Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 43 Rain Provides Assistance

"Silly Zhu, are you... alright?"

"Uncle, I'm fine."

"That's good, you silly Zhu..."

"Uncle, I'm a little tired, I'll head back now."

"..."

His face showed concern, but seeing Sha Zhu return looking lost and dejected, Yi Zhonghai was not only surprised but also extremely disappointed.

I was planning to wait for Sha Zhu to make some noise before I reappeared, but at first I could hear some noise, and then it became completely quiet.

Exactly.

He couldn't go over to check on the situation, so he could only wait at the Intermediate People's Court.

When he saw Sha Zhu return, he wanted to ask about the situation, but Sha Zhu had no interest in doing so and seemed completely lost.

He was also puzzled. What kind of bewitching potion did Li Hongbing give Sha Zhu to make him like this?

Only in this situation.

Since Sha Zhu's condition was not right, Yi Zhonghai didn't press him for details.

I don't know.

Sha Zhu was thoroughly "realized" by Li Hongbing.

When he got home, Yushui was doing her homework inside. Shazhu looked at her rather thin figure and remembered what Li Hongbing had said earlier, and his feelings became more and more complicated.

Actually, Sha Zhu didn't take Li Hongbing's comments about the deaf old woman too seriously. However, what Li Hongbing said about Yu Shui—that he wasn't a responsible brother and hadn't taken good care of his younger sister—was something that bothered him greatly.

Sha Zhu was naturally unwilling to admit this and wanted to find an opportunity to prove that what Li Hongbing said was wrong.

But as soon as he got back to the house, seeing Yu Shui, who was thinner than most people his age, Sha Zhu felt a little uneasy.

at the same time.

The noise of Sha Zhu entering the house naturally caught Yu Shui's attention.

Yu Shui, who was doing her homework, looked up and saw Sha Zhu in the house. She couldn't help but smile and said happily, "Brother, you're back?"

"Well, I just came back."

With something on his mind, Sha Zhu's smile seemed somewhat forced.

Rainwater was still young and hadn't noticed these things.

Next to her desk where she was doing her homework, there was a bowl with another bowl on top. Yu Shui removed the top bowl to reveal its contents and excitedly said to Sha Zhu, "Brother, this is what Sister Hongmei brought me tonight. Brother Hongbing cooked it himself. It was so delicious. I didn't finish it all, so I saved some for you."

Following the sound of the rain, Sha Zhu quickly spotted the ribs, fish, and tofu in the bowl.

Not many, but they're all good stuff.

Moreover, this was specially reserved for him by the rainwater, and she ate some herself as well.

"Did Sister Hongmei bring you something delicious again?"

Thinking that he had just run to the front of someone's house, wanting to confront Li Hongbing, Sha Zhu felt embarrassed and a sense of guilt welled up inside him.

"When I came back in the evening, the old lady wasn't there. Later, Sister Hongmei saw that I hadn't eaten, so she brought me a bowl."

Rain couldn't help but show a happy expression, her face full of reminiscence: "Brother Hongbing cooked today, and it tasted amazing, all meat dishes. I wanted to save some for you, but it was so delicious that I couldn't help but eat a few more bites."

As she said this, Yu Shui couldn't help but show an embarrassed expression.

Hearing Yu Shui mention these things, Sha Zhu realized that Aunt Yi had taken the deaf old lady to the hospital in the afternoon, and since no one was home that night, Yu Shui naturally had nowhere to eat.

If Li Hongmei hadn't noticed this, Yushui would probably have had to wait for him to return hungry.

Although He Yushui is now nine years old, she is still a child. She has not done much cooking before, so it is still a bit difficult for her to cook independently by herself.

Thinking about this, Li Hongbing's words from earlier came to mind once again.

When Shazhu looked at the rain again, his eyes were filled with guilt and self-reproach.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, this incident seemed to confirm that Li Hongbing had not "wronged" him.

The key is that there's good food during the rainy season, and they didn't forget about his older brother, even saving some for him.

Compare the two.

Sha Zhu felt more and more that he was not a good enough older brother.

"I'm sorry, rain!"

"Brother, why did you apologize?"

Faced with Sha Zhu's sudden apology, Yu Shui looked bewildered and at a loss.

"It's nothing, I just got back late and almost made you go hungry."

"Hehe, it's okay, Sister Hongmei brought me food."

"If you had come back earlier, I wouldn't have been able to eat such good food."

"Brother, you have to try it!" "Brother Hongbing's cooking is really delicious, it's just as good as yours."

"Rainwater, you eat it! I'm not hungry!"

"I've already eaten. This was specially saved for you..."

"..."

At He Yushui's insistence, Sha Zhu finally picked up his chopsticks and tried it, only to find it unexpectedly delicious, somewhat surprised by Li Hongbing's cooking skills.

Is this something someone who just joined the kitchen could make?
"Brother, I want to ask you for a favor..."

Before Sha Zhu could even think about it, he heard Yu Shui speak up. Yu Shui looked at him pitifully and said somewhat nervously, "Brother, when you rest later, could you buy some meat too?"

"Are you craving meat?"

Sha Zhu was overjoyed upon hearing this, his previously complicated feelings vanished, and he gently flicked Yu Shui's forehead, teasingly saying, "You little glutton! Okay, I'll make you some stewed meat as soon as I have a couple of days off!"

But Rainwater shook his head upon hearing this.

After hesitating for a moment, Yu Shui looked at Sha Zhu and explained, "Brother, I wanted you to buy the meat so that I could bring a bowl to Sister Hongmei and Brother Hongbing after it's cooked. Sister Hongmei often gives me good food, but I've never repaid her..."

As Yu Shui spoke, her head drooped lower and lower, clearly feeling ashamed.

Sha Zhu was stunned when he heard this.

After regaining his senses, Sha Zhu wanted to punch himself.

I'm not even as sensible as a child.

This is something that he, as the older brother, should have done.

How embarrassing!

That's so beneath me!
If word gets out, Sha Zhu will be laughed at to death by everyone in the courtyard.

Only Li Hongmei and her brother Li Hongbing never mention these things, nor do they care about them.

If it were anyone else, who would bother with such rudeness?

Can't help it.

Sha Zhu remembered what Li Hongbing had said to him outside, so he looked at his sister Yu Shui and suddenly asked, "Yu Shui, did you know that Madam is in the hospital?"

"Oh."

Rain nodded, but didn't react much, and wasn't very interested.

"Rain, how can you not care about your wife at all?"

"You don't like your wife?"

"..."

Faced with Sha Zhu's two questions, Yu Shui looked up at Sha Zhu, nodded, and then shook her head.

Not understanding the meaning of "rainwater," Sha Zhu couldn't help but ask, "Rainwater, what do you mean by that?"

"I dare not say!"

The raindrops shrank back and responded softly.

"I'm your brother, what's there to be afraid of saying? What can I possibly do to you?"

Sha Zhu was unhappy.

"You can't get angry when I tell you this!"

After observing Sha Zhu's reaction, Yu Shui tentatively made a three-point offer.

"to make!"

Sha Zhu laughed.

"Brother, it's not that I don't like my wife, it's that my wife doesn't like me!"

"What do you mean?"

"Why doesn't your wife like you anymore?"

"Isn't she always been good to us?"

"..."

Upon hearing Yu Shui's words, Sha Zhu said he couldn't quite understand.

“Once you asked me to deliver meat to your wife, and I found her hiding in her room eating snacks. As soon as she saw me coming, she secretly hid, as if she was afraid I would ask her for it back. I'm not the kind of greedy and rude child…”

"Teachers taught us at school that we should be polite and not take things that don't belong to us."

"And one more time..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)