Restarting life in Siheyuan

"Bang Geng, where's grandma? Why don't you stay at home?"

Qin Huairu, who had just stepped out of the jeep, rubbed her sore waist and watched the jeep go away. Turning around, she saw three figures standing blankly under the street lights in the alley. They were her three children.

Bang Geng had a gloomy face. Qin Huairu couldn't see clearly under the street light, but she could only hear him gnashing his teeth. "Mom, who was in the car just now?"

Qin Huairu was startled. She didn't expect that her son saw her getting off the car. Fortunately, he didn't do anything excessive, otherwise it would be really bad.

"It's the driver from my mother's unit. My mother was not feeling well today, so the driver did her a favor and sent her back."

"But why did you come back later than usual?"

Qin Huairu looked at Banggeng, then at her two daughters who were looking at her with wide eyes. Banggeng has grown up and he needs to pay attention to some things.

"Mom said she was not feeling well. She tried to take some rest at work, but it didn't work, so the master sent me back. Where's your grandma? Why don't you three stay at home? What are you doing outside?"

Seeing that Banggeng didn't answer, Qin Huairu pulled Xiaodang over and said, "Xiaodang, tell me if something happened to grandma. Why did you run out?"

"Mom, grandma fell down. When she came back from the hospital, she scolded us and said we stole her money..."

"Xiaodang!" Banggeng growled, and Xiaodang shut up immediately. Qin Huairu was relieved to hear that her mother-in-law was at home. She was afraid that her mother-in-law would do something weird. It didn't matter if she fell. She couldn't be relied on anyway, so it would be better for her to lie down and avoid trouble.

"Let's go home with mom. Have you had dinner?"

Xiaodang looked at his brother and said carefully, "I ate it. It was the vegetables and steamed bread that Grandpa Yi sent."

Qin Huairu breathed a sigh of relief again. She was afraid that her mother-in-law would go to the hospital. The three children have been hungry until now. "Come home with mom. I have some food in my pocket. If you are not full, you can eat some later."

"Yeah." Upon hearing that there was food, even the smallest Huaihua ran away happily. Mother often brought back vegetables now, and they were all delicious, but she didn't let us eat them and insisted that they be saved until the next day at noon. Today, she could actually try it in the evening.

Qin Huairu brought her three children into the yard. Many families in the big yard had turned off the lights. When they entered the middle yard and opened the door, they heard her mother-in-law suddenly scolding.

"Bang Geng, you little brat, you still remember to come back. Grandma loves you in vain. You even stole your grandma's pension money just for these two money-losing bastards."

Qin Huairu looked at her son who was cowering behind her in surprise. Then she looked at the many vegetables left on the table and guessed what had happened.

"Mom, I'm back. I heard from Bang Geng that you fell and went to the hospital. What happened?"

As soon as Qin Huairu asked, Jia Zhang immediately perked up and started talking about the whole thing in a rambling manner, cursing Uncle Liu's family in the outer courtyard, saying that they watched someone die without helping, that they deserved a bad death, that they took advantage of someone's misfortune, and that they gave birth to a child without an anus...

It took Qin Huairu a long time to figure out that the family in the front yard had offended her mother-in-law and refused to lend her a cart to take her to the hospital. Even Liu Haizhong's intervention didn't work. In the end, she had no choice but to borrow a dirt bike from the next yard to take her to the hospital, where she suffered a lot from the bumpy ride.

"Mom, how are you now? Can you get out of bed?"

Jia Zhang turned over and cried out a few times, "You can see that I'm in this condition. The doctor said that I can't expect to get out of bed for the time being. I won't be able to recover for at least ten days or half a month."

Qin Huairu was in a dilemma. Her mother-in-law didn't get up, so even if she left some food for herself, she couldn't expect Xiaodang to heat up the food at noon. Besides, she might have to serve her mother-in-law a meal. Banggeng had to go to school, so she couldn't rely on him. Her cousin Qin Jingru was also at work, so she couldn't be used either.

"Have you eaten dinner?"

"I ate it. I thought you didn't remember it at all. I forced Liu Haizhong to make me a hospital meal in the hospital, but when I came back, I found that my pension money was less."

Qin Huairu had a headache, why did it happen again? She couldn't help but glare at her son. Bang Geng acted as if nothing had happened, pulled his two sisters away, and went straight to the kang.

"I went to the hospital, registered for medical treatment and got medicine, and it cost Liu Haizhong one dollar and twenty-four cents in total. He is waiting for you to pay him back. He didn't have the nerve to ask for money for the meal, so you don't have to pay any attention to him."

"Okay, I got it." Jia Zhang also knew to return the money Liu Haizhong spent to him. This was progress. Qin Huairu didn't know that this was because her mother-in-law knew that Liu Haizhong was now very powerful. She was a little worried in her heart and didn't dare to offend him.

