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

Chapter 84 Son and Disciple Ma Hua

In early March, He Yuzhu rode his tricycle around Huashi Street several times, asking around for Ma Hua's house. In his past life, Ma Hua had mentioned that his parents lived in the Huashi area, but he couldn't remember which alley.

After asking several elderly people at the entrance of the alley, it wasn't until evening that we finally found the Ma family's courtyard house in a narrow alley.

The courtyard gate was ajar, the paint on the door panel peeling off in patches. He Yuzhu knocked twice, and then came a series of hurried footsteps from inside.

The boy who opened the door was about fourteen or fifteen years old. He had a round face, was rather short, and his small eyes gave off a kind of simple honesty. He Yuzhu recognized him at a glance. This boy was Ma Hua, who looked eight or nine parts like him in his previous life, except that he was younger and thinner now, and shorter as well.

"Who are you looking for?" Ma Hua asked him, looking up at him.

"Looking for your father." He Yuzhu took out his work ID from the supply and marketing cooperative and handed it over. "I'm from the Dongcheng Supply and Marketing Cooperative, my surname is He."

Ma Hua took the work permit, flipped through it, his eyes widened, and he turned and shouted into the yard, "Dad! A cadre is looking for you!" Then he ran inside in a flash.

Ma Hua's father, Ma Dayong, came out of the house, wearing a gray cloth jacket with several patches, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his two arms, roughened by burlap sacks. He was a porter at the train station, carrying several tons of goods a day, and the calluses on his shoulders were so thick they could be used to sharpen knives.

Ma Hua's mother followed behind, her apron covered in paste and scraps of paper, and she held a half-pasted matchbox in her hand.

He Yuzhu didn't go inside. He handed over his work ID and stood in the yard explaining his purpose. He wanted to take Ma Hua as his apprentice, teach him cooking, and provide him with room and board, plus a monthly allowance.

Ma Dayong's mouth dropped open when he heard this, and he almost dropped the cigarette butt he was holding. Ma's mother rubbed the smear of cigarette paper vigorously, and her eyes immediately reddened.

She made matchboxes at home, earning only one cent for every hundred she made. The three siblings crammed under one quilt, their legs barely able to stretch out in winter. Now, a windfall has fallen from the sky: the deputy section chief of the supply and marketing cooperative wants to take her son as an apprentice.

Ma Dayong looked at He Yuzhu's leather shoes, then at his clean Zhongshan suit, and his lips trembled for a long time before he finally spoke. "Section Chief He, you're not joking with us, are you? My son Ma Hua is slow-witted, and I'm afraid he won't do well and will embarrass you."

He Yuzhu said he had taken a liking to the child; being slow-witted didn't matter, as long as he was diligent. He told Ma Dayong to inquire about him; he could find out about him at Fengzeyuan and the supply and marketing cooperative. If the child wanted to become his apprentice, he should bring him to the courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang in three days.

Several families in the courtyard came out to see what was going on. Ma Dayong examined He Yuzhu's work ID card several times, turning it over and over. It read "Deputy Section Chief of the Supply Department of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative," the red stamp clearly visible. He returned the ID card to He Yuzhu, his lips still trembling. "Section Chief He, we'll definitely go."

Three days later, Ma Dayong arrived with his family. He changed into clean clothes and carried two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, and a piece of pork belly.

These items represented more than half a year's savings for the Ma family, but Ma Dayong gritted his teeth and bought them all. Behind him followed Ma Hua and his second son, Ma Qiang. Ma Qiang was two years younger than Ma Hua, twelve years old this year, and half a head shorter than his older brother. His eyebrows and eyes resembled Ma Hua's, but his eyes were more lively.

Ma's mother stood at the back, holding her youngest daughter, feeling very uneasy.

