Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 301 Different Thoughts

Early July in Beijing was sweltering. The air conditioner in the main house of the courtyard was on, and cool air poured out of the vents, keeping the stifling heat outside at bay. He Yang lay on a cool mat, holding an ice cream in his hand, while the stray dog ​​lay on the ground, tilting its head back to catch the melting, dripping cream.

He Yang ate half an ice cream and offered it to the dog's mouth. After the yellow dog finished eating, it stuck out its tongue and licked He Yang's face, making He Yang giggle with delight.

"Don't feed it anymore, or the yellow dog will get diarrhea." Zhu Lin came in from the outer room, took a towel and wiped He Yang's mouth. "Let's go out to eat."

He Yang jumped off the bed and hugged the stray dog, which carried him to the kitchen.

He Yuzhu was overjoyed to see He Yang riding out on the yellow dog. "Son, Dad will make you a dog saddle next time. Go wash your hands first, there's some red fish that you like to eat today."

Lou Xiao'e helped He Yang down to wash his hands, and Shen Zhixia and Zhu Lin set out the bowls and chopsticks. The group sat down, and the table was laden with food.

Stir-fried river shrimp, asparagus and scallops, stewed pigeon, and steamed grouper. All are high-quality seasonal dishes that are low in oil, tender, and not greasy or dry.

There are also cold dishes, such as braised beef shank, crystal pork knuckle, salted duck, and okra with sesame sauce.

The family enjoyed their meal slowly in the air-conditioned comfort. He Yuzhu sipped his wine, while his three wives chatted softly and ate in small bites. He Yang specifically chose to eat the fish and shrimp, and also liked the crystal pork knuckle.

After the meal, there was chilled white fungus and lotus seed soup, and traditional chilled plum juice. Shen Zhixia also prepared chilled watermelon with a sandy texture and peeled green grapes.

He Yang had already eaten his fill. He took a few pieces of beef, pork knuckle, and salted duck and put them in the dog bowl to feed his mount, the big yellow dog.

At the recycling station near Beixinqiao, Yan Jiekuang and his two companions had just returned, drenched in sweat, and hastily ate a few bites of simple food. After resting for a short while, the five of them resumed sorting through scrap metal, waste paper, and old junk. They were covered in grime and drenched in sweat.

Business was better in early July than in June. It was hot, and neighbors didn't want to haul their accumulated recyclables out. The tricycles would come back from a trip with the cargo bed full.

Qin Huairu expects her income this month to be at least 500 yuan more than in June. She feels much better; her complexion is no longer so sallow, she's less breathless when walking, and she can do light work without much trouble. But she knows in her heart that her health has only "improved" and will never be the same as before.

When it was time to finish work in the evening, Yan Jiekuang rode back on his tricycle. The back of the tricycle was half full of scrap iron pipes and several empty iron barrels. He stopped at the door, wiped his sweat, and unloaded the goods and stacked them neatly.

"Mom, today I passed by Qianmen and saw Liu Guangtian collecting recyclables at the intersection."

Qin Huairu was washing vegetables, her hands never stopping: "They only have one tricycle left. Did they buy a new one?"

"Yes. It's a new bike. Liu Guangfu is still riding his old one." Yan Jiekuang pushed the empty bike to the wall and parked it. "I guess he saved up some money."

"How much money they save is none of our business," Qin Huairu said, shaking the water off the vegetables. "Mind your own business, Liu family's affairs. Let's focus on our business."

Yan Jiekuang didn't speak again, carrying water into the house to wash himself. Qin Huairu glanced at the tricycle by the wall, knowing what Jiekuang was thinking. He was still thinking about avenging Yan Bugui, and hadn't let it go. She didn't know how many times she could suppress Yan Jiekuang.

In late July, the weather became even hotter. Beijing was shrouded in a sweltering heat, even the wind felt scorching.

Yan Jiekuang returned home from work that evening, took a shower, and sat eating watermelon at the entrance of the west wing. He ate quickly, finishing two slices, then put down the rind and stood up to go find Qin Huairu. Xiao Dang called out to him, "Jiekuang, where are you going?"