Thinking of the troubles at home tomorrow at noon, Qin Huairu had a headache. Ever since she had a fight with the two kids across the street and made the auntie angry, Qin Huairu no longer had the face to throw her children to the auntie.

"Mom, I'm going to Liu Haizhong's house to pay you back for the medicine."

Jia Zhang closed her eyes and snorted. She didn't think much of this daughter-in-law, but sometimes she seemed okay, like now, when she took the initiative to come to her house to pay back the debt for her, which made her like her very much. She had been worried that she would be unhappy.

"Uncle, you really need to help me. I have no other choice."

Liu Haizhong looked at Qin Huairu in surprise. He had just received the money from Jia Zhang's medical treatment, and Qin Huairu actually asked his wife to help take care of the two children. What kind of thing was this? Liu Haizhong said with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Xiao Qin, it's not that I don't agree. You know, my wife is not in good health. She is most afraid of the children making noises. You see, why don't you let..."

As Liu Haizhong spoke, he pointed at Yi Zhonghai's house in the central courtyard. Qin Huairu understood what he meant. It's not like she hadn't thought about it before, but she really didn't have the face to go to his house now.

"Master Liu, you are the boss now. When Master Yi was the boss, I begged him. You won't refuse to help me with this little favor, right? Do I really have to ask the leader for help?"

Liu Haizhong looked at the smiling face in front of him and knew what Qin Huairu meant. He cursed in his heart but could only agree.

After leaving Liu Haizhong's house, Qin Huairu felt relaxed. It was the first time she tried using Li Huaide's name and it worked quite well. She just hinted and Liu Haizhong had no choice but to accept it. He was the boss of the compound. It felt great to order people around. It was more fulfilling than commanding the waiters in the guesthouse. Qin Huairu was a little lost for a moment.

Late at night, in the bedroom of the compound, Lin Na asked quietly, "Have you really made up your mind, little sister?"

"Well, I will take her there in a couple of days and let her study at Hong Kong University, starting from the first grade."

"This silly girl really wasted a year. Fortunately, she has figured it out. Go, go, the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back. I heard that Sister Na's father will return to Beijing in a few days. You'd better make arrangements and come back early." Xia Yuhong drew circles on the man's belly out of boredom.

"Don't worry, I'll be back when I'm done. If there's anything, please let the office contact me in time." Time passed quickly. Although the situation outside was changing, Zhu Xuefeng stayed in the yard after finishing his external affairs and devoted himself to studying his own subject. He did not encounter any trouble. Professor Lin and four professors, a total of five families, had quietly gone to the autonomous region in several batches.

"You two should go too. There's no point in staying here now."

"Are you really willing to kick us out?" Lin Na asked with a smile. According to the plan, she was going to the autonomous region to take charge of the overall situation and focus on external relations.

"Your parents are gone, and your presence will at least make them feel more at ease."

"Okay, I'll leave in a few days."

Lin Na was decisive. Although the three of them had lived a comfortable life during this period and it was bustling outside, the compound was like a paradise, far away from the troubles of the world. However, this decision was discussed by the three of them.

Lin Na also left, and the yard became even quieter. Listening to the occasional noisy noise coming from the street outside the yard, Xia Yuhong hesitated for a moment.

"Damn it, you say, why don't I just not leave and stay with you."

The man put down the blueprint and looked up, asking in confusion, "Why do you have this idea? Didn't we agree that you would go to Hong Kong to take charge of our financial projects? This is our family's main asset in the future, and we can't let outsiders take care of it all the time."

"I don't want to go. My parents won't leave. If I run away, will it cause trouble for them? Besides, our family is so rich that we can't spend it all in a lifetime. What's the point of making so much money? I would rather stay with you. Sister Na has left too. You are mine now. No one can take you away."

Zhu Xuefeng was speechless. For this day, Xia Yuhong not only taught herself various textbooks that Zhu Xuefeng got, but also used the two years in the Ministry of Commerce to quickly enrich her knowledge of world finance. She just waited until she arrived in Hong Kong, learned while getting started, and finally completely took control of the financial business. Unexpectedly, this girl was also love-brained and changed her mind.

"Your parents won't be affected. No one will care if you leave. Besides, I'm here. I can't watch them suffer with my own eyes."

Xia Yuhong looked at the man angrily. Although she knew that what he said was true, she was not worth getting angry because he didn't want to keep her. She was about to complain when she suddenly remembered Lin Na's instructions and immediately deflated.

"New Year's Day is coming soon. How about I stay for a while, and we can go to Hong Kong to celebrate the Spring Festival together. Then you can come back by yourself, and I won't bother you anymore."

Zhu Xuefeng also felt sorry in his heart. Xia Yuhong's temper seemed to have been smoothed out a lot. In the final analysis, he felt sorry for them, his closest people, who were now separated from each other because of his arrangements.

