Restarting life in Siheyuan

Just after passing through the moon gate, she saw a man hurried into the middle courtyard. He was quite old and carrying a bag on his back. Yu Li didn't recognize him, but he looked vaguely familiar. Just as she was thinking it was strange, the man went straight to the main room in the middle courtyard without saying a word.

This man looks somewhat like Chef He. Could he be the long-missing father of He Yuzhu and his sister? I heard that he has been gone for more than ten years. I hurriedly leaned on the pillar of the veranda to look around, only to hear a scream coming from the main room. It was the old lady who spoke.

"He Daqing, you still remember to come back."

For a moment, the main room in the middle courtyard was in chaos. She could hear a man explaining in a low voice, a woman crying, and Chef He's whispered questioning. Seeing that the door of the uncle's house was opened and a little head of a kid appeared at the door of the Jia family, Yu Li didn't dare to peek anymore.

In the room, He Daqing was explaining anxiously.

"Isn't it okay? I agreed to come here yesterday. Your Aunt Bai is sick, so I just took her home from the hospital. I rushed over here as fast as I could."

The Shazhu brother and sister had no impression of "Aunt Bai" at all and ignored her completely, still with a stern face, the old lady advised.

"Zhu Zi, forget it. He is your father after all. There are reasons for everything. Don't make a fuss about it. I know this Xiao Bai. He has been in poor health since he was young."

"That's right. After all, I am your father. I have made it clear. What else do you want? Do you want me to kowtow to you and admit my mistakes?"

Seeing the old lady's support, He Daqing took the opportunity and seemed to get angry. He looked at Sha Zhu with a sidelong glance, with more white than black in his eyes, and seemed very unhappy. Lou Xiao'e looked at her father-in-law who seemed to be more generous than her husband, and her mouth was open for a long time without closing.

"Of course you are the boss, I can't control you. Now you decide what to do. The wedding is over, and the neighbors have all finished eating and gone home. Do you want me to call them back and set up a few more tables so that everyone can congratulate you? Do you think that's okay?"

Sha Zhu naturally didn't look happy either, and uttered a few sarcastic remarks, which made He Daqing very angry. But when he looked at Lou Xiao'e who couldn't close her mouth, he felt that it was not appropriate to lose his temper in front of his new wife, so he had to suppress his temper.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I came here from hundreds of miles away, how could I be wrong? Hurry up, I'm still hungry. Where's my new wife? Make some hot soup for me, and some tea for my wife. I have to rush back overnight."

Sha Zhu was very unhappy after being scolded by his father who had not returned for more than ten years. He was already very angry about this matter. But before he could say anything, he saw the old lady knocking the ground hard with her crutch.

"He Daqing, today is my grandson's big day, don't mess with me. Zhuzi has such a big event, you didn't come on time. You said you have a reason, we don't blame you, but don't bully him because I am his father. I won't allow you to show off here."

After being yelled at by the old lady, He Daqing lost his previous momentum, and the old lady then turned her head.

"Ezi, check if there are any leftovers, give this old man some, and send them to my room. Zhuzi, you guys should do your own things and ignore him. He Daqing, why are you still standing there? Help me go back."

He Daqing glanced at Lou Xiao'e again, as if he wanted to say something, but the old lady knocked on the floor, so He Daqing had to give up the idea and helped the old lady out.

In the old lady's room in the backyard, the old lady was sitting on an official hat chair. He Daqing poured himself a glass of water and sat down.

"Tell me, how is Xiaobai now? How have you two been doing these years? No one has any suspicions, right..."

"We have been very careful and followed the rules over the years, so nothing has happened. We have been to the hospital a lot and tried many traditional prescriptions, but my body is still not good. There is nothing I can do."

"You've suffered a lot over the years. Our family has let you down. Xiaobai has been a burden to you, but your two children are doing well now..."

"Don't say that. If it weren't for you, I would have died early. Besides, I really like Xiaobai..." The voice became lower and lower until it was inaudible.

"Is it your father who hasn't shown up for more than ten years who has returned?"

In He Yushui's room, Yu Haitang whispered to the old classmate who had just entered.

He Yushui nodded with a complicated expression, "You said this matter is very urgent, I see my father is making a fuss as soon as he comes back, my brother may not be able to take care of it, and he has to bring my sister-in-law back tomorrow. How about this, I will take you to find my brother, my brother said that he is more effective than my brother in talking at the steel mill."

In He Yushui's heart, Zhu Xuefeng is like her younger brother. Some things were cut off before they even started, so it's good for him to be a sister.

"Really?" Although Yu Li said so, Yu Haitang still had to pretend not to know and asked back.