"Go talk to your mother about something."

"What did you say?"

"Open another store."

Xiao Dang and Jie Di both agreed with the idea and urged him to discuss it quickly.

Yan Jiekuang walked to the middle courtyard, where Qin Huairu was sitting at the entrance, fanning herself with a fan.

"mom."

"Jie Kuang, what's up?"

"I did the math on our accounts last month, and it's enough to open another, bigger recycling station." Yan Jiekuang squatted down, looking at her. "We have money, people, and connections now..."

"I won't open it," Qin Huairu interrupted him.

Yan Jiekuang never expected that his mother-in-law would object.

"Jie Kuang, I know you have something on your mind. You want to become powerful, and you haven't gotten over the anger that's been building up since your father passed away."

Qin Huairu put down her fan and looked at him. "But I've already messed things up twice. The first time I opened a recycling station, it burned to ashes. The second time I stockpiled goods, tens of thousands of yuan worth of stuff disappeared overnight. Now I just want to save some money peacefully and leave it for Banggeng."

"Mom, what are you afraid of?"

Qin Huairu didn't answer, but shook her head at Yan Jiekuang. She picked up her fan again and fanned herself. "Jiekuang, you can go back now. There's no need to talk about this anymore."

Yan Jiekuang stood up, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Qin Huairu sat at the doorway, still fanning herself. She was genuinely afraid of losing money, but what she feared even more was something she couldn't bring herself to say. She had kept those things bottled up inside for years, never uttering a word. As the people in the courtyard died one by one, she feared that if things continued to escalate, it would be her and Banggeng's turn.

One evening in August, He Yuzhu ran into Xu Damao while strolling in the courtyard.

Xu Damao had just returned from the supermarket, carrying a box of Pinggu Dajiubo peaches and a few bunches of Daxing Kyoho grapes. Seeing He Yuzhu strolling in the front yard, he said, "In-law, lend a hand. These are all for He Yang; they just came in and are very fresh."

He Yuzhu didn't stand on ceremony, took the fruit and carried it into the courtyard, and offered Xu Damao a cigarette.

"My dear in-law, there's a new recycling station opening near Qianmen, I think it's run by the Liu brothers. Did you know?" Xu Damao said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

He Yuzhu lit one for himself, asking, "Is it open yet?"

"Not yet, but judging from the looks of it, it'll probably open around next month. Those two Liu brothers are really good at saving money; I thought they'd have to save until the end of the year."

He Yuzhu exhaled a puff of smoke but didn't reply. He stood up and strolled to the middle courtyard to use his senses. The door to the east wing of the backyard was closed, and inside were some newly purchased scales and tools, with a stack of empty sacks piled up in the corner.

Xu Damao followed behind and said, "That Yan family kid can't sit still either. I heard he's inquiring about new courtyards, thinking of opening another one."

"Did Yan Jiekuang tell you that?"

"No, I was chatting with the people who come to the supermarket to collect recyclables, and they said there's news circulating that there will be a new policy next month."

Xu Damao stubbed out his cigarette. "Garbage needs to be sorted, and individual scrap collectors will be restricted. Scavenging should be banned, and unlicensed tricycles should be strictly controlled."

After listening, He Yuzhu reviewed the relevant information in his mind. There really was such a regulation.

Garbage must be collected and disposed of daily and transported in sealed containers. Neighborhood committees and sanitation and cleaning committees are responsible for supervising garbage bins and prohibiting unlicensed personnel from loitering around and rummaging through garbage for extended periods.

Garbage is collected at designated locations in residential areas and alleys. Overdue garbage cans are simply hauled away, and mobile garbage collectors will run out of stock if they miss the designated collection time.

The official plan is: the sanitation department will sort recyclables at the back end and hand them over to regular state-owned, licensed recycling stations for unified collection, directly intercepting the sources of goods from scattered scavengers and tricycle vendors.

He Yuzhu was frustrated. The Liu brothers were smart enough to have obtained the necessary permits in advance. As long as these three families were diligent, they would have sources of goods both upstream and downstream in the scrap recycling industry, and making money was a certainty.