Siheyuan: Starting from 1958

Yan Fugui originally wanted to see the joke of He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu getting married, but now he showed an expression of envy and admiration, and couldn't help but give He Yuzhu a thumbs up: "Zhuzi...you are still awesome..."

Seeing that many residents around had envious expressions on their faces, some of the braver residents had already begun to reach out to touch the bicycle that He Yuzhu pushed back, wishing they could snatch it home and ride it themselves.

He Yuzhu felt proud and thought that he had made the right move by asking Wang Dong to borrow money to buy a bicycle.

From then on, no one in the courtyard laughed at him for marrying a widow. All they could do was envy him for buying two big items at the same time, a bicycle and a radio. He became the only person in the courtyard, except for the old man, who owned two big items at the same time.

At this moment, He Yuzhu suddenly saw Xu Damao who came after hearing the news.

Seeing him staring at the bicycle he was pushing with wide eyes, he immediately said with a smug look on his face.

"Xu Damao..."

"Look at the bicycle and radio your Grandpa He bought today..."

"If I remember correctly, when you married Lou Xiao'e and Qin Jingru, it seemed that you didn't buy any big things for your family."

"I bought two big things at the same time, a bicycle and a radio... So what do you think? You must be envious of your Grandpa He, right?"

"As long as you call me grandpa, you can come to my house anytime to listen to the radio."

Xu Damao was indeed frightened by the bicycle and radio that He Yuzhu returned.

It took me a while to react.

Looking at He Yuzhu who was full of pride, he refuted without hesitation: "It's just a bicycle and a radio. I, Xu Damao, can afford them."

"Let you be proud for a few days, Silly Zhu. When I get the bicycle ticket and radio ticket, I will buy these two big items."

"Look how proud you are."

"It's not like he's marrying a virgin girl, but he's spending so much money on it. It's true that our courtyard is famous and almost got taken advantage of."

"If I were you, knowing that the wife I was going to marry was a widow, I would not even bother to hold a wedding banquet."

After saying this, he walked around He Yuzhu, who had a smug look on his face, and hurriedly left the courtyard.

He couldn't bear to see He Yuzhu acting smug and showing off in front of him.

Besides, his family didn't have a bicycle or a radio, so he was not qualified to compete with He Yuzhu.

Out of sight, out of mind. It’s better to leave the courtyard.

As for the lunch banquet, he could just let his wife Qin Jingru go.

He is not only He Yuzhu's neighbor, but also Qin Huairu's cousin. It is reasonable for him to attend the banquet.

Seeing that Xu Damao was driven away by him, the smug smile on He Yuzhu's face became even more pronounced. He was so happy that he could hardly close his mouth. He pushed his bicycle and strode towards the central courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu had already heard from their neighbors that He Yuzhu had bought both a bicycle and a radio.

His face was full of shock.

After confirming with each other that they had not given He Yuzhu money, the shocked expressions on their faces were immediately replaced by solemnity.

I was afraid that this fool He Yuzhu would sell the main house in the central courtyard in order to buy a bicycle.

Of course, even if he learned from his mistakes and did not sell the main house in the middle courtyard, the money to buy the bicycle did not fall from the sky and would have to be paid back sooner or later.

That's not a few dozen or a hundred yuan, but three or four hundred yuan.

With He Yuzhu's current salary, it would take him a year without food or drink to pay off the debt. But this is obviously impossible.

He Yuzhu had to eat himself, and he also had to set aside part of his salary to support the Jia family. He had to support three children and an old lady, so it was good enough if he could save more than ten yuan a month.

At this rate of saving, it may take two or three years to pay off the debt.

But today is the wedding day of He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu, and there are dozens or even hundreds of neighbors watching them.

Even if the two of them were dissatisfied and full of doubts, they would not express them until after the banquet was over.

Otherwise, the generous image that Yi Zhonghai had just established would be overturned by himself, which would be a loss.

Yi Zhonghai was the first to react. He strode towards He Yuzhu and patted the bicycle he was pushing. Not only did he not show any dissatisfaction, but he replied with a smile: "Zhuzi..."

"You prepared this surprise very well..."

"He even hid it from his godfather and quietly bought two big items, a bicycle and a radio. He is indeed a promising young man."

"Hurry up and push your bike to pick up Huairu."

"Although you are neighbors, you still have to go through the necessary procedures."

"We'll have the feast after we take Huairu home. Are the neighbors in the yard waiting to eat?"

The banquet at noon can be said to be the most sumptuous banquet in Siheyuan in recent years.

There were big chunks of braised pork, big chunks of stewed chicken, a fish on each table, plus a variety of other dishes, totaling eight big bowls.

Every neighbor was very satisfied with the meal and kept giving thumbs up to Yi Zhonghai: some said he was magnanimous, some said he was generous, some said he was good to Zhuzi... anyway, they all gave various compliments.

Anyway, during the whole banquet, Yi Zhonghai kept his mouth shut because he was so happy. It seemed that he had already seen the beautiful scene of himself being re-elected as the No.1 Master in the next Siheyuan Master election...

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the courtyard, which had been bustling for most of the day, finally became quiet.

Yi Zhonghai did not return to his own home, but went straight to the new house of He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu.

Before he asked He Yuzhu to borrow money from somewhere to buy a bicycle and a radio, Yi Zhonghai couldn't sleep even if he put a bed in front of him.

At this moment, after counting all the gifts, Qin Huairu was also ready to ask He Yuzhu how he got the bicycle and radio back home.

"Zhuzi... where did you get so much money to buy a radio and a bicycle... I remember you asked me to borrow money, but I didn't lend it to you. Huairu also didn't give you money either." Yi Zhonghai asked He Yuzhu with a frown as he entered the room.

"I think it's better to put the money in the bank and earn interest than to spend hundreds of dollars on a bicycle and a radio."

Qin Huairu replied with a frightened expression: "Yes... Zhuzi..."

"Tell us where the money for the bicycle and the radio came from."

"Please don't sell the main house in the middle courtyard where we live."

"By then we won't even have a place to live, let alone have and raise children?"

He Yuzhu looked at Qin Huairu and answered proudly: "Sister Qin..."

"Last time I sold the house to Wang Dong, the front yard boy, my godfather criticized me. This time, I will not make the same mistake again no matter what."

"Although I borrowed the money to buy the bicycle and radio from Wang Dong, I didn't sell the house."

"A total of four hundred dollars, fifteen dollars a year in interest, to be paid off within three years." (End of this chapter)