Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

"You deserve it, Xu Damao, you really deserve to die." Sha Zhu muttered to himself over and over, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

From now on, I'll definitely light incense for you during every holiday!

After drinking until the bottle was empty halfway through the night, Sha Zhu quietly slipped back into his room.

My wife and kids are asleep, shouldn't I be a little quieter?

Seeing his desolate figure, Yang Jianguo closed the door.

After wiping the table clean, Yang Jianguo turned off the lamp and lay down on the bed, feeling sleepy.

After a long day of activities, we finished with some drinks.

Once his head hits the pillow, he forgets everything.

I was in a daze, and I felt something patting my face.

Yang Jianguo opened his eyes and saw his daughter lying on top of him, gently patting his face with her little hands: "Mommy, Daddy's awake."

Seeing him open his eyes, the daughter scurried downstairs.

I thought this girl was a sweet and considerate daughter.

But before it even grew up, it was already leaking air.

Just a moment ago we were so close, but now all he does is call out "Mommy, Mommy".

His father is just a figurehead, a mere tool for his craft.

Yingzi brought breakfast to the table and said with a smile, "Get up and eat. You still have to wait for the kids to wake you up. You're not a grown-up anymore."

"Shame on you, Daddy, shame on you." Zhiyi, who stayed close to Yingzi, pointed to her little face with her hand.

Yang Jianguo threw off the covers, put on his shoes, and chased after her.

"Giggle giggle." The girl circled around her mother, hiding behind her, sticking out her tongue and making a "little little little" sound as she smugly told him.

Yang Jianguo shrugged speechlessly and said, "As a father, I have no status whatsoever."

Watching the father and daughter playing, Yingzi laughed happily.

But when she looked at her son, who had washed his hands and was sitting obediently at the table with his little one, she could only sigh helplessly.

Who does this child take after? He's such a steady and reliable old man.

It's so small, it's really worrying!

Qin Huairu's trip lasted for five consecutive days.

I didn't get back from the countryside until early on the sixth day.

He looked somewhat haggard, but his spirit was full and vibrant.

The ease in his eyes was as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

Autumn came in the blink of an eye, and He Yushui's wedding was a lively affair.

Sha Zhu set up six tables in the courtyard and invited every household.

To be fair, He Yushui has excellent taste.

The sheriff's entourage and spirit suggested he was an ambitious and promising individual.

Her family was satisfied with her, and the marriage was not a problem.

Not only did they prepare a new house for the two of them, but they also bought them two large items.

A sewing machine and a radio.

He Yushui has a bicycle, and so does the man; combining the two of them, they can be considered to have completed the four major items.

These days, how many people get married and can afford the four major items (household appliances, children's belongings, and wedding favors)?

Therefore, He Yushui's wedding was a grand affair.

In this respect alone, he is no worse than Yang Jianguo.

When he got married, all he had to do was ride a bicycle.

"Sister Yingzi, please stop making fun of me." Holding Yingzi's hand, He Yushui persisted despite Yingzi's teasing.

Your family has a gramophone, a record cabinet, a radio, an Invincible brand sewing machine, and two major bicycles: Forever and Phoenix.

Who wouldn't envy these things when they're all put together?

Furthermore, those two cast iron furnaces are something that ordinary families might not even have in their entire lives, yet you have one in your house.

And that water heater, you're the first person in the whole country to use it.

And yet you still dare to mock my barely-collected four essential items? Is that what you, as the older sister, should do?

The two were chatting and laughing. Sha Zhu, who was quite drunk, put his arm around his brother-in-law's shoulder and shouted, "You'd better treat her well."

"My sister is a bit straightforward, but she's kind, hardworking, and a real expert at managing a household. She'll definitely be fine!"

"See that room? It's reserved for her. If you mistreat her, don't blame me for coming to her door and taking her away, okay!"

Chapter 262 I Shouldn't Have Came Back After Three Years

He Yushui left, getting married in a grand and impressive manner.

Her family not only gave her two bicycles, but also two watches, one for men and one for women.

As for the watch, you'll have to buy that yourself.

Buying a single piece of Sha Zhu is not suitable, nor is buying a pair.

So, they changed it to a watch ticket.

The gift is not cheap, nor is it biased; the expense is also acceptable to our family—a win-win-win situation!

Without Granny Jia and Xu Damao in the courtyard, the air smelled better, people were happier, and even the sky seemed a bit bluer.

These days, Yi Zhonghai and his two brothers have become increasingly well-behaved.

