Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 190 Hey bro, got some time for a drink?
"I'll go to the backyard and invite my wife over."

"Okay, you go."

When He Yuzhu arrived at the backyard, he saw the old lady sitting at the door, dozing off.

He stepped forward and called out softly, "Madam."

"Huh? Who is it?" The old lady was still a little confused.

“Madam, it’s me, Zhu Zi.”

"Zhu Zi, you're back?" The old lady instantly became more alert.

"Yeah, I just got back."

"Alright, Xiaoman can rest easy now that you're back. You must be tired from the journey. Don't bother arguing with me, go back and rest."

“I’m not tired, madam. I’ve come to invite you to the Intermediate People’s Court. I have something I want to discuss with you and my mother.”

"what's up?"

"You'll see when you get there."

"Alright, you're being so secretive, I'll go with you and see what you have to say." The old lady got up, leaning on her cane.

"Let me carry you."

"Row."

He Yuzhu carried the old lady to the main room of the central courtyard. He told the mother and daughter to wait for him while he went back to the east wing to get the photos and a pair of silver bracelets that Old Master Chen had given him before he left.

Back in the main room, Chen Lanxiang asked, "Zhuzi, what did you go to get?"

He Yuzhu said, "Mother, take a look at this photo first."

Chen Lanxiang took the photo with a puzzled look and stared at it for a long time. She felt that the person in the photo looked familiar. She was too young when she was sent to Beijing. More than 30 years have passed, and her memory is a bit blurry.

However, the old man sitting in the middle looked very familiar. She lowered her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the old lady, then at the photo, and exclaimed, "Zhuzi, this, this is your maternal grandfather's family? Isn't this your maternal grandfather's family?"

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. The old lady was a little confused by the mother and daughter. When she heard Chen Lanxiang call her, she took the photo from Chen Lanxiang's hand.

He squinted for a while before he could make out the general idea, and said in a trembling voice, "Zhu Zi, is Xiao Kai Zi sitting in the middle?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback, then realized that this must be referring to his maternal grandfather, Chen Jikai, and said, "Yes, this photo shows my maternal grandfather's family."

"Where are they? Where are my dad and the others?" Chen Lanxiang asked excitedly, grabbing He Yuzhu's hand without even putting on her shoes as she got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Hong Kong.

"You saw your grandfather, didn't you? How are they now? Why don't you bring your grandfather back? Waaah!" Chen Lanxiang hugged her son and cried. She had been searching for decades and finally found him, but they were thousands of miles apart and she couldn't even see him.

"Zhu Zi, help your mother sit up and let her calm down." The old lady was much calmer than expected.

He Yuzhu helped Chen Lanxiang sit up on the kang (a heated brick bed) and patted her back to help her catch her breath, but Chen Lanxiang was still sobbing softly.

"Tell me, what exactly happened? Did you really see the person, or did someone give you a photo?" the old lady asked.

"Madam, please take a look at this first." He Yuzhu handed the pair of silver bracelets to the old lady.

The old lady took it and examined it closely, then touched the patterns on it, and tears streamed down her face.

Before He Yuzhu could ask, she explained the origin of the bracelet: it belonged to Chen Lanxiang's grandmother, that is, to the old lady's mother.

When Chen Jikai sent Chen Lanxiang to Beijing, he wanted to leave behind this pair of bracelets, but the old lady refused to accept them, saying that Chen Jikai should pass them on to his daughter-in-law.

The pattern on this bracelet is something no one would use in this era, and it's definitely quite old; I wonder how many generations it's been passed down through.

Chen Lanxiang was also listening nearby; this was the first time she had heard the old lady mention this.

Chen Lanxiang listened and looked at the photo again before realizing something was wrong. Her mother wasn't in it. She asked anxiously, "Zhuzi, where's your grandma? Why is she in the photo?"

He Yuzhu sighed and recounted in one breath how he met his grandfather in Hong Kong and how his grandfather's family went to Hong Kong.

Upon hearing that her mother had passed away long ago, Chen Lanxiang cried even more bitterly. He Yuyan, who was standing next to her, also wiped away tears when she saw her mother crying.

"Will they be able to come back?" the old lady asked.

He Yuzhu shook his head, and the old lady sighed and said, "That's fate. But it's enough to know they're still alive."

"Zhu Zi, are your grandpa and the others really not coming back?"

"Not in a short time."

"How long will it take?"

"I don't know, maybe it will be ten or twenty years, maybe it will be several decades."

"Father, Mother, your daughter is unfilial!" Chen Lanxiang cried out in anguish.

"Mom, keep your voice down. If people find out, our family will be in trouble."

"Yes, Lanxiang, Zhuzi is right."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

After finally comforting Chen Lanxiang, He Yuzhu told her mother to put away the photos and bracelet. Chen Lanxiang silently put them away, and afterwards she was very depressed.

