Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

The approval process for the travel permit and road pass is still stuck in the final stage, and He Yuzhu is watching as the rice, flour, cooking oil, and dried goods at home are almost gone.

Before dawn, he secretly made another trip to the black market for his family, hoarding all the scarce grains, oils, cloth, and cured meats into the warehouse.

To get a pass, a recent passport photo is required. He Yuzhu made a special trip to the old-established photo studio outside Qianmen. While paying and queuing, he looked at the family portrait samples hanging on the wall and suddenly had an idea.

Parents, sister, and the old lady in the courtyard—the whole family gathered together to take a family photo as a keepsake, so that he could take it out to ease his longing when he was away from home.

Having made up his mind, He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard and asked someone to invite the photographer from the photography studio into the courtyard.

Just as he led his master to the porch of the main house, his fingertips suddenly paused as he remembered the treasure he had hidden in his space—a Leica A-type camera.

It was a German-made camera that he had acquired by chance a few years ago. The body, made of pure metal, was heavy and had a cool feel when held in the palm of his hand. The lens was clear and bright, far superior to the cameras in photo studios on the market.

He glanced around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, quickly made a concealing motion in his bag, actually taking out a Leica camera from his pocket and discreetly handing it to the photographer.

"Master, please make good use of this machine. I've already loaded the film, so please feel free to use it."

The photographer paused for a moment, then subconsciously took the camera. His fingertips touched the cold, hard metal body, and he raised an eyebrow: "Young man, what are you doing... Why don't you take the picture yourself?"

"It's inconvenient." He Yuzhu lowered his voice, his tone carrying a certainty that left no room for further discussion.

The photographer was a sensible man. Having spent years taking photos in the streets and alleys, he had seen many hidden talents and did not ask any further questions.

He opened his old cloth bag, put the Leica camera inside, and ran his fingertips along the engravings on the camera body. When he saw the letters "Leica Model A," his eyelids twitched.

Looking up again at the spacious main house where the He family lived, the courtyard was clean and tidy, and the old lady had a kind face but exuded confidence. Instantly, it became clear to me that this family was definitely not an ordinary one. I swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of my tongue and obediently started fiddling with the camera.

The courtyard suddenly became lively as the He family's four children, all around the age of 4, chased and played, hoping to take as many photos as possible.

Xu Damao suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rubbing his hands together as he approached He Yuzhu with a fawning smile: "Zhuzi, Zhuzi, we're such good friends, can you take a couple of pictures of me too?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him, too lazy to argue, and waved his hand: "Go ahead and take pictures, there's plenty of film."

Xu Damao was grinning from ear to ear, winking and making faces at the camera, his eyes practically disappearing from his smile. He took three or four photos in a row and still wasn't satisfied.

He Yuzhu didn't care about the cost of the film roll. He took individual photos of each of the four children and then grouped them together for a group photo. Before he knew it, he had used up almost half a roll of film.

These days, taking photos isn't exactly a novelty, but the cost of a roll of film and a set of developing equipment is equivalent to several days' worth of food for an average family—it's definitely a luxury.

Seeing the He family taking pictures so enthusiastically, the Xu family quickly joined in and used the camera to take a family photo. The whole family smiled happily.

Just then, Jia Zhangshi waddled over from the backyard, dragging a reluctant-looking Jia Dongxu by the hand, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Master, Master! Take a picture of us too, a mother-son photo with Dongxu!"

The photographer paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at He Daqing standing to the side. This was the host's courtyard, and whether or not to take photos was naturally up to the host.

He Daqing's face darkened, and he took a step forward, his tone indifferent: "Master, don't pay any attention to her. She's just a tenant in the courtyard, and she's not familiar with our family."

Upon hearing this, the photographer immediately withdrew the camera he had handed out and continued working on the film, showing no respect whatsoever to Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi immediately lost face, put her hands on her hips, and leaned forward, acting like a spoiled brat: "Hey, what's wrong with you? What's the big deal about taking a picture? It's just a matter of pressing a button! I'm an old person in this neighborhood, do you dare refuse to take my picture?"

"This lady."

The photographer abruptly looked up, his eyes sharp, he weighed the Leica camera in his hand, and his tone was full of intimidation, "This camera of mine is a German import, worth hundreds of dollars! If you bump it or drop it, can you afford to pay for it?"

"Several, several hundred silver dollars?" The arrogance on Jia Zhangshi's face froze instantly. She abruptly pulled back her outstretched hand, took two steps back instinctively, and her eyes were filled with fear.

