Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 112 Oh, these old folks are all here!

"Wait for Zhuzi, you can take some things to your Aunt Ping later," Chen Lanxiang said, opening the box on the kang (a heated brick bed) and taking out a small bundle.

"Okay." He Yuzhu was curious about what his mother wanted to give Wang Cuiping.

When Wang Cuiping opened the bundle, He Yuzhu suddenly realized what was going on, and then he asked, "Mom, you're bringing baby bottles. Aunt Ping's family doesn't have any formula?"

"Don't worry about it, just send it over."

"This is mine." He Yushui lunged forward to grab the bottle. Even after the girl was weaned, the bottle had been with her for a long time, used for drinking water.

"What do you mean 'yours'? It belongs to Siyu now." Chen Lanxiang shoved He Yushui aside.

"Waaaaah, Mom, you don't love me anymore." He Yushui's words were all bark and no bite.

"Alright, stop pretending with me," Chen Lanxiang said irritably.

"Mother!" He Yushui cried out and rushed to her mother, hugging her leg.

"Don't jump on me, go hug your brother, Mom has nothing for you." Chen Lanxiang knew her daughter too well; this girl's coquettishness was never a good thing.

"Brother" He Yushui turned around and hugged He Yuzhu's leg again.

"Speak, what is it?" He Yuzhu said helplessly.

"My bottle is gone, can you get me another one?" He Yushui said, pointing to the baby bottle.

"Huh?" Now we use bowls to drink water at home, we don't even have cups.

You mentioned tea sets. Even if He Daqing had them, he would never give them to He Yushui. They're too precious. What if they broke?

There aren't any enamel mugs available right now; it's not the right time yet.

"elder brother"

"Okay, I'll look for it for you when I go out."

"You just spoil her, don't let her spend money recklessly," Chen Lanxiang said reproachfully.

"Brother, brother, hurry up, let's go deliver something to Aunt Ping." Upon hearing this, He Yushui immediately pushed He Yuzhu and walked outside.

He Yuzhu smiled at his mother, picked up his bundle, and with the pendant on his arm, He Yushui went out the door.

When they arrived at the Wang family's house, they knocked on the door. Xiaoman opened it, but when she saw that it was He Yuzhu, she slammed the door shut.

He Yuzhu was completely bewildered, and then he heard Xiaoman say from inside, "Aunt Ping is breastfeeding Xiaoyu, Brother Zhu, you should go back."

"Oh, then come out here. I'm bringing something to Aunt Ping. Take it inside."

"Okay." Xiaoman opened the door a crack so she could squeeze through, then closed it again behind her.

"There are baby bottles in here. Tell Aunt Ping to scald them with boiling water before using them."

"Oh, I'll tell Aunt Ping," Xiaoman replied, taking the bundle.

"Alright, I'm going back now. You can go in now."

"Is the rain bothering your brother again?"

“My brother is a great storyteller,” He Yushui said with a smile.

"Oh, then I'll go in." Xiaoman looked at He Yushui with great envy, and then went into the Wang family's house.

The next day, before leaving, Wang Cuiping brought Wang Siyu over with a bottle of milk, told Zhuzi not to come at noon, and then went to work.

As for Xiaoman going to school, there's no need to worry about it. Xu Damao knows the way very well. That kid is practically a protector of the girls at school, and he's gotten into several fights with her.

After finishing the fight, he would come back and boast to He Yuzhu. Of course, He Yuzhu was generous and would give him a few pieces of candy every time.

But after giving it to him, He Yuzhu would be plundered by the other kids, which He Yuzhu enjoyed.

After He Yuzhu and his sister got up, Chen Lanxiang asked He Yuzhu to invite the old lady over so she could talk to her about the house purchases of several families.

He Yushui followed He Yuzhu to the backyard, and then ran to the Xu family to play with Xu Xiaoman.

