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

Chapter 50 Understanding Each Other

Ever since Liu Haizhong lost his tongue, the way people in the courtyard looked at He Yuzhu changed. No one said he was the one who did it. That night, he ran out of the side courtyard wearing an old cotton-padded coat and slippers. He clearly looked like he had been woken up; everyone saw him.

But just as rumors about him started circulating in Nanluoguxiang, Old Liu lost his tongue. What a coincidence!

Yan Bugui now avoids He Yuzhu whenever he sees him. Seeing the three-wheeled motorcycle approaching from afar, he turns and goes inside. Yi Zhonghai lowers his head at the sound of the motorcycle, his face turned to the ground, only looking up after He Yuzhu has gone some distance.

Madam Jia didn't dare to speak loudly anymore, but during casual conversation she muttered to Yang Ruihua, "Old Liu must have offended someone. Otherwise, how could his tongue just disappear while he was talking at home?"

Yang Ruihua lowered her voice: "Say less. Xiao Wang from the neighborhood committee lives in the backyard; it won't be good if he finds out."

Jia Zhangshi popped a melon seed into her mouth and shut up.

Xiao Wang lived next door to the old deaf man, leaving early and returning late every day. Everyone in the courtyard treated him with great respect, and even Jia Zhangshi dared not speak ill of him.

The courtyard was much quieter now.

He Yuzhu frequently went to the countryside and did a great job with the purchasing. He delivered wild boars, rabbits, and pheasants to the supply and marketing cooperative, and also collected a lot of mountain products and medicinal herbs.

Director Zhou was very satisfied with him and gave him a raise; now he earns fifty-six yuan a month.

Old Li also got a raise in the kitchen; now he earns 28.5 yuan a month. Tian Xinghua's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and her complexion is much better than when she first married into the family.

When he went to the countryside, Yushui ate at Lao Li's house.

Tian Xinghua steamed egg custard for her, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and sometimes even made dumplings. Yushui had a sweet tongue and called her Aunt Li all the time. Tian Xinghua liked her and treated her like a daughter.

January 1, 1955, was a holiday for New Year's Day.

He Yuzhu had a wooden box in the back of his truck, its four corners reinforced with brass and its clasp gleaming. Inside the box was more than 50,000 yuan, all of which he had earned over the years from selling boxed lunches, hunting, and the black market.

Wearing a new cotton-padded coat and wrapped in a cotton quilt, Yu Shui sat in the back of the cart, holding a copper hand warmer in his hands.

The motorcycle chugged to a stop at the Lou mansion, and the iron gate opened. Lou Bancheng came out of the house and saw He Yuzhu taking a camphor wood box out of the back of the motorcycle. He paused for a moment. "Zhuzi, what's this?"

He Yuzhu greeted Lou Bancheng, put the box on the coffee table, and said, "Uncle Lou, let's talk in the study."

Lou Bancheng glanced at him, stood up, and walked towards the study. He Yuzhu followed him in, carrying the box, and the door closed.

The study was the same as always: a mahogany desk and a green-shaded lamp. He placed the box on the desk and opened the lid. Neatly stacked banknotes, bundled with rubber bands, almost filled the box.

"There are over 50,000 here. Uncle Lou, could you do me a favor?"

Lou Bancheng looked down at the box of money. "What do you want to do?"

"A new version of the RMB will be released this April. The old currency will be exchanged for the new. If I go to the bank myself, it'll be difficult to explain the source of such a large sum. Since you have substantial funds, the bank won't question you about exchanging this small amount."

"Zhu Zi, what exactly have you accomplished these past few years?"

He Yuzhu sat down opposite the desk. "Some of it was saved from selling boxed lunches, which I did for three years. Some of it came from hunting and selling to the supply and marketing cooperative, and most of it came from doing some business on the black market."

Lou Bancheng took a drag of his cigarette, looking at He Yuzhu through the smoke. He didn't ask about the black market in detail. He had known Zhuzi for several years; when the kid was sixteen, he stood right in front of him, saying things that others dared not say and doing things that others dared not do.

During the year of the public-private partnership, a single sentence from him allowed the Lou family to escape unscathed. He was also the one who suggested the arrangement of servants in the household.

