Restarting life in Siheyuan

We arrived at the Beijing Airport at almost seven o'clock. When we returned to the entrance of the alley, it was already late. The children playing in the alley had already gone home, and the dim light bulbs in the alley had been turned on.

A few neighbors passed by on their bikes, and after riding a few steps they reached the yard next door, got off their bikes while joking with each other, and pushed their bikes home. They were dressed simply and were thin, but their faces were full of happiness.

After saying hello, Zhu Xuefeng also arrived at the yard and stepped inside. There were still a few children in the outer yard who had not returned home. They were playing in the small courtyard under the moonlight, and they kept imitating gunshots in their mouths.

"Xiao Ben, why don't you go home? Your father will come looking for you soon and will spank you."

"Uncle Feng, hehe."

Niu Xiaoben turned around and saw that it was Zhu Xuefeng, he smiled innocently and called out.

Zhu Xuefeng touched Xiao Ben's head and said, "Go back and play tomorrow. This is for you. Read it when you get home."

Zhu Xuefeng liked this little guy very much. He was very sensible, but he was a boy after all and a little playful. It was only natural that an old man likes to have a son in his middle age, otherwise why would he not come home so late and make a noise at the door of someone else's house? He should have been spanked long ago.

"Thank you, Uncle Feng."

Niu Xiaoben happily took the small bag. No need to guess, as usual, there must be more than a dozen candies inside.

"No more fighting, no more fighting, let's share the candy."

A few little kids came out from the darkness and surrounded Niu Xiaoben to share candy. That's the good thing about Niu Xiaoben, he would share good things with his friends, so he was very popular in the outer yard. There were few kids of his age in the backyard, so Niu Xiaoben often hung out in the outer yard.

I was somewhat surprised to see Banggeng showing up and playing shooting with his friends. I remember that last year, all the kids in the yard didn't want to play with him, but I didn't expect that a year later, they would be together again. It turns out that kids are the easiest to get along with.

After entering the front yard, I saw from afar that the lights were still on at home, but it was dark next door. It should be the two girls who were still helping with tutoring. The front yard was very quiet, with only a dark shadow sitting on the steps leading to the middle yard. Upon closer inspection, it was Sha Zhu who was in a daze.

Zhu Xuefeng took off his backpack and held it in his hand, then took a few steps forward and came to Sha Zhu's side.

"What are you doing? It's already dark and you're not going home. What the hell are you doing here?"

Sha Zhu finally came back to his senses, looked up and saw that it was Zhu Xuefeng, he grinned and gave him a smile, but still looked listless.

"It's okay. I'm bored and don't want to go home. I'll just sit here on the stone for a while. It's late now anyway and no one will notice me. Brother, you're back so late too. Go home quickly. I'll sit here by myself for a while."

Looking through the middle door, the lights in Sha Zhu's house were still on, but there was someone sitting there. It felt a little weird. Since Sha Zhu had kicked him out, Zhu Xuefeng decided not to stay any longer. Besides, he had been away for almost a week and wanted to go home quickly.

"Okay, you sit down for a while, I'll go home first."

Zhu Xuefeng turned and left. Sha Zhu looked at the house with the lights on, feeling a little confused. After hesitating for a moment, he called out to Zhu Xuefeng again.

"Hey, brother, if you have time, please help me think about it. I'm in a state of confusion right now."

Zhu Xuefeng was in a dilemma. It seemed that something really happened and he was in a hurry to go home.

"Okay, I'll put my bag down first and we'll go to your house and talk."

The fool looked at his home with resentment and shook his head, "Let's go out for a walk."

"It's so late, why don't you go out for a walk?"

Zhu Xuefeng stared, there was indeed something wrong with Shazhu.

"What's the matter? We are two grown men, who are we afraid of? We are just going to take a stroll in the alley. We won't run into the patrol team."

"Okay, wait for me a moment."

After a brief report, the four of them recovered from their joy and put down their bags amid the surprise of their younger siblings and the two girls. Zhu Xuefeng smiled apologetically.

"I have to go out for something and will be back soon."

"What kind of people are they? They just got home and they run away."

Xia Yuhong rolled her eyes in annoyance. Zhu Xuefeng could only pretend not to see it and closed the door with a smug look on his face. Sha Zhu was already waiting outside the yard, with his hands behind his back and his head down, struggling with a small bump on the ground.

"Let's go. We can't talk about anything at home. We have to come out. If it's any later, Uncle San will close the shop."

