Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 878 Zhong Hai is panicking
October 25th, normal rest day
Ever since Sha Zhu told Wang Zhan that he wanted to have a good talk with the old man, he started preparing. Yesterday after get off work, Sha Zhu went to Yi Zhonghai's house and invited Yi Zhonghai to treat him to dinner tonight. Yi Zhonghai was very surprised, but he agreed directly.

Sha Zhu went to the market early to buy vegetables. Now meat and eggs are only available when the market opens in the early morning. You can't buy them in the afternoon. Even if you can buy them, they are some that others don't want.

Sha Zhu not only bought pork belly, but also a chicken and a fish. Today he invited Yi Zhonghai alone. He Yushui also got up early, cleaned the house for Sha Zhu in the morning, washed his clothes, and left after lunch with his schoolbag on his back.

No one in the courtyard was working today. Sha Zhu was buying groceries and cleaning the house. Everyone in the courtyard saw it and felt very strange. They were all wondering what Sha Zhu was doing. He was not going on a blind date, was he?

Several aunties in the courtyard gathered together to discuss. Yi Zhonghai was a little nervous when he saw that Sha Zhu attached so much importance to the dinner party in the evening. Even the auntie saw that Sha Zhu was unusual and said to Yi Zhonghai: "Boss, you said Sha Zhu attaches so much importance to you that he invited you to dinner and even cleaned the house specially. What's the reason for this? Look at the dishes he bought, it's quite rich."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said, "I can't guess it now. Please keep an eye on him for me. When he goes out again, call me. I have to go to the backyard and discuss it with the old lady."

The lady nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'll be sitting at the door."

West Wing, Jia's House
Jia Zhang's mouth was watering as she looked at the vegetables bought by Sha Zhu. The Jia family had not seen meat for more than a month. Jia Dongxu knew that his mother had received a sum of money from his master, and he repeatedly advised her to take some of it out and go to the pigeon market to buy some meat to improve the food, but Jia Zhang refused to agree.

Jia Dongxu was helpless as well. Even Qin Huairu complained. How could there be such a mother-in-law? She used her own son's salary to pay the fine, which resulted in the family's food shortage. After she got the compensation, she hid it herself and did not spend a penny.

Jia Zhang leaned over the window and said, "Dongxu, what is this silly Zhu going to do by buying so many vegetables? Is he going on a blind date? Did you see that? There are chickens and fish."

Jia Dongxu was looking at his son, feeling a little annoyed, so he replied, "How would I know? He can do whatever he wants. What does it have to do with us?"

"Of course it doesn't matter. I guess they can't finish so many dishes. When they are ready, you can ask for some. Then our family will have better food," said Jia Zhang.

"I'm not going. I have to go. It's embarrassing. I'm a grown man and I can't afford to ask a fool for food." Jia Dongxu said angrily.

Jia Zhang was unwilling to give up. She looked back at Qin Huairu who was working and said, "Let your wife go. She is pregnant. It is not normal for her to ask for food to increase her nutrition."

Qin Huairu looked at her mother-in-law with contempt in her heart. Jia Dongxu wanted to get angry, but when he saw his wife's big belly, he was a little conflicted, so he didn't say anything.

After collecting the ingredients in the afternoon, marinating what needed to be marinated and cutting what needed to be cut, Sha Zhu put on his coat and went out. He planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy wine and cigarettes. Before leaving, Sha Zhu deliberately locked the door. He rarely locked the door at ordinary times, but he couldn't do it today. If someone took away so much meat, he would suffer a great loss.

The aunt watched Sha Zhu lock the door and walk out of the yard, then she hurried into the inner room, woke up Yi Zhonghai who was dozing off, and told him that Sha Zhu had gone out.

Yi Zhonghai washed his face and hurried to the backyard. When he arrived at the door of the deaf old lady, he knocked gently and said, "Old lady, are you awake?"

"Zhonghai, come in, the door is not closed and I'm not asleep either." The voice of the deaf old lady came from the house.

Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door and saw the deaf old lady sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, looking at him. "Old lady, I'm sorry to bother you, but don't you usually take a nap at this time?" Yi Zhonghai pulled a chair and sat next to the deaf old lady.

The deaf old lady said, "I wanted to sleep, but I was so anxious that I couldn't fall asleep, so I got up. Now you're here. What's the matter?"

Yi Zhonghai sighed and said, "That's right, please listen to me."

Yi Zhonghai told the deaf old lady about Sha Zhu inviting him to dinner these past two days and his abnormal behavior today. Finally, he said, "Now I am the one who is feeling unsure. If I had known Sha Zhu would be like this, I would have found an excuse to turn it down yesterday. I can't agree to this dinner party no matter what. Sha Zhu has already said that it will be just the two of us tonight and no one else will be with us. You are well-informed. What do you think of this?"

The deaf old lady frowned, looked towards the door, and was lost in thought. Yi Zhonghai did not dare to disturb the old lady from her thoughts, so he just waited by her side.

After a long while, the deaf old lady sighed and said, "I guess this idiot Zhu is going to confront you, which is troublesome."

In fact, Yi Zhonghai was guessing this was also the case, otherwise it would not be so formal. He wanted to make it clear. It was probably also about the matter of Jia Zhang. What should he do?
Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and said, "Since He Yushui moved back recently, I've noticed that this silly Zhu is a little out of control, and he doesn't seem to be as easy to fool as before. Old lady, if he confronts me, there are some things I can't say."

The deaf old lady said, "You, just cheer up, admit what you should admit, firmly deny what you can't admit, and be three-tenths true and seven-tenths false when talking to him. If you can fool him, then fool him. I guess it will be difficult to find Sha Zhu to support you in your old age, but there is still a chance."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned for a moment. He didn't understand what the deaf old lady meant. The deaf old lady looked at Yi Zhonghai and said, "You should think about things in the long run instead of focusing on the present. I heard from the eldest brother of the Liu family that you have to live on campus whether you go to high school or technical secondary school. That's your chance."

Only then did Yi Zhonghai understand that the deaf old lady's meaning was very clear. The change in Sha Zhu came from the influence of He Yushui. If it weren't for He Yushui's influence, Sha Zhu would still be the same muddle-headed Sha Zhu, and would be easy to control.

Yi Zhonghai chatted with the deaf old lady for a while before returning to the central courtyard. As soon as he got home, he saw Sha Zhu coming back from outside with two bottles of Xifeng wine and a few boxes of cigarettes. Yi Zhonghai thought to himself, this is really a big investment. It seems that what we are discussing today will not be a good thing.

Yi Zhonghai simply stopped thinking about it, took out his teacup, made himself some tea, drank it for a while, then went back to bed, closed his eyes and waited for Sha Zhu to come and call him for dinner.

Yan Bugui in the front yard was sulking at home, and he was angry at Sha Zhu. From morning till now, he stopped Sha Zhu three times, reminding Sha Zhu that he could be a guest and have a drink with him and the old man. During the meal, he also talked to him a lot, but Sha Zhu directly retorted. Sha Zhu's original words were "We are just having a private conversation, what are you doing here?"

Yan Bugui sat in the main room depressed. When it was almost time, he looked around the room. Except for Yan Jiefang who had gone to the countryside to exchange food, the mother and the other two were in the inner room, chatting happily. Yan Bugui asked, "Ruihua, where is the eldest brother?"

"I don't know. He didn't come to eat in the morning. Didn't you see that he hasn't come back?" Yang Ruihua replied from the inner room.

Yan Bugui's temper flared up again, and he yelled, "It's been so long since you graduated, and you don't pay a penny home. You just want to fool around. If he doesn't pay this month, I'll let him go."

(End of this chapter)