Several hundred silver dollars—even if the Jia family sold their property, they couldn't raise that much. No matter how much she threw a tantrum, she wouldn't dare touch something so precious.

But she still wouldn't let it go, muttering to herself, "What's so great about it? It's just taking a picture. When my Dongxu gets his salary and makes a lot of money, we'll go to a big photo studio and take the best one!"

"Mom, let's go home! Don't embarrass yourselves here!"

Jia Dongxu's face turned bright red as he forcefully pulled Jia Zhangshi's arm back.

He had finally found a job, and he valued his reputation the most. However, the cost of taking photos was too high. His family was penniless and couldn't afford it. He had no means to save face, so he could only leave with his mother, seething with anger.

The minor incident subsided, and the photographer continued taking pictures of the He family. The family gathered around the old lady, smiling warmly and harmoniously.

After the photographer packed up and left, He Daqing scratched the back of his head, looked at his empty money bag, and showed a pained expression.

"This shoot cost a lot of money; it's really not easy to save up some money..."

The old lady sat in her armchair, holding the newly taken draft photos, beaming from ear to ear. She immediately waved her hand, "What's there to be worried about? Photos are for remembering, I'll pay for them!"

Chen Lanxiang quickly stepped forward to help the old lady up, waving her hands repeatedly, "That won't do, how can we let you pay? This is our family's business, it's our responsibility to pay."

"Yes, yes, Mom, we'll go!" He Daqing quickly chimed in, secretly glancing at He Yuzhu who was grinning beside him. He gritted his teeth and said it, but his heart was still aching.

The old lady smiled and didn't press the matter: "Alright, if you don't have enough money, just let me know."

A few days later, the day for developing the photos arrived, and He Yuzhu went to the photo studio to pick them up.

Before leaving, Chen Lanxiang rummaged through the bedside table and took out twenty silver dollars, stuffing them into his hand and repeatedly telling him, "Take this, don't think it's too little. If it's not enough, say a few nice words to the person. You can't owe them money."

He Yuzhu put the silver dollars into his pocket. When he arrived at the photo studio, he learned that the He family's photos had been printed in three copies, each printed on fine photographic paper. He also specially selected three thick photo albums and carefully arranged the photos. The total cost was thirty silver dollars.

He secretly added ten silver dollars from his personal account, settled the bill, and then happily returned to the courtyard house with the three photo albums in his arms.

Back home, Chen Lanxiang took the photo album, flipped through it, and saw the photos of her family smiling brightly. The heartache she felt from spending money earlier instantly vanished, and she couldn't help but smile.

He Yuzhu picked out the most exquisite book and personally delivered it to the old lady's room.

The old lady put on her reading glasses and flipped through the photo album page by page. Looking at her family in the photos, her eyes welled up with tears. She immediately turned around, took out a small yellow croaker from a small box in the cabinet, and forced it into Chen Lanxiang's hand.

"Mom, this is unacceptable!" Chen Lanxiang quickly pushed it back. Yellow croaker was a valuable commodity, and she couldn't accept the old lady's gift.

The old woman pressed her hand down, her tone firm: "Zhuzi is about to go on a long journey. A poor family needs to be prepared for a long trip; he should carry plenty of money with him! Take it, don't refuse!"

"Thank you, Mom, thank you so much." Chen Lanxiang felt a warmth in her heart and could no longer refuse, so she had to accept it.

"Why are you thanking me? Zhu Zi is my own grandson. Besides, I love this photo more than anything else."

The old lady patted the photo album, her face beaming with smiles that smoothed out all her wrinkles.

Chen Lanxiang clutched the small yellow croaker, her heart filled with mixed emotions. The family had been busy stockpiling goods and taking photos lately, nearly depleting their savings from two years of hard work. This money was the result of He Daqing's tireless efforts over the past two years, working day and night to pay for weddings and funerals.

A few days later, the pass and travel permit were finally approved. The red stamp was stamped on the paper, clearly indicating He Yuzhu's destination—Tianjin.

As soon as the news spread, the atmosphere in the He family instantly sombered. Even the usually boisterous little children were quiet. Chen Lanxiang secretly wiped away tears several times, and He Daqing sighed all day long. The old lady sat on the porch, looking at the photo album without saying a word. The whole courtyard was filled with a feeling of reluctance.

He Daqing and Chen Lanxiang discussed going to the train station to see their son off, but He Yuzhu refused outright.

"Father, Mother, don't go to see me off. I can walk by myself," He Yuzhu said firmly.