"Is this true or not? Hurry up, let's go back to school after we're done. I don't dare to stay here anymore."

Zhu Xuefeng would certainly not refuse He Yushui's request. He should have joined the Propaganda Department of the steel rolling mill, but somehow he got connected with the wrong people and now he is interning at the Cultural Palace under the steel rolling mill. It's really strange.

After leaving the Zhu family's gate, Yu Haitang asked curiously, "This guy is quite easy to talk to. It's such a big deal, and we came here empty-handed, but he agreed without a stutter. He won't..."

He Yushui glared at him unhappily, "He never accepts anything when he does things for him. Besides, I've said something, so how can he ask me for anything? Don't worry, if he agrees, he will definitely put his heart into it. Come on, go back with me to pack up, I'll say hello to my brother and sister-in-law and leave."

"Your father came back from far away, but you really don't want to talk to him. It must have been difficult for your father to leave his hometown. He looks older than my father."

He Yushui stopped and hesitated a little, but the image of He Daqing scolding his brother just now immediately appeared in front of his face again, and the little bit of pity that had just welled up in his heart disappeared.

"Let's go. We have to go to school tomorrow and I don't want to catch the bus so early in the morning."

Looking at He Yushui and her husband who hurriedly left after saying goodbye to her, Lou Xiao'e suddenly felt uneasy. She had been thinking about the happy days after marriage, but the accidental incident of her father-in-law disrupted it, which made Lou Xiao'e have many sudden realizations. Her mother was right, marriage is not just a matter between two people, but a matter between two families. Her father-in-law seemed to have suffered a lot, and the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if they were carved by a knife.

It seems that her temper is not easy to communicate with. I don't know if she will bring the "mother-in-law" she has never met back to live with me. If that is the case, the beautiful life I imagined for my two children, including my sister-in-law, will be greatly reduced. I will have to ask my mother for advice on how to get along with my mother-in-law.

Sha Zhu had already carried the leftovers to the backyard. The old lady was still chatting in a low voice in the room. Sha Zhu thought about it and pushed the door open and put the bowl on the table.

"There's nothing good to eat. Just eat whatever you want. I'll be waiting in front. If you have any instructions, just let me know. Okay, my dear father."

"How can you talk to your father like that?" He Daqing glared at Sha Zhu and was about to teach him a lesson.

"Please find someone to judge. What I said just now was wrong. I also called you my dear father. I was just waiting for you to call me. What's wrong? This is not enough." "Zhu Zi, talk less. Go back and accompany Xiao E first. I will talk to your father. Don't blame him. He is old and it is not easy for him. Go ahead and don't disturb us. Oh, call your uncle over as well.

The old man also knew that He Daqing had returned. He stood at his window looking at the central courtyard. He wanted to go out several times but held back. When he saw Sha Zhu coming to call him, he put on his clothes and went to the backyard.

"Is there something going on between these two old men? The old lady must know."

Looking at his father and then at what the uncle was doing, Sha Zhu always felt that something was wrong. He couldn't figure it out, so he decided to go and accompany Sha Ezi.

He Daqing's return did not cause much impact in the compound. Eighty to ninety percent of the neighbors had only heard of him. Except for an old man and a deaf old lady who talked with He Daqing for an afternoon, He Daqing did not meet anyone else. He stayed in He Yushui's room for one night and then left in a hurry.

"Well, he lives his life and we live ours. Ezi, don't worry, he won't be able to come back."

Before leaving, He Daqing talked with Sha Zhu alone for a while. No one knew what they talked about, but Sha Zhu took out another hundred yuan and stuffed it into his father's arms, then sent him out of the yard.

Life in the compound became peaceful again. There was no change except that Lou Xiao'e followed Sha Zhu back to the compound after get off work. Until one day, Yu Haitang came back with He Yushui and went to thank Zhu Xuefeng. Only then did people know that this beautiful girl had also joined the steel mill and would go to the publicity department of the steel mill for internship next week.

"There's nothing to thank you for. Just take the gift back. You're Yu Saozi's sister and Sister Yushui's classmate, so of course I have to help you. To be honest, I'm just delivering a message. Others did the work. I wanted you to come and thank them in person, but they kept saying no, so there's nothing I can do."

"No matter what, I have to thank you. Without your help, this would have been impossible. My sister said you don't accept gifts, and I didn't dare to break your rules. It's just a little fruit, it's not a big deal. You can't just throw this away."

Yu Haitang still looks a little immature, but she is quite courageous. The second time she met Zhu Xuefeng, she showed her bold and aggressive side.

