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

Chapter 32 Receiving Rainwater

On October 1st, the lunchbox business will be closed for one day.

He Yuzhu woke up before dawn. He got dressed, washed his face, and went out.

Beijing Railway Station. The old-fashioned green train swayed for over three hours, and we arrived in Baoding. The last time it came to deliver rainwater was in winter. This time it's autumn; the leaves on the trees are yellow, rustling loudly in the wind.

South Street, in a hutong (alleyway). At Widow Bai's house, He Yuzhu raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Footsteps could be heard inside. The white widow stood in the doorway and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"He Yuzhu. I've come to collect the rainwater."

The white widow forced a smile. "Oh, it's Zhu Zi. Come in, come in!" She stepped aside, calling back into the house, "Yu Shui! Your brother's here!"

He Yushui ran out of the west wing. She wore a light purple dress and blue cloth trousers, her hair was tied in two small braids, and her face had become a little chubby. She stood at the door, saw He Yuzhu, and her eyes immediately reddened. She ran over and hugged his waist, burying her head in his chest, refusing to let go.

He Yuzhu placed his hand on her head; her braid was tied tightly and stood stiffly up. He pulled the raindrops out of his arms and squatted down to look at her. Her face was a little rounder, her hands were fair, and her nails were neatly trimmed. Her mauve-colored clothes were new, with tight stitches.

"How are you doing?"

Rain nodded. "Aunt Bai is very kind to me."

He Yuzhu stood up and glanced towards the kitchen. He Daqing stood in the kitchen doorway, wiping his hands on his apron. His back was slightly hunched. He looked at He Yuzhu and opened his mouth. "Zhuzi's here."

He Yuzhu hummed in agreement. He squatted down and said to Yushui, "Go pack your things. I'll take you home."

Rainwater paused for a moment, then turned and ran into the house.

The white widow stood in the middle of the courtyard, rubbing her hands together. "Zhu Zi, why don't you eat before you leave?"

"No, I still need to go to the military control commission to transfer my household registration."

Yu Shui ran out of the house carrying a bundle. The bundle was made of a bulging blue cloth. She ran to He Yuzhu's side and grabbed the hem of his clothes with her free hand.

He Yuzhu stood up and looked at the widow. "Ten yuan a month for child support, to be sent monthly. If you miss a month, I'll come looking for you."

The white widow's smile twitched. "Ten yuan..."

He Yuzhu didn't reply, but turned and walked up to He Daqing. He Daqing was shorter than him, his back was hunched, and his face was covered in deep wrinkles.

"Dad, just stay here. I've taken the rainwater with me." He leaned closer and whispered, "Save some money for yourself, so you don't run out of money for your trip back to Beijing."

He Daqing nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. He didn't say anything. He wiped his hands on his apron twice, then put them down.

He Yuzhu turned and walked out. Yushui followed behind, and when she reached the door, she turned back to look at He Daqing. "Dad, I'm leaving. I'll write to you." Yushui turned around and followed He Yuzhu.

Military Control Commission.

As Officer Sun was writing with his head down, he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw He Yuzhu, and paused for a moment. "Little He? What brings you here?"

"Officer Sun, I'm here to transfer my sister's household registration." He Yuzhu pulled Yushui to the front.

Officer Sun looked at Yu Shui, then at He Yuzhu. "He Yushui is moving to Beijing?"

"Yes. You have a good memory. Rainwater followed me. I now own a house in Beijing, have a business, and can afford to support myself."

Officer Sun thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay. I remember what happened to your father last time. I'll help you with the paperwork." He took out a household registration form from the drawer, wrote down He Yushui's information, stamped it, and handed it to He Yuzhu. "Here you go. You'll need it to register your household in Beijing."

He Yuzhu took it and put it away. "Thank you, Officer Sun."

On the train. Yu Shui fell asleep on his shoulder, her little hands clutching his clothes. He Yuzhu looked out the window; the fields were bare, the sky a hazy gray. He felt a mix of emotions. In his past life, Yu Shui had become estranged from him. In the end, she even sided with Widow Qin, which could be seen as revenge against her brother.

Never again in this lifetime.

It was getting dark when they arrived in Beijing. He Yuzhu brought Yushui back to the courtyard. The moon gate opened, and Yushui stood at the door, unable to move. Pomegranate tree, osmanthus tree, holly, blue brick floor, water trough, faucet.

He led his sister into the main room, turned on the switch, and the light came on, bathing the room in yellow light.

"Brother, will we live here from now on?"

He Yuzhu nodded. He led her to the west wing. There were three rooms, the doors newly painted a maroon color. He pushed open the door and turned on the lights. There was a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a bookshelf. The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, with a new floral quilt cover. A table lamp with a green glass shade sat on the desk.

The rain stood in the middle of the house, circling around and around again. The bundle was held tightly in his arms, forgotten to be put down.

"These three west wing rooms are all yours."

Rain smiled. She was missing a front tooth, a dark, gaping hole. He Yuzhu looked at the hole and remembered that in her past life, when she was losing her baby teeth, she also lost this one first. Later, a new tooth grew in, but it was a little crooked. There was a girl with a prominent canine tooth among her classmates, and the two were quite close.

"Brother, I'm hungry."

He Yuzhu turned and went into the kitchen. He kneaded the dough, rolled out the wrappers, and chopped the filling. Pork and cabbage. The water boiled, and the dumplings were put into the pot.

Yu Shui leaned over the stove, chin resting on the edge. The dumplings floated to the surface, plump and white. He Yuzhu scooped them out, plated them, and brought them to the main room.

Rainwater sat in the armchair, her feet dangling off the ground. She picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth, gasping for breath from the heat, reluctant to spit it out, chewing and swallowing it. Then she picked up another one.

He Yuzhu sat down beside him, took out a cigarette and lit it. The window was open, and a breeze blew in, carrying the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. The osmanthus flowers in the courtyard were in bloom, their fragrance sweet and delightful.

After finishing the last dumpling, Rainwater burped and laughed to himself.

"Brother, this place is really nice."

He Yuzhu stubbed out his cigarette. "I'll be here every day from now on."

After he finished eating the dumplings, he walked around the main gate of the courtyard, still wet from the rain, and put the keys to both doors on a red string, hanging it around her neck.

Rain is very happy; this new home is wonderful.

He Yuzhu smiled and led her to the bathroom, explaining how to use the ceramic squat toilet and the large bathtub inside.

Rainwater was overjoyed. "Brother, hurry up and boil some water. I'll add firewood. I want to splash around in the big public bath!"

It was night. After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, Yu Shui crawled into bed. The quilt was made of new cotton, fluffy and warm. She lay there for a while, then got up again. He Yuzhu heard the door to the west wing open in the main room, and Yu Shui, wearing new shoes, ran over and stood at the door of the main room.

"elder brother."

"What's wrong? Don't catch a cold. You're in elementary school now, do you still want to sleep with your brother? Go back and sleep alone."

The rain, its face flushed, ran back.

He Yuzhu sat in the armchair and lit a cigarette.

The moon peeked out from behind the clouds and shone on the pomegranate tree. Insects chirped, one after another.

The National Day holiday is two days long now. Tomorrow I'm going to register my younger sister's household registration, and the day after tomorrow I need to go to school to complete the enrollment procedures. I want my daughter to skip a grade and go to university. And that neighborhood policeman, get lost!