He knew in his heart that he might not go to Huifanglou to learn cooking from his master chef as soon as he went to Tianjin. If He Daqing went to the train station, he would definitely drag him straight to his master chef's place, which would cause trouble.

He Daqing immediately became anxious upon hearing this, rolling up his sleeves: "You silly child, I'm worried about you traveling alone, what's wrong with seeing you off?"

"I said no, and that means no!" He Yuzhu refused to back down.

Neither father nor son could convince the other, so they simply started sparring in the yard.

He Daqing had practiced martial arts when he was young, but now he was no match for He Yuzhu, who was strong and had spatial abilities.

In just a few rounds, He Yuzhu easily subdued him and defeated him completely.

He Daqing, panting heavily, pointed at He Yuzhu, both angry and helpless.

"Fine, I won't see you off! But remember this: life away from home is different from home. You have to be patient, don't be stubborn, and don't get into conflicts with people, or you'll suffer sooner or later!"

"Understood, Dad." He Yuzhu nodded.

"Know my ass!" He Daqing was furious.

"Your father was a fighter back in the day, but I still ended up working as a cook. Being a cook is a stable job; you won't go hungry or cold. When you get to Tianjin, learn the trade from your master chef, understand?"

"Understood, Father."

"Try to learn all of your master's skills! He's not just good at halal cuisine; he's also skilled in Shandong and Sichuan cuisine. You'd better learn them all!"

"Understood, Father."

He Yuzhu kept agreeing, which made He Daqing so angry that he stomped his feet: "You brat, all you do is try to fool me! Let's do it again, and I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

"Goodbye, Dad, you can't beat me anyway." He Yuzhu laughed and stepped back.

"I'm your father! It's only right for me to discipline my son, okay?" He Daqing raised his hand to slap his head.

He Yuzhu quickly hid behind Chen Lanxiang, poked his head out, and said with a grin, "I'm not stupid. If you dare hit me, I'll go tell my mother!"

"Hmph!" He Daqing angrily flung his sleeves and walked into the house with a dark face, but his steps slowed down, full of unconcealed reluctance.

The night after buying the train tickets, He Daqing went to the market early in the morning and bought meat, eggs, and vegetables. He spent most of the day in the kitchen making a table full of He Yuzhu's favorite dishes, which he arranged as a farewell gift for his son.

A table full of steaming dishes was laid out, but the family ate in silence, the only sound being the clinking of chopsticks against bowls.

That night, Xu Damao came running over excitedly, grabbed a quilt, and lay down on He Yuzhu's kang (heated brick bed): "Zhuzi, we're good brothers, I'll sleep with you tonight to see you off!"

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids, and threw his blanket out the door: "Get lost, don't bother me."

Xu Damao was rebuffed and slunk away.

As soon as he left, He Yushui hugged her little doll and tiptoed into He Yuzhu's bed, clinging to him tightly and refusing to leave.

Looking at his little sister's soft and cuddly appearance, He Yuzhu couldn't bear to scold the little dumpling. He could only gently pat her back and hold the little girl as they slept through the night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the train was about to depart.

After getting up, He Yuzhu didn't rush out. He first carried rice and flour, filling his own rice and flour jars to the brim. Then he took the grain to the old lady's room and filled her jars completely, leaving not a single grain.

With red eyes, Chen Lanxiang straightened his collar. He Daqing stood to the side, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only let out a sigh.

The old lady wiped away her tears and stuffed the spare change she had saved into his pocket.

Amidst the tearful farewells and words of advice from his family, He Yuzhu, dressed in patched old clothes and carrying an old wooden box, waved goodbye to his family, turned around, hailed a rickshaw, and headed straight for the East Station of Beijing.

In those days, the East Railway Station in Beijing was not large, and the waiting hall was low and dilapidated, but the flow of people coming and going was shoulder to shoulder. People carrying packages, carrying loads, and rushing to catch trains made a lot of noise.

The old wooden box in He Yuzhu's hand contained only a few changes of clothes. The real valuables, such as money, documents, and other valuables, had long been stored in his spatial storage, so he didn't have to worry about losing them.

He was dressed simply and looked young. While queuing to enter the station, he was targeted by several pickpockets.

A boy with a pointed face and monkey-like features squeezed next to him and secretly reached into his pocket, probably thinking that he looked young and easy to bully.

He Yuzhu caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly.

Seeing that the kid had only reached into his pocket and hadn't slashed his clothes with a knife, he decided to teach him a small lesson.