When the old lady was told about Li Guihua, she sighed and said, "What a tragedy! Let her rent it for now, and we'll talk about buying it when she finds a job."

"Okay, I'll go talk to her later."

After Wang Siyu fell asleep, Chen Lanxiang went to the east hall again, conveyed her message, and then returned. She couldn't bear Li Guihua's tears.

Xu Fugui came over after dinner that night, saying that he could go to the Military Control Commission to complete the formalities the next day, and he even gave him the money directly, all of which was silver dollars.

After Xu Fugui leaves, Wang Cuiping will also go and get the gold bars, saying that they will be processed together tomorrow. However, she has one request: to lower the price of the gold bars, or to say that they are a gift.

The old lady naturally had no objections; since the money had already been paid, she could say whatever she wanted.

He Daqing had also inquired with Jia Laonian. The old lady didn't ask for much for the rooms in the back row, just 35 silver dollars a room. Jia Laonian gritted his teeth and said he would buy one room and rent the other.

He didn't dare to even think about other houses; he definitely couldn't afford them. However, he didn't come over that evening, which meant that the Jia family still needed to work out before reaching an agreement.

The next day, Xu Fugui and He Daqing both took leave, and He Yuzhu pushed the old lady on a bicycle. The four of them went to the Military Control Commission together.

Upon arrival, they went straight to Wang Hongxia. Wang Hongxia had no idea they would arrive so quickly, because she didn't think the people in the compound were wealthy.

She didn't ask how much it cost, because there was no such thing as deed tax or transaction tax at that time, and the Kuomintang's system had not been adopted.

After bringing the person to the place where the business was conducted, Wang Hongxia pointed out the location and asked He Yuzhu to call Wang Cuiping over.

By the time Wang Cuiping arrived, Xu Fugui and He Daqing had already completed everything and received their new house deeds. The efficiency was incredibly fast.

The process is slower for the old lady because she has too many houses. If it were handled as a whole courtyard, one set of documents would suffice, but selling individual houses would be much more complicated.

When Wang Cuiping was processing her paperwork, the clerk asked her a question, and the old lady simply said that this was a relative and that giving her some money would suffice, thus covering up the matter.

Finally, there was He Yuzhu's share. The person handling the matter saw He Yuzhu chatting enthusiastically with Wang Hongxia, so they didn't ask any more questions.

After everything was completed, Wang Cuiping went back to work, and He Daqing and Xu Fugui also returned to the factory.

Wang Hongxia stopped the old lady and He Yuzhu, because she had something to say.

"Grandma, the people who want to live in your courtyard will be coming to look at the rooms in the next couple of days."

"Who are they?"

"There are workers and teachers."

"How many households are there? Is there enough room in the front yard?"

“Four households. The front yard is enough. I’ve calculated it: one household with two rear rooms, one household with east and west wing rooms, and one household with a west passageway room.”

"Workers? Workers from where?"

"You're familiar with that place; it's a steel rolling mill."

"Oh, from the steel rolling mill. How did you end up here? The people here were all transferred from elsewhere by the government, not recruited by the steel rolling mill."

"Oh, I see. What about the teacher?"

“That family used to be from Beijing, but they fled south when the Japanese occupied the city. Now they’ve come back but their house is gone. Their school asked them to come here, and I saw that their primary school was very close to yours, so I arranged for them to stay together.”

"From Jiaodaokou Elementary School?"

"Yes, yes, that's it."

"Alright, then my old lady will wait for them at home. We've got this agreed, if I don't think they're suitable, don't blame me if I don't let them move in."

“I know, after all, living in a compound requires keeping an eye on people, otherwise there will be a lot of trouble later.”

"Okay, then my grandson and I will head back now."

"I'll see you off."

"No need, no need, you go about your business." Once the old lady entered the Military Control Commission, she witnessed the strict discipline of the new government. The sentries at the gate stood guard without looking to the side and did not deliberately obstruct her. The officials were efficient and did not ask for favors.

