Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

backyard.

He Family Kitchen.

As He Yuzhu filled the sack with plump, golden soybeans, his mind raced with calculations.

Those few Japanese military overcoats and traitorous cotton-padded jackets that he had dug out from the pile of corpses were like hot potatoes, making him restless.

"This thing is too eye-catching."

He Yuzhu frowned and muttered to himself.

"Keep it, in case someone reports it one day, that's a serious crime of treason; throw it away, it's such a waste, the material is so thick, you could take it apart and make a cotton-padded coat and wear it for years."

He figured he needed to find someone who could keep their mouth shut to help him dismantle this mess.

The old lady in the courtyard is a good candidate; she's quick and efficient and keeps her mouth shut. But we need to sound her out first, so as not to frighten her.

As for the tailor shops outside, forget about it. These days, cotton is more expensive than gold. If someone suddenly brings out so much good fabric, the detectives will be knocking down the door the moment they step inside.

"Sigh, life is so hard, even wearing warm clothes is a nerve-wracking experience."

He Yuzhu sighed and picked up a few more potatoes the size of a fist—potatoes in those days weren't as big as they are in later generations; they were all about the size of quail eggs, not enough to make a single dish for five or six people.

He then picked up a plump, fresh cabbage before climbing out of the cellar and back into the kitchen.

After soaking the soybeans, He Yuzhu picked up a kitchen knife and began to scrape the potato skins with a "swish, swish" sound.

"Wow, has the sun risen in the west?"

He Daqing's hearty laughter came from the doorway.

He had just returned from his work in the front and saw his son voluntarily helping out, and his face lit up with joy.

"Why has our Zhuzi changed his attitude today? He's actually paying attention to things now, I don't even have to tell him what to do."

He Yuzhu didn't even look up, his hands still busy with their work, and casually replied.

"Dad, we have a little sister now, and I'm the eldest, so shouldn't I do more work?"

"Listen! Listen!"

He Daqing was overjoyed and shouted into the inner room.

"Honey! Did you hear that? Our son's grown up! He knows how to care for people now!"

From the inner room came Chen Lanxiang's gentle voice: "Do you even need to tell me? If it weren't for Zhuzi's quick thinking yesterday, my daughter and I might have fallen victim to that shrew's cruelty. Zhuzi is the pillar of this family now."

As she spoke, Chen Lanxiang placed He Yushui, whom she had just coaxed to sleep, at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), but a question began to bother her.

I remembered that He Yuzhu went to see the doctor yesterday, and he hadn't paid the consultation fee yet.

The child's father didn't mention it today; he's probably too busy to remember.

She quietly got off the kang (a heated brick bed), moved to the heavy wooden box at the head of the kang, squatted down, and took out a bundle wrapped in blue cloth from the bottom.

As He Yuzhu opened the bundle, he happened to come inside for a drink of water. His gaze inadvertently swept over the bundle, and he was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out.

Inside the bundle were two small yellow croakers neatly stacked, a roll of silver dollars wrapped in red paper, and dozens of gleaming silver coins scattered around, gleaming enticingly in the dim light.

"My goodness..."

He Yuzhu's heart was filled with turmoil.

"The He family is that rich? Wasn't He Daqing a spendthrift in the original story? This family's wealth is enough to buy a large courtyard house in the capital, right? Could it be... that's the money he later gave to Widow Bai to squander?"

Chen Lanxiang didn't notice her son's unusual behavior. She carefully counted out ten silver dollars, wrapped them carefully in a handkerchief, and stuffed them under her pillow.

He was thinking to himself that he would have Zhu Zi deliver it to the doctor first thing tomorrow morning, so as not to owe the doctor a favor.

After stuffing the bundle back into the bottom of the box, pressing it down tightly, Chen Lanxiang sat back down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).

Looking at her sleeping daughter, she suddenly remembered something important, and her brows furrowed: "Honey, you said this afternoon that Dongtangzi Hutong is under martial law? How are we going to send the consultation fee?"

He Daqing was sharpening his knife in the outer room when he heard this, and paused for a moment: "Martial law? That's indeed troublesome. How about... I go?"

"Go to hell!"

Chen Lanxiang scolded him irritably.

"With your loud voice, you walk like thunder. If the soldiers question you, do you think you can explain yourself? Let's wait until things calm down before sending Zhu Zi."

She subconsciously turned her gaze to her son, who was chopping vegetables outside the window.

