Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 10: Anonymous
The front yard of the Siheyuan on New Year's Eve in 1952
Yan Bugui was arranging his own pots of flowers, while his wife was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. They had agreed to wait for Old Man Li to come back.

The neighbors in the front yard were also working and chatting with each other.

Zhou Nianping sat on a small stool in front of his house, looking towards the door, and it was obvious that he was looking forward to Yan Jiefang's candied haws.

After a while, there was movement at the door. Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang were holding things in their hands and carrying things behind their backs.

Old man Li parked his car and moved the vegetables he bought to his home.

At the end, Yan Jiekuang, holding a candied haws in each hand, ran towards Zhou's house as soon as he entered the gate and stuffed the candied haws in his hand into Zhou Nianping's hand.

"My second brother gave it to you." Before he finished speaking, he ran home.

After the things were sent home, Yan Bugui and his wife were stunned after seeing them, and looked at Yan Jiecheng with a little anger.

"You spent all the money. It's more than 50,000. Did you spend your master's money?" Yan Bugui asked.

Yan Jiecheng was puzzled, but not scared. "No, there are still 80,000 left. Here they are."

"We also bought shoes for Mom and Dad," Yan Jiefang said proudly.

Yan Jiekuang was tired, so he gave the remaining candied haws to his second brother and went back to the house to lie down. After all, he was still very young.

Yan Bugui and his wife were confused. What did it mean? I gave you 50,000 yuan, bought you a bunch of things, and you still have 80,000 yuan left. Are you kidding me?

At this time, Old Man Li came in through the curtain and said, "He is telling the truth."

Then, Old Man Li told the couple everything that happened at the market, and the couple were stunned.

Old man Li said solemnly: "This little guy is different from others, with a very high IQ. Don't tell anyone about this. Be careful that someone is targeting your mistress. It's okay for a good person, but what if..." Old man Li stopped there. Old man Li knew that the mistress was a dragon and he couldn't teach her. When he grows up, he should meet someone who can teach him. Now everyone has to protect the mistress.

The couple sat down on the chairs, stunned for a while, their hearts filled with shock and regret. If they had known earlier, they would not have let Xiao San go out. Everyone was deceived by his cute face.

I have to keep an eye on the mistress from now on, Yang Ruiping secretly made up his mind not to let the mistress leave his sight.

In the evening, the Yan family’s New Year’s Eve dinner began and Yan Jiekuang woke up.

Everyone sat down, Yan Bugui said a few auspicious words and made an opening speech, and then everyone started eating.

But Yan Jiekuang found that, except for his second brother, everyone looked at him consciously or unconsciously, as if they wanted to get to know him again. He thought, it was probably because of the salesman.

There is almost no entertainment in this era. The old generation of rhymes, all about ghosts and gods, are now banned. Suddenly, a big red date appeared and it became popular instantly.

Everyone was eating and drinking happily. The only thing was that when it was almost midnight, Old Man Li toasted North Korea with a glass of wine, and the three brothers of the Yan family bowed.

The main house in the middle courtyard of the Siheyuan (I am here again, I am the dividing line)

A large round table was full of people.

The main seat is the deaf old lady, on the left is He Daqing, on the right is Yi Zhonghai, next to He Daqing is Sha Zhu, then He Yushui, Qin Huairu, Jia Dongxu. Next to Yi Zhonghai is an old lady, and then Jia Zhangshi.

The table was full of dishes, all cooked by He Daqing. The deaf old lady said auspicious words, everyone toasted each other, and the New Year's Eve dinner began, and they also talked about family matters during the meal.

Yi Zhonghai has been classified as a senior fitter, level six fitter.

Yi Zhonghai praised Jia Dongxu, saying that Jia Dongxu is talented. How old is Jia Dongxu, but he is already a second-level fitter.

Auntie and Lady Jia were discussing Qin Huairu's pregnancy.

The deaf old lady was whispering something in Yi Zhonghai's ear, but no one could hear it.

Sha Zhu said nothing and asked his sister to eat.

When the banquet was almost over, a thunderclap came, "I have joined the army and will leave tomorrow."

The whole table fell silent. He Daqing burst into tears and He Yushui panicked.

The deaf old lady closed her eyes and started crying. The rest of the people were all in shock and couldn't recover.

Everyone knows that since Shazhu said this, no one can change it.

He Yushui lay in her brother's arms, crying loudly.

Qin Huairu cried, Grandmother Jia cried, Auntie Yi cried, and Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu kept drinking with their heads down.

"Don't worry, we are invincible." He Yuzhu lowered his head and comforted his sister.

The deaf old lady gave Yi Zhonghai a look, and Yi Zhonghai made some arrangements and asked everyone to go back and give the space to the father and son. The two of them were sitting at the round table, and He Yushui refused to leave, so she hugged her brother and no one could stop her.

"Why so sudden? No."

The words "No" were firm and decisive.

"Dad, I'm leaving. What are your plans? Tell the truth?" Sha Zhu stared at He Daqing.

"What truth?" He Daqing answered guiltily.

Sha Zhu sighed, took out a cigarette, handed it to He Daqing, and lit another one for himself.

"I used to be muddle-headed, bad-tempered, and too one-sided. But after this period of study, I also realized my shortcomings and mistakes, and I worked hard to correct them."

Sha Zhu paused, lit a cigarette for himself, and then continued, "You are my father. I don't blame you no matter what you do. It is your right to marry whomever you want. I have also expressed my thoughts to the organization. So, father, just live a good life. You can remarry if you want. I have no objection."

Sha Zhu looked at his sister tenderly, lowered his head and said, "But there is one thing, I only have one sister, she can't have any grievances, you have to promise me that you can't ignore her before she reaches adulthood."

He Yushui hugged her brother's arm and cried even harder.

He Daqing burst into tears and drank half a bottle of wine in one breath. He felt uncomfortable with his son's words. Maybe his son has really grown up and made up his mind to go to the battlefield.

But I only have this one son. People say that if a father is a hero, his son will be a hero too. Now, my son wants to be a hero, so I am not here to just sit there and do nothing.

He Daqing was silent for a long time, took out two cups, poured two glasses of wine, and said solemnly: "Son, don't worry, I promise you, first, I will stay here until you come back, and I won't look for anyone, and take good care of the rain; second, you have to write to your family to report that you are safe, and don't ignore it. We are your strong backing, we are a family."

As he spoke, He Daqing clinked his cup with his son, then drank it all in one gulp, and then burst into tears again.

"It's not that serious. I'm 18 years old this year. Political Commissar Wang said that I'm an adult and a man of integrity." Sha Zhu drank the wine and said cheerfully while he comforted his sister and wiped her tears.

"She's grown into a little kitten now, but is she still my most beautiful sister?" Sha Zhu teased his sister.

"Let your sister go to school and study hard so that she can grow up." Sha Zhu reminded He Daqing again.

Just after midnight, He Yuzhu, dressed in military uniform and wearing a belt, kowtowed to He Daqing in the house, turned around, and walked away silently with his backpack on his back.

The compound was silent, but many eyes in the middle courtyard were looking at that determined figure, and many eyes were shedding tears.

He Yushui was tired of crying, so He Daqing carried her back to the ear room. He Daqing closed the door of the middle room and burst into tears.

He Daqing guessed from the beginning that after his silly son changed and came into contact with the army again, he would take another path.

But going directly to the front line was something I guessed only after hearing about the battle situation at the front during the Chinese New Year this year.

But unexpectedly, what Yi Zhonghai said came true.

　Send Shazhu to the battlefield.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)