Siheyuan: He Yuzhu since 1958

After hearing what Cai Lai Di said, He Daqing immediately showed a look of relief on his face. He Daqing asked, "Laidi, when are we going to get the certificate?!"

Cai Lai Di stared at He Daqing for a while and asked, "Have you thought it through?!"

He Daqing hesitated for a while, then nodded and said, "I've thought about it!"

Cai Laidi looked at He Yuzhu and He Yushui who were following behind He Daqing and asked, "Who are they?!"

He Daqing replied, "They are my son and daughter. Don't worry! After we get married, they won't live with us. They live in Sijiucheng." He Daqing then introduced them, "Zhu Zi, Yu Shui, this is your Aunt Cai!"

"Aunt Cai!" He Yuzhu called out, "We are here to see Dad today. Don't worry, my dad is willing to be a live-in son-in-law. As long as you are happy, we have no objection. When you are old and have no one to take care of you, you can come to Sijiucheng."

After hearing what He Yuzhu said, Cai Lai Di's face instantly turned red and she asked, "Da Qing, have you told the children about our affairs?!"

He Daqing said, "What's there to say? As long as we are willing, it's fine."

"You! I really don't know what to say to you! You and your son should sit for a while." Then Cai Lai Di looked at He Yu Shui and said, "Girl, let's go inside and talk."

He Yushui looked at He Daqing, then at He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu gave He Yushui a reassuring look. He Yushui followed Cai Laidi into the house. Not long after, the laughter of He Yushui and Cai Laidi was heard from the house. He Yuzhu felt relieved when he heard the laughter. He took out his cigarette box, took out two cigarettes, and handed one to He Daqing. He Daqing took the cigarette, looked at it, and said, "Your cigarettes are good, aren't they?!" He Daqing looked at the cigarette box in He Yuzhu's hand.

He Yuzhu smiled, took out a pack of unopened cigarettes from his pocket and put it into He Daqing's hand, saying, "I'm also helping the leader cook, and the leader gave it to me."

He Daqing said, "I tasted the food you cooked at noon. Boy, I have to say that you are talented in cooking, better than me, your father."

He Yuzhu said: "There is no one here now, please tell me about this person's situation!"

He Daqing said, "Your Aunt Cai is also a miserable person. She has two daughters, both younger than Yu Shui. Her ex-husband died on the battlefield. Her husband's family disliked her for giving birth to girls, so they sent her and her children back to her parents' home. She is also a hard-working person. With the help of her brother, she lived a pretty good life. Later, her parents fell ill one after another. They spent a lot of their savings on medical treatment, and their life was not as good as before."

He Yuzhu then asked: "How did you know Aunt Cai?!"

He Daqing replied, "Where else can it be?! In the hospital, of course. Forget it! Let's not talk about the past." Then he changed the subject and continued, "By the way! Zhuzi, you should not only be careful of Yi Zhonghai, but also beware of the old woman in the backyard. This old woman is not as simple as she seems."

He Yuzhu said, "Dad, don't worry! I know what's going on."

He Daqing said, "Originally, this courtyard, together with the yard next door and several shops in front of it, all belonged to the old lady. We bought our house from her. The old lady had four sons. The eldest and the second died at Lugou Bridge. The third died in the devil's capital when fighting the Japanese. The fourth son didn't seem to be dead. I saw him once before liberation. I heard that he followed others to the south during the liberation. I guess he is now on an island across the sea."

He Yuzhu asked: "Dad, what's going on with Yi Zhonghai?!"

He Daqing said: "I don't know exactly where Yi Zhonghai came from. But I always feel that he has a special relationship with the old lady in the backyard. He might be a relative of the old lady or a son of the old lady's husband's family. Anyway, when I was learning the art, I was assigned by my master to deliver food, and I saw him in the Eight Great Hutongs quite a lot."

He Yuzhu asked: "Yi Zhonghai still has no children, could it be that Yi Zhonghai is infertile?!"

