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

Chapter 80 Proposing Marriage

In mid-July, Lou Xiao'e graduated from high school.

On the day of her graduation ceremony, He Yuzhu picked her up on a three-wheeled motorcycle. In the back of the motorcycle was a bouquet of flowers, fifteen impatiens, which his colleagues from the supply and marketing cooperative had bought for him from the neighborhood.

Lou Xiao'e sat in the truck bed with flowers in her arms, her graduation certificate resting on her lap, her ponytail swaying in the wind.

"Brother He, I've graduated."

"Yes. When I got home, Aunt Lou cooked a whole table of dishes."

As the motorcycle turned through the iron gate of Lou's mansion, Tan Yali was already waiting at the door. Lou Xiao'e jumped off the motorcycle, holding her graduation certificate, and ran over. Tan Yali took the certificate, looked at it again and again, her eyes a little red, and said that Xiao'e had grown up.

Lou Bancheng came out of the study, cigarette between his fingers, and stood at the door of the living room. He watched his daughter carrying flowers and circling around the living room, and he had to suppress his smile several times.

A few days later, He Yuzhu went to the post office.

Master Luo was instructing his three apprentices on how to cook when he saw him come in, and told them to practice on their own.

He Yuzhu said, "Master, I would like to ask you to propose marriage to the Lou family."

Master Luo was stunned for a while, and Zhu Zi lit a cigarette for him.

"Which day?" "You decide."

"Then let's go this Sunday. Invite your teacher's wife to go too; she knows Mrs. Lou as well."

On Sunday morning, Master Luo wore a brand-new blue cotton shirt and his leather shoes were polished to a shine. His wife wore a navy blue cheongsam and a jade bracelet on her wrist.

He Yuzhu was riding a three-wheeled motorcycle, with specially supplied cigarettes and alcohol in the cargo bed.

When the motorcycle came to a stop outside the iron gate of Lou Mansion, Master Luo straightened his collar one last time and got off the motorcycle with his back straight.

Tan Yali greeted them at the iron gate and, upon seeing Master Luo and his wife, quickly ushered them inside.

Lou Bancheng came out of the study, his hair neatly combed. He sat down on the sofa, with Tan Yali sitting next to him. His teacher's wife sat down next to Tan Yali, and Master Luo sat next to his teacher's wife.

He Yuzhu stood in front of the coffee table, put down the cigarettes and alcohol, but did not sit down.

"Uncle Lou, Aunt Tan, I've invited my master and mistress to come to our door today to formally propose marriage."

The living room quieted down, and the cicadas on the pomegranate tree outside the window chirped twice before stopping.

He Yuzhu stood ramrod straight, his voice steady and clear.

"I am twenty-three years old, and Xiao'e is eighteen. I don't consider you and Aunt Tan as outsiders. Xiao'e is the apple of your eye, and she is also the person I care about most in my life. Today, in front of my master and mistress, I formally propose marriage to you. I want to marry Xiao'e."

Master Luo stood up, took a step forward, and stood next to He Yuzhu.

"Mr. Lou, Mrs. Lou. I am Zhu Zi's master chef, Luo Yongfu. This boy has been learning to cook from me since he was fifteen. I can vouch for his character with my own hands. His father is not in Beijing, so I, as his master, will make arrangements for him. Zhu Zi is a man of his word and has never broken his promise. We will not let Xiao'e suffer any grievances after she marries into our family. We, the old couple, treat her like our own daughter."

Lou Bancheng sat on the sofa, his gaze sweeping back and forth between He Yuzhu and Master Luo. He stood up from the sofa and walked over to He Yuzhu.

The pillar was half a head taller than him, and he patted his shoulder. "When you came to my door when you were sixteen, you... Let's not talk about those things today. Let's talk about Xiao'e. Her mother and I have seen how you treated her. I agree to this marriage."

Tan Yali stood up and walked to He Yuzhu's side, wiping her eyes with her hand. "Zhuzi, Xiao'e is in your care from now on. You have good character and are a reliable person. I trust Xiao'e to be with you. Has the wedding date been set yet?"