Without making a sound, he slightly turned his body, gently stomped his foot, and precisely stepped on the boy's instep. At the same time, he leaned his shoulder slightly, using the force to bump into the boy's chest.

The force wasn't great, but it precisely struck the other person's sore spot. The boy's face turned deathly pale instantly, his instep throbbed with pain, and his chest felt so tight he couldn't breathe. He couldn't even make a sound, and he squatted on the ground clutching his chest, no longer daring to mess with He Yuzhu.

Taking advantage of the crowd, He Yuzhu quietly pushed forward and successfully passed through the ticket check to enter the platform.

At that time, the trains were not the green trains that came later, but the old-fashioned black trains commonly seen in movies. The trains were black and heavy, and the seats in the carriages were all hard wooden seats that were uncomfortable to sit on.

He Yuzhu used his connections to buy a seat ticket and finally found his seat.

Before long, more and more people boarded the train, and the carriage was soon packed with people. Luggage was piled up everywhere, and the smells of sweat, cigarettes, and dry food mixed together, making people feel nauseous.

The train slowly started moving, the clattering of the wheels echoing throughout. He Yuzhu hadn't been sitting for long before he started to feel sleepy.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes and dozed off. In his hazy state, he felt the train stop at two stations and the passengers around him changed one after another.

All his important belongings were in the space, so he didn't have to worry about losing anything and slept very soundly.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he suddenly felt a burning gaze fixed on his face, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

He Yuzhu's heart stirred, and he slightly opened his eyes a crack, quietly observing his surroundings.

Across from him sat a different person, dressed in plain coarse cloth clothes, wearing an old hat, with a bit of dust on his face and deliberately simple makeup. But He Yuzhu knew those eyes all too well.

"Isn't that Old Zhao Yao? He's even learned to put on makeup now? What's this old rascal doing on the same train as me? Is he going to Tianjin too?"

He Yuzhu recognized the other person's face and immediately began to have doubts.

Old Zhao was none other than Zhao Fengnian. He stared at He Yuzhu for a long time, and seeing that He Yuzhu was still not awake, he couldn't help but reach out and gently poke his arm.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu stopped pretending to be asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and shouted, "What's wrong? Can't you see someone is sleeping? You're disturbing my sleep!"

He pretended to have just been woken up, rubbed his eyes, deliberately yawned, and slowly woke up.

Then, pretending to have just seen Zhao Fengnian's face clearly, she suddenly widened her eyes, looked him up and down, and exclaimed in a low voice with feigned surprise, "You are... Zhao..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

Zhao Fengnian was so frightened that he quickly covered his mouth with his hand, glancing around warily, afraid that someone else would hear.

He Yuzhu obediently shut his mouth, and only after Zhao Fengnian released his grip did he lower his voice again: "Uncle Zhao, what happened to you? Why are you dressed like this?"

"I'm going to Tianjin," Zhao Fengnian replied softly, then asked, "By the way, why aren't you studying properly? Where are you going?"

"I graduated from middle school and went to Tianjin to learn cooking," He Yuzhu replied casually.

"Huh? You...you graduated from high school?"

Zhao Fengnian was shocked, his eyes wide open, looking He Yuzhu's tall figure up and down, his face full of disbelief.

In his memory, He Yuzhu was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, but the He Yuzhu in front of him was tall and strong, a head taller than him, and a robust young man. This contrast made him feel extremely absurd.

"What? Doesn't look like it?" He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing.

"It's so similar, so incredibly similar! You're almost half a head taller than me. I stared at you for ages before I dared to confirm it was you!" Zhao Fengnian said, patting his chest with lingering fear.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Uncle Zhao, where have you been these past two years? I haven't seen you at all."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fengnian's face showed a complicated expression, and he sighed: "Ah, it's a long story, let's not talk about it, it's all just a lot of running around."

He paused, then quickly changed the subject, "By the way, how is your family? Is the old lady in the courtyard still healthy?"

"They're both fine. My parents are in good health. The old lady eats and sleeps well and is in great spirits," He Yuzhu nodded in response.

"That's good, that's good!" Zhao Fengnian nodded repeatedly, a look of relief on his face.

Actually, Zhao Fengnian only caught a glimpse of He Yuzhu queuing up when he went to the toilet. He thought He looked familiar and stared at him for a long time before he dared to confirm it.

His trip to Tianjin was on a mission—the contact point in Tianjin had run into trouble, and he was ordered to go there to become Wang Cuiping's new contact, and he had to keep a low profile and remain hidden throughout the entire process.