Lin Zhen explained his understanding of vinegar lees fish in detail to Silly Zhu and Ma Hua.
One respectfully bowed and asked for guidance, while the other genuinely wanted to take him on as a disciple in the culinary arts.
So he held nothing back and taught them everything about the dish.
Lin Zhen's explanation cut straight to the heart of the matter, with the brilliance of a finishing touch.
Silly Zhu felt enlightened after hearing it and admired him beyond measure.
But Ma Hua, who had only just begun learning to cook, felt as if he were listening to heavenly scriptures, completely lost. Even though there were things he did not understand, he memorized them all by rote, intending to slowly comprehend them later.
At noon, Lin Zhen planned to keep Ma Hua for a meal, but Ma Hua said his family was busy and he had to hurry home. No matter what, he insisted on leaving.
Lin Zhen had no choice but to give him some vinegar lees fish and a red envelope as well.
Ma Hua was as happy as a child. After he left, Lou Xiao'e smiled and said, "Your disciple really respects us. He calls us master and mistress quite diligently."
Lin Zhen smiled. "He's only an inheritor of my cooking skills. I plan to take on several more in the future."
That evening, the Three Elders organized a New Year celebration, and everyone in the courtyard happily bid farewell to the old year and welcomed the new.
The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1962.
People across the city cheerfully went from door to door offering New Year greetings.
In the Siheyuan, whether they usually had conflicts or not, everyone opened their doors wide to welcome visits from their neighbors.
Even those unwilling to pay visits had to go through the motions that morning.
Lin Zhen's family first went to the back courtyard to offer New Year greetings to the Deaf Old Lady, bringing her a package of pastries.
The Deaf Old Lady was so delighted that she could not close her mouth. "Lin Zhen, Lin Zhen, not bad. You still remembered there's an old lady in the back courtyard."
Lin Zhen smiled. "When have I ever forgotten? I certainly couldn't forget on the first day of the New Year."
"Good, good, good! Come, I'll give New Year money to my four great-grandsons!"
Lin Guo, Lin Jia, Lin Dong, and Lin Liang hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Thank you, great-grandmother! We wish you a long life of a hundred years!"
The Deaf Old Lady laughed so hard she rocked back and forth, but inwardly she thought, If only Lin Zhen could treat me as his real grandmother like Silly Zhu does, or if Silly Zhu could have four sons. How wonderful that would be!
After that, Lin Zhen, Silly Zhu, and Xu Damao went together to offer New Year greetings to the Three Elders and Jia Zhangshi, one by one.
The moment they returned home, Bang Geng and Xiao Dang came to kowtow and offer New Year greetings.
Lou Xiao'e said in surprise, "There are so many elders in the courtyard. How could it be our turn to receive their kowtows? Get up, both of you. Husband, hurry and get the New Year money!"
Lin Zhen smiled. "No need to ask. Silly Zhu must have egged them on. Give them two yuan each. I reckon we won't be able to avoid this every year from now on!"
Lou Xiao'e said in surprise, "Isn't that a bit too much? Won't Dongxu get angry if he finds out?"
"He won't. How could he get angry? Hahaha..."
Bang Geng took the money and said happily, "Uncle Lin was right. Silly Uncle arranged it. We still have several more households to kowtow to. Goodbye!"
With that, they scrambled up and ran toward the Yan family's home.
A moment later, Yan Bugui came out complaining, "That Silly Zhu is too shameless! In past years, it was enough for adults to come over and offer greetings. He had to egg the children on to come kowtow!"
Yan Bugui had not expected children to come kowtow so early in the morning. After all, with the Deaf Old Lady in the courtyard, children usually went to the back courtyard to kowtow. When they came to his home for New Year greetings, saying a few good wishes and making a respectful bow was enough.
So he had not prepared New Year money for the children and had only carried a few lucky bills in his pocket.
After Bang Geng and Xiao Dang thumped their heads against the floor several times, he reached into his pocket and found nothing but one-yuan notes.
With no other choice, he handed out two yuan in New Year money.
After Bang Geng and Xiao Dang left, Yan Bugui became angrier the more he thought about it.
He had originally put several large bills in his pocket on New Year's Eve for good luck, so he would not look poor for the coming year.
That was why he had not brought any ten- or twenty-cent notes, specifically carrying several one-yuan bills instead.
Who would have thought that Bang Geng and Xiao Dang would kowtow two yuan right out of him that morning?
When he learned it had been Silly Zhu's idea, Yan Bugui's teeth ached from anger, and he came out to complain.
