Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

Chapter 131 Early New Year Greetings

When Sha Zhu arrived at No. 13 Yu'er Hutong, his feet treading on the snow...

The gate was wide open, and an old man wearing a cotton hat was bending over, sweeping snow in the yard.

Seeing Sha Zhu carrying things in, he straightened up to greet him. This old man was none other than Mr. Qi.

Sha Zhu shook the snow off his clothes and followed Old Qi into the house. There was no one else home.

Old Qi took off his hat and said, "Zhu Zi, why are you here at this time?"

Sha Zhu put the things he was carrying on the table in the room and said...

"I'm going to my master's house for the Chinese New Year tomorrow and the day after, and I won't be coming back for the Spring Festival."

I came to visit you early and wish you a Happy New Year. I hope you enjoy good health and a happy family reunion.

Paying early New Year's greetings is also a traditional custom of the Chinese New Year.

Generally speaking, the "New Year" festival can be said to have begun from the Little New Year in the twelfth lunar month of the previous year, and people can pay New Year's visits in advance, which is commonly known as paying New Year's visits in advance.

The period from the Spring Festival to the end of the first lunar month is also considered the "New Year". Paying New Year's visits to others during this time is called "paying New Year's visits late".

Of course, the specific time may vary depending on the region and personal habits.

After finishing speaking with his hands clasped together, Sha Zhu looked around the room and continued, "Old Qi, where are your family members?"

Old Qi shook his head and said, "They've all gone to my son's house."

I don't know if they'll come back today.

We were worried that the snow in the yard would be too thick and make it difficult to walk, so we shoveled the snow in the yard first.

"You've come at an inopportune time; I'm the only old man here to entertain you."

Sha Zhu said nonchalantly, "That's perfect. I brought some fish and shrimp today, not a lot."

I was worried that with so many people at your home, you might not have brought enough food. So, I'll show off my cooking skills later and let you experience my culinary artistry.

Sha Zhu came here today with ulterior motives.

He quickly took out the things he had brought from the cloth bag and showed them to Mr. Qi one by one.

"Look, this is a giant lobster from the sea. It's only because my master has some influence that we have the chance to taste it today."

I also brought a big grass carp. I'll make you a boneless, light boiled fish dish later, so you can try it.

They are all highly nutritious and beneficial foods.

And these two cans of milk powder, made from cow's milk, are all-natural, with no additives, a unique nutritional supplement.

I went through a lot of trouble to get this; you won't find the same formula anywhere else in Beijing.

Old Qi chuckled and pointed at Sha Zhu with his finger, saying, "You little rascal, you've got some serious influence."

I heard yesterday that your stall was confiscated and you lost a lot of money, so you brought these things from the sea today.

In such cold weather, it's not easy to transport seafood from Tianjin Port to Beijing. Not to mention the weather, the roads are also difficult to travel on.

Tell me, how many paintings do you want? These aren't going to impress me easily.

If you want a painting done, you have to pay a fixed price. Originally, I was thinking it would be nice to visit your stall often for some warm mutton soup.

I'd paint you another one, that's fine too, but who would have thought your stall would go out of business in just one day.

Looks like you're not cut out for business. You can't have your mutton soup a few more times now.

Just as rumored, the old man was stingy; if you wanted a painting, you had to set a price.

Even a penny less could turn a painted shrimp into a dead shrimp or a fly.

This painting will be greatly discounted, and the future value might be much less than a few hundred thousand.

Sha Zhu quickly assured him, "Old Qi, don't worry, it's just mutton soup. If you want some, I'll come to your house and make it. I'll pay you as usual."

Old Qi shook his head and said, "No, no, I don't know how much longer I can stay here after the New Year."

They want to move back to Kuache Hutong in Xicheng District, where the government plans to rent the space for office use.

"Besides, your mutton soup has a very strong smell. If you cook mutton soup here, it will cause me a lot of trouble."

Old Qi declined Sha Zhu's offer, and Sha Zhu was also confused about this part of history.

All we know is that Mr. Qi will move back in 55, but that will be the peak of his life, and also the last two years of his prime.

Sha Zhu has a spatial dimension, and inside that dimension are several buckets of cooked mutton soup.

