I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

He Yuzhu scratched his head, moved a wooden stool for Zhou Weiguo to sit on, and plopped down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) himself, launching into a long explanation: "Uncle, my father ran off with a widow in 51, leaving me and my sister behind. Before He Daqing left, I had already started learning Sichuan cuisine from Li Baoguo at Hongbinlou, but I didn't earn much during those years as an apprentice. I could at least eat my fill while working at Hongbinlou, but poor Yushui was the only one who suffered. Several times when I wasn't home during the day, Yushui even had to go out and collect garbage, and was rescued by the shelter twice. When all else failed, I begged my master to let me bring some leftovers home, and that's how we got through that period."

Zhou Weiguo then cursed, "He Daqing is simply an irresponsible beast!"

Zhou Weiguo's chest heaved violently. He Yuzhu quickly handed him a glass of cold water and whispered, "Uncle, calm down, it's been so many years."

Zhou Weiguo took the water glass and drank it all in one gulp, finally suppressing his anger. He let out a long sigh and said, "Go on, what happened next?"

"Oh, later on, there was an old man, the one who was in charge of this courtyard house, a really nice guy. He used his connections to get me a job as a cook at the steel rolling mill, and things slowly started to get better. Now I work in the factory canteen, at least I can eat my fill, and I can even save some money to help with rainwater."

Zhou Weiguo didn't refute him, and continued to ask, "Zhu Zi, can you tell your uncle about your courtyard?"

He Yuzhu moved closer to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and lowered his voice, saying, "To be honest, the relationships in this courtyard are quite complicated. Uncle Yi Zhonghai is a truly good man. Yushui and I relied entirely on him for those two years. If it weren't for him, you might not even be able to see Yushui and me now. Moreover, Uncle Yi is exceptionally moral. He not only forbade me from holding a grudge against He Daqing, but also taught me to respect the elderly and care for the young. He was also responsible for taking care of the elderly widow in the backyard. By the way, in the two years right after He Daqing left, I troubled the deaf old lady quite a few times to help me take care of Yushui."

Uncle Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, is a real character. He should have been born in ancient times; his mind was consumed by ambition for power. All he ever thought about was controlling others, putting on airs in the courtyard, and always wanting to meddle in everything. Of his three sons, only the eldest was a "crown prince," while the second and third were treated like slaves, constantly beaten and scolded. The eldest ate meat and drank soup every day, while the second and third were constantly being "stewed with leather belts." I just don't understand, if he didn't like them, why did he have so many children? Why did he even consider primogeniture? Why didn't he just become emperor?

The third uncle, Yan Fugui, was commonly known as Yan the Stingy. This man was all about taking advantage of others. He loved to stand guard at the courtyard gate, even tasting the manure from a passing night cart. He was reluctant to repair anything broken, insisting on fixing it himself, only making things worse. To save on electricity, he wouldn't even turn on the lights at night, the whole family eating in the dark. Speaking of meals, they were strange; he measured every grain of rice with a ruler, and divided pickled vegetables by the piece. His motto was, "Eating won't make you poor, dressing won't make you poor, but not being careful with your money will."

Next up is the Jia family in the middle courtyard. Jia Zhangshi is a shrewish old woman, sharp-tongued, mean, and lazy, spending her days lounging at home waiting for her daughter-in-law, Qin Huairu, to serve her. Her son, Jia Dongxu, is also a handful; after working for several years, he's still only a first-class worker in the factory, and I heard he sometimes gambles in the Eight Great Hutongs. Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu have a son named Banggeng, who has been spoiled rotten since childhood. If it weren't for Qin Huairu constantly apologizing to everyone in the courtyard, I reckon the Jia family would have offended everyone there long ago. Oh, and by the way, Jia Dongxu is also an apprentice of Uncle Yi. Anyway, besides Qin Huairu, the most disgusting person in this family is Jia Zhangshi. She's stolen things from our house a few times before, and once she even shamelessly came to ask to borrow our house. If Uncle Yi hadn't stopped her, I definitely would have beaten her up. Oh, and by the way, only Jia Dongxu in the Jia family has a ration; everyone else doesn't. Just a few days ago, Uncle Yi even asked me to bring lunchboxes for the Jia family. "You think I'm stupid? I went through all that trouble to bring back this lunchbox, and I'm not going to eat it myself or in the rain, so why should I bring it for the Jia family?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Weiguo quickly chimed in, "Then don't you think there's anything wrong with Yi Zhonghai's behavior?"

This question stunned Sha Zhu, who scratched his head and said, "Jia Dongxu is the eldest master's apprentice, and I think it makes a lot of sense that he's considering the Jia family's interests."

Zhou Weiguo was also helpless, but considering that they had already come this far, he said directly, "Zhuzi, let me guess, does this Yi Zhonghai not have any children?"

How did you know?

"Let me guess again, did this Yi Zhonghai organize donations for the Jia family?"

How did you know?

"Let me guess again. There are quite a few poor and struggling households in this courtyard, but this Yi Zhonghai only helps the Jia family and ignores the others?"

...He Yuzhu was speechless.

"Let me ask you again, Zhu Zi, does that Yi Zhonghai sometimes say things like 'One should be magnanimous,' 'Respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional virtue,' and 'I'm doing this for your own good'?"

……

"Is it true that Yi Zhonghai earns a very high monthly salary, but he doesn't use his own money and instead keeps asking others to help the Jia family?"

He Yuzhu was completely bewildered: "I haven't said anything yet, how come you've said so much? Uncle, you didn't hear this from someone beforehand, did you?"

Zhou Weiguo said with a smile, "You don't need to hear that. Just based on your description of Yi Zhonghai's character and conduct, I'd guess that's most likely the case. Since that's the case, let's make another bet."

He Yuzhu looked helpless and said directly, "Uncle, just tell me, no need for betting, I'll listen to you."

Zhou Weiguo patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and said seriously, "Yuzhu, listen to your uncle. This Yi Zhonghai is probably using morality as a pretext to secure his own future. He has no children and wants to rely on helping the Jia family so that Jia Dongxu can take care of him in his old age. Think about it carefully. When he asked you to help the Jia family, did he ever consider your difficulties?"

He Yuzhu frowned, his eyes full of doubt: "But the old man has been very kind to me and Yushui. He's taken good care of us and taught me principles of life." As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed the corner of his clothes. "Besides, Jia Dongxu is his apprentice. Isn't it normal for him to help his apprentice's family?"

Zhou Weiguo glared at He Yuzhu, his teeth itching with hatred. He raised his hand and poked He Yuzhu's forehead hard: "You're such a simpleton! If he really cared about you, would he drag you into being a sucker for the Jia family? Think about it, he teaches you to be generous, but why don't you see him emptying his own savings to help the Jia family? To put it bluntly, he's using other people's kindness to pave his own way! And believe it or not, a selfish person like that wouldn't help someone they don't know for no reason. When Yushui comes back, ask her how she describes him, and then you can tell me all this!"

Ding-dong................

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