"Brother Xiao Zhu, just accept it. This is a little gift from my sister. When you are free, I will cook a few dishes and come to our house. You always help our family for free, and I always feel bad about it."

"Sister-in-law, let's put it this way. I'll accept the fruit, but I won't really need it in the future. As for visiting your home, I appreciate it, but time is really tight right now. You may not know that I've been at the factory every night for the past six months. I'm really busy. Let's talk about it later when we have time. We're all neighbors, so there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng's insistence, the two had no choice but to give up and leave. In fact, Yu Li was also muttering, she only had two dollars in her pocket, what should she buy?

"Sister, I'm going back first. Come back when I have time."

Yu Haitang walked out of the yard happily and met Yan Jiecheng who was riding back on a bicycle. She greeted him with a smile.

"Brother-in-law, I just got back from get off work."

"Hey, Haitang, what are you so happy about? Now that you're here, why don't you go home and sit for a while?"

"Brother-in-law, no, I just finished talking to my sister. My business is done. I have to go home and tell my family. Brother-in-law, I'm leaving."

Watching Yu Haitang skipping away with her two pigtails swinging in the air, Yan Jiecheng hurriedly pushed the cart home. He held back a lot of words and patiently listened to his father's teachings. After finally finishing his meal, he and Yu Li returned to the backyard, closed the door and started complaining.

"Your sister's business is done, how about your business?"

"I haven't believed it yet. What did you hear?"

Yu Li thought that the steel mill had already had the news and that she had no chance, but she didn't expect Yan Jiecheng to shake his head.

"What news can I have? Tell me what you did. Haitang succeeded, but you delayed yours. In my opinion, you helped her unnecessarily. Look at her, she is so happy now, but she didn't even come to thank you. Besides, Xiao Zhu is the same. He can help solve your sister's problems. After all, we are decent neighbors, but he doesn't care. I think there is something wrong with this boy."

Although Yu Li was also a little anxious about her temporary job, she still defended Xiao Zhu, "He is a college student, and he will be assigned a job after graduation. Of course, it is easy to handle the internship. I am nothing, and I don't have a job position. What are you going to do for Xiao Zhu? You say Xiao Zhu has a problem, but I think you have a problem in your brain. He has helped our family so many times, but you look at him like this. You really don't see it."

Yan Jiecheng was filled with sour feelings, and when he saw that his wife was still defending Zhu Xuefeng, he couldn't help but vomit.

"You, you are just a loser. Why is he so concerned about your sister? It's only been a few days and your sister has already changed her internship unit. What about you? I'm not saying anything bad about him, but I think this guy has his eyes on Haitang."

"Bullshit, what's in your head? It's not like you haven't seen Xiao Zhu's girlfriend before, how could he like my sister? You are so narrow-minded. If Xiao Zhu helps me get it done, does that mean he likes me? What the hell."

Yu Li got angry rarely. The man now had a few dollars in his pocket and seemed to have changed a little. It seemed that their relationship could never go back to the way it was before.

"Okay, okay, forget what I said. Just wait and see. With such a beautiful girl, I don't believe this guy would help her for nothing."

Yan Jiecheng left the house after saying that. He now had a few dollars in his pocket. He dared to go to parties that he didn't dare to go to before when his coworkers invited him. He had more than three dollars and twenty dollars in his pocket. He didn't just earn that much following Uncle Niu. He had dozens of dollars in his pocket. He really had to get along well with Uncle Niu in the future. As a colleague said, money can make a hero fall. A man must have some money in his pocket. Money is a man's courage.

"Xiao Zhu, come here, let me tell you, the matter with that girl was done last time, and the Propaganda Department was very happy about it."

"Leader, this is really difficult for you. I have already decided on an internship unit and it will be very troublesome for you to change the place. I will bring the girl here and thank you in person."

"It's not a big deal. They are all on the payroll. Just give the Cultural Palace a heads up. I've met her before. She's a nice person. She's well-educated and has a lot of drive. Let's let her train at the grassroots level first and see how she does it."

It seemed that this man had finally realized the truth about Yu Haitang and seemed quite satisfied. The two of them sat down and lit a cigarette, and Director Yang spoke again.

"Let her exercise first to see her character. The most important thing when hiring people is integrity. Morality should be put first. If this is not up to standard, the greater the ability, the greater the harm. This is a profound lesson."

"Director, please don't explain to me or teach me. I don't manage people. You asked me to come here just to smoke a cigarette with you, did you?"

Old Yang never shows up for dinner invitations, and certainly never accepts gifts. Zhu Xuefeng knows this very well. If you want to give him tea or something, that's fine, but if you want to ask for a favor, Old Yang won't accept even tea. (End of this chapter)