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

He Yuzhu withdrew his fist and stretched his wrist.

He didn't actually use his full strength in that punch just now.

Jia Dongxu's arms and legs were so thin they were like sticks. He was really afraid that he might not be able to control his strength and hurt the kid.

Given Jia Zhangshi's shrewish nature, if her son were injured, wouldn't she cause chaos and disorder throughout the entire courtyard?

When the police come knocking again, he won't have a peaceful life anymore.

This morning, the deaf old lady was watching from the side. Since Jia Zhangshi was in the wrong, she didn't dare to make a big scene.

This time it's different. The old lady has gone back to her room. If things really get out of hand, Jia Zhangshi might stay at his house and refuse to leave.

Jia Dongxu sat on the snow, wincing in pain, tears welling in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.

He rubbed his swollen hand while glaring fiercely at He Yuzhu, his eyes filled with anger and incomprehension.

"He Yuzhu, are you really not going to play with me anymore?"

He gritted his teeth, his voice trembling slightly from pain and excitement.

"You're going to play with that little dwarf Xu Damao?"

His tone carried a hint of resentment, and a touch of grievance at being abandoned.

In his view, He Yuzhu should be his follower, his little brother, how could he turn around and protect someone else?

"If you learn your lesson and stop bullying others..."

He Yuzhu looked down at him calmly.

"It's not impossible."

But inwardly, he sneered.

With your mother spoiling you so much, what good can you, a mama's boy, possibly learn?

There are fewer people in the courtyard now, so Jia Zhangshi hasn't fully displayed her petty thieving skills yet, and you won't be able to learn those underhanded tricks.

Once things settle down outside, your mother's greedy and selfish nature will be exposed, and who knows what you'll become.

"snort!"

Jia Dongxu got up from the snow, brushed the snow off himself, snorted coldly, and turned to walk home.

He doesn't think there's anything wrong with him.

In his worldview, he was the king of the kids in the yard. If He Yuzhu didn't play with him, it was He Yuzhu's fault, He Yuzhu's betrayal.

"Bang!"

He slammed the heavy wooden door shut, causing the snow on the doorframe to fall in a flurry, as if venting his dissatisfaction.

Xu Damao peeked out from behind He Yuzhu, watching Jia Dongxu's fleeing figure, and an excited expression appeared on his face.

He ran quickly to He Yuzhu's side, looking at him with admiration, his eyes sparkling.

"Brother Zhu, you're amazing!" Xu Damao gave him a thumbs up.

"That punch was so cool! Jia Dongxu is no match for you! Brother Zhu, can you teach me? I want to be as good as you!"

"you?"

He Yuzhu looked him up and down, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"With your small frame, can you really endure hardship?"

Xu Damao shuddered under his gaze and instinctively shrank back.

He remembered hearing adults say that practicing martial arts involved stances and splits, and that it must have been very painful.

"or……"

He tentatively took a step back.

"Should I give up learning? Actually, I think things are fine as they are now."

"It's too late."

He Yuzhu suddenly stepped forward, grabbed his neck, and tucked his head into the crook of his arm.

Caught off guard, Xu Damao was strangled and coughed violently, twisting and turning desperately in He Yuzhu's armpit like a caught fish, kicking its arms and legs wildly.

"Brother Zhu, let go! You're strangling me!"

"Can you pretend I didn't say anything?"

Xu Damao struggled and begged for mercy.

"no."

He Yuzhu's grip remained firm.

"Really not going to work?"

What do you think?

He Yuzhu lowered his head and blew a breath into his ear.

"All right……"

Xu Damao resignedly lowered his hands and stopped struggling.

"Can I start school a few days later? I just got beaten up today, and I still have bruises."

He Yuzhu then released him and pinched his arms and legs.

"Um……"

After He Yuzhu finished kneading, he frowned and shook his head.

"It really will take a while. Your arms and legs are as thin as chicks, there's not an ounce of flesh on them. If I let you train now, I'm afraid you'll ruin yourself."

"real?"

Xu Damao's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had heard some incredibly good news.

"That's great! I can rest assured now!"

"Hehe, okay?"

He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder, smiling like an old fox.

"When your dad gets back, I'll have him talk to him. He can make you a diet plan so you can get stronger first."

"No, let's not..."

Xu Damao, with a bitter face, tried to make a final struggle.

"Then wouldn't I have to become your disciple? You're only two years older than me, the generational hierarchy is too messed up."

