Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Courtyard House: Wife, Children, and a Warm Bed (Author: From the Past)

Reborn in 1962, I found myself in the world of "The Story of Siheyuan".

Facing the reality, Yang Jianguo just wants to stay away from right and wrong and live a down-to-earth life.

With a wife, children, a warm bed and a heart turned towards the sun, our life should be prosperous!

ps: This book is mainly about life, not so violent. If you want to see some fighting, please avoid it.

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Chapter One: In the Courtyard, We're Eating Meat Today

1962, Beijing.

Yang Jianguo carried a pound of pork and walked home with a smile on his face.

With this pound of pork with fat, you can not only have a good meal, but also render some cracklings to satisfy your cravings.

These days, if you ask for lean meat when buying meat, people will think you're a fool.

In the 1960s, people didn't have much oil in their stomachs.

When eating meat, you have to choose the ones with fat; the fattier they are, the more fragrant they are.

The pound of fatty pork that Yang Jianguo was carrying was so thick that it would make everyone in the yard drool with envy if he cooked it at home.

However, Yang Jianguo's expression changed when he thought about the courtyard house he lived in.

After three months, he was certain that he had transmigrated into the Love in the Courtyard.

The deaf old woman, the three stewards, Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi...

And then there's He Shazhu, who makes you feel so sorry for him that you grit your teeth, yet you also feel he deserves it.

My thoughts were racing when I saw the gate of the compound right in front of me.

The third uncle who lives in the front yard was watering the plants at the door when he saw Yang Jianguo carrying meat in.

Upon seeing the pork in his hand, the Third Uncle's eyes lit up: "Jianguo, you bought meat. Want to have a drink tonight? I've been hoarding some good wine, you're in luck tonight."

"You think you can get away with this?" Yang Jianguo sneered inwardly. "You think you can get a free meal with your watered-down fake liquor?"

...Did you drink too much fake alcohol?

"Uncle, drinking can lead to trouble. I think we should just let it go."

As he spoke, he entered the middle courtyard from the front yard and headed towards his own home.

The old man behind him wanted to say something more, but seeing him walk away like that, he could only purse his lips dejectedly.

This Yang Jianguo has absolutely no manners.

The Yang family lived in the middle courtyard, with two adjacent side rooms, which were not large, totaling about thirty square meters.

Previously, Yang Jianguo and his parents lived together, with the couple sharing one room and Yang Jianguo having his own room.

When he transmigrated, his father had an accident at the factory and died.

His current job is his father's; he works as a riveter at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

Overwhelmed with grief, her mother passed away a few days later.

Now that Yang Jianguo lives alone, it seems quite spacious.

These days, it's quite common for four people to live in a small side room of about ten square meters; it's not unusual.

A bachelor having two rooms is considered good living conditions in the capital.

With a salary of thirty-seven and fifty cents, a room in the side room and a small room in the corner were considered the best conditions.

Unfortunately, he wasn't clever, and even his father was unreliable; he ran off with a widow.

He seemed to be surrounded by good people, but none of them genuinely cared about him. He was led astray by a bunch of beasts.

If it weren't for the deaf old woman treating him like a grandson and helping him out, the He family would have been wiped out.

But this plan backfired and ruined Lou Xiao'e...

"What's it to me? Why think so much?" Yang Jianguo shook his head and mocked himself, then carried the meat into the house.

A bed, a rickety wooden table, and two small stools that we made ourselves.

There was an earthen stove built against the wall by the entrance; the house was practically bare.

But these days, every household is the same; no one is better off than anyone else.

Is the saying "the poorer you are, the more glorious you are" just a joke?

At this moment, under the doors and windows of the main building in the central courtyard, a pair of triangular eyes stared at Yang Jianguo's gate with jealousy.

"This Yang Jianguo, whose parents died, eats so much meat by himself, isn't he afraid of choking to death? We've been neighbors for so many years, and he never once helped us out when he bought meat. He deserves to be orphaned and without parents..."

Madam Jia muttered curses under her breath, leaving Qin Huairu, who had just returned from cooking, feeling utterly exhausted.

Why can't she stand seeing others do well?

Why should Yang Jianguo help you out when he's buying meat?

If you want to eat, you have to provide for them. But which family in the entire capital doesn't want to eat meat? Can you possibly provide enough for everyone?

Besides, when Yang Jianguo's parents passed away, you didn't lend them a hand.

Instead, they tried to take advantage of his house, causing quite a commotion, and the already strained relationship completely cooled down.

You're still hoping someone will help you out? What's wrong with your brain?

But she only dared to say these words in her heart. No matter what, life still had to go on.

"Mom, stop staring at the yard, let's eat!"

Cabbage stalks, rice porridge, and a few coarse grain steamed buns—that was the Jia family's dinner.

Madam Jia looked at the food on the table with a sarcastic expression. "Is this all you're going to eat? Aren't you worried about ruining my grandson's voice?"

Qin Huairu's face darkened, but she forced a smile: "Let's see what Sha Zhu brings when he comes back."

"That's more like it. You and the money-loser eat first, and I'll wait for the idiot Zhu with my grandson."

Jia Zhangshi hugged her grandson tightly, telling him to wait with her for the good food, while scolding, "This silly boy, he never comes home early, he's starved my grandson to death."

The hamster in his arms nodded in agreement, looking like a silly fool who hadn't even come back earlier, even though he was starving.

Qin Huairu lowered her head and ate her coarse grains in silence, her heart filled with increasing sorrow.