Reaching out and pulling Xia Yuhong over, Xia Yuhong sat on the man's lap, holding the man's face with both hands, and asked with a smile, "I knew you would agree. You also said that you would accompany us well after graduation. If you don't agree to this, I will..."

"What do you do?"

Looking at the man's smiling face, Xia Yuhong uttered, "I will, I will beat you up. No, if I can't beat you, I will make Sister Na and Qianqian ignore you."

...

Looking at the gray sky outside, Zhu Xuefeng patted the quilt and said, "Get up, it's snowing outside."

The black hair in the quilt moved, and the quilt was wrapped tighter, "Don't move, it's all cold wind, I'll lie down for a while."

Zhu Xuefeng had to get up quietly. Although the heater was on in the bedroom, the temperature in the room was still very low. He quickly put on his cotton coat and trousers, and then put on suede boots. Suddenly, he thought of Lao Yang.

During this period, I also sneaked into the steel rolling mill to see Lao Yang several times. Lao Yang's situation was not very good. He had to sweep the floor outside all day. There was no place for him to rest. He could only find a sheltered place outdoors to stay. I persuaded him to leave several times, saying that it would be better to stay in the countryside, but Lao Yang was very stubborn and refused to leave.

"I won't leave. I won't be a deserter. I will never be a deserter in my life. I firmly believe that there will be a moment of victory. I want to see this day come with my own eyes. Don't try to persuade me. This little bit of suffering is nothing. Compared to the past, it doesn't count."

Zhu Xuefeng shook his head. Lao Yang had his own beliefs. He thought that this was a battle and he had been through battles all his life. He had his pride, which was not to be a deserter but to face it bravely.

I had to persuade him from another direction. Although Mr. Yang is not old, he is not young either. He is over 50 years old. If he continues to carry on like this, he will fall ill sooner or later.

"Uncle Yang, it's freezing cold, and it's not a good idea for you to stay outdoors all the time. Didn't I tell you to go to the cafeteria to rest when you're tired? Why don't you go?"

"He Yuzhu is a good comrade. I heard that he has been implicated by me. I can't go. This will have a bad influence on him. Not to mention him, I won't go to the logistics department or the warehouse of the material department. I will just rest here."

Zhu Xuefeng was speechless. Every time Lao Yang finished his work, he would go to a dilapidated corner of the factory to sit for a while. This broken house was originally used to raise pigs, cows and sheep for logistics. Now it is abandoned and no one comes here. Although several years have passed, there is still a faint smell of stench.

Lao Yang's insistence left Zhu Xuefeng with no choice but to stroll around the steel mill and secretly say hello to several classmates and acquaintances like Lao Zhang, asking everyone to help out. Lao Zhang, who is in charge of logistics, is said to be in an unstable position now, but it seems that no one has caught him, so he has not been affected for the time being.

It's snowing today, and Lao Yang must be having a harder time. Zhu Xuefeng decided to go to the steel mill to see Lao Yang. After thinking about it, he took out a pair of spare suede shoes from the space. He bought them with the reward ticket not long ago. Lao Yang's feet are about the same size as his, so they will definitely be able to work.

He dug out some stored Western pastries, cooked a pot of cornmeal porridge, fried a few slices of bacon and two eggs, and a breakfast that combined Chinese and Western cuisine was ready, and he woke up Xia Yuhong who was lazing in bed.

"It's time to have breakfast. Hurry up. It's too cold and it will get cold soon."

"Oh, it was too cold today and I overslept. I asked the master to prepare breakfast. What a sin." Xia Yuhong sat down with a smile. Her face was rosy and very attractive. Zhu Xuefeng couldn't help pinching her.

"Hurry up and tie your hair up. Once Lin Na leaves, you will lose your image. You have to go to work soon."

"Eat first, eat first, and then do it after you finish eating. There is no one else here, and you, a heartless person, are still looking down on me."

Xia Yuhong picked up the toasted bread, put a piece of bacon in it and took a bite. Zhu Xuefeng shook his head and had to put down his chopsticks. He walked over, took the rubber band from Xia Yuhong's wrist and helped her to tie a simple ponytail. Xia Yuhong seemed to enjoy this moment and closed her eyes, looking very happy.

"Little guy, hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I'll go to the steel mill to see Lao Yang and then go see your dad."

Lao Xia's situation was much better than Lao Yang's. He worked in the workshop of the vehicle factory. These people were all his former subordinates and he had a lot of supporters. He did not face any difficulties, unlike Lao Yang, who was alone and helpless outside.

"Why don't I quit work and go with you." Xia Yuhong also knew that Lao Yang had always taken good care of Zhu Xuefeng. He didn't want to go to work anyway, so he thought about going with him. (End of this chapter)