Chapter 555: Just for Use

"Yo, Little Yan is back from work."

"Yes, Grandpa Guo, have you eaten?"

"I just came back not long ago. Good guy, to say that in our courtyard, your kid's food is the best. Eggs and meat, this pork belly looks really good. Good, and a bottle of liquor too? Is someone coming to your house?"

In the courtyard, washing his face at the water faucet, a short, stout old man with a bald head blinked his small eyes, looking at the young man who had just pushed his bicycle in, wearing a work uniform.

This young man was, of course, Wang Yan. Tied to the handlebars of his bicycle were eggs, a strip of meat, and a bottle of Red Star Hongxing Erguotou; in fact, there was also a bag of bean sprouts. This Grandpa Guo was the one who would later be cheated into wanting to commit suicide by the fake Yuan Dynasty jar made by Cheng Jianguo.

"No one is coming. It's just that I'm alone, so I don't have to worry about the whole family. It just so happens that I got paid today, so I'm eating something good."

While speaking, he parked the somewhat old "28" bicycle and untied the things: "I'm back, Grandpa Guo."

"Go, go."

Seeing Wang Yan enter the house, Old Guo shook his head and continued to bend down to wash his face.

This was a miscellaneous courtyard near Chongwen Sect in Beijing, one of the courtyards.

This courtyard was originally a two-entry courtyard house. In the early years, the original owner's family fell into decline and sold the courtyard, or rented out some rooms in the courtyard, and then it went through the chaos of war, and later it was to solve the housing problem. It was almost for these reasons that the courtyard became a large miscellaneous courtyard.

It was also because of this that in such a two-entry courtyard, nine families lived, and all were nine families with several people. It was also because of this, in order to live more comfortably, the courtyard inevitably had some renovations, and it lost the original pattern of the courtyard house.

After all, people have to grow up, and when they grow up, they have to form a family. Daughters marry out, sons marry in, and a family has four, five, six, or seven children, which is not enough to live in. To solve housing difficulties, the state allowed extending a little, pushing out a little, and expanding a little. However, although there were some private constructions at this time, it was not very chaotic and not very crowded. After all, if you want to build a house, you have to have building materials, which is not so easy to get.

It wasn't until after the Tang Shan earthquake, because the losses were too great, that the government ordered the people to build earthquake sheds to prevent disasters and allocated a large amount of building materials. At this time, people used those materials to build houses and expand living space.

Two years later, reform and opening up began, social control relaxed, and income increased a little, which led to a new wave of private construction, and it became even more chaotic and crowded.

Wang Yan's conditions were of course good. He lived alone in two east wing rooms. Opening the door is the kitchen, which is also piled with miscellaneous things. Entering the inner room, by the window is a large desk, and there are other furniture, all of which are solid wood. On the west side is a double bed, and there are two chairs on the ground, which are cleaned relatively cleanly.

This was the inheritance left to him by his parents again... This time it was when he was fifteen years old. Because of a production accident, in order to save losses, his father sacrificed, and his mother also passed away a few years later.

And then because he was alone, he was sent to work in a food factory. The food factory was nothing else, it was Yili Food Factory. Very coincidentally, he happened to have a colleague named Li Chengtao...

The current time is the summer of 1975, exactly one month after Han Chunming returned. Wang Yan is twenty-three years old this year, the same age as Han Chunming and Li Chengtao, and he is also a classmate of Han Chunming.

He came in the morning, worked for a day, and then returned to the home in this world. The place where he lived was of course in the same courtyard as Han Chunming, the protagonist of this world. He was in the east wing, and those three main rooms were where the Han family lived. It was very lively at the moment, obviously someone had come.

Wang Yan took the key to open the lock, carried the things into the house, put the meat and bean sprouts on the table in the outer room, and put the Hongxing Erguotou on the desk in the inner room. Then he took off his clothes, changed into cool big shorts and a white vest, revealing his strong muscles.

Living alone, no one cares about him, and eating and drinking of course depend on himself. After changing clothes, he didn't rest, but went to the outer room to wash the sorghum rice and set it on the stove to boil.