Ma Dayong rubbed his hands together and shuffled his feet on the ground several times before speaking. "Section Chief He, it's incredibly lucky that you took Ma Hua in. I'm just going to be shameless and ask if you could take Ma Qiang in too. He's a quick and capable kid; you can have him sweep the floor and wash the dishes." He became more and more anxious as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "My family really can't afford to raise three children. If you could take in two, I'd kowtow to you."

He Yuzhu helped Ma Dayong, who was about to kneel down, and looked at his wrinkled face before slowly nodding.

Ma Dayong pulled his two sons to He Yuzhu and made them kneel down. Ma Hua called out "Master" first, his voice so loud that it could be heard outside the courtyard. Ma Qiang followed suit, then lowered his head.

He Yuzhu helped the two up. Ma Hua was officially recognized as a disciple. Ma Qiang would first be a nominal disciple, and his status would be finalized after a six-month observation period. They were both his students, and he would teach them both personally, without any favoritism.

MCA immediately straightened their backs, as if they had received some great mission.

That evening, He Yuzhu personally cooked a meal, taking out mutton, ribs, and sea bass from his spatial storage, along with the pork belly brought by Ma Dayong.

Lou Xiao'e sat next to He Yuzhu, her hair tied up with a silver hairpin. Ma Hua kowtowed and offered tea to his master and mistress, while Ma Qiang followed closely behind his brother, completing the entire apprenticeship ceremony. His movements were a little flustered, but his kowtows were louder than his brother's.

Yu Shui happily became a nun, telling her two nephews to behave properly when they met in the future. Ma Hua and Ma Qiang then served tea to Yu Shui, her nun.

Yu Shui was overjoyed and even took out two yuan from his saved pocket money as a gift for the two of them.

The Ma family sat awkwardly at the table, hesitant to touch the exquisite dishes. Ma's mother, holding her youngest daughter, slowly picked up a piece of stir-fried mutton with scallions, and as she chewed, tears streamed down her face.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then lowered her head to continue feeding the child. Ma Dayong held his chopsticks, staring at the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs in front of him for a while, then picked up a piece, took a bite, and chewed slowly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

After the meal, He Yuzhu took out two pieces of cloth as a traditional gift in return, the value of which did not exceed the apprenticeship gift brought by the Ma family. He pulled Ma Dayong aside and whispered that they should store more grain, and that the two children should live in the east wing and come home to stay for a day every Sunday.

Ma Dayong nodded vigorously, his lips still trembling, and led his wife and youngest daughter out of the courtyard. Ma's mother took a few steps and then looked back. Ma Hua and his brother stood at the moon gate and waved to them. After their parents had gone far away, they turned around and quickly went back to the east wing.

From that day on, He Yuzhu started teaching, beginning with chopping vegetables: how to hold the knife, how to wield it, how to shred, how to slice...

He taught patiently, strictly but without scolding, "You call this potato shreds? It looks like potato sticks. Cut another plate."

Ma Hua spent the entire afternoon cutting the potatoes before he finally passed the test. When he showed his master the finished potato shreds, He Yuzhu hummed in agreement, saying, "Not bad." Ma Hua chuckled and turned to run back to continue practicing.

Ma Qiang is younger, so the requirements can be relaxed a bit. The two brothers are very respectful to their master's family, and they always volunteer to do chores around the house, such as washing clothes, sweeping the floor, and wiping tables, without being asked.

Lou Xiao'e also bought two sets of clothes and shoes for each of her two apprentices, which moved the two brothers to tears. Yu Shui shared all her snacks with her nephews and nieces, and she loved being called "aunt" by everyone every day.

Even when He Yuzhu was away on a business trip, the courtyard was still lively. Xiao'e and Yushui were accompanied by their apprentices, and their laughter drifted over the courtyard wall into the central courtyard.

Old Li was sunbathing at the entrance of the main house with an enamel mug in his hand. Tian Xinghua, holding her child, said to him, "Zhu Zi's family is really good to their apprentice. It's just that my son is still too young. How about I send him to be his apprentice right now?"