He Daqing said, "Zhu Zi, this is not your business." Then he asked, "Tell me now, how are you going to ask him for money?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "This is not your business! Anyway, I will arrange it and I won't suffer any loss!"

He Daqing nodded and said, "It's good that you know what's going on! I won't say much. Yushui is on holiday, I'll go back to Sijiu City to see you guys when I have time. Yushui is on holiday, you can also ask her to come over."

He Yuzhu said, "Don't tell me about this. Talk to Yushui yourself."

He Yuzhu and He Daqing were sitting at the door chatting. But the Bai widow's house was in complete chaos. Bai Dafeng returned home and saw his mother sitting in a chair in a daze. Bai Dafeng comforted his mother and asked about work.

The White Widow came to her senses and replied, "Nothing is left!"

When Bai Dafeng heard that he had lost his job, he quit immediately and was about to yell at Bai Guafu. Bai Guafu's youngest son, Bai Dalei, came in. Although Bai Dalei was young, he was completely different from Bai Dafeng. He was a man who believed that whoever had money was his father and whoever had milk was his mother.

Bai Dalei heard his brother's scolding, grabbed the doorpost behind the door, rushed into the house, and hit Bai Dafeng without saying a word. Bai Dafeng dodged the doorpost hit by Bai Dalei and shouted, "Second brother, what are you crazy about?!"

Bai Dalei said: "Why are you scolding mom?!"

Bai Dafeng said, "What are you doing?! Our mother divorced He Daqing today!"

Bai Dalei was stunned for a moment, looked at the White Widow in disbelief, and asked, "Mom, is this true?!"

Widow Bai stood up suddenly, snatched the top post from Bai Dalei, and hit Bai Dafeng while shouting, "It's all because of you, a bastard! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have divorced He Daqing, and I wouldn't have lost such a treasure chest!"

Bai Dafeng dodged and said, "Mom! You can't blame me for this! I was just trying to help you, I was afraid you would suffer!"

"I need your help? When have I ever suffered a loss?!" As she spoke, the White Widow swung twice at Bai Dafeng's position, but Bai Dafeng dodged both times. Perhaps because she was tired of fighting, or perhaps because the unhappiness in her heart was relieved, the White Widow threw the top post in her hand to the ground and sat on the chair. Bai Dalei asked: "Mom! What should we do now?!"

The White Widow replied, "What else can I do?! Of course I'll live off my savings!" She looked at her eldest son and continued, "Big Boss, I'm telling you! I'll support you for another month. After a month, whether you find a job or not, I won't support you anymore. If you find a job, give me ten dollars a month until you get married." She then looked at Bai Dalei and said, "If you have the ability to study, I'll support you no matter how long you finish. If you can't finish your studies, you'll be treated the same as your brother. After graduation, I'll support you for a month. After a month, you can find a way out for yourself."

Bai Dalei said, "Mom! Aren't you embarrassing me?!"

The White Widow said, "They say that even in a famine a cook will never starve to death. I asked you to learn cooking skills from He Daqing, but both of you refused. Now you are saying that I am making things difficult for you? How can you say that out loud?!"

Bai Dalei looked at Bai Dafeng. Bai Dafeng asked thoughtfully, "What if He Daqing is willing to remarry you?!"

The White Widow sneered, "A good horse never turns back. Even if he wants to remarry, even if he is willing, I will not allow it! You can stay if you want to. If you don't want to stay here, you can go back to your grandfather's place."

After a while, Bai Dafeng and Bai Dalei walked out of the main room. Bai Dalei asked, "Brother, what should we do now?!"

Bai Dafeng replied: "You ask me, who should I ask?! If you want to blame someone, blame He Daqing's son and daughter. There has been no news for so many years, why are they here now?! Isn't this looking for trouble?!"

Bai Dalei then asked, "It's okay for me to study. What are you going to do next?!"

Bai Dafeng sighed and said, "What else can I do? I can only take it one step at a time. If nothing works out, I'll just find a part-time job first."