Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1131 Ownership of the House
On a warm winter afternoon, the sun shone high in the sky. Snow still clung to the black rooftops, slowly melting into water droplets that trickled down the eaves into the yard.

Wang Li wore her new cotton-padded jacket for the New Year today. Zhang Erya's maternal grandmother took out her newly bought red hair tie and tied her hair into two small braids. After returning from Zhang's house, Wang Li hovered around Wang Zhan, showing off her red cotton-padded jacket and red hair tie.

Wang Zhan moved a low stool to the kitchen doorway, along with a large wooden basin, four thermos flasks, and an old hen that hadn't been plucked. While scalding the chicken, Wang Zhan plucked its feathers while it was still hot. Wang Li wanted to help, but Wang Zhan wouldn't let her. Instead, he told her to go to the greenhouse in the garden to pick some vegetables and wash Jinbao's food bowl while she was at it.

Wang Li skipped away, carrying a bamboo basket, with Jinbao following behind. Jinbao was following because Wang Li had taken away its food bowl without even saying hello. Jinbao didn't dare to bare its teeth at Wang Li and could only follow behind her with a wronged expression.

After picking the vegetables, Wang Li moved a low stool next to her brother, filled an enamel basin with water, and washed the vegetables there. Wang Zhan even added some hot water for her; the water, freshly drawn from the well, was still quite cold.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing the two lanterns hanging under the grapevines to rustle. Wang Li said, "Brother, our lanterns are all broken. Can we still use them?"

Wang Zhan looked up and said, "It's okay. I'll clean it up when I have time. Keep the frame, but tear off the paper and discard it."

"By the way, brother, were those two families who just left from the next alley? Were they from Sister Yushui's courtyard?" Wang Li asked while picking vegetables.

Wang Zhan nodded and said, "Yes, your Aunt Sun isn't planning to come back, so she gave us the house in the next courtyard. The people in that courtyard heard about it and came over, wanting to exchange houses with us."

"Oh, didn't they say the people in that courtyard aren't very good? Should we still switch?" Wang Li asked.

Wang Zhan laughed and said, "We won't lose out by exchanging three rooms for five. Besides, I'll be working at the steel rolling mill soon after this month. Those are all family quarters for the steel rolling mill. Living there is like integrating into the melting pot, isn't it? That's called going with the flow."

"I don't understand, but wherever you go, I'll go too." Wang Li took a bite of the freshly washed tomato in her hand.

Wang Zhan looked at his sister, put down his work, wiped his hands, lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then said, "When I was about to graduate and start my internship, Grandpa Xie Yun talked to me. He said a lot to me, but it all boiled down to one thing: we can't be complacent. We have to go out and face whatever troubles we encounter. After all, we are all part of this society, and sometimes the everyday life of ordinary people can help us grow faster."

“Brother, I’ve noticed you’ve changed. You’re always pushing me to face so many things now. I know you’re doing it for my own good, but I still prefer the carefree life behind you. Besides, I have my own friends, like Zhang Erya, and Li Wenxue, Li Wenxue, and Xiao Zhuzhu from school. Oh, so many good friends!” Wang Li said.

"Huh? I've never heard you mention that. Is 'Xiao Zhuzhu' a nickname for your classmate?" Wang Zhan asked curiously.

"Yes, but they don't live in our area, so they've never been to my house. However, I have been to Li Wenxue's house. It's a two-story building, so impressive," Wang Li said.

Regarding his younger sister's outings, Wang Zhan's attitude has changed over the past year. He's not as worried about her safety as before, and giving Wang Li some freedom is part of her growth. However, Wang Zhan genuinely doesn't know who his sister's friends are, nor has he asked. He only knows of one person, Zhang Erya. That evening, Wang Zhan prepared a lavish meal, but only four dishes and a soup. He couldn't cook too much for his siblings. Today, however, he simply made a bone broth for longevity noodles. This was a boon for Jinbao, who was already charging towards his food bowl, his eyes constantly fixed on another large bowl of bones, as if to say, "Nobody can touch that! It's all mine!"

Wang Zhan made longevity noodles for his sister using the Fujian-style dragon beard noodles recipe. This was also the first time Wang Li had ever eaten dragon beard noodles. Wang Li ignored the fried egg and the two large shrimp and directly picked up the dragon beard noodles and started eating.

The birthday dinner came to a close amidst Wang Li's continuous praise. After the meal, Wang Zhan brought out fruit produced in his space, while he made himself a cup of tea. The two sat facing each other and chatted about interesting things that happened at Wang Li's school. Wang Zhan was very interested in Xiao Zhuzhu and wanted to know why his classmates gave him that nickname. Was it because he was fat?
Wang Li looked at Wang Zhan, her eyes darting around, and said, "When school starts, I'll invite a few of my good friends over to my house. I'll treat them to a meal then, and you'll naturally understand why Xiao Zhuzhu is called Xiao Zhuzhu."

Wang Zhan agreed, not because of the piglet incident, but because his sister could make some friends, and it was only right to treat her to a meal.

In the front yard of the Liu family's house at No. 95, the children had already gone back to their rooms to rest. In the main room of the Liu family's house, Xu Desheng and Liu Shuquan sat facing each other on either side of the square table. At this moment, Xu Desheng's face still showed a joyful expression.

Today, Liu Shuquan and Xu Desheng returned from Wang Zhan's place and went straight to Yi Zhonghai to tell him what Wang Zhan had asked. After listening, Yi Zhonghai did not express his opinion in public, but only told them to go home and wait, as he needed to ask the old lady.

Liu Shuquan and Xu Desheng went home separately. It was past lunchtime, and both of them were preoccupied. They each ate a quick bite and then huddled together again in the main room of the Liu family home, drinking tea and discussing whether the move would go through. They had absolutely no clue what to do.

Yi Zhonghai didn't keep the two of them waiting for long; just over an hour later, he knocked on the Liu family's door.

After Yi Zhonghai sat down, he didn't waste any time chatting and told the two of them directly that Old Mrs. Wang had agreed to exchange houses with Xu Desheng, but Xu Desheng had to buy the house first before they could exchange it, because it was Old Mrs. Wang's private property.

Just as Xu Desheng was about to explain his difficulties, Yi Zhonghai continued, "Director Wang has already made arrangements. A side room will cost 300 yuan, and a wing room will cost 200 yuan. The courtyard next to your house is a gift, but it's not for you; it's to take care of Old Mrs. Wang, since she's a martyr's family member. As for the house in the alley in front, Director Wang has already made arrangements. Just wait for news."

The communication that Yi Zhonghai mentioned was just an excuse. Director Wang had promised to process the house transfer for Wang Zhan, but in reality, Director Wang was unsure of Wang Zhan's intentions. Unexpectedly, after the transfer was completed, Wang Zhan mentioned his conditions for exchanging houses with the other two families.

Now all obstacles have been cleared up, and things have gone too smoothly. After the formalities are completed tomorrow, Wang Zhan will be the owner of the three rooms and two side rooms in the east wing of the front yard of No. 95 Courtyard.

Unbeknownst to anyone, an old woman with deep eyes was sitting by the window in the main house in the backyard, gazing at the front yard, lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)