Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 111 Solving the Housing Problem
In June, Wang Cuiping finished her postpartum confinement and went back to work. The head of the investigation section had changed, and Meng Yutang had been disciplined and demoted to section chief. Now Wang Cuiping was his superior.

As for Wang Shunzi, who had raised his gun and loaded it, after several rounds of investigation, he was indeed not a traitor, but he was still severely punished, discharged from the military, and sent back to his hometown for labor reform.

Back in Tianjin, Lao Zhao had given those contacts to He Yuzhu, who then asked Wang Cuiping to inquire about them.

They only managed to contact Wang Hongxia, Lao Zhao's wife, who is now in charge of civil affairs at the Military Control Commission of Beijing. She holds a fairly high position and is currently a section chief.

When Wang Hongxia learned that her husband Lao Zhao's savior was in Beijing, in the same courtyard where Wang Cuiping lived, she made a special trip there.

He Yuzhu recognized her immediately; it was the female underground party member who stood at the door when Old Zhao eliminated the traitor. It turned out they were a couple.

As for the life-saving grace, he's not being modest; there really was one, and more than once. However, the one he publicly mentioned was the one on the train. He Yuzhu doesn't plan to talk about the others now, but they might come in handy in the future.

During their conversation, Wang Hongxia casually inquired about the situation of the courtyard house. She was currently worried about housing. Since liberation, so many workers, teachers, and other people had poured into Beijing from outside. It hadn't been long, and the Military Control Commission had already been approached by enterprises and schools many times.

One reason is that homeowners are unaware of the new government's policies and are therefore hesitant to rent out their properties.

Another issue is that the new government has taken over the houses of many traitors and Kuomintang members, which has frightened property owners.

Wang Hongxia's purpose in asking was mainly to see the attitudes of these residents, especially the homeowners.

This question made the old lady quite flustered, because she had heard some things about the house from the outside world.

"Is the government going to take back the house?" the old lady asked anxiously.

"Grandma, don't be afraid, we won't take back the house. I know you're worried. What you've heard are just isolated cases. We've already adjusted our procedures and dealt with a number of people."

"Oh, that's good, that's good."

"Section Chief Wang, I'd like to ask if the Military Control Commission can process property transfers now?"

"Zhu Zi, you don't want to be close to our family. From now on, call her Aunt Wang, otherwise my husband will nag me when he comes back."

"Okay, Aunt Wang, can we proceed with the property transaction now?"

“Sure, this business has just started, and basically nobody knows about it. You're quite well-informed, kid.”

"No, it's just that I'm thinking of buying the house I'm currently living in from the old lady, so I'm asking."

"Then you've come to the right person. I'm in charge of this, which is why I asked the old lady about the house earlier."

"Oh, can a new property deed be issued for a house I bought before?"

"of course can."

Upon hearing this, the old lady and Chen Lanxiang's eyes lit up. They were currently holding property deeds belonging to the Kuomintang and were worried that the new government would not recognize them.

"Really?" the old lady asked.

"Would I lie to you? Someone has already changed the property deed."

"Who are they?" He Yuzhu asked.

“These are all progressive businessmen and progressive people in society,” Wang Hongxia said somewhat embarrassedly.

“We are also progressive citizens,” He Yuzhu said half-jokingly.

"Yes, yes, you've improved, kid."

"Hahahaha." Everyone in the room laughed.

"Madam, I still have to ask you what you plan to do with this empty house. You can't possibly live in it all yourself, can you?"

The old lady didn't speak, but looked at He Yuzhu. Wang Hongxia glanced at He Yuzhu in surprise. It seemed that she had underestimated this young man. He had become the backbone of the courtyard at such a young age.

“Aunt Wang, the old lady’s idea is that we sell the front yard, and of course, we will give priority to the existing tenants.”

"What about the middle and back yards?" Wang Hongxia thought about how small the front yard was, not to mention the middle yard, and she had just looked at the back yard, which was still half empty.

"Don't worry about the middle courtyard, it's all settled. As for the back courtyard, there's only one west wing and two side rooms, and we don't want to sell them yet. What if a relative comes to visit? You know, many relatives were lost during the war years ago."

"Okay, then let's talk about the front yard. Tell Aunt Wang how many rooms are left."

“There are two rear rooms left, east and west wing rooms, two side rooms, and one west passage room,” He Yuzhu counted.

"Sell only? Or rent?" Wang Hongxia asked again.

"Rent? I meant priority sale."

"Okay, I'll go back and ask. I'll go and get the paperwork done when I have time."

After the conversation, Wang Hongxia was invited to stay for dinner. After tasting He Yuzhu's cooking, she felt the same way as her husband, Lao Zhao.

