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

Chapter 53 Intimidating the Father-in-Law

On Sunday, He Yuzhu rode his three-wheeled motorcycle, carrying two brocade boxes in the back, towards the Lou Mansion.

The willow trees on the street were sprouting tender buds, the wind was still a bit chilly, but the sun felt warm on his skin. He honked the horn twice outside the iron gate.

The iron gate opened, and Lou Xiao'e ran out of the house, her hair tied in a ponytail. "Brother He! You're finally here! Yu Shui said you've been incredibly busy; she's been eating at Uncle Li's house for over a month!"

He Yuzhu parked his motorcycle. "I'm done with work. I'll cook you a meal to make up for it today."

"Okay, okay!" Lou Xiao'e followed behind him. "I've practiced a new piece of music, come and listen to it."

In the living room, the piano lid was open, and the sheet music was turned to a certain page. Lou Xiao'e sat on the piano bench, her back straight, and placed her hands on the keys. "Listen to me," she said, taking a few deep breaths before her fingers fell to the keys.

The Two-Part Invention is much more difficult than the Minuet. She wasn't very skilled at it, hesitated on a few notes, and her left and right hands almost clashed in the third measure, but she bit her lip and managed to stay steady.

After playing the last note, Lou Xiao'e turned to look at He Yuzhu, waiting for his evaluation.

He Yuzhu held a cigarette between his fingers and remained silent for a long time.

"How is it?!" Lou Xiao'e asked anxiously.

"On New Year's Day, you played the Minuet and made several mistakes. This Two-Part Invention is even more difficult, but you only missed one note and then played the rest correctly. You've made great progress."

Lou Xiao'e's face lit up. "Then I'll play it again! This time I'm sure every note will be perfect!" She turned back and placed her hands on the keys again.

Rainwater ran over from the kitchen, holding a freshly cut apple in its hand, and leaned over the piano to watch.

He Yuzhu stubbed out his cigarette, walked over and stood behind Lou Xiao'e, watching her fingers dance across the piano keys.

After she finished playing, Lou Xiao'e let out a long breath and turned to look at him.

He Yuzhu nodded. "Okay. This time it's fine. Practice for another half month, and once your speed improves, you'll be able to perform on stage."

Rainwater raised her hand beside her. "I want to learn too!"

He Yuzhu asked her to sit down.

Rainwater's fingers are short, making it difficult for her to reach an octave, so Lou Xiao'e taught her to read music.

He Yuzhu, holding the brocade box, walked to the study door and knocked lightly a few times. "Uncle Lou, I have something to tell you."

In the study, Lou Bancheng sat in a leather chair, a cigar between his fingers.

He Yuzhu came in, placed the brocade box on the desk, opened it, and took out two sets of gold and silver utensils and a pure gold pocket watch.

Lou Bancheng noticed that the vessel was engraved with Phagspa script, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. He picked up the pure gold watch; its case featured a prominent Western nude female figure with flowing lines, the gold casing gleaming under the light.

Lou Bancheng turned the gold pocket watch over and examined it, then picked up the two sets of gold and silver utensils and examined them closely against the light. "Phagspa script?" He looked up at He Yuzhu, "Where did you get these?"

He Yuzhu sat down opposite him. "An old hunter secretly kept this while playing cards. He said the landlord's ancestors were officials in the Yuan Dynasty. I thought it was a good thing, so I bought it. Uncle Lou, you can keep it for fun."

Lou Bancheng placed the gold pocket watch on the table, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers on the armrest.

The official gold and silver utensils with Phagspa script from the Yuan Dynasty—one piece would be enough for a museum, but Zhu Zi gave away two sets. And that pure gold pocket watch engraved with a Western nude woman—it's clearly from the palace, possibly even a relic from the Old Summer Palace. The boy said he found it while collecting mountain goods; nobody believed that. But he didn't press further.

"Zhu Zi, the new version of the RMB you mentioned last time has been finalized. It will be issued on April 1st, and the bank has already notified me."

He Yuzhu observed Lou Bancheng's reaction; the effect was good. He nodded without saying anything.

Lou Bancheng handed him a cigar. "Zhu Zi, do you have any other news?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, saying he wasn't used to smoking this. He leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette for himself.

"There are several things. Agricultural collectivization will be accelerated starting in June, and by the end of the year, 90% of farmers should have joined the cooperatives. We will move directly from the primary cooperatives to the advanced cooperatives, and all land, livestock, and farm tools will belong to the collective."

In July, the anti-counter-revolutionary campaign was launched in full swing, and government agencies, schools, factories and mines were required to investigate and eliminate any hidden counter-revolutionaries in order to consolidate the regime.

The public-private partnership was piloted in the cotton fabric and department store industry in August, and the pace of reform accelerated by the end of the year, laying the foundation for industry-wide cooperation next year.

He paused, taking a couple of puffs of his cigarette. "There are two other things that are directly related to people's lives. In August, the state will promulgate the 'Provisional Measures for the Rationing of Grain in Towns and Cities,' which will ration grain according to the number of people. Beijing will begin implementing this in October, and Beijing grain coupons will be officially issued in December. From then on, you will not only need money to buy grain, but also grain coupons. We already have oil coupons, but once grain coupons arrive, we will have to be very careful with our food."

