Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

When He Daqing brought Sha Zhu back to the vicinity of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, some old neighbors greeted the father and son, and Sha Zhu politely responded to each of them.

Aunt Liu from courtyard number 94 was knitting when she looked up and saw Sha Zhu and his son. She immediately said, "Sha Zhu, I haven't seen you in ages! What have you been up to?"

Uncle Li, who was standing nearby, said, "Zhu Zi, you haven't come back for so long, your dad thought you'd disappeared."

Sha Zhu couldn't very well ignore them, so he just laughed it off and continued walking toward No. 95.

At the entrance of the compound, the steward hadn't been chosen yet. Teacher Yan, who lived in the front yard and wore glasses, had already started standing guard—he was beginning to make an impression.

Yan Bugui saw Sha Zhu and hurriedly said, "Hey, Sha Zhu, you haven't been back for a long time. I haven't seen you in ages. How's your cooking coming along?"

"Ahem," Sha Zhu coughed twice and said, "Teacher Yan, I heard that they're electing some kind of steward in this compound. You weren't elected, but you've already started standing guard."

"Hey, you're really well-informed, sir. It's a done deal. I'm the only educated person in our institute."

"Really? Congratulations, Teacher Yan. Teacher Yan, you continue your post. I'll head back now."

“What guard duty? I’m keeping an eye on strangers. They can’t even speak properly,” Teacher Yan shouted at Sha Zhu.

"That brat's mouth is still as foul as ever after two months," Yan Bugui muttered after Sha Zhu disappeared from sight.

He Daqing, who was slowly following behind, saw this and said to Yan Bugui, "Old Yan, why aren't you standing guard at the door? What are you whispering about?"

Yan Bugui was furious. "You're the one on guard duty? Your whole family is on guard duty!"

But he said, “Old He, you’ve brought your son back. How’s Sha Zhu doing at Fengzeyuan? How about you have your son cook a few dishes later? I’ll get a bottle of good wine from home and we can try your son’s cooking.”

"What's the point of trying my skills? We don't have any vegetables at home. Let's wait for another day," He Daqing said. "The next day, you won't even see me."

Meanwhile, Sha Zhu had already passed through the hanging flower gate and arrived at the central courtyard. A dozen or so neighbors were gathered together, chatting, and all that could be heard was the discussion of the election steward.

It's already past 5 PM; the children have all come home from school, and those who went to work have returned home.

It wasn't dinner time yet, and they weren't in a hurry to go home and cook, so they all gathered together to chat and joke around.

Jia Zhangshi, who lived in the west wing of the central courtyard, was pretending to thread a needle with a shoe sole covered in patina, while listening to her neighbors gossip.

Looking up, he saw Sha Zhu come in and said in surprise, "Hey, Sha Zhu, it's been so long since you've come back. I thought you had disappeared. I was even about to have your dad call the police to look for you."

Look, even Jia Zhangshi knows to call the police.

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, everyone looked at Sha Zhu.

Liu Haizhong's wife, who lives in the backyard, said, "Silly Zhu, you haven't been back for so long, what have you been doing?"

The wife of Liu Gen from the Intermediate People's Court also asked, "That's right, that's right, Sha Zhu, you haven't been back for a long time, and you've never been here before."

"Silly Zhu, have you mastered your cooking skills yet? When are you going to show off your skills?"

"Silly Zhu, you haven't been back for so long, your sister thinks your dad gave you away," the neighbors' conversation quickly turned to Silly Zhu.

Everyone was chattering, asking Sha Zhu what he had gone to do. Yi Zhonghai, who lived in the east wing of the central courtyard, looked completely dignified.

He said righteously, "Zhu Zi, why haven't you come back for so long? Everyone's worried about you! Yesterday I even told your dad to go to Fengzeyuan to check on you, but you didn't even let us know you weren't coming back. Your dad was so anxious!"

Sha Zhu exclaimed, "Good heavens! I think you're just too anxious for me. Look, all the neighbors in the yard call me Sha Zhu, but you, Yi Zhonghai, call me Zhuzi. No wonder Sha Zhu treats you like his own father in the TV series."

Everyone's a scoundrel to your face, but you, Yi Zhonghai, are the best to Sha Zhu in public. You truly are a man of few words.

