Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1 New Guests Arrive
Nanluoguxiang in March 1951

Front yard of No. 95 Courtyard

A new family moved into Yard No. 95. The couple brought their two children. The older one was a little shy, while the younger one was chubby. The couple each led a child.

Two porters followed behind, but they parked the luggage cart at the door and did not come in. Instead, they passed a cigarette to each other and squatted at the door to smoke.

The couple, both carrying bags, walked into the gate and looked to the left. The house assigned to them by the Military Control Commission was in the west wing of the front yard, one wing and one ear. The man put the bag on the ground, pushed his glasses, walked to the door, took out the key and opened it. His wife followed closely behind, and the two of them walked into the house.

The two children were not afraid of strangers and looked around.

The male comrade quickly called out to the older one, "Jiecheng, your mother is pregnant and can't do heavy work, please help your father move things."

So one adult and two children started to move things home. There were a lot of things, and they were very miscellaneous. From large boxes, tables, and chairs to small things like spittoons and wire boxes. The two porters beside them did not move or help, they just watched.

At this time, a man in military uniform, in his fifties, who looked like a boy of three or four years old, walked out from the gatehouse on the right side of the gate, dragging a chair into the courtyard. His father was scolding him from behind, "Be careful, don't break it." He couldn't bear to see it, so he went up to help, and turned around to stare at the porter.

The porter saw the man in military uniform staring at him, and realized that he needed an explanation, so he quickly stood up and ran over, handing him a cigarette as soon as possible.

"Comrade, don't get me wrong, it's not that we don't want to help him, it's just that he has gone too far."

The man who was moving was unhappy when he heard this, "How did I go too far? You don't allow me to bargain?"

"You are not asking too much. You found us brothers early in the morning. We brothers see that it is not easy for you, with a family to support, so we want 50,000 yuan from you without you having to do anything. How about that?"

Then he walked up to the comrade in uniform and said, "Comrade, please judge for yourself. He suddenly asked me that he had a lot of stuff this morning, so he parked the car at the door. He loaded it himself and asked us how much it would cost. I didn't think much about it, but I reduced the price by 20,000 yuan because of his pregnant wife. He loaded the car himself, and we pulled it to the door. Now he is almost at the door, and he told me that it would cost 20,000 yuan to load the car, and it would also cost 20,000 yuan to unload it. I said yes casually, and he suddenly said that he would unload the car himself. In total, we only make 10,000 yuan a day working inside and outside."

When the comrades in military uniform heard this, they couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hello, comrade, I am your neighbor. You can call me Lao Li. I live in the gatehouse. Come, let me give you a hand." As he said that, Lao Li also began to help the male comrade carry things.

"Hello, my name is Yan Bugui, I live in the west wing. These are my two boys. The older one is nine years old, named Yan Jiecheng, and the younger one is three years old, named Yan Jiefang. Thank you."

Lao Li also tried to speak up for the porter, "You have too much stuff, let the porter help, hurry up, you should also add some, we are all revolutionary comrades."

Yan Bugui pushed his glasses and said, "No, we have agreed on a price, how can we go back on our word? Besides, he was the one who said the price."

Both Old Li and the porter saw that this was a man who would rather sacrifice his life than his money. The two porters looked at each other and went to help.

"Well, we are unlucky to meet you. We have been busy all day driving from West City to East City. I will help you as much as possible. We are also in a hurry to get a car."

Four adults and two children moved the things neatly in a short while, and the porters finally left with 10,000 yuan. Old Li saw this and shook his head.

There are not many residents in the courtyard now. Uncle Li lives in the gatehouse on the right side of the gate. Uncle Li is over 50 years old. He came back from the battlefield and was seriously injured, so he had to retire. The organization took care of him and arranged him to guard the gate of the Military Commission in Nanluoguxiang. The Military Commission also allocated him a house and settled him. Just after liberation, Uncle Li was placed in Nanluoguxiang to deter evildoers.

Yan Bugui came again to express his gratitude and to check on the situation in the courtyard. Lao Li didn't say anything to him, but said that he had only been here for a few days, but he knew that there was a family named Yi who was an old resident in the middle courtyard and was very friendly, so he could ask them.

Old Li also knew that Yan Bugui was transferred to Hongxing Primary School as a teacher, so he settled here. His wife was more than nine months pregnant, and he had no choice. The house in Xicheng was taken back, and he didn't give any compensation. Anyway, the implication was that his family was very poor.

Old Li was a veteran of the battlefield, and he didn't understand the twists and turns of the people in Old Sijiu City. But just because of the porter incident, Old Li disliked Yan Bugui, and soon they couldn't continue the conversation, and Yan Bugui left in a huff.

In the evening, people who went to work and school came back one after another. Yan Bugui stood at the door, warmly greeting everyone who came in, and introduced himself tirelessly. Not to mention, the effect was amazing. Yi Zhonghai of the Intermediate Court saw that his family had just arrived, and warmly invited them to have dinner.