"It's okay. I said hello to Uncle Three when you went back just now. I'll lock the door when we come back."

It turned out to be September already. The uncle saw that Sha Zhu still hadn't arranged the furniture and the house, and hadn't followed the procedures, so he got worried for Sha Zhu and called him over to ask him about it. Sha Zhu didn't dare to tell the truth, so he could only say that something unexpected happened at the Lou family and the wedding might have to be postponed.

The old man was not happy when he heard it. "Zhu Zi, since this capitalist is holding back on your marriage, I think you should just call it quits. It's not like you can't find someone. I can't say anything else, but with your qualifications, there are definitely many people in our steel mill who would be interested. If you're willing, I'll ask someone to help you ask."

Sha Zhu didn't dare to say too much, he just stammered and said that Lou Bancheng was making trouble and he wanted to wait a little longer. Unexpectedly, the eldest uncle became even more unhappy. He supported it reluctantly at the time. Everyone agreed, including the old ancestor in the backyard, so he had to nod. Seeing that things didn't seem to be going well, he had another idea.

"What are you talking about, old man? They are both on good terms. As the saying goes, reconciliation is better than separation. Why are you bringing this up again?"

It was rare for an aunt to criticize an uncle. In her eyes, Lou Xiao'e was a good girl, a good match for Zhuzi, and they had a good relationship, so of course they were happy to be a couple.

"Isn't it that her family is not happy about it? Zhuzi, a man should have a wife. Listen to me and have some backbone. This matter should be ended. If you delay it any longer, you will be too old. You will be 27 years old if you don't get married. It will be three years if you delay it. Get married early and have a child. Your aunt can help take care of it for a few more years."

Sha Zhu was very depressed. He had a lot to say but couldn't say it. In fact, he felt aggrieved. He would not give up Lou Xiao'e, but the Lou family didn't leave either. The two of them couldn't get the marriage certificate, so he was also very depressed.

"Master, don't say anything. I will definitely not let go of Ezi. I know this."

Leaving the old man's house very unhappy, Sha Zhu asked Lou Xiao'e to come to his house today to talk in detail. The two discussed it over and over again but could not come up with any good ideas. Finally, Lou Xiao'e said that if she went to the house again to steal the household registration book, if she stole it, she would tear up the certificate without caring about anything. If Mr. Lou made a fuss again, Lou Xiao'e would move in by herself.

Sha Zhu was just feeling touched when Qin Huairu came in with a new quilt, saying that she wanted to try it out on the bed for size. Then Sha Zhu remembered that Auntie and Qin Huairu had helped him prepare new bedding. It was just strange that the quilt was made according to the size of the new furniture, so why was it made to fit the current bed?

"Well, that's about right, Xiao'e. Is it okay for me to call you that?"

Qin Huairu smiled as she looked Lou Xiaoe up and down, which made Lou Xiaoe feel uncomfortable. Why did she feel like a mother-in-law looking at her daughter-in-law? She was very unhappy the last time Qin Huairu came to find Sha Zhu's dirty clothes. She always felt that this woman had ulterior motives, but Sha Zhu didn't seem to sense it. But since she was being polite now, Lou Xiaoe could only smile along.

"No problem, sister-in-law, thank you, I like this quilt very much."

Lou Xiao'e held the quilt made of bright red fabric in her hands and put aside the strange feeling in her heart. The quilt was made quite well, with tight stitches and a neat quilt cover. It seemed that a lot of effort had been put into it. Lou Xiao'e had some illusions for a moment. Was she too nervous and misunderstood Qin Huairu? How could this person have other thoughts when she prepared a new quilt for her so attentively?
Lou Xiao'e relaxed her guard and happily felt the softness of the quilt with her face, while looking forward to the wedding scene.

"This is just right for autumn use. It's six pounds of cotton, not too light or too heavy, just the right size. If it fits, I'll make my next new quilt according to this size. Then we'll have two new quilts, and they'll be beautiful together."

Lou Xiao'e was very happy. Although the way this beautiful woman looked at people made her uncomfortable, her words sounded very nice. She might have been too narrow-minded and misunderstood her. This time, she made up her mind to go back and steal the household registration booklet and ask her mother for help.

Qin Huairu folded the quilt and picked it up again, "Zhu Zi, do you have any change of clothes these two days? Give them to sister-in-law, I will take them back and help you wash them. It's really annoying that I have to come to your house every time to ask for them. You are a grown man and you are going to get married. You have to be more particular, otherwise, you are not worthy of our Miss Xiao'e."

