Siheyuan: Sap is the last word

He was left alone in this small house. Despite the hardship, He Yudong was optimistic and smart, and he could always find some odd jobs in the yard to make ends meet. His neighbors - Qin Huairu, Yan Bugui, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Jia Dongxu, and Bang Geng who made trouble from time to time - were all an indispensable part of this yard.

In the morning, He Yudong was busy cooking porridge in his simple kitchen when he heard a quarrel outside the door. He Yudong covered the pot and walked out of the door to see that it was Qin Huairu and Yan Bugui who were arguing.

"You old man Yan, don't think I don't know what you are planning! You stole my coal yesterday, and now you dare to confront me here?" Qin Huairu put her hands on her hips and accused Yan Bugui in a loud voice.

"Hey, Sister Qin, don't talk nonsense! What do you mean by stealing coal? I, Old Yan, have always been honest. I saved this coal myself!" Yan Bugui's face flushed, and he was obviously very angry about Qin Huairu's words.

He Yudong frowned. These two were really enemies, quarreling all day long. Other people in the yard also gathered around, watching the fun and talking about it.

"Oh, He Yudong, tell me, what should we do about this?" Qin Huairu suddenly looked at He Yudong with a look of help in her eyes.

He Yudong didn't expect that he would be dragged into this, and waved his hands quickly: "Hey, Sister Qin, I can't get involved in this matter!"

"If you don't get involved, who will? You are the most reasonable person in our hospital, so you have to be the one to judge this matter!" Qin Huairu obviously did not intend to let He Yudong go.

He Yudong was forced into a corner and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "If you ask me, we are all from the same courtyard, there is no need to make a big fuss over a small matter. Old Yan, if you really took the coal from Mrs. Qin's house, then admit it, and we won't make things difficult for you. If you didn't take it, then let's not wrongly accuse anyone, okay?"

"I said, I didn't take it!" Yan Bugui was so angry that his beard was shaking.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing!" Liu Haizhong, who had been silent the whole time, stood up and said with a frown, "Isn't it just lighting coal? How about we all chip in some and give it to Aunt Qin to make up for it, and not embarrass Old Yan, okay?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone around nodded and expressed their willingness to help. Qin Huairu saw that everyone said so, so she didn't want to continue to pester them, so she just snorted and agreed.

He Yudong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to go back to the house to continue cooking his porridge, he heard Jia Dongxu's voice coming from the side: "He Yudong, what have you been busy with these days? Look at your face. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Hey, Brother Dongxu, I'm in a hurry to do work. I worked overtime until midnight yesterday and had to get up early this morning." He Yudong replied with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work. Young man, eat more and don't overwork yourself." Jia Dongxu patted He Yudong on the shoulder.

He Yudong smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to go back to the house, he suddenly heard a crisp voice: "Brother He Yudong!"

He Yudong turned around and saw little Banggeng standing at the door with a mischievous smile on his face. Banggeng was Qin Huairu's son. Although he was young, he was a clever boy who often ran around in the yard and played little pranks.

"Hey, Banggeng, what do you want to talk to me about?" He Yudong asked with a smile.

"Brother He Yudong, my mom told me that you have good skills. Can I learn from you?" Banggeng blinked his big eyes with a flattering look.

He Yudong was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "What do you want to learn?"

"I want to learn how to repair cars! In the future I want to be able to work and earn money like you!" Banggeng said seriously.

He Yudong felt warm in his heart and patted Banggeng's head: "Okay, I'll teach you when you're older."

Banggeng jumped three feet high with joy, turned around and ran back to the house. He Yudong looked at his jumping back and felt a little emotional: this child, although naughty, still has a tenacious spirit in his bones, unlike those who only know how to be lazy.

Throughout the day, people came and went in the yard, and from time to time someone would talk to He Yudong, and He Yudong's life was quite fulfilling. At night, He Yudong was sitting on his own small kang, thinking about the work to be done tomorrow, when he suddenly heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Who is it?" He Yudong asked as he walked over to open the door.

Standing outside the door was Yi Zhonghai, holding a cloth bag in his hand and with a mysterious smile on his face.

"Uncle Yi, it's so late, what can I do for you?" He Yudong opened the door and let Yi Zhonghai in.

Yi Zhonghai walked into the room and sat down. He put the cloth bag in his hand on the table and said mysteriously, "He Yudong, I have something I want to ask you for a favor."

"Just tell me what it is. As long as I can do it, I will never refuse." He Yudong replied quickly.

"It's like this. I have a distant relative who recently moved from the countryside to the city and wants to find a place to settle down. I want to arrange for them to stay in our yard, and there happens to be a vacant room. Can you help me ask around?"

