Siheyuan: I am different He Yuzhu

He Yuzhu rode his bicycle with Cai Quanwu to the No. 95 courtyard. On the way, He Yuzhu asked Cai Quanwu: "Uncle, how old are you this year? I think you are much younger than my dad. If you didn't look younger than my dad, I would have thought that my dad came back from Baoding when I saw you for the first time. Otherwise, my sister wouldn't have thought you were my dad."

"I'm 23 years old this year. I can only say that your father and I look like our mother. My mother and your grandmother are sisters, so we look so similar." Cai Quanwu replied.

"Are you married? Where do you live now?"

"A few years ago, when the Japanese invaded Longguo, the world was in a bad state and my mother fell seriously ill. All the money in the family was not enough for my mother's medical treatment. We had no choice but to sell the land and house in our hometown for my mother's medical treatment. In the end, the disease was not cured and my mother passed away. After my mother passed away, I came to the city to work to make a living. Before the liberation of the city, I couldn't even have enough food to eat, let alone marry a wife. It was only after the liberation of the city that life became a little better, at least I could have enough food to eat. Now I work as a street vendor during the day and borrow other people's rickshaws to ride at night. I think I will work hard for a few years, and when I have enough money, I can get married. I am currently renting a house in a courtyard house in Qianmenlou, and the rickshaw I ride at night is borrowed from a neighbor in our yard."

"It's very hard work to carry a big thing. How much can you earn in a day?"

"When my father was still alive, my family was well off and I went to school when I was young. But after my mother fell ill, all the money in the family went to her medical treatment. After my mother passed away, my family had no money left, so I had no choice but to drop out of school. Now there are no proper jobs, so I can only work as a porter in a grain store on the street. It's a way to make a living, at least I won't starve to death. If I'm lucky, I can earn a few thousand yuan a day, but the work is not stable, I have it today and I don't have it tomorrow. Fortunately, the market in Xinlongguo is peaceful now, and there are no corrupt officials, hooligans, or gangsters who oppress or extort money, otherwise I still won't have enough to eat. As long as you are willing to work hard, your life will definitely get better and better."

"Uncle, this is the courtyard house where I live." The two chatted along the way and unknowingly returned to Courtyard House No. 95.

"My dear nephew, you are in great shape. You rode with me on your bike for such a long time and rode so fast. You didn't even need to breathe when we got home. I forgot to ask how old you are this year?"

"My brother is 16 years old this year, and I am 7 years old this year." He Yushui just listened to the two people chatting along the way without getting a word in. As soon as he heard the question asked by Cai Quanwu, He Yushui couldn't wait to answer.

"You are only 16 years old. Looking at your height and the way you talk, I thought you were an adult. Judging from the looks of you and your sister, you two should take after your mother, and you should not take after your father." Cai Quanwu was shocked when he heard He Yushui say that He Yuzhu was only 16 years old.

"Let's go in, uncle. My family lives in the middle courtyard of this quadrangle." He Yuzhu led Cai Quanwu to the courtyard. As soon as they entered the gate of No. 95 quadrangle, they saw the third uncle Yan Bugui. When Yan Bugui saw He Yuzhu leading He Daqing back, he was immediately startled, "Da...Daqing, why are you back?"

"Uncle, look carefully, this is not my father He Daqing, he looks younger than my father, this is Cai Quanwu, the son of my father's aunt. Uncle, this is the manager of our yard, he lives in the front yard, his surname is Yan Bugui, and he is a teacher in a nearby primary school." He Yuzhu was so scared when he saw Yan Bugui that he stuttered, and he immediately smiled and introduced Cai Quanwu to Yan Bugui.

"When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. When people are too impatient, they will lose their wisdom. The number of knowledgeable people is halved, and the number of thrifty people is nothing. Zhuzi, your relative's name is good." After hearing what He Yuzhu said, Yan Bugui took a closer look. He Daqing was not that young. After confirming that it was not He Daqing, Yan Bugui immediately put his mind at ease and was no longer nervous. When he heard He Yuzhu say Cai Quanwu's name, Yan Bugui immediately began to show off his culture.