Yan Bugui didn't say anything polite, he turned around and went to greet his family. After a while, the family went straight to the middle courtyard.

The west wing of the central courtyard of the Siheyuan (I am the dividing line, I sometimes appear and sometimes disappear)

Yi Zhonghai was also a generous person. He prepared four dishes and a soup, "chicken stewed with mushrooms, cabbage and tofu, fried potato slices with meat, tomato and egg, pickled mustard and shredded pork soup", and a large bowl of steamed buns made of 200 grams of flour. He also asked his apprentice Jia Dongxu to buy two kilograms of white wine.

Everyone was asked to take a seat, including Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai's wife Li Cuilan, Jia Dongxu, the deaf old lady, Yan Bugui, Yan Bugui's wife Yang Ruihua, Yan Jiecheng, and Yan Jiefang.

Yi Zhonghai first introduced the deaf old lady, who lived in the backyard, and was 61 years old this year. She was the earliest resident of the compound and was highly respected. Then he announced that dinner was ready.

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang had rarely seen meat since they were born, but seeing their parents were there, they did not dare to touch it. In the end, it was Yi Zhonghai's wife who picked up some food for the two children, and the two children lowered their heads and ate voraciously.

Yan Bugui felt a little embarrassed and quickly toasted Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu, and the banquet suddenly became lively.

After dinner, Yang Ruihua wanted to help clean up, but Li Cuilan didn't let him. It's been more than nine months, so it's better to be careful.

Yan Bugui's family of four left happily. Yi Zhonghai helped the deaf old lady to the backyard. Seeing Yi Zhonghai's inquiring eyes, she chuckled and said, "She is a person who knows the rules, but a little stingy." Yi Zhonghai understood after hearing this. This was a person who was easy to talk to, so he went home without saying anything.

West Wing of the Front Courtyard of Siheyuan
Yan Bugui drank too much and fell on the bed when he got home. Yang Ruihua ignored him and asked the two brothers to go to the side room to pack their bedding.

There was only one bed in the side room. The two brothers took off their shoes and got on the bed. Yang Ruihua turned around and tripped over a small stool. She fell to the ground. Yang Ruihua realized that something was wrong. She was about to give birth. She shouted to the two brothers who were already stunned, "Go call your dad."

Yan Jiecheng jumped off the bed barefoot and ran out. Yan Jiefang also wanted to get out of bed, but Yang Ruihua wouldn't let him and told him to stay put and not cause trouble.

After a while, Yan Jiecheng ran back and said, "No matter what I did to my dad, he didn't wake up." Yang Ruihua thought it was bad, because Yan Bugui was drunk at this critical moment.

"Go to the hospital to see if anyone is there, and tell them I'm about to give birth, hurry up," Yan Jiecheng ran out. Soon, Lao Li came, borrowed a cart, and took Yan Jiecheng with him, and the two of them worked together to send Yang Ruihua to the hospital.

Yan Jiecheng didn't even run to the backyard, but went directly to find Uncle Li, because Uncle Li was wearing a military uniform. After Uncle Li handed Yang Ruihua over to the doctor, he also paid for the treatment, which was 50,000 yuan in advance, and he would refund the extra money when the bed was vacated and make up the difference.

Old Li asked Yan Jiecheng to accompany Yang Ruihua, and he returned to the courtyard alone and walked into the west wing. He had to wake up Yan Bugui, because his wife was giving birth, and who would be responsible if something happened? Old Li tried every possible method, and finally got a basin of cold water and pressed his face directly into it.

Yan Bugui woke up, but was still confused, and looked at Lao Li angrily. Lao Li said directly, "Your wife fell and was sent to the hospital." Yan Bugui woke up a little bit at once, got up quickly, and walked out.

Old Li grabbed him and said, "Your wife is in Room 202 of Dongcheng Hospital. Prepare your things before going. It's okay now. Hurry up." Yan Bugui finally woke up and quickly packed his things, towels, thermos, teacup, and his wife's spare clothes. After packing, he ran straight to Dongcheng Hospital.

Old Li shook his head and was about to go back to the house. No, where was the youngest child in his family? Old Li came to the small wing room and saw Yan Jiefang crying on the bed. When he saw Uncle Li coming, he threw himself into Uncle Li's arms and cried even louder. He quickly lowered his head to coax the child and told him that his mother was fine and that you were going to have a little brother or sister.

After a while, Yan Jiefang fell asleep. Lao Li covered him with a blanket, closed the door, and then went home.

　A different courtyard house, a chronicle of family affairs.

　　Yan Jiekuang's life path is different from others. He walks in the city, in the countryside, and on the road of the times. There are various distinctive characters in the Siheyuan throughout the story. Some are right and some are wrong, some are bitter and some are sweet. Life and various things change them. The biggest change is the Yan family. They struggle on the road of always wanting to leave the Siheyuan, and finally they return to their original state.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)