The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

He Yushui didn't know why today, perhaps she envied Qi Xiaoning's older brother, who was thoughtful and caring, and even went shopping with him.

She started by talking a lot about her brother, sounding quite aggrieved.

This includes things like going hungry and not having enough clothes when I was a child, and other trivial matters.

It seems He Yushui has accumulated quite a few grievances.

In order to appease her, Aunt Qi had no choice but to go along with what she said.

Yang Dalin didn't think much of it at first, but He Yushui was about the same age as him, and she really had no brains at all, even though she was a sixteen-year-old girl.

They raised you, so how come your brother is completely useless?

How can you talk badly about your own family members to outsiders? There's a saying that you shouldn't air your dirty laundry in public.

A wife who likes to criticize her husband's shortcomings to outsiders will not have a harmonious family.

You have a younger sister who was raised by a young man.

He kept calling him "Silly Brother" and criticizing Sha Zhu for his carelessness.

This isn't fair to Sha Zhu either, and Yang Dalin also wants to know if He Yushui knows about the letter He Daqing sent.

Yang Dalin couldn't help but speak up: "He Yushui, may I say a few words?"

He Yushui has stopped shedding tears now.

He nodded: "Brother Dalin, of course."

Yang Dalin sat at the table: "Since you call me Brother Dalin, we've been through thick and thin together today. I'll only say what I'm saying today once."

"It might sound harsh, but whether you mind or not, I won't say it a second time."

Seeing Yang Dalin's solemn expression, He Yushui knew that Yang Dalin's words might not be very pleasant, but at this moment she really felt that this Brother Dalin was quite nice.

After all, I bought her a small gift and protected her.

She also wanted to hear what Yang Dalin had to say.

"Go ahead and tell me, Brother Dalin, I won't be angry."

"Okay, then I'll tell you."

When your dad passed away, your brother was the same age as you this year, right?

"Yes, I was seven years old then, and my brother was sixteen."

"Did your dad ever send you letters or money?"

"We looked for him once, but he wouldn't see us. My brother and I were freezing all night, and we came back the next day. We haven't heard from him since."

Well, it seems He Yushui doesn't know about sending the letter and the money.

I just don't know if Sha Zhu knows.

"Okay, He Yushui, your brother was the same age as you are now, sixteen years old. He was just your brother, not your parents. He had no obligation to support you, because that obligation was your father's. But he didn't give up on you and started earning money to support you and raise you to this age, and he still made sure you went to school."

Yes, he may have done many things wrong, but can you put yourself in his shoes? He was only sixteen years old. Back then, many places weren't public-private partnerships. Your brother was probably an apprentice at the time. Apprentices in private restaurants didn't get paid. He raised you with such hardship back then and now.

No one taught him how to raise children, and no one understood his hardships.

He's 25 now and still not married. You keep calling him "silly brother" and complaining about this and that. Do you think that's appropriate?

If you were asked to raise a seven-year-old child right now, could you do it well?

Back then, right after liberation, the streets were much more chaotic than they are now.

Have you ever thought about the hardship and danger he faces when he goes home from the restaurant at night?

Why has your brother become such a reckless and arrogant person, like a hedgehog that gets pricked at the slightest touch?

Take my aunt's family for example, they are occasionally bullied, whether openly or secretly.

Why did your brother become like that? If he hadn't changed, wouldn't he have been bullied to death?

There are quite a few people who live off the property of their deceased children these days. You can ask your classmates what it means to live off the property of one's deceased children!

People should know how to be grateful. Just think about how many people in Beijing are starving.

I don't have a fixed amount of food these days. I don't know where my next meal will come from.

Your brother is trying to bring you food from the factory. He basically eats in the canteen and gives you most of the rations meant for two people. You're eating better than many people now, so why are you still dissatisfied?

Last time I went to your house, you left right after eating without even washing the dishes. Did you ever think about how tired your brother is after a long day at work?

The dishes in the factory were cooked in large pots with big shovels, each pot weighing a hundred or even several hundred kilograms.

Do you know how much his arm hurts after working all day?

He likes to drink a little every night. Why? Isn't it because his arm hurts so much that he can't sleep if he doesn't drink a little?

Others rudely call him "Silly Zhu," and you keep calling him "Silly Brother." Have you ever thought that because you, his own sister, call him that, it will ruin his reputation and make it harder for him to find a wife?

He Yushui, you two are the closest people in this courtyard.

Think about what you said today. Was it really appropriate?

He Yushui's face grew paler and paler as she listened, and tears streamed down her face.

Overwhelmed with self-blame and guilt, she wept uncontrollably.

Aunt Qi knew all this, but since they weren't her own children, she hadn't felt comfortable saying these things before.

Moreover, she doesn't interact much with her neighbors in the courtyard.

Xiaoning is the only one who can play with her. Usually, Xiaoning spends more time at her place, since she has her own space.

Qi Yanhua was only one year older than He Yushui, but she was much more sensible and rarely went to play with He Yushui.

So no one ever said these things to He Yushui.

Aunt Qi rolled her eyes at Yang Dalin, as if to say, "Look what you've done, you've provoked this little girl."

Yang Dalin knew he had said a lot today, but he did have a bit of a problem with his sister who was causing trouble for her brother.

Another thing is that Qi Xiaoning often hangs out with He Yushui, and it seems that their relationship has gotten even better today. It's inevitable that she'll come over to visit again in the future.

If I don't wake her up, it will be troublesome if she leads this silly girl Xiaoning astray.

Today, when we talk about He Yushui, we're also referring to Qi Xiaoning.

While we're at it, let's see if we can get a few helpers in the yard.

Yang Dalin felt that he would need a few helpers if he wanted to gain a foothold in the courtyard house in the future.

Sha Zhu is just a good henchman.

We can follow Yi Zhonghai's path, we can win over Sha Zhu and a few other young people in the courtyard.

If we really have to stand up to those three old men in the future, we'll have more confidence, won't we?

As the saying goes, those who are virtuous will receive much help; one should make many friends and few enemies.

Once my own system is activated, I might end up bringing back delicious food quite often.

There are definitely a lot of envious people in the courtyard. It would be good to win over some of them and avoid a lot of trouble.

The underworld in the courtyard doesn't have so much fighting and killing; it's just a bunch of poor, calculating common people.

It's better to talk more about interpersonal relationships and social etiquette.

Having more friends means having more protection when things get tough.

Everyone says Beijing is great, but it's also the political center, so there will be plenty of political lines, activities, and movements going on.

It's best to stay out of things and just stay safe and sound.

Sha Zhu has many flaws, but he's loyal and doesn't like getting involved in these kinds of things. He just wants to cook good meals, which is why Yang Dalin chose him.