Sha Zhu smirked, "No need, just a few coats, I can just rub them myself, what's the point of being a chef? No matter how clean they are, once they are by the stove, they will be the same with smoke and fire."

Qin Huairu rolled her eyes, with an indescribable feeling, turned her head and saw the coat on the stool in front of the bed, picked it up, Sha Zhu wanted to refuse, Qin Huairu smiled and said, "Are you shy? Sister-in-law has been washing for you for several years, but this is the first time I see you being so shy, it's really interesting, you are going to get married, you have to act like a man, where are your underwear, bring them all over, you still want me to find them one by one."

It was time to wash clothes again. Lou Xiao'e was startled. She had to climb up the pole to wash her underwear. Looking at Qin Huairu not far away, Lou Xiao'e's heart began to sink.

Sha Zhu looked at Lou Xiao'e who was standing aside with a playful look on her face, and blushed, "Sister Qin, thank you, it's really not a bother for you, I can wash it myself, okay, you should hurry up, if you don't go back, Huaihua will cry again."

"Why are you in such a hurry? I still want to chat with my sister. Sister, if you don't mind, come to our house and sit down. By the way, I'm going to make the mattress with four layers. I don't know if you like it. It's a good opportunity for you to go and take a look."

Lou Xiao'e looked at Sha Zhu strangely, then composed herself and said with a smile.

"That's great, but I'm sorry to have to trouble my sister-in-law."

"We're neighbors, there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Your Zhuzi has helped me a lot. The adults, children and elders in our family all remember his kindness. Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to make ends meet in the past few years. And my sister's job was also helped by him asking someone else to help..."

At this point, Sha Zhu sighed and said leisurely, "I don't know what gossip Ezi heard from Sister Qin. She got upset with me when she came back. She threw all the quilts and mattresses on the bed to the floor, and threw out some of my clothes, saying that she didn't want them anymore and asked me to buy new ones. When you came back, I had just sent her out of the hospital, but you didn't let me. I found Sister Qin helping to clean up my house before I went home, so I didn't go home."

"Brother Zhuzi, weren't those quilts, mattresses, and clothes all made by Sister Qin?"

Sha Zhu blushed and whispered, "That's right, how can a grown man like me do this? I used to bring some lunch boxes and some meat dishes to their house from time to time. Sister Qin has a sewing machine and she has good craftsmanship, so of course I asked her to help. What's the matter? Is it because of this? It's impossible. Ezi is a very sensible person. Brother, please help me make a decision. What should I do about this matter?"

After understanding the cause of the matter, Zhu Xuefeng did not take it seriously. Although it was a little different from the original drama, there was no doubt that Qin Huairu had bad intentions. But it was too late. Sha Zhu and Lou Xiao'e had a good relationship, and this little trick would not work. He just didn't understand why Qin Huairu, who had been silent for a long time, started to act like a troublemaker again.

"What should I do? Just go and talk to Lou Xiao'e. She must be upset and think that you are too close to her. You even wash her underwear. You know, parents wash their sons' underwear, daughters-in-law wash men's underwear, and you even avoid washing your father-in-law's underwear. How can you?"

Only then did Sha Zhu realize that it was indeed very wrong, but he also felt a little aggrieved.

"How would I know this? No one cared about me since I was a kid. I actually felt that it was a little inappropriate, but since no one mind me, I just acted shamelessly. But that was two years ago. Xiong Lin used to help me wash, and she didn't remind me."

Zhu Xuefeng patted Sha Zhu's shoulder and comforted him.

"It's just a small matter, just talk it out. If Xiao'e is unhappy, it's because she has you in her heart. It's okay, just tell the truth, just talk it out. But don't be silly and bring up Xiong Lin, otherwise you will be in trouble."

After listening to Zhu Xuefeng's analysis, Sha Zhu also felt that Lou Xiao'e behaved like this because she cared about him, so he started smiling again and moved closer with a smile.

"My name is Shazhu, not a fool. Oh, what's going on here? Sister Qin is the same. She must be aware of this. She's still acting like she used to. Isn't this just putting pressure on me? No, I have to go talk to her about this. What's going on here?"

Zhu Xuefeng stopped Sha Zhu who was about to turn around and go back.

"You are already in a relationship, so keep your distance from her. It will be good for everyone. They say widows are prone to gossip. Why are you going to go to her house to give everyone something to talk about after dinner?"