Especially her bangs, which used to be a bit frizzy, now she greets everyone she meets.

When they ran into Yang Jianguo, things got even worse; he went up to him and questioned them from morning till night.

Have you eaten? What did you eat?

How is the child? Is there anything he needs?

Is the roof leaking? Should we get it repaired?

Is the floorboard in the yard warped too much? Should we get someone to level it?

That attitude was even more humble and diligent than when asking a leader for instructions.

I'm scared of bangs!

The only two people in the courtyard who didn't get along with him, Granny Jia and Xu Damao, were sent away in one trip.

Granny Jia was sent back to the countryside, where she would soon be left with only a lonely grave.

If Qin Huai could go back to see her, the sun would rise in the west.

Xu Damao...

He glanced at the vehicle from afar on the day of the transfer, got in, and never came back.

Liu Haizhong didn't go to the shooting range, but he still had nightmares that night.

Just like seeing Xu Damao kneeling there, bang…

The person collapsed.

Whether this is a coincidence or retribution is debatable.

Liu Haizhong didn't care at all; he only knew a little bit anyway.

Yang Jianguo's family, oh~

We must cherish it!!

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the city of Beijing is now peaceful and tranquil.

The brightly colored clothes of the past are gone; work clothes and green military uniforms have become uniform in color, and there are fewer smiling faces among the pedestrians on the street.

Several markets scattered throughout the city have also disappeared.

Originally, there were only two black markets, one in the east and one in the west, but now there are more than a dozen of them, big and small, where lies are rampant.

Every now and then someone would be arrested, have their income confiscated, and be publicly criticized.

But there's no way around it; people always have to find a way to survive.

No matter how great the risk, it has to be taken.

Therefore, although people were frequently arrested in that black market, it was still thriving in another place.

Ring bell…

I rode my bike through the alley and stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.

Yang Jianguo stood on tiptoe and said, "Zhiyuan, slow down."

Six-year-old Zhiyuan, who was on the back seat, stepped off the bike using the pedals. At 1.2 meters tall, he looked like a little adult.

As I stepped off the bike, my daughter Zhiyi, who was sitting in front of me, grabbed the handlebars and laughed happily, "Let's fly!"

Yang Jianguo grabbed the heavy pole and lifted it up, bringing her along with him into the courtyard: "Fly!"

"Hehehe..." Zhiyi laughed happily.

Zhiyuan, with a green cloth backpack slung across his shoulder, looked somewhat helpless.

I've been doing this every day for years. Am I really that happy?

They pushed the cart into the courtyard, but hadn't even reached the house yet.

Zhiyi saw the bicycle propped up under the eaves and shouted into the house, "Mom, we're back!"

"You're back." A curtain was lifted, and Yingzi, looking even more mature and full-figured than three years ago, emerged.

"Here, five jin." Yang Jianguo handed the meat hanging on the handlebars to his wife, then propped the cart up and took his daughter off.

Yingzi went to put the meat in the cellar, then turned around and went back into the house: "Jianguo, with today's five jin, that should be enough."

Every seven or eight days that month, Yang Jianguo would go out and buy four or five catties of meat.

I bought from different shops each time, and I did so a total of five times.

It should weigh over 20 jin (10 kg) in total, enough for the New Year.

The vegetables and such were provided by the factory, and we had stocked up on some ourselves beforehand, which was enough.

Yingzi occasionally buys some 'defective products' from the factory as snacks.

If you do the math, your family has everything we need this year!

The 'defective products' that Yingzi bought back were all good stuff... it's just that the appearance or proportions weren't up to standard.

The standards for these products are extremely high.

After all, many of the products from food factories are exported.

If they can't be sold on shelves, they're put in the factory for internal promotion, and the price is only one-fifth of what they sell outside, which is sometimes quite cheap.

It's considered a special benefit, and everyone who can afford it is scrambling to buy it.

Yingzi always buys a little at a time, and when she gets back, she shares the leftovers and eats them, while keeping the newly bought ones in the cupboard for later use.

When someone comes to entertain you during holidays or festivals, you always need to make some preparations.

"We're about to have a holiday, what's your factory's holiday schedule?"

Yang Jianguo changed into a pair of cloth shoes he wore at home, finally giving his feet a break after a long day.

Slippers are such a luxury!

These cloth shoes are perfect for wearing at home with the heels drooping down after you step on them.

He has a pair, and Yingzi and the child each have a pair.

“26, we finished our tasks ahead of schedule this year, so we got a break early,” Yingzi replied happily.