He said, "How about I cook it at home, put it in a thermos, and bring it to you occasionally?"

"You little brat, you're young but you're quite cunning. Don't cause me any trouble."

Speaking of the Republican era, I was a frequent customer of Fushoutang, Qinglinchun, and Chunhualou in Beijing.

"Show me your skills today. If the food tastes good, I wouldn't mind putting in some effort to paint a nice picture for you."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu was overjoyed. "Cooking skills? That's my specialty!"

Leaving aside the chefs in the Eight Great Restaurants, even his own master, the chef who prepares state banquets, Sha Zhu dared to secretly say to himself, "He's a defeated opponent."

He quickly stood up and said, "Old Qi, where's the kitchen? I'll go get to work right away."

You should rest for a while, oh, by the way...

You can't drink this milk now, because we're going to eat seafood later, and some people might have an allergic reaction if they eat it with seafood.

"You can try the formula I brought tonight, and it will be fine."

Sha Zhu gave Qi Lao some instructions, and then, following Qi Lao's directions, went to the kitchen and got to work.

Old Qi is getting on in years, and Sha Zhu doesn't dare to try any fancy tricks. For the elderly, steamed lobster is still the most nutritious dish, and it tastes good with a secret dipping sauce.

I also made an authentic dish of river shrimp with scallion oil, served with boiled fish.

With this amount, there's no need to stir-fry any more potatoes and cabbage.

Paired with homemade steamed buns made from two different types of dough, it was on the table in no time.

Just as the two were about to sit down to eat, the woman who had helped Old Qi to eat mutton soup at Sha Zhu's stall last time walked in.

He shook the snowflakes off his clothes, looked at the delicious food on the table, and said...

"Great, Grandpa, I was so worried that no one would cook for you at home, so I rushed back as fast as I could. I didn't expect you to eat so well at home. If I had known, I would have..."

Old Qi interrupted his granddaughter, saying, "If I had known, I would have done something. It's just in time that we came back. The young man who sells mutton soup came to visit today, so there's no need to worry about me."

Sha Zhu quickly stood up and ran to the kitchen to get a set of bowls and chopsticks.

He placed the food on the table and said, "Sister Xia, you've come back just in time. This delicious food was just put on the table, and we haven't even touched it yet."

Sha Zhu didn't know the woman's name either; he only knew that Old Qi had called it once before, and Sha Zhu remembered it.

But looking at the woman's age, Sha Zhu felt he had called her too young.

"You little rascal, you should call me auntie, calling me sister doesn't sound right to me," Sister Xia chuckled.

Sha Zhu was mortified. He quickly sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and placed a large lobster in Qi Lao's bowl to cover his embarrassment.

She said, "I'm not talking about seniority with Grandpa Qi. Besides, calling you 'sister' is just a way of wishing you, Sister Xia, to stay young."

The three chatted and ate, with Old Qi and Sister Xia giving thumbs up repeatedly as they enjoyed the delicious food.

Old Qi even inquired about Sha Zhu's job. Upon learning that Sha Zhu worked in a steel rolling mill and that his salary was not high, he wanted to help Sha Zhu get a job in a government department.

Sha Zhu came up with his own explanation to dissuade the old man from his good intentions.

After the meal, Sha Zhu and Old Qi haggled over the price of several paintings, and it was then that Sister Xia realized the purpose of Sha Zhu's visit.

Unfazed, he smiled and ignored their argument, clearing the table of dishes.

Finally, Sha Zhu had to pay some more money to secure the three paintings.

To prevent Old Master Qi from being stingy with his paintings, Sha Zhu agreed to a series of unequal terms before finally leaving Old Master Qi's house satisfied.

As I stepped into the alley, the snow on the road crunched under my feet. Just as I turned into the alley, I saw two people leaving their house and walking towards me.

The two men, dressed in thick cotton-padded coats and wearing hats, looked up at Sha Zhu when they heard the noise.

Upon seeing that it was indeed Sha Zhu, Yi Zhonghai began to complain to Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi, where have you been in this heavy snow? You made your brother Dongxu and me almost make a wasted trip."