Chapter 34 Eating
Fengze Garden is a house with four courtyards. The entrance is a tall Guangliang Gate (a type of gate in a quadrangle, second only to the palace gate and higher than the Jinzhu Gate, as well as the Manzi Gate and Ruyi Gate). It occupies the position of a room, and the brick eaves are extended outwards in layers, called "pantou". Below are two tall front eaves columns, and brackets are installed under the eaves purlins on the columns;
After climbing five steps, you will enter the door, which is more than 5 meters deep. The main door is located in the middle of the depth. The door sill (where the door leaf is installed) and the front door are two large drum-shaped stones (round drum-shaped). Above the door are four octagonal door pins with floral carvings.

Above the door hangs a large mahogany plaque with five large traditional Chinese characters written in gold powder: Fengzeyuan Restaurant. In the lower right corner is the writer: Li Qi.

Two rickshaws, one in front and one behind, stopped at the entrance of Fengze Garden. Before Wang Deming got out of the rickshaw to help his godmother, the waiter at the door very considerately helped Wang Shuqin down, without any neglect because she was wearing a blue coarse cloth slanting-collar pleated suit.

After Wang Deming settled the accounts with the two drivers, as soon as he came over, the driver immediately wiped the dust off his body with a rough white cloth and greeted him with a smile: "Madam (grandmother), sir, how many people are you today?"

"Do you have a reservation?"

"It was a sudden decision. There will be two more people coming later, a grandmother and a wife with two children."

The waiter immediately shouted: "Four distinguished guests, bring two children, please take your seats."

"Madam, sir, please come in!"

The waiter welcomed Wang Deming and Wang Shuqin into the door, and after another waiter came forward to greet them, the waiter returned to the door to continue welcoming guests.

"Sir, if we want to clear the seats, there are only a few tables left in the back room. Today is National Day, and there are a lot of people coming to eat. Please walk a few more steps."

"You're welcome. It's all the same. Just help us urge the kitchen staff to serve the dishes later."

"Master, don't worry about this. Chef Mou Changxun is in charge of the kitchen today. Just watch him!"

"Oh, it's Master Mou. We are in for a treat today. Is the chef in charge today Master Sun Maoju?"

"Hey, sir, you are our old customer, and Master Sun is in charge!"

"Okay, I'll serve you a dish of braised mandarin fish in wine later, which is just right for the children. I'll also serve you a dish of mullet eggs and sea cucumber with scallions, which are best for you, Mom. I'll also serve you a dish of braised skirt. Please help me with a few cold dishes and stir-fried vegetables. No need for wine."

"Okay, sir! This way!"

After passing through the hanging flower gate, along the winding corridor, and through the moon gate, we were welcomed into a room in the back house.

The eight-immortal table is made of mahogany and inlaid with silver wire edges, and is matched with eight rattan chairs; the teapot and wine vessel in the middle of the table are large colored porcelain from the reigns of Kangxi or Qianlong; the bowls and plates on the side of the table are from the reign of Guangxu, and the matching chopsticks and spoons are all silverware.
"Sir, what kind of tea do you want to drink?"

Wang Deming glanced at his godmother, "Do you have Pu'er? Let's make a pot of chrysanthemum and Pu'er."

"Okay, Master and Madam, please sit down for a moment!"

"Grandma, uncle!" The two younger ones, Chang Renchun and Chang Yichun, started running in shouting before they even entered the restaurant.

"Grandma, I miss you so much!" The two little guys ran to Wang Shuqin as soon as they came in, hugging one arm and shaking it constantly.

Wang Shuqin smiled from ear to ear, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes blossomed into a flower. She hugged a child with one hand, "Okay, grandma misses you too!"

"Come and let grandma see if you have grown taller."

"Well, good, Renchun is strong and solid, Yichun is pink and tender!"

Yan Baozhen and Wang Kui came in, each holding a cloth bag. Yan Baozhen was also very happy and said in a clear voice, "Mom, Deming, why did you think of coming to Fengze Garden today? I thought you two would go to Qinghua Pool and have a bite while taking a bath."

Wang Shuqin hugged the child and looked up with a smile, "Your brother went back this time to marry Qin Huairu."

"Oh, Deming," Yan Baozhen was startled at first, then she glared with her almond-shaped eyes and said angrily, "Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter in advance? Are you afraid that I won't agree?"

