Siheyuan: I am different He Yuzhu

The sun shines on the ancient streets, reflecting the traces of time. He Yushui pushes the slightly old bicycle gently and slowly walks into the courtyard No. 95. This courtyard carries countless memories and emotions for her.

When the neighbors in the courtyard saw He Yushui, they immediately smiled warmly and greeted her. Someone asked with concern: "Yushui, are you back to clean up again? You are such a hardworking girl!" Others asked curiously: "Is your elder brother, Director He, busy at work recently? Is he in good health?" Various cordial greetings came one after another, making He Yushui feel the strong friendship between neighbors.

He Yushui smiled and politely responded to the warm greetings of her neighbors one by one. Her voice was crisp and gentle, like a spring breeze blowing through people's hearts. Then, she pushed her bicycle to the door of her home in the middle courtyard. Standing there, looking at the familiar bricks and tiles, grass and trees in front of her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion in her heart. This place has witnessed every bit of her growth, and every corner is filled with warm memories.

However, thinking about the upcoming college entrance examination results and the subsequent college life, He Yushui knew that she might not be able to return to this courtyard house as frequently as before. This thought of parting made her heart a little sad, but at the same time she was full of longing and expectation for future life.

After calming down a bit, He Yushui took a deep breath, opened the door and walked in. The house was filled with a faint smell of dust, and the sunlight shone through the window onto the ground, forming patches of mottled light and shadow. Without any hesitation, she rolled up her sleeves and began to clean up quickly.

In fact, cleaning and repairing the house were originally tasks assigned to her by her brother He Yuzhu. But because He Yushui has always been very hardworking and sensible, and she often returns to this room to clean and take care of it from time to time, she is already familiar with these tasks. She skillfully picked up the broom and carefully swept away the dust on the floor; then she used a rag to wipe the tables, chairs, doors and windows, leaving no corner untouched. In a short while, the whole room was completely renewed, clean and bright.

As for repairing the house, it was a piece of cake! He Yushui carefully checked the doors and windows of the house one by one. She thought to herself that the doors and windows looked intact and there was no need to repair them. After all, when He Yuzhu got married, he had just renovated the house thoroughly, and it had only been more than six years.

At this moment, He Yushui, holding a large enamel basin in both hands, walked slowly towards the pool, apparently preparing to wash the rag used to wipe the dust. However, unexpectedly, the guardian of the courtyard pool, Qin Huairu, seemed to have telepathic communication with him, and very decisively and promptly rushed to the pool with a full basin of laundry.

As soon as she saw He Yushui, Qin Huairu smiled and greeted her enthusiastically: "Oh, sister Yushui, it's been a while since we last met! I feel like you've become more beautiful! It's true that girls change a lot when they grow up! If you don't come back to this yard often, even if we bump into each other on the street, I'm afraid I might not be able to recognize you!"

Hearing this compliment, He Yushui couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. She quickly waved her hands and responded with a smile: "Sister-in-law Jia, look at what you said. I haven't changed that much! Are you here with a big basin of clothes to wash again?"

Qin Huairu nodded gently and replied, "That's right. There are many people in the family, so there are naturally many dirty clothes!" As she spoke, her eyes fell on the rag in He Yushui's hand that was about to be washed, and she asked curiously, "Yushui, are you here to clean the house again this time?"

He Yushui answered while scrubbing the rag, "Yes, sister-in-law of the Jia family. If this house is left unattended for a long time, it will take a lot of effort to clean it up when you want to move back in someday!"

"Hey, last time you came back, your sister-in-law told you that when you come back to clean, you should call your sister-in-law and she would help you clean. But you didn't call your sister-in-law this time when you came back." Qin Huairu said with pretended dissatisfaction.

"Sister-in-law, look at our house. It's actually not that dirty. It's just a small place. I can clean it up by myself in no time. You are very busy on weekdays. I don't have the nerve to trouble you for such a small matter." The young man scratched his head and said with a shy smile.

When Qin Huairu heard this, she quickly waved her hands and said, "Oh, kid, you are being so distant with your sister-in-law, aren't you? I have grown up with you, and we are so close! Back then, when I first married into this courtyard, you were only this tall." As she spoke, she stretched out her hand in the air to indicate the height.

Recalling the past, Qin Huairu couldn't help but smile: "At that time, I had just married into this hospital. After hearing about you and your sister's situation, I felt really sad for a while and secretly shed several tears! I was worried that you two siblings were too young to take care of yourselves. Who would have thought that later I found out that your eldest brother, Deputy Director He of our hospital, although he looks big and strong, takes care of you in every possible way, even more attentively than many women take care of children!" Speaking of this, Qin Huairu's face was full of emotion.

After a short pause, she suddenly changed the subject and asked, "By the way, speaking of your eldest brother, he has moved out of our yard for almost three years, right? I wonder if he has mentioned when he will move back to live here?"

"My eldest brother asked me to clean the house first, and when he is free during this period, we will move back."

"Really? Is your eldest brother moving back?" Qin Huairu said with surprise.

"Yes, I moved out because my sister-in-law was too busy taking care of six children by herself. My sister-in-law's family's house happened to be empty and it was close to where my brother worked. Now that the children have grown up, we must move back. Although my sister-in-law's family's house is empty, it's not good to tell others that I have been living there all the time."

"It's good to be back. There are so many people in the yard. It will be so lively!"

"Sister-in-law, you go ahead and do your work. I'm done washing. I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go back to help my sister-in-law take care of the children!" After saying that, He Yushui wrung out the water on the rag and walked home carrying the enamel basin.

Qin Huairu said loudly to He Yushui's back, "Yushui, when you come back from moving, if you need help, just call my sister-in-law. She's not busy at home." After saying that, she lowered her head and began to wash clothes seriously.

The hard times of the past few years have made Qin Huairu realize completely that if her family wants to live an easier life than it does now, she must change her household registration from rural to urban. Only in this way can Banggeng and Xiaodang also become urban residents. Then, there will be four people in the family who have food quotas, and life at home will be completely better.

The only way she could think of to change her rural household registration to urban household registration was to ask He Yuzhu for help. He Yuzhu was the deputy director of the Red Star Steel Plant and the director of the Red Star Machinery Manufacturing Plant. As long as he was willing to help, he could arrange a job for her.

What she had to do now was to wait for He Yuzhu to move back to the courtyard. As long as He Yuzhu moved back from outside, she would ask an old man to take Xudong and herself to He Yuzhu's house in the evening. After she had cried to He Yuzhu, he would surely soften his heart and agree to help her arrange a job. Then she would be able to eat the so-called commercial grain. Qin Huairu felt that washing clothes became easier when she imagined herself and the children eating commercial grain.