Courtyard House: He Yuzhu started in 1948

That evening, when Yi Zhonghai returned home, Wang Xiulan couldn't wait to tell him about He Yuzhu teaching the children to read.

Yi Zhonghai fell silent after hearing this.

After a long pause, he said quietly, "Zhu Zi is capable, very capable!"

This ability doesn't stem from He Yuzhu's exceptional skills, but rather from his willingness to share his knowledge with others. This magnanimity alone is worthy of Yi Zhonghai's admiration.

As a highly educated and skilled individual in the courtyard, he didn't pass on his knowledge to others, while He Yuzhu, who had just started learning himself, was already teaching the other children as well.

Why would He Yuzhu teach those children who had no relation to him?

This is magnanimity!

However... He Yuzhu did a good deed, so I, Yi Zhonghai, cannot be left out.

After thinking about it all night, Yi Zhonghai went to the factory the next day and went to find Lou Bancheng.

Yi Zhonghai told Lou Bancheng about He Yuzhu teaching the children to read and write, and also about the children's tragic backgrounds.

Yi Zhonghai said all this because he wanted to find a house where these children could study.

That's right, Yi Zhonghai had his eye on the three rooms in the backyard of the tenement.

That's the room that the deaf old lady later owned.

Because the steel plant hasn't hired any workers from other places in recent years, those three rooms were still empty. Yi Zhonghai thought of making use of them and converting them into classrooms so that the children could have a place to study that would shelter them from the wind and rain.

Yi Zhonghai told Lou Bancheng his idea: "Chairman Lou, those children are as young as five or six and as old as sixteen or seventeen. They are all unfortunate children. If Zhuzi can educate them all, when these children enter the factory in the future, just in terms of reading and writing, they will already surpass many apprentices. These children are all of good character. If you can provide some simple assistance, wouldn't the children be extremely grateful to you?"

Not only will we receive gratitude from the children, but we can also train a group of excellent workers for the steel rolling mill in the future. It's a win-win situation, so why not?

Yi Zhonghai indirectly indicated that he also teaches children basic craftsmanship knowledge when he has time.

Lou Bancheng was quite tempted after hearing this.

He claimed he could buy half of Beiping (Beijing), which is a bit of an exaggeration, but it shows how powerful he was.

There are only a dozen or so children, and he doesn't need to raise them; he just provides help using the idle resources at his disposal.

Small investment, big returns.

Why wouldn't Lou Bancheng be happy to do it?

After thinking for a moment, Lou Bancheng asked, "Is this pillar you mentioned also one of our steel rolling mill employees?"

"He is the son of the Qing Dynasty."

"Master He's son?"

Lou Bancheng understood immediately and muttered, "No wonder Master He asked me to borrow his car. He was looking for food for those kids. I never thought that Old Man He was such a kind person."

???

Yi Zhonghai: What are you saying? I don't understand.

Lou Bancheng didn't explain to Yi Zhonghai: "How about this, I'll find someone to clean up the empty room in the backyard and lend it to the children as a classroom. I'll cover the cost of the lights, blackboard, chalk, and so on. I'll also sponsor some paper and pens. When Master He comes back, have him come to me."

"OK."

Yi Zhonghai saw Lou Bancheng making a phone call to arrange for the house repairs and left satisfied. However, he did not return to the factory but went home and told He Yuzhu about it.

This is a good deed he did for the children, so of course He Yuzhu and the children should know that this is a benefit he fought for.

Most importantly, it's to let those children know that there are many philanthropists in the compound, not just He Daqing and He Yuzhu, but also Yi Zhonghai.

He Yuzhu laughed when he heard this.

The old man was starting to lose his temper.

He Yuzhu joked, "Uncle Yi, your intentions are obvious to everyone."

"Hey, you little rascal..."

Yi Zhonghai, his thoughts exposed, pointed at He Yuzhu, both amused and exasperated: "No wonder Brother Daqing is so annoyed with you."

If you see through something but don't expose it, He Yuzhu, how can we get along in the future if you speak so bluntly?

He Yuzhu didn't care how he interacted with him; he just did things his own way.

Originally, He Yuzhu planned to tell a story about helping unfortunate children learn to read in the mud. Now, he has to change the script at the last minute. In the future, when promoting the story, he will tell the tale of how the unfortunate children struggled hard and worked hard to move the big capitalists and get a bright classroom in return.

Although the script was revised and more people benefited from it, He Yuzhu's core base remained unchanged, and his profits would only increase.

Is there a place called Qingyun Hutong that rivals Meng Chang?

Able to fight, kind-hearted, willing to help others, and not concerned with personal gains or losses, He Yuzhu is definitely a worthy candidate for the title of "Three Good Student" in the new era!

If there were a program that could move China today, He Yuzhu would definitely be featured.

He Yuzhu called the children together: "Come on, everyone, follow me and learn from me. Thank you, Uncle Yi!"

"Thank you, Uncle Yi."

Yi Zhonghai: ...

These four words sound perfectly fine, but when He Yuzhu said them, they just had a different flavor to them.

"Zhu Zi, you...you have such a sharp tongue, you never let things go!"

After saying that, Yi Zhonghai left.

Less than half an hour after Yi Zhonghai left, the construction team arrived.

Lou Bancheng called them to work, so of course they had to take it seriously!

The construction team rebuilt the roof, scraped off the plaster and repainted the walls, and installed electrical wires... They knew Lou Bancheng was a big customer, so they did whatever it took to make the repairs cost more.

Broken bricks... throw them away and replace them with new ones; roof beams... replace them with new ones... as long as they can be replaced with new ones, then we will resolutely not use the old ones.

This way, they can get more money in the expense report for Lou Bancheng and thus earn more profit.

Anyway, Lou Bancheng has a large and wealthy family, so he won't miss out on these few small things.

He Yuzhu then called the children to collect the broken bricks and tiles that had been replaced, and to move the roof beams away as well... He Yuzhu's house has a total of three rooms. The main house and one annex are in good condition, but the roof of the other house is broken and one of the roof beams is cracked. Now that there are ready-made materials, He Yuzhu certainly won't let them go.

It's about making use of waste; it doesn't cost any money anyway.

He Yuzhu had long wanted his own room. He was fed up with sleeping in the same room with He Daqing all day long, with his constant farting, snoring, and teeth grinding. Now that he had the chance to renovate his own room, He Yuzhu was naturally not going to let it go.

Then fix a toilet, build a bathroom, install a grab bar under the shower head, and put a large full-length mirror by the door, with a grab bar in front of the mirror...

Oh, it's just a thought, don't take it seriously.

We must maintain a simple and frugal lifestyle!

In the future, even the great queen Wang will have to empty her chamber pot and squat in the toilet at the entrance of the alley. What more could he possibly want?

The workers repairing the house were furious when they saw He Yuzhu carrying away the broken bricks, tiles, and beams. Lou Bancheng definitely didn't want these scraps; they could exchange them for some money for drinks. Now that their money for drinks had been taken away, how could they not be angry?

He Yuzhu wasn't afraid of that.

If you take money from Lou Bancheng, why can't I take money from you?

Staring at each other, the workers retreated and blamed Lou Bancheng for their defeat.

Anyway, Lou Bancheng is determined to pay for the drinks.