The life of a villain in a courtyard

"It's crooked, the left side is higher."

On New Year's Eve, Sha Zhu directed Su Yun to post couplets. These couplets were exchanged from the third uncle. A handful of melon seeds could be exchanged for a couplet, and they were cheaper than those sold outside.

“Brother Su Yun, I dare not let go.”

He Yushui came to Su Yun with a string of firecrackers in his hand and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I'll be there after I finish putting up the door couplets."

The courtyard was full of children wearing new clothes and playing around. Even the poorest families would not treat their children harshly at this time. The adults' faces were filled with smiles, and even if they didn't have a good relationship, they would say hello when they met.

Of course, there are exceptions, and that is Banggeng. He is still wearing old clothes. He rolled around on the street a few days ago and got his new clothes dirty. They are not dry yet after washing, so now he can only wear his old clothes. Qin Huairu is worried about the things at home.

On the 28th, Yi Zhonghai gave the Jia family another ten yuan so that they could buy some New Year's goods. However, there were too many things to buy and ten yuan was not enough. In the end, they only bought some things needed for the New Year, as well as a few pounds of flour and meat. Not to mention eating well, it would be difficult to even get enough to eat with these things.

"Qin Huairu, why are you standing there? Hurry up and make dumplings."

Jia Zhang hasn't eaten since last night because of this meal, and now she is so hungry that her eyes are green.

"Mom, there's not enough food."

"If it's not enough, go ask an old man for it."

"Uncle has helped us a lot."

"He has helped so much, so this one time won't hurt. Lao Yi is Dongxu's master, and it is natural for a master to help his apprentice. What's more, he is counting on our Dongxu to take care of him in his old age. How can he have the face to let Dongxu take care of him in his old age if he is not willing to do such a small favor?"

Jia Zhang was sure of Yi Zhonghai, so she dared to lie on him and suck his blood unscrupulously.

"Look at what I'm doing."

Jia Dongxu also agreed with what Jia Zhang said.

"Master."

"Huai Ru? Why are you here?"

Yi Zhonghai was pasting Spring Festival couplets when he turned around and saw Qin Huairu with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Uncle, I."

Qin Huairu opened her mouth, not knowing how to start. Now she was still a little white flower and had not yet evolved into a late-stage leech spirit.

"Huai Ru, just tell me what you want to say. Given the relationship between our two families, there's no need to hide anything."

After hearing this, Qin Huairu plucked up the courage to tell the purpose of her trip.

"Uncle, can you please buy some meat for my family? We don't have enough food if we don't buy enough."

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai stared at Qin Huairu for a long time and finally sighed: "Come in."

"Old woman, cut two pounds of meat and two pounds of flour for Huairu."

The aunt was a little anxious.

"Go."

"Ok."

It was difficult for the aunt to lose her temper when there were outsiders around, and after sending Qin Huairu away, the aunt could no longer bear it.

"Old Yi! What's going on? It's New Year's Day and there's still no peace."

"Old lady, Dongxu is our elderly caregiver. Can we just ignore what happens to his family?"

The aunt was about to say something when she was interrupted by the deaf old lady. Today was New Year's Eve, and the deaf old lady put on a new dress and combed her hair meticulously.

"Xiuyun, why did you quarrel with Zhonghai?"

The aunt told the old lady everything that had just happened.

"Zhong Hai, I've told you many times that the Jia family is not a good candidate for old-age care. The only person in our courtyard who can take care of you is Sha Zhu. Why don't you listen?"

"Madam, I know you are right, but I have invested so much in the Jia family over the years and I am unwilling to give up now."

After hearing this, the old lady did not continue talking but changed the subject and asked what dishes would be served tonight. The aunt took the old lady to the kitchen to show the deaf old lady the New Year's goods they had bought.

"Not bad."

The deaf old lady nodded, obviously satisfied with the food.

"Xiuyun, why don't you go to Shazhu's house and ask him to spend the New Year with us?"

"Okay."

The auntie still likes Shazhu very much. She thinks that although Shazhu is a little foul-mouthed, he is still a very good person.

"Auntie, why are you here?"

Sha Zhu was killing a chicken when he looked up and saw an old lady.

"Zhu Zi, come to your aunt's house to celebrate the New Year this year. There's also the deaf old lady. Let's have some fun together."

"Oh, what a bad luck, Auntie. I have already looked for Su Yun two days ago. He will be with us this year."

"Oh, well, I won't bother you if you just enjoy yourself."

An aunt came back and told the deaf old lady that Sha Zhu could not come. The deaf old lady shook her head helplessly and said that she had wanted to take the opportunity to let Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai get close, but now her plan was ruined.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle."

There was a burst of firecrackers in the yard. Su Yun was holding a stick with a whip on the other end. He Yushui lit it with incense and quickly ran behind Su Yun to hide. He was a typical green hand who loved to play.

Many children were attracted by the sound of firecrackers, and when the firecrackers burned out, they rushed over to look for the firecrackers that had not yet been lit.

These children's families are relatively poor, and their parents don't buy them firecrackers, so they had to look for the leftovers among the firecracker wreckage. After a lot of effort, they found a few unburned firecrackers, and the children rushed forward to scramble for them. Bang Geng was among them, but he was soon kicked out.

"Mom, I want a whip."

After failing to grab the stick, he turned around and cried to Qin Huairu.

"What do you want? Just go home and stay here quietly."

