Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

"Rain, now that you've eaten your fill, shouldn't you do me a favor?"

Gao Xiaosheng took a deep drag on his cigarette, then threw the butt on the ground and stomped it out.

"Okay, okay, what do you need my help with?"

He Yushui agreed readily, as if it were an honor to be able to help.

"You've seen my house, it's completely bare. Let's get everything ready this afternoon and then tidy up the place."

"Officer Zhang from the neighborhood office told me there are supply and marketing cooperatives and trust stores nearby, but he didn't say exactly where they are, and I can't find them. Could you show me the way and remind me what I absolutely need to buy?"

The thought of starting his own business and making a living was giving Gao Xiaosheng a huge headache.

He has no experience with this.

Doing laundry, sweeping, and tidying up the house are no problem for Gao Xiaosheng, but cooking...

In any case, he doesn't seem to have ever cooked a meal himself.

After all, I grew up in a rural area of ​​Northeast China, eating food from many different families. After joining the army, I no longer had to worry about food.

"No problem, let's go now. I know what the family needs."

He Yushui was even more eager than Gao Xiaosheng, and stood up to walk out.

The "bad elders" in the courtyard called her "little brat" and "money-losing girl" all day long, saying that she was useless except for dragging her brother down.

He Yushui also tried to break through the prejudices of others and prove her own worth.

After making things worse several times and being explicitly forbidden by her exasperated brother, she had to accept a fact—

They all look down on me, and I'm just not ambitious enough. No one supports my lofty ambitions, so I can't seem to get ahead.

Gold will always shine, but I'm just a piece of iron; no one can use me because I'm useless.

Now that Gao Xiaosheng had actually offered to help her, He Yushui was overjoyed. Her brain was working like crazy, and she wished she could take out her notebook and make a shopping list so she wouldn't forget it later.

"Okay, okay, don't rush, I'll pay the bill first. We can't dine and dash."

Gao Xiaosheng rubbed He Yushui's forehead, then regretted it the next second.

It's been so long since I washed my hair, it's all greasy and messy, and my right hand... isn't clean either.

As Gao Xiaosheng walked out of the restaurant, he was still marveling at the low prices.

Three bowls of noodles with soybean paste cost 2700, and two dishes cost 3400. The two of us, who both developed potbellies, only spent 6100 in total.

"Rain, slow down, you can't run right after eating."

Unexpectedly, He Yushui is quite impatient. Grabbing Gao Xiaosheng's hand, her two thin legs moved quickly.

"Are you busy this afternoon? Did you make plans to go out with classmates?"

Gao Xiaosheng, of course, had no idea that He Yushui was so eager to prove her point, and could only guess, based on common sense, that she might have made an appointment with her classmate.

"No, they don't want to play with me."

He Yushui stopped and looked at Gao Xiaosheng with a wronged expression, indicating that those words had deeply hurt her young heart.

"They said I was a wild child without parents to discipline me."

Gao Xiaosheng blinked, his expression stiff.

He wasn't feeling guilty; instead, he was mobilizing all the primal power within him to forcefully suppress the urge to curl his lips into a smile.

The rain's aggrieved look is just like Andy Lau's character in "A World Without Thieves".

Andy Lau's emotionally charged line instantly played on repeat in his mind: "You hurt my heart, you should say sorry to me."

"Um, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Gao Xiaosheng went through all the sad things in his life in his mind, and finally managed to control his expression. Who isn't a self-made movie star?

"It's okay, you didn't do it on purpose."

He Yushui's sadness came and went quickly; a simple apology made her feel immensely respected.

"When I go to school tomorrow, I'll tell them the story of how you fought the bandits, and then they won't avoid me anymore."

He Yushui raised her small face, proudly shaking her head, her crudely made ponytail swinging from side to side.

Gao Xiaosheng was very worried that his braid would fall apart at any moment.

Big hands holding little hands, walking together safely.

The two chatted leisurely while shopping.

Fortunately, Gao Xiaosheng had a lot of money in his pocket, more than five million yuan.

One million was a lottery prize, and the rest was the allowance and demobilization allowance he had saved during his military service.

The allowance is 60,000 yuan per month, totaling less than 3 million yuan.

The demobilization allowance was based on the decision promulgated in 1950, with appropriate minor adjustments. Gao Xiaosheng, a four-year soldier, was entitled to 650 jin of wheat, 16 feet of cloth, and miscellaneous items such as winter clothes, new shoes, new socks, new towels, and soap.

It's impossible to send Gao Xiaosheng a few hundred kilograms of grain in kind and have him carry it all the way to Beijing; cash is the only option.

