Siheyuan: I am different He Yuzhu

When everyone saw He Yuzhu return home and close the door, they immediately pointed at Jia Zhang and began to whisper. When Jia Zhang heard the sound of He Yuzhu's door closing, her tense nerves immediately relaxed. She couldn't help but regret what she had just said: "Why would I offend He Yuzhu for no reason? You're so good at martial arts, but you didn't tell me. You showed it off out of the blue, and you must have scared yourself. Be careful when you speak in front of He Yuzhu from now on. If I say something that offends him by mistake, he will hit me, and I'll be dead."

When Jia Zhang thought of the scene of himself being beaten to death by He Yuzhu, he shuddered instantly. Then he remembered that the Workers' and Peasants' Party was in power now, and killing someone would result in death. He, He Yuzhu, certainly would not dare to kill anyone, because if he did, the government would catch him and shoot him. Thinking of this, Jia Zhang instantly felt himself stand up again.

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but narrow his eyes when he saw He Yuzhu chopping bricks. He usually thought that He Yuzhu was just taller than ordinary people and better at cooking, but he didn't expect that he was also so good at martial arts. It seems that he should try to win over He Yuzhu when he has nothing to do in the future. If He Yuzhu can be of one mind with him, then his position in No. 95 Siheyuan will be secure.

After watching He Yuzhu looking at the bricks, Liu Haizhong expressed disdain. As a senior blacksmith who had worked for more than ten years, he could boast about his strength and said, "There is no one who can rival me in the entire courtyard."

Yan Bugui just glanced at it and didn't think much about it. His mind was now focused on the money. In order to prevent mistakes, Yan Bugui counted it twice, and only stood up after confirming that there was no problem, and said seriously: "Everyone, please be quiet. I just counted it. Our entire compound donated a total of 25 yuan. I have recorded every donation in the notebook in my hand. When the time comes, I will also record every penny clearly. If anyone has any questions, you can come to me directly to ask for the account book."

"We trust Uncle San." Someone on the ground started to make a noise. Yan Bugui laughed and sat down.

After Yan Bugui finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai stood up and said, "After the cellar is built, I suggest that we all buy cabbage together. It will be easier to negotiate the price with the vegetable vendors if we go out to buy cabbage in a yard like this, which will save everyone a little bit."

"What the uncle said is right. I support him in doing so." Jia Xudong made a timely comment in the crowd, and everyone agreed when they saw it.

After Yi Zhonghai and the others finished speaking, he turned around and said to Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui in a negotiating tone: "Second uncle, third uncle, do you have anything else to say? If there is nothing to add, let's end the meeting today."

Liu Haizhong stood up and said, "Just now, the uncle said that he would not take the money left over from his donation for digging the cellar. I wanted to express my opinion just now, but was interrupted by Jia Zhang. I will also express my attitude here. When the time comes, our family will all participate in digging the cellar. If the money is not used up in the end, I will not take my share. Okay, I'm done." Liu Haizhong waved his hand and announced, "Adjourn the meeting."

"Second uncle is also great." Everyone cheered, and then everyone carried their chairs to their homes. Liu Haizhong heard the recognition of the people in the courtyard, and happily said to Liu Guangqi: "Guangqi, you and Yan Jiecheng will help the first uncle carry the table back. I will go home first." After that, Liu Haizhong walked to the backyard with his hands behind his back and his chest puffed out like a general who had won a battle.

After returning home, He Yuzhu didn't care what the people in the courtyard thought. He remembered that in his previous life, Chairman Mao said in a TV series: "One punch is better than a hundred punches." He believed that after he showed his strength this time, the people in the courtyard would think twice if they had bad intentions towards him, especially the old woman Jia Zhang. He Yuzhu saw that He Yushui was still sitting upright and reading the comic book, and said in a gentle tone: "It's time to go to bed, Yushui, and read the rest tomorrow."

"Okay, big brother." He Yushui closed the book obediently, put it on the table, walked to the wash basin and started to wash. He Yuzhu looked at He Yushui kindly, like an old father looking at his daughter. His sister was so obedient, well-behaved and sensible, raising her was really worry-free.

The next day, He Yuzhu was still having breakfast when Yangshi Lei Ke and his men came to the yard. They carried bricks in a backpack. When He Yuzhu saw them, he quickly put down his bowl and came out of the kitchen. He said enthusiastically, "Master Lei, why are you here so early? Have you eaten yet? If not, let's eat together."

Yangshi Lei poured the bricks in the backpack onto the ground and said with a smile, "Xiao He, don't be polite. We have already eaten. You should eat quickly. The bricks on the truck at the door have not been unloaded yet. You can't pull them into your yard. You can only carry them one by one in the backpack. I will go and carry the bricks."

"Then I won't delay your work." He Yuzhu said apologetically. When He Yuzhu finished his meal, Yangshi Lei had brought all the bricks and lime to the small yard in front of He Yuzhu's kitchen. After He Yuzhu cleaned up the pots and bowls and came out of the kitchen, he said to Yangshi Lei who was cleaning the ash: "Master Lei, you guys take your time, I'm going to work first. I didn't lock the kitchen door. If you are thirsty, go inside and get some water. I just filled the thermos in the room with hot water this morning."