"Uncle, what do you mean? I only went to primary school for a few days. I can understand the first two sentences you said, but I don't know the rest. Please tell me if it's convenient for you." He Yuzhu pretended to be uneducated and praised Yan Bugui.

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if people are too impatient, they will lose their wisdom. The wise will reduce their wisdom by half, and the thrifty will have no wisdom at all. This sentence is from the Ming Dynasty's "Zeng Guang Xian Wen", which means that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if people are too impatient, they will lose their wisdom. Those who know this truth will reduce their hasty desires by half, and those who are prudent will have no hasty desires at all." He Yuzhu's words just hit the itch in Yan Bugui's heart, and he immediately started writing.

"Uncle Third is worthy of being a teacher. He knows a lot. You take a rest first. I'll take my cousin in to show him the way." After praising Yan Bugui for a few words, He Yuzhu brought Cai Quanwu to the central courtyard.

"Uncle, the three main rooms in the middle courtyard, the house inside the small door on the east side, and the room on the north side of the east wing are all mine." He Yuzhu introduced his house to Cai Quanwu, and then led Cai Quanwu into the main hall of his house.

"Your house looks weird."

"Uncle, please sit down first. I'll make you some tea." He Yuzhu took out the green tea he had roasted himself from the cupboard, pinched a handful and put it in the teapot, then poured boiling water into the teapot.

While He Yuzhu was busy making tea, Cai Quanwu said, "Stop working. I'm a heavy worker and I don't know how to drink tea. Just pour me a cup of hot water."

"It's nothing to bother you. Come on, cousin, have a taste. This is the good tea that I specially asked someone to get from the south. You can call me Zhuzi from now on. My father and the people in the yard call me that."

Cai Quanwu picked up the teacup and took a sip. "Although I have never drunk tea, I smelled the fragrance of your tea before I even drank it. This tea is really good. By the way, Zhuzi, we just met and I heard you say that your father came back from Baoding. What did he do in Baoding?"

"Well, they say that family disgrace should not be made public. You are not an outsider, so let me tell you what happened. My mother died of complications during childbirth when she gave birth to my sister, and my father raised us alone. Last year, my father met a widow named Bai from Baoding, and he fell in love with her. After that, the two of them got together. I guess he was afraid that marrying Widow Bai would be bad for my sister, so not long after the Chinese New Year this year, my father followed that widow to Baoding." He Yuzhu told Cai Quanwu about the trip his father, He Daqing, and Widow Bai went to Baoding.

"Your father has been gone for almost half a year. It's too late to say anything now. Your father has been in Baoding with that widow for the past six months. How have you and your sister lived?" Cai Quanwu asked with concern after hearing He Yuzhu's words.

"Before my father passed away, he worked as a chef in the canteen of the steel mill outside Dongzhimen. The next day after he passed away, I went to the steel mill to see if I could find a job there. Unexpectedly, the boss of the steel mill was a nice guy. He liked my cooking skills and asked me to take over my father's job as a chef in the canteen."

"I've heard of the steel mill in Dongzhimen. There are more than a thousand people in the whole factory. You're such a young man and you can be a chef in the canteen of the steel mill. Your cooking skills seem to be extraordinary. I guess your father went to Baoding because of your good cooking skills and because he can support you and your sister."

He Yuzhu didn't expect that although his cousin looked taciturn, he was actually a thoughtful person. He guessed one of the reasons why his father He Daqing left the city of Beijing just by saying a few words.

"Actually, I don't blame him for going to Baoding. It wasn't easy for my father to raise us siblings alone after my mother passed away. He's only less than 40 years old, so it's good for him to meet someone he likes. Anyway, my sister and I have been living well since he left, and my sister doesn't miss him."

"It's hard for you as a big brother. You are still a child. It's just that you are too tall, so people always ignore your age."