She joked, "Zhu Zi, I'll remember this meal. Aunt Wang doesn't have money to go to fancy restaurants. If I ever crave your food, I'll have to come and freeload."

"Aunt Wang, you're welcome anytime." Why would He Yuzhu be afraid of people coming to eat? He was joking. Besides, who knows what powerful official position this woman will hold in the future? Others can't even get close to her, why would he turn her away?
After the meal, Wang Hongxia said goodbye and left, and then the He family held a family meeting.

"Da Qing, Lan Xiang, I plan to give the east wing to Zhu Zi."

“How can this be, madam?” Chen Lanxiang said hurriedly.

"What's wrong with that? I'm just sending something to my grandson to let you know," the old lady said, dissatisfied.

"Grandma, that house could sell for a lot of money, right?" He Daqing asked.

"How much more could there be? You two, and my grandson, would you ever go hungry?"

"That's not possible," He Daqing hurriedly replied.

"That's settled then. What would an old lady like me need so much money for? I'm already so old. As long as I have food and drink and someone to take care of me, that's enough. When I'm gone, I'll be content if someone breaks a basin and raises a banner for me. Alright, it's settled then." The old lady made her decision with a single word.

"Zhu Zi, hurry up and thank your wife." Chen Lanxiang patted He Yuzhu.

"Thank you, Madam. From now on, just let me know what you want to eat, and I'll get it for you no matter where you go," He Yuzhu said, slightly exaggerating.

"You silly child, your mother isn't that picky. Mountains aren't easy to climb, they're full of wild beasts. And what are you, a landlubber, doing trying to swim? It's enough that you have the intention." The old lady's face was full of smiles.

"Hehe, I can swim," He Yuzhu laughed.

"You can swim? You can only splash around in small puddles. Besides, our city is hundreds of miles from the sea," the old lady teased He Yuzhu.

"Yes, then I'll go practice by the moat tomorrow."

"Go away, you little rascal! You can't just walk down the moat like that. Stay put!" the old lady said irritably.

Watching the old man and the young man bickering, the scene was heartwarming, and He Daqing and his wife were all smiles on the side.

"Brother, brother, I want to swim too! Take me, take me!" He Yushui finally managed to squeeze in a sentence.

"Okay, I'll get you a big wooden tub tomorrow, you can splash around at home."

"Ah, what a big wooden tub! Can I even splash around in it?" He Yushui thought of the wooden tub she used to bathe in. She could only sit in it now, not even lie down, let alone splash around.

"Silly girl, your brother is just teasing you." The old lady patted He Yushui's head.

"Bad brother, bad brother, I'm not talking to you anymore." He Yushui pouted as soon as she heard her brother teasing her.

The whole family laughed.

"Hmph, I'm ignoring you all, I'm going to go play with Sister Xiaoman and Xiaohui." He Yushui was embarrassed by the laughter, so she slid off the kang (a heated brick bed), put on her shoes, and ran off. "This child has no manners," He Daqing said, but his eyes were full of affection.

"Alright, it's all your fault for spoiling him. How dare you say that?" Chen Lanxiang scolded. When it came to He Yushui's discipline, He Daqing was all smiles, while Chen Lanxiang was all frowns.

"The rain isn't that heavy, it'll get better soon. By the way, Daqing, go to the Xu family later and ask if they'd like to buy the house," the old lady said.

"Alright, ma'am, but are you really going to do as Zhu Zi says?"

"What should we do then? Can you give me some advice?"

"Let's do as Zhu Zi says." He Daqing had no idea what to do; his father had bought the house in the first place.

"What about Cuiping?" Chen Lanxiang asked.

"Go and ask her what she thinks. If she doesn't have enough money, she can borrow it and pay it back slowly. Anyway, I'm not in a hurry to use the money."

"Okay, by the way, how much are you planning to sell both of these west wing rooms for?"

"One hundred and fifty silver dollars, and if you want a side room, add another sixty."

“Okay, I reckon that old bastard Xu Fugui can afford it,” He Daqing said.

"Let me ask Cuiping first. Although we didn't sell it for much, it's a lot of money for her," Chen Lanxiang said.

"Just let her buy it first. Whether she pays it back later is up to me, the old lady. I really like Xiaoman and her little girl," the old lady said generously.

"Alright, alright, you're so generous, but you can't let yourself suffer too much."

“I’ll ask for different people. If that little bastard Yi Zhonghai runs away and he buys the east wing, I’ll ask him for at least three hundred yuan.”

"Don't mention that inhuman thing. What about old lady Li Guihua?" Chen Lanxiang obviously didn't want to hear that name; it was unlucky. But Li Guihua was just a pitiful person.

"You should ask around and see if that bastard left any money. The main room is bigger than the side room. I won't ask for more. If you can buy it for eighty yuan, great. If not, just keep renting. But it's not good for that girl to stay at home like this. She'll just be wasting her life." The old lady sighed.

