Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 146 Are these two little things ours?

As soon as He Yuzhu and the others reached the door of Old He's house, He Yuzhu heard wailing cries coming from inside. There was more than one person crying, and finally a voice cried out, "Auntie, Auntie, where have you been? My brothers are crying, and I can't soothe them. Waaah!"

He Yuzhu turned to look at Chen Lanxiang, who blushed and said to He Yuzhu.

"I'll tell you slowly when we get home." Then she quickly went into the house.

He Yuzhu looked at the others, and they all gave strange smiles, leaving He Yuzhu a little confused.

After entering the house and putting down his things, He Yuzhu quickly went into the inner room, where he saw a little girl with two pigtails sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Chen Lanxiang was holding a baby a few months old and trying to soothe her.

He Yuzhu knew who it was: Wang Siyu, who was about the same age according to the timeline.

But with two babies, He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Mom, are these two little things ours?"

"You little brat, what do you mean 'little thing'? If you're not ours, whose are you?"

"Oh, really!"

"Brother, brother, the two younger brothers might be crying." He Yushui hadn't been holding He Yuzhu when she came in, and now she said from the side.

"Two batons?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Haha, Zhuzi, those are your two younger brothers, He Yuxin and He Yuyao," the old lady laughed.

Even after reading through the Kangxi Dictionary for a long time, He Yuzhu finally realized which two characters it was. He thought to himself, "Did they consult someone or something? They've even started talking about the five elements. If there's another one, then it'll be He Yuyan."

Unbeknownst to him, the old lady and Chen Lanxiang had actually gone to consult a fortune teller, just as he had guessed. They wanted the two boys to make amends to him as their older brother, hoping for his safe return.

"How old are they?" He Yuzhu's throat was a little dry. He was still a little unaccustomed to having two younger brothers who were almost 18 years younger than him. What was going on?

"It's been 5 months."

"Alright, sit down and talk. Zhuzi, are you hungry? If you are, Mom will make you something to eat."

"I'm not hungry, I ate in the car."

He Yuzhu first helped the old lady sit down, and then he sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He Yushui climbed onto the kang and sat in He Yuzhu's lap. Xu Xiaoman also climbed onto the kang. Xu Damao and Xiaoman immediately brought chairs from the main room to sit down.

"Zhu Zi, what happened to you when you went missing on the battlefield? News came back from the front that the military control commission came to our house to comfort you." Only then did the old lady ask the question that everyone had on their minds.

Everyone looked on as if they were waiting for He Yuzhu to tell a story.

He Yuzhu touched his nose before beginning to recount how he received the orders, how he got to the peninsula, and what happened after he arrived. He didn't talk about the details of the battlefield or the casualties, but a trace of sadness still unconsciously showed on his face due to the heavy casualties of the battle.

He also mentioned his own speculation about why he was reported missing.

As everyone listened to his narration, they felt as if they were there, experiencing the cold of the peninsula, the smoke of war, and the cruelty of war.

Especially the old lady and Chen Lanxiang, who lived through the war years, could better understand and were grateful that the courtyard had been peaceful and stable for so many years.

"You're too bold! You dare to chase the enemy all by yourself?" The old lady spoke up when He Yuzhu mentioned chasing the enemy leader alone. Now she thought her grandson was a bit reckless. This was a battlefield! Did her grandson think he was catching chickens in a chicken coop?

“Madam, on the battlefield, there are people who capture prisoners one by one, so what I did is nothing,” He Yuzhu said.

"You're just lucky," the old lady said irritably.

“That’s right, that’s a battlefield, how could you dare? Luckily, you escaped unharmed,” Chen Lanxiang added.

"Brother, brother, is it really that cold?" He Yushui snuggled closer to He Yuzhu. Winter in Beijing was cold enough, and she couldn't imagine anything colder, but He Yuzhu's description made her feel cold even in this warm room.

"It's cold, much colder than here." He Yuzhu nodded.

"I never expected it to be so hard. They're all such good kids," the old lady said.

The old lady and Chen Lanxiang had both noticed He Yuzhu's subtle change in expression, but since He Yuzhu didn't say anything, they chose not to ask further.

"And then, Brother Zhu, where did you go? Your comrades sent back letters saying you had many military achievements!" Xu Damao was eager to know what happened next.

"Yes, yes, yes, what happened later? Why didn't he go back to his original unit?" the old lady asked.

"Later..." He Yuzhu was lost in memories, those fierce battles, those familiar yet unfamiliar faces, and a tear unconsciously rolled down his cheek.

"Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu, what's wrong?" Xu Damao shouted.

"Alright, alright, Zhuzi is tired. He's been in the car for so long, let him rest first." The old lady looked at her eldest grandson with heartache and gently patted He Yuzhu's hand.