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Today is a happy day. I didn't expect that just by taking my sister for a walk, I would meet my long-lost relatives. Uncle, please don't leave tonight. I will cook some delicious dishes for us to celebrate and you can taste my cooking skills. I originally thought that there were only two of us in my family in the old city, but I never thought there was an uncle."

"I'm happy too. I was the only one left in my family after my mother passed away. Who would have thought that I would meet you and your sister today. I will have relatives in the future and will not be alone anymore." Cai Quanwu also looked happy.

"Uncle, you are so young, you can't be a janitor for the rest of your life. You are young and healthy now, but you will be sick when you are old. What are your plans for the future?"

"We have to take it one step at a time. Now that the new Dragon Kingdom has just been established, there are many things to be done. There won't be any suitable jobs for the time being. This is the only way for now."

"I have a long-term job here, if you don't mind." Through the conversation with Cai Quanwu, He Yuzhu felt that his cousin was a loyal and down-to-earth man. He Yuzhu decided to let his cousin deliver eggs to the courtyard rented by Zhang Hu. Not only would it be safer for him, but he could also take care of his cousin and introduce him to a suitable job if he had the chance in the future.

"Zhu Zi, what's there to be disgusted about a poor fellow like me? Just tell me directly."

"I actually have a small business outside. Someone I know has connections that can get a lot of eggs from outside the city. It's inconvenient for him to go out to sell eggs, so he gave this job to me. I was responsible for helping him ship the eggs before. I would like to trouble you to help deliver the eggs from a house in Qudeng Hutong to another place in the future. Before, I had to deliver it myself because I didn't have someone who knew me well. Now that I have you, I want to entrust this matter to you. At that time, I will need you to deliver it every two days, and each time there will be about 2 to kilograms of eggs. How much do you think it will cost per time?"

"Since it's your own business, don't ask me for money. I have nothing to do anyway, so I can just help you. It's just a little bit of effort."

"It's not okay for you to work for free. It's fine if it's once in a while, but you have to do it every day. Uncle, how about this? I'll buy you a tricycle. I'll lend you the money for the tricycle first. In the future, you'll give me 2 yuan for each trip of pulling eggs. How about you pay me back when you have enough money?"

"You said you rented a house in Qianmenlouzi. I happen to have a house in Chunshu Hutong. It was originally the home of my Xingyiquan teacher. She returned to her hometown in Shandong Province at the beginning of the year, and she gave the house to me. I have rented that house to six people who help me sell eggs. There are a few vacant side rooms in the yard. If you don't mind, you can pick one to live in first, and you can help me look after the house."

Cai Quanwu couldn't help but feel red in the eyes after hearing what He Yuzhu said. A relative whom he hadn't seen for many years was so considerate of him when they just met for the first time. This made Cai Quanwu, who had lived alone for many years, feel the warmth of family affection that he hadn't felt for a long time. "Zhuzi, you are too good to me. What do you want me to say?"

He Yuzhu looked at Cai Quanwu, whose eyes were red. "Uncle, we will be a family from now on. My grandmother and your mother are sisters. I am taking advantage of you. You help me look for houses, but I don't plan to pay you. When I have the chance in the future, I will help you rent a house near my home. Then we will live close to each other and it will be convenient for us to visit each other if we have any business."

"Zhu Zi, if you have anything to say in the future, just tell me."

"I won't be polite, uncle. From now on, you are the elder of me and Yu Shui. I can count on you to give me advice and support if anything happens. Uncle, it's getting late. Please help look after my sister at my house. I'm going to buy some vegetables on the street. Yu Shui, you follow me first. Big brother is going to buy some vegetables and will be back soon."

"Okay big brother, what delicious food are you going to make?"

"You'll know when Big Brother comes back, you little greedy cat. I'll be leaving first, you sit at home for a while."

When He Yuzhu was pushing his bicycle past the front yard, he ran into the third uncle Yan Bugui.

"Zhu Zi, aren't there relatives coming to your house? What are you doing pushing the cart out?"