The two men returned to the yard. Sha Zhu casually locked the gate and entered the front yard. They saw the third uncle with a smile on his face.

"Uncle, you don't believe me or what? The door is locked. You should go back and have some rest."

"Don't you think you two are coming back? Come on, go to bed early. I'll go to bed too."

Seeing that the lights in his own house were also turned off, Sha Zhu said goodbye to Zhu Xuefeng and went home with peace of mind. However, he didn't know that there was someone in the Jia family not far away who had been waiting for him to come back.

Qin Huairu was also very upset. She learned from an old lady yesterday that there were some twists and turns in Sha Zhu's case. For some reason, this idea popped up in her mind.

When Sha Zhu's marriage was finalized, she felt like something important was lost and felt very sad. Whenever she thought about it occasionally, she felt inexplicably sad.

Today, when I saw Lou Xiao'e coming to my house, I was inexplicably compelled to go over to take a look. There was nothing special in fact, I just wanted to take a look to make myself feel at ease. Unexpectedly, when I saw Lou Xiao'e with her face pressed against the quilt with a look of happiness on her face, my heart felt as if it was being cut by a knife. I couldn't control myself and acted out a scene. I invited Lou Xiao'e to my house again. I spoke in a nonchalant tone, but every word I said revealed my intimacy with Sha Zhu.

Seeing Lou Xiao'e slamming the door and leaving with red eyes, he felt a little panicky. He thought he must have seen a ghost. Why was she doing such a thing for no reason?

Seeing Sha Zhu sitting at the gate of the central courtyard and not coming back, he felt sad again. He felt like he was possessed. To be honest, Sha Zhu had never let himself down.

Qin Huairu really couldn't understand it, and she didn't think she had fallen in love with Sha Zhu, but every time she thought about Sha Zhu moving further and further away, and that if they got married this time, they would never be able to go back to the past, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable. She always felt like her most precious thing was gone, and she felt very depressed.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Banggeng saw his mother holding his schoolbag in a daze and asked her, and found out that the schoolbag was broken again.

"It's okay. There's a bug in my eye. I feel uncomfortable."

Qin Huairu rubbed her eyes, put down her schoolbag, went to the water tank to get some clean water, and wiped her eyes a few times.

"Mom is fine, go to bed early. Also, don't fight with the wild kids outside. Look at you, there's a big hole in your schoolbag again. It's hard to sew it."

Banggeng didn't say anything. He just lay on the kang, staring at the ceiling in a daze. The ten-year-old Banggeng had experienced so many things at home, and he obviously spoke less.

Qin Huairu was still whispering, "Only those who have no ability like to fight. We Banggeng are capable, not like them. Mom will sew it for you today, and tomorrow I will find a star to cover it. No one will be able to see that it was sewn underneath."

In the past, Banggeng would definitely not be happy to use a book that had been patched several times, but now he doesn't seem to care as much as before.

"Mom, didn't Silly Uncle always get into fights before? Do you think he is also incompetent?"

Qin Huairu was a little panicked and scolded in a low voice with unfounded arguments.

"Why are you calling your uncle a fool for no reason? He is an adult, not like you kids. He fought with others before, but it was because others provoked him. Okay, okay, go to sleep."

Unexpectedly, Bang Geng was relentless, "Uncle Sha has his reasons for fighting. Someone always bullies me, so it's the same if I fight with him."

"who bullied you?"

"Those guys at the east entrance of the alley, every time I passed by there after school, they would call me a bad kid who had no father to teach or raise, and said my father was not a good person, so I couldn't help but fight with them."

Qin Huairu felt bitter. It was common for children without fathers to be bullied outside. She had heard about it a lot, but this time it was her family's turn. She felt really sad.

"They've been bullying you? How long?"

Qin Huairu decided to find out more clearly and go to their house tomorrow. If that doesn't work, she will report to the street office. Qin Huairu knew those bad boys well and knew that they often hung out in the alleys and bullied other children.

"It's been a long time. After my father left, he often bullied me."

Qin Huairu was a little angry. It had been such a long time and the silly boy never told any of his stories when he got home. She decided to have a good talk with the boy's parents, but suddenly she remembered something.

"Then why did you fight with others at school? Were you bullied too?"

Banggeng was hesitant and didn't say anything, which was probably not a good thing. Qin Huairu had no choice but to watch Banggeng refuse to speak.

(End of this chapter)