Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

94

Before He Yuzhu could even wave, He Yushui, with her pigtails, pounced on him like a happy little swallow: "Big brother, why are you up so early today? I used to wait for Dad when he came to pick me up!"

He Yuzhu patted the bicycle seat proudly and said, "Your brother bought a bicycle; two wheels are definitely much faster than two legs!"

"Brother, is this a new bicycle you bought? Does that mean I can take it to school instead of walking?" He Yushui asked expectantly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the bicycle.

"Yes, from now on, your brother will ride his bike to take you to school every day."

"Has Yu Shui ever ridden a bicycle before? Come on, tell your brother, do you want to sit in the front or the back?" He Yuzhu asked.

"I want to sit in the front!" He Yushui answered without hesitation.

He Yuzhu folded up the bicycle stand, held the handlebars with one hand, and used the other hand to lift his younger sister onto the bicycle crossbar.

He Yushui gripped the handlebars tightly, and after her younger sister was seated securely, He Yuzhu nimbly mounted the bicycle.

"Hold on tight, we're going home!"

With a light push of his foot, the bicycle wheels began to spin smoothly.

"Brother, when did you learn to ride a bicycle? I've seen other people ride bikes, and they have to pedal a few times before they can get on," He Yushui asked curiously.

"When I bought the car today, I tried riding it and I knew how to ride it."

When you grow up, your brother will teach you to ride a bike.

"Others ride their bikes like that because their legs are too short to reach the ground. My brother is tall, so he doesn't have to go through that trouble," He Yuzhu said.

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the entrance of No. 95 Courtyard.

He Yuzhu stopped his bicycle and first helped his younger sister down.

He Yushui's face was flushed as she tugged at her brother's hand and said, "Brother, will you take me out for a ride on your bike on your days off?"

"Okay, but we need to go home and cook first."

"You go in first, and I'll bring the bicycle in," He Yuzhu said.

He Yuzhu picked up his bicycle and stepped over the threshold of the yard.

The neighbors in the courtyard all cast envious glances, but no one dared to go up and say a word.

He parked his bicycle next to the steps under the eaves and locked it.

Sitting by the door, Jia Zhangshi felt a pang of jealousy upon seeing the brand-new bicycle. She muttered to herself, "What a spendthrift! Father just ran off with another woman, and he buys a bicycle to show off. He'll be starving sooner or later!"

He Yuzhu opened the door, went inside, took a small alarm clock out of his cloth bag, and placed it on the table.

"Rain, go do your homework, your brother is going to cook."

"By the way, do you think this little alarm clock is cute?" He Yuzhu said.

"This is called an alarm clock. Once you set the time, it will ring and wake you up," He Yuzhu explained to his sister.

He Yuzhu pushed open the gate to the courtyard and went into the kitchen.

Dinner was prepared simply as usual: rice porridge with stir-fried shredded potatoes.

The country had only recently been founded, and the grain coupon system had not yet been implemented. As long as you had money, you could buy grain and wouldn't go hungry.

He now has a formal job with a decent salary, so there's no need for him to skimp on food. As long as he doesn't flaunt it, no one will mind if he eats meat every meal.

Just as I was cooking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the yard.

He Yuzhu glanced at the fire in the stove, walked out of the kitchen, and wanted to see what had happened.