Her temperament is already good enough; it's mainly because her eldest son is so troublesome that it's toughened her up.

"Lanxiang, this is something that only the three of us should know."

"Aren't you going to tell the Qing Dynasty?"

"We can't even see them, what's the use of telling them? Besides, what if the younger ones let it slip? You should know better than me that having a relative over there isn't a good thing right now. Back when the city was full of spies, it was you who came back and told us."

"I never expected it to be like this!"

"Those were the days. It's already quite good to have this result. At least people are alive and doing well."

"Yes."

When the children returned at noon, Chen Lanxiang behaved much more normally. Seeing her mother's dark face, He Yushui didn't dare to make a fuss with He Yuzhu about wanting things.

When He Daqing came back that evening, he asked about it. Chen Lanxiang said that nothing was wrong, and He Daqing thought that some child had upset him, so he didn't ask any more questions.

When Xiaoman returned and saw He Yuzhu, she happily rushed into his arms. Then she noticed that everyone was looking at her and laughing. Her face turned red and she ran back to the east wing.

When He Yushui called her over for dinner, the blush on her face hadn't faded yet. That night, the couple felt like they were newlyweds after a short separation. Xiaoman tried her best, but still couldn't win.

When asked about He Yuzhu's trip south, He Yuzhu said he was too late. Xiaoman agreed verbally, but she knew very well that only her brother Zhuzi could be so capable as to rescue them. There must be a reason why her brother Zhuzi didn't want to talk about it, and she wanted to keep his secret.

The next day, He Yuzhu went to his workplace to report for duty. Old Zhao was naturally very happy to see him return, as he was well aware of the dangers of this trip south.

He Yuzhu also called Lao Fang, but Lao Fang's behavior was a bit strange.

"When did Zhuzi get back? Why didn't he let us know beforehand?"

"I didn't take the train yesterday."

"Oh, I was wondering why no one from Guangdong called me or anything."

"You traveled by water?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I was just asking, just asking."

"Oh."

"Alright, it's good that you're back. Just go back to work. You don't need to hand over the things you agreed on; someone in the south will take over."

"understood."

"I'm hanging up now, I'm very busy."

"it is good."

After they hung up the phone, He Yuzhu thought to himself, "How could I not know you're busy? It would be strange if you weren't busy, okay?"

What he didn't know was that the higher-ups already knew about the super 'giant cigar,' and if it weren't for security concerns, they would all want to go and see it.

The first batch of scientists has already headed there, and some people have been transferred back from the desert. Lao Fang is also preparing to leave, and his destination is Qingdao.

In order to hide the "big cigar," all the gunboats in Qingdao were used to tow it to a remote harbor that had been designated as a restricted area and fishermen were not allowed to enter. A semi-underground dock was being excavated, and a regiment of engineers and various other engineers were transferred there for the project.

Losing such important items, they must have suspected China. They searched all the ports, big and small, along the coast of Guangdong and Fujian. Getting close to the coastline was impossible, but they could still see a lot with their ultra-long-range telescopes.

Later, they even brought in a large aircraft and dispatched many planes to search everywhere, but unfortunately, they found nothing.

Undeterred, they even searched the islands to the south and the small islands to the east, which was beyond their own capabilities and required the help of the bald eagle.

These factors cannot be said to have no impact. Cargo ships traveling from the south to the north were affected. Firstly, the Bald Party believed they were implicated, and various actions were taken in the southern seas.

Furthermore, several other countries are aware of their domestic food shortages and have banned countries like Australia and Australia from transshipping food to Hong Kong.

Both the mainland and Hong Kong authorities have tried every possible method to break the blockade.

He Yuzhu's life returned to normal. Although there were always trivial matters in the yard, no one dared to get close to him.

Not going to him doesn't mean she doesn't shamelessly approach other members of his family. Xiaoman was cornered by Qin Huairu twice, complaining about all sorts of things. If it weren't for He Yushui, she would have really given herself to him.

One time, He Yushui ran into him after school, and the other time, He Yuyao, who was playing in the yard, came to deliver the message.

Jia Zhangshi, peering through the window, saw everything clearly and was filled with rage at He Yushui.

He Daqing had already put an end to any thoughts of taking advantage of him. He doesn't bring back leftovers at all now, and he's always empty-handed, making it impossible for anyone who wants to mess with him to do so. Besides, this old guy isn't someone to be trifled with. Everyone in the factory who goes to the canteen to cause trouble has been severely punished.

Jia Dongxu shamelessly borrowed grain from Xu Damao several times. Who was Xu Damao? He had been bullied by Jia Dongxu since childhood. How could Jia Dongxu possibly lend him any grain? Then, rumors about this kid spread about him through Jia Zhangshi.