After leaving the Military Control Commission, He Yuzhu took the old lady for a walk around the Dongcheng District. At first, the old lady was a little scared and clung tightly to He Yuzhu's clothes. Later, she gradually got used to it and started chatting and laughing with He Yuzhu. She had lived in Beijing for so many years, but she had only visited the city a few times when she was young.

After Chen Lanxiang got married, she basically never went out, because the Japanese occupied the area within two years.

The old lady was very excited as she strolled around, constantly telling He Yuzhu what the place used to be like and how it has changed, while that place hadn't changed in decades.

He Yuzhu was also very supportive. He had never seen these things before, so he just listened to them as anecdotes.

He has explored almost the entire Dongcheng area since he started school, except for some alleyways.

When they arrived at Wangfujing, the old lady saw how many people were there and didn't want to go in, since her legs weren't very mobile.

After asking He Yuzhu about the time and learning that it was almost lunchtime, the old lady urged He Yuzhu to go home, afraid that Chen Lanxiang would worry.

After returning home, Chen Lanxiang indeed scolded He Yuzhu, saying what if something happened to the old lady? It was only after the old lady protected her grandson that the matter was resolved.

That evening, Jia Laonian came over, saying he wanted to buy the east wing of the front yard, promising to pay back the money slowly. The old lady refused. She knew the situation of the father and son in the front yard; who knew when they would be gone after the money was paid back. Besides, she didn't want to sell her good house to that family.

Helpless, Jia Laonian could only say he wanted to buy two rooms with a reverse-facing layout, but he could only pay half the money upfront. The old lady told him to go back and think about it again, saying that renting a room would be the same.

Jia Laonian understood that they were not going to agree, so he revealed his ultimate goal: to buy a house with a reverse side. All the previous questions were asked by Jia Zhangshi. He thought about it and felt that asking a few more questions wouldn't hurt, just in case it worked out, so he asked.

The old lady told him to wait, that she was too old to leave home for his family, and that other residents would be coming in a few days, and they would handle it together once they had talked to those people.

Helpless, Jia Laonian returned to the front yard. After returning home, he was questioned by Jia Zhangshi, who scolded him for being incompetent. This time, Jia Laonian did not hit her, but just smoked his pipe.

The son is grown up and it's time to find him a wife. Which girl would want to live in the back house? But no one wants to rent to them or sell to them.

During the day, Jia Zhangshi went out to inquire about other courtyards. Not only were the rents expensive, but she also didn't know what kind of people lived there. As for buying? There was no way that was possible; the people there weren't selling.

As soon as Jia Laonian returned, Jia Zhangshi asked him to go to the central courtyard. Jia Laonian didn't want people to come over during mealtime, just so that they wouldn't feel uncomfortable and have to say those few words.

It still didn't work out. Now he heard that new people would be coming to the front yard. Jia Laonian was a little uneasy. He was afraid that if the old lady kept dragging it out, she might not even want them to live in the back room anymore. Of course, he didn't say this to Jia Zhangshi, otherwise they would have already started arguing.

On Sunday, people came to view the house; several large families, about ten people in total.

Once inside the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi followed without saying a word, as if guarding against a thief.

"This yard is really big!" a woman exclaimed.

“Of course, it has three courtyards. It used to be where a high-ranking official lived,” Jia Zhangshi chimed in from behind.

"Are you the owner of this courtyard?" the woman who had just sighed asked.

"no!"

"So who are you? And what are you doing following us?"

"I'm a resident. What, can't I follow strangers into the yard? What if something gets stolen? By the way, what are you doing here?"

"How can you talk like that? I'm here to look at the house. Where does the owner live?"

"Am I wrong? The host family naturally lives in the main house."

The woman was about to say something when a thin, middle-aged man in a long robe pulled her aside and whispered, "Honey, just say less. You might be neighbors in the future."

