[{"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-79":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},2314129,4526,"Chapter 79: Drinking Makes One Talk Too Much","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-79",79,"\u003Cp>Li Xuewu drank alcohol, and his mind reacted a little slower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He staggered back to the guard squad dormitory, gulped down a large tub of hot water, and only then did the liquor sweat out through the back of his skull and sober him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching his daughter being spun around by the squad members, listening to her “giggling” laughter, Li Xuewu revealed a tenderness rare in a hardened man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough, you’ll make my daughter stupid if you keep teasing her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He packed his belongings, took the child, and wrapped her in a quilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring the squad members’ attempts to stop him, Li Xuewu carried the child and carried his bundle out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You rest—I’m going home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once outside the gate, seeing no one around, he tossed the bundle into his space and walked home, holding only the child, swaying slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night’s weather was fine; the moon was large, lighting the path, and he arrived home in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he went to the west courtyard, unlocked the door, and neatly arranged the firewood from his space against the wall of the only remaining back room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven types of wood totaled three hundred cubic feet—more than enough for his house renovation and furniture making; the rest he’d have Wen San’er and others sell later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Storing the wood in the west courtyard posed no problem; though some now knew he controlled it, the gate was always locked, and electric fences lined the high walls—who would bother entering to inspect his timber?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t taken out the rest of the goods because there was no proper storage yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his first transaction, Li Xuewu realized he couldn’t accomplish anything without official cover, so he planned to use this small courtyard as leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courtyard could be developed as the official office of some formal government position, with future storage warehouses for local specialties built alongside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he needed to construct warehouses on the west, north, and east sides of the courtyard, with the northern warehouse being a deep underground bunker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, from above it would look like an ordinary row of tiled-roof rooms, but in reality it would be a two-level space stacked together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basement could store goods sensitive to sunlight; the upper level could store ordinary items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, he would build several tiled-roof rooms on the site of the former west annex’s back room, to serve as a storefront.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu already had an idea for securing an official identity, but he needed to find the right connections to make it happen; for now, this was the temporary plan for the courtyard—he’d adjust later if needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the house renovation could wait—this courtyard’s development had to be prioritized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he calculated his future plans, he realized he must act quickly; the wood couldn’t be sold—it was needed for warehouse construction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He locked the gate, planned to park the bike, deliver the child home, then drive the cart to Wen San’er’s to offload goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying the child, he took out his bicycle and pushed it through the Sihe Academy gate, just as Qin Huaiju stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aunt Qin, going out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Huaiju jumped at the dark figure, but recognized him when Li Xuewu spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I was just using the latrine. You just got back? What are you holding?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu knew Qin Huaiju had seen Vice Factory Director dragging him out to eat and drink, but said nothing—only nodded. “Yes, just got back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Huaiju saw the bundle in his arms looked like a child, but since Li Xuewu offered no explanation, she dared not ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For reasons unknown, Qin Huaiju leaned close to Li Xuewu and whispered: “A few days ago, Old Man San reported you to the neighborhood committee—said a lot of bad things about you, even mentioned your house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu’s heart jolted; he whispered: “Aunt Qin, how do you know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Huaiju spoke mysteriously: “My mother-in-law went to the committee to ask about the city’s minimum living allowance—it’s for Banggeng’s tuition. They said if your income falls below the minimum, tuition and fees are waived. I saw Old Man San pulling Director Wang into the courtyard, talking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it came from his godmother, Li Xuewu quietly relaxed—had his godmother come to confront him, she’d have shown up; since she didn’t, she’d handled it. Old Man San truly needed a beating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu replied calmly: “It’s fine, Aunt Qin. If you’re upright, your shadow won’t crook. Let him say whatever he wants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Xuewu’s calm reaction, Qin Huaiju’s expression shifted slightly. “You’re the only one who’s honest. When Director Wang saw the factory’s coordination letter, he told Old Man San that false accusations carry legal consequences, scolded him, and sent him packing. When I came back, Old Man San was in a foul mood even watching movies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Qin Huaiju’s revenge for Old Man San’s comment about Banggeng—this woman held grudges. She wouldn’t dare confront Old Man San herself, so she was playing mind games with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu smiled: “People who gossip behind your back and fabricate stories usually have three reasons: they haven’t reached your level; they lack what you have; they want to live like you but lack the means.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Huaiju stared at Li Xuewu with wide, glittering eyes, feeling these words were perfectly true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a widow constantly plagued by gossip, poisoned words, leering glances, and whispered tales, she’d never known how to defend herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at this imposing, cultured young man before her, her heart trembled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the conversation was going well, Qin Huaiju brought up Banggeng—seeing how much the leadership valued Li Xuewu, she wanted to mend ties with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xuewu, don’t hold what Banggeng did against him. Raising a child alone is hard enough, and my mother-in-law doesn’t teach him right—of course he makes mistakes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu had drunk too much today; thinking of Banggeng, he couldn’t help saying: “Don’t blame everything on the child. If he steals something for the first time, hit him hard—once is enough to teach him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without looking at Qin Huaiju’s shocked expression, he added: “If you always brush it off, won’t he grow up stealing gold and silver? And if you know your mother-in-law’s teaching is wrong but don’t oppose it—aren’t you at fault too? Isn’t he your son?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Huaiju was stunned—how did this turn into blaming her? Wasn’t it hard enough for her to work and support this entire household?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu kept talking: “Why did Banggeng dare to steal in the first place? Because he got used to taking things from Sha Zhu’s place. Why did he go to Sha Zhu’s place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you—the mother—got used to taking things from him. You saw leftover food in Sha Zhu’s lunchbox; the child saw unchecked desire expanding.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Qin Huaiju’s tear-filled eyes, Li Xuewu knew he’d pierced her heart—but he pressed on: “You bear the majority of responsibility for Banggeng’s current disobedience: poor discipline, failure to lead by example, indulging desire, excessive pampering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu stared into Qin Huaiju’s eyes: “And you have too many schemes. Aren’t you afraid you’ll sacrifice too much of your virtue—and once you cross that line, you won’t be able to pull back? Your son will need a wife someday; your two daughters will marry. Think about the future.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve drunk too much tonight, so I’ve said too much. If you want to listen, listen. If not, pretend I was just babbling drunk. Move aside—I’m going home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finished, hugged the child, pushed the bicycle, and headed into the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>",1263,"2026-06-20T13:46:54.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4772960a39514e0a0f55f4189fbbe689b41ed7cee5ba975a94583f8a33d6f302","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-80","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-78",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-cover.jpg"]