Siheyuan, my new life

On the road leading to the Red Star Steel Mill, He Daqing and his son were talking in low voices as they walked quickly towards the mill.

As a father, He Daqing kept reminding his silly son of some things to pay attention to when dealing with people in the workplace. He Yuzhu did not talk back, knowing that this was his father teaching him work experience by example. He only asked questions when he did not understand.

Just now, He Yuzhu sent the somewhat reluctant Xiao Yushui to the house of the deaf old lady in the backyard. Only after he promised his sister to take her to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy candy after get off work did Xiao Yushui nod unhappily and agree to go to the backyard. In the past, she would find a few children of the same age in the yard to play with, and sometimes she would go to Yi Zhonghai's house to find Aunt Qu Xiuqin.

But after what happened last night, He Daqing was worried about letting Xiao Yushui stay in the yard alone. Now there was no other way, he could only let the old lady take care of the child first. Of course, this was also the decision he made after discussing with the old lady in the morning.

The deaf old lady agreed to He Daqing's request to help take care of the child without hesitation. Last night, the old lady tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. Finally, she realized that the reason why she didn't like the little girl Yu Shui was that she looked exactly like her mother Xiao Cui when she was a child. Every time she saw Yu Shui, she would think of the well-behaved and lovely goddaughter in her mind, and she would always blame He Daqing and Xiao Yu Shui for Xiao Cui's death.

Thinking about it now, the deaf old lady felt that she was a little crazy. In fact, the one who suffered the most after Xiao Cui's death was the little girl Yu Shui, who lost her mother's care and love since she was a child. Although He Daqing loved this daughter very much, he was a grown man after all, how could he take good care of such a little girl? Therefore, little Yu Shui's clothes often looked a little sloppy.

The deaf old lady looked at Xiao Yushui, who was sitting on the stool and fiddling with her fingers out of boredom. She sighed secretly, stood up and walked over with her cane, and said with a smile: "Xiao Yushui, do you want some candy?"

Hearing the old lady's words, Xiao Yushui immediately raised her head, pursed her lips and said softly: "Old lady, my brother said that as long as I stay at your house honestly today, he will take me to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy candy after get off work."

The deaf old lady smiled kindly: "Xiao Yushui, from now on, just like your brother, don't call me old lady anymore, just call me grandma. Come on, grandma will take our Xiao Yushui to the supply and marketing cooperative to play, and we will go buy some candy and cakes."

Little Yu Shui's eyes widened in disbelief, and then he said in a low voice, a little bewildered: "But Yu Shui has no money or tickets. My father said that I am still young and can only give me pocket money when I go to school."

The deaf old lady was amused by the little girl's appearance and laughed: "Silly girl, grandma has money and tickets. Today grandma will buy candy and cakes for our little Yu Shui." Then she walked forward, holding Yu Shui's little hand and walked out the door.

As soon as I walked out the door, I ran into Aunt Jiang who was preparing to come over to clean the house for the old lady.

Aunt Jiang said a little embarrassedly: "Old lady, Director He asked me to come and clean up the house for you and prepare lunch for you and Yu Shui."

The deaf old lady said cheerfully: "Thank you very much. The meat and vegetables are all in the kitchen. You can cook them yourself. By the way, call your grandchildren to come and eat with us at noon."

Aunt Jiang waved her hands quickly and said, "Old lady, how can this be possible? I have received money from Director He to cook for you and do housework. How can I eat at your place again?"

The deaf old lady smiled and said, "We have been neighbors for so many years, so don't refuse. Besides, how much can you three eat? You told me early in the morning that you three will eat here together in the future, so that Yu Shui and I can have some fun. Okay, I'll take little Yu Shui out for a while, you just do what you should do." After that, she took Yu Shui's little hand and slowly walked out.

Letting Aunt Jiang and her grandchildren have dinner together at the deaf old lady's house was something He Daqing had specifically agreed with the old lady this morning. In the past, He Daqing was really unwilling to get involved in the troublesome things in the courtyard of No. 95. Therefore, he not only rejected the suggestion of Director Tang of the Street Office that he be the manager, but also deliberately kept a certain distance from the residents in the courtyard.

However, through the conversation with Director Lin of the west wing, He Daqing realized that he must make changes for the sake of his children. Not only must he change himself, but he must also slowly change the bad atmosphere of Courtyard No. 95.

The first thing He Daqing thought of was to take the initiative to help those needy families in the courtyard who really needed help. His own income was not low, and his son would be able to earn a salary in the future. He could set aside a portion of the money and food every month to solve the plight of several needy families.

When He Daqing told the deaf old lady about his plan, the old lady gladly expressed her support and offered to give some cash and food every month to help these needy families.

After a night of thinking, the deaf old lady felt that she was a little indifferent to her neighbors. With her wealth, even if she only took out a few gold bars, she would be able to help those needy families out of their predicament. However, the old lady knew the truth of "a little bit of rice is a favor, a big bit of rice is a grudge", so she decided that even if she wanted to help others, she must find a way. Letting Aunt Jiang bring her grandchildren to dinner today was the first step for the old lady and He Daqing to start helping.

The deaf old lady held Yu Shui's hand, greeting the residents she met while slowly walking out of the gate of Courtyard No. 95.

The Nanluoguxiang Supply and Marketing Cooperative was not too far from Courtyard No. 95. Ten minutes later, the deaf old lady and Xiao Yushui pushed open the door of the supply and marketing cooperative and walked in.

Perhaps because most of the residents nearby were at work, the supply and marketing cooperative was empty at this time and there were few customers. Four salesmen were chatting together in a low voice. Words such as No. 95 Courtyard, Yi Zhonghai, and Yan Bugui could be vaguely heard. It was obvious that they were discussing what happened last night. It seemed that the events in No. 95 Courtyard had begun to spread in the neighborhood.

The deaf old lady didn't care about what these people were talking about. At this moment, she felt very fortunate. If He Daqing hadn't had a relationship with Director Lin, she might have really been cheated by Yi Zhonghai.

Leading Xiao Yushui to the candy counter, the deaf old lady lowered her head and smiled and said, "Xiao Yushui, tell grandma what you want to eat?"

Xiao Yushui stared at the various candies and cakes in the glass counter, and for a moment she didn't know what she should order.

In fact, in addition to fruit candies and shrimp candies, there are only a few kinds of pastries on the counter, such as peach cakes, donkey rolls, and osmanthus cakes. The price of candies now almost exceeds that of pork, and the price of pastries is even higher, so ordinary families can only buy a little during the New Year or festivals, weddings, and gifts. Many children have never eaten pastries at all.