Then, he went out to the courtyard to wash his face.

Just at this time, a girl with two big braids, a big forehead, wearing a floral skirt and small leather shoes, walked in "da da da." She looked at Wang Yan who was washing up and was stunned for a moment, her face a little red as she greeted: "Back from work, Wang Yan?"

Wang Yan's muscles were of course not given for nothing. The lines were smooth and hard. Now the aesthetics have not gone astray. Even if they have gone astray, the lumps of meat he has represent health, strength, and look comfortable. No matter how you say it, it is not ugly.

He nodded with a smile: "Yes, just back."

"I'm going to the backyard." After speaking, the girl hurriedly left. She was two years younger than Wang Yan. The social environment now is different, and there are only the two of them in this courtyard. Looking at Wang Yan's strong muscles, she was a little embarrassed, which was normal.

And there was another point. The identity arranged by the "Living Father" was a bully here since childhood. Not to say that he was a "Wan Zhu," but he had never been bullied. So this girl was embarrassed and a little nervous.

Watching the girl leave, Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, continuing to wash his face and rub his arms.

Who this girl is, it goes without saying. She is the female lead Su Meng, who pulled with Han Chunming for more than thirty years, and was still single-minded, especially after she reached menopause, she was still pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.

The things she did, a "self" could explain it quite clearly. Self-righteous, she looked down on ordinary people, always felt that she had ability and thoughts, but her eyes were higher than her hands. She could have some achievements, which was because she caught the light of the era.

If she were changed to forty years later, without the current social atmosphere, without her uncle, and just an ordinary family, a player like Su Meng would very likely play with men's feelings for a living, and wholeheartedly run for a high branch. Because she didn't have much ability to do good things, and she would definitely not be willing to be a diligent, hard-working, and desperate worker.

Just at such a time, she had been at home for several years and had not gone out to work. In the play, it was also during this period that Cheng Jianguo's father got two places in Yili Food Factory. Cheng Jianguo wanted to please Su Meng and wanted them to work together, but Su Meng said she didn't want to be a worker. In such a period, just because of such a sentence, she could be locked up and criticized...

However, this woman's self-centeredness, to say who she tossed, the victim was actually only one Han Chunming, and others were actually quite good. And many misunderstandings between her and Han Chunming stemmed from her self-centeredness, and the main reason for pulling for thirty years was also on her.

After washing her face, Wang Yan returned to the house, wiped it dry, and then washed the kitchen knife with water in the outer room and started cutting vegetables. Green onions, garlic slices, ginger slices, meat slices, and two dried chili peppers, and then rinsed the bean sprouts.

Used matches to light the gas tank, started the pot and burned oil, first put the meat slices down, fried them into golden color, and then green onions, ginger, and garlic went into the pot...

Frying meat, especially pork belly with fat, the aroma rose, and it spread for dozens of meters. In this era of material scarcity, people couldn't eat meat once in ten days

In the main room, watching his eldest aunt, who had arrived just this morning, talking to Meng Xiaoxing with a smile, Han Chunming sniffed and smelled the aroma of meat.

Meng Xiaoxing smelled it too. She sniffed and said, "City people are just different. Back in the village, in the whole village, you wouldn't even find a few families stir-frying meat in a month. Hmm... smelling that, I estimate they're stir-frying half a jin. It smells so good."

Han Chunming rolled his eyes: "Your nose is sharp, you can tell how much meat someone is stir-frying just by the smell?"

"That's right, I have that talent. I really want to eat a couple of bites."

"Alright, we'll make meat-filled dumplings tonight too, look at how greedy you are." Han Chunming shook his head, stood up, and said, "Mom, you guys make the dumplings. I'm not good at it, so I won't get in the way. Xiaoxing, you and Zao be well-behaved, don't rummage through my things."

Meng Xiaoxing said hurriedly, "What are you going to do, Brother Wuzi? I'll go with you."

"You're following me to take a dump too?" Han Chunming rolled his eyes, opened the door, and walked out.

