mtl008 Chapter 205 "He Yuzhu" 9
Chapter 205 "He Yuzhu" 9
Meanwhile, back at the courtyard house, after seeing the Wang family off, the neighbors cleaned up the tables, chairs, bowls, and plates and moved them back to their own homes, and also cleaned up the courtyard.
After dismantling the stove, He Daqing's fellow apprentices also sent their disciples home, as they would be having dinner at the He family's house that evening.
In the main bedroom of the main house, Sister-in-law He Daqing sat with Wang Yan on the kang (a heated brick bed), and He Yushui was also there. There were some snacks on the small kang table, and the group chatted in the room.
He Yuzhu was cooking dinner in the kitchen. There was no other way; besides He Yushui, he was the youngest in the family, so if he didn't do the work, who would?
When the group was having dinner in the main room that evening, He Daqing's senior brother said to Wang Yan, "Sister-in-law, you can rest assured and live a peaceful life with Daqing from now on. Zhuzi and Yushui are sensible people, so don't worry. If Daqing dares to treat you badly in the future, tell your sister-in-law, and I'll beat him up later."
"Yes, if the Qing Dynasty dares to treat you badly, just tell me!"
"Okay! I understand, thank you, senior brother and sister-in-law!" Wang Yan felt much more at ease after hearing what her senior brother He Daqing said.
That evening, the senior brothers didn't urge He Daqing to drink much wine, since they were still going to consummate their marriage. After dinner, they all went home.
When Wang Yan offered to help clear the table, He Yuzhu said, "Aunt Wang, don't bother. I can manage by myself. You take the rainwater to wash up. That girl needs to go to bed soon. I've kept some warm water in the kitchen!"
When He Daqing returned after seeing his fellow apprentices off, he heard this and said, "Listen to Zhu Zi, just let him do the work. Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen so you won't be unable to find things when you're home alone."
"Okay!" Wang Yan responded and went to the kitchen with He Daqing. She was delighted to see the tap and sink in the kitchen. He Daqing then pointed out the rice, flour and cooking oil in the cupboard and took her for a walk around the cellar.
Looking at the several vats of grain in the cellar, Wang Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother He, how come we have so much grain?"
"Hey, it's all because of the fear we felt during the months when the People's Liberation Army entered the city. During those months of siege, our family almost ran out of food. So I was thinking that no matter what, it's always good to have some food at home, so that if something happens, we won't be left with nowhere to buy it."
So, you can eat at home without worry. I'll supplement your diet. Later, I'll give you another million to carry with you. Buy groceries yourself; just follow the old women in the courtyard. I'll tell you more about the situation there later, so you don't get ripped off.”
After the two of them washed up in the rain, He Yuzhu also cleaned up the house. He Yushui had been immersed in the joy of "she has a mother" all day and was very excited. After Wang Yan finished washing her up and put her on the kang (a heated brick bed), she fell asleep.
After covering He Yushui with a small blanket, He Daqing and Wang Yan went back to their room without saying anything more. After washing up, He Yuzhu also went back to his room, took out his earplugs and put them on. The old house was on fire, and the noise at night would probably be quite loud, so it was better to be prepared!
As for making a ruckus in the bridal chamber, don't be ridiculous. He Daqing is much more formidable in this courtyard than the "Silly Zhu" in the original drama. Nobody dares to join in He Daqing's antics, for fear that he might retaliate against them later.
Inside the master bedroom, after the lovemaking had just ended, He Daqing lit a cigarette, leaned against the headboard, and said to Wang Yan, "Yanzi, our courtyard is a bit complicated. Everyone has their own agenda. If you can get along with those old women, then get along with them; if you can't, then ignore them."
However, there are a few people we should be careful about. One is the deaf old lady in the backyard. This yard used to belong to her family. We bought these rooms from her; they were her private houses. After liberation, she donated the extra rooms to the state, so the neighborhood committee registered her as a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans).
This old lady isn't deaf, but she's good at pretending. If she doesn't want to hear something, she simply won't. She has a sweet tooth, so if you cook something delicious at home and she comes to ask for some, just give her some; don't go out of your way to bring her things.
Then there's Jia Zhangshi from our Intermediate People's Court. She's the fattest woman in the whole court, and also the most difficult shrew in the entire compound. Ever since her husband, Old Jia, died in an accident at the factory a few years ago, she's become even more outrageous.
When you're with her, just treat her like the most difficult woman in your village. Don't let yourself get taken advantage of. That woman is always trying to take advantage of others. If you really can't handle her, just mention me. I beat up Jia Zhangshi once for being unreasonable, so she's a bit afraid of me.
Then there's Li Cuilan, the wife of Yi Zhonghai from the Intermediate People's Court. The Yi couple have no children, and now they've taken Jia Dongxu from the Jia family as their apprentice, presumably intending for Jia Dongxu to support them in their old age.
This couple is the most upright in the neighborhood. However, Old Yi is a bit of a hypocrite. For example, regarding their childlessness, he always claims it's because his wife is unwell. But I think it's most likely his own problem. Before Liberation, he had many women, and none of them got pregnant. But don't mention any of this to Li Cuilan. Let's just live our own lives.
Li Cuilan is a nice person. When the rain was lighter, I was busy working outside and couldn't take good care of the children, so she took good care of Yushui. Be polite to her when you're with her, and you can ask her if you don't know anything about the area.
I don't usually interact with the other families. You can see how they are doing in the courtyard. The Yan family in the front yard only moved in this year. They seem quite shrewd and calculating, but Old Yan is an educated man after all, so he still has a certain moral compass.
I paid her wife a little money to make me put on a quilt, and she did a great job. If it doesn't work out, I'll let her take advantage of me a little later. Yushui will be going to school soon, and I can feel more at ease with Teacher Yan looking after her at school.
"Just get a general idea of what's going on. If anything comes up, just wait until I get off work and tell me."
"Okay, Brother He, I understand. I'll let you know if anything else happens later." Wang Yan had been responding with "uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh" the whole time. Now that He Daqing had finished speaking, she could roughly figure out who was in charge based on everyone's behavior at the lunch banquet.
Anyway, there's plenty of time ahead, so we'll stop this small talk and rest.
The next morning, He Yuzhu got up, washed up, and made breakfast. He had to go back to work today. His master had given him two days off to help out at home, but now that his father's wedding was over, he naturally had to go back to work at the restaurant.
He Daqing does have three days of wedding leave. The three people in the main house haven't gotten up yet. To be precise, Wang Yan woke up in the morning and was about to get up to cook, but He Daqing stopped her. Yes, that's a verb.
So after He Yuzhu finished cooking and ate, he left the rest of the food in the pot to keep warm, then walked to work. He left the bicycle at home for his father to take his wife shopping and to his parents' house.