"Okay, I'll change it for you." He placed the cigar on the edge of the ashtray.

He Yuzhu leaned back in his chair, speaking casually as if discussing the weather. "I've heard that it will be officially issued on April 1st. Old currency will be recycled and destroyed, and the exchange period ends in May. You should start planning ahead."

"Understood. I'll take care of this. Once it's changed, I'll have Lou Yi deliver it to you."

He Yuzhu nodded, closed the box lid, and tightened the lock. The two left the study, where Yushui was sitting in the living room playing cat's cradle with Lou Xiao'e, hooking the red string with two fingers and flipping it back and forth.

Lou Xiao'e taught her how to flip a parachute, but Yu Shui flipped it wrong, and the red string got wrapped around her finger. The two of them burst into laughter.

"Brother He, you're out!" Lou Xiao'e threw down the flower rope and ran over. "What are you making for lunch today?"

What would you like to eat?

"Braised sea cucumber with scallions! And shrimp!"

He Yuzhu took off his coat and draped it over the back of the sofa, then rolled up his sleeves and walked toward the kitchen.

Tan Yali came downstairs and heard noises coming from the kitchen. She peeked out and saw He Yuzhu slicing vegetables, the knife making a series of clattering sounds on the cutting board.

Yu Shui and Lou Xiao'e ate the cut fruit while watching from the side.

"Xiao'e is always talking about Brother He, all the time." Tan Yali sat down on the sofa.

Lou Bancheng hummed in agreement and picked up his teacup.

"He was only sixteen that year, and he came to our door carrying imported liquor and chocolates. I knew then that this kid was something special."

Tan Yali lowered her voice, "He's nineteen now, and Xiao'e is fifteen. What will you say if he comes to propose in a few years?"

Lou Bancheng put down his teacup. "It's up to him. If he can properly settle Xiao'e's future, then I'll accept it."

"What did you say to him in the study just now?"

"He brought me a box of cash and asked me to exchange it for new currency," Lou Bancheng said in a low voice. "The new version of the RMB will be issued in April. He knew about it in advance."

Tanya was stunned. "How could he know about this in advance?"

"He came today, ostensibly to ask me to help him exchange money, but actually to give me a tip. He did the same thing during the public-private partnership era, tipping me off in advance. This kid probably knows some important people."

Tanya Li was silent for a moment, then turned to look at the restaurant.

As He Yuzhu was serving the dishes, Lou Xiao'e took off his apron and draped it over the back of his chair, her movements natural, as if she were a family member.

"Sir, it doesn't matter who's behind the pillar. What matters is that he's always on our side."

Lou Bancheng did not respond.

Lou Xiao'e called out to Dad from the other end of the living room, "Dad, let's eat!" and he stood up and walked to the dining table.

On the table were braised sea cucumber with scallions, braised prawns, sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and West Lake beef soup.

Rainwater distributed chopsticks to everyone.

Lou Bancheng took out a bottle of Moutai, poured a glass for He Yuzhu, and poured one for himself as well. "Zhuzi, you're nineteen this year, what are your plans?"

He Yuzhu raised his glass and clinked it against his own. "I need to focus on doing a good job with the purchasing staff and managing the rainwater harvesting. My own affairs aren't urgent."

After dinner, Lou Xiao'e pressed He Yuzhu down on the sofa and said that she had been practicing a piece of music for a long time and insisted on playing it for him.

The piano sat in the corner of the living room. She sat down, her back straight, her fingers landing on the keys. The first few notes of the "Minuet" were hesitant, but she played with increasing steadiness, the melody flowing from her fingertips like a spring.

After she finished playing, she turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling.

He Yuzhu leaned back on the sofa, a cigarette dangling between his fingers, unlit. "When did you learn that?"

"I practiced for a month! My school music teacher taught me, saying I have good fingering and talent." She turned her head and said that there was more than just this piece, there was an even more difficult one, and then she played "Für Elise".

He Yuzhu lit a cigarette and watched her fingers dance across the piano keys. The light shone on her hair, giving it a soft glow.

After cleaning up the restaurant, Tan Yali quietly showed Lou Bancheng the current state of the pillar.

The corners of their mouths slowly turned up, and they couldn't suppress it.