cooks know about medicinal cuisine! You keep telling me to take that potent drug, what are you up to?!"

"Qing Dynasty, Qing Dynasty, I didn't know!" Bai Jie hurriedly waved her hands. "I just wanted to have a child for you. I really didn't know it was a potent drug..."

He Daqing glared at her fiercely: "You'd better not know!"

After arguing with Widow Bai, He Daqing walked towards the factory from home, his mind in turmoil.

In the past two years, as Widow Bai's two sons grew older, her confidence also grew stronger. He Daqing was truly regretting it—if only he had known, he should have insisted on keeping his word and made Widow Bai send her two sons back to their biological grandfather's house to be raised.

The widow hadn't had children all these years, and He Daqing had some suspicions about it. After all, he'd mingled with all sorts of people in Beijing, and he knew a thing or two about the contraceptives sold in the brothels. Right now, the widow relied on him to supplement her monthly income so they could barely make ends meet. But if he ever stopped earning money, or couldn't earn it anymore, this woman would most likely turn on him.

“Trap, trap…” He Daqing smiled bitterly to himself. “In the end, it all depends on the owner’s conscience. If they have a conscience, the old donkey can at least have a whole corpse after it dies; if they don’t, they’ll have to sell the donkey hide for money.”

I was truly blind back then, blinded by lust, always thinking that the White Widow's son would take care of her in her old age, and that I could benefit from it. Now look at me, forget about taking care of her, those two little brats won't even call me "Dad." What will it be like when I'm old and can't move?

No, he needs to rethink his plans.

From now on, the money he gives to his family will barely be enough for the widow and himself to make ends meet. He doesn't plan to care about those two ungrateful widows anymore.

Lost in thought, he slowly made his way to the factory gate. Just as he was about to go inside, the security guard at the gate called him back.

"Master He! Master He!"

He looked up: "Oh, it's Officer Wang. What's up?"

"Master He, someone came from Beijing today and specifically asked for you."

"From Beijing?" He Daqing's heart tightened: "What kind of person is he? How old is he?"

"He's a young man, looks to be in his early twenties."

In his twenties… it couldn't be Sha Zhu. With Sha Zhu's temper, he wouldn't have come all the way to Baoding to find him. He quickly asked, "Where is he?"

Officer Wang pointed to the office building inside: "It's inside. Our section chief told me to wait for you here."

"Okay, okay, thank you, Officer Wang." After saying that, He Daqing took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into his hand. "Officer Wang, don't be offended. This was a reward from the leader after he treated me to a meal a couple of days ago. You should also enjoy it."

"Oh, that's great! Thank you, Master He!" Officer Wang grinned from ear to ear.

When He Daqing arrived at the office building, he was about to knock on the door when it opened from the inside. Song, the head of the security department of the textile factory, poked his head out.

"Hey, Lao He, you're here."

He Daqing nodded cautiously: "Section Chief Song."

"Old He, there's a colleague from Beijing inside who specifically wants to see you."

A fellow traveler? That couldn't possibly be Sha Zhu. He Daqing muttered to himself as he followed them inside.

Sure enough, it wasn't Sha Zhu inside. A young man in his early twenties, quite tall, with a somewhat nonchalant look, sat there and raised his chin when he saw him come in.

"He Daqing?"

"Oh, yes. I didn't know you were...?"

"Sit down." The young man gestured with his lips toward the chair opposite him.

After He Daqing sat down, the young man took out a cigarette from the pack and asked, "Want a smoke?"

"Draw, draw."

The young man tossed the entire pack of cigarettes over and lit one himself. He Daqing caught it in a flurry, and upon looking at the pack—a plain white box, something he'd never seen before in all his years in Baoding. He carefully pulled one out; it actually had a filter.

"Let me introduce myself," the young man said, pointing to himself. "My name is Ma Qianli, and I'm the captain of the first brigade of the security department at the steel rolling mill."

A steel rolling mill? He Daqing's mind raced—was it the old factory owned by Lou Zhenhua?

“Yes, that’s it.” Ma Qianli seemed to see through his thoughts. “Now it’s a joint public-private enterprise, it belongs to the state.”

"Oh... I... I used to work at that factory." He Daqing said somewhat guiltily, "I didn't know you came to see me..."

"Well," Ma Qianli exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes fixed on He Daqing, "I was asked to come and ask."

"He Daqing, how did you manage to escape from Beijing to Baoding in such a sorry state back then?"

P.S.: I'm so embarrassed. If you've finished reading today, just click "follow" to see more updates!

Chapter 168 The Life of He Daqing

He Daqing was born in 1917. His family had worked as general laborers in the Tan family's kitchen since his grandfather's generation. His father had worked his way up in the kitchen of the Tan family restaurant from a young age, learning authentic Tan family cuisine skills. Unfortunately, after the establishment of the Republic of China, Tan family cuisine gradually declined. His father gritted his teeth and exchanged apprenticeships, sending the six-year-old He Daqing to study under Wang Diancheng, a renowned chef of Shandong cuisine.

