Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

"That's what Brother Da Mao said. Yan Bugui's family is very rich. I've never even seen gold before, but it was all confiscated. It's too easy for him."

"Brother, how much money have you saved? Do you have any gold or silver dollars?" He Yushui's little face was full of curiosity.

"Do you want to be a housekeeper? I've already saved ten million, and I have at least two more years to save another twenty million. I don't have any gold or silver dollars on hand, but I'll find a way to exchange them for some later."

"If you save 10 million, it will be 30 million in two years. That should be enough for you to get married. You can continue to save money in the future."

Brother, how much money did you deposit in the bank for me? Is it a lot?

Aunt Tan said the returns were very high; in June, she had over 15 million yuan in interest. She withdrew over 1 million yuan, leaving 14 million yuan, which she then deposited in the bank.

"In June you had less than six million yuan in interest, and now you have more than twenty million yuan in total. By the time you turn eighteen, saving up thirty million yuan will be a piece of cake. You'll have money even if you don't have a job."

"Thirty million yuan is a lot, thank you, brother. How about we take out some of it for the New Year and make new clothes for you?" He Yushui smiled, her eyes crinkling.

He Yushui even forgot she was getting her own clothes made and still wanted to take her money. Her behavior was alright, though. "You don't need to pay. I'll get new clothes next month when I get paid. It won't cost much."

"Brother, you're lying to me again. Hui'er, who I play with, comes from a family that owns a clothing store. She once said that a set of cotton-padded clothes costs four or five hundred thousand yuan, which is very expensive."

"And then there are shirts, undershirts, trousers, shoes, and socks—all added up to at least a million," He Yushui said, counting on her fingers.

"I earn over a million now, so spending money on clothes is a small matter. Once you have money, many things become unimportant. It's important to have money in your hands."

"Okay, I understand."

"Go back to sleep, you have school tomorrow."

........

"Zhu Zi, I went to ask the military control committee in the neighborhood last night about literacy classes. There are several in our district, and they graduate after recognizing two thousand characters."

The timing was wrong; the morning and evening times conflicted with our schedules. I signed up for a daily literacy class from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM, which was a good time.

"Zhu Zi, there's an emergency at the restaurant, can you help me out?" Fifth Brother is illiterate; he can only write his own name. He wants to attend a literacy class.

"Fifth Senior Brother, don't worry, you're free this afternoon. I'll help you with anything if you need anything." He Yuzhu readily agreed, as he had basically nothing to do that afternoon.

"If I don't get some basic literacy training, I might not even be able to read a recipe, let alone become a chef." Fifth Senior Brother was doing this so he could read recipes.

"Xiao Wu, it's not that you might not understand the recipe, it's that you definitely won't understand it. You know no more than ten characters. There's basically nothing to do at the restaurant this afternoon, so try to learn a few more characters."

"Master, please have some respect. I want to be a cultured chef." The fifth senior brother always had a dream.

"A cultured chef, yet he's still just a chef? I thought you were going to be the mayor!" the master said disdainfully.

"Hehe." The fifth senior brother scratched his head and chuckled foolishly.

"If you can't read, reading a recipe is a hassle; it's not something you can master by just reading it once," Chef Ma said with a smile.

"It's important to learn more characters. In our area, the two families that caught fire, the woman's family is going to contribute five million yuan to build a new house and buy furniture for the neighbors."

That woman got a severe beating from her man. Five million yuan is still a lot of money for people like us; it's not a small sum. "Fourth Senior Brother reports."

"The neighbor's main house was fortunately furnished with relatively inexpensive furniture, and the hidden money inside wasn't burned; it was all taken away for less than a million."

"Indeed, good furniture these days isn't cheap. Having hidden money is a big problem; burning through millions can be heartbreaking."

"So, we must have money. Tens of millions is nothing, just a wave of the hand. Small change, no need to lose money, consider it my money for you to buy candy." Brother Guizi walked down the road of fantasy, never to return.

"Wu Gui, I really want to beat you to death. All you do is dream about is spending tens of millions on candy. Aren't you afraid of getting sick of it?" Master Ma thought his apprentice was too cocky.

"Brother Guizi, I hope you become a rich man."

"He's got money, he's more like asking for a beating."

