Siheyuan: The happy life of a little chef

Li Jianjun returned to the cafeteria with the voucher and sat alone in a small private room to look through it.

"It was June of 51, and now it is February of 62. Ten years and eight months, one hundred and twenty-eight months, 1280 yuan, that's a lot of money. I guess I have to find He Yushui. Shazhu, that idiot, may not be reliable. I'm afraid he will be fooled by Yi Zhonghai."

After putting away his things, Li Jianjun decided to look for Yan Bugui.

"Teacher Yan, I have something to talk to you about."

Yan Bugui was writing and drawing on a piece of paper. Wearing glasses, he really looked like an old scholar.

"Jianjun, what's the matter? Tell me."

Li Jianjun sat next to him and handed him a cigarette.

"Teacher Yan, do you know where He Yushui goes to school?"

Yan Bugui took the cigarette and lit it, exhaling a puff of smoke. He didn't know why Li Jianjun wanted to see He Yushui, but he didn't ask.

"Jianjun, He Yushui is now in her second year of high school. She will be a third year next semester and graduate next year. She usually lives in school and only goes home occasionally during holidays. Sometimes she goes to her classmates' homes. She is in Red Star Middle School, Class 3, Grade 2 of high school."

Yan Bugui told Li Jianjun everything about He Yushui.

Li Jianjun thought that Yan Bugui knew He Yushui so well.

"Thank you, Teacher Yan. I didn't expect you know He Yushui so well."

Yan Bugui smiled.

"In fact, these are just some basic situations. As the elder in the hospital, do you really think I don't know anything? You still need to know these basic situations."

Li Jianjun got the answer and left. Yan Bugui looked at Li Jianjun's back and murmured, "It looks like it's going to be lively again. Fortunately, I'm on his side."

Li Jianjun rode a motorcycle to Red Star Middle School. In order to save time, he did not ride a bicycle.

At the gate of Red Star Middle School.

"Uncle, I'm looking for He Yushui from Class 2-3 of Senior High School."

The gatekeeper looked at Li Jianjun riding a motorcycle and thought he was some playboy who came to take advantage of his wife.

"Who are you, what's your name, and what do you want from He Yushui?"

Li Jianjun answered honestly.

"Uncle, my name is Li Jianjun. I'm the chef of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. I'm also He Yushui's neighbor. I'm looking for her because something happened at her home."

When the gatekeeper heard that it was a neighbor or that something had happened at home, he realized that he had misunderstood Li Jianjun and smiled embarrassedly.

"Excuse me, comrade. There are always some people hanging around here, wanting to meet pretty students. I'll go and call them for you."

Li Jianjun parked his motorcycle five meters away and sat on it waiting.

After a while, He Yushui came, still as thin as before.

He Yushui was a little curious about why Li Jianjun came to find her. She had a complicated perception of Li Jianjun. She knew everything about how Li Jianjun helped Qin Huairu. She had a good relationship with Qin Huairu. Maybe it was because she lacked maternal love since childhood, so she was grateful to Li Jianjun. However, Li Jianjun also ruined the marriage between his brother Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu. She wished that Qin Huairu could be her sister-in-law, even though Sha Zhu had done something wrong.

"Li Jianjun, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Li Jianjun waved at her, motioning her to come closer.

He Yushui had no choice but to walk over and said unhappily.

"Come on, what's the matter? I still have class to go to."

Li Jianjun asked.

"Fu Linglong, do you know about the deaf old lady?"

He Yushui didn't quite understand why Li Jianjun asked about the deaf old lady.

"I know. Although I didn't go back, I heard about it. I have nothing to do with her."

Li Jianjun said.

"I know that only her crimes and identity were announced. Some of the things she confessed were not announced, including your father He Daqing."

When He Yushui heard He Daqing's name, she thought of the person she had cried and wanted to see countless nights ago, and her heart twitched violently.

"Li Jianjun, I don't want to hear this name. He doesn't deserve to be my father. If you have nothing else to do, I'll leave."

Over the years, He Yushui's longing for He Daqing turned into hatred for him, which was inseparable from Yi Zhonghai's frequent slander. He would say that He Daqing was irresponsible and unworthy of being a father. Over time, even He Yushui began to hate He Daqing, not to mention Sha Zhu.

"Don't you want to know why he left you and your sister? Don't you want to know if he has contacted you? How long has it been since you last saw He Daqing?"

He Yushui stopped walking. She really wanted to know why. He Daqing loved her so much when they were children, but he cruelly abandoned her and Sha Zhu.

"I haven't seen him for almost twelve years. I only know that he went to Baoding. My silly brother and I went to look for him once, but he didn't even show up. We were driven out by that woman."

Li Jianjun smiled.

"It's not what you think. He Daqing has his own difficulties."

Then Li Jianjun told He Yushui what Fu Linglong had told him.

He Yushui burst into tears after hearing this.

"I knew he wouldn't abandon me. He loved me the most when I was a child. Woo woo woo."

Li Jianjun looked at He Yushui who was crying and continued.

"He Yushui, now is not the time to cry. There is something I haven't told you."

He Yushui wiped away her tears and looked at Li Jianjun with only gratitude.

"Brother Li, what's going on? Tell me, is there something wrong with my dad?"

Li Jianjun shook his head.

"It's not that He Daqing is in trouble. He is fine. In fact, He Daqing has been sending you money every month for nearly twelve years, and he also writes you two letters every year."

He Yushui was stunned and said in disbelief.

"Impossible. My silly brother and I have never received any money or letters. After my father left, my silly brother had a bad temper. When he was an apprentice in a restaurant, he got into a fight and was fired. Without an income, we lived on scavenging for a while. If he had money, he would never let me starve."

After saying this, he added a sentence, feeling a little embarrassed.

"At least my silly brother loved me very much at that time."

Indeed, if Jia Dongxu had not gotten into trouble, Qian Shazhu would still love his sister very much. Although his mind is no longer on Qin Huairu, it has shifted to Bang Geng. So every time He Yushui went home, she would just take the living expenses and go back to school. Even after leaving school, she would mostly stay overnight at a friend's house.

"Shazhu doesn't know about this. Yi Zhonghai took all the money, but he didn't give it to you."

He Yushui couldn't quite believe it, but it seemed reasonable.

"I know that the old man doesn't like a girl like me. He is only nice to me when Silly Brother is around. When Silly Brother is not around, he will give me a cold look. One time I was so hungry that I wanted to go to his house to ask for something to eat, but he closed the door when he saw me. Since then, I have never asked for food again."

Li Jianjun was not surprised at all that Yi Zhonghai did such a thing.

"He Daqing sent you ten yuan every month, two letters a year. I don't know if the letters were for you or Shazhu, but the money was definitely for you. At that time, Shazhu was an apprentice, and when he was old enough, he would go to the steel mill to take over his job, so he didn't consider Shazhu. He just wanted to raise you to adulthood."

"But do you have any evidence for what you said?"

He Yushui asked.

Li Jianjun took out some credentials.

"These are the receipts signed by Yi Zhonghai. Each one has his signature. The remitter is He Daqing. Just think about it and you will know that He Daqing wanted to use Yi Zhonghai to pass it to you, but he didn't."

He Yushui checked the receipt. Although she didn't know whether it was true or not, she thought that Li Jianjun would not use such a lie that would be easily exposed to deceive her.