She didn't know when it started, but she felt that her son, who was only a teenager, had a reassuring power about him.

His composure when facing that shrew Jia Zhangshi yesterday, and his clear and logical words, made her feel that leaving this matter to her son was definitely the right thing to do.

While He Yuzhu was slicing potatoes, his ears were not idle; he heard his parents' conversation clearly.

He secretly pondered: sending this consultation fee over is no simple errand-running task.

The fact that Dongtangzi Hutong is under martial law indicates that something has happened there.

If you go over there now, you might get arrested as a suspicious person, which would be a real problem.

But he knew he had to send the money. He felt he had already sent it before, but in order to make his father believe him, he had to find a way to cover up the lie.

The doctor saved my sister's life; that's a life-saving debt we can't owe. But right now, it's more important to coax him.

"It seems we need to come up with a safer approach."

He Yuzhu thought to himself.

"We can't just walk in through the main gate; we have to find a side path to go around it."

"I can just take a walk outside and come back later."

As he was thinking, He Daqing suddenly spoke up: "Zhuzi, if you're going to deliver the money tomorrow, be careful on the road. It's not safe outside right now, so avoid soldiers if you see them."

"Understood, Dad," He Yuzhu replied.

Chen Lanxiang, who was in the inner room, heard this and added, "Zhuzi, if you really can't get in, come back first. Don't force yourself. We won't be in trouble for a day or two."

His mother and he exchanged a glance.

The meaning is self-evident.

"Don't worry, Mother," He Yuzhu smiled.

"I know what I'm doing."

But what he was really thinking was: what's the point?

At this point, what sense of propriety is there?

We can only play it by ear.

The atmosphere in the kitchen became somewhat subdued for a moment.

He Daqing continued with his work, glancing at his son every now and then, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't speak.

He Yuzhu knew that his father was worried about him.

So much has happened these past two days, and the atmosphere at home has changed.

In the past, Dad was always carefree and rarely showed this kind of worried expression.

"Father, don't worry," He Yuzhu suddenly said.

"I'll be fine."

He Daqing was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Good lad, with you saying that, I can rest assured."

"But I'll go about this in a couple of days."

"The atmosphere outside is too tense; don't rush into trouble in the next couple of days."

The air in the kitchen seemed a little lighter.

Inside the kitchen.

After peeling the potatoes, He Yuzhu washed the cabbage and cut it into pieces.

After finishing all this, he looked up and asked He Daqing, who was processing the pig's trotters, "Dad, should the potatoes be cut into chunks or shreds?"

"Slice it into strips. It'll be crispier when you stir-fry it, and it'll go better with rice," He Daqing said without turning his head.

"Okay."

He Yuzhu responded, picked up the kitchen knife, and nimbly rotated his wrist.

"Tap tap tap... tap tap tap..."

The rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables echoed from the kitchen, crisp and melodious, without any hesitation.

He Daqing glanced at his son, who was focused on chopping vegetables. Looking at the neatly arranged, evenly sized shredded potatoes on the cutting board, a smile crept onto his lips, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

"This kid's got some skills. Looks like he got his cooking from me."

He turned around, threw the cleaned and singed pig's trotters into the pot to blanch them, and skillfully prepared seasonings such as scallions, ginger, and star anise.

While busy with her work, she would glance at her son every now and then, feeling a warm glow inside.

He had noticed the changes in his son over the past two days. Although he felt it was a little strange, he was overjoyed.

The front yard, the Jia family's residence.

As night falls, the aroma of meals from each family wafts through the courtyard.

Inside the Jia family's house, however, there was a sense of oppression.

"You bastard! You coward!"

Jia Zhangshi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sewing shoe soles while cursing and spitting as she did so.

"Dongxu went to play with Zhuzi this afternoon, and that idiot Zhuzi actually dared to refuse! Isn't he just relying on his family's two stinking bucks? I think he did it on purpose!"

Jia Dongxu sat to the side, happily munching on a cornbread.

Hearing his mother scolding He Yuzhu, he chimed in, "That's right! That silly Zhu is so unfair, he didn't even invite me when there was good food. Mom, I want to eat meat..."

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever do is eat!"

Madam Jia glared at her son, then tenderly patted his head.

"Where would we get the money to buy meat? Your deadbeat father works himself to death all day long, and the little money he earns isn't even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth!"

She turned to look at Jia Laonian, who was huddled in the corner smoking his pipe, and felt a surge of anger.