"Haven't you ever heard of a master taking on an apprentice on behalf of another?"

He Yuzhu raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, if you want to become my apprentice directly, I don't mind."

"No! Absolutely not!"

Xu Damao shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

"I don't want to be a generation below you! Would I have to call your newborn little one 'Master Aunt'? That's too unfair!"

"Hahaha!"

He Yuzhu was amused by him; this kid's thought process was truly unique.

"You little brat, is your brain all in this? Learn some skills, isn't that something to be ashamed of?"

"No, no!"

Xu Damao used his hands to measure the height difference between himself and He Yushui.

"She's so much younger than me! If I call her 'Master Aunt,' what do I become?"

"Alright."

He Yuzhu shrugged indifferently.

"We'll talk about it later. We'll discuss it again when you've thought it through, or when your father comes back."

"That……"

Xu Damao rubbed his hands together, his eyes beginning to light up with anticipation again.

"Brother Zhu, since we're not learning martial arts today, shall we continue building a snowman, or play with slingshots? I want to test the power of that slingshot."

"Do you have marbles?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Yes! I'll go home and get it!"

Xu Damao turned around and ran home, faster than a rabbit.

A short while later, he returned with a long face.

"Brother Zhu..."

Xu Damao stood in front of He Yuzhu, his hands empty.

"My mother locked the door, so I can't get in. The marbles are still under my pillow."

He Yuzhu stroked his chin, lost in thought.

He was wondering – how feasible would it be to take Xu Damao out on a trip?

There's really nothing fun to do in this yard. We built a snowman yesterday, so building one today wouldn't be interesting.

Despite his timid nature, Xu Damao is incredibly cunning; even the ten-year-old kids in the neighborhood can't match him.

Taking him out might be of some help.

But the question now is: is this kid's mouth shut?

If he's like the characters in TV dramas, someone with loose-fitting waistbands and a loose tongue, wouldn't taking him out be asking for trouble?

If the secret of my space were to be revealed, I would be in big trouble.

"Let's go to the front yard first," He Yuzhu said after thinking for a moment.

"Why go to the front yard?" Xu Damao scratched his head in confusion.

Are you coming or not?

He Yuzhu didn't explain and walked straight to the front yard.

"Come on! Wait for my brother Zhu!" Xu Damao quickly followed.

The front yard is now empty and deserted.

The snow on the ground was so thick that when you stepped on it, it went right up to your ankles, making a "crunch crunch" sound.

Xu Damao became excited as soon as he entered the front yard.

"Wow, Brother Zhu, the snow here is so thick! Are we here to build a snowman? This time I'm going to build a big one!"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "Didn't we already pile them up yesterday? Do you want to eat a sugar figurine?"

"Sugar Man?"

Xu Damao's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost drooled.

"Where can I find a candy figurine? I haven't had any candy for days."

He Yuzhu pointed in the direction of the hanging flower gate—that was the road leading outside.

"you……"

Xu Damao instantly understood his meaning, and was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

"You want to go out? No, no! Absolutely not! My mother repeatedly told me before she left not to leave the yard! And my aunt also said it's chaotic outside!"

"Alright."

He Yuzhu decisively gave up the idea of ​​taking him out.

This kid is quite wary; it seems he really doesn't dare.

That's fine, saves us from having a burden.

"Let's build a snowman then. One for each of us, and see who builds the best one."

"Great! Great!" Xu Damao immediately forgot his fear and excitedly started rolling the snowball.

Everyone was building their own, which slowed down the progress considerably.

Xu Damao had just finished building the snowman's body, and hadn't even had time to put on its head, when He Daqing returned.

"You two," He Daqing stood under the hanging flower gate, wearing a faded cotton overcoat, a hint of weariness on his face, "how long have you been playing?"

"It started after we finished eating." He Yuzhu brushed the snow off his hands and looked up at his father.

"Alright, stop playing and let's go home." He Daqing frowned, looking at the two children's faces and hands, which were red from the cold. "Look at you two, your hands are as red as carrots. Be careful you don't get frostbite."

"Okay, Father."

"Okay, Uncle He..."

Xu Damao glanced reluctantly at the snowman he hadn't finished building, his eyes looking at it like he was looking at an unfinished candy.

"Okay, let's go."

He Daqing waved to the two children.