Lin Zhen smiled. "Third Master, there'll be more of this next year too. Believe it? There'll definitely be one more than this year."
Yan Bugui thought about it and realized that was right. Next year, Little Huai Hua from the Jia family would be one year old. Maybe she would be able to walk, or Bang Geng might carry her over. Wouldn't that mean another red envelope?
"Th-this... this Silly Zhu is truly outrageous!"
Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li also came out of the house and complained, "That Silly Zhu really is something else. There are elders in the courtyard. How could the children possibly kowtow to us?"
Clearly, the couple had also given out New Year money. But they did not even have children of their own yet, so there was no getting that money back.
Silly Zhu overheard the Yan family's complaints from the central courtyard and chuckled gleefully.
Bang Geng and Xiao Dang had already come out of First Elder Yi Zhonghai's home and were heading to the back courtyard to find Xu Damao and Second Elder Liu Haizhong.
This time, as long as someone in the entire courtyard was married and had a household, Bang Geng and Xiao Dang swept through them all, receiving at least twenty cents each.
If Qin Huairu had not heard Third Master's complaints and come out in time to stop them, Silly Zhu had even planned to lead Bang Geng and Xiao Dang through the whole alley to kowtow.
"Silly Zhu! What kind of nonsense are you making on the first day of the New Year?"
Silly Zhu smiled. "I'm just taking the kids out to have fun. It's all for happiness!"
Bang Geng ran over laughing. "Mom, look how much New Year money my sister and I got!"
Qin Huairu darkened her face. "Give it back! You're making people complain during the holidays."
Bang Geng and Xiao Dang lowered their heads without speaking. Silly Zhu was displeased. "Why should they? The children earned it by kowtowing. Sister Qin, don't be so serious. Whoever complains can come find me. Isn't it just Xu Damao and Old Yan?"
Jia Zhangshi also muttered from inside the house, "Exactly. Whoever complains can have their children come kowtow too, and then we'll return it. Bang Geng, Xiao Dang, come back quickly."
Qin Huairu sighed, said nothing more, and led Bang Geng and Xiao Dang back inside.
When Third Master Yan Bugui learned that everyone in the courtyard had been egged on by Silly Zhu to hand out New Year money,
he proposed holding a full courtyard meeting to criticize Silly Zhu for being disrespectful and ignorant of the rules.
But Yi Zhonghai waved his hand. "No need. Isn't the whole point of the New Year to celebrate? Bang Geng and Xiao Dang kowtowed to you and said auspicious words. How much you give is entirely up to you."
Liu Haizhong also shook his head. "Don't make things unpleasant on the first day of the New Year. Hold the meeting in a couple of days."
Silly Zhu smiled. "Third Master, you gave too much and now your heart aches, right? Hehe, serves you right!"
"Hey, Silly Zhu, you!"
"What about me? If you don't like it, bite me!"
"I... I... I won't lower myself to your level!"
"Hey! That's more like it. Look at how generous Lin Zhen is. He gave two yuan to each of them right away. Even his own sons wouldn't get that much!"
Lin Zhen smiled. "Shut up, Silly Zhu. Keep your voice down. If the person in the inner room hears you, he'll start overthinking and get mad enough to drop dead again."
Silly Zhu hurriedly covered his mouth and chuckled. "From now on, let's chat in the front or back courtyard, not the central courtyard. We have to watch everything we say here. It's too stifling."
Yi Zhonghai shot him a glare. "You know someone likes to overthink things, so say less!"
The atmosphere in the Jia family was completely different from the festive New Year mood in the courtyard.
Jia Dongxu, in the inner room of the western house, heard every word of the courtyard's laughter and conversation.
He was furious to the extreme, feeling that everyone in the courtyard was taking jabs at him.
Especially his Master, Yi Zhonghai, who had actually implied that he was overthinking things. And Silly Zhu had deliberately mentioned how much Lin Zhen gave the children. Wasn't that meant to anger him to death?
Lin Zhen had always been cold toward his family and had never given New Year money in previous years. This time, he actually gave the children four yuan? What kind of joke was that? It had to be deliberate!
He had worked himself into a mental dead end, but he no longer had the strength to curse anyone.
From the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month until now, two days had passed. He had only drunk two mouthfuls of thin soup, had no appetite at all, felt swollen with rage inside, and was weak all over.
And Qin Huairu had suddenly become numb as well. No matter how Jia Dongxu cursed her, she only lowered her head and cried, never saying a word in rebuttal.
Jia Dongxu stared at the ceiling, suppressing his anger as he drifted into a drowsy sleep once more.
Before you continue