Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

As soon as Jia Dongxu finished speaking smugly, he was knocked back and stumbled.

"You brat, what makes you think you can do anything?" Yi Zhonghai slapped Jia Dongxu on the back of the head from behind.

He couldn't understand why his own apprentice would still climb up a pillar, since even the pillar knew it was dangerous.

Jia Dongxu rubbed the back of his head, which had been throbbing from his master's slap, and said somewhat aggrievedly, "Master, I just wanted to go up and pick a few more!"

"Hmph, what are you picking? Is this something you should be doing?" Yi Zhonghai was somewhat dissatisfied, after all, in his impression, his apprentice was not that stupid.

What's the point of saving every penny? It's better to increase your seniority; a promotion will earn you two more dollars.

Seeing that his master was really angry, Jia Dongxu didn't say anything more.

He couldn't tell his master that raising a child would cost a lot of money, otherwise their master-disciple relationship would end tonight.

"Gentlemen, I see you're all tired, so let me say a few words." Seeing everyone hesitating, Yi Zhonghai decided not to delay any longer and to set a plan himself.

"Later, take a pole, pull down the outer branches, and pick all the locust flowers from there. Leave the hard-to-reach ones at the top there. The ladder is in the corner; anyone who wants some can climb up and pick them themselves. How about that, everyone? Any questions?"

Hearing Yi Zhonghai say this, everyone nodded. They didn't want to climb up either, since the branches were so thin and if they broke, it would be a big problem.

If you are really injured, even if the medical treatment doesn't cost much, taking sick leave due to injury means you won't get paid. Everyone knows which is more important.

Seeing that none of the neighbors had any objections, Yi Zhonghai went home, and the matter was settled.

As soon as they got home, Qin Huairu asked Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu, did they tell you how to pick the locust flowers?"

Having been married for several years, Jia Dongxu immediately knew that Qin Huairu wanted to ask Sha Zhu if he had gone up to pick locust flowers.

"No, no one went up to pick them this year. If anyone wants to pick them, they'll have to climb up themselves."

"I knew it, that silly Zhu isn't the kind of person who knows how to manage a household." Sitting on the bed, teasing a hamster, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but chime in when she heard her son say that.

Qin Huairu glanced at her mother-in-law, then looked at her husband: "Is Zhuzi really not going up to pick the locust flowers?"

"I'm not picking them anymore. Everyone here has a job and money this year, so why would they care about a few locust flowers?"

"That's a bit of a pity."

Qin Huairu really felt a bit of a pity. In previous years, if the locust flowers were picked, she would help Sha Zhu's family wash them.

The locust flowers are very delicate, and it's easy to ruin them if you're not careful. Back then, she would help them wash them and take some home for herself. She never expected that she wouldn't be able to get that benefit this year.

He Yuzhu broke off some tender locust flower branches, and then stopped picking them.

"Is this enough? Rainwater?"

"That's about it, brother." He Yushui was holding a washbasin in her hand.

He Yushui shook the basin of locust flowers with her hand, and a lot of them fell out at once, but it was enough for her and her brother to eat, so she was very satisfied.

"Since that's enough, let's not pick any more. We can wash the locust flowers tomorrow; it's too dark to see anything anyway." He Yuzhu came down and patted the dust off his hands.

After washing my hands at the sink, I took my younger sister home.

"Rainwater, if I want to eat this next time, I'll go outside and see if there are any magnolia buds. If there are, I'll pick some. If it's a little earlier, I'll pick some toon sprouts; the tips are tastier."

As He Yuzhu walked home, he told his younger sister what he knew: if he remembered correctly, magnolia buds were also edible.

"No need, brother, it would be too late for work. I just want something a little sweet, I'm not that craving it."

Upon hearing Yu Shui's words, He Yuzhu suddenly remembered something and said to Yu Shui in a mysterious tone.

"Rainwater, I have something good for you."

"What good stuff is it?" He Yushui asked curiously, knowing that her brother had given her quite a few things she wouldn't have bought for herself before.

After putting the things away, He Yuzhu sat on the table and took out the milk candy coupon from his pocket.

Seeing her brother place a receipt on the table, He Yushui picked it up curiously to take a look.

Her eyes widened instantly, and she looked up at her older brother, then down at the ticket.

"Brother, is this true?"

It's no wonder He Yushui was so startled; after all, this milk candy was a truly good thing, even precious.

The annual output is fixed; the number of tickets produced is exactly the same as the number of tickets produced, not a bit more or less.

"Of course, this ticket is a reward your brother received for completing the leader's task. By the way, I also have some cloth coupons. In a while, I'll take you to buy some cloth and make you a flowery dress."

After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he looked at the tacky clothes his younger sister was wearing.

This outfit was altered from He Yuzhu's old clothes. At that time, cloth required ration coupons, so everyone altered their clothes again and again. Sometimes, they even took apart the gloves issued by the factory and knitted them into sweaters.

Since their family had never worked in a factory before, they didn't have gloves that could be disassembled into clothes, so they could only take apart their old clothes to make them.

He Yushui looked at the ticket, thought for a moment, and then hesitated before putting it back on the table.

"Brother, how about we just forget about it and exchange this ticket for some things we need at home?"

"What's wrong with the rain? These milk candy coupons are really good stuff, haven't you heard of them? Just put a few milk candies in water and you can make a cup of milk."

He Yushui shook her head again.

"Forget it, our family is only just starting to get a little better off. Let's replace these unimportant things with things we actually need. It would be even better if we could add a few more pieces of furniture."

Hearing his sister say that, He Yuzhu looked at the furnishings in the house. They were a bit old, but still usable.

"Those pieces of furniture won't break anytime soon, there's no need to spend that extra money. Besides, these milk candy coupons aren't always available. We might have them this time, but not next time. Don't you want to try some?" He Yuzhu decided to try and persuade his sister.

"Brother, you're already 21 this year. Replace the furniture at home so it'll be easier to find a wife later. By 22 you'll be considered an 'older single,' and it won't be so easy to find a good sister-in-law then."

He Yushui spoke frankly and directly to her brother about this matter. If the family had married a sister-in-law before, life would probably have gone back to the way it was before.

Now that my brother is working as a head chef at the factory and can even get these milk candy coupons, it's only natural that he'd like to get a wife.