Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in 1966, Wang Sufen took her two children to visit Yi Zhonghai. She also brought a lunch box of dumplings stuffed with cabbage and meat for Yi Zhonghai.

After going through various approvals and paying the bullet fee, she finally met Yi Zhonghai accompanied by a prison guard. Although he had not been incarcerated for long, Yi Zhonghai had changed a lot.

His hair was almost completely white, and his face was covered with deep wrinkles, as if he had aged suddenly and all his energy and spirit was gone.

"Old Yi, I've brought the children to see you. Today is Chinese New Year, and I brought you some dumplings. Please eat some while they're hot." Wang Sufen said through the iron railings.

Yi Zhonghai just raised his head and looked at his wife and two children without saying a word, but two lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.

"Lao Yi, Lao Yi, please speak. There is not much time left. We have only given you twenty minutes." Wang Sufen said anxiously.

"Sufen, I'm sorry for you in this life. If there is a next life, I will definitely treat you well."

"Woo woo, Brother Hai."

"Dad! Mom! Wuuuu." Seeing their parents crying, the two children also started crying.

Yi Zhonghai cried for a long time before he stopped crying. Looking at the two sensible and obedient children, he felt regretful. If he had known this would happen and had not made such a fuss, he would have been able to enjoy his old age in peace.

Now not only will he die, but his two children will also be implicated. They have a father who committed a crime and was executed, and their future schooling and military service will definitely be affected.

"Sufen, don't cry. Comfort the children first. Take good care of them after I leave. If you are excluded in the courtyard, try to move out. Find someone to exchange houses with or buy another one."

"Yes, I will. I will definitely raise them up."

"Come closer, I have something to tell you." Yi Zhonghai said.

Wang Sufen leaned over and put her ear close to him, only to hear Yi Zhonghai whisper, "I have hidden a few gold bars under the stone slab outside our house. They were given to me by the old lady. Find a suitable time to take them out and exchange them for money on the black market. This, plus the savings at home, should be enough for the living expenses of you three."

"I understand, Lao Yi. Don't worry, I will definitely raise the two children to adulthood." Wang Sufen said.

"My life is over, but I have to tell you the whole story. When Jia Zhang first got married... I wrote a letter of guarantee... Jia Zhang was resentful and gave me a drug that would kill me... Old Jia might have discovered something, so I killed him..."

"The reason why Jia Zhang died was because I gave her a slow-acting poison. Maybe she knew it was me who did it, so she sold me out before she died. You have to be careful of this woman Qin Huairu. It is very likely that she was the one who reported my case." Yi Zhonghai told the story in a disjointed manner.

Wang Sufen was stunned. There were so many things about this courtyard that she didn't know about. It was full of intrigue and conspiracy.

"Old Yi, Qin Huairu also took the two children to the hospital before. I heard that the two children often scratched Jia Zhang's back, and as a result, they were infected. Now they often go to the hospital for infusions, and they never stop taking ointments!" Wang Sufen told the news she heard in the hospital.

“Haha, hahaha!” Yi Zhonghai laughed loudly, “Retribution! This is retribution! Her Jia family will really be extinct this time!”

Yi Zhonghai laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes, and his laughter was filled with joy and satisfaction of having his great revenge achieved.

"Well, the visiting time is over, you'd better take the children and leave quickly." A prison guard walked in and said.

"Can I still come visit later?"

"No, the next time we meet will be on the execution ground."

Wang Sufen reluctantly left the detention center with her two children and returned to the courtyard. She looked at the Jia family's house before returning to her own home.

She remembered what Lao Yi told her to be careful of Qin Huairu. Jia Zhang had died years ago, so the evidence must have been given to Qin Huairu in advance, and Qin Huairu went to the Public Security Bureau to report it.

It was a waste of Lao Yi's care for your family. In the end, not only did he not get anything good out of it, but he also got himself into trouble. That damned Jia Zhang actually gave Lao Yi a drug that would kill his offspring, causing her to bear the name of a hen that never lays eggs for the rest of her life. This grudge will be held against the rest of the Jia family.

She still remembered what Yi Zhonghai said about the gold bars and the house. It seemed that she would have to take out the gold bars and sell them for money when the weather got warmer. She could also take on some odd jobs making matchboxes to earn some money, so that she wouldn't have to worry about eating up all her savings.

There is no rush about the house. You can ask the people in the street office to look for one. They are familiar with the area. If it is difficult to buy a house, it should be easier to change houses.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Yi Zhonghai was executed. Wang Sufen went to collect the body alone, hired someone to cremate Yi Zhonghai's body directly, and put the ashes into a small jar and brought it back.

Everything in the courtyard was still the same, but Yan Jiefang's wife Ran Qiuye had given birth to a son and a daughter in the past few years, and now the family of four lived in Xu Damao's house. The third and fourth sons of the Yan family, Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi, were arranged to go to the countryside after graduating from junior high school.

Yan Bugui felt sorry for the two children, but he could only send some things from time to time. Yan Bugui and his daughter-in-law also set up a primary school in the courtyard to enlighten and educate the children of school age. This move deeply won everyone's respect.

Liu Haizhong also paid for the Nan Yi house before the Nan Yi family left and handled the transfer procedures. Liu Guangtian also met a girl working in a textile factory through a matchmaker in 1966 or 1967. The two fell in love with each other and got married three months after knowing each other. They have a son now, but his wife is pregnant with another one.

It is worth mentioning that after the treatment of the medicine left by Xu Damao, Sha Zhu finally made Liang Ladi pregnant, and finally successfully gave birth to a son. This made He Daqing finally feel relieved that the big stone that had been hanging in his heart for a long time fell to the ground, and his He family finally had an heir.

Sometimes he even thought that if Sha Zhu never had a biological child, he would find an opportunity to discuss with his daughter and see if he could let his daughter give birth to a child with the surname He. Fortunately, his silly son was quite capable this time and finally left a seed for their family. His daughter-in-law gave birth to the child safely despite the danger.

He Daqing is retired now. He takes care of the children at home every day and prepares delicious food for his daughter-in-law to nourish her body. Liang Ladi has gained weight compared to before.

By the way, He Daqing was appointed as the manager by the street office shortly after Xu Damao left. However, in the following years, the manager system existed in name only and gradually disappeared in the long river of history.

He Daqing's greatest contribution after becoming the manager was to organize the young and strong people in the courtyard to prevent attacks from social personnel, which also protected the courtyard.