Why did I ever set my sights on the Jia family in the first place?

Yang Jianguo quickly rinsed the meat and set aside a thick piece of fat.

Cut the rest into pieces, pour oil into the pan, add some Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and red chili peppers, stir-fry, then add water and simmer.

Before long, the aroma of meat filled the entire courtyard.

As Jia Zhangshi waited for her lunchbox at home, she swallowed hard, her triangular eyes filled with malice: "That damned Yang Jianguo, he eats fish and meat every day, isn't he afraid of dying from overeating? At this rate, he'll be childless sooner or later."

The already hungry little dog in my arms cried out, "Grandma, I want to eat meat, I'm hungry..."

Madam Jia quickly hugged her beloved grandson tightly, saying, "Oh, my dear grandson, don't cry."

Seeing that she couldn't coax him, and also feeling hungry herself, Jia Zhangshi went up and snatched the cornbread from Xiao Dang's hand.

"My dear grandson, let's eat some cornbread first. When Sha Zhu comes back, there will be meat to eat."

"No, no, I want to eat meat, meat..."

Xiao Dang cried too.

Chapter Two: A Special Job, Preparing for Blind Dates and Settling Down

The aroma of meat was already tempting, but then Grandma snatched the cornbread from my hand.

She had barely eaten a couple of bites when she felt even hungrier than if she hadn't eaten at all, and burst into tears of frustration.

Qin Huairu hugged her daughter tightly, her heart aching. "Mom, what are you doing?"

Madam Jia, with a fierce look in her eyes, said sarcastically, "What will this worthless woman eat? As long as she doesn't starve to death, that's fine. All she does is cry all day long. If you were in another family, you'd starve to death."

"My dear grandson, have a couple of bites... Oh, my dear grandson."

Qin Huairu was angry and saddened by her mother-in-law's favoritism, but she also felt that there was some truth to it.

If this were in the countryside, it would be a miracle if the girl didn't starve; her parents were considered to have a conscience. She herself had gone through the same thing.

Anyway, my daughter will belong to someone else's family sooner or later, so it won't matter if she eats a little less.

Feed your son more; when he becomes successful, you'll still have to rely on him to support you.

The idea of ​​raising children to provide for you in old age—isn't that the logic?

No matter how Jia Zhangshi tried to coax him, Banggeng kept clamoring for meat, and in the end, he angrily slapped the cornbread away.

Little Dang, who was sitting in her mother's lap crying, saw this, wiped away her tears, and ran over to pick up the cornbread.

She patted it and then stuffed it into her mouth, afraid that her grandma would try to take it away again.

"You good-for-nothing, you've never seen food before, you shameful wretch."

"Mom, please stop saying a few words."

Seeing Qin Huairu's sullen face, Jia Zhangshi stopped scolding her granddaughter and turned her attention to her instead.

“You, as a mother, are still sitting there. Didn’t you hear my grandson wanting to eat meat? Hurry up and get some meat for my grandson.”

Qin Huairu was both angry and anxious. Her salary was used to buy food and feed her family, so there was no money left to buy meat.

"If you don't have money, why don't you go ask for it? You damned Yang Jianguo, hurry up and go. If my grandson cries himself sick, see how I deal with you."

"That damned brat! He didn't even send some meat over when he was cooking. No wonder nobody wants him; he'll be childless sooner or later!"

The noise inside woke up Xiao Huaihua, who was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), and she cried loudly with her mouth wide open.

"Crying, crying, crying, all you good-for-nothings do is cry." He patted the locust flowers wrapped in the quilt.

Madam Jia urged angrily, "Why aren't you going yet?"

Qin Huai wiped away her tears and went out the door, heading towards Yang Jian's house. Just as she reached the door, she saw a stranger in the front yard.

As soon as Aunt Liu entered the courtyard, she heard Jia Zhangshi cursing. She thought to herself, 'There are advantages to not having elderly people around, like this…'

Upon entering the Intermediate People's Court, he confronted Qin Huairu head-on.

The beautiful widow had three children, yet her figure remained unchanged; instead, she exuded a more mature and alluring charm.

Even Aunt Liu, upon seeing it, would silently think, "That's a fox."

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

Outside, Qin Huairu is a virtuous and filial woman, and a good daughter-in-law.

"I'm from the neighborhood committee, I'm here to see Yang Jianguo. And who are you, young lady?"

Hearing that the person on the other end was from the neighborhood committee looking for Yang Jianguo, Qin Huairu was overjoyed. Could it be that her mother-in-law's fuss last time had worked?

This means they want to take one of the side rooms of their house and give it to their own family. That would be wonderful.

"I'm a neighbor in the same courtyard as Jianguo. It's nothing, you go ahead with your work." Qin Huairu said and walked back. Aunt Liu didn't think much of it and knocked on the door.

"Jianguo, is Jianguo at home?"

The door opened, and Yang Jianguo greeted her with a smile: "Aunt Liu is here! I've been waiting for you with the stewed meat!"

Upon hearing that there was meat, Aunt Liu's mouth started watering.

These days, everyone needs meat; being able to eat meat once a month is considered a good life.

Looking at Yang Jianguo with increasing satisfaction, she said, "Jianguo, you're too kind."

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the house. Qin Huairu, who was standing at the door with expectant eyes, was still wondering if Yang Jianguo would invite her in for a bite to eat as well.

Bang! The door slammed shut.

Smelling the aroma of meat in the air, Qin Huairu quickly swallowed and sighed inwardly.