Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

Chapter 80

"Brother, wake up!" Two clear voices rang out, interrupting a good night's sleep without any dreams, but without the slightest dissatisfaction.

He drank a little alcohol last night, but instead of having a headache, he slept soundly until dawn. He Yuzhu only woke up when He Yushui and Xiaohuzi came to wake him.

He propped himself up with his hands and sat up, only to find that Yang Guanglei, who had slept with him the night before, had already left. He touched his messy hair, thinking how good his sleep had been.

"Brother, you got up really late today," He Yushui said with a smile as she watched He Yuzhu come out.

"Brother-in-law is a lazy bum too," Little Tiger chimed in.

The busy aunt patted Little Tiger's bottom: "Go away, go play somewhere else. Your brother-in-law is from the city, how can you be the same?"

He Yuzhu felt a little embarrassed by these words. In fact, he had been thinking last night that as a future nephew-in-law, he should get up early tomorrow to work and make a good impression.

Xiao Huzi and He Yushui ran off in a flurry, leaving He Yuzhu alone in the yard.

By this time, the morning sun had already risen, and its rays shone on the smoke rising from the rural chimneys, casting a faint golden glow.

He Yuzhu walked straight to the well, took out his toothbrush and toothpaste, and began to wash his face.

The cool well water instantly cleared my still somewhat drowsy mind.

"Come and eat," came the aunt's voice.

Upon hearing their aunt's voice, He Yushui and Xiao Huzi immediately got up and ran to the main room, where they obediently sat down at the table.

After washing up, He Yuzhu followed closely behind into the main room. Not seeing his second uncle, he asked, "Auntie, where are Second Uncle and Guanglei?"

"There's a big market day today, and your second uncle and Guanglei went out early this morning," the aunt replied as she served porridge to He Yushui.

"A large market?"

Hearing He Yuzhu's question, his aunt explained, "It's a market day. People from several surrounding villages come here to sell their goods. It's very lively, but it's quite early. You went out before you were even fully awake."

Hearing his aunt's answer, He Yuzhu felt embarrassed, even though he understood that she didn't mean anything by it. For example, He Yushui and Xiao Huzi, who were sitting next to him, started to chuckle. He Yuzhu deliberately glared at them, but they laughed even harder.

At this moment, Yang Lifang walked in. He Yuzhu saw that Yang Lifang was carrying a basket with some fruit and paper money inside.

"Lifang, come and eat quickly." When the aunt saw Yang Lifang coming over, she immediately ladled out more porridge.

As I placed the porridge in front of her, I noticed what was in her basket: "Lifang, what's this?"

Before she finished speaking, Yang Lifang understood what her aunt meant.

"Auntie, I want to take Brother Zhuzi to see my parents," Yang Lifang said.

Hearing this, the aunt nodded and said, "It's time to go. Take Zhuzi to see your parents."

As she spoke, she looked earnestly at Yang Lifang and said to her, "That's good, let your parents know that you are living a happy life now." After saying that, the aunt's eyes were a little moist. She secretly wiped away the tears that had overflowed and sat down to start eating.

Amidst her aunt's nagging, the group finished breakfast. Under her orders, Xiao Huzi took He Yushui to the village to find other children her age to play with.

After breakfast, He Yuzhu followed Yang Lifang along a path to the back of the mountain.

"I remember when my parents were still alive, I never dared to walk on this path," Yang Lifang said to He Yuzhu as she walked forward.

He Yuzhu, carrying his things, looked at the path and said with a smile, "Why? Are you afraid you'll slip and fall if you take the shortcut?"

Yang Lifang shook her head, looked at both sides of the road, and slowly said, "No, it's because there used to be a war here, and many people died. So sometimes, at midnight, green will-o'-the-wisps will appear on both sides of this path."

"So you're not afraid now that you're older, is it because you know that these will-o'-the-wisps are just chemical reactions?" He Yuzhu answered while cautiously looking at the bushes on both sides.

"Back then, we didn't know what caused those will-o'-the-wisps." Before He Yuzhu could answer, Yang Lifang continued, "I was still quite young then, and I was terrified of ghosts, especially those eerie green will-o'-the-wisps, which were even more frightening. But after my parents passed away, I actually wished that ghosts really existed. If they did, then I could see my parents again."

For a moment, He Yuzhu didn't know how to answer. In his previous life, he actually had both parents.

Although family planning was strictly enforced when he was born, his family still had two extra children. So when He Yuzhu was brought to this era by a truck, although he was somewhat sad, he wasn't too anxious about his parents' situation because his parents and two brothers could take care of him.

Now, facing his lover who has lost her parents, He Yuzhu didn't know what to say. He could only step forward, take her hand, and offer her comfort.

The two soon arrived at the small hill where Yang Lifang's parents were buried. The hill was overgrown with weeds and dotted with graves.

After making several turns, Yang Lifang led He Yuzhu to a grave. This grave was larger than the others; it was the joint burial site of Yang Lifang's parents.

Yang Lifang knelt down with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably. He Yuzhu stood aside and took out the items from the basket one by one. He Yuzhu took out a match, lit the incense, and then lit the paper money.

As the paper money burned, Yang Lifang calmed down and began to murmur her longing for the deceased. He Yuzhu could faintly hear Yang Lifang mention his name.

After the paper money had burned out, He Yuzhu and Yang Lifang knelt in front of the grave and respectfully kowtowed three times.

Looking up at Yang Lifang, He Yuzhu solemnly promised in front of her grave, "Mom and Dad, don't worry, I will take good care of Xiaofang and will never let her suffer any grievances. I promise to treat her well for the rest of my life."

Yang Lifang looked at He Yuzhu, deeply moved, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears.

As the paper money burned out, He Yuzhu and Yang Lifang stood up, picked up their baskets, and walked back.

The village has lush vegetation, and the air is filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, making it a very pleasant place.

"Xiao Fang, why aren't there any bigger trees around here?" He Yuzhu asked, holding Yang Lifang's hand and looking at the trees around them.

These trees are all too small; they don't even have roots yet.

"These trees were all planted in recent years. Before, the big trees belonged to the landlords, and we dared not touch them, not even pick the fruit from the trees. We had to go up the mountain to collect firewood if we wanted any," Yang Lifang said.

He Yuzhu nodded: "Firewood, rice, oil, salt, clothing, food, housing, and transportation all cost money. Even if I live in the city, I still have to buy firewood."

"After the war, all the big trees were gone, and even the animals were much fewer."

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