"Brother Sheng, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some small items first."

"Okay, whatever you say."

He Yushui's ponytail swung even more joyfully.

What was once little self-confidence swelled up uncontrollably.

Gao Xiaosheng could see that the little girl really needed encouragement, and every time he agreed with her, it was like giving Yushui a shot of adrenaline.

"Brother Sheng, we need to buy a washbasin."

"it is good."

"Brother Sheng, let's buy two towels, one for our face and one for our feet."

"Hmm... okay."

"You also need to buy a bar of soap."

"Uh, okay."

"Kettle, thermos..."

"purchase."

"Wok, steamer, bamboo steamer, plates, bowls and chopsticks"

"Buy, buy, buy!"

"..."

Gao Xiaosheng was like a human repeating machine; no matter what He Yushui said, he nodded in agreement, handed over the money, and accepted the items.

There are towels and soap in the bundle? No problem, they're just consumables, use them slowly.

Too many kitchen gadgets, maybe you'll never use them? No problem, what if your cooking skills improve someday?

"Brother Sheng, did I buy too much? Can you even carry it all?"

He Yushui finally discovered the blind spot.

Gao Xiaosheng's two hands, including all ten fingers, were used to the fullest extent, completely covered by layers of hemp ropes of varying lengths.

You have to walk very carefully, because the slightest breeze or movement will cause a symphony of pots and pans clattering.

"Uh, it's raining. How about we take these home first, and then buy a second batch?"

"Actually, I should have bought all of these things, but I just couldn't carry any more."

This time, Gao Xiaosheng didn't dare to act recklessly, but fearing it would discourage He Yushui, he still took the blame upon himself.

"No need for that trouble. Let's go buy furniture. We'll just need to hire a cart anyway, so we can just put everything on it. I've already planned it all out."

He Yushui raised her head high, put her hands behind her back, and wore a smug expression that said, "You've got this under control, come and praise me!"

"Haha, Rainwater is so clever, it has thought of everything so thoroughly."

"Okay, let's go buy furniture."

After receiving an enhanced dose of adrenaline, He Yushui was full of confidence and energy, walking with a bouncy gait and chattering incessantly.

"We need to buy four chairs; it looks improper if we buy fewer."

"A coal stove is a must-buy; we'll need it for boiling water and keeping warm."

"The kitchen needs a low cabinet to store rice and flour to prevent mice from stealing them."

"The living room also lacks cabinets, otherwise there would be nowhere to put small items like teacups."

He Yushui counted on her fingers as she explained the necessity of these things to Gao Xiaosheng.

The little girl was actually very uneasy, desperately trying to recall what her family had and what Gao Xiaosheng didn't need.

"Buy them all, not one less."

Gao Xiaosheng nodded in agreement.

Upon arriving at the trust store, He Yushui ran back and forth, bustling about with great enthusiasm.

"Brother Sheng, what do you think of this cabinet?"

"Brother Sheng..."

"Brother Sheng..."

Fortunately, there were carts waiting for customers right outside the shop. Without the burden in his hands, Gao Xiaosheng felt relaxed and fully recharged, appearing at a moment's notice like a summoned beast.

"This should be enough, Brother Sheng. It'll take a while to load the truck. Let's hurry up and buy the needles and thread; we'll need them for mending later."

"At first I thought you probably couldn't sew clothes and wouldn't need it for the time being, but then I thought, I can help you, so it's better to have some on hand."

The little girl grabbed Gao Xiaosheng's arm and ran out while talking, giving him no time to react.

Explanation is just a cover-up.

It was obvious that she had forgotten to buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative, and only now did she remember, so she could only keep trying to make up for it.

The acting was a bit clumsy, and the language was somewhat bland, but the sincerity was undeniable.

Offering to mend Gao Xiaosheng's clothes was enough to make up for this minor oversight.

Finally, after more than two hours, the procurement trip, comparable to special forces training, came to a successful conclusion.

The two followed behind the cart, their faces beaming with relief at surviving the ordeal.

Gao Xiaosheng was relieved to be alive. He vowed never to go shopping with girls again, not even ten-year-old girls.

He Yushui was secretly pleased. It was the first time she had been entrusted with such an important task, and she had managed to keep up. Although she felt like she had forgotten something, she had basically bought everything she needed to. She could just pretend that the things she couldn't remember didn't exist.

"Oh no, it's Third Uncle! Why is he back so early again!"

As soon as they entered Mao'er Hutong, He Yushui, with her sharp eyes, spotted Yan Bugui loitering back and forth in front of the back house and quickly warned Gao Xiaosheng.