He Daqing entered the family at the age of six and studied for ten years before completing his apprenticeship. The year after he finished, his father's health deteriorated. Before his death, the old man hurriedly arranged a marriage for his son with a girl named Li Xiuning, who had fled famine. Not long after the marriage, He Daqing's father also died. He Daqing, being young, knew he couldn't maintain the family business on his own, so he sold the old house in Xicheng and moved to Nanluoguxiang.

In 1935, Li Xiuning gave birth to her eldest son, who later became known as "Silly Zhu." That same year, He Daqing, through his master's connections, entered one of the Eight Great Restaurants, starting as a cook in the third kitchen. Afterwards, Beijing underwent dramatic changes, with powerful figures changing hands several times, and He Daqing struggled to make a living amidst this turmoil.

He persevered until 1945, when the Japanese invaders were driven away. He Daqing's life took a turn for the better—he won first place in the Fengzeyuan culinary competition with his signature dish, "Zao Liu San Bai" (a spicy Sichuan dish), and became the head chef. From then on, He Daqing's life truly improved.

Unfortunately, his good fortune didn't last. His wife, Li Xiuning, died from postpartum hemorrhage after giving birth to their daughter, He Yushui. He Daqing was forced to become both father and mother to his wife. However, as his skills improved, his income also increased. With no woman to keep him in check and money to spare, He Daqing began to indulge himself, frequently visiting brothels and often associating with Xu Fu in the Eight Great Hutongs.

Such good times didn't last long. With the outbreak of the civil war, the Kuomintang intensified its internal exploitation, using legal tender and gold yuan in succession, and soon the people of Beijing were living in misery. The eight major restaurants closed down one after another—people couldn't even afford to eat, so who would go to a restaurant?

Even Fengzeyuan couldn't hold on and had to close down. He Daqing lost his job, but life had to go on. With no other choice, he made some steamed buns and had Shazhu sell them on the street to barely make ends meet. Fortunately, the deaf old lady in the same courtyard would occasionally introduce him to jobs preparing family banquets, most often to the Lin family in Dong'an Market.

Master Lin's son was a division commander in the army, so even though there were shortages of supplies outside, it didn't affect his family. Master Lin often had He Daqing host banquets for guests. Over time, He Daqing became familiar with the people in the household. No one expected that he would be so audacious as to sleep with Master Lin's third concubine.

The truth eventually came out. At the end of 1948, Master Lin discovered He Daqing's affair with his third concubine. The third concubine was arrested on the spot and drowned in a pig cage. He Daqing, however, escaped punishment because he had been hosting a banquet in the countryside that day. By the time he returned, Beijing had already been liberated, and Master Lin had fled south before liberation. He Daqing only received a scolding from the deaf old woman; otherwise, he suffered no major punishment.

Then, in 1950, He Daqing was introduced to Lou's Steel Plant. He quickly gained Lou Bancheng's appreciation for his skills and became the canteen manager. It was always inconvenient without a woman in the house, so someone introduced him to Bai Jie, a widow who had come to Beijing to stay with her cousin. However, He Daqing was experienced; although Bai Jie had a good figure, her face revealed a meanness. He feared that marrying her would lead to mistreatment of his two children, so he hesitated.

In June, one evening, He Daqing returned home after a night of wandering around and was caught at the door by Yi Zhonghai.

"Old He, the old lady is calling you."

"What's the matter?" Although He Daqing had been drinking, he knew that the deaf old lady was not someone to be offended easily, so he followed Yi Zhonghai to the backyard.

The deaf old woman's first words were earth-shattering: "He Daqing, Master Lin is back."

"Huh?" He Daqing's eyes widened. "He...how could he be back?"

"His son defected on the battlefield and is now a hero. Why can't he come back?"

He Daqing was instantly sobered up. With Master Lin back, how could he possibly survive? Even if Master Lin was down on his luck, his son was a leader; he was just a lowly cook, and even if he became the cafeteria manager, he'd still just be a cook. Don't expect Lou Bancheng to stand up for him because of a cook.

"Grandma, you have to save me...you have to save me!"

The deaf old woman looked at you with exasperation: "I introduced you to the Lin family as a cook, hoping to forge a bond, but who knew you would get involved with their concubine! Even I am being resented because of you, and I'm worried about myself!"

"Then... what should we do?" He Daqing panicked completely.

The deaf old woman gave him a wink, and Yi Zhonghai leaned forward and whispered, "Old He, why don't you... run away?"

"Run? Run where?" He Daqing frowned. "The rain is still light. I'll take her with me... Zhuzi is alright, but with such a light rain, if something happens to her while she's stranded in a foreign land, how can I face her mother?"

Yi Zhonghai chimed in, "Da Qing, if you trust me, leave Yushui and Zhuzi in Beijing, and I'll look after them for you. You can go to another place. I suppose Master Lin's son is an official here now; surely he won't bring trouble upon his children?"

He Daqing was conflicted. He and Yi Zhonghai had only a casual relationship before, and their acquaintance was limited to asking Yi's wife to look after his daughter.