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

Chapter 57 A Ridiculous Misunderstanding

It was a Sunday at the end of December 1955.

A jeep stopped at the entrance of the courtyard house. A middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing an overcoat, got out, carrying a net bag containing two cans of malted milk powder and a bag of pastries.

The driver wanted to follow him in, but he waved his hand and pushed open the gate to enter the front yard himself.

Yan Bugui was squatting by the door chopping wood when he saw a stranger enter the yard. Judging from his clothes, he was an official or leader. After asking him, he learned that the stranger had come to see the old deaf man in the backyard.

Yan Bugui eagerly led the way, guiding the middle-aged man towards the backyard.

Old Li was holding his son in the sun at the door when he muttered to Tian Xinghua, "This guy looks like a cadre." Tian Xinghua took the child and said softly, "He went into the backyard. Yan Bugui was introducing himself the whole way. I overheard him; he's looking for the old deaf man."

The door to the backhouse in the backyard was ajar. Yang Honglin stood at the door and knocked on the doorframe. The old deaf man's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Grandma, it's me, the underground party member from back then."

A moment of silence fell over the room, then the sound of a cane tapping on the floor rang out, and the door opened. The old deaf woman stood inside, leaning on her jujube wood cane, squinting at the person outside. The middle-aged man was carrying a net bag. She didn't recognize him.

"Who are you?"

"In 1947, in that dead end of an abandoned courtyard, you tore off your own clothes to bandage my gunshot wound and hid me in that dilapidated house in the courtyard."

The old deaf woman's cloudy eyes slowly widened, and her jujube wood cane trembled in her hand. She remembered.

That year, as she emerged from the abandoned courtyard where the gold bars were hidden, she saw a person lying unconscious in the alley, blood seeping from their shoulder. She crouched down to examine them. The person was wearing a coarse cloth jacket and cloth shoes; they didn't look like a spy, but rather like a member of the underground Communist Party.

The deaf old woman's son was working for the Kuomintang secret service at the time, and she was thinking of telling him. But just as she was tearing the hem of her clothes to tie him up, he woke up.

Yang Honglin opened his eyes and saw an old woman squatting beside him, clutching strips of torn cloth in her hand. His lips moved, but his voice was weak. "Old lady...you saved me?"

The old deaf man paused for a moment, then his face immediately hardened with anxiety. "Don't move! I'll stop the bleeding. I'm just an old woman with bound feet, I can't lift you up. It's good that you're awake. This alley is a dead end, nobody comes here. Quickly go into this dilapidated courtyard and hide, I'll go find you some medicine."

She helped Yang Honglin into the dilapidated courtyard, letting him lean against the corner of the main house, which hadn't collapsed much yet. She then tore two pieces of her own jacket to wrap around his shoulders. As she did so, she said, "Wait here, I'm going to buy medicine. Make sure you wait for me to come back." With that, she leaned on her cane and walked quickly away, heading towards the headquarters of the secret service agency.

She's going to find her son to arrest him; that would be a great achievement.

When she returned with her son, the dilapidated courtyard was empty, and there were bloodstains on the ground. Her son's men searched the place but found nothing.

Now this underground party member is standing in front of her, carrying malted milk powder and snacks, here to thank her. Looks like he's become an official; she has to grasp this lifeline.

The old deaf man's wrinkles twitched, and he reached out to grab Yang Honglin's hand, tears streaming down his face.

"It's you... You've come to see me? I'm so sorry to have to see this old woman like me."

She held Yang Honglin's hand tightly, her voice trembling violently. "I'm all alone, without children. After that incident, my son died too, his death shrouded in mystery. I've survived all by myself until now. After the founding of the People's Republic, I donated this courtyard to the state. Now, my class background is bad; if I say the wrong thing, just one sentence!"

"After I addressed myself as 'Grand Ancestor,' the younger generation in the courtyard beat me up. The military control committee arrested me and 'educated' me for a week, leaving me with a criminal record and labeling me an old feudalist. When I came back, I had to publicly apologize; I was so ashamed."