Following the scent and listening to the clanging sound of the big ladle coming from nearby, Han Chunming looked at the east side room. His eyes rolled, and then he walked over with a cheeky, smiling face. He knocked on the broken wooden door at the entrance, lifted the beaded curtain, and entered the room with a clattering sound.

"Whoa, soybean sprouts stir-fried with pork belly. Prince, have you struck it rich again? This craftsmanship is really good. Can I help you taste if the saltiness is right?"

A big mouth can eat everywhere, and a sweet mouth can also eat everywhere. After all, since he had already entered the door, rubbing his hands with a grin, and had even called him "Prince," it wouldn't be easy to refuse him.

Moreover, in the identity arranged for Wang Yan, because he had become an orphan once again, the Han family treated him quite well. Of course, as long as he didn't offend anyone, the other families in the courtyard actually treated him well too. After all, who could refuse to help an orphan with no one to rely on when the opportunity arose? Besides, the neighborhood committee also kept an eye on things; they were neighbors who had lived in the same courtyard for decades. If they treated him coldly, they would be criticized by others.

"I got paid today, so I'm just improving my diet." As he spoke, Wang Yan used a big ladle to scoop out two pieces of meat along with the sprouts from the pot: "When I bought the meat, Auntie Li told me that your family is making dumplings tonight. Are you here to mooch some meat from me?"

"Oh, don't mention it. My eldest aunt and the others are here again. My big brother and big sister are all coming back tonight. With so many people eating together, you tell me how many little bits of meat can be in one dumpling? It's not like you, old man—one person eats their fill, the whole family doesn't go hungry, eating delicious food every day."

Han Chunming wasn't afraid of the heat; he reached out, pinched a slice of meat, and put it in his mouth. He smacked his lips, eating with great relish, and even sucked on the thumb and index finger he had just used to touch the pork. He shook his head with a look of satisfaction: "Delicious, the craftsmanship is really good. The saltiness is just right, it's ready to be served."

Wang Yan stir-fried it a couple more times, skillfully scooped the dish into a plate, then took the sorghum rice that had been sitting on the stove out of the pot and put it into cold water to cool—this was sorghum water rice. He didn't waste the remaining cooking water; he poured some into a bowl to cool and dumped the rest into the trash can.

He brought the food into the room, placed it on the desk, and added some pickled radish. Only then did he sit on the stool, unscrew the Hongxing Erguotou, and pour it into a ceramic cup with a lotus pattern. He then turned his head to look at Han Chunming, who had been following behind him and was now sitting to the side, staring at his wine cup with a solemn and focused gaze: "What's the meaning of this? Want to eat a little together? Isn't your family having dumplings tonight?"

Han Chunming's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and then he said cheekily: "Prince, can we discuss something?"

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow noncommittally: "Let's hear it."

"Can I... take a look at this wine cup?"

"What's there to discuss about that? Open the cabinet behind you; there are three more inside." Wang Yan took a sip of wine, picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, and gestured casually with his chin.

"Are they all the same style?"

"You'll know once you take a look."

Seeing Wang Yan's indifferent attitude, Han Chunming swallowed another mouthful of saliva. He turned back, carefully opened the cabinet, took out the three wine cups, and placed them gently on the desk. He then picked up one cup, held it before his eyes, and examined it back and forth. After a long while, he let out a long breath: "Prince, these four cups, can you... hehe... sell them to me? I'll go buy you a new set of wine cups to give you later?"

"Trying to bully me because I don't know the value of things?" Wang Yan sneered: "Did you get stupid from being sent to the countryside? Or do you think that because I'm just a logistics equipment repairman at a food factory now, I've fallen on hard times? And you're trying to scam me?"

Han Chunming gave a sheepish smile: "I'm just used to seeing good things, don't take it to heart. Besides, this is official kiln imperial Chenghua Doucai porcelain. The condition is so good, and it's a set. Are you really using it just to drink wine?"

He said this with his mouth, but in his heart, he cursed Wang Yan for having a face as fickle as a dog's—it changed way too fast.

