Traveling back to 1952, starting a comeback from a relief station

Wang Anping naturally noticed Jia Dongxu's grief-stricken eyes, casually took out a piece of candy and handed it to him, a half-smile on his face:

"Dongxu, have some candy."

"Don't be discouraged, you'll find a good wife someday."

Heh, I've taken your wife, but I'll let you have a taste of our wedding candy, so you can at least share in the joy and feel a sense of participation.

Then he turned to look at Sha Zhu and the others, handing them candy one by one, and scolding them a few times in the process:

"Silly Zhu, you have some candy too."

"You're still young, stop thinking about all that nonsense all day. Getting back to work is the right thing to do."

"And Da Mao, you still haven't settled on a job, have you...?"

After giving the boys a good scolding, Wang Anping felt much better.

I've finally experienced what it's like to be the big brother!

The other people in the courtyard didn't care about the young people's antics. They all gathered in the front yard to chat, asking about Qin Huairu's family situation and how much Wang Anping spent on his wedding.

Wang Anping was chuckling to himself, without saying much.

Yan Bugui, standing nearby, took the blame for his "pretentious" act, raising his voice high:

"Anping is such an outstanding person. Qin Huairu's family doesn't care about money at all."

"They gave twenty yuan as a bride price, and they even returned fifteen!"

"Take a look at that pile of stuff."

"It was all given to us by Huai Ru's family, just in case the young couple suffers hardship in their daily life!"

"To be honest, Anping is a really likable kid..."

If we're talking about who's closest to Wang Anping in the courtyard, Yan Bugui considers himself number one, after all, those two pots of flowers at Wang Anping's door were a gift from him.

At this moment, it seemed that Wang Anping's exposure was a great honor for him as well.

Wang Anping looked at Yan Bugui from Dihua in astonishment.

He was filled with astonishment:

Uncle, where has your unruly spirit gone? Where has your intellectual integrity gone?

Your attitude of "I am the number one lackey under Commander Wang" makes me feel a little guilty if I were to cheat you again.

Everyone else was stunned by Yan Bugui's words, their faces filled with astonishment.

Putting aside the bride price for now, the dowry that the bride's family brought back was quite substantial, and it's currently piled up in the house. Who wouldn't be envious?

Everyone had their own doubts:

How come Wang Anping, that rascal, is so lucky to have found such a good wife?

Does being handsome really mean you can do whatever you want?

Just as everyone was discussing it.

As everyone was chattering, Yi Zhonghai stepped out from the crowd, took out two yuan, handed it to Wang Anping, and said with a smile:

"Someone in the courtyard is getting married; this is a joyous occasion."

"It's been a long time since the courtyard has been lively, so let's take this opportunity to let everyone have some fun together."

"I'll give two yuan as a gift, just to share in the joy."

As soon as he said that, the expressions of several people nearby changed.

Yi Zhonghai earns a little over seventy yuan a month. There are only two people in his family, him and his wife, so two yuan is nothing to him.

But for an ordinary family, that would be a considerable expense.

Moreover.

At this time, Yi Zhonghai was not the manager of the compound; he was just a resident whose family was slightly better off.

He gave such a generous gift; even if others dared not match his, they couldn't give too little.

Isn't this just adding to everyone's burden?

Yan Bugui, standing nearby, felt a pang of heartache, yet secretly rejoiced—he was always the one who helped collect gifts and keep accounts for weddings and funerals in the courtyard, and in the end, he could always pocket some money.

Before he could even step forward to speak, Wang Anping waved his hand and declined with a smile:

"Never mind, never mind."

"I live alone, there's no need for me to go through the hassle of a banquet."

"We've distributed all the wedding candy to everyone, so that's considered us getting to know the place."

"Life is hard for everyone. Saving a little money to buy some meat to nourish the children is better than anything else."

He couldn't be bothered to deal with these people in the courtyard.

Furthermore...

If we were to host a banquet, given the nature of the people in this courtyard, the whole family would surely come to freeload. If we wanted to host a decent one, we wouldn't just fail to make money, we'd have to pay out of our own pockets.

It's a waste of effort and doesn't yield any reward.

After hearing Wang Anping's words, Yi Zhonghai looked somewhat embarrassed and had no choice but to take the money back.

The others nearby secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The way she looked at Yi Zhonghai inevitably carried a hint of disdain.

It seems that Yi Zhonghai, who is still relatively young, has not yet fully mastered the art of morality and has not yet completely grasped its power.

The group chatted for a while longer at the doorway, when suddenly they heard an old voice coming from the backyard:

"I heard someone in the neighborhood got married?"

"Let the old lady see, whose son is getting married!"

The crowd quickly made way for them, and they saw the deaf old woman slowly walking over from behind, leaning on her cane.

Although the story takes place more than ten years earlier than the original timeline, the deaf old lady is now over sixty years old, with a full head of white hair and a slightly hunched back, but she is still quite energetic.

Count the days.

By the time the original storyline begins, she will be almost eighty years old.

In this era, he was definitely considered very old; he was a true elder from the Qing Dynasty.

Upon learning that it was Wang Anping getting married, the deaf old woman walked up to them, looked Qin Huairu and Wang Anping up and down, nodded repeatedly, and smiled broadly.

He took a dollar out of his pocket and handed it to Wang Anping.

"My eldest grandson."

"The old lady took out a dollar to wish for good luck."

Wang Anping quickly declined, saying that since there was no banquet, he wouldn't accept any gifts.

The deaf old woman waved her hand and said:

"It's not a gift."

"Just keep it."

"Grandma is the oldest person in the neighborhood."

"Having lived to such an old age, I've witnessed countless births, aging, sickness, and deaths, and seen so many people leave the hospital. Now, seeing new people come in, I'm genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart."

"No matter who gets married or a new bride comes into the courtyard, I, the old woman, will always give them this token of my appreciation."

Seeing that the deaf old woman had put it that way, Wang Anping stopped refusing, smiled, took the money, and stuffed a handful of wedding candies into her hand:

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Thank you for your kind words, I'll accept the money."

"Have some candy."

These days, sugar is a rare commodity for both adults and children.

The deaf old woman smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits. She unwrapped the candy, popped it into her mouth, and nodded repeatedly, clearly enjoying the sweetness.

Wang Anping was never particularly aggressive.

In the original drama, the deaf old woman was completely devoted to Sha Zhu.

But the old lady hadn't caused him any trouble and was usually quiet, so he naturally didn't want to get angry with an old woman and was very polite in his manners.

The group chatted for a while longer at the entrance before dispersing.

However, it is clear that the discussion between Wang Anping and Qin Huairu will not end there.

The young couple's life is truly enviable.

Wang Anping and Qin Huairu went back to their room to pack their things.

The other items were easy to put away, but the four free-range chickens we brought back became a little troublesome.

After thinking for a while, Wang Anping decided to build a chicken coop at the entrance. The place where he used to pile up odds and ends at the entrance was now empty, which was convenient.

I took out the straw piled up against the wall, intending to weave a simple fence to keep the chickens in.