Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1129 Three Things After the New Year
February, the sixth day of the first lunar month, is Wang Li's birthday.

Wang Zhan got up early. He didn't disturb his sister, but added some coal to the stove to make the fire burn brightly again.

Wang Zhan tidied up the entire yard from the inside out before going into the kitchen to make breakfast for his sister. The breakfast was very lavish, with a bowl of hand-pulled noodles, two fried eggs, and a steak. All of this was prepared for his sister, and of course, side dishes and pickles were indispensable.

Wang Li was also very excited today. She didn't stay in bed, got up normally in the morning, washed up, and then skipped to the kitchen to see what delicious food her brother had made for her, because she knew very well that today was her birthday.

During breakfast, Wang Li asked Wang Zhan where he was taking her today. Wang Zhan said they were going to an elder's house where a birthday gift from the south was being sent, so the two siblings had to go there today.

Wang Li immediately guessed that she was going to Wang Ge's place. Wang Zhan smiled and nodded, praising her for being smart. Wang Li said disdainfully, "Besides Uncle Li, who else would remember my birthday like you do?"

Wang Zhan was taken aback at first, then shook his head and said somewhat sadly, "Many people remember, but they can't come back now."

After finishing their meal, the two packed up and set off, heading directly to the family compound in Dongcheng District. They arrived at Wang Ge's house, but Wang Ge was already at work. Only his sister-in-law was home. Wang Zhan hadn't had much contact with her, but they were fairly familiar with each other.

Wang Zhan and his sister didn't dare linger. They took the bag Li Bo had sent and were about to head back when Wang's wife stopped them. She handed Wang Zhan a red envelope and said, "Your brother Wang is too busy and doesn't have time to spend with you. He's been very busy lately and has neglected you and your sister. If it weren't for the things Li Bo sent for Wang Li, we wouldn't have known it was her birthday. We're so sorry. This is a token of our affection. You can't refuse it. Please accept it as a birthday gift for Wang Li."

Wang Zhan initially didn't want to accept it, but considering his relationship with Brother Wang, he felt that if he didn't accept it, the two of them would become increasingly distant, so he accepted it directly.

Wang Zhan tied the bag to the front of the bicycle, let Wang Li sit in front, and rode off. Wang Li looked up and asked, "Where to now?"

"Haha, Old Mo's Restaurant, ever heard of it?" Wang Zhan replied as he rode.

Upon hearing this, Wang Li immediately became happy and said, "I've heard people talk about it. Brother Fei Qing mentioned it, saying it's a Western restaurant. I've never eaten Western food before."

"I'll let you eat today, let's go." Wang Zhan happily rode his bike straight to Lao Mo Restaurant.

From the third day of the Lunar New Year to the fifth day, Wang Zhan experienced three things in just three days.

The first thing was that Liu Guangfu actually did as Wang Zhan said. But to his surprise, the family that lost the watch not only didn't investigate how Liu Guangfu got the watch, but also invited the boy to their home to express their gratitude and invite him to stay for a meal.

Looking at the small red building, Liu Guangfu's legs trembled, and he refused outright, saying it was what he should do. In the end, Liu Guangfu left the compound carrying a bag of food and one hundred yuan.

No one knows what Liu Guangfu was thinking. He hid the food in a tree hole in the west courtyard, then found Liu Guangtian and gave his second brother fifty yuan.

Liu Guangtian was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his younger brother to still think of him. It was like the sun had risen in the west and fifty yuan had fallen from the sky! Overwhelmed with emotion, and wanting to show his brotherly bond of sharing both good and bad times, Liu Guangtian immediately gave one of Lao Mo's meal vouchers to Liu Guangfu. Without a second thought, Liu Guangfu took it to Wang Zhan to express his gratitude for the idea. Wang Zhan declined several times but finally accepted. Liu Guangfu left happily. Wang Zhan, holding the voucher, thought to himself, "This is how I surprise my sister for her birthday!"