"Oh, then I'll help Brother Zhu take the things back to the east wing." Xu Damao wisely didn't ask any more questions, got up to take the chair out, and then carried the two large bags to the east wing first.

Xiaoman looked at He Yuzhu with heartache, then bit her lip and went to the east wing to help He Yuzhu tidy up the room. She often cleaned the east wing, and now she was going to help He Yuzhu start a fire, as it was too cold there.

"Zhu Zi, the fighting on the peninsula must have been terrible," the old lady said softly.

"Ah."

"You're not going again, are you?"

"I'm not going anymore, I've been discharged from the military."

"It's good that we're not going, it's good that we're not going." The old lady smiled.

"Alright, Zhu Zi, go and rest. We can talk about it later, there's no rush."

"it is good."

Chen Lanxiang had been coaxing the two boys and hadn't said much. She had many questions for her son, but after hearing this, she didn't want to ask anymore. Asking would only evoke his memories and make him sad. Now that her son had returned safe and sound, compared to those who couldn't come back, the He family was already blessed.

He didn't care about those military achievements; his eldest son was what he cared about most. Now that his son was back, they would live a good life from now on.

After He Yuzhu left the main house of the He family, the old lady sighed and said to Chen Lanxiang, "Our Zhuzi has changed so much this time."

"Yes, I don't know how much suffering he endured, how much pain he endured. Thank goodness he came back, he came back, sob sob sob!" Chen Lanxiang cried out.

Her crying had an unexpected effect; all the boys in the room started crying too. The three younger ones started crying because they saw others crying. The old lady was also moved. He Yushui understood a little bit, while Xu Xiaoman didn't understand at all. Anyway, at this point, the two girls knew they should cry too. He Yushui cried her heart out, while Xu Xiaoman couldn't muster any emotion and started wailing after being pinched by He Yushui.

He Yuzhu heard it from outside, but he didn't go back. He thought to himself, "Let these women and children vent their anger."

He now understood why everyone asked him about his disappearance as soon as he entered the courtyard, especially Jia Zhangshi's two sentences. Something bad must have happened in this courtyard recently.

Upon entering the east wing, Xu Damao was starting a fire, while Xiaoman was helping He Yuzhu tidy up the bedding inside.

"Brother Zhu, you're not leaving again this time, right?"

"Don't go."

"That's great, I can't get along with those guys in the front yard."

"How good are you at studying? All you do is play."

"Hehe, you know I'm not cut out for studying. I barely made it into high school, and I'll start working after graduation."

"You don't know, you've been away from the hospital for the past two years..."

"Xu Damao!" Xiaoman called out from inside the house.

"Hehe, it's okay, it's okay, Brother Zhu, you go inside first, I'll start the fire."

He Yuzhu went into the inner room, and Xiaoman called out softly, "Brother Zhu."

Before He Yuzhu could speak, she threw herself into his arms and began to sob softly, her tears quickly soaking the front of his shirt. "Alright, don't cry. You're a grown woman now. Da Mao is still outside. I'm back, I'm not leaving anymore," He Yuzhu gently patted her head.

"Ah!" Xiaoman, like a startled deer, let go of He Yuzhu, blushed, lowered her head, and kept rubbing the hem of her clothes.

He Yuzhu smiled, turned around and left the inner room, and Xiaoman quickly started making the bed again.

Xu Damao heard the commotion inside, but he pretended not to hear it from the outside. However, the smile on his face never stopped. He had been too tired these past two years. Xiaoman was too beautiful, and he had been suffering as a temporary shield.

Now that Brother Zhu is back, let him solve these problems himself.

Xiaoman finished tidying up in no time and said, "I'm going back."

Before He Yuzhu could speak, she quickly ran out of the east wing and headed towards the He family's house.

"Hehe." Xu Damao chuckled foolishly.

"You need some practice, kid." He Yuzhu cracked his knuckles.

"No, no." Xu Damao quickly waved his hand. He had been in many fights over the years and had seen blood. He could sense a little bit of the murderous aura emanating from He Yuzhu.

"Tell me about what happened in the last two years," He Yuzhu said calmly.

"This"

"Tell me quickly, or I'll have you practice right now and see if you've improved."

“Then don’t tell anyone I told you,” Xu Damao said.

"Okay, go ahead and say it."

Xu Damao then began to talk, saying that Xiaoman's matter was not a big deal. He mainly talked about how the military control committee came looking for him because he went missing on the battlefield, what the people in the front yard did, and his father's behavior. He didn't hide anything from them.