Wang Shuqin explained with a smile: "Haha, the other party was too anxious. As soon as she heard that your brother bought two houses in Beijing, she couldn't wait to marry her daughter to him. Huairu's mother came that morning, and Huairu married him in the evening!"

Yan Baozhen's face was full of disbelief, and she exclaimed, "Ah! How can you be so careless? So careless? Isn't this just cheating my daughter?"

Then he sighed again: "Fortunately, she married into our family. If she married into an old banner family or a family with strict rules, she would suffer after marriage!" Wang Kui beside her also nodded in agreement, with a puzzled look on her face: "Isn't it?"

"Baozhen, it's not that the rules at home are too strict, it's just that the mother-in-law is a bit powerful. Isn't this girl treated like a servant as soon as she entered the house?"

Yan Baozhen put the cloth bags in her and Wang Kui's hands on the chairs by the wall, complaining: "Why didn't you bring them in this time when you went to the city? It's not like we don't have a place to live at home. As a sister, shouldn't I give a gift to my brother's wife?"

"Besides, didn't Deming just buy two houses?"

"Haha, I've already made an agreement with Deming that Qin Huairu will stay with me in the countryside from now on, so that Deming won't have to worry."

Yan Baozhen, who had just put the cloth bag away, turned around, her eyes moving back and forth between Wang Mingde and Wang Shuqin, a flash of thought flashed through her mind, and then a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Well, this is good, someone can take care of you in the countryside, and Deming and I will feel relieved in the capital."

After Yan Baozhen sat down next to Wang Shuqin, she glanced at Wang Deming and said, "Mom, the girl from the Zhang family in the small factory next door to our house heard that Deming is going to hold a ceremony to pay respect to his teacher tomorrow, and she specially prepared a gift for him."

Wang Shuqin subconsciously glanced at Wang Deming, "Oh, is she the niece of the Tong family in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Jinyu Hutong?"

"No!"

"Hey, sister, let's not talk about this, the children are still here"

"Deming, why are you feeling guilty? It's not like Renchun and Yichun don't know Miss Zhang."

"cough"

"The dishes are here, four cold dishes: pork belly with pine nuts and three shredded vegetables."

"Come on, sis, let's eat and talk."

"Renchun, Yichun, get off grandma and sit down next to step-grandma. It's time to eat."

Just after the third round of dishes, we heard the sound of gongs and drums coming from the second courtyard, followed by the sound of Peking Opera: "Suddenly I heard the sound of golden drums and painted horns, which awakened me to break through the Tianmen Gate with lofty ambitions. Thinking back to the past, the peach blossom horse was majestic and the enemy's blood splattered on my pomegranate skirt."

The two children, Renchun and Yichun, could not sit still and shouted, "Mom, we want to go see the show!"

Yan Baozhen had no choice but to ask, "Are you all full?"

Wang Kui put down her bowl and chopsticks, and said to Wang Shuqin and Yan Baozhen with a smile: "Mother-in-law, Baozhen, you guys continue eating. I will take the two children to the front yard to listen to the opera."

After Renchun and Yichun followed Wang Kui and left, Wang Shuqin asked Yan Baozhen in a low voice: "Baozhen, are Youguang and the three of you still smoking opium?"

Yan Baozhen sighed barely audibly and replied helplessly in a low voice: "Oh, that's right! Not only me, but Deming has advised me countless times too! The investigation outside is so strict now."

Wang Shuqin frowned deeply, her voice full of worry: "Baozhen, if this continues, you won't be able to keep the two courtyards you have now! What will you do then?"

"My father-in-law is old, and he can't do much with his status. Youguang can't bring himself to go out and look for work."

"Of course, Deming can still help you subsidize a little bit now, but it's not a long-term solution. He has a family to support now, and his expenses will be even greater in the future!"

Yan Baozhen's lips curled down slightly, with a hint of bitterness: "Mom, I know what you said, but..."

Listening to the mother and daughter's concerns, Wang Deming picked up a piece of sea cucumber for each of them and smiled confidently: "Mom, don't worry about my sister. I'll take care of everything."

Wang Shuqin disagreed: "Deming, you can help your sister's family with some daily necessities, so they won't starve; but smoking opium is a bottomless pit, and this family will go bankrupt sooner or later."

Wang Deming paused his chopsticks. That was right. Most of his big expenses outside were pushed onto his brother-in-law's family. If their family was penniless, what excuse would he find to spend money?

(End of this chapter)