Lou Bancheng's cigar hovered in mid-air for a long while before he spoke. "Grain coupons?"

"Yes. Each person will have a monthly ration, with both coarse and refined grains rationed. There will be oil coupons, cloth coupons, sugar coupons, and later there will be meat coupons, cotton coupons, and coal briquette coupons. The supply and marketing cooperative will be the outlet for supplies based on coupons. I work there, and I've already heard about this."

He Yuzhu stubbed out his cigarette. "Uncle Lou, agricultural collectivization won't affect you much. You don't need to worry about the anti-revolutionary purge either; you're a model for the cooperative system, and your photo was published in the newspapers. Grain coupons won't be difficult for you either. But there's one thing you need to prepare in advance."

"Tell me quickly."

"Public-private partnerships will be accelerated by the end of the year and rolled out across the entire industry next year. If you have other businesses under your name, plan ahead and don't wait until the policy is released to scramble to get things done."

Lou Bancheng placed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray, his brows furrowed. "Zhuzi, you know all this information, just like the last time the new version of the RMB was issued. You knew about it months in advance. Even city officials might not know all of this, let alone the director of the supply and marketing cooperative."

He Yuzhu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing. He thought to himself smugly: "Now you've been scared, haven't you?"

Lou Bancheng looked at the young man opposite him. Nineteen years old, sitting in his study, he spoke eloquently, his maturity beyond his years.

From the joint public-private ownership to the new version of the RMB, from agricultural collectivization to the anti-rightist campaign, and then to grain coupons and the acceleration of joint public-private ownership, every event was described in great detail, with clear timelines. This wasn't just being well-informed; it was being prescient.

He recalled what Tanya Li had said: that this child had someone backing him. Now he wondered if the person behind this child was someone at the highest level. Thinking of this, he smiled and shook his head in denial; that was impossible.

He Yuzhu put down his teacup. "Uncle Lou, there's something else I need to discuss personally."

"Zhu Zi, wait a minute. Let Uncle Lou catch his breath."

He Yuzhu slowly extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, looked up at Lou Bancheng, and waited for his expression to calm down.

"I've known you for several years. From the time I came to you for help back then, to now sitting in your study talking to you about these things, I've never treated you like an outsider. Xiao'e is fifteen this year. I'm nineteen this year, and in three years I'll be twenty-two, and she'll be eighteen. In a few years, I'd like to formally propose marriage."

The study fell silent. The sound of a piano drifted in from outside the window; Lou Xiao'e was teaching Yu Shui to play scales.

He Yuzhu glanced at Lou Bancheng's expression. "I know you're reluctant. Xiao'e is your only daughter, the apple of the Lou family's eye. I'm telling you this today not to finalize things now, but to give you some peace of mind. If you think I'm not good enough, just say so, and I'll try harder. Three years is enough time for me to prove myself."

Lou Bancheng leaned back in his chair, his fingers slowly tapping on the armrest. He looked at He Yuzhu, remaining silent for a long time. This boy had never made a single empty promise to him; he had always accomplished everything he had agreed to.

"Have you talked to your father or your master about this?"

"I told my master. He said that if it really works, he would cook sixteen dishes for me."

Lou Bancheng's lips twitched, as if he were to smile, but he didn't. He picked up the pocket watch on the table and fiddled with it, then looked at the two sets of gold and silver tableware. "These are fine items. But if you're thinking of using this as a betrothal gift, it's a bit too early."

He Yuzhu smiled. "Then consider it this year's New Year's gift. The betrothal gift will be settled later."

The piano music stopped in the living room, and Lou Xiao'e called out: "Dad. Mom's looking for you."

Lou Bancheng stood up, closed the brocade box, patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder, and walked out of the study.

Lou Xiao'e sat at the piano, while Yu Shui sat on the piano bench, her fingers pressing the keys.

Tan Yali was sitting on the sofa when she saw the expression on Lou Bancheng's face. She stood up and asked softly what was wrong.

Lou Bancheng shook his head, walked to the sofa, sat down, and took a sip of tea.

"Zhu Zi mentioned Xiao'e to me."

Tanya sat down next to him and glanced towards the study.

He Yuzhu was walking out of the study, going to the piano, and bending down to watch Yushui play scales. Lou Xiao'e looked up at him and said something, and he reached out and patted her on the head. She tilted her head and smiled.

After finishing their meal, He Yuzhu, still wet from the rain, said goodbye. Lou Xiao'e saw him to the door, took his hand, and asked when he would come again. He Yuzhu said next Sunday, and only then did she let go.

The three-wheeled motorcycle sputtered out of the alley, and Yu Shui, in the back of the vehicle, was holding a box of imported chocolates that Lou Xiao'e had given her, saying how kind Sister Xiao'e was.

It was almost dark when He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard. He went into the main room and sat down. He lit a cigarette and went over the day's events from beginning to end: delivering the artifacts, leaking information, and laying out his intentions.

Lou Bancheng didn't refuse; he basically agreed. Three years was enough time for him to get everything else done.

Hehe, I've got Ezi!