After he came over, he picked up the two little heads with one hand and carried them towards the central courtyard like he was carrying chicks.

They entered the He family's residence.

Hearing the noise, Chen Lanxiang asked from the inner room, "Da Qing, you're back?"

"They're back. I called the two boys back too, so they don't get cold outside."

"Yeah, it's time to come back, it's so cold outside."

"Alright, you two rascals," He Daqing pointed to the kitchen, "go warm yourself by the fire. Look at your faces and hands, they're all frozen."

"hey-hey."

He Yuzhu and Xu Damao laughed as they went into the kitchen, gathered around the stove, and held their hands over the flames to warm them.

After the chill dissipated a bit, He Daqing and the others stamped the snow off their feet before entering the inner room.

He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at Chen Lanxiang, his tone tinged with urgency.

"Honey, has your milk come in yet? Our daughter must be starving!"

Chen Lanxiang shook her head with a wry smile, her eyes full of heartache: "Not yet. She's drunk a lot of soup these past two days, but there's still no sign of pregnancy. My daughter has been drinking only rice porridge these past two days, and she's been crying from hunger."

"Sigh..." He Daqing sighed heavily, picked up He Yushui, whose eyes were closed, her little face was scrunched up, and her little hands were flailing around, "Our daughter... is going to suffer."

Looking at his daughter's thin and frail appearance, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

"Don't rush."

Chen Lanxiang comforted her.

"Breast milk doesn't just appear on demand. I've heard from older people that it sometimes takes three or four days. Maybe it will come in a couple of days."

"That's true." He Daqing carefully placed his daughter back on the kang (a heated brick bed) and covered her with a quilt.

"But I didn't get anything today. Yesterday was such a commotion, the black market in the city was closed, and all the vendors went into hiding. I went to several places, but I couldn't buy a ewe."

"Is it that serious?" Chen Lanxiang asked in surprise.

"That's for sure." He Daqing lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"Yesterday I didn't go to the city, but to a market outside the city. I heard that the city is under martial law, with police and military police everywhere. I don't know which ruthless people, but they said they killed about ten scoundrels and even raided their armory."

"Huh?" Chen Lanxiang covered her mouth in shock. "Such a big deal? You weren't arrested, were you?"

"I don't know. But it seems last night... the Bald Army's men were wiped out, and I heard quite a few died. They're probably scapegoats."

"Are you alright at work today?" Chen Lanxiang asked her husband worriedly. "How about we take a few more days off? It's too chaotic outside."

No, no.

He Daqing shook his head.

"We've already asked for leave for so many days. If we ask again, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep this job. It's so hard to find work these days."

He is now a mainstay of Fengzeyuan Restaurant. Although he doesn't own any shares, many customers come specifically for his cooking skills.

The boss gives him a share of the profits each month based on the turnover, which is the main source of income for the family.

"Is everything really alright outside?"

"It seems like the curfew has been lifted, and there haven't been many checks. I guess they arrested someone last night. A few shops on the street are open again."

"What a tragedy..." Chen Lanxiang murmured, "When will this war ever end?"

In the kitchen, He Yuzhu heard the conversation in the inner room very clearly.

The Bald Party members were wiped out.

What about the Rabbit Party?

Should we go check out a place tonight?

Let's see if we can get some supplies back.

As he pondered these thoughts, his gaze deepened.

"Brother Pillar!"

Xu Damao suddenly shook his arm.

"What are you staring at? The fire's almost burning your hand! I've been calling you for ages!"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." He Yuzhu snapped out of her daze, withdrawing her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Can I have dinner at your house tonight?"

Xu Damao stared at him expectantly.

"My mother might not be home tonight, and I don't want to eat cold food alone at home."

"You little glutton," He Yuzhu laughed. "Ask my dad later. If he says it's okay, then it's okay."

"Oh..." Xu Damao shrank his neck, a look of fear on his face.

"Brother Zhu, could you ask him for me? I'm afraid to talk to Grandpa He, he looks really fierce."

"All right."

Looking at Xu Damao's eager yet slightly frightened eyes, He Yuzhu nodded helplessly.

"Brother Zhu is so great! You're truly my brother!"

Xu Damao was so excited he almost jumped up.

He Yuzhu rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless, after receiving this "good guy card".

This kid has such a sweet tongue.

He thought to himself: This kid's skill at charming girls...

Could this be how they trained?

Will he end up being a womanizer?