"Okay, Xiao He, I understand. By the way, what are you going to do with the dug soil? Do you want us to help you pull it out directly, or do you want to keep it?" Yangshi Lei stopped the work in his hands, pointed at the pile of soil by the wall and asked with a smile.

"Let's keep those piles of earth. I'll use them to pave the yard later. Master Lei, do you think it would be more appropriate to pave my small yard with blue bricks or stone slabs?" He Yuzhu looked at the piles of earth and asked casually.

"It is definitely more appropriate to use blue bricks. Blue bricks are not only convenient but also cheap. Although paving with stone slabs looks more beautiful, the price of stone slabs is too expensive." Yangshi Lei answered without thinking.

"Then please ask Master Lei to build the cellar and pave my yard with clean bricks. The excess soil can be spread directly on the ground." He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Okay, okay. I promise to clean up the yard for you before dark this afternoon." Yangshi Lei said happily when he heard that there was one more job to do.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Master Lei. I'm going to work now. We'll talk again in the afternoon. Yushui is leaving. I'll take you to school first." He Yuzhu waved at Yushui, signaling her to follow him. He Yushui followed He Yuzhu out of the courtyard gate and sat on the child seat on the front beam of the bicycle. He Yuzhu waited for He Yushui to sit down, then pushed hard on the pedals, and the bicycle sped out in an instant.

When He Yuzhu returned home in the afternoon, Yangshi Lei had already built the cellar and started laying bricks on the ground of the courtyard. He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Master Lei, you work really fast. It will be finished soon."

Yangshi Lei stood up from the ground upon hearing the sound and greeted He Yuzhu enthusiastically: "The cellar will be ready by noon. In another 2-3 hours, when the ash inside the wall is almost solidified, we can backfill it. After backfilling, we can lay bricks on the backfilled area and it will be done."

He Yuzhu gave Yangshi Lei a thumbs up and said praisingly: "Master Lei is worthy of being the master who built the Forbidden City. The job was done beautifully. I came back to see if Master Lei needs any help. Looking at the current situation, Master Lei, you don’t have anything to do. You go ahead and do your work. I have other things to do, so I have to go out for a while." After that, He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle out of the courtyard again and came to the house in Qudeng Hutong.

He Yuzhu first put the eggs produced in the blessed land cave in the south room, and then he returned to the blessed land cave again. He Yuzhu wanted to take advantage of the time to fix the bamboo on the bottom slope of the big funnel that he had ordered from Old Song. He Yuzhu took out the bamboo board that he had split a few days ago, determined the required size, cut off the excess part with a saw, and then drilled holes in the bamboo board where it needed to be fixed; the next step was to drill corresponding holes on the vertical beam at the bottom of the big funnel, and finally use bamboo nails to fix the one and a half inch wide bamboo board on the slope of the big funnel.

After the four slopes at the bottom of the big funnel were all covered with bamboo boards, He Yuzhu looked at the neat and smooth slopes and felt a great sense of accomplishment. He Yuzhu thought that a ladder would be needed to go down to the cellar in the future, so he decided to go up the mountain with a machete and prepare to cut two strong bamboos to make a bamboo ladder. He Yuzhu found two bamboos he liked on the mountain, and the bamboos fell to the ground with a sound. He Yuzhu tied the two bamboos together, carried them on his shoulders and went down the mountain directly. After going down the mountain, He Yuzhu threw the bamboos directly into the main hall of Wuji Temple, letting the bamboos dry naturally in the shade of Wuji Temple.

Then He Yuzhu moved his mind, and his figure disappeared directly from the blessed land cave, and appeared in the house of Qudeng Hutong outside. Then He Yuzhu rode his bicycle to his home in Nanluoguxiang. When He Yuzhu returned home, Yangshi Lei had already cleaned up the ground of the small courtyard. Looking at the small courtyard ground paved with neat blue bricks, it instantly felt that the small courtyard was more stylish. Yangshi Lei took He Yuzhu down to the cellar to take a look. He Yuzhu bent down and looked at the cellar with the light from the cave. The golden bricks on the ground were neat and smooth, and on the top were two thick pine beams, and the two ends of the pine wood were buried in the wall.

He Yuzhu came to the ground with the rope handed down by Yangshi Lei and said with satisfaction: "Master Lei, thank you for your hard work. This cellar is built beautifully. How much does it cost to lay the bricks on the ground?"

Yangshi Lei accepted He Yuzhu's compliment with a smug look on his face, then said with a smile: "Just give me 10 yuan to pave the yard."

After listening to him, He Yuzhu took out money from his pocket and found two RMB notes with a face value of 2 yuan and handed them to Yangshi Lei. "Thank you very much, Master Lei, for this time. It's a pity that you are not allowed to build a house later. Otherwise, based on Master Lei's craftsmanship, I would definitely ask Master Lei to build a yard for me."

"Xiao He, you speak very nicely. I'll leave first. I've left some soil in the corner of the yard. If any brick in your yard sinks in the future, tell me and I'll fix it for you." Yangshi Lei took the money and put it in his pocket, pointing to a pile of soil in the corner and instructed.

"I've got it. I'll take you out." He Yuzhu escorted Yangshi Lei out of the courtyard gate. He watched Yangshi Lei and his group walk away before turning around and going home.