“Okay, I’ll go ask about it later,” Chen Lanxiang replied.

After chatting for a while, the old lady got tired and was sent back to the backyard. Then He Daqing went to the Xu family, and Chen Lanxiang went to Wang Cuiping's place first, and then to Li Guihua's place.

Xu Fugui naturally wanted to buy it, but he needed to think about the side room. After all, his son and daughter were still young, and who knew what would happen later? He wanted to have a backup plan.

He Daqing expressed his understanding, saying that the west wing of the backyard was not small, and it could be partitioned off if necessary.

Wang Cuiping readily took out five small yellow croakers, indicating that she had bought the west wing room. As for the side room, Wang Cuiping looked at Chen Lanxiang and said with a smile in a low voice, "Your daughter-in-law's house will have to be prepared by your He family, right?"

“Of course, the pillar has a house, but the east wing isn’t ready-made,” Chen Lanxiang whispered.

"Your family is preparing really early, but Xiaoman is still too young."

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. It depends on Zhuzi himself. Besides, our Zhuzi is a good man that is hard to find even with a lantern."

"You're just praising yourself a bit."

Both women laughed after she finished speaking.

"You've already given all the money, aren't you afraid?"

"What are you afraid of? If you don't give me the deed, I'll live at your house from now on," Wang Cuiping said with a smile. Now that the two families are practically like one, she can speak freely.

"Hahaha, just kidding."

"I know, but I really will be staying at your place," Wang Cuiping said with a smile.

"Keep the money for now. I need to go see Li Guihua and ask her about it."

"Is she rich?"

"Who knows? Let's ask around."

"Aren't you going to ask about Old Jia's family?"

"I'm too lazy to go. I don't want to see Zhang Ruhua's face. When you go to work, just have your older brother ask Lao Jia. I reckon his family can't afford it."

"Okay, then go and get busy."

Chen Lanxiang was about to get up, but then sat down again.

"I forgot to mention something. You're really worried about letting Siyu go to work when she's so young?"

"It's been so long, I feel really bad. I'll have to trouble you again, sister-in-law."

"What about feeding the baby at noon?"

"This"

“I have a few baby bottles over there. I’ll get them for you. You can express the milk in the morning, and I’ll heat it up for the little girl to drink at noon.”

"Baby bottle?"

"You'll see when I get it."

"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law." Wang Cuiping was just worrying about this matter. She had just reported for duty and had been running back every noon for the past few days. If He Yuzhu hadn't picked her up and dropped her off on his bicycle, her legs would probably have broken from all the walking.

As for buying a bicycle, forget it. There are only a few in the entire military control commission, and she's not going to be the first to do so. She knows that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.

As for the house, it can be said to be a gift. In any case, only the person in charge knows. Don't be fooled by the fact that she's only been involved for a few days; she's already getting a feel for things. The waters run deep, not much worse than when Yu Zecheng was in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics.

However, she really likes her current job, which brings back the feeling of being a guerrilla leader, only now the roles are reversed; she is in the open while the enemy is in the shadows.

"I'm leaving." Chen Lanxiang stood up and waved.

"I'll give it to you."

"No need." Chen Lanxiang took a few quick steps out the door and headed straight for the east passageway.

Li Guihua had some money left by Yi Zhonghai, barely enough to buy a house, so she hesitated. In the end, Chen Lanxiang softened and said she would talk to the old lady for her. However, Li Guihua needed to find a job, otherwise, even if she didn't buy a house, she would run out of money if she stayed at home for too long.

Li Guihua fell silent. She had never worked before and didn't know how to find a job.

Chen Lanxiang got angry at her attitude, and when she left, she said, "I'll have the Qing Dynasty ask for you," and left.

Li Guihua was in tears. If she had nowhere else to go, she would have been too ashamed to stay in this courtyard.

But what could she do? The war had taken away her family, and with no one to turn to, she had no choice but to shamelessly stay here. Otherwise, how would she survive if she went out?

After Chen Lanxiang returned home, she did not go to the backyard, where the old lady was resting.

A little while later, He Yushui came back skipping and hopping. Then Chen Lanxiang told her to go to the side room to sleep. He Yushui hugged He Yuzhu's leg and said, "Brother, I want to sleep in your room. You can tell me a story tonight."

This isn't the first time. Ever since He Yuzhu moved to a new house and He Yushui was relegated to a side room, she's been clinging to He Yuzhu.

"Alright, let's go, chubby girl," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Hehe." He Yushui was already immune to it. These days, a chubby girl doesn't prove that her family eats well. Haven't you seen other people's children who are all thin and pale, unlike her?

(End of this chapter)