Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

When Yi Zhonghai heard the amount of betrothal gifts set by Jia Zhangshi, he would gasp in shock, and Sha Zhu would fall silent.

But silence is useless. If the money can't be produced, the marriage will not be discussed. The matter will continue to be dragged on, and the benefits will still be collected.

That evening, after dinner, Jia Zhangshi sent the two children out to play and explained things to Qin Huairu.

"Let's put off the remarriage for now. Mom is a widow herself, and she knows how hard it is for widows."

"But Mom has to consider Banggeng's situation and the Jia family's future."

"No matter what Shazhu says, don't nod yet. Wait until Banggeng gets his job at the factory before you talk about anything else."

Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the corner of the quilt, nodded, and didn't say a word.

She was somewhat, even a tiny bit, moved by Sha Zhu.

But for the sake of the children, especially Bang-ge, she could never submit to Sha-zhu; that's out of the question.

So when Jia Zhangshi made that suggestion, it was her decision, and her guilt lessened considerably.

"We need to finalize those three main rooms for Shazhu as soon as possible; Banggeng will need them for his future wedding..."

"Um."

Qin Huairu loosened the corner of the blanket, placed her hands on her knees, and spoke in a very calm voice.

She understood what Jia Zhangshi was saying very well—the benefits would still be accepted, the remarriage would be postponed, the thread of Sha Zhu would be kept tight but not knotted, and it would be delayed until the time was most advantageous for the Jia family. Whether it would work out by then would be Qin Huairu's own business, and Jia Zhangshi would not interfere.

She lowered her head and didn't say anything more.

Taking her silence as consent, Jia Zhangshi turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Qin Huairu sat inside the house without moving. Outside the window, the light in the courtyard came on, casting a square patch of light on the ground.

------------

The next day, Yi Zhonghai secretly reported that number to Sha Zhu.

Taking advantage of the fact that there weren't many people in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice and spoke slowly and deliberately by the side of the main hall.

The bride price is 5000 yuan!

Jia Zhangshi cleverly avoided mentioning the house, not wanting to push people too far from the start.

Moreover, Jia Zhangshi thoughtfully "advised" (relayed by Yi Zhonghai), "If you, Sha Zhu, really have this money, wouldn't it be better to marry a virgin? Why are you fixated on Qin Huairu?"

She's a widow with three children from a second marriage, so is Sha Zhu really stupid or just pretending?

But Jia Zhangshi had calculated that the more you said that and pretended to be considering his feelings, the more stubbornly he would walk into the trap.

Sha Zhu stood and listened without saying a word.

Yi Zhonghai waited a few seconds and repeated the number.

"Zhu Zi, you need to be clear about this. This can't be rushed. I think we should just forget about it..."

Even Yi Zhonghai was taken aback by the 5000 yuan dowry. How much did Zhang Bansian give the Qin family as a dowry before? Five silver dollars.

How much did Jia Dongxu spend to marry Qin Huairu? 5 yuan!

Take last year when Yan Jiecheng married Yu Li, for example; he only gave her 20 yuan as a bride price.

You, Qin Huairu, are remarrying with three children and demanding a dowry of 5000 yuan. How could you, Jia Zhangshi, possibly ask for such a thing? Are you out of your mind?

Even Yi Zhonghai felt wronged. With that money, he could have spent at most 50-100 yuan to help Sha Zhu find a virgin and make Sha Zhu remember his kindness. Wouldn't that have been more worthwhile?

Sha Zhu didn't speak, and Yi Zhonghai assumed he was weighing the pros and cons. But—

"I see."

Sha Zhu turned around and walked into the house.

Entering the room, I closed the door behind me, not by pushing or slamming it, but simply by gently closing it with a short, sharp click.

Yi Zhonghai was helpless; he couldn't persuade Sha Zhu, so he could only let Sha Zhu think about it himself. He went back to his room with his hands behind his back.

Meanwhile, the lights were off inside Sha Zhu's room.

He sat down in the darkness, his hands on his knees, and didn't move.

The sounds from the yard all came through: the children's running footsteps, the noises from the neighbors, everything was there, but he just sat there, without saying a word.

He calculated the number in his mind, then calculated it again.

How much has he saved now? How much is he still short of that amount? If he saves to the limit with his current salary, how much can he save in a month? How many years will it take to save enough?

The numbers were clear; he didn't need to think for long. After calculating them, he continued to sit still.

It took almost an hour.

When he came out, his expression was very calm. He walked to the door, stepped over the threshold, stood in the yard for two seconds, and then went towards the kitchen.

Yi Zhonghai happened to be in the corridor, and the two met face to face. He moved his lips, as if he wanted to speak.

Sha Zhu waved his hand, but didn't stop walking, and went into the kitchen.

The sound of the spatula came first, followed by the steady sound of the fire being lit on the stove.

------------

A few days later, the news reached Zhang Dabiao's ears in a roundabout way.

When Zhang Dabiao heard about the 5000 yuan bride price, he was stunned for a long time before finally shaking his head.

"Stupid is just one word, and I'll only say it once."

He knew that Sha Zhu, that simp, would definitely agree.

------------

In late November, after winter set in, the mornings in Beijing grew cold quickly. A thin layer of ice covered the water pipes at the entrance of the alley, making a creaking sound when stepped on.

Xu Damao was riding his bike back that day, not very fast, but he was feeling quite unsteady. He tripped over the threshold with his left foot, the handlebars veered off course, the front wheel hit the stone pillar of the gate, and he almost fell off.

He wasn't annoyed; he straightened the bike and grinned.

Yan Jiecheng was squatting in the front yard brushing his teeth when he looked up at him, his toothbrush stopped at his mouth, and he froze.

This smile is wrong. Xu Damao's usual smile is a shrewd one, with a hint of defensiveness. But today, his mouth is stretched to his cheeks, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes have smoothed out, and his whole face looks like it's been fished out of honey water.

"Da Mao, what's this? Did you find money on the street or become a leader?"

[No, it's not like I found money. I should at least have found a big yellow croaker, otherwise I wouldn't be laughing like that!]

Xu Damao leaned his bicycle against the wall without locking it, dusted himself off, and opened his mouth twice before finally managing to squeeze out the words.

"Xiao'e... is pregnant."

"My wife is pregnant! I'm having a son!" Xu Damao shouted, hands on his hips.

The noise was very loud. The front yard is so small that everyone who was brushing their teeth, emptying their slop buckets, or walking by could hear it.

Yan Jiecheng almost dropped the enamel mug in his hand.

"Really?"

"I just got the results from the hospital! It's written in black and white!"

After saying this, Xu Damao paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, even louder than before, and punched his thigh twice with one hand.

There's so much in that smile; outsiders might not be able to fully appreciate it.

When Sha Zhu kicked Xu Damao in the groin—not a joke, but a real kick—Xu Damao immediately curled up in pain and spent several days in the hospital. The doctor's words were vague, and Xu Damao didn't pay attention at the time.

But when Zhang Dabiao regained consciousness in the early 60s and told him about his childlessness, it really terrified him.

He didn't say it during that time, but he was on edge.

Xu Damao wasn't afraid of being called a bad seed, but he was afraid of being called childless. If that label were truly attached to him, he would never be able to hold his head up in this courtyard for the rest of his life. Later, he took Chinese medicine for more than half a year, forcing both expensive and cheap medicines into his mouth, until his tongue was numb from the bitterness, before he slowly recovered.

Lou Xiao'e is now pregnant—which means Xu Damao isn't useless.

Take off that hat!