Before He Yuzhu could speak, Master Luo interjected, "I've had someone choose an auspicious date: January 23rd, 1959 (the 15th day of the twelfth lunar month). It's a lucky day. Xiao'e can get her marriage certificate on that day."

Lou Xiao'e ran down from the second floor, stood in front of the coffee table, saw the specially supplied cigarettes and alcohol, and then looked at He Yuzhu and his master and mistress. Her face turned red and she stopped in her tracks.

Tan Yali smiled and beckoned her over. She took two steps and stood next to He Yuzhu.

"Are you willing?" He Yuzhu asked her softly.

Lou Xiao'e blushed and nodded, her voice barely audible. "I'm willing."

In early August, Jia Zhangshi's nephew came. Wearing a tattered undershirt, he squatted at the door of the west wing, drank a large bowl of cold water, wiped his mouth, and said that the village had been converted into a people's commune, and all grain belonged to the collective, with no surplus allowed. His father had sent him to tell his aunt that there would be no more surplus grain to send to the city.

Jia Zhangshi's face turned pale instantly. She grabbed her nephew's tattered shirt and berated him for being heartless. The nephew looked aggrieved and said that it was a commune regulation, not his family's idea.

She then berated her brothers for being heartless, saying how she took care of them when they were little, how she saved cornbread for them to eat, and how now that life is better, they don't recognize their own sister.

Her nephew was so angry at her that he couldn't sit still, so he drank a bowl of cold water, got up, and left.

A few days later, on Sunday, Qin Huairu's older brother came up from Changping, carrying half a sack of millet. As soon as he entered the door, he said that there would be no more grain.

Jia Zhangshi was eating cornmeal porridge when she heard this and slammed her spoon down. "What did you say? Your family owns so much land in the village, how come you're out of grain?"

The eldest brother of the Qin family squatted on the doorstep, took the cigarette handed to him by his brother-in-law, lit it, and said that the commune had taken all the grain, the village had opened a collective canteen, and every household had handed over their iron pots. This half bag of millet was something his mother had specially hidden for his sister to nourish her body.

Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) holding Xiaodang, her head down and silent. Xiaodang squirmed in her arms, and she gently patted the child's back.

Jia Dongxu was squatting at the door smoking, while Bang Geng was in the yard teasing ants with a twig, completely unaware of what had happened at home.

Madam Jia's chest heaved violently, her lips trembling uncontrollably. "Huai Ru, your family is all bad. You'll ruin the Jia family sooner or later." She grew angrier the more she thought about it. Finally, she pointed at Qin Huai Ru and cursed her own brothers for being heartless.

After he finished cursing, he sat down, panting heavily, and picked up his enamel mug to gulp down water.

He Yuzhu was sitting at the entrance of the main house in the middle courtyard, having tea with Old Li. His spatial perception covered the Jia family, and he could hear every single curse from Jia Zhangshi. He picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and took a satisfying sip.

Old Li, holding his teacup, said that Xinghua had bought all the grain a few days ago, including cornmeal, millet, soybeans, and sorghum, as well as cured meat and salted fish, and stored more than 40 jin of scrap iron.

He Yuzhu suggested that Aunt Xinghua prepare some more dried vegetables, the more things that can be stored, the better.

The afternoon sun made people drowsy, and Jia Zhangshi was also tired of cursing inside the house.

After resting for a while, Madam Jia Zhang suddenly stood up, walked around the stove a few times, and then went to the doorway to say to Jia Dongxu, who was squatting on the ground, "Dongxu, I've made up my mind. I'm going to take Banggeng back to my parents' house to eat at the communal dining hall."

Jia Dongxu looked up. "What about Huai Ru and Xiao Dang?"

"Let Huai Ru take Xiao Dang and her older brother back. We'll split up and eat our way back what we lost. You can eat whatever you want normally, but we'll come back for the New Year."

Jia Dongxu opened his mouth, then closed it again. He turned to look at Qin Huairu on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). She was gently rocking Xiao Dang, holding him without saying a word.

The aroma of tea wafted in from outside, and someone chuckled softly, but it was hard to hear clearly.