Yang Honglin frowned and his face darkened.

The old deaf man's tears flowed even more fiercely. "My retirement money was stolen too. I saved it all my life, hidden it in the house, and it was all stolen. I had no choice but to beg Deputy District Chief Zhou for help. Out of old friendship, he gave me fifteen yuan a month. I spent five yuan to hire Wu Guilan from the Intermediate People's Court to take care of me, and the remaining ten yuan was for food."

But I don't have many teeth left, so I can't chew coarse grain bread. Refined grains require ration coupons, and I can only exchange money for coupons, which means I don't have enough money. Forget about meat; in winter, there's not enough coal, and I can't even afford firewood. I'm just trying to tough it out this winter, and I don't know if I can make it through the year.

Yang Honglin placed the net on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), bent down, and took the old deaf woman's hand. "Grandma, please tell me slowly. Who is that Deputy District Chief Zhou?"

"He was originally a Kuomintang officer who wanted to surrender, but was being hunted down by secret agents. I happened to save him and hid in that dilapidated courtyard for three days and three nights."

Yang Honglin nodded. "You saved my life back then. When you went to buy medicine, our people followed the trail of blood and found me, then took me out of the city. I've been working in other places ever since."

I've just been transferred back to Beijing to be the deputy director of a steel rolling mill. I found out that the small courtyard was registered under your name, and knowing you lived here, I rushed over immediately. It's my fault; I should have come to see you sooner.

The old deaf man shook his head, wiping the cloudy tears from his face with his sleeve. "It's not your fault, it's not your fault. In those days, who could care about anyone else? It's good that you're back."

Yang Honglin straightened up, looking at the cracked window frame and the dwindling amount of firewood for heating the kang (a heated brick bed). He remained silent for a moment.

"Grandma, you can just call me Xiao Yang. My full name is Yang Honglin, and I'm currently the deputy director of the steel rolling mill. Officially, the files can't be changed, and the records can't be deleted. That's a big taboo; it won't help you, and it will only implicate you. As for your old comment, I'll go talk to Deputy District Chief Zhou, and we'll work together to find a way to suppress this matter and keep it sealed so that no one can bring it up to bother you."

He continued, "From now on, I will have your rice, flour, cooking oil, coal, firewood, and daily necessities delivered to you privately every month. It will be done discreetly and without attracting attention or gossip. I will pay for it myself, without using a single penny of public funds. You can retire peacefully without worrying about anything."

The old deaf woman shed tears again. "Good child... I'm so sorry to have troubled you. In these days, you still think of an old woman like me. I..." Her voice choked, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Yang Honglin helped her up. "You were kind to me back then, and I'll remember that for the rest of my life. I'll protect you as much as I can in private. Just relax and live your life. I'll go find someone right now."

He glanced back at the old lady before leaving, then turned and walked away.

Yang Honglin left the courtyard house.

The sound of a jeep starting up came from the alley and slowly disappeared at the end of the alley.

The old deaf man sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tears still wet in his eyes, yet the corners of his mouth slowly turned up. His wrinkled face was a strange mix of tears and laughter.

He Yuzhu was leaning against the wall by the door, smoking, when Uncle Li came to inform him. He used his senses to see everything inside the old deaf man's room; it seemed that Director Yang had misunderstood.

In a hidden compartment of the old deaf woman's wardrobe, there were photos of her and her spy son. It's likely that the old deaf woman tore off strips of cloth to try and tie up Director Yang's hands and feet. What a ridiculous misunderstanding!

But now that he thinks back to his past life, Yang Honglin only knew how to boss him around and never promoted him. He even took him and Xu Damao to the home of a high-ranking leader, so he didn't embarrass Yang Honglin.

During the stormy season, I even brought him wine, but after he made a comeback, he didn't give me much benefit.

This is not as practical as Li Huaide.

He Yuzhu's lips curled into an inscrutable smile.