"Aren't you afraid your father will beat you up?" He Yuzhu laughed and scolded when he heard this. He Yuzhu wasn't really angry. Xu Fugui's background wasn't clean to begin with. With such powerful rumors at the time, it was normal for him to be afraid of being implicated. But this matter wasn't his responsibility. He Daqing could handle it himself.

As for Xu Damao, the fact that he was able to go out with them to pick up people, and that his family didn't object, says a lot.

"Hehe, my dad can't catch me now, which means I can't fight him, otherwise he would be no match for me."

"You little brat, keep going." He Yuzhu gave him a hard slap on the neck.

Then Xu Damao talked about how Jia Dongxu had sabotaged his blind date and the Jia family's messy affairs. He Yuzhu suddenly realized that it was Qin Huairu. No wonder she seemed familiar.

Xu Damao then recounted how, after receiving the letter from He Yuzhu's comrade-in-arms, He Yuzhu's mother blocked the Jia family's door and berated them so badly that they dared not leave the house, while He Yuzhu smiled.

It seems her mother was extremely frustrated, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have done something like this.

"Is Jia Dongxu married and has children?"

"Yes, there is a boy named Jia Geng, who is two months younger than Xiao Xin and Xiao Yao. However, this kid is an ominous sign."

"Huh? What do you say?"

"Hehe, Jia Dongxu's father died, just one month after the child was born."

"Why?"

"Because of Jia Dongxu, hehe, let me tell you, Jia Dongxu's wife was so pregnant with this baby that she was really pent up. When their son turned one month old, he went a little rough that night, you know, he really went a little rough. Then the next day when he went to work in the workshop, he was swaying. His father was afraid that something would happen to him, so he made him rest and helped him with his work. As a result, the lathe he was working on malfunctioned, and then there was an accident, and his father died."

"Forehead"

He Yuzhu thought to himself, "In the end, Jia Laonian still lost his life in the workshop."

Later, word spread in the courtyard that Jia Geng was a jinx, and that old hag Jia Zhangshi had gotten into many fights.

"I saw the woman next to Jia Dongxu's mother when I came in. He didn't take over?"

"Hehe, take over? I've been thinking about it. The root of the problem lies with Jia Dongxu. The factory didn't even want to pay compensation."

"And then?" He Yuzhu played the straight man.

"Jia Zhangshi made a scene, carrying Jia Laonian's coffin to cause trouble, which actually had some effect. Jia Dongxu was promoted, but he also lost some money because Jia Zhangshi's family helped him and took away a portion of it."

"Jia Dongxu borrowed money for his wedding before, and paid off part of the debt, so I guess there's not much left."

"I heard that Old Zhang's family helped make a scene because they were after his job. They only asked for money after they failed to get the job."

"So that's what happened."

"His family deserves it, it's just a pity that the old hag is too tough, the retribution has fallen on the rest of their family."

He Yuzhu was speechless. He really wanted to say, "Xu Damao, you should change careers. Fortune telling is fine."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore, it's none of our business anyway. I have another question for you, has the city of Beijing started setting up subdistrict offices yet?"

"Hey, Brother Zhu, you just got back to Beijing and you've already heard the news? You're really well-informed! The news came just before New Year's Day. They said the Military Control Commission is going to be disbanded this year and split into many units. Aunt Hongxia, who always comes to our compound, has been assigned to the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office."

"From our area?"

"Yes, it's this area. Aunt Ping went to the Dongcheng District Public Security Bureau, and now she's a section chief."

"Promoted?"

"That's right. The spies have been causing a lot of trouble these past two years, so Aunt Ping is basically never home."

"I hope Siyu isn't staying at my house all the time."

"Yes, my master's wife has been working herself to the bone these past two years. Luckily, Xiaoman is there to help her."

At this point, He Yuzhu roughly understood what had happened in the past two years.

What's your dad doing now?

"I tried watching movies too, but I didn't really like it."

"You don't like it?" He Yuzhu felt that this was not quite right. In the TV series, Xu Damao had exaggerated his job to the skies.

“I also want to join the Public Security Bureau, or the security department of the steel rolling mill would be fine too.”

He Yuzhu murmured the words "Security Department" aloud.

"Yeah, it's a public-private partnership now. Government employees have moved into the steel rolling mill, and it's full of soldiers. By the way, Brother Zhu, what are you planning to do back here this time?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. I want to rest for a while before I can talk about it. I haven't had a proper rest in the past two years."

"It's time to take a rest. By the way, Brother Zhu, can you tell me about what happened on the battlefield?"

"No, your mouth is too big."

"No."

"What you just told me is comparable to what those middle-aged women say."

"Oh." Xu Damao was very unwilling, but what he didn't expect was that someone would help him fulfill his wish to hear the story in the near future. He also learned what He Yuzhu had done on the peninsula, which made him respect his older brother even more.

(End of this chapter)