[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji":3,"chapter-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-72":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Siheyuan: Food, Love, and Family in 1960s Beijing",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2314122,4526,"Chapter 72","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>Li Xuewu walked into the changing room and greeted the master who was brewing tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master’s skills were decent, so Li Xuewu had him shave his face, trim his feet, and give him a massage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The craftsmanship of this era was truly impressive—far superior to any technician from the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped his body dry with a towel; now it was time for the next step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolutely not “go upstairs!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Absolutely not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s putting on clothes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Putting on his own clothes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not disposable paper underwear!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took down the basket from the top of the cabinet and began dressing; while the master stepped out, Li Xuewu swapped into clean clothes from his space, grabbed his toiletries, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the dorm, he checked that the child was still asleep, picked up his meal box to get food, and a squad member volunteered to fetch it for him; Li Xuewu handed over the meal tickets and took the chance to lie down longer on the kang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ate a few bites of the dinner brought back by the squad member, then lay beside his daughter on the kang, half-asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how long he’d dozed off when the courtyard’s loudspeaker blared: “Tonight, a film will be shown at the factory canteen entrance; all workers and family members must maintain order...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was Saturday; tomorrow was Sunday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most workshops were off on Sundays, and many workers participated in voluntary labor; to appease them, the factory organized film screenings as part of cultural recreation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu had never seen a film since arriving in this era; hearing the announcement stirred him, but seeing his daughter’s sleeping face, he decided against going—he feared she’d overheat and pulled the blanket down slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The classic posture of a doting father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several squad members couldn’t bear to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, go watch the movie—we’ll stay on duty here, no problem. We’ll watch the child and change her diapers too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, go ahead—we’ve got her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their earnestness, and since he himself wanted to see the spectacle, and noticing his daughter hadn’t woken, Li Xuewu tossed one of the men a pack of Da Qianmen cigarettes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m leaving my daughter in your care—but smoke outside, don’t let the smoke bother her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Li Xuewu like this, the squad members chuckled; who was that furious Vajra who had thrown Wang Weidong to the ground and kicked him like a ball just a while ago?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look at him now—so gentle, so benevolent, like a Bodhisattva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The canteen wasn’t far; he felt his daughter’s small hand, pulled on his military overcoat, and strolled out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu’s visit to the canteen was secondary—he wanted to find someone who knew about milk, ideally a nursing woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the canteen, it was bustling; the screen was already set up, men, women, and children clamoring for space, placing stools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man shouted: “How are there so many people?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone else yelled: “Movie’s on! Movie’s on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another called out: “Come here, there’s room over here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire square was filled with voices calling out to friends and searching for family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was still bright; the movie hadn’t started yet, yet so many had already gathered—everyone was desperate for a good spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did the steel mill choose the canteen entrance for film screenings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the canteen had stools—the steel mill was an hour from town; carrying stools back and forth would exhaust people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Workers could borrow the canteen’s stools to watch the movie, but stools were limited—first come, first served.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, entertainment was scarce; even “middle-class households” budgeted two yuan per month for movies—watching films was a major cultural pastime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the steel mill was showing a film, workers’ families and relatives flocked here; if you didn’t arrive early, you’d have to climb a tree and sit on a branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just now—even 80s and 90s kids all had memories of rushing ahead to claim spots before the movie started, carrying stools, skipping meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu had no intention of watching the whole film or sitting down—he’d sat enough these past few days—so he found a random spot to stand and watch the chaos of adults and children fighting for space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Qin Huaiju arrived at the canteen square with her younger sister Qin Jingru, walking along the factory’s main road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Jingru had been summoned by Qin Huaiju’s letter on Wednesday, saying she’d arrange a meeting with a chef who lived next door in the same courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His home was large and spacious, with good living conditions, no in-laws to control him, and he earned 37.5 yuan a month—easily enough to support a family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d arranged to meet after work on Saturday; Sunday would be perfect for a date.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, dating had none of the elaborate rituals of the future—mostly just “walking the streets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Jingru’s family was delighted to receive the letter from the city—back then, a chef meant you’d never go hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>",831,"2026-06-20T13:46:54.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a435ebe1122ef3551ef5a4e9080ee4325389c07193076faca943f1dcad3c8b37","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-73","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-71",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-cover.jpg"]