He Yudong understood a little bit after hearing this. This empty house belonged to Liu Guangfu. Liu Guangfu moved in with his son recently, and the house has been empty ever since. Liu Guangfu didn't say he wanted to rent it out or sell it, probably because he wanted to keep it for his son to use when he gets married.

"I'll ask Uncle Liu about this matter for you. However, as you know, Uncle Liu is stubborn. If he doesn't want to do it, there's nothing I can do." He Yudong said with some embarrassment.

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "I know this matter is difficult to handle, so I came to you. You have good relationships with people. If Liu Guangfu is difficult to talk to, I will go to talk to him. Let's work together and try to get it done."

He Yudong looked at Yi Zhonghai and thought that this old man Yi usually kept a low profile, but today he was so concerned. It seemed that this distant relative was very important to him. He Yudong pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go talk to Uncle Liu tomorrow morning."

Yi Zhonghai smiled: "Thank you for your help, He Yudong. Look, this is some local specialties I brought for you. Please try them."

He Yudong quickly declined: "Uncle Yi, you are too polite. I can't accept it."

"Take it. Everyone in our hospital knows that you are a kind-hearted person. Just consider it as a little gift from an old man like me." Yi Zhonghai said with a smile, then stood up and prepared to leave.

He Yudong couldn't refuse any longer, so he took the cloth bag and sent Yi Zhonghai out.

The next morning, He Yudong got up early and went to Liu Guangfu's house. Liu Guangfu was an honest retired worker who didn't like to interact with people on weekdays, but he was a straightforward person.

"Good morning, Uncle Liu!" He Yudong greeted him with a smile.

"Good morning, He Yudong. Why are you here so early? What's the matter?" Liu Guangfu pushed open the window, stuck his head out and asked.

He Yudong was standing at the door of Liu Guangfu's house. When he saw Uncle Liu sticking his head out, he immediately put on a smile and said, "Uncle Liu, are you busy? Sorry to bother you. I just came here to ask about the vacant room over there."

When Liu Guangfu heard this, a trace of doubt appeared on his face: "Vacant room? Why are you asking this?"

"It's like this," He Yudong took a step forward and lowered his voice, "Uncle Yi came to see me yesterday and said that a relative of his moved from the countryside to the city and wanted to find a place to live, so he was thinking about your empty room. I thought, we are all from the same courtyard, so it's not a big deal to help. Look, if it's convenient for you, can you consider it?"

Liu Guangfu was silent for a while and sighed: "Hey, He Yudong, it's not that I don't want to help. This house is what I left for my Xiaoguang to get married. Although it's empty now, I have to keep it for the future."

He Yudong nodded and said with understanding: "I understand, Uncle Liu, who doesn't want to plan for their children? However, I heard that Uncle Yi's relative is not the kind of person who will stay here and won't leave. He will stay for a while and move out when he is settled. It will definitely not hinder your Xiaoguang's future marriage."

Liu Guangfu frowned slightly, seeming a little hesitant. He looked at He Yudong, then looked in the direction of Yi Zhonghai's house in the distance, and finally nodded slowly: "If that's the case, then I can consider it. But I have a condition."

He Yudong asked quickly: "Tell me what the conditions are. As long as I can do it, I will definitely get it done for you."

"My house cannot be lent out for free. Go talk to Uncle Yi and ask his relatives to pay a symbolic rent every month. The amount is not important, but there must be a name to avoid confusion later." Liu Guangfu said in a firm tone.

He Yudong was delighted and quickly agreed: "Okay, I will definitely pass on the message. Don't worry, Uncle Liu, I will take care of this matter for you."

Liu Guangfu nodded and said, "Also, let's not let other people know about the rent, lest some people feel unbalanced. Do you understand what I mean?"

He Yudong nodded in understanding: "Understood, Uncle Liu, don't worry, I know what's going on."

Liu Guangfu then smiled with satisfaction: "Okay, then go and talk to Uncle Yi and see when he will come over to talk."

He Yudong said goodbye to Liu Guangfu and turned to walk towards Yi Zhonghai's house, thinking about how to solve this matter satisfactorily. As soon as he arrived at the door of Uncle Yi's house, he happened to meet Yi Zhonghai going out.

"He Yudong, you're here so early. Is there any progress?" Yi Zhonghai asked with concern as soon as he saw He Yudong.

He Yudong smiled and replied, "Uncle Yi, I just talked to Uncle Liu. He said he could lend the house to your relative for a while, but there is a small condition."

Yi Zhonghai raised his eyebrows: "Oh? What conditions?"

"He hopes that your relative will give a symbolic rent every month. The amount doesn't matter, he just wants some status. This matter must be kept confidential, don't let anyone else know, for fear that someone might have some ideas." He Yudong explained Liu Guangfu's request in detail.