The second thing was that on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Director Wang from the subdistrict office came to our door and delivered the letter sent by Grandma Sun. He also specifically said that we could go to the subdistrict office to complete the transfer procedures the next day because it was a gift and therefore complied with the regulations.

Wang Zhan treated Director Wang with outward politeness, but he knew very well that Director Wang was being pressured by Grandpa Yang. If she continued to hold back, Grandpa Yang would probably spread rumors about her.

Grandpa Feng was not only fast, but also very efficient in relaying messages. Grandpa Yang's words reached Director Wang's ears without missing a single word, and also reached the No. 95 compound. As someone who knew about this matter, the deaf old lady knew that Grandma Sun's house was for Wang Zhan, but Yi Zhonghai really didn't know. He only knew that three large side rooms had been vacated in the alley in front.

When Director Wang left Wang Zhan's house, he subtly mentioned that someone wanted to exchange houses. Wang Zhan neither agreed nor disagreed, only saying that they would discuss it after the transfer of ownership was completed.

The third thing was a bit unexpected. Right after Director Wang left, the heads of the two families in courtyard number 95 arrived together and knocked on Wang Zhan's door.

When Wang Zhan opened the door, he didn't recognize any of the people. He looked at them with a puzzled expression. One of them quickly introduced himself, saying, "Hello, you must be Wang Zhan. I'm Xu Desheng from the backyard of No. 95. This is my wife, and this is Liu Quanshu from the frontyard. He's Deputy Section Chief Liu, oh, from the purchasing department of the textile factory. We're here to ask about changing houses."

Wang Zhan was taken aback. Looking at the group, he felt it was too much of a coincidence that they arrived right after Director Wang. However, Wang Zhan still let them into the courtyard, but instead of going to the backyard, he received them in the east hall of the front yard.

After Wang Zhan finished pouring the tea and everyone sat down, Xu Desheng explained his and the Liu family's purpose in coming.

Originally, these two families didn't participate much in the affairs of the courtyard. For the previous two years, the neighbors in the courtyard got used to it and lived in peace. But ever since the news of the food crisis and the impending disaster came out, the people in the courtyard started to get close to these two families from time to time, implying that they wanted to help them with food or buy grain.

Xu Desheng was a technician at the steel rolling mill. Although he did very well in the factory, it would be a huge overestimation to ask him to buy grain. However, he had a good relationship with the factory leaders, and his family would often receive gifts from them, which made the people in the compound envious.

The Liu family was extremely bothered by the harassment. This was because Liu Shuquan was the deputy head of purchasing at the textile factory, which was self-evident. He certainly had channels for purchasing grain, and Liu Shuquan did not deny it. However, asking him to purchase grain for the neighbors in the compound was a violation of principle. The situation was dire, and he was too busy with his own tasks at the factory to have time to deal with the neighbors in the compound.

But since this winter, Yi Zhonghai has also started visiting both families. Not only does he come alone, but he also brings another man named Liu Haizhong. He keeps saying that a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, and that since they all live in the same courtyard, they should help each other out and work together as a team.

The message was clear: they needed help. Refusing to help meant they were not on good terms with their neighbors and were indifferent to their well-being. The neighbors in the compound and the two old men were driving the two families crazy. They always firmly refused. The two families also agreed to work together and fight this bad trend to the end.

But unexpectedly, it was Yi Zhonghai who couldn't hold back first. They had heard before the New Year that this guy was planning to get rid of their two families. They were wondering if a mere steward had such power.

But these two people had a wide network of connections, and before long, someone secretly informed on them. It wasn't just Yi Zhonghai who wanted to get rid of them; the deaf old lady was also involved. The two people had a simple idea: if they couldn't fit in with the people in the courtyard, they would be kicked out. The main thing was that if they didn't listen to them, there was no need for them to stay in the courtyard. It wasn't until Director Wang got involved that the two families realized that they were really going to be kicked out.

(End of this chapter)