Qin Huairu dragged this troublesome son home and spanked him on the butt a few times.

"Grandma, my mom beat me."

"If Bang Geng wants it, just buy it for him. It's not worth much anyway! It's worth a lot to buy a child with just a few cents during the Chinese New Year!"

"I don't have any money. If you really think it's nothing, just buy it for him yourself."

After what happened last time, Qin Huairu decided that she couldn't go on like this and had to change Banggeng's personality, otherwise the child would be doomed.

Banggeng looked at Jia Zhang with expectation. Although she loved money, Banggeng was her grandson and the only male in the Jia family after all.

"Wait a minute, grandma will get you the money."

Jia Zhang gritted her teeth and decided to use the money to buy firecrackers for Banggeng.

"Grandma is the best!"

As he said this, he glanced at Qin Huairu with pride.

"Mom, you can't spoil him like this!"

"What's wrong with spoiling him? Banggeng is the only child in our family! If you don't want me to spoil him, just give birth to a boy."

As soon as Banggeng got the money, he ran towards the supply and marketing cooperative, fearing that it would be closed if he arrived too late.

"Brother, please make me a lantern."

He Yushui came to Sha Zhu with wire, red paper, glue and a stick.

"How old are you? You still need a lantern?"

"Brother, just give me one."

Sha Zhu couldn't resist He Yushui's pleading and had to agree. Although Sha Zhu usually looks big and strong, he is quite deft with his hands at the critical moment. In just a few strokes, he made a red lantern for He Yushui. There was a phrase "Happy Chinese New Year" written on the front of the lantern. He Yushui bought it from Yan Fugui by spending a handful of melon seeds.

Time passed quickly and it got dark in the busyness. Sha Zhu was busy in the kitchen while He Yushui and Su Yun were wrapping dumplings in front. Loach was running around at Su Yun and He Yushui's feet, picking up some food to eat while washing dishes. A few puppies were playing beside the coal stove. The house was filled with a warm scene.

The two families prepared a lot of things together. The dumplings were made of pure meat. In addition, they also prepared chicken stewed with mushrooms (auspicious), braised fish (abundance), fried meatballs (reunion), pork elbow (good luck), and of course, the spare ribs and spare rib radish soup that Su Yun had been thinking about. It was probably the only family in the entire courtyard that could eat such a luxurious New Year's Eve dinner.

Su Yun took out a few bottles of Arctic Ocean, while Sha Zhu took out Lianhua Bai.

"Why are you drinking that? We gentlemen need to drink."

Sha Zhu saw Bei Bingyang in front of Su Yun and shook his head, then put a wine glass in front of Su Yun and filled it with wine.

"Brother, what are you doing? Brother Su Yun doesn't drink."

"It's okay. I don't usually drink, but today is New Year's Day, so I'll make an exception."

"That's right."

Su Yun picked up a piece of pork elbow skin with chopsticks. He had to say that Sha Zhu's cooking skills were really amazing. No wonder those leaders couldn't forget it.

The loach was screaming anxiously at Su Yun's feet. Su Yun threw the leftover bones on the ground and the loach pounced on them and started to bite them with big mouthfuls.

"How is it? It tastes good, right?"

"Delicious, delicious. Brother Zhuzi, your cooking skills are truly amazing."

"Let me tell you, among all the factories in our city, apart from the Nanyi machine repair factory in the suburbs, I, Shazhu, have never been defeated by anyone."

"Nanyi!"

When Su Yun heard this familiar name, he also recalled his childhood trauma.

"How come you know him?"

"I don't know him, I just think this surname is quite rare."

Of course it was impossible for Su Yun to admit that he knew Nan Yi. He had only been in Sijiu City for a short time.

While eating, Su Yun always felt that something was missing, something didn't feel right. That's right, there was no Spring Festival Gala.

When I was in the village before, the village chief and the production team leader would organize everyone to rehearse some programs. I was quite uncomfortable not seeing it this year.

"Brother Zhuzi, don't you have any Spring Festival Gala?"

"There is a radio station, but we don't have a radio here so we can't listen to it. If you really want to listen to it, go to Third Uncle's house. He has a radio, but he definitely won't let you listen to it for free."

At the same time, the whole family of the third uncle was sitting in the living room listening to the Spring Festival Gala on the radio.

"Dad, I'm hungry, let's eat."

Yan Jiefang couldn't hold on any longer; he hadn't eaten for the entire day.

"What are you going to eat? You can only eat at twelve o'clock."

Other families had one meal in the evening and then had dumplings at twelve o'clock. In order to save money, the third uncle canceled the evening meal and moved everything to twelve o'clock.

"Dad, we didn't cook during the day and everyone couldn't stand it."

Seeing that everyone nodded, Yan Fugui asked the third aunt to bring the basin of peanuts and distribute the peanuts to them. These peanuts were earned by him by writing door couplets.

"Dad, there's still half a basin left. Please give us some more."

Yan Jiecheng felt a little overwhelmed as he looked at the dozen or so peanuts in his hand. All the families in the courtyard had good food and drink during the festival, and no matter how poor they were, they would not skimp on this meal.

"That half pot is to be eaten until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. As the old saying goes, if you eat well, you won't be poor if you drink too much. If you don't plan well, you will be poor. You are still too young. You need to learn more from your father."

Little did he know that this one thing he learned would lead to him becoming a very filial son.