“She’s not the host, but she’s staring at us like we’re thieves. It’s really uncomfortable to be stared at like that.”

"Just bear with it," said the thin, bespectacled man.

The woman fell silent, but a fat man with glasses who was with her spoke up: "Ma'am, how long has it been since anyone lived in these houses in the front yard?"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Madam Jia replied.

Who lived there before?

"From the steel rolling mill."

"From the steel rolling mill? I'm from the steel rolling mill too, a forger."

“Oh, my family has two workers at the steel rolling mill,” Jia Zhangshi said, somewhat boastfully.

"Your home is fine, but it's not easy to get into a steel rolling mill."

"That is."

"By the way, big sister, how much is the rent for this yard?"

"You'll have to ask the host about that."

"How much is your rent?"
"I can't tell you that, in case the host family is unhappy."

"Hey, you!" The chubby man with glasses was getting annoyed that he hadn't gotten the most crucial question out of him after asking so many questions.

"Alright, alright, husband, stop wasting your breath on her and hurry inside." A woman tugged at the fat man's sleeve; she was clearly his wife.

"How can you talk like that? Why are you spouting nonsense when you're talking to me?" Madam Jia Zhang was furious.

The woman ignored her and continued walking towards the central courtyard with the bespectacled fat man in her arms.

"I'm talking to you, why are you leaving?" Jia Zhangshi was about to come over and stop them.

"Alright, stop meddling here. What business is it of yours? Go home." At this moment, Jia Laonian and Jia Dongxu also came over. Jia Laonian pulled Jia Zhangshi home.

"Let me go! Didn't you hear what she said about me? Why are you pulling me instead of helping me?" Jia Zhangshi was still struggling.

"Dongxu, come help." Old Jia didn't want to get into a conflict with anyone. If he offended someone before they even moved in, they'd be fighting every day if they all moved in from the front.

"Oh!" Jia Dongxu was still looking at the newcomers when he saw that the children were all boys, and immediately lost interest. He helped Jia Laonian pull Jia Zhangshi home.

After causing a scene in the front yard, the group stopped watching and headed straight for the middle yard.

After passing through the moon gate and entering the central courtyard, I found that there was no one there.

The bespectacled, chubby man in his thirties walked up to the main house door and called out, "Is the owner of the house here? We've come to look at the property."

"I'm here." Before the old lady could reply, He Yuzhu answered first, and then he ran out.

The old lady and He Daqing looked at his back strangely. Why was this kid so enthusiastic today? He usually didn't like to take on responsibilities, except for his own family matters.

Xu Damao's family and Wang Cuiping's family are a different story. After all, Xu Damao is He Yuzhu's younger brother, and Wang Cuiping was someone he tricked into coming back.

He Yuzhu went outside and glanced at the people standing in the yard. When he saw the fat man and the thin man wearing glasses in the crowd, a strange smile appeared on He Yuzhu's face.

He thought to himself, "It really is these two companies that are coming; their momentum is too strong."

Seeing that He Yuzhu was tall and had a youthful appearance, Liu Haizhong assumed he was the person in question and approached him with a smile to offer him a cigarette.

"Young man, does this house belong to your family?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand and said, "I don't smoke."

Liu Haizhong awkwardly put away his cigarette.

"May I ask how the host is addressed?"

“I’m not the host either.” He Yuzhu’s smile widened.

"Then, what about the master?"

"Wait a minute! I'll call!" He Yuzhu turned and went into the house, wanting to see who it was.

Liu Haizhong couldn't help but think to himself, "Why is the host acting like such a big shot?"

After He Yuzhu entered the house, the old lady pointed at him with her finger and said, "Why are you so naughty, you'll offend someone again."

"What's there to be afraid of? If Madam doesn't like any of them, she won't let their families live in the courtyard," He Yuzhu said nonchalantly.

"That's true. Let's go, help me out, Madam."

"okay!"