This caused him to have several unsuccessful blind dates, so he beat up Jia Dongxu.

The front yard was holding a big meeting and he was asked to attend, but the kid refused to go. He knew exactly what those people were up to. So Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui approached Chen Lanxiang and said they wanted to hold a big meeting for the whole yard to crack down on this kind of corrupt behavior from adults.

Chen Lanxiang knew the whole story. Because of He Yushui, the informant, she directly scolded the two old men. In those days, who didn't need food? If you didn't lend it, you would ruin your reputation and getting a beating would be the least of your worries.

The two were rather unlucky; after being caught in the middle, they were extorted five catties of cornmeal from each of Jia Zhangshi's families when they returned home.

If you don't give it to her, just try it, and she'll sit at your doorstep and nag you all day.

Yang Ruihua couldn't win the argument, not to mention Liu Haizhong's wife.

You said both families only have boys, would they dare to lay a hand on them? Jia Zhangshi would extort money from them until they were spitting blood.

Xu Damao's thoughts really did return to the original script. His mother arranged for him to be paired with Lou Xiao'e. Now, the kid is eager to advance his career, and he always feels that the position of deputy section chief is just one step away from him.

That's how they found He Yuzhu. One day, Xu Damao prepared a few dishes and two bottles of wine and found He Yuzhu.

"Brother Zhu, tell me, what's this about my mom setting me up on a blind date with a capitalist's daughter?"

"Capitalists? Whose?"

"Who else could it be but the Lou family? My parents used to work for the Lou family."

"You saw it?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"No, I rejected it."

"Weren't you in a hurry to find a wife lately? Why did you turn it down?"

"My dear brother, are you really not aware or are you pretending? Do you think you can just marry any capitalist's daughter? I still want to improve myself!"

"Um, when did you come to this realization?"

"Brother, my dear brother, don't you know the saying 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation'? Why doesn't it apply to your younger brother?"

"Wow, you've managed to impress me now?"

"Hehe, I'm currently trying to join the organization."

"That's good, you've improved."

"That's right, I haven't been working as a propaganda officer for nothing these past few years."

"What if their daughter is very beautiful?"

"Tch, I've seen them before, they're chubby."

When did you meet?

“When I was in middle school, I went to see my mother and saw her once.”

He Yuzhu was speechless. When was middle school?

"A girl changes drastically at eighteen; that's ancient history."

"Even a celestial fairy wouldn't do; I still want to be a section chief."

"Then why are you looking for me?"

"If I don't ask you for some advice, my mother will definitely not give up."

"Then you've come to the wrong person, unless you can find a partner in the shortest amount of time."

"Ugh, that damn old hag Jia, it's so hard for me to find a partner these days. Matchmakers all shake their heads when they hear my name. They call me heartless and stingy. I didn't beat Jia Dongxu enough that time."

"You've already beaten someone so badly they've been bedridden for over a week. If it gets any worse, won't our hospital have to hold a banquet for them?"

"He deserves it; he's taking it for his worthless mother."

"Alright, be more careful next time. If you really cause trouble, you'll end up in jail too."

"I know, I'm confident."

"That's fine."

"By the way, Brother Zhu, are you still able to contact anything? The group that Master contacted has been looking for me several times recently."

"What's wrong, kid? You're short on cash?"

"Hehe, I spent a lot of money on those blind dates before."

I'll ask about it when I have time.

"Alright, let's have a drink, you two."

"Ding"

"Stain, stain."

In the end, Xu Damao got drunk. When He Yuzhu got home, Xiaoman asked what happened, and He Yuzhu gave a brief explanation.

Xiaoman said, "Everyone in my workplace is an older woman, otherwise I'll introduce him to someone."

"What about your classmates? Are there any suitable ones?"

"I'll go ask around. I reckon there aren't many unmarried people, and many have already left Beijing."

"Okay, I'll ask him when I have time."

"Ah."

"Alright, go wash up and go to bed."

"Brother Zhu, why isn't my belly showing any signs of pregnancy yet? Should we go to the hospital to get it checked out?"

"Okay, let's go together another day."

"Oh, you're going too?"

"if not?"

"I originally thought I could just have the rain accompany me."

"It's fine if the two of us go."

"Oh fine."

When the couple went for their check-up, He Yuzhu also got checked, and that's when Xiaoman realized why He Yuzhu had said it was just the two of them.

The result was that both of them were fine. The doctor even told Xiaoman about things like the safe period, which Xiaoman remembered very well.

Although no one in the family has said anything about it, Xiaoman knows that everyone is looking forward to it. Now that the tests are all done and everything is fine, they're just waiting to see if the doctor's method works.

(End of this chapter)