.......

Early Sunday morning, November 2nd, He Yuzhu rode his bicycle with Xu Damao to the market to buy cabbage and pickled mustard greens, as it was the perfect time to pickle them.

The cabbages in the market were not subject to unified supply and sales, so the price was about 50% higher, ranging from 300 yuan (three cents after March 1955) to 450 yuan (four and a half cents) per jin.

When choosing cabbage, be sure to select those with green leaves. These cabbages have more fiber and relatively less water.

Sauerkraut made from this type of cabbage has a better taste and is more resistant to storage and stewing.

He Yuzhu and Xu Damao bought 50 jin and 100 jin of cabbage respectively.

There was also pickled mustard greens, 20 jin for He Yuzhu and 50 jin for Xu Damao, which were delivered back to the courtyard by the cabbage seller.

The first step is very simple: dry the cabbage in the sun for three or four days. It's best to pickle cabbage after that. Pickled mustard greens only need to be dried for one or two days.

Spread the cabbage out to dry for 1-3 days until it is slightly wilted and softened, reducing its moisture content and increasing its crispness.

Before 11 a.m., after finishing processing the cabbage and pickled mustard greens, He Yuzhu returned home to make mutton soup, something he had promised Xu Damao.

Xu Damao conscientiously went out to buy cooked food, which was a good quality of his, at least far superior to Yan Bugui's.

Twelve catties of mutton filled another large pot. Two extra catties of mutton were bought by He Yushui to feed Tan Jun and Tan Jing, and Tan Guilan and the other two were invited to come over for lunch.

Because Tan Guilan frequently sent messages, He Yuzhu felt that inviting her to a meal once every six months would be fine, just to cook more food and repay the favor.

Add a dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar and a dish of sweet and sour pork. The kids love the sweet and sour flavor, and He Yushui kept saying that it used a lot of oil, but she still ate like crazy. A few days later, she was still thinking about the sweet and sour pork.

The staple foods are sesame seed cakes, steamed buns, and rice. You can eat whatever you like.

The mutton soup is ready, and its aroma fills the courtyard once again. The man is not home, but the woman starts to smell the fragrance.

Jia Zhangshi went out and smelled the aroma, but dared not come to ask for mutton soup. She could only stand at her door, muttering under her breath, probably cursing that no one was bringing her any.

After bringing the pot to a boil, they simmered it over low heat. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, who had just returned from buying cooked food, squatted down at the entrance of the He family's house and chatted.

In mid-November, the temperature was above 10 degrees Celsius. It was fine to dress warmly and play in the yard. He Yushui, along with Junjun and Jingjing, were playing Eagle Catches Chicks with Tan Guilan in the yard.

"Look at Jia Zhangshi's behavior. She's so tempted by the mutton soup that her mouth is practically watering. Is it really necessary for a woman in her forties? It's so shameful."

"You're only now realizing what she's really like? A lazy, good-for-nothing old shrew. She's all show and no substance. Do you think she cares about being humiliated? She's completely shameless."

"I think she's deliberately trying to embarrass herself; I can't believe it."

"Do you think she has any shame? She probably thinks it's good this way, 'the more shameless, the more invincible,' and that's exactly the behavior of an old shrew, trying to make others afraid of her. It's utterly boring."

"Zhu Zi, after you go to work this afternoon, will she come over to steal the cabbages?"

"It's possible. She wouldn't dare take too much, afraid of being caught. At most, she'd take a few. Cabbage isn't worth much, so it's a bargain for her. Hopefully, she'll take more when we're drying meat next month."

"Just send her straight in, give her a long sentence, and preferably make her eat peanuts. Seeing her won't just be annoying, it'll make you sick."

"Let Jia Zhangshi stay outside for a month while we make cured meat. She will definitely be unable to resist. During the day, Jia Dongxu is not at home, and no one can stop her."

Given Jia Zhangshi's current state of mind, Qin Huairu should probably wish for her death.

"Without her, Qin Huairu would be much more relaxed. For Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi's imprisonment is only beneficial, not harmful."

As the two were talking, Qin Huairu stepped out of her house and saw Jia Zhangshi sniffing the smell, looking nauseating. She said a few words to her and then pulled her back into her room.