"Old Jia! Say something! The He family next door is stewing pig's trotters today, and the aroma fills the whole yard. Aren't you tempted? Can't you just have the nerve to go to the He family and ask your son for a bowl? Look how thin Dongxu is, his face is all skin and bones!"

Jia Laonian took a deep drag on his pipe, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and spoke in a hoarse and muffled voice.

"No way. I'm not that shameless. Why should I give you other people's food?"

"How could I have married such a good-for-nothing!" Madam Jia slapped her thigh in anger.

"The He family eats meat every day, but look at what we mother and daughter eat? Boiled cabbage in plain water, and those lousy potatoes, not even a drop of oil! We can't live like this anymore!"

"You deserve it."

Jia Laonian coldly uttered three words.

These two words were like a needle, piercing deeply into Jia Zhangshi's heart.

She instantly exploded: "Jia Laonian! What did you say? You heartless bastard, do you not want to live together anymore? If you don't, I'll take Dongxu back to my parents' house!"

Old Jia fell silent.

He looked at the shrew in front of him, his heart filled with despair.

He was a spirited young man back then, how did he end up marrying such a jinx?

Since she married into the family, his parents hadn't had many good days before passing away one after the other. He suspected they were abused to death by this woman, but he had no proof. Should he divorce her?

Her brothers on her mother's side were all burly and strong; they could tear him apart.

That woman is a bottomless pit that can never be filled.

The year she was pregnant with her son, she said she needed to nourish her body, but after a month of confinement, she gained a lot of weight, while her son cried from hunger.

Now, he's completely numb to this family. He's just a farm ox for the Jia family, doing the hardest work and eating the worst food, waiting to die from exhaustion.

Their only hope was that their son, Jia Dongxu, would live up to their expectations.

But look at him now, his son has been taught by this woman to be lazy and good-for-nothing, always trying to take advantage of everyone, just like a little hooligan.

"well……"

Jia Laonian sighed heavily in his heart, his eyes becoming even more clouded in the swirling smoke.

The He family's backyard.

The kitchen was steaming hot.

He Daqing's stewed pig's trotter soup is ready, and a rich aroma of meat wafts through the air.

"Zhu Zi, take a bowl to the old lady in the backyard." He Daqing ladled out a large bowl of pig's trotter soup and handed it to his son.

"Okay." He Yuzhu took the soup bowl and carefully walked towards the backyard.

The old lady took the soup, beaming from ear to ear, and kept praising He Daqing for his filial piety.

When He Yuzhu returned, He Daqing had already prepared two bowls of soup. The father and son sat on small stools and each drank a small bowl.

"You should have some too." He Daqing handed the bowl to Chen Lanxiang in the inner room.

"You guys drink, I'm not hungry," Chen Lanxiang declined.

"Just drink it!" He Daqing said sternly. "You're in your postpartum period now, you need to nourish yourself, otherwise how will you produce enough breast milk to feed the baby?"

He Yuzhu chimed in, "Mom, Dad's right, you should drink it. This pig's trotter is stewed until it's very tender."

Chen Lanxiang couldn't refuse the father and son, so she had no choice but to take the bowl.

She looked at the pig's trotters in the bowl, then at the two men, her eyes slightly red.

She didn't eat the meat in large chunks; she only drank a big bowl of soup, gnawed on a pig's trotter, and left the rest.

After finishing his meal, He Yuzhu quickly washed the dishes, glanced into the inner room, and saw his parents playing with his younger sister. He then said, "Dad, Mom, I'm going back to my room to sleep. I've been running around all day, I'm a little tired."

"Go on, go on," He Daqing waved his hand, then added, "Remember to add some coal to the stove when you go inside. Your room doesn't have a kang (heated brick bed), so don't get cold in the middle of the night."

"Understood," He Yuzhu replied.

Chen Lanxiang looked at her son's slightly tired back and opened her mouth, wanting to ask him why he didn't play with Jia Dongxu today, but instead hung out with that good-for-nothing Xu Damao.

But seeing her son's listless appearance, she ultimately didn't ask.

He Yuzhu returned to his simple little house, closed the door, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He didn't go to sleep immediately. Instead, he dragged a broken wooden box out from under the bed, opened the lid, and revealed several heavy military overcoats.

"We need to find a way to get rid of them quickly." He Yuzhu looked at the coats, his eyes becoming deep.

"This is a big problem..."