You're two-faced, saying one thing to people and another behind their backs; you're the one who hides it the deepest. There's no such thing as love without a reason; when someone is nice to you, that's just the beginning of their schemes.

You're not a relative of mine, just an ordinary neighbor. I've never seen you speak to Sha Zhu like that before. He Daqing hasn't even left yet, and you're already lecturing Sha Zhu like an elder.

"Hehe, what can I do? I practice my cooking skills at Fengzeyuan. I'm too busy on weekends, so I haven't come back."

Grandpas and grandmas, you chat. I've been busy all day. I was still working when my dad called me. Look at me, I'm covered in cooking fumes.

"I need to go back and wash up and rest for a while. I'll head back first. You guys can chat all you want." Sha Zhu said politely, and without waiting for everyone's reaction, he went straight to his room.

I thought to myself, I need to be polite and courteous. When it's my turn to take you down, don't even think about me.

Suddenly, Sha Zhu stopped in front of his door, his hands still open.

He was thinking to himself, "This doesn't fit my character at all. That silly Zhu is such a dullard with a foul mouth."

Who cares? He hasn't been back for two months. Sha Zhu has never done this before. He stopped thinking about it and opened the door to go back inside.

The neighbors, seeing that Sha Zhu had finished speaking and left without taking it seriously, were still in a daze when they suddenly saw Sha Zhu standing at the door in a strange posture, not moving.

Thinking to themselves that this silly Zhu must have really gone mad, before they could even say a word, they saw him suddenly open the door and go inside. This unusual behavior baffled everyone.

"Is this silly Zhu possessed?" an old woman said.

"Could it be that he's been away for so long and encountered something bad?" said an aunt in the backyard.

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly said, "Everyone, don't spread rumors. The government has already issued a notice banning all secret societies and anti-feudalism and anti-superstition organizations. They're currently selecting leaders in each compound, so we mustn't let any talk of feudalism or superstition spread from our compound. It's getting late, everyone go back and cook dinner, everyone disperse."

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, the neighbors in the courtyard scattered and went home.

Sha Zhu returned to the house and looked at the messy room. He Daqing didn't even bother to tidy it up. Even in a place like this, widows still managed to seduce him.

This silly Zhu completely inherited He Daqing's ways. He doesn't take care of himself either, and he's being kept by a widow.

The old wooden bed had two bricks propping up one corner of it. Clothes, socks, and shoes were scattered haphazardly under the bed.

The wardrobe door was open, and the clothes inside were in a mess. Tables, chairs, and benches were scattered haphazardly.

There were no other valuables left in the house. How would they sleep tonight? Would He Daqing even be home? They should probably tidy up a bit first.

Dirty clothes and socks are left to soak in a basin, and the blankets are left filthy without being folded. There's no way to wash them openly, it's a real headache.

I'll leave it aside for now and go cook. He Daqing is right behind me, but he hasn't come back yet.

When I went to the kitchen, there was very little food inside. There were only seven or eight pounds of cornmeal, but after searching, I couldn't find any wheat flour or rice.

Two or three potatoes and cabbages lay on the ground, and some commonly used seasonings were placed on the stove.

What to eat for dinner? Cornmeal porridge and cornbread. Just as he was thinking, the outer door was suddenly pushed open. Sha Zhu heard the sound and looked out. A dirty little girl was looking at him.

"Brother, you're back! I didn't believe them when they told me you were back. I missed you so much!"

The little girl ran up and hugged Sha Zhu's leg innocently. Her face and hands were covered in mud, which she smeared all over Sha Zhu.

I didn't see him this dirty last time I saw him in the rain. It's been over two months, how did he get like this? This child is no good without someone to supervise him; he's gone completely wild.

Sha Zhu disdainfully pried open the two little hands that were hugging his thighs, patted the mud off his body, and said, "Rain, where have you been playing in the mud? You're filthy, go wash up."

"No, brother, I miss you so much. What are we having for dinner tonight? Dad makes me eat cornbread every day."

"Isn't cornbread delicious? Lots of people outside can't even get cornbread. Come on, let me wash you up." After saying that, Sha Zhu pulled the little girl to wash up.