Of course, he felt guilty. Although they had been classmates since they were kids, and although he was naughty and a bit of a rascal, it was clear he was still far behind Wang Yan. Because Wang Yan was a legitimate "somebody" who knew many tough guys and old soldiers, and he could navigate between two hostile groups with ease while still being well-respected—he was a truly ruthless person. This was why he called him "Prince," because he really was a "Lord." It was just that they lived in the same courtyard, his mother took good care of him, and he had some understanding of Wang Yan, knowing he was a person who didn't stand on ceremony and was easy to talk to, which was why he dared to come over to ask for meat.

"Isn't it just a wine cup? If I don't use it to drink wine, what else can I do? Don't tell me I have to worship it?"

"You're the man." Han Chunming gave a thumbs-up with a look of admiration. If he had this stuff, he really wouldn't bear to use it for drinking. He asked curiously: "Prince, how come I haven't seen these before? Did you get them recently?"

"It's been several years. I think I got them from a friend of a cousin of a friend. They were short on money for the baby's confinement, and they didn't know where they'd scavenged them. They saw the mark on the bottom and were looking for a buyer. I happened to be there, so I just bought them."

"How much did you spend?"

"I think it was ten yuan, plus some milk powder coupons and such."

Han Chunming nodded repeatedly, staring at the small Doucai wine cup: "Not expensive. Even at two hundred, a set of four like this is worth it."

Wang Yan smiled. He really wasn't lying to fool Han Chunming; the system information explained it exactly like that. And in this room of his, there weren't just these four small wine cups. Perhaps to fit the main plot of the drama, the "Living Dad" (System) had given him some configurations. The furniture in his room was either yellow rosewood or red sandalwood, and there were complete sets of Qianlong tea sets, as well as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—all cultural relics. There were also plenty of other ornaments, stamps, and miscellaneous things. According to the system, many were passed down from his father, and some he had scavenged over the years.

The reason Han Chunming wasn't surprised was that he had long known Wang Yan had many good things in his room. The reason he asked if he could sell them to him was mainly because he had only been back for a month and hadn't seen Wang Yan for several years, so he didn't know the depth of his collection. Besides, he was just too excited to see good things, which made him blurt it out. He just lacked experience and hadn't learned to restrain himself.

Actually, truth be told, Wang Yan also had an understanding of cultural relics. Perhaps he wasn't like the characters in the drama who would make up messy stories or cite allusions for every item. But he had the ability to see the authenticity and the era. This was because he knew a lot and had seen a lot. After all, he had always played the role of the "big brother," and cultural relics had always been good things for getting things done. Whether he liked them or not, the value they represented meant that giving them away as gifts was never a mistake. So he gave them to others, and many people gave them to him; over time, he gained experience.

Not to mention he had spent time in the Ming Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, where there were too many official collections, and those mega-corrupt officials would have piles of them confiscated during raids. He would look at these things in his spare time for amusement.

The reason he wouldn't tell stories like the characters in the drama was simply because he hadn't gone to study so many things. To him, cultural relics were really just a minor path. After all, he wasn't an archaeologist; he had appraised them, used them as references, sighed at the wisdom of the ancients, praised the level of the master craftsmen of the past, and marveled at their superb skills... the greatest remaining use was to use them.

Seeing Wang Yan not speaking, Han Chunming asked again: "How come I've never heard you say before that you liked these old objects?"

"What's there to talk about? My dad liked these things, you know that. Just look at me mixing with people outside? Even if I'm not an expert, it doesn't mean I don't know anything. Let's let it slide this time. Next time you try to bully me because I don't understand these things, don't blame me for turning cold."

"No way, no way, I just blurted it out. You don't know, Prince, if you see an object you like outside, you can't show it, otherwise, wouldn't the other person demand an exorbitant price? How could I afford that? It's just a habit I've developed over time. Forgive me, forgive me."

Han Chunming said cheekily, then carefully put the three small wine cups back. He looked longingly at the other good things in the cabinet and couldn't help but sigh: he, who knew the value of things, couldn't find good items, yet this half-baked guy had all the good stuff. The Way of Heaven is unfair, unfair...

He turned back to look at Wang Yan: "Prince, can we discuss something else?"

"Speak."

"Can you lend me a yuan? I'll pay you back next month."