Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

After the heavy snow, the snow on the ground was very thick. The alley in front of the gate became a playground for children of all ages. Building snowmen and having snowball fights were a must.

The adults in the compound also had a tacit understanding: they would only sweep the snow up to the gate, stop there, let the children play all day, and then sweep the snow in the evening.

Because of the heavy snowfall, parents would use shovels to pile up several snow mounds. The snow in these mounds was relatively clean, allowing the children to play for another day or two.

It's all because the family is poor, the children don't have many toys, they like to play in the snow together, and the parents make sure they do.

He Yushui wore a cotton hat, a pink scarf, a new cotton-padded coat and trousers, cotton shoes, and cotton gloves that were still hanging on her shoulders with long strips of cloth attached together.

He Yuzhu was afraid she would lose her gloves, so he tied them together with long strips of cloth. If she didn't want to wear gloves, he could just wrap them around her back so she wouldn't lose them. He Yushui thought this was a good idea.

For the children, building snowmen and having snowball fights were some of their few forms of entertainment. He Yuzhu continued reading at home. Everyone in the neighborhood knew her, and no one would do anything to harm the rain.

At twelve o'clock, He Yushui went home for dinner. He Yuzhu was heating up the food, and a little bird kept chirping in her ear.

"Brother, since you stayed home and didn't go out, Qiaoling, Da Ya from next door, and I built a snowman first. Our snowman is the prettiest..."

Later, the big dogs in the front yard had a snowball fight, and they hit us on the head. We then had another snowball fight with them. There were three groups of us in total, and we chased them away with snowballs...

"Wu Dong stuffed a snowball down his neck and into his back, making him scream from the cold... He ran away."

Brother, it was so much fun! My hands were a little cold though. We made plans to go out and play together again at 1:30 this afternoon...

It's clear that He Yushui is having a great time playing with other children her age. Next door, Daya is the same age as her. Big Dog is Old Gou's eldest son from the front yard; he's ten years old this year, slightly older than He Yushui.

Big Dog is because his father's surname is Gou. He was born and played in the yard. His sister is only five years old and is called Second Dog.

Gou Dongxi is just Gou Dongxi. It's the name his parents gave him, and he didn't dare to object, so he had to accept it. He also had no choice but to accept the names his children had.

Wu Dong is the eldest of Wu Laogen's three children. He just turned ten this year. The second child, Wu west, is two years younger than Yu Shui. The youngest daughter is named Wu Nan, who is not yet three years old.

Wu Laogen only had three children. His fourth child was named Wu Bei, and his fifth child was named Wu Zhong. The people in the courtyard had already arranged the names for his children, and Wu Laogen did not object.

"Go if you want this afternoon. Warm your hands and feet first, then we'll eat right away."

"Okay, brother, let's have a snowball fight this afternoon, but we won't build a snowman. We must get revenge on that big dog for daring to throw snowballs at us." He Yushui said, still eager to continue.

"Whatever you like."

After finishing all the leftovers from the New Year's Eve dinner at noon, He Yushui rested for a while and then went out to play by herself, while He Yuzhu stayed at home thinking about what to eat for dinner.

Make more mutton soup so we can eat it until the evening of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Also, stir-fry two vegetarian dishes: shredded potatoes and cabbage, as He Yushui wants to eat some vegetarian dishes during the New Year.

I decided to buy ten pounds of mutton from the mall. It was already processed, and all I had to do was soak it in cold water.

After preparing the potatoes and cabbage, I'll take out the porcelain to continue my study. I should be able to finish watching in three hours, then I can start cooking. That's a good time.

"Pillar, open the door, it's me, Xu Damao."

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

"You're staying home and reading all the time; you seem to love studying even more than I do. I've never seen you like this before."

"With nothing to do, I read books to broaden my knowledge."

"You need to study too. What were you doing all this time? You didn't know how to work hard when you were in school. Even if you study harder, you won't amount to anything."

"Speak up, or I'll beat you up."

"Why so violent? Are you trying to teach Jia Zhangshi a lesson?" Xu Damao was up to his mischief again.

"You have another plan? How did that scoundrel Jia Zhangshi offend our Comrade Xu Damao this time?" He Yuzhu asked with a smile.

"A month ago, when I came home from school, she made veiled insults at me, as if she knew I was making a ruckus at her wedding night and throwing firecrackers at her house. I can't let her off easily." Xu Damao is quite vengeful.

"What method?"

"Smash her windows, first the front windows, then the back windows. In this freezing weather, if they don't seal the windows properly, how are they supposed to sleep?" Xu Damao didn't hide anything from He Yuzhu.

"That's a good method. After smashing the front window, wait half an hour and then an hour before smashing the back window. Be careful, someone might be lying in ambush at his house."

"Isn't this what you're doing here? Keep an eye on Jia Dongxu for the brothers. If he's lying in ambush me, knock on the window to let me know." Xu Damao told himself that he wanted him to help out as well.

"It's my duty to deal with Jia Zhangshi. After you smash the front window, I'll keep an eye on their family."

"That works! Whether Liu Haizhong's windows are broken or not, it will make him suspect Jia Zhangshi." Xu Damao was cunningly wicked.

"It's up to you who you smash things up. No one in the Intermediate People's Court will sell you out. Yi Zhonghai is in the backyard. Go back quietly." He Yuzhu advised Xu Damao.

"I need to be careful of that bastard Yi Zhonghai. If he finds out I did this, he'll definitely tell Jia Dongxu. Why am I thinking of smashing that deaf old lady's window again?"

"If you're thinking of smashing the deaf old lady's window, you'd better talk to Uncle Xu first. The punishment for smashing the window is too lenient. Think of another way to teach them a lesson they won't forget."

"I'll go back and ask my dad, and think of a way to deal with them." Xu Damao was still thinking about getting rid of Yi Zhonghai.

As for dealing with Yi Zhonghai, that's an unavoidable duty. Tonight, I'll wait for Xu Damao to cause trouble. Tomorrow night, I'll go out and deal with Yi Zhonghai. Or maybe I'll bring the deaf old lady along.

With a long time to go before evening, He Yuzhu continued reading to increase his experience points.

Before 5:30, He Yushui ran home, took off her scarf, her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily.

"Brother, you're stewing mutton. We could smell it from the front door. Everyone thinks it smells amazing and is guessing whose mutton it is. What are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Lamb soup, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and stir-fried cabbage with vinegar."

"Aren't there any other meat dishes?" He Yushui persisted.

"We eat too much meat during the Lunar New Year, so we need to save money. Is that what you call rainwater?" He Yuzhu replied verbatim, implying that while they wanted to save money, they were still thinking about eating meat.

"Okay." He Yushui had nothing to say.

He Yuzhu's stewed mutton soup made many people's mouths water, especially Jia Zhangshi and the deaf old lady.

"Dad, do we have any meat left?" Xu Damao asked, his mouth watering at the smell.

"You smell stewed mutton again. We're out of meat at home. It snowed last night, so we didn't go out to buy any today."

"I'm going to He Yuzhu's house later. He should be stewing mutton. I'll just go and get a free meal."

"Don't worry about him kicking you out; he might not have much meat left, and you might not get any."

"I won't eat less, and I won't kick you out if you eat more. He Yuzhu isn't a stingy person," Xu Damao said with certainty.

"Bring something with you. Don't go there to eat for free; that's not good. You're all young, so bringing cigarettes and alcohol isn't appropriate. Bring some candy for He Yushui."

"become."

At six o'clock, the mutton soup was ready, and He Yuzhu was stir-frying the last dish, shredded potatoes.